Huode squatted on the ground, puffing on his pipe with a bitter expression.
Gazing at the endless, dark mass of people covering Liuren Mountain, this scene couldn't help but evoke a sense of déjà vu in him, as if he had been transported back four or five hundred years.
Back then, Gu Qingfeng was still young, having cultivated eighty-one Golden Cores, only to be branded an evil cultivator. Like a rat scurrying across the street, everyone shouted for his capture and execution. Later, the experts of the entire great region mobilized en masse, joining forces to besiege him at Red Dragon Valley.
Back then, the number of people besieging Gu Qingfeng was no less than it is now, and among them were many Nascent Soul Experts. In the end, however, they all died. Of the tens of thousands who besieged him, some perished, others were wounded, and in the end, barely a handful could still stand and walk.
This was the infamous Chilong Valley Blood Battle.
The number of battles, large and small, in Gu Qingfeng's life was beyond counting—the blood staining Great Green Mountain, the slaughter at Thousand Snow Cliff, the furious roar in Sky Tiger Forest, and so on...
Compared to the battles he experienced later, the Chilong Valley Blood Battle was neither the fiercest nor the most frenzied, but it was the most significant in meaning.
Others might not know, but Huode, who was familiar with Gu Qingfeng, knew very clearly. After the Chilong Valley Blood Battle, Gu Qingfeng was completely cemented as a demonic fiend. It was also from that battle onward that Gu Qingfeng resolutely decided to embark on a path of defying the heavens, a road of no return.
Five hundred years later.
Gu Qingfeng was once again branded an evil cultivator, and once again faced a siege by experts from all the major sects of the entire great region.
The only difference was that the Red Dragon Valley of the past had been replaced by the present-day Liuren Mountain.
Back then, Gu Qingfeng slaughtered until the heavens darkened and the earth grew dim, until rivers of blood flowed and countless lay dead or wounded.
What choice would the Gu Qingfeng of today make? Huode didn't know. He didn't dare to think in that direction. He was just very worried that Gu Qingfeng would tread the same old path again. He had the heart to persuade him, but truly lacked the courage. Moreover, he also knew that Gu Qingfeng had never been one who could be persuaded.
An unknown amount of time passed, and the crowd on Liuren Mountain grew larger and larger.
At that moment, Gu Qingfeng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
"Is everyone here yet?"
His voice was very plain, just like the man himself—devoid of sorrow or joy, fearless and unafraid, neither startled nor scared. It was as if he had nothing at all, just casually asking if you had eaten yet.
Only, no one understood the meaning behind his words.
What did he mean by 'Is everyone here yet?'?
What was he implying?
Was this something a person about to be besieged should say?
Unclear. No one knew.
Gu Qingfeng withdrew the hand that had been clamped over Elder Shi Tong's head. Perhaps it was a bit sore; he rubbed his wrist before finally raising his head. He swept a casual glance across the scene, but it was just a glance. His eyes were so calm they held not a single ripple—not looking at enemies, nor at opponents, but more like looking at a swarm of ants, something that seemed unable to pique his interest in the slightest.
Then, he pulled out an exquisite wine flask, followed by a reddish-bronze cup, poured a drink, and downed it in one go.
This scene was truly somewhat bizarre.
A fellow with Purple Mansion cultivation, now besieged by tens of thousands, not only showed no fear, but hadn't even deigned to look at these people. And now, he was actually drinking a little wine all by himself.
How audacious must a person be to dare act so arrogantly, to dare be so unrestrained?
To dare not place so many experts in his eyes?
What did he think he was?
A God?
Gu Qingfeng drank three cups in succession, then tossed the wine flask to Huode, saying, "Try it. It's not bad.
Huode caught the Sea Blue Moon and took a hearty swig, nodding in praise. "Sea Blue Moon?
Where did you get this, kid? This stuff isn't easy to find."
"A young lady gave it to me."
If Gu Qingfeng drinking by himself just now made people feel somewhat eerie, then at this moment, him chatting so casually and without restraint with Huode made everyone present feel an indescribable, inexplicable sensation. This feeling grew more terrifying the more one pondered it. At the very least, the thirty-plus Nascent Soul Experts present were all frowning, their eyes filled with shock, suspicion, and wariness.
"If not everyone is here yet, then we'll wait a little longer."
Gu Qingfeng placed one hand behind his back, held the wine flask in another, and the cup in yet another, drinking by himself as he spoke casually, "Call over everyone you can in advance. Your fathers, your masters, if you have the ability, call your ancestors over too. Since we're going to fight, let's settle this matter thoroughly today, so no one comes looking for trouble later. That way, you'll have peace of mind, and I'll have tranquility."
Arrogant!
Truly too arrogant!
Simply arrogant to the point of lawlessness, arrogant without bounds.
The Sect Head of Fenghui Sect stared at him fixedly, his voice condensed and sharp. "This venerable one has cultivated for two thousand years and seen countless arrogant individuals, but never have I seen a young man as arrogant as you, one who thinks he's reached the heavens!"
"You call this arrogance?"
Gu Qingfeng raised his cup to drink, glanced at him, and said with a smile, "You haven't seen me when I'm truly arrogant."
Beside him, Huode nodded, deeply agreeing.
Others might not have seen Gu Qingfeng in his arrogant state, but he had.
When this kid got arrogant back in the day, it was absolutely earth-shattering and enough to make ghosts and gods weep.
Standing atop the clouds of Chixiao, challenging all the immortals under heaven.
Shouldering the judgment of the Heavenly Dao, teasing the World-Honored Empress.
Cloaked in ten thousand zhang of radiance, wiping out the Immortal Dynasty with a single hand.
Grasping the Dragon-Elephant Slaughter Blade, severing the firmament with one strike.
Compared to Gu Qingfeng's flamboyant arrogance back then, today's little remark could hardly be called arrogance.
"At death's door, you little Evil Demon still dare act so insolent? You simply don't know what's good for you!"
"This Evil Demon doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Let us strike and erase him!"
"That's right! This Evil Demon is mysterious and bizarre, reeking of evil. He must be slain, or he'll be a calamity sooner or later!"
The surrounding crowd angrily denounced him, but Gu Qingfeng just laughed heartily. "Alright, alright. If your people are all here, then make your move. Every single one present, anyone who thinks I'm an evil cultivator or an Evil Demon, feel free to attack. Those who have grievances with me, grudges against me, or simply find me displeasing to the eye—no matter how many there are—all of you can attack."
These words instantly caused an uproar within the area.
This was no longer a question of arrogance or not...
But a question of whether it was terrifying or not.
It couldn't help but make people wonder: Was this person just putting on a calm front?
Or was he truly this confident?
They didn't know.
No one was clear.
"But I'll say the ugly words upfront."
The smile at the corner of Gu Qingfeng's mouth gradually faded, and his voice turned cold and severe. "If you make a move, you must bear the consequences and the price. When the time comes, if you're injured, crippled, or dead, don't any of you come crying with regrets!"
As his words fell, Gu Qingfeng leaped up, standing upright in the void, hands behind his back. His pair of tranquil eyes swept across the scene as he shouted in a condensed voice, "Who's first?
Or are you coming all together?"
The tens of thousands gathered on Liuren Mountain looked at each other, then all turned their gazes toward the sect heads of the major sects and those Nascent Soul Experts, as if awaiting their decision. After all, the situation was too bizarre, the Evil Demon too mysterious. Without an absolute expert to lead the charge, no one dared to risk their lives.