The composure that radiated from Gu Qingfeng.
The coldness that permeated his words.
The disdain that shone in his eyes.
The contempt that laced his smile.
All of these things, and more, filled the Jiangzhu Ancestor with dread.
He stared fixedly at Gu Qingfeng, probing with his divine sense. The longer he stared, the more fearful he became; the deeper he probed, the more terrified he grew.
"You little..." Since he couldn't quite grasp Gu Qingfeng's origins, the Jiangzhu Ancestor didn't dare be too presumptuous. He asked cautiously, "Brat, from the tone of your words just now, it seems you know me?"
"'Know' is too strong a word. I've seen you a few times, that's all."
"Oh?"
The Jiangzhu Ancestor was deeply suspicious. He asked again, "When? And where?"
Hovering in the air, Gu Qingfeng looked at him and said indifferently, "We crossed paths a few times in some ancient cave dwellings in the past. The last time, you took something of mine. I went to Jiangzhu Mountain to look for you."
Crossed paths a few times in ancient cave dwellings?
The Jiangzhu Ancestor pondered. He had excavated many ancient cave dwellings in his time and met countless people. Had he taken something from this brat?
And this brat had come to Jiangzhu Mountain looking for him?
The Jiangzhu Ancestor narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Gu Qingfeng up and down. He was certain he did not recognize the young man before him.
Was he a reincarnated person?
Or perhaps someone who had seized a new body?
No!
Neither!
This brat carried neither the aura of reincarnation nor that of body-seizing. There was no aura of lifespan calamity either, only the pure aura of the Purple Mansion. With such a cultivation level, he didn't even qualify for eternal youth. In other words, this brat had cultivated for at most twenty-odd years.
Though he thought this, the Jiangzhu Ancestor wasn't entirely sure. He had cultivated for over three thousand years and was widely experienced. He knew that between heaven and earth existed many incomprehensible beings. Moreover, after the Great Cataclysm, all things were reviving. Who knew what terrifying things might have awakened?
Considering this, the Jiangzhu Ancestor asked again, "You say I took something of yours. What did I take?"
"A sword. A sword that glowed with violet light. If I remember correctly, the characters 'Qing Xia' were carved on it."
Gu Qingfeng gazed at him with an indifferent expression and asked, "I wonder if you recall?"
A sword?
A violet-glowing sword?
With 'Qing Xia' carved on it?
Upon hearing these words, the Jiangzhu Ancestor's face instantly turned deathly pale. Perhaps the shock was simply too great, causing his mind to panic. He plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground in a paralyzed heap. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, he looked as if he had seen a ghost or a god.
This scene not only startled the Jiangzhu Ancestor himself but also stunned the tens of thousands of people present, who couldn't believe their eyes.
They had been counting on the Jiangzhu Ancestor to seek justice for them and slay this demon. No matter what, they never imagined that not only would the Jiangzhu Ancestor dare not make a move against this evil demon, but he would now be so terrified he fell straight from the sky.
How was this possible!
The Jiangzhu Ancestor was a three-thousand-year-old Nascent Soul Old Monster! Back in the day, not just in the Four Regions, but across the entire Great Northwest, he was a figure of renown. This evil demon was indeed mysterious and bizarre, having annihilated over ten thousand members of the Fenghui Sect, but back in your prime, venerable ancestor, when you went on a rampage, you were also someone who could wipe out armies with a wave of your hand! And that was over a thousand years ago. Now, with your Nascent Soul transformed and your spiritual power unfathomably deep, a single shout from you could make Liuren Mountain tremble.
Now, you haven't even made a move, and that evil demon hasn't either. With just a few sentences, how could you, venerable ancestor, be scared into paralysis on the ground?
No one dared believe this was real.
But the facts were before their eyes, leaving no room for disbelief.
Everyone saw clearly: the Jiangzhu Ancestor had truly panicked and fallen by accident. Moreover, everyone could see the terror in the Jiangzhu Ancestor's expression, even in his eyes.
Heavens!
Why!
"Ancestor!
Ancestor, what's wrong with you?"
Xia Pan'er ran over, trying to help the Jiangzhu Ancestor up, but the old man lay there like a lump of mud. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, even his hand trembled. He opened his mouth, his tongue seeming to twitch, unable to utter a word.
"Gu...
Gu Qingfeng, what...
what did you do to our ancestor!
Wah!"
Xia Pan'er was so scared she burst into tears.
Perhaps worried for Xia Pan'er's safety, Shui Yunruo, Lan Fei'er, and even Chen Yue rushed over immediately, shielding the young girl. The expressions of the three women were also poor, or rather, terrible. Especially as they looked at the Jiangzhu Ancestor paralyzed on the ground, their already considerable fear of Gu Qingfeng intensified.
"For the sake of our past acquaintance, I have no desire to fight you."
Standing aloft in the air, Gu Qingfeng's face showed no expression, his words utterly indifferent. Gazing at the Jiangzhu Ancestor collapsed on the ground, he said, "Take your people and get out of my sight."
The Jiangzhu Ancestor was, after all, a Nascent Soul Old Monster who had once shaken the world. Even Old Master Shi Tong would have to address him as 'Senior'. Throughout the Four Regions, who would dare speak to him like this?
No one!
Now, this evil demon had done so, and the Jiangzhu Ancestor was so terrified he didn't dare even let out a fart.
Below.
Shui Yunruo, Lan Fei'er, and Chen Yue glanced at the paralyzed Jiangzhu Ancestor on the ground, then at Gu Qingfeng in the air. Their eyes held endless fear. They simply couldn't imagine, nor could they conceive, what kind of person could frighten the Jiangzhu Ancestor to such a state with just a few short sentences.
Gu Qingfeng spoke of 'back in the day'?
But he was neither a reincarnated person nor someone who had seized a body. What 'back in the day' could he have?
The Jiangzhu Ancestor had lived in seclusion for hundreds of years, rarely venturing out. How could he have had any dealings with him?
Unclear. The three women couldn't figure it out either.
"You...
You..." The Jiangzhu Ancestor licked his parched lips, breathing rapidly, emitting a hoarse, terrified voice. "You...
You can't be...
You simply...
Impossible, you...
Impossible..." Each word seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. Struggling to utter these few words seemed to drain all his strength.
Yes!
Impossible!
The Jiangzhu Ancestor firmly believed the young man before him was absolutely not a reincarnated person or someone who had seized a body!
He also firmly believed the young man before him was absolutely not that person who filled him with terror.
He believed it, firmly believed it. That person was dead, his soul annihilated by the judgment of the Immortal Dao.
Long since utterly dead!
Impossible to still be alive!
Though the Jiangzhu Ancestor was quite certain, he was still afraid. Because his fear of that person was already bone-deep, etched into his very soul.
At that moment.
A shout suddenly rang out.
"Kid Gu! Something seems wrong with the old master!"
The shout came from Huode. He stood beside Old Master Shi Tong, who was currently sitting cross-legged on the ground, his features contorted, his body convulsing.
Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng took a single step and arrived instantly. Raising his hand, his five fingers moved, conjuring streams of spirit incantations that struck the crown of Old Master Shi Tong's head.
As the saying goes, an expert reveals their skill the moment they act. When Gu Qingfeng raised his hand and instantly conjured thousands of spirit incantations, the Jiangzhu Ancestor's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, filled with disbelief.
However, when he saw Huode was also there, he was so frightened it was as if struck by lightning. Especially when he heard Huode shout 'Kid Gu', his heart nearly stopped from terror. Pointing at Huode, he asked with immense difficulty, "You...
What did you call him?"