Listening to Su Hua's analysis, both Ouyang Feiyue and Ouyang Ye were taken aback.
Under heaven, there was only one person who could make the Chixiao People kneel?
The two of them suddenly thought of something, and Ouyang Ye blurted out, "Sister Su Hua, you couldn't... you couldn't possibly mean that bastard Gu Qingfeng is Monarch Chixiao, could you?"
Su Hua gave a faint smile and responded, "In this world, it is indeed true that only Monarch Chixiao can make the Chixiao People kneel, but that doesn't mean the person they kneel to is necessarily Monarch Chixiao."
She stood up and continued, "If it is truly as you said, and Gu Qingfeng really has no Turbid Breath on him, then the possibility of him being Monarch Chixiao is almost zero. No matter how powerful Monarch Chixiao's abilities were, he could not have escaped the laws of heaven and earth. Whether it's Reincarnation, body-snatching rebirth, Immortal Dao Judgment, or Demonic Dao Judgment—all would leave Turbid Breath on a person. This is the law, the order, and no one can defy it."
After a pause, she continued slowly, "As for why the twelve Chixiao People knelt to him, I imagine he must have some connection to Monarch Chixiao. At the very least, the twelve Chixiao People believe he is connected to Monarch Chixiao. Otherwise, they would not have knelt and paid their respects to him."
"So that's how it is... you really scared me," Ouyang Ye pouted. "I knew it! How could that guy possibly be Monarch Chixiao? Sister Su Hua, you haven't seen that bastard surnamed Gu, hmph! That scoundrel has no proper sitting posture, no proper standing posture, no bearing whatsoever. All he likes is drinking wine and listening to music—he's just a spoiled second-generation wastrel through and through."
At that moment, Qian Shan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. "Could he be another imposter?"
"An imposter? That's not very likely, is it?" Ouyang Feiyue frowned. "Gu Qingfeng doesn't even have Turbid Breath on him. He wouldn't be so lacking in self-awareness as to impersonate Monarch Chixiao, would he? Moreover, he has never publicly claimed to be Monarch Chixiao. Besides, the twelve Chixiao People followed the Monarch in battle across the world back in the day. If that guy were really impersonating the Monarch, the twelve Chixiao People would have seen through him immediately."
"Miss Feiyue, you may not know this," said Qian Shan. Standing over three meters tall, she was like a mountain peak, her expression impassive and her voice solemn. "In recent years, as I've traveled the world with my lady, we have encountered many imposters claiming to be Monarch Chixiao. Some imposters are easy to spot at a glance, but others are truly extraordinary, each possessing great supernatural powers, so convincing it's impossible to tell the real from the fake. Among them were a few whose authenticity even my lady dared not confirm. Right now, in the South Sea, Azure Sea, and Flowing Sea regions, there are still several 'Monarch Chixiaos' enshrined whose true identities no one knows."
"And that's just those impersonating Monarch Chixiao himself. Those claiming to be his disciples, successors, or descendants are too numerous to count. Moreover, these people who declare themselves the Monarch's disciples or descendants all speak with such conviction, explaining the origins and bloodline connections clearly and flawlessly. Some even possess tokens belonging to Monarch Chixiao, making it utterly impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood."
After the Great Calamity, all things revived.
Revived along with them was a massive wave of imposters whose authenticity no one knew.
Since everyone knew that the most terrifying Reincarnation storm in history had occurred during the Great Calamity, and many great powers had undergone Reincarnation and rebirth, this gave rise to a batch of imposters. Various Turbid Breaths were confusing and hard to distinguish. Coupled with fragmented memories after Reincarnation, no one dared to confirm the authenticity of these imposters. It was no exaggeration to say that many major sects with legacies spanning tens of thousands of years were currently enshrining several, even over a dozen, individuals who claimed to be reincarnated seniors of their sects.
These self-proclaimed reincarnated seniors of various major sects were one thing. Even if they were fake, enshrining them was just that—enshrining them as if they were venerable seniors.
But those imposters claiming to be Monarch Chixiao were truly a headache. Ever since Monarch Chixiao was Judged over two hundred years ago, almost every year someone impersonated him. Especially after the Great Calamity, there were truly many. The key was that among these imposters, a few were genuinely, overwhelmingly powerful. If you dared call them fake, they dared kill you.
Even more troublesome were those claiming to be Monarch Chixiao's disciples, successors, or descendants.
As was well known, before establishing the Chixiao Sect, Monarch Chixiao had always been alone, making the four seas his home. Additionally, the Monarch had several famous romantic debts: he had teased the World-Honored Empress, embraced a female demon, seduced a Nine Heavens fairy, flirted with a palace master of the Immortal Dynasty, and was rumored to have had affairs with the renowned Peerless Sect Master and the Queen of the Forbidden Lands, among others.
If not for this, when the Monarch was Judged back then, those women wouldn't have cried their hearts out one after another...
No one knew exactly how many women Monarch Chixiao had seduced in his lifetime. It was a mystery.
Therefore, when these self-proclaimed disciples, successors, or descendants of the Monarch emerged, no one could distinguish whether they were real or fake. Not even the various Banner Masters and Celestial and Earthly Fiends who had followed Monarch Chixiao into battle across the world could tell.
Perhaps because the situation in the Great Northwest was too chaotic and resources too scarce, there weren't too many imposters there. At the very least, in the Four Great Regions these past years, there had been few.
Ouyang Ye said indignantly, "Hmph! I knew long ago that bastard Gu Qingfeng was no good! So he turns out to be an imposter!"
"Ye Ye, you can't say that. Gu Qingfeng has never publicly claimed to be a descendant of Monarch Chixiao," Ouyang Feiyue said, recalling her interactions with Gu Qingfeng over the past few months. "And he doesn't really seem like an imposter."
"Auntie, that's precisely the cunning part of that bastard Gu Qingfeng! If he publicly claimed to be a descendant of Monarch Chixiao, probably no one would believe him. But if he doesn't say anything, it easily makes people speculate. Otherwise, why wouldn't that guy call himself Li Qingfeng or Wang Qingfeng? Why must he share the same surname as the Monarch? The Monarch's name was Gu Tianlang, and he gives himself the name Gu Qingfeng. I suspect even his name is fake."
Ouyang Ye still harbored resentment over Gu Qingfeng's disrespect toward her. Hearing the speculations from Su Hua and Qian Shan, she immediately realized Gu Qingfeng was likely a complete and utter imposter. Ouyang Ye gritted her teeth, her hatred making her jaw ache. "That dead pervert! That dead pervert! Hmph! It was bad enough he openly flirted with Liu Piaopiao at Chixu Manor, but I heard at Liuren Mountain he even specially found a maid to give him a massage. So shameless!"
As she spoke, Ouyang Ye suddenly realized something and urgently said, "Oh no! If that bastard Gu Qingfeng really is an imposter, then Old Sen and the others might already have been fooled. Old Master Huode might have been tricked too! Sister Su Hua, let's go tell them quickly. We must not let that imposter Gu Qingfeng's scheme succeed!"