Huode's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard him clearly.
However, everyone treated his words as nothing more than a joke.
After all, today, all the prominent figures of the Four Great Regions were present. The Ten Little Hidden Dragons, Situ Zhengnan—one of the mysterious Twelve Kings—was there, along with the leaders of various major sects. Even venerable figures like Senior Jin, Wan Huaiyu, and Qin Hao, who were reincarnated great powers, were in attendance.
And what did Huode say?
That if Gu Qingfeng was in a good mood, he might spar with everyone?
And if he was in a bad mood, anyone who fought him would either die or be maimed?
Wasn't that a joke?
And a colossal one at that.
"It's been a long time since I've heard such big talk," Situ Zhengnan said, still calm and composed, standing with his hands behind his back as he smiled faintly. "It has piqued my interest, if only a little."
"Young Master Situ, this old man is not joking with you," Huode said solemnly. "You'd best not provoke that kid Gu. He's not someone to be trifled with."
"Oh? Is that so? Hehe..." Situ Zhengnan gave a slight, amused smile.
Tu Gao sneered, "Old fool! Take a look around and see who's here! How dare you try to mystify us with your nonsense!"
"Mystify you?" Huode shook his head and sighed. "Back at Liuren Mountain, I tried to warn everyone, and they said I was being mysterious too. We all know how that ended. I'm sincerely advising you all not to provoke him. Otherwise, what happened at Liuren Mountain will replay itself here on the Taixuan Platform today!"
Everyone knew about the events at Liuren Mountain. Over a hundred geniuses from the major sects of the Glazed Great Region had died or been crippled. Almost all the Nascent Soul experts from the Glazed Great Region's ten major sects had perished. The number one sect of the Glazed Great Region had suffered over ten thousand casualties.
Now Huode was saying that if they provoked him, the Liuren Mountain incident would happen again.
What did that mean?
Did it mean that if anyone provoked him today, Gu Qingfeng would go on a killing spree on the Taixuan Platform?
A joke! A real joke!
And one that was getting more and more outrageous.
Almost everyone thought so.
But not entirely.
At the very least, when Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and Huo Wu Chen Yue heard Huode's warning, their hearts grew uneasy.
Because Huode's words gave them a very bad feeling, especially when he brought up Liuren Mountain. All three of them had been there. They knew exactly what had happened. Huode had indeed tried to warn people back then, but no one listened. Later, so many people ended up dead or crippled...
That was Liuren Mountain.
Now, on the Taixuan Platform, Huode was warning them again, and again, no one believed him.
At Liuren Mountain, those people died. And this time...
Thinking this far, none of the three dared to continue. They forcefully rejected the thought. In their minds, although Gu Qingfeng's strength was mysterious and bizarre, the Taixuan Platform was filled with experts. All the top experts of the Four Great Regions were here, including reincarnated individuals. And Su Hua was present too. Even if Gu Qingfeng had heaven-defying abilities, it would be impossible for him to kill people here.
"Oh my, oh my! How terrifying!" Wei Jiaojiao, holding her little fox, said with a mocking smile. "It seems someone has really hired a lot of shills! First, there was the empty-strummed 'Drunken Chant of the Blue Sea,' then 'Phoenix Seeking the Male Phoenix,' and the revised 'Little Blue Flower Language.' Now, someone else stands up and claims none of us can afford to provoke him? Oh my, how truly frightening!"
"Little girl, that kid Gu is far more terrifying than any heir of Monarch Chixiao..."
"Oh my! More terrifying than the Monarch's heir? Hehehe..." Wei Jiaojiao covered her mouth and laughed unrestrainedly. "Old man, why don't you just say he is Monarch Chixiao himself!"
"Little girl!" Huode narrowed his eyes at the mocking Wei Jiaojiao and replied in a complex tone, "That question of yours... this old man really doesn't know how to answer you!"
Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Gu Qingfeng is here! Look, Gu Qingfeng is right over there!"
No one knew who shouted. At this moment, no one cared. Everyone who heard the shout immediately looked in the direction of the voice.
They saw a young man standing at the foot of the distant mountain, right where Huode had been discovered.
Instantly, the entire crowd on the Taixuan Platform surged toward him like madmen. Su Hua, quick as lightning and fearing casualties, flashed over and brought the young man to the Taixuan Platform.
Everything happened too fast, and the scene was too chaotic. Many hadn't processed what was happening until Su Hua brought the man in white to the platform, and everyone took a closer look.
He was a man dressed in simple white cloth, looking clean. His black hair hung loosely. He held a few Red-Leaf Monster Fruits in his hand. His face, somewhat handsome, wore a puzzled expression, and he looked utterly bewildered.
Many present had never seen Gu Qingfeng before, but they had all heard of his exploits.
On the day the Cloud Mist Sect established its heir, he annihilated three elders.
In a mysterious cave abode, he killed Young Master Murong.
At Chixu Manor, a single shout from him intimidated over a thousand people.
At the Ice Profound Sect, with a flick of his finger, he erased a young master from the Nine-Hua Alliance.
At Liuren Mountain, with a few moves, he killed Nascent Soul experts and paralyzed Patriarch Jiangzhu.
Rumors said Gu Qingfeng was mysterious, bizarre, arrogant, overbearing, lawless, cruel, and violent.
Was this him?
Everyone stared at the man in white, deeply confused. They couldn't connect this bewildered youth with the arrogant, swindling fraud from the rumors.
The contrast was too great.
This guy looked harmless, weak, and fragile. His spiritual aura was only at the Purple Mansion level. He seemed lazy, devoid of any youthful vigor. He looked like an honest man, honest to a fault.
However.
Almost everyone who had had contact with Gu Qingfeng knew, and was absolutely certain, that this guy was indeed Gu Qingfeng.
Especially Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and Huo Wu Chen Yue. They had dealt with Gu Qingfeng more than once and clearly knew this guy was a wolf in sheep's clothing. When they first met him, they too had been deceived by his harmless appearance. Only after interacting with him did they realize he only looked harmless. Once angered, he was absolutely terrifying!
Seeing Gu Qingfeng, the three women felt complex emotions, as his presence reminded them of the shameful incident in the Black Crow Secret Realm.
They weren't the only ones. Inside the venue, the Valley Master of Little Immortal Valley, Qingzhu, and the Hall Master of Returning Cloud Heart Hall, Xiao Danrou, who had been silent all along, were startled upon seeing Gu Qingfeng. They stood up, staring at him with complex eyes—embarrassed, angry, puzzled, and curious!
When Gu Qingfeng appeared, three other people also stood up, staring at him with utterly shocked expressions, filled with astonishment.
They were the three low-profile yet impossible-to-ignore reincarnated individuals present: Senior Jin, Wan Huaiyu, and Qin Hao!