Gu Qingfeng was here?
Where?
Lan Feier and the others looked around in all directions, searching but finding no trace of Gu Qingfeng. They then released their Divine Sense to sweep the area, yet still detected no sign of him.
Perhaps Lan Feier and the others' Divine Sense wasn't powerful enough, their scanning range insufficient. But Su Hua's Divine Sense was peerlessly strong. Once unleashed, she could perceive everything clearly—not just people, but even ants. If she wished, she could know every single movement, every rustle of grass in the entire gathering.
Yet even she found no trace of Gu Qingfeng.
"Jin'er, you..." Su Hua was about to ask when Xiao Jinr, excited, suddenly broke free from her embrace. Placing her hands by her mouth, she shouted towards the western direction, "Big Brother! Jin'er is here!"
Xiao Jinr's shout instantly threw the area into chaos. Everyone knew Gu Qingfeng was coming. All eyes strained to see, all released their Divine Sense to probe. But no one saw Gu Qingfeng's figure, no one detected his presence.
"Big Brother!" Xiao Jinr continued shouting, waving her hand.
Xiao Jinr's actions thoroughly baffled Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and the others, for they could see nothing, detect nothing.
Su Hua also followed Xiao Jinr's gaze, but saw nothing. She released her Divine Sense again, sweeping frantically towards the west. Still, there was no discovery.
How was this possible...
Xiao Jinr had no Cultivation Level, thus no Divine Sense. The distance her naked eyes could see was far inferior to that of cultivators.
If she, Su Hua, couldn't see, Xiao Jinr shouldn't be able to either.
Could it be because of the Soul-Link Bracelet?
A psychic connection with Gu Qingfeng?
She didn't know.
Su Hua truly didn't know. Watching the excited, agitated Xiao Jinr, she couldn't help but ask, "Jin'er, where is your Big Brother?"
"There! Right over there! Sister Hua, look quickly! Big Brother is there, and Grandpa Huode is with him too..." Su Hua looked again. She truly saw nothing.
"This really is like seeing a ghost in broad daylight. Xiao Jinr can see, so why can't I? Sister Feier, Sister Shuiyun, can you all see?"
At Ouyang Ye's inquiry, both Lan Feier and Shui Yunruo shook their heads.
"Could it be Xiao Jinr is hallucinating from excessive grief?" Ouyang Ye speculated, glancing at Su Hua.
Su Hua's peerlessly beautiful, nation-toppling face wore a baffled expression. She, too, began to suspect Xiao Jinr might be hallucinating.
"Look! Big Brother is coming!" Xiao Jinr jumped up and down.
Just as Su Hua was about to speak, her Divine Sense suddenly stirred, as if detecting something. She raised her head to look west, focused her gaze, and her expression instantly froze.
At this moment.
The sun was setting in the west, dusk approaching.
The evening glow was beautiful...
Very gentle, very comfortable, dyeing the clouds in the sky a warm red.
In the air, two figures were chatting and laughing as they approached.
One was an old man in gray robes, unkempt and somewhat slovenly in appearance, holding a wine gourd from which he took occasional sips.
The other was a young man.
Clad in White Robes whiter than snow.
With three thousand strands of jet-black long hair.
A handsome, fair face.
A smile as gentle as the spring breeze.
The young man had one hand behind his back, the other casually toying with a bronze-colored wine cup. He strolled leisurely through the air as if taking a casual walk in the void, like wandering through the Great Void itself.
No youthful vigor, only the aura of twilight.
No vitality, only languor.
No solemnity, only leisure.
No mundanity, only untrammeled ease.
Like the evening glow of sunset, like the dusk of a fading day.
His person was, his smile was, his eyes were, his White Robes were, his black hair was—even the wine cup he toyed with in his hand gave off a feeling of leisure, untrammeled ease, and languor.
It was him.
Gu Qingfeng!
Su Hua, Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and the others saw clearly at this moment. The one approaching was none other than Gu Qingfeng.
He had come.
He hadn't deceived Xiao Jinr. He said he would come, and he truly had. Knowing full well that everyone from across the Four Great Regions was here waiting to kill him, he had still come.
At this moment, Lan Feier and the others' hearts were filled with complex, indescribable emotions, all tangled together.
Su Hua was the same.
Gazing at Gu Qingfeng strolling leisurely through the void at this moment, Su Hua's heart was flooded with far too many complicated feelings.
She had never seen a person so untrammeled and at ease. That untrammeled ease seemed etched into his very bones; that sense of being at home in the world resided in his gentle smile.
For some reason.
A strange feeling suddenly arose from the depths of her heart—a feeling of being moved, of her heart stirring.
Truly, her heart stirred.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
Very special, very complex, making her somewhat fascinated, even somewhat intoxicated.
Coming back to her senses.
Su Hua's peerlessly beautiful, nation-toppling face couldn't help but flush slightly with shyness, though the blush faded quickly. She closed her eyes, driving these distracting thoughts away. When she opened them again and looked over, the admiration had vanished, replaced by another feeling.
It was a feeling of déjà vu.
This feeling was faint.
But it was indeed there.
Why this sense of déjà vu?
Su Hua didn't know, didn't understand the reason.
Closing her eyes again, she forcibly dispelled the feeling of déjà vu. When she opened them once more, yet another feeling emerged.
A feeling of terror, even fear.
Especially now, with the sun setting in the west, Gu Qingfeng seemed to have emerged from the dusk of the fading day.
For some reason, a scene suddenly flashed in Su Hua's mind—a scene from her past life. It was a scene of a great sun falling, a scene of a sky filled with sea of fire, a scene of the heavens collapsing, of a cataclysm sweeping the Nine Heavens...
This fear penetrated to the marrow, making her mind afraid, her soul tremble.
It was a memory she couldn't bear to recall, didn't want to remember, buried deep in the recesses of her mind.
Why did she have this feeling?
Su Hua didn't know that either.
Closing her eyes once more, she forcefully dispelled this feeling of fear. When she opened them again, yet another feeling arose.
A feeling of being moved, of being stirred.
She could see it, could sense it. Gu Qingfeng's body emitted no spiritual aura. His Golden Core had collapsed, his Cultivation Level was gone, even his life force was extremely weak. It seemed the collapse of his Golden Core had truly left him severely injured. Though no outward signs of injury were visible, a person's life force couldn't be concealed. He was weak, very weak.
Even so, he had still come.
Knowing full well that so many people here were waiting to kill him, he had still come without hesitation.
Why?
To save Xiao Jinr?
Perhaps that was it.
Otherwise, he had no reason at all to appear.
Along with being moved came even more guilt. If she hadn't inadvertently leaked the news of his failed core formation, today's situation wouldn't have arisen. Thinking of this, Su Hua secretly vowed that no matter what, she would not let Gu Qingfeng die here today.
Moved, guilty, and watching, yet as her thoughts turned, Su Hua felt something was off.
Gu Qingfeng clearly had no Cultivation Level, emitted no spiritual aura, not a trace of spiritual energy about him. How could he be riding the wind?