The same surname, Gu.
Knowledge of the Azure-Casket affair.
And being with Huo De.
The Chixiao person Wan Sen kneeling before him at Chixu Mountain Manor.
The founding ancestor of Bingxuan Sect prostrating to him.
At Liuren Mountain, healing Old Master Shi Tong and sternly rebuking the twelve Chixiao people.
At the Yunxia ruins, Ma Zheng Tian's Chixiao Dragon-Elephant transforming into human form, kneeling, and then dissipating.
Playing 'Drunken Chant of the Azure Sea' with empty strings to evoke artistic conception, effortlessly performing 'The Heartless Monarch and the Infatuated Consort', displaying peerless musical mastery...
The reverent and respectful attitude of the twelve Chixiao people towards him, the utter calm and ease in his speech and demeanor...
All of this, all of it, inevitably reminded Huo Wu Hengsheng of one person, a person who filled him with terror.
Even if the man before him was not a reincarnated soul, nor a body-snatcher reborn, he still could not suppress the fear and suspicion in his heart.
He was like this.
Not far away, within the crowd, the Four Elders of Cloud-Heart Hall, the Five Elders of Xiaoxian Valley, and also the Nine Elders of Yuqing Sect who had not shown themselves and were lurking in the shadows, the Supreme Elder of Yuanying Sect, the Grand Elder of Zishan Sect—all those who had participated in the Azure-Casket affair back then—were, at this very moment, just like Huo Wu Hengsheng, filled with suspicion and fear.
The sun was setting, dusk approaching, the first shadows of night descending.
Gu Qingfeng stood suspended in mid-air, one hand behind his back, the other toying with the bronze-colored Taixu Cup. His fair, handsome face wore an indifferent expression, his deep, dark eyes filled with an indescribable calmness. Without sorrow or joy, without fear or dread, his gaze, devoid of any emotional color, swept out, passing over the sect heads and elders of the various major sects one by one.
Then, his gaze fell upon the Huowu Family crowd. His brow furrowed slightly, as if he had seen an acquaintance, a hint of surprise appearing. He smiled and said, "Just now, I was wondering if I'd run into any old acquaintances. Didn't expect there really is one."
Perhaps sensing Gu Qingfeng's gaze and hearing the word 'acquaintance', Huo Wu Chen Yue's delicate face stiffened slightly. She immediately said, "Gu... Gu Qingfeng, don't talk nonsense! You and I are not old acquaintances at all!"
"Are you here to kill me too?"
"I... I'm not... Why would I kill you? We have no grudge! I'm just... just here to watch the spectacle!"
Ever since the incident at the Black Raven Secret Realm was exposed, Huo Wu Chen Yue's life had been difficult. After all, the affair was disgraceful, greatly damaging her reputation, and she had been reprimanded by her family. Despite this, upon learning that Gu Qingfeng had failed to form his Golden Core, she still felt regret. Hearing that so many people wanted him dead, she also felt concern for Gu Qingfeng.
To be honest, if possible, she very much wanted to help.
But Gu Qingfeng had killed too many people. Now, practically everyone in the Four Great Regions wanted him dead, including behemoths like the Nine-Hua Alliance. Even if she wanted to help, her heart was willing but her strength was insufficient.
"I wasn't asking you."
Gu Qingfeng's voice came. Huo Wu Chen Yue's expression froze. In the entire family, only she knew him. If he wasn't asking her, then who?
Could it be someone else?
While Huo Wu Chen Yue was puzzled, she turned to look and was shocked to discover her grandfather's face deathly pale, his forehead covered in sweat, his eyes wide open and filled with terror, as if he had seen something horrifying. His entire body was trembling violently, his breathing heavy and ragged.
"Grandfather, you... what's wrong with you!"
Huo Wu Chen Yue and the other members of the Huowu Family had no idea why the old master was like this.
They didn't know, and the big shots from the various sects present also wore looks of confusion, unable to understand why this once-mighty senior from the Huowu Family from the ancient era was so terrified.
Yes.
Terror.
Everyone could see that Huo Wu Hengsheng was afraid, terrified to the extreme.
Who was he afraid of?
Could it be Gu Qingfeng?
That was impossible!
Old Master Huo Wu had no reason to fear him!
Was it because Gu Qingfeng's identity might be the successor of the Sovereign?
Leaving aside whether he was real or fake, even if he were real, there was no need to be this afraid, right?
How could a single casual question from Gu Qingfeng scare Old Master Huo Wu into such a state?
"Grandfather... you..." Huo Wu Chen Yue was extremely worried. She saw the old master trembling violently, pointing a shaking finger at Gu Qingfeng, his mouth opening and closing, unable to utter a single word.
Seeing this scene, Huo Wu Chen Yue cried out in panic, "Gu Qingfeng, you... what have you done to my grandfather!"
"Your grandfather and I are old acquaintances, it's just been a long time since we last met. Running into him here today is a bit of a surprise, so I wanted to ask clearly if he, like the others, has come seeking revenge."
"Acquaintances? Don't talk nonsense! My grandfather doesn't know you at all!"
"Whether he knows me or not, your grandfather should know in his heart."
As Gu Qingfeng's voice fell, the violently trembling Huo Wu Hengsheng's spirit collapsed. He could bear it no longer, his mind utterly broken. The man directly fell to his knees.
This scene not only left the Huowu Family members stunned and at a loss, but also terrified the sect heads and grand elders of the various major sects, their faces filled with shock. Even the Twelve Kings and the Twenty-Four Great Virtue Daozuns of the Nine-Hua Alliance stared with expressions of horror.
"Grandfather! Grandfather... how... you..." Huo Wu Chen Yue was completely dumbfounded.
The Huowu Family was a famous Phoenix bloodline clan. Although only a collateral branch, they were not to be trifled with by ordinary people. The family had many experts. Now, seeing the old master kneeling on the ground, they panicked. One by one, they summoned flying swords, circulated spiritual power, and glared furiously at Gu Qingfeng.
Suspended in the air, Gu Qingfeng looked at Huo Wu Hengsheng and asked lightly, "I ask you, are you, like them, here to kill me?"
His voice was soft, devoid of any emotional color, not even a trace. Yet, when it reached Old Master Huo Wu's ears, it struck him like a thunderbolt. He then began kowtowing and prostrating, shouting, "No! No! No! I wouldn't dare! Even if you gave... gave this lowly one... a thousand, ten thousand, even heaven-defying guts, I wouldn't dare raise a hand against you!"
Shock and horror!
Hair-raising terror!
Utterly inconceivable!
This was the feeling of everyone present at that moment.
They simply didn't know, couldn't understand, why the esteemed old family head of the Huowu Family had been scared into such a state by a single sentence from Gu Qingfeng.
Old acquaintances?
This Gu Qingfeng was neither a reincarnated soul nor a body-snatcher reborn. His cultivation was merely at the Golden Core stage, and even that had dissipated. With such cultivation, his lifespan wouldn't exceed a hundred years, and he couldn't maintain eternal youth. In other words, he was at most in his twenties.
But Old Master Huo Wu had been in seclusion for nearly three hundred years. How could he possibly be acquainted with him?
Taking a step back, even if they were acquaintances, Old Master Huo Wu had no need to be this afraid, to kneel and show such reverence.
This... this was simply...
"I have no other meaning. There's no need for you to be afraid. It's just that it's been too long since we last met. After so many years, running into you here brings some sentiment (emotion/sentiment)."