"Beast!"
The twelve Chixiao People, led by Ziyang, were seething with fury. Gu Qingfeng, standing beside them, raised a hand to stop them, saying softly, "Let him finish."
Ma Qian, emboldened by the backing of the Twelve Royal Lords and Twenty-Four Virtuous Dao Venerables, had no fear. He sneered, "Hah! Gu, don't put on airs in front of me, and don't think that impersonating the Monarch's successor gives you free rein. Let me tell you, if you dare harm my son, I will make you know what it means to wish for death today!"
"I said, you can try to kill me anytime. Wishing for death, suffering unbearable agony—whatever you want, it's all fine by me. However..." Gu Qingfeng stood suspended in mid-air, his expression detached and devoid of emotion, his voice equally flat. "I'm curious to know: does Fang Qing know about the things you've done?"
"Young Master, Elder Fang is a man of fiery temper and harbors a deep hatred for the Immortal Dynasty. If he knew his disciple had betrayed his ancestors and defected to the Immortal Dynasty, I'm afraid this beast wouldn't live to see another day."
As soon as Ziyang finished speaking, Ma Qian burst into loud laughter. "So what if my master knows? He's from the Chixiao Sect, I'm from the Scarlet-Letter Head. He's a sinner of the Immortal Dao, I am not. Won't live to see another day? Hahaha! Who lives and who dies isn't certain yet! Ziyang! You're old! My master is old too! You're all old! The era of your Chixiao Sect ended long ago with the Ancient Era. The Present Era is ruled by the Immortal Dynasty, and it is our era, the era of the Scarlet-Letter Head!"
"You're right," Gu Qingfeng said unhurriedly, his voice soft. "The era of the Chixiao Sect did indeed end with the Ancient Era and has long since become history. However, your master is a Chixiao Person. As I know, your father was one too, wasn't he? Both your master and your father bore irreconcilable hatred for the Immortal Dynasty. Their family and friends were all harmed by the Immortal Dynasty. It was precisely because of this that they joined the Chixiao Sect. Did you know this?"
"So what if I know? What of it?" Ma Qian laughed scornfully, utterly unbridled. "Don't tell me you're planning to punish me in your capacity as the Monarch's successor? Hmm? Hahahaha..."
"Punish you? No." Gu Qingfeng said. "Water flows to lower ground, people strive for higher places. In this Present Era, the Immortal Dynasty reigns supreme. You leaving the Scarlet-Letter Head to join the Immortal Dynasty is understandable. Just as you said, the Chixiao Sect is just the Chixiao Sect, the Scarlet-Letter Head is just the Scarlet-Letter Head. There's no necessary connection between the Scarlet-Letter Head and the Chixiao Sect. After all, everyone has their own aspirations. No one can force someone to stay or go. I wouldn't have the slightest interest even if you had the ability to ascend directly to the Nine Heavens."
"Oh?" Perhaps Gu Qingfeng's words, spoken from the assumed identity of the Monarch's successor, sounded too bizarre, making Ma Qian somewhat uncomfortable.
"You can disrespect the Chixiao Sect, but as a son, disregarding your father is one thing. How could you commit an act more beastly than a beast by harming him! Do you know he died with grievance?"
Gu Qingfeng's words immediately sent a shock through Ziyang and the others.
Harmed?
Ma Qian harmed his own father?
They all knew Ma Qian's father was also a Chixiao Person, and a familiar one at that. They also knew that before his death, his father had passed his Dragon-Elephant Spirit to his grandson, Ma Zhengtian. As for how Ma Qian's father died, they did not know.
Perhaps Gu Qingfeng's words struck a nerve, or perhaps for some other reason, Ma Qian's previously triumphant expression suddenly turned panicked. He shouted, "Demon! Don't spout nonsense!"
"I've met your father. He died with great grievance."
Gu Qingfeng's voice caused many to startle. Ma Qian's father had been dead for decades. Gu Qingfeng was neither a reincarnated soul nor a body-snatcher; his cultivation was merely at the Golden Core stage, and a failed one at that. Not only did he not have a long lifespan, he couldn't maintain eternal youth either. In other words, he looked to be in his twenties at most. How could he have met Ma Qian's father, who died decades ago?
As they puzzled over this, many recalled a strange incident at the Yunxia Ruins. It was said that at the time, the Dragon-Elephant Spirit on Ma Zhengtian's body had taken human form, knelt before Gu Qingfeng, and then self-destructed, dissipating into nothingness.
Everyone knew Ma Zhengtian's Dragon-Elephant Spirit was inherited from his grandfather. Could it be that the human form that appeared back then was his grandfather's spirit manifesting? Pleading his grievance to Gu Qingfeng?
But why plead to Gu Qingfeng?
There was only one possibility: Gu Qingfeng might truly be the Monarch's successor. Only the Monarch's successor could make a Dragon-Elephant Spirit feel fear. Only the Monarch's successor could sense the spiritual will of a Dragon-Elephant Spirit. Only the Monarch's successor was worthy of a Chixiao Person's kneeling worship.
Realizing this, the Chixiao People, including Ziyang, grew more and more agitated, but they did not show it. They all wanted to know how Ma Qian's father had died with grievance!
"Young Master, you... you really met Old Ma?"
Gu Qingfeng nodded. "Although Old Ma is dead, his will and spirit had long since fused with his Dragon-Elephant Spirit. I could sense he died with great grievance, and with an indescribable sorrow and pain. But that was all. I originally had no way to investigate further, until I saw his son. Then I understood why Old Ma's spiritual will was filled with such sorrow and pain."
"Why... why?"
"He used Old Ma's blood to refine two Dragon-Elephant Seeds."
Blood refinement?
Two Dragon-Elephant Seeds?
The twelve Chixiao People instantly recalled the two blood-refined, blood-fiend Dragon-Elephant Spirits on Ma Qian's body. Could it be...
The blood Ma Qian used to refine the Dragon-Elephant Seeds was...
his father's?
Thinking of this, the bodies of Ziyang and the other eleven Chixiao People trembled with rage. Killing intent surged in their eyes like a tidal wave as they roared, "Ma Qian, you beast worse than a beast! You actually used your own father's blood to refine two Dragon-Elephant Seeds!"
Ma Qian had long since retreated in fear into the crowd of the Nine-Hua Alliance. Panic-stricken, he shouted, "Everyone, listen! This demon Gu is spouting utter nonsense! The blood I used to refine my Dragon-Elephant Seeds was absolutely not my father's! I did not harm my father either! He's deliberately trying to divert your attention! Everyone, attack together and kill him!"
No one moved.
The Twelve Royal Lords and Twenty-Four Virtuous Dao Venerables of the Nine-Hua Alliance did not move. The sect heads of the various major factions naturally dared not act rashly either.
"Great Young Lord! Great Elder! That man Gu is not the Monarch's successor! You must attack and kill him! Quickly!"
Ma Qian's frantic shouts echoed, but neither Jing Yun, the leader of the Royal Lords, nor Bai Xuan, the leader of the Virtuous Dao Venerables, made a move.
They had already been uncertain about Gu Qingfeng's identity; now they were even less sure. The various signs forced them to seriously consider one question: was Gu Qingfeng truly the Monarch's successor? If he was, they also had to consider the terrifying consequences of killing the Monarch's successor.