Watching Ouyang Ye retort Daoist Lieta of Blackwind Cave with such reasoned arguments, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but shake his head and smile inwardly. He mused that no matter how dignified and gentle the little girl pretended to be, that sharp-tongued habit of hers hadn't changed one bit.
At that moment.
Whoosh! A thunderous boom echoed as the radiance enveloping the Cave Dwelling instantly dissipated. Everyone knew the situation inside had finally stabilized. In principle, one would normally wait a while longer to ensure safety before entering. However, the Blackwind Cave people charged in first, with the Hunyuan Gate and Wuse Mountain cultivators following closely behind.
Seeing this, the rest of the crowd could no longer hold back and rushed inside as well.
Watching Ouyang Ye also flash into the dwelling, Gu Qingfeng felt like teasing her. With a shake of his form, he transformed into a handsome, dashing, and elegant young man. With a flick of his hand, a white jade folding fan appeared in his grasp with a crisp snap.
Touching his handsome face, Gu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction before leisurely strolling inside.
The interior was dim. Gu Qingfeng had already probed it with his Divine Sense when he first discovered the dwelling. This was no ordinary Cave Dwelling, but one where caves were linked to caves and dwellings connected to dwellings. In other words, this dwelling likely connected to many others—at least several dozen. Some had already manifested, while others had not.
In the Ancient Times Era, such interconnected Cave Dwellings were not common, but neither were they rare. In his recollection, these dwellings would never connect without reason; there was always some cause or purpose.
Perhaps for collective defense against enemies.
Or perhaps to arrange some formation.
Since some of these interconnected dwellings had already manifested while others were damaged, Gu Qingfeng couldn't immediately discern whether these connections formed some kind of divine formation.
He advanced through the dwelling while continuously probing with his Divine Sense.
The interior resembled ruins. Manifested due to the chaotic natural laws, the dwelling's structure had suffered severe damage, and most of its internal formations had already collapsed. Though a few stone chambers contained some cultivation resources, they had long been looted. Most of those who had just charged in were now gathered around the dwelling's eye, scrambling for the treasures within.
All Cave Dwellings possess an eye, and within that eye lies a treasure—a top-grade treasure at that. After all, maintaining the dwelling's structure and the operation of its numerous formations requires an immense supply of spiritual energy.
The Peach Blossom Secret Realm had no spiritual energy. Where did it come from?
Naturally, from the treasure within the dwelling's eye—the so-called eye-treasure.
Gu Qingfeng had scanned it earlier with his Divine Sense and found that the eye-treasure maintaining this dwelling's normal operation was an Ice-Fire Yuan Crystal, certainly worth a fortune. However, Gu Qingfeng wasn't interested and couldn't be bothered to fight over it with those brats.
He directly headed for the entrance connecting to other dwellings. When he arrived, several seniors from Wuse Mountain were already there, currently working to restore the teleportation formation leading to the connected dwelling.
They all seemed rather surprised by Gu Qingfeng's arrival, as if they hadn't expected a mere Golden Core cultivator to dare venture into the dwelling alone.
"Young man, are you alone?"
One of the elders inquired. Gu Qingfeng had heard people mention this elder outside—he was Old Senior Jing Lei, one of the renowned Wuse Eighteen Swordsmen. Gu Qingfeng nodded in acknowledgment.
"For a Golden Core cultivator to rashly enter this dwelling shows you truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. This is no place for you. Leave quickly, lest you lose your life chasing so-called rare treasures."
"Since I'm already in, I might as well grab some benefits before leaving."
"Sigh..." Old Senior Jing Lei sighed, as if lamenting Gu Qingfeng's ignorance, then asked, "Young man, which sect do you belong to? Are any of your sect seniors inside this dwelling?"
"Me?"
Gu Qingfeng smiled in response. "I'm a Rogue Cultivator, without sect or affiliation."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng call himself a Rogue Cultivator, Old Senior Jing Lei of Wuse Mountain was visibly taken aback.
Indeed.
Rogue Cultivators were an extremely unfamiliar concept in the Present Era.
In the Ancient Times Era, Rogue Cultivators were everywhere—eight or nine out of ten cultivators were rogues. That was because resources were scarce, cultivation sects were few, and entry requirements were stringent. Aside from scions of great clans and those with exceptional talent, ordinary people had no chance to join a sect for cultivation.
However.
The Present Era was different.
The Present Era saw the revival of all things, resources were especially abundant, and cultivation sects blossomed everywhere. To build their own forces, major sects had relaxed their disciple recruitment criteria. Even a fool could join a sect for cultivation as long as they paid a certain amount of spirit stones annually.
Rogue Cultivators?
In the Present Era, they were rarer than rare spirit beasts.
Thus, hearing Gu Qingfeng claim to be a Rogue Cultivator greatly surprised Old Senior Jing Lei. But he soon understood. He knew that while Rogue Cultivators were few in the Present Era, they weren't nonexistent. For a cultivator to fall to such a state, there were only a few reasons: family decline, catastrophic disaster, or expulsion from a sect...
Senior Jing Lei didn't ask why Gu Qingfeng had become a Rogue Cultivator. Instead, he took out a deep blue crystal and handed it to Gu Qingfeng. "The path of a Rogue Cultivator is hard; tread carefully and cherish it. Young man, ancient Cave Dwellings are full of unknowns and countless dangers. This is a Blue Essence Crystal, enough to sustain your cultivation for three years without worry. You should leave."
"Thank you, but no need."
"You...
Sigh!"
Old Senior Jing Lei shook his head and sighed, then paid him no further mind, joining the other Wuse Mountain seniors in restoring the teleportation formation.
Looking at these Wuse Mountain elders, Gu Qingfeng felt complex emotions stirring within. He thought to himself: To think that after all these years, Wuse Mountain's disciples still uphold the principle of championing justice and righteousness. Truly admirable.
Gu Qingfeng's impression of Wuse Mountain was profound.
Because the one who had once urged him to turn from his wicked ways, and who had nearly been beaten to death for his sake, was none other than the renowned Old Senior Kumo, one of Wuse Mountain's Nine Solitary Elders.
That was a very, very long time ago.
Back then, when he was besieged by seven major sects at Daqing Mountain, it was Old Senior Kumo who stepped forward, vouching with his personal honor that Gu Qingfeng was no demon. Yet, in the end, Gu Qingfeng was still besieged. To help him escape, Old Senior Kumo was severely wounded by the seven sects of Daqing Mountain.
After half a month of recuperation, with his injuries still unhealed, Gu Qingfeng stormed Daqing Mountain. In one breath, he annihilated the seven sects of Daqing Mountain, slaughtering over ten thousand people.
That was the first time in his life he had unleashed such carnage, the first time he had painted rivers with blood.
It was also the opening chapter of the Crimson Sky Monarch's glorious exploits, the beginning of his path of defying the heavens.
And it became the famously notorious Daqing Mountain Massacre of the Ancient Times Era.