"Listen carefully. Elder Sister Handong's destiny is unparalleled. Not only is she naturally intelligent, but her innate talents are peerless. She has mastered all ten immortal arts and is hailed as one of the Ten Great Heavenly Geniuses of the Great Northwest Frontier."
When mentioning Elder Sister Handong, Ouyang Ye's face was also filled with pride. Beside her, Gu Qingfeng shook his head, feeling rather helpless.
In his impression, it seemed every region in the world had so-called Heavenly Geniuses—one here, another there. Basically, every major domain and territory was like this, and their titles grew more grandiose with each one: Peerless Heavenly Genius, Ultimate Heavenly Genius, World-Shaking Heavenly Genius, and so on...
In Gu Qingfeng's view, a true Heavenly Genius was a favored child of heaven.
Born different from the start, cherished by heaven, ascending to immortality in a single step, possessing heaven's protection—that was a Heavenly Genius.
The so-called Heavenly Geniuses of this world might have slightly superior aptitude, talent, and destiny compared to ordinary people, but that was all. At best, they could only be considered geniuses, not even prodigies, let alone Heavenly Geniuses.
Of course.
The phenomenon of regional Heavenly Geniuses had existed since ancient times. Some were created by busybodies, but more were star disciples deliberately cultivated by sects to showcase their sect's strength and attract new disciples. There was no helping it; young people had always been drawn to such titles.
"I still don't see what connection your so-called Elder Sister Handong has with Feng Zhuyue's Demon-Moon Dynasty."
"Hey, Old Nine, are you really clueless or just pretending?"
"Nonsense. If I knew, why would I ask you?"
Ouyang Ye shot him another disdainful look. "Elder Sister Handong is the Heir Apparent of Yao Yue Palace."
"Oh?"
This surprised Gu Qingfeng slightly. His purpose this time was precisely to see Feng Zhuyue. Seeing that Ouyang Ye seemed quite knowledgeable about Yao Yue Palace, he asked, "Girl, is Feng Zhuyue still at Yao Yue Palace?"
"Empress Zhuyue has long been gone...
Her whereabouts are unknown to this day. No one knows where she went..."
"What happened?"
Gu Qingfeng clearly remembered Huode saying that Feng Zhuyue had appeared once after the Great Calamity. Why was Ouyang Ye now saying she was missing? When he inquired, Ouyang Ye responded somewhat gloomily.
"Empress Zhuyue began to disappear after that one appearance...
Since then, she left...
Many say Empress Zhuyue, pining too deeply for Lord Chixiao, was perpetually melancholy and ultimately could not bear the pain of longing...
She ended her own life, scattering to dust. Others say Empress Zhuyue went out searching for the reincarnation of the Lord. Still others say her longing turned to illness...
She...
went mad..." Gu Qingfeng fell silent, unsure how to respond.
He already felt some guilt toward Feng Zhuyue in his heart. Hearing Ouyang Ye's words made him even more uncomfortable deep inside.
"If only...
Empress Zhuyue were still here...
At least, those old fogies at Yao Yue Palace wouldn't bully Elder Sister Handong so much!"
"How so?"
"It's those old bastards at Yao Yue Palace wanting to pledge allegiance to the Immortal Dynasty! Over the years, they've tried every method to force Elder Sister Handong to give up her position as Heir Apparent. What a shameless bunch!"
Gu Qingfeng had heard from Huode that since the Immortal Dynasty established its Immortal Prefecture in the Great Northwest Frontier, it had indeed recruited many sect forces. Although the ancient sects and families hadn't pledged allegiance, they were all hesitating. Several of the major old sects in the northwest had even split apart over this, and Yao Yue Palace seemed to be one of them.
"Hey, Old Nine, you absolutely must trade that Cloud-Color Sword to me this time."
Ouyang Ye declared angrily, "Once I refine the Cloud-Color Sword, my strength will surely increase greatly. Then I can lend Elder Sister Handong a helping hand and see what those old fogies at Yao Yue Palace have to say then!"
"Trading it to you isn't impossible, but..." Seeing the little girl's furious expression, Gu Qingfeng said, "But that is, after all, Yao Yue Palace's internal affair. You're not a disciple of Yao Yue Palace, why worry about it?"
"Hey! Elder Sister Handong is my life-saving benefactor! And she offended many people for my sake. If I don't help her, what kind of person would I be?!"
Gu Qingfeng was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected the little girl to be so loyal and righteous.
Just then, the crowd in the Peach Blossom Secret Realm suddenly grew restless. Sensing something amiss, Gu Qingfeng turned to look and was startled to find a group of people fighting in mid-air—or more precisely, dozens of people siege a single person, and a woman at that.
She was an exceptionally cold and beautiful woman.
Her eyes were cold, her delicate nose was cold, her lips were cold, her face was cold, even her hair seemed to radiate a cold beauty like proud snow.
She wore a white robe, her body emanating a faint white radiance that resembled a cold mist. In her hand was a crystalline spirit sword. Each move and stance was like swirling snow, like shattering ice—extremely cold, sharp, and proud.
The dozens attacking her were led by a group of Nascent Soul Daozuns, each with profound cultivation and exceptional skill. Their spiritual auras were particularly chaotic, carrying evil and even bloody scents—hardly benevolent types. Their attacks were all lethal moves.
"It's Elder Sister Handong!"
The moment Ouyang Ye saw the woman in white, she exclaimed and, without another word, flashed toward the scene.
"She's your Elder Sister Handong?"
Seeing Ouyang Ye rush over, Gu Qingfeng had no choice but to follow.
At that moment, the woman in white was also at the Daozun realm. Facing the siege of dozens, she was slightly at a disadvantage, but only slightly. She was not without the ability to fight back. Moreover, Gu Qingfeng could tell she wasn't using her full strength. Scanning with his divine sense, just as Ouyang Ye had said, her destiny might not be called unparalleled, but it was certainly far beyond what ordinary people could hope to achieve.
Three Postnatal, three Prenatal, and all were extraordinary great destinies.
That wasn't the important part. What truly surprised Gu Qingfeng slightly was that every time the woman in white made a move, it was as if she were deploying troops and arranging formations. Seemingly ordinary on the surface, they were actually ever-changing, with each profound mystery complementing the others, concealing killing intent. Once the timing was ripe, all the profound mysteries would fuse together and erupt.
"Such complementary, killing-intent-concealing methods are usually only understood by some old veterans. Yet this girl called Handong looks only slightly older than Ouyang Ye. She's neither a reincarnator nor a body-snatcher. To comprehend such methods is quite remarkable."
In the distance, the woman in white soared into the sky. As her arms moved, her ten fingers rapidly formed seals. Daoist spirit incantations condensed and manifested. The spirit sword before her suddenly erupted with dazzling radiance. In an instant, the previously concealed killing-intent mysteries seemed to receive a summons, transforming to form a giant ice-snow lotus. As the lotus bloomed, it released infinite profound mysteries and terrifying power, shaking the dozens siege her and sending them crashing to the ground.