Feng Lie Old Monster was no longer the Feng Lie Old Monster of before. Every inch of his skin was crawling with ants and leeches formed from turbid light. He was still howling and cursing wildly. When Gu Qingfeng released his grip, Feng Lie Old Monster seemed to regain his mobility. With a *bang*, he shot into the air, flailing his arms and kicking his legs as he ran frantically.
"Ah—!" "Gu Tianlang! You ungrateful, heartless little bastard!"
"And that bastard surnamed Gu! This old man won't let you off even as a ghost!"
"Ah!!"
In the swampy mountain forest, watching Feng Lie Old Monster flail his limbs like a landlubber who had fallen into the sea, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter. Only when Feng Lie Old Monster had run off without a trace did he finally catch his breath. He took a sip of wine and chuckled.
"Feng Lie, ah, Feng Lie, you old codger finally got a taste of your own medicine today. Should've let you experience the torment of being tormented long ago."
"Hmm, your bones are quite tough, not even begging for mercy once. But..." Gu Qingfeng shook his head, smiling. "This master is quite curious to see how you'll thank me in a few days when you finally figure it out."
He said it was to torment Feng Lie Old Monster, to repay the torment he suffered back in the day.
And that was indeed the case.
However.
While tormenting him, Gu Qingfeng was actually helping him more—helping him achieve sudden enlightenment and assisting in the materialization of his Nascent Soul. While settling the score, he also repaid the favor in an instant. After all, he owed his successful Nascent Soul condensation back then largely to Feng Lie Old Monster.
During the confrontation just now, Gu Qingfeng could already see that Feng Lie Old Monster's Nascent Soul was exceptionally robust and far more refined than an ordinary person's. Moreover, since this old fellow followed a path of unyielding ferocity, his Nascent Soul was not only pure and robust but also quite formidable.
It could be said that Feng Lie Old Monster had laid an extremely solid foundation, making the materialization of his Nascent Soul fundamentally without issue.
Yet, this old fellow had made the same mistake as many others: he had too many reservations.
Once reservations set in, as time passes, they only multiply. Over time, one simply dares not take that final step.
Many cultivators in this world are like this.
Especially as their cultivation grows higher, their reservations become greater. After all, one misstep could mean losing everything. In other words, thousands of years of painstaking effort could be washed away. Anyone would become apprehensive and have such reservations.
In short, one sentence.
Cultivation is not easy.
Living is even harder.
Glancing at the sky.
The sun had just risen.
Gu Qingfeng did not linger. After finishing his jug of wine, he too left this swampy area.
Not long after he departed.
Two figures appeared in this swampy mountain forest.
One was a woman dressed in magnificent white robes, dignified and stunningly beautiful.
It was none other than Immortal Official An Ran, who had been frightened off by Gu Qingfeng earlier.
The other was also no stranger—the mysterious woman who had reincarnated and was holding the black cat.
An Ran's beautiful face still wore a look of lingering fear. She released her divine sense to scan the area but found neither Gu Qingfeng's nor Feng Lie Old Monster's figures. She asked softly, "Feng Lie Old Monster... where is he?"
The woman holding the black cat shook her head slightly. She seemed not to know either.
"He... is he really the Young Lord Chiyan who threw the Four Great Domains into chaos three years ago?"
The woman holding the black cat gazed into the distance. Only after a long while did she murmur, "Perhaps."
"Perhaps?" An Ran seemed surprised by her answer.
"Someone who was utterly annihilated, completely dead, has now returned to life. I dare not be certain..."
"Then... is he truly the successor of Monarch Chixiao?" An Ran asked another question.
The woman holding the black cat again murmured, "Perhaps."
This time, An Ran was not surprised.
Indeed.
Between heaven and earth, there are countless frauds impersonating Monarch Chixiao's successor, and even some impersonating Monarch Chixiao himself. Even those who were by the Monarch's side back then couldn't distinguish the real from the fake. Who else could know?
"Is the Immortal Estate... planning to move against the Great Northwest?" the woman holding the black cat asked.
An Ran hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"To eradicate the Chizi Head?"
"Not just the Chizi Head, but the entire Great Northwest."
"In preparation for the Heavenly Mandate?"
"Heavenly Mandate?" An Ran was startled and asked, "Why would you think that?"
The woman holding the black cat closed her eyes and said faintly, "A hundred years have passed in the Current Era. The Heavenly Mandate should be emerging as destined."
"Then why are you so sure the Heavenly Mandate will appear in the Great Northwest?"
"I'm not sure. It's just a guess. The Immortal Estate probably can't be certain either, which is why they're making preparations."
"If the Heavenly Mandate truly appears in the Great Northwest, will you... contend for it?"
The mysterious woman shook her head. It was unclear whether she meant she wouldn't contend or that she didn't know.
An Ran didn't dwell on this question further and asked instead, "Can you tell me how many reincarnated individuals like you are in the Great Northwest?"
"Many."
"How many is many? More than the reincarnated individuals cultivating in seclusion within our Immortal Estate?"
"I don't know."
After answering, the mysterious woman asked, "Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao are cultivating in seclusion within your Immortal Estate, correct?"
An Ran nodded and replied, "Do you wish to see them? I can take you there."
"No need."
The mysterious woman seemed intent on leaving but then remembered something and said, "Thank you for last time."
"You're too polite."
An Ran smiled faintly and asked, "I still don't know your name."
"Call me Ruying."
"Ruying?" An Ran blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled. "What a lovely name, and... it really suits you."
"It's just a name."
This mysterious woman called Ruying looked at An Ran and said softly yet earnestly, "If possible, try not to get involved in the muddy waters of the Great Northwest."
An Ran was puzzled. "Why?"
"You saw the reason just now."
"You mean... that Young Lord Chiyan?"
Mentioning Gu Qingfeng, An Ran's expression became somewhat unnatural, her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed. "He... is indeed mysterious and bizarre... so mysterious he's unfathomable, so bizarre he inspires fear. But the Immortal Estate..."
"There is no 'but.' For an existence like his, never harbor any illusions of fluke."
An Ran was quite surprised. "It can't be that serious, can it? You mean he truly is Monarch Chixiao's successor? Even if he is, he's just a successor, not the true Monarch Chixiao."
"Monarch Chixiao is, after all, Monarch Chixiao. The successor he chooses must be extraordinary."
An Ran nodded. "The true successor of Monarch Chixiao might indeed be so, but that Young Lord Chiyan from earlier may not be the real one."
"The Immortal Estate can afford to gamble, but you may not. Moreover... if he is real, that is terrifying enough."
Ruying murmured, "If he is not real... then it's not just terrifying..."
Ruying's words were strange, at least to An Ran, who couldn't understand them. She pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out. "Why?"
"Just a feeling. I hope it's just a feeling... otherwise..." Ruying shook her head, murmuring, "I hope there is no 'otherwise'..."