Han Dong had initially brought Gu Qingfeng here with the simple intention of having him impersonate Young Lord Chiyan, using the identity of the Monarch's heir to help her master find closure regarding the events of the past.
What she never could have imagined was that her master not only believed wholeheartedly in Gu Qingfeng's assumed identity, but was also utterly convinced that he was the true heir to the Monarch. She believed it so firmly that she treated him with the utmost reverence, and was even more convinced that Gu Qingfeng could not have killed Ancestor Fenglie. She believed to the point where she seemed to think that Gu Qingfeng's very moods—his joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—could determine the life or death of Yaoyue Palace itself.
Watching Daozun Feiyan praying in that moment, Han Dong truly wished she could reveal the truth. She wanted to tell her master that the man was neither the Monarch's heir nor Young Lord Chiyan, but merely a stranger she had found to impersonate him.
Yes.
Han Dong desperately wanted to.
To be precise, even before coming here, she had already decided to step forward on her own initiative and clarify the truth to the various sects. She did not seek their forgiveness, only to avoid implicating others. She wanted to shoulder all the blame for this matter alone.
That was what she thought, and what she had prepared to do.
However, on the way here, she had been opposed by Qian Shan.
Qian Shan told her that matters had already reached this point. Revealing the truth would not only fail to gain understanding from the various factions, but would instead give Yaoyue Palace's Second Elder an excuse to silence them permanently. Given that, it was better to hold firm, to insist stubbornly that Old Ninth was Young Lord Chiyan, was the Monarch's heir. Whether this would help or not was unknown, but at the very least it would make some people wary.
Truth and falsehood, falsehood and truth.
The reason why so many people in this world who impersonated the Monarch or his descendants could still live freely and easily was simple: everyone was afraid. Afraid that, just in case it was true, the consequences were something no one under heaven could bear.
Meanwhile, in their surroundings, Second Elder Feilu, Zhong Yulong, and their group had not yet made a move.
Although they did not fear the strength of Fenghua and the other Ancestral Patriarchs,
they were wary of Daozun Feiyan.
It was not her cultivation or power they feared—on the contrary, Daozun Feiyan was already severely injured. Even an ordinary elder of Yaoyue Palace could likely finish her off. What they truly feared was the thumb ring worn on Daozun Feiyan's hand.
It was a Yaoyue Thumb Ring.
Left behind by Lady Zhuoyue in her time.
This ring was not only the token of authority for the Palace Mistress of Yaoyue Palace, but also the key to many of the palace's secret chambers. Most importantly, this ring was also linked to Yaoyue Palace's guardian formation.
Yaoyue Palace's guardian formation had been personally laid down by Lady Zhuoyue back then, and its power was extraordinary. If Daozun Feiyan willed it, she could instantly activate the guardian grand formation through the ring. Once the grand formation was activated, Daozun Feiyan would no longer be a severely injured weakling, but the master of the formation, capable of commanding the formidable power within it.
Second Elder and the others had almost all witnessed the terror of the guardian formation. Precisely because they knew, they were extremely wary.
For now, the only thing they could do was keep Han Dong and the others firmly under watch here, waiting for the arrival of the various major sects. Once those sects arrived, the so-called guardian formation would no longer pose a threat.
Of course,
there was another reason Second Elder and the others had to be wary.
That was Qian Shan.
Everyone under heaven knew of Immortal Su Hua's existence; it was common knowledge.
And virtually everyone who had seen Immortal Su Hua knew that Qian Shan was the person by her side.
Now that Qian Shan had come together with Ouyang Ye and Han Dong, this made Second Elder somewhat suspicious and uneasy. After a moment's thought, he asked, "The world knows that Immortal Su Hua never involves herself in worldly disputes. As someone in Immortal Su Hua's service, I presume Miss Qian Shan is the same. May I ask what brings Miss Qian Shan to our Yaoyue Palace today?"
Indeed.
Immortal Su Hua had three principles.
One of them was not involving herself in worldly disputes.
This was widely known.
Qian Shan had long known someone would bring this up, and she was prepared. She replied indifferently, "Ye Ye and Han Dong are both friends of the Immortal, and thus naturally my friends as well."
Perhaps not expecting Qian Shan to say such a thing, the Yaoyue Palace elders present were all taken aback.
To be a friend of Immortal Su Hua—this status, to a certain degree, was far greater than that of a sect's direct disciple. Even the so-called Immortal Official status of an Immortal Mansion likely could not compare.
"They are both friends of Immortal Su Hua?"
"How is it we were unaware of this?"
"A joke!" Qian Shan sneered. "Does the Immortal need to report to you when she makes friends?"
Qian Shan's words left the Yaoyue Palace elders red-faced, momentarily at a loss for a response.
Second Elder Feilu narrowed his eyes and asked darkly, "So, are you saying, Miss Qian Shan, that your coming here this time means you intend to involve yourself in Yaoyue Palace's private affairs?"
"I said Ye Ye and Han Dong are friends of the Immortal, and my friends."
Qian Shan did not give a direct answer, instead offering an ambiguous one.
Second Elder and the others exchanged glances, somewhat unable to gauge her intent. They didn't know if Qian Shan would participate in this matter. If she did, then things would become difficult. Su Hua was an Immortal renowned throughout the world, her background, status, and position peerless, with countless admirers and followers. Not only was she an emissary of the Immortal Court, but in her previous life she had been the Ninth Heaven Mystic Maiden. With such an identity, who under heaven would dare show disrespect? Even reincarnated experts would not dare provoke her lightly.
Just then, commotion arose from the foot of Yaoyue Palace's mountain.
Immediately after, a group of several hundred people swarmed into Yaoyue Palace in a grand procession.
Second Elder and the others looked over, their hearts instantly lifting with joy. The arrivals were none other than the high-ranking core members of Hunyuan Gate.
Hunyuan Gate's famously formidable eighteen direct disciples, the Nine Yin and Nine Yang—aside from the deceased Ding Rui and others—had all arrived. The man leading them was known as the Head of the Nine Yang, named Cao Hongyun. Like Zhong Yulong, he was one of the Ten Proud Sons of the Great Northwest, and his cultivation and strength were no lower than Zhong Yulong's, perhaps even higher.
Apart from the Nine Yin and Nine Yang, Hunyuan Gate's various managing elders, law enforcement elders, and even council elders had all turned out in full force. Even several of Hunyuan Gate's deputy sect masters, along with Sect Head Daozun Yuanwei himself, had come personally.
Hunyuan Gate was a titan of the Great Northwest.
And as the sect head of Hunyuan Gate, one could imagine how powerful Daozun Yuanwei's cultivation and strength must be.
And indeed, this was the case. As far back as the ancient times, Daozun Yuanwei had been an expert who had forged a Dao-heart. To this day, exactly how powerful his cultivation had become, no one knew clearly.
As the Hunyuan Gate group swarmed into Yaoyue Palace, Second Elder and the others immediately went to greet them. After exchanging pleasantries, the Hunyuan Gate members, upon seeing Han Dong and Ouyang Ye, immediately began pressing them for Gu Qingfeng's whereabouts.
"Speak!"
"Where is that Young Lord Chiyan hiding!"
"You junior, be sensible and tell us Young Lord Chiyan's whereabouts! Otherwise, today I will make sure you die without a burial place!"
The Hunyuan Gate members jumped out one after another, pressing for answers. Among them, the most furious was Council Elder Lei Pili, for Ding Rui had been his disciple.