"I've never had the habit of being beaten. I didn't before, I don't now, and I never will."
"If someone takes a swing at me, I might let it slide. But if they harbor killing intent towards me, I will never indulge it, never let it pass. No one gets that privilege. Not the descendants of Fire Head Tuo, and not even the descendants of the Heavenly King himself."
Gu Qingfeng downed three cups of wine in succession, then suddenly barked a sharp command: "Get over here!"
As the word 'here' fell, a *whoosh* sounded. Wan Dongfang was yanked over as if by a tremendous suction force, or more accurately, blasted over by some invisible power. By the time he realized what was happening, he was so terrified he lost control of his bowels, struggling violently and desperately.
Four Dragon-Elephant Spirits!
A Dao-heart Nascent Soul!
A Transcendent Great Perfection Colored Spirit!
"No!"
"Stop!"
Xuefeng, Hongwen, and over a dozen other old Chixiao veterans instantly flashed into view. Knowing Gu Qingfeng's formidable strength, they hesitated not at all. Each erupted with the fierce, imposing Bloodsha Aura, their Dragon-Elephant Spirits coiling upwards alongside the surging blood aura.
Yet.
It was all useless.
When Gu Qingfeng's hand descended, the outcome was already sealed. With a *bang*, Wan Dongfang's Dao-heart Nascent Soul was shattered and dispersed into nothingness, his cultivation foundation vanishing along with it.
Xuefeng, Hongwen, and the others hadn't even had time to intervene—or more accurately, they lacked the capability to do so.
Their mighty, formidable Bloodsha Aura, imbued with its bloody, intimidating presence, failed to budge Gu Qingfeng in the slightest.
The savage, bloodthirsty Dragon-Elephant Spirits, which feared no aura or presence, were now trembling before Gu Qingfeng.
Yes!
Trembling!
The Nine Solitaries of Wuse Mountain and others could see it.
Fenghua, Fenglian, and the other ancestors of Yaoyue Palace could see it too.
Yet none dared believe their own eyes.
They had all lived through that mad era at the end of the Ancient Times, the era that belonged to the Chixiao Monarch. They all clearly knew that the Bloodsha Aura on Chixiao members had been forged for them back then by the Chixiao Monarch using his own Crimson Blood.
The presence of the Bloodsha Aura was fierce and imposing, as violent as the gales of the Nine Heavens!
And the Dragon-Elephant Spirits were forged from the essence, blood, and bones of that Great Hidden Dragon-Elephant which had once wreaked havoc across the Nine Heavens, daring to contend with any presence under heaven.
Back in the day, the reason the Chixiao Sect could chase the many immortals of the Immortal Court into panicked flight was precisely because of the Bloodsha Aura and the Dragon-Elephant Spirits.
None of them could understand why the Bloodsha Aura, which even immortals feared, had no effect whatsoever on Gu Qingfeng.
Even more baffling was why the Dragon-Elephant Spirits would tremble before Gu Qingfeng!
It was a genuine tremor. When the massive, nine-meter-tall Dragon-Elephant forms were first summoned, they were exceptionally domineering and ferocious. Yet the moment they laid eyes on Gu Qingfeng, they ceased to be savage, ceased to be violent, stopped baring their fangs and brandishing their claws. Even their Dragon-Elephant roars transformed into docile whimpers.
How could this be?
Not only did they not know.
Even Xuefeng and the dozen or so old Chixiao veterans had no idea what was happening.
They only knew the Dragon-Elephants were afraid at this moment!
Truly afraid!
They were spiritually connected to their Dragon-Elephant Spirits and could clearly sense their feelings. Yet they couldn't fathom why the Dragon-Elephant Spirits, which had always feared nothing, would be afraid of Gu Qingfeng!
Was it fear?
No!
It didn't seem like fear.
It more resembled... reverence!
A kind of innate reverence, as if born with it, that made the inherently violent and domineering Dragon-Elephant Spirits become as docile as kittens.
"You! How... could... I..." Xuefeng and the others stared wide-eyed at Gu Qingfeng, faces filled with disbelief.
"Weren't you going to make a move on me?" Gu Qingfeng paid them no mind, still sitting in his chair, pouring himself another drink. "Come on then. Why have you stopped?"
"You! Just who are you? Why! Why would the Dragon-Elephant Spirits show you such... such reverence!"
"Could it be... you really are the Monarch's heir?"
Xuefeng and the others clearly remembered. Ziyang and the others from the Fengyun Branch Hall had said that when the Dragon-Elephants saw Young Lord Chiyan, they would feel a sense of reverence. Initially, they hadn't believed it, thinking it might be some illusion or perhaps some kind of mental technique.
But now.
They knew it was neither an illusion nor some so-called mental technique.
It was a genuine feeling.
They all clearly felt the reverence emanating from their Dragon-Elephant Spirits.
Wait!
Xuefeng suddenly recalled that Ziyang had also said that three years ago, when Young Lord Chiyan was at the Fengyun Branch Hall, he claimed to have received guidance from the Monarch in a dream and even fused with a wisp of the Monarch's remnant consciousness.
Could it be...
That was all true?
This man wasn't a fraud, but truly the Monarch's heir?
"I asked you a question. Why have you stopped?" Gu Qingfeng's voice came again. Xuefeng and the others jolted, hurriedly retracting their Bloodsha Aura and Dragon-Elephant Spirits. They then dropped to one knee, cupping their hands in salute.
"Xuefeng of the Black Nether Banner, Chixiao Sect... Hongwen... pay our respects... pay our respects to the Young Lord."
Even now, they dared not confirm Gu Qingfeng's true identity. But one thing, though none of them voiced it, they had already accepted in their hearts: even if this man before them wasn't the Monarch's direct heir, he must have some profound, inextricable connection to the Monarch. Otherwise, the Dragon-Elephant Spirits would never show him such reverence.
Perhaps Gu Qingfeng was tired.
He sat in the chair, eyes closed, continuously massaging his temples. His expression was one of utter exhaustion.
"Young Lord... have you... have you truly seen the Monarch's remnant consciousness?" Xuefeng and the others asked excitedly.
Three years ago, when Ziyang and the others heard that Gu Qingfeng had fused with a wisp of the Monarch's remnant consciousness, they were both excited and despondent.
Excited because after waiting so many years, they had finally received news of the Monarch. Despondent because if it were true, it meant the Monarch was truly dead, utterly extinguished, and would never reincarnate or be reborn again...
Now, Xuefeng and the others felt the same—a mix of excitement and loss. They couldn't believe it, couldn't accept such a cruel reality.
But Gu Qingfeng did not respond.
Only after a long while did his slightly weary voice slowly drift over: "Alright. I'm a bit tired today. Take your people and go back. When I have some free time later, I'll give you a satisfactory answer."
"Young Lord, we..." "I said I'm tired."
Xuefeng, Hongwen, and the others exchanged glances. Though they desperately wanted to voice all the questions in their hearts, Gu Qingfeng's simple 'I'm tired' left them at a loss for how to proceed. After a moment of collective deliberation, the dozen or so old Chixiao veterans decided it was best to leave for now. Or rather, they should first report this matter to the Old Banner Masters and let them decide the next course of action.
"Please rest, Young Lord. We... we take our leave!"
"For any offense given today, we shall return another day to offer our apologies in person!"
As Xuefeng and the dozen others took their leave, they performed the Nine-Step Grand Salute—cupping their hands and retreating nine steps before finally turning away.
It was a gesture of the highest respect.
Of course, the respect was not for Gu Qingfeng himself, but for the Chixiao Monarch in their hearts.