On the journey back, Liu Qingyan, Qing Xi, and the others silently escorted Grandmaster Uncle Ku Mu back to Wuse Mountain. None of them spoke along the way, their expressions uniformly grave, for they all knew the Great Northwest was about to change.
Yes.
It was about to change.
The battle at Xiao Zhe Manor had seen major sects like Hunyuan Gate, Yaoyue Palace, the Huwei Wang Family, and Black Wind Cave suffer devastating losses. From sect heads and patriarchs down to elders and personal disciples, they had fallen in droves. The leadership of these major sects had been reduced by at least half, if not more.
It must be remembered that these sects were all giants of the Great Northwest. For their leaders to be wiped out in a single day, with even the personal disciples who carried the sect's legacy mostly dead, was simply too shocking and unheard of.
However.
This was not the reason the Great Northwest was about to change.
To be honest.
While the destruction of the Great Northwest's major sects was the first such occurrence in the last hundred years of the current era, it was only within the current era. At the end of the ancient era, the sects in this region had been successively annihilated by Lord Chixiao and the Queen of the Borderlands. Although each time the losses were severe, as long as the sect's foundation remained, recovering their vitality was merely a matter of time.
What truly heralded the change in the Great Northwest was the fact that so many from the Immortal Office had also been slain, and among the dead were the Twenty-Four Prodigies. These prodigies were all geniuses the Immortal Office had focused on cultivating, and their backgrounds were complex. Now that Gu Qingfeng had slaughtered them all, the Immortal Office would absolutely not let the matter rest.
Currently, the leaders of the Immortal Office had all gone to the Divine Land to pay homage to the Immortal Dynasty. Once they learned of this, they would undoubtedly rush back immediately. It didn't take much thought to imagine the leaders of the Immortal Office would be furious with thunderous rage. Behind the Immortal Office stood the Immortal Dynasty. Slaughtering members of the Immortal Office meant challenging the dignity of the Immortal Dynasty. The Immortal Office would not spare him, and the Immortal Dynasty even less so.
Even if that Gu Qingfeng truly was the Monarch's heir, it would be of no help.
Not only would it be of no help, it would likely make things even worse.
Everyone knew that Lord Chixiao had overthrown the Immortal Dynasty in the ancient era. Now that the Immortal Dynasty had returned to rule the world, how could they tolerate the Monarch's disciple acting so wantonly?
"Grandmaster Uncle, can you really be sure Gu Qingfeng is truly the Monarch's heir?"
As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one fears a coiled rope for ten years.
The incident with Gu Tianlang fifty years ago was still vivid in her memory. Even having witnessed Gu Qingfeng perform the artistic conception of 'Wind Rises Over the Great Green Mountains' and even 'The Youth's Journey', even having witnessed Gu Qingfeng's Bedrock Physique and absolute power, Liu Qingyan still harbored some doubts. To call it doubt was perhaps not entirely accurate; it was more that she couldn't accept that someone who had turned to dust and smoke could die and come back to life.
"Master, Young Lord Chiyan has already helped Grandmaster Uncle recast his Nascent Soul, and he himself has returned from death. Even the Dragon-Elephant Spirits of over a dozen old Chixiao seniors showed him such reverence. If he isn't the Monarch's heir, who else could possess such ability?"
Qing Xi's voice came, and Liu Qingyan didn't know how to respond.
It wasn't that she didn't understand this reasoning.
But understanding was one thing.
Accepting it was another matter entirely.
It was then that Ku Mu spoke: "Whether he is the Monarch's heir or not is completely unimportant."
Ku Mu's words left the Wuse Mountain group somewhat unable to comprehend. What did he mean, whether he was the Monarch or not was unimportant? Then what was important?
As they puzzled over this, Elder Ku Mu slowly spoke again: "What's important is that he represents the Monarch. That is enough."
Liu Qingyan and Qing Xi exchanged a glance, still unable to grasp the meaning behind the old man's words.
"Grandmaster Uncle, whether Gu Qingfeng is the Monarch's heir is indeed not the most important thing. What's important is that he killed so many people from the Immortal Office. If the Immortal Dynasty learns of this... wouldn't that mean..."
Ku Mu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and after a moment, said, "So what if he killed people from the Immortal Office? What if he even destroyed the Immortal Dynasty?
The Monarch will always be the Monarch, the Monarch of this world, of this realm. The Monarch overthrew the Immortal Dynasty once; he can overthrow it a second time..."
They didn't understand.
They truly couldn't comprehend.
Ku Yu suspected that his junior brother's mind might be addled from having just recast his Nascent Soul, and asked, "But... Young Lord Chiyan is, after all, only the Monarch's heir, not the Monarch himself. How could he... Besides, the Immortal Dynasty of the current era is far beyond what that corrupt Immortal Dynasty of the ancient era could compare to. Even if the Monarch were still alive, I'm afraid he would be powerless."
"The Monarch is still alive... He didn't die, and he won't die... I always knew the Monarch was still alive..."
When Ku Mu uttered these words, not only did Ku Yu think Ku Mu's mind was unclear, but Liu Qingyan, Qing Xi, and the others also harbored similar suspicions.
"Rest assured, my mind is clear. In fact, it has never been as clear as it is today."
"Master, if you're not confused, why do you say the Monarch is still alive?"
"Grandmaster Uncle, didn't you believe Young Lord Chiyan was the Monarch's heir? And Young Lord Chiyan once said that a remnant consciousness of the Monarch had merged with his spirit. That proves the Monarch truly died. So why do you still say the Monarch is alive..."
"In time, you will understand."
...
Somewhere in the Star-Moon Great Domain.
Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao stood quietly, brows furrowed, lost in thought as if pondering something.
Nearby, An Ran paced back and forth with her arms crossed, muttering, "That fellow surnamed Gu killed so many from the Immortal Office. Once my grandfather and the others return, they will absolutely not let it go. And if that fellow Gu really is the Monarch's heir, then all the Chixiao people in the Great Northwest will likely break through their seclusion and emerge. In that case, between the Immortal Dynasty and the Chizi Head..."
Thinking this far, An Ran dared not continue. As a Grand Steward of the Immortal Office, with her grandfather being one of its Lords, she naturally knew many secrets unknown to others. She was well aware that the other Lords of the Immortal Office had long wanted to eradicate all the branch halls of the Chizi Head in the Great Northwest and had already begun moving in secret. However, it wasn't eradication but co-option.
An Ran's grandfather had always opposed this and had been striving on this matter for years. It was also for this reason that her grandfather had been ostracized by the other Lords.
Fortunately, her grandfather was a senior figure with some standing in the Immortal Office, which was why the Immortal Office and the Chizi Head had coexisted peacefully all these years.
But now.
An Ran knew her grandfather's efforts were likely to come to naught. Once the news spread, the other Lords of the Immortal Office would surely be furious and would certainly seize this opportunity to move against the Chizi Head. A fierce battle would be inevitable.
"Miss An Ran, starting today, I advise you to leave the Immortal Office."
Wan Huaiyu suddenly spoke, startling An Ran. She asked, "Why? Is it because of Young Lord Chiyan? Do you think his existence can truly threaten the Immortal Office?"
Neither Wan Huaiyu nor Qin Hao responded to this question.
An Ran continued, "I know Young Lord Chiyan's existence is bizarre and powerful. Probably all of us in the Immortal Office combined are no match for him. But... perhaps the two of you are unaware. In a few days, experts from the Immortal Dynasty will be stationed at our Immortal Office in the Great Northwest, and those coming are all peerless geniuses of the current age."