Boom! The power radiance swirling around the old man's body churned like a whirlwind and tsunami, accompanied by a series of crisp cracking sounds that caused Gu Qingfeng's Grand Void Seizing Hand to tremble violently.
But it only trembled.
The Grand Void Seizing Hand did not shatter, nor did it dissipate.
This shocked the old man greatly and left him deeply puzzled. Upon closer inspection, his astonishment only grew. He saw that this Grand Void Seizing Hand was profoundly mysterious, constantly evolving and transforming. The power contained within it was terrifying beyond measure.
The old man had never seen such a mysterious Grand Void Seizing Hand, nor had he ever encountered one with such power. That power was utterly evil, violent and frenzied, sometimes brimming with vitality, other times deathly still, a fusion of Yin and Yang, like the transformation of Taiji. What made it even more unbelievable was that this power was actually Golden Core power.
What the hell kind of Golden Core was this?
How could it be so terrifying?
A fusion of Yin and Yang?
Taiji transformation?
Could it be the legendary Taiji Golden Core, said to possess the potential of a Human King?
No!
Impossible!
Although the Taiji Golden Core is a fusion of Yin and Yang, brimming with vitality, it is also filled with righteous energy, open and aboveboard. It could never be so utterly evil, nor so violently frenzied. Besides, even if it were a genuine Taiji Golden Core, it couldn't possibly be this terrifying!
What the hell kind of power was this? It wasn't Golden Core power anymore!
It was even more ferocious than a Golden Immortal, damn it!
"This old man refuses to believe this evil!
Peach Blossom Sword, unsheathe!"
Whoosh!
A seemingly ordinary peach wood sword, shimmering with faint, dim radiance, materialized. The old man, holding the Peach Blossom Sword, brandished one divine Sword Art after another, furiously slashing at the Void Seizing Hand.
It was unclear what Sword Art he was executing. Like threading a needle, in the blink of an eye, he unleashed nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine sword techniques. Gu Qingfeng's Grand Void Seizing Hand was instantly marked with over nine thousand sword scars.
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin, break for this old man!"
With a fierce upward flick of his peach wood sword, another series of crisp cracking sounds erupted. Gu Qingfeng's Grand Void Seizing Hand was instantly sliced into pieces, dissipating into nothingness.
Finally, he had dealt with the Grand Void Seizing Hand.
The old Daoist was eager to see just who this opponent was. Lifting his gaze, he was shocked to find a figure appearing in mid-air.
It was a young man dressed in white robes.
He was younger than the old man could have ever imagined.
The old man had initially thought his opponent might be a reincarnated great power. If not that, then surely a uniquely gifted prodigy. At the very least, someone with extraordinary destiny. But what he never expected was that the other party was not a reincarnated great power, nor any kind of prodigy, and possessed no extraordinary destiny whatsoever—truly none. From head to toe, there wasn't even a trace of destiny's aura, only the most ordinary, utterly mundane Golden Core aura.
What the hell was this?
The old man had cultivated for who knows how many years and considered himself fairly knowledgeable. But today, he was utterly baffled. For the first time, he began to doubt his own understanding.
Opposite him.
Gu Qingfeng stood in the Void, holding a jug of Peach Blossom Wine, squinting his eyes as he looked up and down at the old man in Daoist robes holding the peach wood sword. The more he looked, the more pronounced the smile at the corner of his mouth became.
He had just been pondering who the master of that powerful Divine Sense might be. Only upon seeing the old man's true form did he realize it was actually the Taohua Old Daoist, who had shown him some kindness in the past.
"You brat, who are you!"
Taohua Old Daoist, gripping his peach wood sword, glared with furious eyes, his brow deeply furrowed as he stared fixedly at Gu Qingfeng. His turbid eyes gleamed with sharp light, as if trying to see through Gu Qingfeng completely. Yet, no matter how he looked, he couldn't discern anything. It was just an ordinary person, so ordinary you'd lose him in a crowd.
How could this be?
Damn it!
This was truly bizarre!
Taohua Old Daoist swore he had never encountered such a bizarre person in his entire life. Especially being stared at so brazenly by this youngster, Taohua Old Daoist felt extremely uncomfortable, a tingling sensation on his scalp as if all his secrets had been laid bare before this kid. Moreover, what made Taohua Old Daoist's heart creep even more was the smile on the youngster's lips—a smile that sent chills down his spine, a feeling as if he were being watched by Death itself.
"Guess."
Gu Qingfeng deliberately intended to tease Taohua Old Daoist, leisurely drinking by himself.
"You brat!
So it was you who stole this old man's Peach Blossom Wine!"
"That's right, it was me who stole it."
Gu Qingfeng took a small sip and laughed. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Hey!
You little brat!
You've got some nerve! Do you really think this old man is easy to bully!"
Taohua Old Daoist was utterly enraged. His mood was already foul because of the Taohua Secret Realm matter. Returning to find all the Peach Blossom Wine he had painstakingly brewed gone—his treasures, more precious to him than life itself—and now the thief was right before his eyes... How could Taohua Old Daoist endure this? Cursing loudly, he charged forward, Peach Blossom Sword in hand.
"Today, I'm bullying you. What are you going to do about it? Hahaha!"
As Taohua Old Daoist brandished his ever-changing divine Sword Arts in attack, each sword strike was like billions of sword techniques, cleaving the Void and shaking the earth. Each stroke was more mysterious than the last, each more frenzied.
Gu Qingfeng knew Taohua Old Daoist was no simple figure.
He had always known.
Even from his current perspective, Taohua Old Daoist was still not simple. He couldn't see through him in the past, and he couldn't see through him now. He didn't even know if Taohua Old Daoist was truly human, because there was no human aura about him. An Immortal?
No!
There was no Immortal aura either. He wasn't a demon, ghost, or monster.
Taohua Old Daoist possessed a unique life aura, one Gu Qingfeng had never encountered before—extremely unique, as if bearing the imprint of an era, just as the Immortal Dao gave a sense of brightness and the Buddhist Dao a sense of solemnity.
While Gu Qingfeng was pondering this in surprise.
Taohua Old Daoist on the opposite side was even more astonished.
No!
At this moment, Taohua Old Daoist was beyond mere astonishment; he was deeply shocked, shocked to the point of disbelief. Because he discovered that not only was this guy's Golden Core absurdly powerful, his physical body was also incomparably strong. No matter how mysterious or powerful the Sword Arts he unleashed, they were all effortlessly blocked by this fellow before him.
That's right!
Effortlessly blocked. He didn't even move, just stood there, drinking his little jug of wine, occasionally waving a hand to block. Sometimes, he couldn't even be bothered to wave, letting Taohua Old Daoist's various Sword Arts strike his body directly. A series of crisp cracking sounds ensued, yet they couldn't even shake his physical body, let alone his robes or a single strand of his hair.
The more Taohua Old Daoist fought, the more alarmed he became; the more he fought, the more incredulous he felt. Simultaneously, a growing sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him—a terrible feeling, like a person alone in an endless, deep sea, flailing desperately yet unable to stir the calm, unrippled surface. It made one feel powerless, helpless, and utterly despair.