"Why are they not to be trifled with?"
Taohua Old Daoist stared at Gu Qingfeng and retorted, "Young Gu, what do you think of this old man's abilities?"
"Your abilities..." Gu Qingfeng looked the Taohua Old Daoist up and down, took a sip of his wine, and then said, "Average. Passable."
"What? What did you say? Average? Passable? Hahaha..." The Taohua Old Daoist seemed to have heard some hilarious joke and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Then, taking a deep breath, he pointed at Gu Qingfeng, wanting to say something but hesitating. He shook his head and said, "Forget it, let's just say they're average and passable. But I can tell you, every single old fellow from the Nine Elders Cave-Estate of Canyang Mountain could effortlessly obliterate this old man."
"Really?" Gu Qingfeng was somewhat skeptical. "Is it that exaggerated?"
"What, you think I'm trying to scare you?"
"If that's truly the case, then why were you able to rescue me from their clutches back then? If they wanted to kill you, wouldn't it have been easy?"
"The reason for that matter is very complicated. It can't be explained in a sentence or two. In short, things aren't as simple as you think, kid. Haven't you considered that if the Nine Elders Cave-Estate of Canyang Mountain didn't have some real skill, could they have been passed down for so many years?"
The Taohua Old Daoist spoke with a choked voice, his tone grave. "You must have heard this saying: 'When Canyang in the Northwest stirs, the Divine Land trembles; the Nine Stars Cave-Estate guards the frontier wilderness.'"
Gu Qingfeng nodded. He was native to the Great Northwest. Although Canyang Mountain had already sealed itself off by the time he was born, the prestige of Canyang Mountain was still like thunder to his ears.
In the Ancient Times, Canyang Mountain was the foremost power in the Great Northwest, and had always been so. It had dominated the Great Northwest for tens of thousands of years. Within its ranks were experts as numerous as clouds, and geniuses emerged in every generation. For tens of thousands of years, the majority of the Great Northwest's influential figures came from Canyang Mountain. In those days, merely mentioning Canyang Mountain would make demons, monsters, ghosts, and devils all show a measure of fear.
Firstly, because Canyang Mountain had countless experts. Secondly, because the master of Canyang Mountain, the Canyang Worthy One, was one of the ten True Immortals who had shaken the world in the Ancient Times.
Moreover, over tens of thousands of years, Canyang Mountain had produced no small number of disciples who attained the Immortal realm. In the Ancient Times, it was even called the 'Little Immortal Dynasty of the Northwest,' and its relationship with the Immortal Dynasty was also very close.
"Canyang Mountain's background is extremely complex. Not only is its relationship with the Immortal Dynasty close, it also has connections reaching up to the Heavenly Realm," the Taohua Old Daoist said very seriously. "Furthermore, over all these years, Canyang Mountain has nurtured who knows how many Immortals. It's no exaggeration to say that if you dare to provoke Canyang Mountain, the trouble you'd bring upon yourself would be no less than the trouble you caused when you provoked the Immortal Dynasty back then."
"Have you thought about this, kid? The matter of you overthrowing the Immortal Dynasty back then isn't over yet. The Immortal Dynasty has been searching for your whereabouts all along. If you provoke Canyang Mountain here, your identity will definitely be exposed. When that happens... tsk tsk..." The Taohua Old Daoist shook his head and sighed. "Back then, you offended all the sects in this world. They all hate you to the bone. If they find out you're still alive, they won't rest until they've torn you to pieces and ground your bones to dust."
"Of course, I know you're not afraid of those so-called sects, nor are you afraid of the Immortal Dynasty. But young Gu, a scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new eyes. What's more, the Ancient Times have ended. Over a hundred years have passed since the revival of all things in the current era. Whether it's the various major sects or the Immortal Dynasty, they are no longer what they used to be."
"The fact that you could trample all the major sects underfoot back then doesn't mean you can do the same now. Similarly, the fact that you overthrew the Immortal Dynasty back then doesn't mean you can do it in the current era. The Immortal Dynasty of the current era is also far more terrifying than you imagine."
Hearing the Taohua Old Daoist say this, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but frown. Perhaps because he had been preoccupied with thoughts of Wudao Mountain these past days, he really hadn't considered what consequences his identity being exposed might trigger.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the various sects and the Immortal Dynasty coming to settle accounts with him.
He wasn't afraid before, and he was even less afraid now.
But not being afraid was one thing.
If it brought a heap of trouble upon him, that would give him a bit of a headache.
Just as he was pondering this, the Taohua Old Daoist spoke again. "Young Gu, do you know why, over all these years, even though many people knew the Nine Elders Cave-Estate of Canyang Mountain guarded the Life Vein of the Northwest, no one ever stepped forward to challenge them throughout all those years in the Ancient Times?"
"Why?"
The Taohua Old Daoist wasn't in a hurry. He took a sip of his wine and said leisurely, "Let me tell you, kid. Since ancient times, who knows how many people have wanted to know exactly what Life Vein the Nine Elders Cave-Estate of Canyang guards. But none of them dared to take that risk."
Gu Qingfeng remained silent, continuing to listen.
At this moment, the Taohua Old Daoist spoke with vivid expression and tone, like a storyteller. "They didn't dare, for three reasons. First, they knew Canyang Mountain's background was complex. Second, it was because the founder of Canyang Mountain, the Canyang Worthy One, wasn't just one of the ten True Immortals who shook the world in the Ancient Times. It's more than that."
"How is it more than that?"
"Regarding the identity of the Canyang Worthy One, I can't explain it to you clearly in a short while. Let me put it this way: compared to his true identity, the so-called 'Ten Great True Immortals' is like a fart, utterly insignificant. Someone like me, if he were to sneeze, I might be reduced to ashes."
To be honest, Gu Qingfeng had heard of the name Canyang Worthy One back in the day. He had also heard some related stories, and they were all rather bizarre tales.
It was said that the Great Northwest wasn't originally a frontier wilderness, nor was it a resource-poor land. It was once a sea. The reason it became what it is today was all because of the Canyang Worthy One.
Legend had it that back then, with one earth-shattering sword strike, he forcibly severed and dried up the great sea, causing the Great Northwest to become the resource-poor frontier wilderness it is today.
Not only that.
It was also said that the reason Canyang Mountain was called Canyang Mountain was also because the Canyang Worthy One, with one sword strike back then, cleaved the blazing sun hanging in the sky, causing it to fall. Hence, Canyang Mountain came into being later.
There weren't many tales about the Canyang Worthy One, but each one was passed down as extremely bizarre. Whether they were true or false, no one knew, as those were events from the early Ancient Times, over a hundred thousand years ago.
"Don't you think those rumors about the Canyang Worthy One are false, kid. Let me tell you, all the legends about the Canyang Worthy One are true, truer than true... I can tell you very responsibly that the legends about the Canyang Worthy One are far truer than you imagine, and the abilities of the Canyang Worthy One are absolutely far more terrifying than you can imagine."
"Is that so..." If the legends about the Canyang Worthy One were all true, if that person really did sever the Great Northwest into a frontier wilderness with one sword and also cleaved the blazing sun in the sky, causing it to set in the west, then he could definitely be called a formidable figure.