At the same time.
Wuse Mountain.
At this very moment, Ku Yu, Ku Mu, and the other Nine Extremity Solitary Elders, Xuanxin, Liu Qingyan, and the other Five-Colors Eighteen Swords, Qingxi, Qinglian, and the other twenty-four young heroes were all gathered within the grand hall.
The situation at Wuse Mountain was the same as at Yaoyue Palace.
Yaoyue Palace was considered acquainted with Gu Qingfeng because he had performed the enlightening baptism for Elder Feng Lie.
Wuse Mountain was also considered acquainted with Gu Qingfeng because he had acted to help Elder Ku Mu rebuild his Nascent Soul.
The difference was this.
Facing the powerful Immortal Dynasty, the hundred elders of Yaoyue Palace, led by Zihao, chose to go to the Immortal Office to accept interrogation.
But the entire Wuse Mountain did not do this.
Although they still did not know exactly who Gu Qingfeng was or what his identity was, the fact remained that Gu Qingfeng had helped Elder Ku Mu rebuild his Nascent Soul. If the Immortal Dynasty wanted to destroy Wuse Mountain because of this, they would resist to the end.
"All gentlemen reside on Wuse Mountain"—this saying was not just empty words.
But now a problem lay before them: Elder Ku Mu was preparing to go alone to the Immortal Office to admit to this matter.
"Junior Brother, we will not allow you to go to the Immortal Office alone!"
"That's right. Since Young Master Chiyan rebuilt your Nascent Soul, he is a benefactor to our Wuse Mountain. Now that the Immortal Dynasty wants to capture him, our Wuse Mountain will not choose to stand idly by."
Beside them, Liu Qingyan and Qingxi were also prepared to fight to the death. If the Immortal Office truly intended to hold Wuse Mountain responsible because Gu Qingfeng had helped Great Master Uncle Ku Mu rebuild his Nascent Soul, they would defend Wuse Mountain with their lives.
"Great Master Uncle, please don't go to the Immortal Office, okay? They'll kill you..." Qinglian threw herself into Ku Mu's arms, crying fearfully. "Wah... it's all that Young Master Chiyan's fault. He killed the Immortal Dynasty's officials, and now he's hiding, but he's dragged our Wuse Mountain into this... Wah..."
"Girl! Don't speak like that!"
Ku Mu stroked Qinglian's hair, gazing in the direction of the Immortal Office, and said, "He... if he really is hiding, then that would be good... What I fear is that he isn't hiding..."
Ku Mu's words left everyone present somewhat bewildered.
What did he mean by 'if he really is hiding, that would be good'?
And what did he mean by 'what I fear is that he isn't hiding'?
Why would it be good if Gu Qingfeng was hiding?
And why fear that he wasn't hiding?
What did it mean?
"He... if he isn't hiding, then it will be a terrible disaster. The history of the Ancient Era might replay itself in the Present Era!"
Disaster?
Why?
What history of the Ancient Era replaying in the Present Era?
Could Great Master Uncle Ku Mu mean that Gu Qingfeng would overthrow the Immortal Dynasty like Monarch Chixiao did?
Heavens!
Gu Qingfeng was certainly mysterious and powerful, but he was, after all, not Monarch Chixiao himself. And the Present Era's Immortal Dynasty was not something the Ancient Era's Immortal Dynasty could compare to.
Even if Monarch Chixiao himself descended again, he probably couldn't overthrow the Immortal Dynasty in the Present Era.
What exactly did Great Master Uncle mean?
They didn't understand.
At least Liu Qingyan and Qingxi couldn't make sense of it.
And Ku Mu offered no explanation, merely sighing, "The Immortal Dynasty truly forgets the pain once the wound heals... I originally thought the Present Era's Immortal Dynasty would learn from the lessons of the Ancient Era, turn over a new leaf, and not repeat the same mistakes. Now it seems this old man was too naive."
With another sigh, Ku Mu said, "Only a hundred years have passed in the Present Era, and you can't hold yourselves back anymore? You actually dare, with reckless disregard for death, to move against the Chixiao Sect in the great northwest? Who are you putting on this show for? For the people of the world to see? Or do you want to test the attitude of the Chixiao Sect? The attitude of the Chixiao Sect might be something you can test, but the attitude of the Chixiao Sect... is that something you can test? Moreover, what you're testing this time is not just the attitude of the Chixiao Sect or even the Chixiao Sect... You're testing *his* attitude... Everyone under heaven knows his attitude has always been like the reverse scales of a dragon—untestable!"
"Junior Brother, the 'he' you speak of... do you mean Gu Qingfeng, or do you mean..." Ku Yu and the other Nine Extremity Solitary Elders had always harbored a doubt: they didn't understand why Ku Mu had knelt and bowed to Gu Qingfeng. In their minds, even if Gu Qingfeng was truly the successor of Monarch Chixiao, such a bow wasn't necessary. Yet Ku Mu had done it, and in his words and actions, he didn't seem to treat Gu Qingfeng merely as Monarch Chixiao's successor, but more like Monarch Chixiao himself.
Could it be that just because Gu Qingfeng said he could represent Monarch Chixiao, Ku Mu truly believed he could?
Or did Ku Mu really regard Gu Qingfeng as the incarnation of Monarch Chixiao?
"Junior Brother, could you be misunderstanding something?" Ku Yu asked suspiciously.
Ku Mu shook his head slightly and replied, "A misunderstanding? To be honest, I truly wish this were a misunderstanding."
"This..." Ku Yu and the others exchanged glances; none could understand what Ku Mu was saying.
"Let's go."
Ku Mu sighed. "Let's all go to the Immortal Office and take a look."
Take a look?
Liu Qingyan, Xuanxin, and the others grew more and more confused, even beginning to suspect that Ku Mu's mind had been affected by the Nascent Soul rebuilding. Otherwise, why would he talk such nonsense and say they should go to the Immortal Office to 'take a look'?
Those Immortal Dynasty nobles killed without batting an eye. Going there likely meant going to their deaths.
Yet Great Master Uncle Ku Mu's tone was filled with lament—lament for the Immortal Dynasty's ignorance, and pity for the Immortal Dynasty. It was as if the Immortal Dynasty's arrest of Gu Qingfeng was a terribly wrong decision, one so wrong it might cause the Immortal Dynasty to repeat the mistakes of the Ancient Era. He even said he hoped Gu Qingfeng wouldn't appear, as if his appearance would trigger something terrible.
Why on earth was that?!
Could it be that in Great Master Uncle Ku Mu's view, Gu Qingfeng's strength was truly so heaven-shaking, earth-shattering that it could rival the Monarch Chixiao of old?
The more Liu Qingyan and Qingxi listened, the more bewildered and confused they became.
...
Above the Immortal Office, the light of the Immortal Office still hung in the sky like a great sun, radiating sacred, brilliant radiance that enveloped the great northwest, proclaiming the Immortal Dynasty's hegemony.
Liuguang Jiaoying, wearing a white jade crown, stood proudly and self-absorbed within the Immortal Office's light, a wild smile hanging at the corner of his mouth, arms crossed, looking down upon the northwest lands from his lofty position.
Watching as nearly a thousand Nine-Star Immortal Officials—Dharma Form Great Sovereigns—departed in a mighty procession at Liuguang Jiaoying's command, Steward Bai, the Star-Shining Immortal Official who had been beaten bloody by Liuguang Jiaoying earlier, collapsed to the ground, utterly despairing. He did not know, nor could he imagine, what terrifying consequences Liuguang Jiaoying's lawless, ignorant, and arrogant order would trigger.
Beside him, several other Immortal Nobles, including Yingnian and Ruolan, were also at a loss, asking in panic, "Xingyao, what should we do?"
What should they do?
If this matter were Liuguang Jiaoying acting unilaterally and issuing orders on his own authority, then he could simply stand by and watch. But just now, Liuguang Jiaoying had said this was Young Master Long's intention. If that were truly the case, then Xingyao really didn't know what to do.
Participate?
Who would bear the consequences?
If he chose to stand by and watch, he would undoubtedly offend Young Master Long—someone he could not afford to offend and dared not offend. After weighing the options, Xingyao responded, "We'll decide based on the situation later."
Right at that moment, a vigorous, furious roar exploded through the air!
"Without this old man's command, no Immortal Official is to act recklessly!"