"It's rare that after a thousand years of cultivation, you still haven't forgotten your original intent, harbor a righteous aura in your heart, and steadfastly uphold your benevolent nature. You truly live up to being a member of the Haoran Xun Clan."
Gu Qingfeng's voice drifted over. Lord Xun, who was being supported by Steward Bai, trembled violently within, raised his head, then quickly lowered it again.
The Haoran Xun Clan was also an Immortal Clan of this world. Although its reputation wasn't as resounding as that of the Liuguang Clan, its lineage was far more ancient and long-standing. It was also one of the few Immortal Clans in the present world whose reputation and honor were deeply respected by all.
The reason was simple.
The Haoran Xun Clan was a clan that truly served the state and its people.
Although most members of the Haoran Xun Clan held official positions in the Immortal Dynasty, they did not oppress cultivators like other Immortal Clans. On the contrary, they consistently protected the interests of ordinary cultivators from minor sects and schools. This was true not only in this prosperous and splendid Modern Era but even in that resource-scarce Ancient Era monopolized by the Immortal Dynasty.
Therefore,
many sects in this world held members of the Haoran Xun Clan in considerable respect.
"Xun Daolin of the Haoran Xun Clan, do you know him?"
Gu Qingfeng's voice came again. Lord Xun raised his head once more, his eyes filled not only with fear and terror but also with shock and doubt. He responded, trembling, "Xun Daolin is...
is...
our clan's patriarch."
"Oh?
Is that so?
I'd forgotten."
Gu Qingfeng poured wine and asked again, "How is he now?
Is he well?"
"He...
he is well."
Lord Xun truly didn't understand why the mysterious and bizarre young man in the pavilion was suddenly asking about his grandfather. The other Immortal Officials were even more baffled. The name Xun Daolin was not unfamiliar to them. He was not only the patriarch of the Haoran Xun Clan but also an elder of the Immortal Dynasty, and furthermore, the Supreme Immortal of Haoran enfeoffed by the Immortal Dynasty.
This title of Supreme Immortal was not an honor just anyone could bear; only those who had made great contributions to the Immortal Dynasty could receive it.
And Xun Daolin had indeed made significant contributions to the Immortal Dynasty.
It was said that when Lord Chixiao stormed into the Immortal Dynasty, killing until rivers of blood flowed, if Xun Daolin hadn't stepped forward, several princes of the Immortal Dynasty would likely have died at Lord Chixiao's hands.
Some said Xun Daolin defended the princes' lives at the risk of his own.
Others said Lord Chixiao and Xun Daolin were friends, and Lord Chixiao gave Xun Daolin face, which was why he didn't kill the princes.
Regardless, the princes' lives were saved, and for the Immortal Dynasty, Xun Daolin had performed a great service.
"Good, that's good. I was afraid the Immortal Dynasty wouldn't even spare your family's old master."
Lord Xun didn't understand. He didn't know why Gu Qingfeng was inquiring about the clan patriarch, nor did he grasp the meaning behind these words.
Indeed!
He didn't understand.
And Gu Qingfeng didn't expect him to. It was enough to know that Xun Daolin was well.
Speaking of Xun Daolin, Gu Qingfeng held deep respect and gratitude in his heart.
Because Xun Daolin had shown kindness to the Chixiao people.
Back then, if not for him, many Chixiao people would have died.
Later, Xun Daolin implicated his entire clan because of this matter. Not only were all his family members stripped of their Immortal Official positions by the Immortal Dynasty, but they were also imprisoned. When Gu Qingfeng learned of this back then, he felt deeply apologetic and prepared to go rescue them. Fortunately, the ancestral elder of the Haoran Xun Clan intervened, and the Immortal Dynasty released the Xun family.
Gu Qingfeng had always kept this debt of gratitude in mind. However, when he stormed into the Immortal Dynasty years later and Xun Daolin stepped forward to persuade him, he considered that debt repaid.
What he hadn't expected was that, after several hundred years, he would encounter a member of the Haoran Xun Clan here, and one who was an Immortal Official at that.
This was also within expectations. He knew well that the Haoran Xun Clan had always been loyal to the Immortal Dynasty. Even after their entire family was imprisoned by the Immortal Dynasty, when he stormed into the Immortal Dynasty, Xun Daolin still stepped forward, disregarding his own life, to defend the Immortal Dynasty. Such loyalty was truly rare and precious, and it was also the reason Gu Qingfeng admired Xun Daolin.
"Might I ask... why the Chiyan Young Master is inquiring about my clan's patriarch?" Lord Xun mustered his courage and asked, trembling with fear.
"No reason. Just asking casually."
Gu Qingfeng looked up at the sky and asked, "How many people has the Immortal Dynasty sent this time?"
"Chiyan Young Master, Immortal Su Hua has already stated clearly that the Immortal Dynasty has no intention of acting against the Chixiao Sect. I beg you not to..." The Haoran Xun Clan was dedicated to the peace of the world.
Like Su Hua, they had been mediating the conflicts between the Immortal Dynasty and the Chixiao Sect since the Modern Era.
Although he didn't know exactly who Gu Qingfeng was, he could tell that Gu Qingfeng seemed intent on seeking justice for the Chixiao Sect and taking action against the Immortal Dynasty's officials.
Lord Xun tried to persuade Gu Qingfeng to leave, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Gu Qingfeng interrupted him: "I asked you how many people the Immortal Dynasty has sent."
Lord Xun pondered for a moment before cautiously replying, "Apart from the present Immortal Dynasty scions and Immortal Officials, there are also over fifty more Immortal Dynasty scions, twenty-four Earth Immortal lords, and two Imperial Edict Young Masters."
As his words fell,
many people in the area grew excited.
Especially those from sects and clans like the Hunyuan Sect and the Tiger Might Wang Clan, who bore a deep hatred for Gu Qingfeng. They had long wished to tear Gu Qingfeng to pieces, but Immortal Su Hua's intervention had shielded him, making the Immortal Dynasty scions dare not act. Now, however, it was perfect—over fifty more Immortal Dynasty scions were coming, along with twenty-four Earth Immortal lords.
Earth Immortals.
Only those who had achieved great perfection in cultivation and transcended the Immortal Tribulation could attain the status of Earth Immortal.
Once one transcended the Immortal Tribulation, the fleshly body was no longer mere flesh and blood but a powerful Earth Immortal physique, truly reborn. The might of a single punch was terrifyingly immense, capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas without question. A single roar could reduce ordinary cultivators to dust. And that was just the power of the physical body. After transcending the Immortal Tribulation, one's Primordial Spirit Dharma Manifestation became frighteningly powerful. It was said that the Primordial Spirit Dharma Manifestation of an Immortal could annihilate armies of thousands with a single thought. Immortal techniques were profoundly mysterious, with every move and every stance embodying divine transformations.
A single Earth Immortal was already so formidable.
Let alone twenty-four Earth Immortals arriving this time.
What excited them even more were the two Imperial Edict Young Masters.
Perhaps they didn't know the cultivation strength of the Imperial Edict Young Masters, but that wasn't important. What mattered were the words 'Imperial Edict.' No matter who it was, even a three-year-old child, as long as they held an Imperial Edict from the Immortal Dynasty, they represented the will of the Immortal Dynasty, wielding the power of life and death. If they decreed your death at the third watch, you would absolutely not live to see the fifth. Daring to disobey was defying an imperial decree, an unforgivable crime punishable by immediate execution.
By then, it wouldn't matter whether Gu Qingfeng was the monarch's successor or not. He would die either way.
No one could save him.
Even the highly esteemed Nine Heavens Emissary, Immortal Su Hua, intervening would likely not be enough to shield him.
"I heard they will arrive today."
"That...
is correct."
"Good."
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the sky. The sun was already setting in the west. He wasn't in a hurry, not at all. He asked again, "One of the two Imperial Edict holders you mentioned is Young Master Long, correct?"
"Yes."
"I heard the idea to have you act against the Chixiao Sect was his, is that right?"