This scene was madness, and utterly terrifying.
At least, it was for the cultivators of the Great Northwest frontier. They had never seen over a thousand Immortal Officials act simultaneously, because in the Great Northwest, no one dared to so openly oppose the Immortal Dynasty. Moreover, these Immortal Officials were all Dharma Aspect Daozuns. In the Great Northwest, there was no one powerful enough to warrant a siege by over a thousand Dharma Aspect Daozuns.
Besides the thousand-plus Dharma Aspect Daozuns, there were also over a hundred Hundred Tribulation Elders. When they made their move, it was like a dazzling array of stars, both bewildering and awe-inspiring. Among these stars, thirty Great-Sun Radiance Dharma Forms illuminated the surroundings brightly, their vast and imposing aura enveloping everything in the area. Countless Natural Colored Spirits shifted unpredictably, like a storm of nature, terrifying as a calamitous disaster.
Chaos!
Absolute chaos.
What was astonishing was that within the pavilion, the white-robed man, Gu Qingfeng, was still sitting on the stone stool, pouring wine for himself and drinking.
His expression remained unchanged.
His sleeves did not stir.
His hair did not flutter.
His brows did not furrow.
His eyes did not blink.
It was as if the myriad Immortal Art Supernatural Abilities unleashed by the thousand-plus Immortal Officials at this very moment were not besieging him. Not only did he not summon spiritual power to resist, he didn't even show the slightest reaction. He hadn't even glanced at them.
Why!
What gave him the right?
Could it be he intended to rely on his so-called physical body to withstand the sky-full of Immortal Art Supernatural Abilities?
No one knew.
No one understood.
In the blink of an eye.
Just as everyone was staring wide-eyed, horrified and panic-stricken, everything froze.
Yes.
Everything, absolutely everything, came to a standstill.
Whether it was the sky-full of Immortal Arts, or the sky-full of Supernatural Abilities.
Whether it was the thousand-plus Immortal Officials, the Hundred Tribulation Elders, or the Immortal Dynasty Noble Scions.
Even the cracking earth, the howling storm, the flashing lightning and roaring thunder, the shifting nature, the coalescing Supernatural Abilities and Immortal Arts, the Great-Sun Radiance Dharma Forms enveloping everything, the Star Guardians protecting the Immortal Officials, the frenzied Natural Colored Spirits.
All of it was frozen.
As if even the flow of time had ceased.
Silence.
A silence so deep it was frightening.
No one had ever witnessed such a bizarre scene.
Not the ancient monsters who had cultivated for millennia.
Not the reincarnated great powers.
Forget them, even Su Hua, whose previous life was as a Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, had not.
She stared at the inexplicably frozen, motionless scene before her, her peerlessly beautiful face etched with astonishment as if beholding a divine miracle.
She knew powerful Immortal Art Supernatural Abilities could instantly immobilize people.
But those were Immortal Art Supernatural Abilities, and Gu Qingfeng had not acted, hadn't even circulated spiritual power.
There were also mental techniques that could instantly immobilize people.
Yet Gu Qingfeng had not employed any mental technique.
There was also the might of a Great Fortune, which could similarly immobilize people instantly.
But Gu Qingfeng had not invoked any Great Fortune's might either.
He had done nothing.
Just sat there idly, legs crossed, pouring wine and drinking. So why had the sky-full of Immortal Art Supernatural Abilities, all the attacking Immortal Dynasty Immortal Officials, all inexplicably frozen?
She also knew Gu Qingfeng's existence was mysterious and bizarre, but she never imagined it could be mysterious and bizarre to such a world-shaking, spine-chillingly terrifying degree.
This scene was like a painting.
Even more like a bizarre painting.
Because everything in the painting was frozen, except for Gu Qingfeng in the pavilion, who was still drinking.
Not all among the Immortal Officials were frozen.
Seven or eight were merely stunned in place, precisely Lord Xun, Steward Bai, and a few other Star Cloud Immortal Officials.
They were not frozen, not because their abilities were powerful or their strength great, but simply because they had not taken action, that was all.
But at this moment.
They too did not move. Not that they couldn't, but that they dared not. Their mouths agape, eyes wide, they didn't even dare to breathe.
"Each of you has cultivated your Nascent Soul Dharma Aspect. Among you are even quite a few Hundred Tribulation Elders. You have already traversed more than half the path of cultivation, with attaining the Dao and becoming an Immortal just a step away. Since that's the case, why still join the Immortal Dynasty and become Immortal Officials?"
Gu Qingfeng's voice came, still devoid of any discernible joy or anger, very plain, as plain as if he were talking to himself.
"Is it for that so-called Immortal Guardian Radiance Seed?"
He drained the wine in his cup. Standing up, he stretched lazily, then walked out of the pavilion, reaching out to touch a sharp Sword Art.
This Sword Art, unleashed by who knew whom, looked like an Ice Soul Silver Needle, yet its power was extraordinary.
This sword was called the Eight Extremities Ice Soul Great Supernatural Ability, containing within it three hundred and seventy-two Profound Mysteries of Ze Water, over four hundred Profound Mysteries of Yin Soul, and over six hundred Profound Mysteries of Wind and Frost. It could be considered a highly sophisticated Supernatural Ability Sword Art.
Gu Qingfeng reached out, touched the frozen Sword Art, took it in his hand, and toyed with it, saying, "Can a tiny little seed truly allow you to ascend the ranks smoothly and soar effortlessly on your cultivation path?
To smoothly pass through layer upon layer of tribulations and attain the Dao to become Immortals?"
As he spoke, he pinched it with two fingers. The Eight Extremities Ice Soul Great Supernatural Ability Sword Art, containing all those Profound Mysteries, instantly dissipated into nothingness.
"You've all cultivated for many years, not a short time. You should understand there are no shortcuts on the path of cultivation. You should know even more that the more shortcuts you take, the more tribulations you will bear in the future."
He looked again at the sky-full of Immortal Art Supernatural Abilities, saying, "Even if in the future you truly manage to become Immortals and inquire about the Dao by relying on a tiny seed, you will only be false Immortals, possessing the name of the Immortal Dao but not its substance. In the end, it will all be for naught. Right now, you still have room to turn back, at least many choices. But what awaits you in the future, besides turning to ashes, is nothing else. Just like these Immortal Art Supernatural Abilities that dissipated into nothingness."
With that, he simply waved his hand. No radiance flowed, no spiritual power surged, no Immortal Art Supernatural Ability was used. Only a series of crisp cracking sounds were heard, and then, the sky-full of Immortal Arts, the sky-full of Supernatural Abilities, all inexplicably dissipated into nothingness. Every single Immortal Art Supernatural Ability was like this, without exception.
"Cultivation is not easy, and life is even more precious. To reach your level, each of you has poured in who knows how much effort and heart's blood, experienced who knows how many life-and-death trials. Today, I won't kill you. Not because my heart is merciful, nor because my hand is soft, but out of pity. However, the pity is not for you, but for your families, your loved ones. That is all."
Turning around, Gu Qingfeng picked up the wine pot, poured himself another cup, and drank it in one gulp. His tone shifted sharply, turning cold and severe as he shouted, "However...
While the death penalty may be spared, living punishment is hard to escape. Since you acted, you must bear the cost of your actions. In your next life, lie in your ** and think clearly! Think of your fathers and mothers, think of your descendants, and then, goddammit, dare to act against me again!"
As his words fell, Gu Qingfeng turned, waved his hand grandly. Wind and clouds changed color, thunderclaps exploded, the void cracked.
Bang!
One person bled from all seven orifices, his Nascent Soul Dharma Aspect scattered, his Heart-Mind Purple Palace shattered, all his meridians severed. He fell to the ground with a thud.
Then another person, ten people, a hundred people, a thousand people. In an instant, over a thousand Immortal Officials all bled from their seven orifices, stiffly collapsing to the ground.