"Enough. About who I am, don't bother guessing anymore, and I can't be bothered to say more. The more I say, the more even I can't tell if I'm real or fake."
Gu Qingfeng waved his hand, too tired to dwell on the issue. He sighed and said, "Just keep it to yourselves."
Old Master Hong, Scar-face Kui, and the other two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with endless helplessness, entanglement, confusion, and frustration.
Keep it to themselves?
How could they possibly keep it to themselves?
To be honest, they were suffering too. Ever since Lord Chixiao was judged by the Immortal Dao three hundred years ago, a new 'Lord Chixiao' had popped up every few years. Over these three centuries, countless such figures had emerged—some real, some fake, a tangled mess of truth and falsehood. By now, they had long grown numb. Every Lord Chixiao seemed real, yet every one also seemed fake. As for who was truly real and who was fake, they were utterly bewildered.
"Let's consider this matter over. Turn the page and don't discuss it anymore. The reason I called you here today is to ask about a few things."
"May I ask what the Young Master wishes to inquire about?"
Old Master Hong had always been very polite and respectful toward Gu Qingfeng. This wasn't for any other reason than the fact that the Dragon-Elephant Spirits revered him. He dared not be negligent. He was certain that this person before him was definitely connected to the Monarch. Otherwise, he wouldn't have killed so many Immortal Dynasty nobles for the Crimson-Letter Sect and openly challenged the Immortal Dynasty.
"Quite a few people within the Crimson-Letter Sect are nurturing Dragon-Elephant Seeds. Where did you get these things?"
This was something Gu Qingfeng had never understood.
Initially, in the Four Directions Domain, he thought it was Jun Xuanji, who resided within the Tai Xuan Stele, who had created them. Later, he discovered that wasn't the case. Moreover, it wasn't just the Crimson-Letter Sect in the Four Directions Domain that had Dragon-Elephant Seeds; it seemed many Crimson-Letter members were nurturing them.
"This..." Old Master Hong seemed somewhat hesitant.
"What is it? Is it difficult to say?"
"No, it's just..." Old Master Hong pondered for a moment before speaking. "Just now, Kui mentioned that there are several people impersonating the Monarch in this world. These Dragon-Elephant Seeds were refined by one of those Monarchs."
"What did you say? These Dragon-Elephant Seeds were refined by someone impersonating Gu Tianlang?"
Seeing Old Master Hong nod very firmly in confirmation, Gu Qingfeng simply couldn't believe it.
Impersonating him? And refining Dragon-Elephant Seeds?
Just who the hell was this person?
Gu Qingfeng had once carefully observed those so-called Dragon-Elephant Seeds. He discovered that the things didn't cause any adverse effects on cultivation. Not only did they not, but when nurtured to a certain level, they were almost as powerful as a great fortune.
Although the Dragon-Elephants nurtured from them didn't possess the ferocious might and violent power of the Crimson-Letter Sect's Dragon-Elephants, they were certainly not weak either. At the very least, ordinary cultivators would find it hard to resist them.
The only thing Gu Qingfeng couldn't figure out was: how exactly did that person impersonating him refine these things, and what exactly did they want to achieve?
"Is it only the Crimson-Letter Sect branches in the Great Northwest that possess Dragon-Elephant Seeds, or..."
"Almost all Crimson-Letter Sect branch strongholds across the world have people nurturing Dragon-Elephant Seeds."
Old Master Hong responded truthfully. "It's just that the number of Dragon-Elephant Seeds isn't very large, so initially they were distributed to disciples with potential."
"All Crimson-Letter Sect branch strongholds across the world..." The more Gu Qingfeng listened, the more alarmed he became. He looked at the four of them and said, "You don't even know if he's real or fake, yet you dare to accept things he refined?"
"Young Master, this matter was permitted by the Old Master."
"The Old Master knows about this?"
"Yes."
"Others might not be able to tell the difference, but the Old Master should be able to, right? Did he not say anything?"
"The Old Master also couldn't distinguish the truth or falsehood. He only said these Dragon-Elephant Seeds were suitable for Crimson-Letter Sect disciples, and at the very least, they weren't harmful. So after everyone returned, they were distributed to the disciples of the branch strongholds."
"There's something like this?"
Gu Qingfeng poured himself another drink, rubbing his chin, his brows deeply furrowed in thought.
To Gu Qingfeng, the Old Master's existence was not only that of a teacher and friend but also a lifesaver. Back then, if it weren't for the Old Master, he would have died several times over. In his impression, the Old Master was an ancient and mysterious sage, omniscient about the heavens, the earth, and the endless worlds. He could even deduce matters of the past and future.
If others couldn't tell the difference, Gu Qingfeng believed it. But to say the Old Master couldn't distinguish it? He absolutely refused to believe that.
If the Old Master said he couldn't tell the difference, there was only one reason: he didn't want to.
This matter seemed far from simple.
Gu Qingfeng pondered, deciding that after finishing his business here, he must go to the Divine Province to find out exactly which bastards were impersonating him.
"There's one more thing."
Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment and asked again, "Today's incident was definitely not something a few Immortal Dynasty nobles concocted on a whim. It was likely premeditated, and there must have been someone behind the scenes planning it. Moreover, it seems this wasn't a matter of just a day or two."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng bring up today's events, Old Master Hong and the others felt deeply guilty in their hearts.
Ever since the beginning of the Current Era, they had chosen to retire, leaving the affairs of the branch strongholds to their disciples to manage. Although they had previously heard that the Immortal Dynasty had been secretly meddling with the Crimson-Letter Sect, it was only hearsay without substantial evidence. It wasn't until today that they realized the Immortal Dynasty had truly been secretly trying to win over Crimson-Letter Sect members—not only their own descendants but even sworn brothers like Jin He, who had faced life and death with them...
Thinking of this, Old Master Hong and the others still couldn't come to terms with it.
"Has the Immortal Dynasty always wanted to take action against the Crimson-Letter Sect?"
Old Master Hong deliberated for a while before saying, "That's hard to say for sure. The Immortal Dynasty hasn't expressed a clear stance on this matter. From what I know, attitudes within the Immortal Dynasty toward the Crimson-Letter Sect are roughly divided into two factions. One faction harbors no hostility toward our Crimson-Letter Sect. The other faction, however, has always wanted to eradicate us. These two factions have been arguing endlessly over this issue, and to this day, there is no clear conclusion."
Gu Qingfeng nodded and asked again, "Who is currently in charge of the Immortal Dynasty?"
"The Cloud-Top."
"The Cloud-Top?"
Gu Qingfeng thought about it. He didn't recall anyone by that name in the Nine Heavens. "Who is that?"
"Who? The Cloud-Top isn't a person."
"Explain."
Old Master Hong and the others looked at Gu Qingfeng with some confusion and responded, "After the Current Era began and the Immortal Dynasty reemerged, there is no longer a so-called master of the Immortal Dynasty. It is said that the Cloud-Top now holds the reins of the Immortal Dynasty, and it's said the Cloud-Top consists mostly of surviving elders from the Nine Heavens."
"Oh? Is that so..."
Gu Qingfeng had been away for three hundred years. After returning to this world and awakening, it had only been a few short years. He truly didn't know what the Immortal Dynasty of the Current Era had become. Forget about the Immortal Dynasty in this world; he wasn't even sure if the Nine Heavens of the Great Desolate Celestial Realm still existed.