Huode flew on his sword at his fastest speed, his heart filled with anxiety and dread the entire way, praying internally that nothing had gone wrong.
When he rushed frantically to the Yunxia Sect, for some reason, an ominous premonition immediately struck him. It was far too quiet outside, not a single disciple in sight.
Could it really be...
Without further thought, Huode charged into the sect. But when he arrived at the Trial Grounds, he was instantly dumbstruck.
Most of the people inside had blood trickling from their ears.
Over a hundred elders had blood flowing from their mouths.
More than twenty Stewards and guest advisors lay on the ground, their flesh torn open, their condition unknown, whether dead or alive...
"What...
What in the world happened here?"
Perhaps too shocked, Huode's voice was somewhat hoarse. Seeing Ren De standing there in a daze, he immediately ran over and asked, "Senior Brother, you...
here...
what...
happened?"
Ren De lifted his head, opened his mouth, then closed it, words failing him.
"Could it be...
that Gu kid...
Good heavens!"
With a *thump*, Huode, unable to bear it any longer, plopped down onto the ground.
It was truly a case of fearing what comes to pass.
The entire journey, he had been worried, praying that nothing would go awry, but he never expected...
never expected things to still go wrong.
Gazing at the Stewards and elders lying on the ground, Huode felt a growing headache the more he looked.
To be honest, he wasn't concerned about the life or death of these people. What truly concerned him was that each one of them had various interests and connections behind them tied to the Yunxia Sect. Once a rift occurred, it would cause significant losses to the sect—not just in economic resources, but also in connections, along with various families and factions. It could be said that pulling one hair would affect the whole body.
And now, it wasn't just one hair being pulled!
This... this was simply...
simply...
yanking the entire head off!
Huode couldn't bear to look any longer. He stood up, his throat tight, and shouted, "Senior Brother, how could you...
Didn't I tell you before I left that if the situation turned bad, you should step in and stop it?"
"You make it sound easy! With just the force of his voice, my blood and qi churned wildly, my bones nearly fell apart, and even my Golden Core couldn't stop trembling!"
Ren De's face was flushed red, his eyes wide with indignation as he shouted back, "You wanted me to stop him? That was asking me to die!" Ren De grew more agitated as he spoke, angrily declaring, "Look at my ears! Look at my hands, they're still shaking! Even now, thinking back, I feel a lingering fear!
Thank goodness I didn't listen to you and try to stop him. Otherwise...
otherwise today...
today I might have ended up right here! Go take a look at Mu De! With one slap from him, Mu De was instantly...
was..." Where was Mu De?
Huode looked around and finally spotted Mu De's figure amidst a pile of rubble. To be precise, it was no longer recognizable as human shape; it was completely like a pile of mud slumped there, mouth agape, eyes wide open, only taking in air but not breathing it out.
Seeing this scene, even with some mental preparation, Huode couldn't help but feel his scalp go numb. He could tell that Mu De's entire body's bones and tendons were likely shattered!
At that moment, two people rushed into the Trial Grounds. It was none other than Jin De and Shui De. When the two arrived and saw this scene, their faces instantly turned deathly pale, their eyes wide with horror.
"What happened?"
"How could this be!"
The two were greatly alarmed upon seeing Mu De paralyzed there like mud. Then, seeing Guang Yuan in the same state, along with Fei Xue, the Li family members...
Upon inquiry, when they learned that all of this was Gu Qingfeng's doing, they simply couldn't believe their ears.
In their minds, even if that fellow surnamed Gu had a formidable physique, in the end, it was due to his failed Foundation Establishment. How strong could he possibly be? Now, hearing that he had kicked Mu De into such a state with one foot, and with the force of his voice alone had caused over a hundred True Persons to fall to the ground, the two of them stood there with ashen faces, at a loss. They took several deep breaths in succession but still couldn't suppress the trembling in their hearts.
"Huode, you!"
Jin De breathed heavily, pointing at Huode and gnashing his teeth as he shouted, "You just wait...
just you wait...
I will definitely make you regret this!
Definitely!"
He was like this, and Shui De's heart was also filled with both shock and terror, but more so with rage. Staring at Huode, he said angrily, word by word, "Huode, the Nine Blossoms Alliance will definitely not let you off!"
"Still daring to threaten me?"
Huode's face flushed red as he pointed at the two and berated, "Who the hell won't let who off is still uncertain! Let me tell you two turtle grandsons, if you know what's good for you, stop here and now, and everything will be peaceful. Don't blame me for not warning you! If you bring people to cause trouble for that Gu kid, Mu De will be your fate!"
Jin De and Shui De shouted in unison, "He wouldn't dare!"
"Hahaha!
He wouldn't dare?
Hahahaha!"
Huode laughed uproariously, then said in a stern voice, "In matters under heaven, with him, it's only a question of whether he wants to or is willing to. There has never been a question of whether he dares or not! If you don't believe me, go ahead and try! When he starts his massacre, don't say you can't withstand it—even if the damn King of Heaven himself came, he couldn't withstand it either!"
After saying this, Huode immediately turned and left without looking back.
He was filled with regret now!
Regret for asking Gu Qingfeng for this favor!
Calming down and thinking carefully, from the very beginning, asking Gu Qingfeng for this favor was destined to be a mistake.
Huode understood Gu Qingfeng. He knew what kind of person he was. Perhaps because he was an orphan, or perhaps because he had tasted the warmth and coldness of the world since childhood, Gu Qingfeng's bones flowed with a violent, fierce nature. Usually, if you didn't provoke him, it was fine. But once provoked, that violent, fierce nature in his bones would erupt.
He had been like this since he was young!
If not, when he cultivated in this world back then, he wouldn't have provoked the wrath of heaven and man, slaughtering in all directions, creating rivers of blood, and even destroying the Immortal Dynasty.
Huode had thought that after Gu Qingfeng ascended to the Heavenly Realm, he would have changed somewhat. You weren't afraid of the Heavenly Dao's judgment, but this time the judgment came from Heaven itself! Shouldn't you, kid, have restrained yourself a bit?
Huode thought Gu Qingfeng would restrain himself, but he never expected...
never expected he would still be like this.
And this was just a trial assessment, yet he had already crippled and killed so many people.
If it came to the year-end competition for the sect heir position, how many people would have to die then? By that time, forget competing for the sect heir position—whether the Yunxia Sect could even continue to exist would be an unknown. What would there be left to compete for!
"It's all my fault for acting on impulse! I regret it so much my guts are turning green!
!! Once that bastard Gu kid turns ferocious, not only does he kill without batting an eye, but the commotion he causes is also terrifyingly huge. By then, forget the Yunxia Sect, the entire Qingyang region would probably suffer..." Arriving at the Spirit Seclusion Garden in the back mountains.
Huode saw Gu Qingfeng lying back on that rocking chair, eyes closed as if resting. He didn't rush over directly like last time but instead quietly hid himself, observing for a while.
As someone who had watched Gu Qingfeng grow up, Huode understood him all too well. He knew that once this kid got angry, he often recognized no kin. Back when Gu Qingfeng swept through the Great Green Mountains on a killing spree, Huode had once gone to persuade him. Not only did he fail to persuade him, but he was almost beaten to death by Gu Qingfeng. Even now, Huode clearly remembered the harsh words Gu Qingfeng had pointed at him and said back then.
Let me tell you, Huode!
I won't spare a single life of those beasts in the Great Green Mountains! Out of regard for our past, I'll give you one point of respect, but only one point! Don't be ungrateful! If you dare open your mouth to persuade me with even one more word, I'll kill you along with them!
It was because of these words that ever since then, whenever Gu Qingfeng went on a killing spree, Huode would hide as far away as possible.
Now, seeing that Gu Qingfeng showed no movement, Huode secretly sent a voice transmission to Fei Kui, who was standing there.
Fei Kui was bowing with his head lowered. Hearing the secret message in his ear, he looked up at Huode, then lowered his head again, pretending not to have heard.
"You little rabbit! I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear?! Get over here!"
Fei Kui did not respond.
"Are you damn deaf?!"
Only after a long while did Fei Kui finally respond via voice transmission: "Old Master, you...
you should come over yourself...
this lowly one...
this lowly one doesn't dare move."
"You useless piece of trash!"
Huode figured this kid Fei Kui must have been scared stiff. He asked, "Did that Gu kid say anything after he came back?"
"No...
After Young Master returned, he drank some wine and then lay down."
"Not a single word?"
"No..." "I see...
Then you stay here and attend to him for now. I'll come back later."
"Old Master, you...
where are you going now?"
Where? Nowhere.
Huode wasn't afraid of a Gu Qingfeng who didn't speak, but he was uniquely afraid of a silent Gu Qingfeng.
Not speaking and being silent were two different concepts.
At least Huode thought so, especially regarding Gu Qingfeng. He knew that once this fellow fell silent, he was definitely in a bad mood. And if he was in a bad mood, even the King of Heaven would have to tread carefully. He didn't want to run into the line of fire, thinking it better to hide first.
But just as he was about to leave, Gu Qingfeng's leisurely voice sounded in his ears.
"What's this? You've come all this way, why run?"