The sun set once more in the west, dusk drawing near.
Linglong Mountain Villa was crowded with people, gathered in small groups discussing the events that had transpired earlier in the venue. Everyone wanted to know just who that fellow who called himself Monarch Chixiao was, and what gave him the audacity to not only personally cripple the Immortal Dynasty noble's son Peng Jia in public, but also to toy with the Great Sun Radiance Dharma Manifestation. It was nothing short of an insult to the Immortal Dynasty's prestige.
Such a thing was rare even in the entire Divine Land, let alone Yanluo Country.
Many speculated that the fellow might be yet another mysterious, elusive, and formidably powerful Monarch Chixiao.
This wasn't unusual.
Looking at the world today, those dozen or so individuals impersonating Monarch Chixiao each had identities more mysterious than the last, and strengths more formidable than the last. No one knew their true identities, their origins, or even what they hoped to achieve by impersonating the Monarch.
All that was known was that these 'Monarchs' were like dragons seen only by their heads, never their tails—their actions growing increasingly low-key, almost fading from memory.
While frauds claiming to be descendants or disciples of the Monarch still appeared from time to time, it had been many years since anyone dared impersonate the Monarch himself.
So why had another one popped up today?
And this newly emerged one had crippled an Immortal Dynasty noble's son the moment he appeared—wasn't that just too brazen?
The onlookers gathered at the villa all knew that regardless of the new Monarch's true identity, his act of crippling Peng Jia was a direct challenge to the Immortal Dynasty's authority. The Yanluo Immortal Office would not let him go, and neither would the Immortal Dynasty.
Setting aside the Immortal Dynasty and its offices, the fact that this impersonator dared to make a move within Linglong Mountain Villa—not only forcing the villa's head steward, Elder Wei, and others to kneel in submission, but also barging into the Grand Preceptor's private courtyard without permission afterward—was simply too arrogant, too insolent. Someone like that would surely not escape Sister Hong's wrath.
In a pavilion.
Tang Manqing sat upright, her expression grave, as if still unable to recover from the earlier shock.
Indeed.
She simply couldn't comprehend how that fellow, with not a shred of cultivation and a body so frail, had managed to kick Peng Jia into a cripple with one foot, or how a single roar from him had shaken the souls of everyone present.
She couldn't figure it out.
Beside her, Lin Xiang'er was equally perplexed. But more than these mysteries, she desperately wanted to know why the sense of familiarity she felt when facing Gu Qingfeng had grown so intense.
She stood, staring at a particular courtyard.
That was the Grand Preceptor's private courtyard.
She knew that fellow was inside. Lin Xiang'er had mustered her courage several times, wanting to rush in and demand an explanation, but Gu Qingfeng's earlier roar in the venue had been too terrifying. Even now, her spirit hadn't fully recovered.
At that moment.
Someone shouted, "Look! Sister Hong is here!"
The crowd looked over.
A spirit beast-drawn grand carriage entered the villa.
It was an absolutely eye-catching grand carriage—massive, luxurious, noble, and imposing. Pulling it were twelve fierce beasts, each as large as a mountain, resembling tigers, lions, and elephants. Their bodies were covered in thick, bristling fur, their faces ferocious with bloody eyes and fangs, their auras astonishing.
These were said to be Scarlet-Absolute Great Earth Beasts, ancient spirit beasts from the Primordial Era, extremely savage. A single roar from one could make Earth Immortals tremble; when enraged, even Immortals and Demons would give way. And that was just one. This grand carriage was pulled by twelve Scarlet-Absolute Great Earth Beasts. Who knew how terrifying twelve of them together would be?
This was Sister Hong's exclusive carriage.
Everyone in Yanluo Country knew of it.
As the Scarlet-Absolute Earth Carriage entered the villa, everyone quickly made way.
Accompanying the carriage was an old woman.
She was tall and imposing, her face expressionless. People only knew she was Sister Hong's personal maid, addressed as Granny Lu, a master of unfathomable strength. Just how powerful she was, no one knew. It was only said that Granny Lu could snuff out Earth Immortals with a flick of her finger as easily as crushing ants.
Of course.
This was just legend.
Whether it was true or not, no one knew, and no one dared to verify it.
Granny Lu walked to the carriage and lifted the curtain. A woman stepped out.
She was a woman of noble elegance, bewitching and alluring.
Her noble elegance was like that of an empress ruling the world.
Her bewitching allure was like the most exquisite rose under heaven.
Her hair was piled high in an elaborate coiffure. She wore a dark red ceremonial gown, with a pair of black jade earrings resembling eyeballs dangling from her ears. A string of blood-red court beads hung around her neck, and on her slender jade-like hand was a green thumb ring. Her entire appearance was dignified and magnificent, especially her eyes—bewitching yet sinister, truly soul-shaking. No one dared meet her gaze; even a mere glance from her felt like falling into a crimson hell.
It was exactly so.
Like a fiery hell filled with spring colors, it ignited one's desires while simultaneously subjecting them to the agony of being torn apart.
This was none other than Sister Hong.
Chu Jiaohong.
A mysterious and legendary woman within Yanluo Country.
Mysterious, because no one knew her identity, her background, or her true strength.
Legendary, because within Yanluo Country, whether it was the Yanluo Immortal Office, the Yanluo royal family, or the four great families and seven great sects of the Crimson-Letter Sect, no one dared not give her face. Often, a single word from her carried more weight than the Yanluo royal family or the Yanluo Immortal Office. However, Sister Hong also had a well-known rule: she did not involve herself in the conflicts of any faction. Indeed, over all these years, Sister Hong had never participated in any factional struggle. Even when two sides had disputes and requested her mediation, she had never made an appearance.
But the premise was that, whether disputes or conflicts, they must not occur within Linglong Mountain Villa.
If anyone broke the rules of Linglong Mountain Villa, regardless of who they were, Sister Hong would make them pay the corresponding price.
Since the establishment of Linglong Mountain Villa, this rule had always been upheld and had never been broken by anyone.
Now, a fraud claiming to be Monarch Chixiao had caused trouble at Linglong Mountain Villa and even crippled Peng Jia, a noble's son of the Immortal Dynasty. Many wanted to see with their own eyes how Sister Hong would deal with him.
"Sister Hong."
Seeing Sister Hong, Elder Wei hurried forward. After paying his respects, he relayed everything that had happened earlier via secret voice transmission.
"Oh?
Is that so...
I had already heard about this matter on the way here, but I didn't expect it to be so complicated..." Sister Hong seemed somewhat surprised.
Just as she said, on her way here, she had heard that someone claiming to be Monarch Chixiao had crippled Peng Jia at the villa. Along the way, she had been speculating about who this impersonator might be. Now, hearing Elder Wei recount the events in detail, especially when she heard that this impersonator might be the Young Master Chiyan from the Great Northwest nine years ago, Gu Qingfeng, Sister Hong felt quite astonished. Her bewitching, sinister eyes blinked as she asked, "Where is he? Take me to him."