"You three old turtle bastards!"
Huode's temper was notoriously explosive. Having just been struck by a palm strike from True Being Yunhe through the void, if not for Sect Head Tu De and Ren De holding him back, he would have lunged forward to fight the Three Elders of Yunxia to the death. Even so, Huode was hopping mad, pointing at the three elders and roaring, "If it weren't for me pleading for mercy on your behalf back then, you bastards would have died three hundred times over!"
"Wretch!"
"How dare you!"
That shameful incident from the past was both an indelible shadow in the hearts of the Three Elders of Yunxia and a pain they wished no one would ever mention. Although the three elders had cultivated for a thousand years, they could not remain calm in the face of this matter; each of them was flushed with anger and humiliation.
Seeing this, Tu De and Ren De hurriedly pleaded for Huode.
"Three Senior Uncles, Huode is also thinking of our Yunxia Sect. We beg you not to be angry!"
True Being Yunhe snorted coldly, flicked his whisk, turned his back, and waved his hand. "We do not wish to see him. Tu De, Ren De, take him away."
Tu De and Ren De signaled, intending to persuade Huode to leave. But how could Huode be willing to go? Gritting his teeth, he glared at the Three Elders of Yunxia, then took a deep breath to calm the fury in his heart, trying to speak in as even a tone as possible. "Three Senior Uncles, I was wrong just now. I apologize to you here. But please believe me just this once. Make that kid Gu the Heir Apparent. He truly has the ability..." Before he could finish, True Being Yunhe responded indifferently, "Have our words not been clear enough? For the sake of Yunxia Sect's legacy, we cannot possibly make the person you speak of the Heir Apparent."
"You..." Huode suppressed his anger and continued, "Just meet him first, then make your decision. How about that?"
True Being Yunhe said coldly and dismissively, "We do not wish to see him, nor is there any need to see him. Whether he truly has skill or only pretends to, the mere fact that he failed Foundation Establishment means we cannot make him Heir Apparent. First, he would not command respect. Second, if we were to make a Foundation Establishment failure the Heir Apparent, our Yunxia Sect would become a laughingstock in the Qingyang Region, mocked for having no one capable."
Huode retorted, "At a time like this, what does face matter? Preserving our Yunxia Sect is the fundamental issue!"
"It is precisely to preserve Yunxia Sect that we cannot make him Heir Apparent!" True Being Yunhe's eyes widened as he barked sternly, "I have also said that making him Heir Apparent would offend Jin De. Offending Jin De means offending over half the Qingyang Region. By then, not only would our Yunxia Sect be unable to gain a foothold in the Qingyang Region, we would also be swallowed up by the Nine-Hua Alliance!"
"That kid Gu said he can do it, and I believe he can too!"
"Enough! We have said this matter cannot be accomplished by one person alone. No matter how great his skill, it is useless. Not even a reincarnated expert can do it! One person is ultimately just one person, isolated and weak, utterly incapable of contending with the Nine-Hua Alliance. It cannot be done. There is no room for discussion."
"Go! We will not consider it!"
The Three Elders of Yunxia issued their final ultimatum. Huode closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and did not continue his persuasion. He turned and walked away. When he reached the stone gate, he suddenly spun around, glared at the three elders, and hissed through gritted teeth, "Had I known you old bastards were so shameless! I shouldn't have pleaded for you back then! Today, I'll leave my words right here: don't be ungrateful when given face! When the time comes for you to wait for death, I'll watch you die without even blinking!"
With that, whoosh—he directly leaped down.
"Scoundrel!" The Three Elders of Yunxia were also furious.
Huode left. Sect Head Tu De opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words died on his lips. He shook his head and followed. His cultivation was now completely lost; he was a dying man. Though he still held the title of Sect Head, no one regarded him anymore. Even Jin De and Shui De didn't listen to his words, let alone the Three Elders of Yunxia.
"Ren De, you stay. We still have matters for you to attend to."
Ren De bowed his head in assent.
At the foot of the mountain peak, Huode and Tu De walked side by side. Tu De sighed and asked, "Junior Brother, what should we do now? We cannot reveal the Liege's identity, and the three elders, for the sake of Yunxia Sect's legacy, will likely let Jin De take the lead first. If that fails, they will probably submit to the Nine-Hua Alliance."
"Those three old bastards? For Yunxia Sect's legacy?" Huode sneered. "Back then, those three, in order to survive their lifespan tribulation, even gave away the Yang Heart left by our Yunxia Sect's founding ancestor to the Nine-Hua Alliance! What talk of thinking for Yunxia Sect? They're clearly thinking of themselves!"
Mentioning the Yang Heart made Huode's anger surge uncontrollably. He said indignantly, "During their tribulation, they fawned on the Nine-Hua Alliance like dogs. Now that they've survived, they want to contend with the Nine-Hua Alliance! Those three old bastards are truly despicable!"
"Ai..." Tu De sighed. "Then what do we do next..."
"I'm thinking of having that kid Gu step forward to let those three old bastards witness his capabilities."
"That won't do. Absolutely not." Tu De hurriedly dissuaded him. "What kind of person is the Liege? A being whose hands reach the heavens. That he agreed to help is something we are already endlessly grateful for. How could we ask the Liege to lower himself to meet those three elders? Moreover, the Nine-Hua Alliance has experts as numerous as clouds, including reincarnated great powers. In the eyes of the three elders, even if the Liege's skills are immense, he still cannot contend with them. If the Liege were to become enraged and kill the three elders, then..." As he spoke, Tu De sighed again. "Though the three elders' faults are great, they are, after all, our Yunxia Sect's seniors."
"Indeed!" Huode also sighed. They say a higher official rank can crush a man to death. In a sect, a higher seniority can crush a man just the same. When elders are at fault, one can only persuade, neither strike nor kill. If one killed them, they would surely be branded with the name of 'defying teachers and destroying ancestors.' By then, Yunxia Sect's reputation would be ruined, and people would point fingers at their backs.
After returning to the Rear-Mountain Lingyin Garden, Huode saw Gu Qingfeng lying back on a chair with his eyes closed, resting his spirit. He weighed his words, then recounted the matter of the Three Elders of Yunxia.
"Kid Gu, that's the situation. Those three old things are preparing to host a grand banquet, having invited almost every notable figure in the Qingyang Region. It seems they intend to use the Heir Apparent inauguration day three days from now to test the Nine-Hua Alliance's attitude."
At this moment, Gu Qingfeng was dressed in a white robe, reclining on a rocking chair with his legs crossed. His cold, handsome face wore a leisurely and content expression. His eyes were slightly closed as if resting. After Huode finished speaking, he asked, "What do you mean by 'even if his skills are immense, he cannot contend with the Nine-Hua Alliance'? Judging by the tone, is the Nine-Hua Alliance something extraordinary?"
"'Extraordinary' doesn't even begin to cover it. They can absolutely be called overwhelmingly powerful." Huode was not a man of refinement; he casually sat on the ground, picked up fine wine, and drank. "Setting aside that they dominate the four regions, setting aside that they command thousands of sects—within the Alliance, all kinds of geniuses are so numerous they can't even be counted. Whatever treasure bodies, whatever bloodlines, they have them all. These geniuses are each more formidable than the last. A few years ago, in the Qi-Yan Region, there was a reincarnated great power who was utterly annihilated by three geniuses from the Alliance joining forces."
"Is that so..." Gu Qingfeng shifted slightly, picked up fine wine, took a sip, and asked, "And then?"
"I've heard the Nine-Hua Alliance also has several reincarnated great powers within it."
"Oh?" Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow, then said, "And then?"
"Also, the Nine-Hua Alliance has a few individuals whose situations are similar to yours. I don't mean their identities, but their strength is terrifying. Each one is a master capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas."
Gu Qingfeng uttered an "oh" and said nothing more.
"And also... there's a woman in the Nine-Hua Alliance who might be... with you..." Huode hesitated, unsure whether to say it.
"With me how?"
Huode scratched his head, then stood up. "Forget it. I'd better not say this. You'll see for yourself when the time comes."