Whether it was Elder Fengxu, Grand Elder Luo Yi, Heng San, or any other Chixiao person present, they all firmly believed that under the vast heavens, only the Monarch could make the ferocious and savage Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant become docile. Only the Monarch could make the cruel and violent Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant lower its proud head.
They could all clearly sense the reverence the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant held when facing Gu Qingfeng.
The Monarch's appearance could be imitated.
The Monarch's temperament could be imitated.
The Monarch's abilities could be imitated.
Even everything about the Monarch could perhaps be imitated.
But making the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant docile and reverent—that was something absolutely impossible to imitate.
He must be the Monarch.
The Monarch had returned.
The moment this thought struck them, Elder Fengxu and the others could no longer hold back their sobs.
It was the painful weeping of excitement, the painful weeping of longing, the painful weeping of joy to the point of tears, and the painful weeping of emotions suppressed for a full three hundred years.
In contrast, Liu Yue sat alone on the ground, slumped and isolated.
Although she possessed a Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant, she was not a Chixiao person, and thus naturally could not understand what kind of emotion the Chixiao people held for their Monarch.
Even though she could also feel the reverence emanating from the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant.
And she also believed that under the vast heavens, aside from the Monarch, there was absolutely no second person who could achieve this.
But.
Could he really be the Monarch?
At this moment, Liu Yue remained relatively rational. She didn't know whether she should believe, nor whether she should not believe.
In her mind, if this person truly was the Monarch, many things simply couldn't be explained. For example, the Monarch had already been judged by the Immortal Dao three hundred years ago, and many people had witnessed this with their own eyes back then. In other words, the Monarch had truly died back then. Even if he had returned, he would have had to reincarnate.
But the key point was that this person carried not a trace of reincarnation aura, nor was he a case of possession and rebirth.
Even if the Monarch had truly not died back then.
Then where had he gone?
And how had he avoided the Ancient Cataclysm?
One must know that during the Ancient Cataclysm, the heavens and earth judged all sins of the world. A sinner like the Monarch absolutely could not have avoided the Ancient Cataclysm. If the Immortal Dao hadn't managed to judge him to death, could it be that even the Heavenly Dao couldn't?
If the Heavenly Dao couldn't, then could it be that even the judgment of the heavens and earth couldn't?
This simply didn't make sense!
Taking a step back, even if the Monarch had avoided the Ancient Cataclysm back then, what about his Peerless Immortal-Demon Throne?
Where had it gone?
And he didn't even have any cultivation base—what was this supposed to mean?
Back when the Monarch ascended to the Peerless Immortal-Demon Throne, he was both Immortal and Demon, both an Immortal King and a Monster King. Even if his cultivation was ruined, his Peerless Immortal-Demon body should still exist. No matter what, he shouldn't be a mere flesh-and-blood body!
But if he wasn't the Chixiao Monarch, then why would the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant revere him?
Liu Yue had far too many doubts and confusions in her heart, and she felt it was truly inappropriate to blindly regard him as the Monarch.
She had originally intended to speak up and advise Elder Fengxu and the others to clarify matters first before jumping to conclusions. If this turned out to be another fake, it would be too terrible.
But looking at the tear-streaked faces of Fengxu and the others, Liu Yue simply couldn't bring herself to speak. She also knew that even if she tried to advise them now, Elder Fengxu probably wouldn't listen.
Opposite them.
Gu Qingfeng said nothing. He simply sat in his chair, watching the sobbing Elder Fengxu and the others.
After a long while, when Elder Fengxu and the others' emotions had gradually stabilized, he finally spoke: "Alright, enough. You're all of advanced age, no longer youngsters. What's with all the crying? What's there to cry about?"
Elder Fengxu stopped crying, though he was still somewhat choked up. Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, his eyes red, he asked respectfully, "Monarch, you... when did you return..."
"When did I return?"
Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment before responding, "It's been quite a few years now. Counting carefully, it's been over ten years."
Over ten years?
That long?
Hearing this news, Elder Fengxu and the others were deeply shocked. "Such a long time, why didn't any of us know? We never heard any other Chixiao brother mention it, not even Old Master Black Buddha said anything."
"Ten-plus years might not sound short, but I spent nine of those years asleep. It's normal you didn't know. That's because after I returned, I hadn't looked for you all. Actually, that's not entirely accurate—it's not that I didn't look for you...
But the key point was, no one believed me."
Recalling those years in the Great Northwest, he had gone through quite a bit of trouble trying to prove he was himself. Thinking about it now, it really was quite a headache. Looking at Fengxu, he said, "Even now, you don't dare to fully believe I'm Gu Tianlang, do you?"
Gu Qingfeng's words truly stumped Elder Fengxu and the others.
They trusted their feelings, and they believed the person before them was the Monarch.
But that was just belief, nothing more.
Whether it was truly real or not, they didn't dare to say it was absolutely true.
After all, over the years they had seen far too many impostors claiming to be the Monarch, of all varieties, every kind imaginable. Although they all believed that under the vast heavens, only the true Monarch could make the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant revere him, none of them could guarantee that whoever made the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant revere him was definitely the Chixiao Monarch.
They had been deceived too many times; how could their hearts not hold some wariness? They had to keep their guard up, no matter what.
"Alright, I don't expect you to fully believe me."
"We just..." Elder Fengxu was about to explain when Gu Qingfeng interrupted him. "No need to say more. I understand completely. Don't say you don't believe—sometimes even I don't believe I am myself. We'll talk about this kind of thing later. Get up first. I have some questions for you."
What did he mean by not believing he was himself?
Gu Qingfeng's words left Elder Fengxu and the others confused. They didn't dwell on it, standing up and asking, "What does the Monarch wish to ask us?"
"Earlier, I heard you mention some things about the Crimson-Letter Sect. It seems the situation is quite dire. Tell me, just how bad has the Crimson-Letter Sect's situation become?"
This question was complex. Elder Fengxu didn't know where to begin. After thinking for a moment, he cautiously replied, "The Crimson-Letter Sect's current situation is indeed very dire. One could say it faces internal strife and external threats. If no measures are taken to rectify it, continuing like this, within ten years at most, it will surely perish."
He paused, glancing at Tan Tong lying in a pool of blood, unsure if he was dead or alive, before continuing, "Although we don't wish to admit it, we have to acknowledge that what Tan Tong said earlier was correct. Ever since the Heavenly Mandate descended nine years ago, the situation in this world has begun to descend into chaos. Major sects and families, major nations, are all vying and fighting amongst themselves. Even the Immortal Dynasty is no exception, and our Crimson-Letter Sect is no different."
At this point, Elder Fengxu's expression couldn't help but darken. "Our Crimson-Letter Sect has always been scattered like loose sand. Each major branch garrison holds its own territory, governing independently, rarely united. Some have even become enemies over interests. Adding to that, over the years, people from the Immortal Dynasty have constantly been stirring trouble, pulling strings and buying off various branches. After the Heavenly Mandate descended and the world situation fell into chaos, many branches have defected to the Immortal Dynasty one after another."