Convinced.
Gu Qingfeng was truly convinced this time.
Having cultivated for five hundred years, fighting his way from this world all the way to the Nine Heavens, he had never felt as helpless about anything as he did today. He had never imagined a day would come when he would have to prove that he was himself, and after proving it, not a single person would believe him.
This left him utterly speechless, and he couldn't be bothered to say anything more.
In truth.
For Feng Xu and the other Chixiao people, it wasn't that they didn't want to believe, nor were they unwilling to believe—they simply didn't dare to believe. Even though they had just witnessed Gu Qingfeng extract the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant from their bodies with their own eyes, even though they could all clearly sense the reverence emanating from the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant, they still didn't dare to blindly believe. As he had said, over the years they had seen far too many impostors pretending to be the Monarch, all kinds, every variety imaginable. They had been deceived too many times and were afraid.
In Old Master Feng Xu's mind, blindly kneeling to someone whose identity as the Monarch couldn't be confirmed would undoubtedly be disrespectful to the true Monarch.
However.
Although they couldn't confirm whether Gu Qingfeng was truly the Monarch, they also couldn't confirm he was fake. Their words still held considerable respect for Gu Qingfeng. After pondering for a moment, Feng Xu said, "If you truly wish to find Zhou Taihe, you might try waiting until the Yanluo Temple Fair."
Gu Qingfeng didn't want to dwell too much on his own identity either, nor continue this topic. Hearing about the Yanluo Temple Fair, he asked, "How so?"
"The Yanluo Temple Fair has always been a grand event in Yanluo Kingdom, especially this year—it's of paramount importance. This old man heard from Old Master Fo that during this year's temple fair, the Immortal Court will make a major move, and Zhou Taihe's faction will also step forward to echo them. At that time, I believe Zhou Taihe should make an appearance. Even if he doesn't show himself personally, he will certainly be present at the scene."
"Is that so..." Gu Qingfeng poured himself another drink. He had some impression of the Yanluo Temple Fair; it was the day the Yanluo royal family paid homage to their ancestors. According to tradition, after the worship, the Yanluo royal family would open the altar, and the legendary Yanluo Spiritual Energy would then permeate the air. This was a rare and extremely precious spiritual energy, said to originate from the 'Yanluo Dragon Vein' guarded by the Yanluo royal family.
The Yanluo royal family paid homage to their ancestors every year, though the scale varied. Ordinary years saw minor ceremonies, while every ninth year saw a major one. This year, however, was a major ceremony among major ceremonies, as it marked the 90,000th year of Yanluo Kingdom's legacy—an absolutely monumental event for the kingdom.
Muttering about the Yanluo Temple Fair, Gu Qingfeng suddenly remembered someone. He stood up, drained his cup, and said, "Alright, that's enough for today. We'll discuss other matters later."
"You...
are leaving?"
"What else?"
Gu Qingfeng said irritably, "You don't believe me, so why should I stay?
Do you really think I'm so bored I have nothing better to do than come here and tease you all for fun!"
"We..." Old Master Feng Xu felt like crying but had no tears.
Gu Qingfeng was helpless.
And he was even more helpless than Gu Qingfeng.
He had a feeling in his heart that the person before him might indeed be the true Monarch, and this feeling was very strong.
Even so, he still didn't dare to be certain.
After all, it was just a feeling. Without concrete evidence, how could he blindly confirm it?
Acknowledging the Monarch was, after all, an earth-shattering matter—at least, for the Chixiao people it was.
What if they acknowledged a fake?
What if this impostor Monarch ordered them to do this today and that tomorrow, engaging in all sorts of messy affairs?
Was he worrying unnecessarily?
No.
Absolutely not.
Such things had happened far too many times. Some were deceived, others tricked, and there were even Chixiao branch halls that, having mistakenly acknowledged a fake Monarch, nearly faced annihilation.
The Monarch's existence held extraordinary significance, especially now with the Chixiao Sect beset by internal strife and external threats. Old Master Feng Xu simply couldn't bear the consequences of a fake Monarch.
Despite the strong feeling in his heart, he had no choice but to be cautious, doubly cautious. This matter would have to wait until Old Master Hei Fo returned so they could discuss it before making any decision.
"Oh, right. Notify me the moment that bastard Dong Laohu returns."
As Gu Qingfeng reached the doorway, he casually formed a message talisman and tossed it over, saying, "This is my message talisman. If Zhou Taihe's people come to cause trouble for you, just tell me."
With those words, Gu Qingfeng vanished.
Old Master Feng Xu looked at the message talisman in his hand, then raised his head to gaze outside the great hall. He wanted to say something but found Gu Qingfeng's figure had long since disappeared without a trace.
He stood there watching for a long while before finally sighing deeply—a sigh that carried all the helplessness in his heart.
"Old Banner Lord!
Grand Elder, do you truly not believe he is the Monarch?"
The Chixiao man Heng San stepped forward and asked, "Didn't you feel the sensation from the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant? Who else in this world besides the Monarch could make the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant show such reverence?"
"That may be so, but we still cannot confirm it with one hundred percent certainty. What if he is fake, or has some ulterior motive? What then?"
"But what if he is real? How heartbroken the Monarch would be!"
Heng San squatted down, saying self-reproachfully, "We are truly useless, unable to even distinguish whether the Monarch is real or fake. Even if it were the true Monarch, I'm afraid we wouldn't recognize him!"
Heng San's words struck a chord in Feng Xu's heart. The Monarch had been missing for a full three hundred years. No one knew if he was dead or had reincarnated; everything about him was shrouded in unknowns. Moreover, the Monarch himself was an enigmatic existence. Even if he truly stood before you, who could recognize him?
"The Chixiao Sect is already chaotic enough; we have no choice but to be careful and cautious."
Old Master Feng Xu sighed, "I would rather offend the true Monarch than kneel to a fake one. Let's wait until Old Master Fo returns before deciding anything."
As he spoke, Old Master Feng Xu turned to look at Liu Yue. He noticed Liu Yue had been staring outside the great hall, as if deep in thought, and asked, "Liu Yue, what are you thinking? You should have felt the reverence from the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant earlier too, right?"
"For some reason, just now this junior suddenly remembered someone."
"Who?"
"Old Master, nine years ago in the Great Northwest, there was a young master named Gu Qingfeng, who called himself the Monarch's successor. He claimed to have been fortunate enough to fuse with a remnant wisp of the Monarch's consciousness. I heard that when he was in the Great Northwest, the Chixiao people there and their Bloodsha Dragon-Elephants also showed him great reverence. Moreover, it seems he also extracted the Bloodsha Dragon-Elephant from several Chixiao members back then and killed dozens of Immortal Court nobles."
This incident had caused quite a stir nine years ago, creating no small uproar. Feng Xu had also heard people mention it and asked, "Liu Yue, are you suggesting...
he might be that Gu Qingfeng from the Great Northwest?"
"I also heard about the events in the Great Northwest nine years ago, but..." Grand Elder Luo Yi said, "I remember Fairy Suhua stating explicitly that Gu Qingfeng was annihilated into dust nine years ago during the struggle for the Heavenly Mandate..."