No More Pretending, Going All Out High-Key

"Then doesn’t that mean you now possess the Three Saintly Physiques?" one of the sect elders suddenly exclaimed.

"Shh." Gu Qingfeng glanced at him and said, "Keep it low-key. Just three measly Saintly Physiques—nothing worth mentioning, really."

Though Gu Qingfeng claimed to be keeping it low-key, his voice was louder than anyone else’s. Everyone present was a cultivator, and they all heard him clearly, their lips twitching slightly.

Yet none dared to criticize him, for they knew the man standing before them was the Young Heavenly Emperor!

With such talent, if he didn’t ascend to the throne of an emperor, who could?

"Ahem..." Gu Qingfeng suddenly coughed twice, deliberately drawing everyone’s attention.

"Actually, I don’t just have three Saintly Physiques—I have four," he casually dropped another bombshell.

"Four Saintly Physiques?!"

The crowd erupted in shock, exchanging stunned glances.

"How do you even have four?" Dugu Wei asked, disbelief written all over his face.

Gu Qingfeng merely smiled without answering.

But the next moment—

ROAR!

A dragon’s cry and an elephant’s bellow shook the heavens.

In an instant, the phantom forms of the Prison-Suppressing Demon Dragon and the Prison-Suppressing Divine Elephant erupted from his body, blotting out the sky! Their savage, tyrannical aura swept through the entire area.

Some of the weaker disciples were so terrified they stumbled back, collapsing to the ground.

Of course, this was only a fraction of Gu Qingfeng’s true power. If he unleashed the full might of his Prison-Suppressing Dragon-Elephant Physique, it would rival that of a Celestial Realm expert—utterly monstrous.

Dugu Wei and the others paled, their shock now bordering on numbness.

"Another... another Saintly Physique?!" one of the elders stammered, his voice distorted from sheer astonishment.

Gu Qingfeng grinned even wider under their stunned gazes.

He reveled in this kind of attention and didn’t care in the slightest about revealing his Prison-Suppressing Dragon-Elephant Physique.

Because, frankly, it didn’t matter anymore.

Three Saintly Physiques alone were already unprecedented, unmatched in history—so how could he possibly stay low-key now?

To put it bluntly, with True Immortal Physiques absent from the world, three Saintly Physiques already made him the most talented being in existence.

It was like being the richest person in the world—whether you had three trillion or four trillion, it made no real difference. Either way, you’d never run out.

That was Gu Qingfeng’s mindset. Since he was already this high-profile—having even slain a Heavenly Emperor—and was destined to shake the world, why bother pretending to be humble?

Might as well go all out!

Those who wanted to scheme against him wouldn’t change their minds just because he had one more or one less Saintly Physique.

So why not enjoy the show?

He wanted the whole world to know—he was the real deal, the absolute pinnacle!

"What kind of Saintly Physique is this?" Dugu Wei asked numbly.

"The Prison-Suppressing Dragon-Elephant Physique. I once practiced a body-refining technique called the Prison-Suppressing Dragon-Elephant Art. But after absorbing the Indestructible Sword Physique, the three Saintly Physiques in my body seemed to trigger some kind of profound reaction. Next thing I knew, another one popped out."

Gu Qingfeng sighed dramatically. "Sect Leader, tell me—with so many Saintly Physiques, do you think my body might develop some... complications?"

Dugu Wei: "..."

The others listened to his sarcastic words, feeling their Dao hearts shatter on the spot. If this counted as a "complication," then they all wished they could suffer the same fate!

"Enough. Everyone, disperse. Gu Qingfeng, come with me." Dugu Wei hurriedly issued the order before swiftly leading Gu Qingfeng and the seven elders away.

......

Inside the Sword Sect’s grand hall.

Only Dugu Wei and the seven elders remained.

They stared at Gu Qingfeng as if he were some kind of monster.

The scrutiny made him uncomfortable. After all, no man enjoyed being ogled by so many old men.

So, instinctively, he sidled closer to Senior Sister Lin.

The faint fragrance emanating from her soothed his nerves slightly.

"Everyone, what are your thoughts on Gu Qingfeng’s situation?" Dugu Wei suddenly asked, his expression grave.

"Unfathomable."

"Inconceivable."

"Unprecedented."

"Unimaginable."

"Hey, hey, hey—are we playing word association here?" Gu Qingfeng couldn’t help but interject.

"Gu Qingfeng, do you understand what your talent signifies?" Dugu Wei pressed solemnly.

"That I’m the Young Heavenly Emperor?"

Dugu Wei shook his head. "Your talent surpasses even that of a Heavenly Emperor. Four Saintly Physiques may very well rival a True Immortal Physique. It’s certain that, in the future, you will cultivate a genuine Immortal Physique and contend for the throne of an emperor.

You are the most promising candidate to become the next Heavenly Emperor.

But that also means countless people in this world will want you dead.

Every major faction—even the imperial courts and immortal sects—seek to nurture their own disciples into Heavenly Emperors. And you? You’re a threat to all of them. You’ll be seen as a thorn in their side, a target to eliminate at all costs."

"People these days really can’t stand others being better than them, huh?" Gu Qingfeng muttered, a hint of unease creeping into his voice.

"Anyway, Sect Leader, before we get into all that—could you tell me which region of the Cangming Realm is controlled by demons?"

After sensing the world’s hostility toward him, all he wanted now was to return to the embrace of his "family."

"Stop changing the subject. I’m trying to explain the gravity of the situation. But rest assured—since you are a member of the Sword Sect, we will protect you."

Gu Qingfeng nearly rolled his eyes. Protect him? The Sword Sect was already infiltrated by humanoid demons! How could they protect anyone?

If anything, he’d probably end up protecting them.

"Brothers, I’ve decided to seal the mountain. Right now, the entire Sword Sect knows about Junior Brother Gu’s abilities. The only way to suppress this information is to close our gates.

Otherwise, even if we disregard distant threats, the sects of the Green Wood Domain alone will never let this slide."

The other elders nodded grimly in agreement.

"Junior Brother Gu, before this, you offended many factions in the Green Wood Domain. But given the Sword Sect’s reputation, they treated it as minor friction—nothing beyond the grudge with the Netherworld Sect.

But now, things are different. Once they learn of your talent, they will act. They might even unite to attack us.

In the Sword Sect’s heyday, the entire Green Wood Domain was our backyard, and we ruled over all other sects as their sovereign.

But now that we’ve declined, you represent our hope for resurgence. Those factions will never allow another sovereign to rise above them. So, until you reach the Celestial Realm, you must remain within the mountain and focus on cultivation.

Leave the outside world to me."

Gu Qingfeng nodded. "Sect Leader, you’re the kind of guy who steps up when it counts."

Dugu Wei ignored Gu Qingfeng’s odd phrasing, his face lined with worry as he sighed. "Ah, for the Sword Sect to produce such a prodigy... yet we are no longer the sect we once were. In the past, we would have announced this to the world, proclaiming our glory and paving your way to greatness.

But now? We can only seal our gates and hide the truth.

If only the Emperor-Slaying Sword hadn’t gone out of control... With it in hand, even if the entire Green Wood Domain united against us, they could never breach our mountain."