Pre-war Verbal Clash

The appearance of Dugu Wei instantly gave the disciples of Sword Sect a sense of security.

As soon as he arrived, a hundred streaks of light flew out from the depths of the sect, landing behind Dugu Wei.

At the forefront were the seven peak masters, followed by the elders at the Heavenly Human Realm, as well as the elite disciples—the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters of the seven peaks. In essence, the entirety of Sword Sect’s foundation was gathered here.

This force alone would be formidable anywhere, but unfortunately, their enemies vastly outnumbered them.

By rough estimate, the opposing side had over a thousand Heavenly Human Realm experts—nearly ten times Sword Sect’s numbers.

As for Heavenly Monarchs, Sword Sect had only one: the Sword God, Dugu Wei.

Meanwhile, the allied forces of the various factions had four!

Namely, Wang Yan of Hell’s Gate, Jian Xinghe of Heavenly Sword Mountain, Duan Changsheng of Peerless Manor, and Lei Wanjun of Thunderbolt Island.

The disparity in strength was staggering.

Sword Sect’s sole advantage lay in fighting on their home ground—their mountain-protecting formation was no trivial matter.

Five thousand years ago, the Demon Emperor’s Sword fell into corruption, controlling the then Sword Master and unleashing a massacre within Sword Sect. This catastrophe reduced the once-dominant Immortal Sect of the Azurewood Domain to ruins, with countless experts perishing and their top-tier combat power nearly wiped out, leaving a severe gap in strength.

Even after five millennia, Sword Sect had yet to fully recover.

However, the losses back then were primarily in manpower. Since the calamity was internal, the mountain-protecting formation remained intact.

In other words, the current formation was left behind from Sword Sect’s golden age. Though those maintaining it now were weaker, its defensive capabilities were still extraordinary.

Despite the overwhelming numbers of the allied forces, breaching the formation would not be easy.

"Wang Yan, justice lies in the hearts of the people. You slander our sect’s Imperial Son simply because Gu Qingfeng possesses the potential of an Emperor—you fear Sword Sect’s rise. Spare us the sanctimonious talk; the world will only laugh at your hypocrisy," Dugu Wei declared calmly, his voice resounding across the battlefield.

"Hmph! Gu Qingfeng’s crimes are known to all. No amount of excuses from you, Dugu Wei, can twist the truth. Hand him over now, or don’t blame me for showing no mercy," Wang Yan sneered.

Dugu Wei remained unmoved. "Gu Qingfeng is a disciple of this sect. Even if he truly committed those crimes—which he did not—his punishment is ours to decide. What business is it of you rabble?

Sword Sect has stood for tens of thousands of years, and never once have we surrendered one of our own. Once someone joins Sword Sect, they are under our protection.

This applies not only to Gu Qingfeng but to every disciple here. As long as I stand, none of you will lay a finger on any of them!"

His words thundered like divine judgment, stirring the hearts of Sword Sect’s disciples, filling them with warmth and a renewed sense of belonging.

"Hmph! Dugu Wei, it seems your centuries as sect master have been wasted. You’d sacrifice the entire Sword Sect for a single disciple? Perhaps it’s time to step down and let someone more capable take your place," Wang Yan taunted, deliberately sowing discord. He refused to believe Sword Sect was united—there had to be those who favored surrender.

If internal strife broke out, victory would be assured.

After all, even Wang Yan felt uneasy facing Sword Sect’s mountain-protecting formation. Breaking through would take time, and the counterattacks would likely inflict heavy casualties.

"Hahahaha!" Dugu Wei suddenly burst into mocking laughter. "Sacrifice Sword Sect? With the likes of you worthless curs?

Do you know why I’ve remained sect master for a thousand years? Because a swordsman stronger than me appears only once in a millennium!

If you want a fight, then fight! Enough empty words!"

At that moment, an overwhelming aura erupted from Dugu Wei. His sword rose, its energy piercing the heavens, churning the clouds as if the Sword God himself had descended.

Wang Yan and the others tensed, a trace of wariness flashing in their eyes.

Truthfully, none of them could guarantee victory against Dugu Wei alone. Only by ganging up could they hope to win.

But Sword Sect’s formation was like an impenetrable shell. Even if they broke through, the cost would be devastating, jeopardizing their campaign.

That was why Wang Yan had hoped to win without fighting. But with Dugu Wei’s unyielding stance, battle was inevitable.

"Dugu Wei, you truly refuse to see reason?" Wang Yan growled.

Just then, a light chuckle echoed from within Sword Sect.

"Oh? What’s with all the barking so early in the morning?"

The voice, though soft, carried across the battlefield with divine power.

A strikingly handsome figure then appeared before the crowd—Gu Qingfeng himself.

His arrival instantly drew all eyes, both for his looks and his status as the central figure of this conflict.

Wang Yan and his allies had long studied Gu Qingfeng’s portrait and recognized him immediately.

The Sword Sect disciples, witnessing Gu Qingfeng boldly insulting their enemies at such a critical moment, couldn’t help but admire his courage.

At the very least, his fearlessness was commendable.

What they didn’t know was that Gu Qingfeng possessed a Heavenly Teleportation Array, allowing him to escape at any time—he faced no real danger.

"You little bastard! You’re Gu Qingfeng!" Wang Yan’s eyes blazed with murderous intent the moment he saw him.

After all, Gu Qingfeng had killed his son. The phrase "blood boiling at the sight of one’s enemy" fit perfectly.

Gu Qingfeng glanced at the seething Wang Yan and scoffed, "Who are you calling ‘little bastard’?"

"I’m calling you, you little bastard!" Wang Yan roared.

"Oh, so the little bastard is calling me? Though you’re really flattering yourself—clearly an old bastard, yet insisting on acting young."

Wang Yan froze, then flushed with rage, as if struck by an unbearable insult.

The Sword Sect disciples, slow to catch on at first, soon erupted into laughter.

Some couldn’t hold back, snickering before bursting into full-blown guffaws.

The scene was absurd—when had anyone ever seen a Heavenly Monarch-level expert call himself a "little bastard"?

Wang Yan’s face darkened further. The imposing aura he’d built up crumbled under the wave of laughter.

Dugu Wei and the seven peak masters stared at Gu Qingfeng in surprise. They’d never expected their junior brother to be so skilled at verbal sparring.

Especially Dugu Wei, who had spent so much effort posturing just to chip away at the enemy’s momentum and rally his sect’s morale.

Yet Gu Qingfeng, with just a few words, had reduced their foes to furious clowns, and the laughter had even eased the disciples’ fear.

Of course, Gu Qingfeng had no idea what they were thinking.

He hadn’t insulted Wang Yan to boost morale or break the enemy’s spirit.

He was just naturally foul-mouthed.

He had always cursed people for the sheer thrill of it—swearing whenever he pleased without a second thought.

Besides, no need to make a fuss over basic skills; this was just the beginning.