"Fellow Daoist, our Patriarch has come to welcome you with such grand ceremony because he wishes to turn weapons into jade and silk, to settle our grievances with a smile. We hope you will be magnanimous and show mercy."
Another person came out to persuade him.
Seeing this, the rest of the people chimed in one after another.
They were Patriarch Xuanming's subordinates. Seeing that their boss did not want to escalate the conflict, they naturally had to step forward to mediate.
Facing everyone's concessions and forbearance, a sinister smile appeared on the corner of Gu Qingfeng's mouth.
Today, he was going to teach them all a good lesson on the saying: endure for a moment and they will only go further, take a step back and fall into a bottomless abyss.
Facing evil forces, blindly yielding would only plunge oneself into a state of eternal damnation.
"This Emperor has already felt your sincerity. Since you wish to turn weapons into jade and silk, very well. This Emperor is not an unreasonable person. You have already apologized, so now it is time for compensation, right?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Patriarch Xuanming felt relieved. When facing an unknown enemy, it was best to value harmony. Wasn't it just compensation? His Xuanming Immortal Domain didn't have much else, but they had plenty of money.
Thus, he smiled, clapped his hands, and said, "Men, bring up the gifts."
A subordinate hurriedly and respectfully offered a Qiankun Ring.
Gu Qingfeng took the ring and probed it slightly, finding mountains of immortal jade and piles of heavenly materials and earthly treasures inside.
"Not enough," he said indifferently.
Patriarch Xuanming's expression changed slightly. He clapped his hands again, and someone immediately brought forth another Qiankun Ring.
This time, Gu Qingfeng did not even look at it and directly said, "Not enough."
Patriarch Xuanming's face instantly turned ugly. He waved his hand, and once again, someone presented a Qiankun Ring.
"Still not enough."
Patriarch Xuanming forced a smile and said, "Fellow Daoist, name your price."
"Everything."
"Everything!?"
Patriarch Xuanming's eyebrows twitched, and the rest of the crowd also revealed angry expressions.
"Does Fellow Daoist mean you want the entire Xuanming Immortal City?"
"Exactly."
"Hahaha..." Patriarch Xuanming suddenly laughed out of extreme anger. "Brat, do not be too greedy."
"Sigh." Gu Qingfeng sighed faintly. "It is rare for this Emperor to show mercy and let you buy your lives with money. I gave you a chance, but you proved useless! Since that is the case, this Emperor has no choice but to kill you all first and then loot the Xuanming Immortal City myself."
"Form the array!"
Seeing that the negotiation had broken down, Patriarch Xuanming gave a direct order to strike first.
His subordinates scattered in all directions, forming an encirclement that tightly surrounded Gu Qingfeng. Resplendent immortal light erupted from each of their bodies as they struck out toward the void one by one.
Rumble!
The Xuanming Immortal City suddenly let out an earthquake-like roar.
Countless dense runes spread across the ground, connecting into a vast expanse to construct a forbidden array. When all the runes converged at the center of the city, a terrifying beam of cold light suddenly appeared, shooting straight into the clouds.
Within that heaven-piercing cold light, a phantom unexpectedly began to slowly appear, rising gradually from beneath the ground.
Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, the entire Xuanming Immortal City rumbled, and the light of the forbidden array fell like rain.
An unimaginably terrifying divine might spread outward, accompanied by waves of cold energy that seemed capable of freezing space itself.
All of this was being released from that phantom.
When the cold light dissipated and the phantom slowly solidified, the crowd finally saw its true form. It was shockingly an incomparably massive stone statue of a Xuanming Turtle!
Its shell blotted out the sky and covered the sun, and its four legs were like four heavenly pillars, standing tall between heaven and earth.
Compared to the one Gu Qingfeng had seen before, there was a world of difference in size.
Seeing the stone statue appear, a smug smile emerged on Patriarch Xuanming's lips. He then flew up and landed atop the Xuanming Turtle stone statue.
Forming hand seals with both hands, an obscure and mysterious aura surged forth as he fiercely slammed his hands onto the turtle shell.
Boom!
Visible cold light covered the entire stone statue. A moment later, the stone statue came alive!
The stone statue completely transformed into a lifelike, massive Xuanming Turtle. Terrifying power radiated from its body, giving off a feeling that infinitely approached the level of an Immortal King!
In truth, Patriarch Xuanming had long prepared for the possibility that negotiations would fail. Having survived in this world for so many years, making two-handed preparations for everything had long seeped into his bones.
This massive Xuanming Turtle stone statue was his trump card, the result of his endless years of management and effort.
The vast majority of the wealth he had earned over the years had been invested entirely into this Xuanming Turtle, built up using countless rare and precious materials.
Facing Gu Qingfeng, who possessed seven Immortal King Weapons, he directly activated his trump card right from the start.
This was also his consistent style: courtesy before force. Once negotiations failed, he would immediately launch a thunderous strike, giving his opponent not the slightest chance to catch their breath.
"Brat, I, your Patriarch, gave you a chance, but since you refuse to appreciate favors, then die! So what if you have seven Immortal King Weapons? This Xuanming Turtle stone statue has been refined over endless years and has long since become a spirit. Although it cannot manipulate the profound mysteries of laws like an Immortal King, its weight is like billions of tons, and the destructive power it can cause is not the slightest bit weaker than an Immortal King!"
"Oh? Is this the courage that gives you the nerve to refuse this Emperor?" Gu Qingfeng said indifferently, not taking this massive Xuanming Turtle seriously at all.
Patriarch Xuanming sneered, "Still daring to act tough when death is at hand. Die!"
The Xuanming Turtle fiercely opened its massive mouth. A resplendent cold light condensed within, instantly freezing the surrounding void.
Boom!
The terrifying cold light blasted out; it was the power of the Xuanming Law.
The cold light, like a pillar of light, viciously struck Gu Qingfeng's body.
The people present seemed to have already anticipated Gu Qingfeng's miserable state, but the reality was...
Gu Qingfeng was completely unharmed. Not only was he unharmed, but he even leisurely walked forward step by step, bearing the brunt of the cold light.
"This is impossible!!" Patriarch Xuanming was so shocked that his eyeballs nearly popped out.
A strike comparable to an Immortal King actually could not shake him in the slightest!?
The onlookers were also collectively petrified, as if they could not believe their own eyes.
What shocked them was not that Gu Qingfeng could block this strike. What shocked them was that Gu Qingfeng had blocked this strike without even using an Immortal King Weapon!
Patriarch Xuanming panicked all of a sudden. He had made many predictions in his mind. Perhaps Gu Qingfeng had some trump card and could use his seven Immortal King Weapons to take this strike, and the two sides might have to exchange blows back and forth. Ultimately, he would rely on his profound cultivation base and abundant mana to drag the opponent to death.
But among all his scenarios, this was absolutely not one of them.
"You... exactly who are you!" Patriarch Xuanming said in a panic.
Still walking forward against the cold light, Gu Qingfeng said indifferently, "Who this Emperor is is not important. What is important is, why did you insist on refining a stone statue into a spirit?"
That is right, this Xuanming Turtle stone statue had been refined into a spirit by Patriarch Xuanming and had become his family.
Of course, in truth, it would not have mattered even if it had not been refined into a spirit. It would just take a bit more effort, nothing more.
A ruthless glint flashed in Patriarch Xuanming's eyes. "You must be hiding some supreme ice-attribute treasure on you, which is why you do not fear the Xuanming Law. Since that is the case, then this Patriarch will use the immense weight of billions of tons to crush you!"
He immediately controlled the Xuanming Turtle to raise its heavenly pillar-like foot and viciously stomp down toward Gu Qingfeng.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
