35: Liu Ruyan, the only one who can control the ages

The hall fell into instantaneous silence.

"Swish!"

Almost the moment the poem was interrupted, Liu Ruyan, at the head of the hall, suddenly lifted her eyes!

She stared fixedly at the entrance, as if expecting something.

Everyone present gasped, their faces filled with disbelief.

The Empress actually lifted her eyes!

How is this possible!

For so many years, countless talented and brilliant people have presented poems and odes before her; let alone getting her to lift her eyes, even obtaining a single extra expression was difficult.

Today, she actually broke the rule for a piece of trash?!

Gu Yun clenched his fists, murderous intent appearing on his face. The woman his father had poured ten years of sincere heart into could not be won, so why could Cao Bu, this piece of trash, move the Empress?!

Gu Yingying pressed her hands tightly against her chest, her small face flushed red, her eyes full of admiration.

Watching Cao Bu's back as he walked with such an air, she couldn't help but exclaim: "Wow, Big Brother is too amazing, he is simply my idol!"

Xia Yuan stared intently at the retreating figure outside the hall, biting her silver teeth. A piece of trash actually had such talent?

But... this poem was clearly missing the last line.

Just at this moment, Liu Ruyan, at the head of the hall, could finally no longer hold back. Her cold, clear voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling: "There is still one line?"

After her voice fell, as if an age had passed, a line drifted faintly from outside the hall: "Liu Ruyan, who stands alone through the ages!"

Boom!

The moment these seven words landed, the minds of those present were shaken, their brains buzzing.

The four words "stands alone through the ages" were so arrogant, yet they precisely pierced through Liu Ruyan's arrogance and strength as she looked down upon all living beings!

Condensing her beauty, her strength, and her character into these mere twenty-eight words, the aftertaste was endless.

Liu Ruyan stood up abruptly, her dark skirt sweeping across the chair, raising a gust of wind.

She looked outside the door, her voice carrying a clear sense of urgency for the first time: "The title of the poem?"

However, the only response to her was the heavy silence outside the hall.

That figure had long since gone, leaving no trace of sound.

Su Li, on the side, took it all in. Watching Liu Ruyan's loss of composure and seeing the shocked expressions of everyone in the hall, she curled her lips into a smug arc.

She knew it; this trick worked!

Leng Yue, on the side, recited the poem over and over, strange light flashing in her eyes.

She looked toward the figure that had long since disappeared outside the hall, a trace of curiosity bubbling up in her heart.

It seemed no one had ever truly understood this special character of the Gu Clan.

Thinking back over these hundreds of years, this Adopted Son of Gu Qingtian had lived extremely humbly.

One must know that in the Heavenly Bridge Realm, in other Immortal Emperor Clans, one would only be doing menial labor, or perhaps not even qualified for that.

It was only because her Gu Clan had developed for a short time; otherwise, with Cao Bu's cultivation, he would truly be an ant among ants.

Such a humble person was gradually revealing his edge; did all of this portend something?

For a moment, a strange look flashed in her eyes.

It seems I need to pay attention to this Adopted Son.

"Ruyan, what do you think of this poem?" Su Li asked with a smile.

Liu Ruyan nodded: "Good!"

Leng Yue added from the side: "I don't think it's as simple as just good."

"Ruyan, this poem was completely tailored for you."

"The first line describes your beauty, the second line describes your strength, the third line describes your character, but..."

Leng Yue looked at Su Li, who shook her head slightly, and both looked at Liu Ruyan.

"Ruyan, what is this last line writing about? You should understand, right?" Su Li asked.

If the first three lines only made Liu Ruyan surprised, then the last line made her shocked.

The first three lines only made her lift her eyes, but the last line made her stand up and ask for the poem's title; this shows the power of that last line.

They only roughly understood the meaning of this last line; it was nothing more than praising Liu Ruyan for being awesome!

But the second line had already stated Liu Ruyan's strength; would another line be somewhat repetitive?

Only Liu Ruyan knew the weight of that last line.

No one knew that she was actually a Reincarnation of a great entity from the Upper Realm.

Just a short while ago, she achieved a Breakthrough to Great Emperor and awakened the memories of her past life.

If she included everything from her past life, it perfectly confirmed the last line of this poem.

"Stands alone through the ages," indeed. Her power in her past life was among the very top in the Upper Realm; to say she stood alone through the ages was not an exaggeration.

Could it be that this person saw through her Reincarnation and cultivation?

Or was it that the other party was like her, a great entity Reincarnated to cultivate, determined to step onto a higher Peak.

If that were the case, why could the other party see through her, while she could not see through the other party?

"What is his name?" A trace of curiosity appeared in Liu Ruyan's eyes.

If this person was truly a Reincarnation and could see through her despite having weak cultivation, it could only mean one thing: this person's past life was even more awesome than hers.

Such a person did not exist in the Upper Realm, so it could only mean that this person's past life perhaps came from a place even more powerful than where Immortals resided.

"His name is Cao Bu, Qingtian's Adopted Son." Leng Yue explained.

Liu Ruyan's eyes flickered, and she whispered softly: "So he is Gu Qingtian's Adopted Son. I have heard of him; he is a remarkable person."

She did not look down on Cao Bu just because his cultivation was low, unlike others.

Possessing memories of her past life, she knew that all things in this world possessed uncertainty.

Who could be certain that a weak ant of today would not become an overlord of a region?

"Where does he live?" Liu Ruyan continued to ask.

This shocked those present beyond measure.

Could it be that Liu Ruyan was actually prepared to go and ask for the title of this poem?

Su Li's eyes were full of smiles, and she whispered: "Hidden Peak Residence."

On the morning of the Succession Ceremony.

Cao Bu, Gu Yun, and the Nine Great Elders had already arrived at the Gu Clan's mountain gate to welcome the arrival of various forces.

Today, the Gu Clan was exceptionally strict, displaying all the power they could muster.

On the Peak of every mountain, a Realm Sovereign was stationed.

There were also patrol guards; these guards were reorganized from the Gu Clan and the four vassal forces, with each having at least Void Breaking Realm cultivation.

Ten people to a small team, one hundred to a large team.

Although not as good as other Immortal Emperor Clans, don't forget, the Gu Clan had developed from weak to now in less than four hundred years.

And as for other Immortal Emperor Clans, which one had not been famous for a long time, with a foundation of at least ten thousand or even one hundred thousand years?

Some Immortal Emperor Clans had even been passed down for a million years; their profound foundation was far from what the Gu Clan could compare to.

Although the Gu Clan was weak, the current Gu Clan was an existence that no force in the Spirit Realm dared to provoke.

Perhaps after ten thousand years, when the means left behind by Gu Qingtian were slowly exhausted, would the Gu Clan become the same as ordinary Immortal Emperor Clans.

Just at this moment, at the Peak of the firmament outside the Gu Clan's mountain gate, dozens of cracks simultaneously tore open, and an aura as vast as an abyss emanated from within.

Immediately after, deep, resonant voices resounded at the Peak of the firmament:

"Xiao Ling, Lord of the Endless Fire Domain in Yan State, brings the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire to congratulate the son of Sword Immortal Gu on succeeding to the position of Clan Chief!"

"Xu Fenglai, leader of the Northern Underworld Exploding Heavens Gang, brings a supreme dao emperor weapon (Grade 1 Spiritual Artifact) to congratulate the son of Sword Immortal Gu on succeeding to the position of Clan Chief!"

"Brother Kun, leader of the Eastern Wasteland Axe Gang, brings a supreme dao emperor weapon (Grade 7 Spiritual Artifact) to congratulate the son of Sword Immortal Gu on succeeding to the position of Clan Chief!"

"The Funeral Love Family of Zang State..."

"The Divine Thief Sect of Central State..."

"The Dragon Clan of Yao State..."

"The Gou Sheng Sect of Qing State..."

"The Beggar Gang of Huang State..."

"The Salted Fish Cult of Star Province..."

These arriving forces were at least at the level of a Holy Land or Imperial Dynasty.

Cao Bu and Gu Yun hurriedly stepped forward to welcome them.

"Everyone has traveled from afar; we have failed to welcome you properly. Please, come in."

Gu Yun stepped forward and politely cupped his fists. Today, he was dressed exceptionally spiritedly, already possessing half the majesty of a Clan Chief.

Cao Bu followed closely behind Gu Yun, wearing a kind smile that made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"Clan Chief Gu Yun, this is the supreme dao emperor weapon gifted by my Exploding Heavens Gang. Please accept it." Xu Fenglai handed over a box.

Gu Yun took it, quietly gouged a hole in the bottom of the box, and after checking what was inside, his complexion turned livid.

Xu Fenglai asked with a smile: "Why, Clan Chief Gu Yun, do you think my Exploding Heavens Gang is stingy? I can tell you, Clan Chief Gu, this is the only supreme dao emperor weapon my Exploding Heavens Gang has."

The corners of Gu Yun's mouth twitched; for a moment, he didn't know whether to accept it or not.

If he opened it on the spot to look, it would be somewhat impolite.

If he accepted it without looking, wouldn't he be a sucker?

Xu Fenglai stared at Gu Yun with a smile, his eyes not blinking.

Cao Bu saw all of this, raised his hand to take the box from Gu Yun's hand, and felt through the hole Gu Yun had gouged out.

Hmm, identification complete; it's a Grade 1 Spiritual Artifact that even a dog on the side of the road wouldn't want.

Seeing Cao Bu snatch the box away, Gu Yun was about to get angry.

This idiot, if you accept it, you really have to return a supreme dao emperor weapon later!

This piece of trash is not only trash, but also f*cking stupid!

But then he saw Cao Bu suddenly speak loudly:

"One supreme dao emperor weapon from the Exploding Heavens Gang!"

"Grand Elder, use the Gu Clan's highest-spec seal to store this box. Be sure to clearly label that it was gifted by the Exploding Heavens Gang. No one is allowed to open it without authorization. Later, when Gang Leader Xu gets married, we will return it exactly as it is."