Chapter 71 Senior Gu? It's you?

Golden light poured down, and a wild wind whipped up.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor hung in mid-air, his outstretched arms freezing as he stared at the two figures gradually appearing.

"Old Ancestor! Get back quickly!"

Ye Wentian shouted from below. He was being pressed down to one knee.

Hundreds of thousands of Cultivators were silent, all lying prone on the ground, struggling even to breathe. The Elders of the Zhongzhou noble families were ashen-faced and trembling all over.

"An Immortal descending? It's only been a few days, how can another mighty figure from the Upper Realm have come?"

A Grand Elder of a Zhongzhou noble family bit his lip and muttered.

The golden light in the sky slowly receded, and the silhouettes of the two figures became clear.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor squinted, his pupils shrinking violently.

Why did this figure look so familiar?

Qingxuan Old Ancestor rubbed his eyes to clear out the sand and looked again.

When that handsome and gentle face was revealed, Qingxuan Old Ancestor's brain clicked.

His body, suspended in mid-air, shuddered. He extended a trembling right hand, pointing at the white-robed figure, his lips quivering.

"You, you, you..."

In the sky...

Gu Heng looked at the exaggerated display below and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He had tried his best to restrain his Immortal Venerable Middle Stage cultivation, fearing he might burst this novice village. But even so, the Aura of an Immortal Venerable was more than these Cultivators could bear.

Seeing Qingxuan Old Ancestor's ghost-stricken expression, Gu Heng cleared his throat, and his voice spread out:

"Eh... Although my return is quite low-key, Qingxuan Old Ancestor, why the need for such a grand ceremony? Even a Spirit Gathering Formation has been set up. Returning empty-handed like this is quite embarrassing."

"..."

The entire field was deathly silent.

Ye Wentian looked up at the white-robed young man in mid-air, who couldn't be more familiar, and was dazed.

"Gu... Gu, Gu Senior? Why is it you?"

Ye Wentian stammered, his mind in a mess.

Just a few days ago, hadn't Gu Heng ascended to the Upper Realm under everyone's gaze? It's only been a few days. Even if he went to the Upper Realm to visit a vegetable market, he wouldn't be back this fast, right?

And most fatally, when Gu Heng ascended a few days ago, his Aura was only at the Undergoing Tribulation stage, but now?

This was just a sliver of residual prestige naturally emitted, yet it made the Laws of the East State Continent wail. What on earth did he do in the Upper Realm?

With Ye Wentian's shout, the Cultivators lying on the ground also reacted.

"It's Gu Senior! It's the Gu Senior who refined the heaven-reaching tower and played the Upper Realm's Divine Envoy like a monkey!"

"Heavens! Gu Senior not only ascended, but can also descend to the Lower Realm at any time? What kind of heaven-reaching and earth-shaking method is this!"

The crowd instantly became fanatical.

In their eyes, Gu Heng was no longer a hidden expert, but a supreme existence who had transcended the rules.

In a corner at the edge of the square...

When Prime Minister Turtle heard that familiar voice, his eyes instantly widened.

"Master! It's Master!"

He scrambled to push aside the shrimp soldiers and crab generals around him and appeared leaning on his cane.

"Master hasn't forgotten us! Master has come back to see this old servant!"

He cried out while squeezing toward the high platform.

When his gaze swept over the green-robed old man beside Gu Heng, Prime Minister Turtle froze for a moment. The dark-gold dragon horns on the old man's head emitted a pure Dragon's might that made him want to kneel in worship.

At this time...

Qingxuan Old Ancestor on the high platform finally recovered from his shock.

He took a deep breath, his old face flushing red.

One moment he was confidently announcing his Ascension, and the next, he was ruthlessly slapped in the face by Gu Heng's arrival.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that Gu Heng's current strength had reached a Realm he didn't even have the right to look up to.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor immediately straightened his robes, which had wrinkled from his fall, bowed, and gave a deep salute with both hands.

"Qingxuan... did not know Gu Senior's carriage was descending, and failed to welcome you properly. A capital offense! A capital offense!"

Placing himself at the lowest posture, he didn't even dare to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Gu Heng stepped on the shattered Void Realm and slowly landed in front of him. He didn't immediately help Qingxuan Old Ancestor up, but quietly looked at the bowing old man.

Gu Heng felt a wave of emotion in his heart.

He still remembered when he first met Qingxuan Old Ancestor. At that time, although Qingxuan also over-imagined things, the way he looked at him was more like a Senior's care and appreciation for a Junior.

Even upon learning he was going to the Far North, he had given him a life-saving item.

That was a pure kindness, an interaction between Fellow Daoists.

But what about now?

Gu Heng looked at Qingxuan Old Ancestor's slightly trembling shoulders and heard the fearful "Gu Senior" from his mouth.

As his own strength soared from True Immortal to Immortal Venerable, the chasm between them had been pulled infinitely wide.

The Qingxuan Old Ancestor who once patted his shoulder and laughed was dead. In his place was a subordinate bent by Rank, who didn't even dare to look him in the eye.

"Truly... strength is respected."

Gu Heng sighed softly in his heart.

The Law of the jungle in the cultivation world coldly labels all warmth and friendship with a price tag. When you are strong enough, you no longer have friends, but countless trembling subordinates like Chong Batian, the Old Dragon King, and even the current Qingxuan Old Ancestor.

Gu Heng pulled back his thoughts and walked past him.

A gentle Immortal Venerable power lifted Qingxuan Old Ancestor up.

"Why care about these empty formalities between us?"

Gu Heng's tone was gentle, still as casual as before. "I just happened to be Passing By this time to handle some private matters. Setting up such a grand display... those who don't know might think you're going to blast me with a Formation."

Qingxuan Old Ancestor stood straight, and hearing Gu Heng's teasing, he gave an embarrassed smile.

"Sen... Gu Senior must be joking. This Formation is... is..."

Qingxuan Old Ancestor stammered for a long time, really having no face to say this was prepared for his own Ascension.

Ye Wentian quickly stepped up to smooth things over, saying with a forced smile, "Gu Senior, this is a Great Spirit Gathering Formation that our Qingyun Sect specially... specially prepared to welcome your arrival! Yes, it's so that you would have a place with abundant Spiritual Qi to land when you descend to the Lower Realm!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Gu Heng gave Ye Wentian a half-smile, not exposing the clumsy lie.

After a few pleasantries, the smile on Gu Heng's face slowly faded.

The reminiscing ended here.

He hadn't forgotten the true purpose of risking being intercepted by the Divine Court's nine Immortal Emperors to specifically detour back to this Lower Realm novice village.

The Dao Foundation Fragment of the heaven-reaching tower, that deeply hidden passage, and the secrets behind all of this all pointed to this seemingly barren land.

Gu Heng slightly closed his eyes, no longer suppressing the vast Divine Sense within him.

"Boom—"

A storm erupted with Gu Heng as the center.

Above the East State Continent, the wind and clouds rolled wildly, and a dark-gold light replaced the sunlight.

The waterfall at the back mountain of Qingyun Sect flowed backward, and the mountain rocks wailed.

The surrounding Spiritual Qi felt as if the air had been sucked dry, and all Cultivators felt as if their chests were hit by a ten-thousand-ton boulder.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor, who had just stood straight, was pressed down again by this Divine Sense. He stared in horror at the eyes-closed Gu Heng, a massive wave surging in his heart.

"What... what is he trying to do!?"

Could it be that their hospitality just now was lacking and had angered him?

Gu Heng's Divine Sense swept across the East State Continent.

Suddenly...

He seemed to perceive something, and his Divine Sense paused slightly. Then he opened his eyes, a flash of realization in them.

"Found it."

He murmured softly and raised his right hand, pointing to the remote gathering area at the edge of the Qingyun Sect square, which was crowded with outer sect elders and handyman supervisors.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor and Ye Wentian shuddered and immediately looked where Gu Heng was pointing.

The gazes of the hundreds of thousands of Cultivators in the field also converged in unison on that corner that had previously gone unnoticed.

"Who is Senior... pointing at?"

Qingxuan Old Ancestor swallowed hard and carefully followed that Aura.

The outer sect elders were scared to death, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering as they scrambled to hide on both sides, fearing they would be touched by even a bit of Karma. Soon, a large area was cleared, leaving only a solitary figure.

It was a Qingyun Sect handyman supervisor.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor looked at this handyman supervisor, his mind racing.

A handyman supervisor?

Why would Gu Senior specifically point at a handyman supervisor?

In a flash, Qingxuan Old Ancestor pondered.

He remembered!

When Gu Heng was lying low in the Qingyun Sect, to hide his identity, he had used the identity of an outer Sect Utility Disciple!

Since he was a Utility Disciple, he must have been under the management of these handyman supervisors.

A logical chain closed in Qingxuan Old Ancestor's mind: When Gu Senior was enduring in the Sect back then, he must have suffered oppression and insults from this supervisor!

Now that Senior has returned as a king and swept with his Divine Sense, it's to find this enemy who insulted him back then and seek revenge!

"A good opportunity!"

A bright light shone in Qingxuan Old Ancestor's eyes.

Now was the best time for him to show his loyalty and solve Senior's troubles! How could he let Senior personally do this kind of dirty work?

Thinking of this, Qingxuan Old Ancestor suddenly straightened his back, erupting with the violent pressure of a Quasi-True Immortal.

"Impudent scoundrel!"

Qingxuan Old Ancestor roared, his voice like thunder.

"Humph! A mere ant-like handyman supervisor dared to annoy Gu Senior! You deserve to die! Today, this Ancestor will act on behalf of heaven and clean up the Sect!"

Before he finished speaking...

Qingxuan Old Ancestor didn't give Ma Datou any chance to explain.

He raised his palm, spiritual power boiling around him, carrying an Aura that could destroy everything as he struck down at Ma Datou!

"Die!"

In the corner below, Ma Datou's pupils shrank violently, the shadow of death looming over him.

At the critical moment...

A helpless voice fell into the field.

"Cough..."

Gu Heng just frowned slightly.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor's full-power strike as a Quasi-True Immortal was like cooking smoke, instantly annihilated under the Immortal Venerable's Divine Sense.

Qingxuan Old Ancestor remained in his striking posture, frozen in place.

"Sen... Senior?"

Qingxuan Old Ancestor's face was full of confusion.

Gu Heng withdrew his hand and sighed.

This old man's habit of over-imagining things really hasn't changed at all; it's a waste of talent that he doesn't write storybooks.

He looked at Ma Datou, who was covered in cold sweat and gasping for breath not far away, and spoke calmly.

"I just have some business with him."

Qingxuan Old Ancestor was dumbfounded.

"Huh?"