At the very summit of the Da Guangming Sect’s mountain peak, there stood a grand hall, resplendent with gold and shimmering with light, adorned with carved dragons and engraved phoenixes—it looked rather extraordinary.
At this moment, upon learning of Gu Chen’s arrival at the Da Guangming Sect, the Sect Master, Deputy Sect Master, and all the elders from the Elder Hall had gathered here.
Originally, the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect had been in closed-door cultivation, attempting to break through to the divine realm of martial arts. However, with Gu Chen’s arrival today, it was clear he could no longer continue in seclusion.
After all, considering Gu Chen’s current status and cultivation, and the fact that he had recently been ennobled by Da Xia as the thirteenth Guardian Envoy, it would be rather inappropriate if the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect did not make an appearance under such circumstances.
Not to mention, the rumors of Gu Chen’s infamous reputation as a brutal killer were circulating in the martial world, and the members of the Da Guangming Sect were worried that Gu Chen might take offence and cause trouble right there.
After all, times had changed, and Gu Chen was no longer the insignificant figure he had been in Yan State, someone they could manipulate at will.
Everything concerning Gu Chen had to be handled with the utmost care.
"Is everything prepared?" the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect asked sternly.
"It is prepared," the Deputy Sect Master and the Great Elder nodded, their expressions grave.
"Although we do not know what the youngest Guardian Envoy in the history of Da Xia intends to do by coming to our Da Guangming Sect, we can be certain of one thing: it will definitely not be good news. We must be extremely cautious and must not make any mistakes at this critical juncture," the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect instructed.
"Master, rest assured," said the Deputy Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect. "Although Gu Chen has now reached the divine realm in martial arts and is not weak, once our former Sect Master comes out of retreat, it may not be impossible to deal with him. After all, even though the Great Yuan’s Zha Jiedunzhu is said to have died at Gu Chen’s hands, that is only hearsay.
When Gu Chen fought Zha Jiedunzhu, the old Celestial Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain was also present; who can testify that it wasn’t the Celestial Master who did the deed?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the high-ranking officials within the hall of the Da Guangming Sect nodded in agreement. Unlike ordinary martial artists, these people were acutely aware of the horror of those who had reached the divine realm, even more so of those who had reached the complete fulfilment of that realm.
In their eyes, it was already quite remarkable that Gu Chen, at such a young age and having just entered the divine realm, was able to kill four late-stage divine realm grandmasters on his own. Facing a full-fledged powerhouse in the complete fulfilment of the divine realm, Gu Chen might not be a match.
"In my opinion, it might have been the old Celestial Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain who killed him. Yet the credit was given to Gu Chen, perhaps only to help establish his authority. And the reason why the rumors are so rife in the martial world could very well be Da Xia stirring things up from behind the scenes," the Deputy Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect reasoned.
"Your words ring true." As soon as this was said, those of the Da Guangming Sect nodded unanimously.
At this time, the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect warned, "No matter what, if we can avoid provoking him, let’s do so. After all, it’s unlikely that all of us present combined would be his match. Let’s not trouble our former Sect Master."
"Master, be assured, we understand. We shall dispatch him as swiftly as possible," the people responded.
"Indeed," the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect nodded.
And soon, Gu Chen, led by an elder of the Innate Realm, arrived at this grand hall that symbolised the highest seat of power within the Da Guangming Sect.
Upon seeing Gu Chen appear, the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect immediately led all the sect’s members to approach Gu Chen, squeezing out a trace of a smile, and with a fist and palm salute said, "Lord Gu, your distinguished visit to our Da Guangming Sect caught us unprepared, and we failed to meet you from afar. We hope Lord Gu will not take offense."
"We hope Lord Gu will not take offense."
No sooner had these words left his lips than the high-level executives of the Da Guangming Sect all bowed deeply and saluted Gu Chen.
It could be said that the Da Guangming Sect lowered their stance quite a bit in his presence.
"It’s of no consequence," Gu Chen’s expression was calm, betraying neither joy nor anger, and with a slight nod, he walked straight to the seat of honor.
Seeing this, the bowed heads of the Da Guangming Sect could not help but flash a hint of resentment in their eyes.
But these were all cunning old foxes, and not one let their true feelings show, quickly concealing any trace of emotion that had surfaced, assuming a false and placating smile as they hurried toward Gu Chen.
Once everyone was seated, the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for Gu Chen and said, "May I inquire as to the purpose of Lord Gu’s visit to our Da Guangming Sect this time?"
As he spoke, he smiled faintly, showing goodwill, and gestured for Gu Chen to have a drink of tea to moisten his throat first.
Gu Chen neither drank the tea nor answered but instead said, "Where is the old Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect? Have him come see me."
Upon hearing this, the expression of the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect turned somewhat awkward as he replied, "Lord Gu, it is like this: The old Sect Master has been injured and has not yet fully recovered. For many years, he has never left his retreat. So, if Lord Gu has any matters, you may discuss them with me.
I assure you the old Sect Master is indeed indisposed, and I hope Lord Gu can understand."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen glanced at him and said indifferently, "The last time someone gave me such a dismissive reply, it was the Xiahou family in Youzhou."
As these words were uttered, the expressions of the many high-ranking officials in the Da Guangming Sect’s grand hall changed instantly.
The threat in Gu Chen’s words was all too evident.
In the present day, who in the world did not know that the Xiahou family, the foremost noble clan, had been annihilated by Lord Gu Chen of Da Xia before their very eyes? By speaking thus, the notorious butcher was making an undisguised threat against the Da Guangming Sect.
However, given Gu Chen’s strength, although the members of the Da Guangming Sect felt extreme displeasure, they dared not show the slightest hint of outburst, and could only endure.
The Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect spoke again, "Lord Gu, the old Sect Master really cannot see you, and you may discuss anything with me. After all, as the master of this sect, I have the authority to decide."
"The master of the sect?" Gu Chen looked at him once more, picked up the teacup, sipped lightly on the tea, and said, "I want the Da Guangming Sect to swear allegiance to Da Xia. Can you make that decision?"
Seeing Gu Chen drink the tea, the faces of the Da Guangming Sect’s Master and others flashed with delight, and their taut bodies also somewhat relaxed.
However, when they heard Gu Chen demand the Da Guangming Sect’s submission to Da Xia, the Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect directly shook his head, refusing, "This, please forgive me; I cannot agree."
"Lord Gu’s request is really too demanding. Our Da Guangming Sect has been passed down for a thousand years and has never submitted to any court; this is somewhat unrealistic," the Deputy Sect Master of Da Guangming Sect also remarked.
Gu Chen’s expression remained calm, and he took another light sip of his tea, saying indifferently, "Do you know the consequences of refusal? Are you not afraid that I will simply annihilate your Da Guangming Sect?"
The Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect, upon hearing this, revealed a trace of a smile on his face, and the Deputy Sect Master was even more direct, saying, "Lord Gu, please stop talking nonsense. Our Da Guangming Sect has witnessed all sorts of trials and tribulations throughout its long history, surviving even dynastic changes unscathed.
To speak of annihilation as if it were that simple, after finishing your tea, you better hurry down the mountain."
At this moment, the people of the Da Guangming Sect could not be bothered to hide their contempt any longer, their bodies relaxed, with a cold sneer on their lips as they mockingly looked at Gu Chen.
Despite his great strength and remarkable talent, his only weakness was his youth and severe lack of worldly experience.
If a direct confrontation wasn’t viable, then they would simply think of other methods. People of the Da Guangming Sect believed that the previous enemies Gu Chen had encountered were simply too foolish, or rather, too single-minded, only knowing how to fight and kill, without using their heads.
Gu Chen put down his cup and with a shift of his gaze, looked towards the Deputy Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect, asking, "Who gave you the confidence to speak to me in such a manner?"
At this moment, the Deputy Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect was not the least bit intimidated and met Gu Chen’s gaze, saying, "Lord Gu, our Da Guangming Sect is not like other forces. I advise you, while you still have the chance, seize the opportunity to leave quickly. Otherwise, in a little while, even if Lord Gu wants to go, he won’t be able to."
The Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect said, "Lord Gu, you should hurry down the mountain and not mistake your path—today we can pretend you never came here."
Gu Chen, upon hearing these words, was not angered but instead, the corners of his mouth revealed a hint of a smile. He extended his finger, pointing at the teacup on the table not far away, and said, "Such a trivial thing gave you such great confidence to face me directly?"
"Hm?!"
Hearing these words, the faces of the Da Guangming Sect’s followers instantly changed, and both the Sect Master and Deputy Sect Master fixated their gaze on Gu Chen, saying, "You’ve seen through it already?"
"Merely a petty trick," Gu Chen shook his head, saying, "It’s laughable that the Da Guangming Sect, as a top force of the Nine Provinces, would also favor such despicable and unseemly tactics."
"Despicable? Unseemly?" scoffed the Deputy Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect, "Methods do not discriminate between noble and lowly; any method that is effective is a good one. Gu Chen, you are too arrogant. Knowing we poisoned the tea, you still dared to drink it?"
"So what?" Gu Chen’s gaze was serene as he surveyed the group from the Da Guangming Sect, saying, "What harm can you bunch of trash do to me?"
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
"You!"
The members of the Da Guangming Sect were infuriated, and the Deputy Sect Master’s face darkened as he shouted, "Gu Chen, your arrogance will be your grave. Do you know what you have drunk?"
"It doesn’t matter what it was. All I know is that, if your old Sect Master doesn’t show up soon, you are all going to die now," said Gu Chen, his eyes growing colder, and a chill flashing in the depths of his pupils.
As a joke, not to mention that Gu Chen’s Pure Yang Vajra Body had reached perfection, granting him immunity to all poisons. No matter how potent the poison, it was useless before the heavenly seed within him.
The moment the poison entered his body, the heavenly seed within Gu Chen immediately neutralized it. In essence, poison was no longer effective against Gu Chen.
But obviously, these people from the Da Guangming Sect were all fools, completely unaware of this fact. They still believed Gu Chen was merely putting up a front.
Moreover, the Deputy Sect Master sneered and said, "Gu Chen, let me tell you, the poison you ingested is among the world’s top poisons, the Gu poison that dissolves blood. Even with your profound cultivation, you cannot withstand it!"
The so-called Gu poison that dissolves blood is a rare poison from within the vast mountains known to have no antidote, or rather, the antidote also lies within those vast mountains.
This toxin was extremely virulent; even a Grandmaster of martial arts at the pinnacle of the Spirit-Transcendent realm would rot and die if afflicted by it.
Historically, there were such cases. The notoriety of the dissolve-blood Gu poison was due to an incident where someone used it to kill a top Grandmaster at the pinnacle of the Spirit-Transcendent realm, which is why its lethal reputation spread throughout the world.
However, over the years, this rare and dangerous poison had disappeared from the world, and it was unexpected that the Da Guangming Sect would acquire such a thing and use it against Gu Chen, no wonder they were so confident.
Alas, they were facing Gu Chen. If it had been anyone else, even Qin Wu or the Old Celestial Master, had they drunk that tea, they would have succumbed.
"It seems I’ve encountered a bunch of fools who won’t cry until they see their coffin." Gu Chen’s eyes grew chillier. Just as he was about to make his move, he heard a cold shout from outside the great hall.
"Stop!"
This shout was mixed with a profound psychic attack that bypassed everyone else from the Da Guangming Sect and headed straight for Gu Chen. Ripples spread through the void, and the entire great hall shook.
From this, it was evident how extraordinary the cultivation level of the person who intervened was, and within the entire Da Guangming Sect, only the old Sect Master possessed such prowess.
"You’ve finally shown yourself."
Gu Chen’s expression was icy as he regarded the incoming psychic attack as nothing. With a gentle flick of his finger, under the horrified gaze of the people inside the great hall, there was a puff sound, and the Deputy Sect Master of the Da Guangming Sect instantly exploded, his blood and organs splattering onto the people nearby.
"You talk too much. In that case, let’s send you on your way first!"