The Qi Sect disciple’s exclamation instantly cast a somber mood over the scene.
It felt as though…
The visitors harbored ill intentions!
"The Grand Elder of the Qi Sect gracing us with his presence truly brings honor to the Du family…"
At this moment, a purple-robed elder emerged from the Du family courtyard. No aura fluctuation could be detected from him, yet his cloudy eyes harbored a sharpness and keenness that prevented anyone from meeting his gaze directly.
"Greetings, Old Master Du!"
Upon seeing the elder, the disciples of the Qi Sect bowed their heads in unison and respectfully greeted him.
They knew that the elder before them was known as the "Blade Emperor." Facing such a formidable figure, how could they dare to act presumptuously?
"Brother Gui Dao! It has been many years, yet your spirit remains as vigorous as ever!"
A deep voice, tinged with a hint of low resonance, emanated from within the sedan chair.
As everyone heard this voice, their eardrums throbbed. It was as if an invisible force raged through the air, pressing down on their chests, making them feel remarkably heavy.
The person within the sedan chair was truly terrifying.
"Chen Gong! You are still the same as ever, always fond of displaying useless… ostentatious displays!" Du Gui Dao waved his hand, instantly dispersing the residual aura in the air.
With the dissipation of the aura, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Hmph!"
Hearing the words "ostentatious displays" from Du Gui Dao, though his expression could not be seen through the sedan chair, it was certain to be far from pleasant.
The implied mockery was far too obvious.
"Du Gui Dao! I believe you are aware of my purpose for coming here. Give me an answer!" Since the other party was not offering a pleasant demeanor, he saw no need for false pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"An answer? Heh!"
Upon hearing this, Du Gui Dao merely let out a cold laugh and said, "I recall that when you first arrived, we already gave you an answer. What is it? Are you so forgetful in your old age?"
Du Gui Dao's domineering words were utterly devoid of courtesy, laying everything bare.
In his heart, what was the young master of the Qi Sect?
Compared to young Ye, he was nothing.
And to think he wanted to marry his precious granddaughter – a pipe dream!
"Good! Very good!"
Chen Gong heard these words, his tone chillingly frightening as he said, "Du Gui Dao! Let me tell you the truth! Our young master has already reached the mid-stage of the Martial Grandmaster realm and is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the late-stage of the Martial Grandmaster realm. It is likely that before long, he will reach the Martial God realm!" At this point, his tone noticeably rose, "At that time, our Qi Sect will have three Martial Emperors presiding. And your old bones, how much longer can they protect the Du family?"
Chen Gong's words were undeniably laced with a warning.
Yet, how could he have known that when Du Gui Dao heard that the young master of the Qi Sect was still attempting to break through to the late-stage of the Martial Grandmaster realm, he almost burst out laughing?
This mere…
Show-off!
He knew that his precious granddaughter's husband was already capable of instantly killing a Martial Emperor.
Was he proud?
Was he boastful?
Therefore, Du Gui Dao did not take a single word of Chen Gong's speech to heart.
"Alright! Alright! You don't need to say anything more!"
Du Gui Dao, fearing he might burst into laughter any moment, quickly waved his hand and said, "Your young master is a heaven-sent prodigy, far beyond what our Du family can aspire to. My vision is narrow, are you satisfied now!"
"Be gone! We will not see you out!"
With that, Du Gui Dao placed his hands behind his back and turned to leave.
What a joke!
As these words fell, even through the sedan chair, everyone could feel a surge of angry energy coalescing in the air.
Looking at it this way, the people from the Qi Sect seemed like clowns. In the end, they weren't taken seriously at all.
"Du Gui Dao! Rumor has it your strength has returned to its peak! Coincidentally, I'm feeling a bit restless today. Let me have a taste of your skills!"
*Bang!*
With a furious roar, the originally gorgeously decorated sedan chair exploded from the inside out, instantly disintegrating into countless wood splinters.
The next second, the scattered wood splinters were eerily gathered together by an invisible force.
"Go!"
With a palm strike, the countless fragments instantly attacked Du Gui Dao. Within each fragment was contained a terrifying flow of energy, like countless flying swords striking at him.
Witnessing this fierce onslaught, Du Gui Dao’s face was filled with disdain.
He brought his index and middle fingers together and pointed forward sharply.
The fragments in the air suddenly halted, unable to move forward even an inch.
"Is that all!"
Du Gui Dao flicked his two fingers upwards, then made a sweeping motion.
"Slash!"
A beam of blade energy streaked across, and the fragments that were frozen in mid-air instantly turned to dust. The wind blew, leaving no trace behind.
Using his finger as a blade, his attack formed an imposing momentum.
Domineering! Decisive!
This was the bearing of the Blade Emperor.
"You've actually recovered!"
At this moment, not far from him, an elder in purple and gold Daoist robes spoke with disbelief.
Originally, Chen Gong had believed that the news of Du Gui Dao's recovery was a fabrication orchestrated by the Du family to spread to the outside world.
This was to preserve the Du family's reputation.
But after witnessing Du Gui Dao's action, he knew the rumors were true.
Du Gui Dao had indeed recovered.
"No… impossible! In that battle years ago, you were more heavily injured than all of us! How could you… have recovered!"
Despite the facts laid out before him, Chen Gong still could not accept it.
In truth, outsiders were unaware.
The Qi Sect's visit to the Du family, while ostensibly for Du Yuemian, was not the actual reason.
Their true objective was to ascertain whether the recent rumors were true.
If the rumors were false, could the Qi Sect perhaps claim a larger portion of the Du family's domain?
Therefore, they had carried out two prior probing attempts.
Alas!
They had not received the answers they desired.
Thus, this time, the Grand Elder of the Qi Sect personally led the expedition to test Du Gui Dao's true capabilities.
And now, the truth had been revealed.
Yet, Chen Gong was unwilling to accept it.
Ultimately, from beginning to end, he had never believed those rumors. Because he had always known how severe Du Gui Dao's injuries were from that battle.
If even that could be healed, then the person who saved him, was it truly a terrifying powerhouse as the rumors suggested?
Such an outcome was something the Qi Sect did not wish to see.
"Chen Gong! For the sake of the Qi Sect Leader, I will not kill you today. If there is a next time, do not blame this old man for showing no mercy!" Du Gui Dao cast a cold glance at him, ultimately refraining from taking a life.
The Qi Sect!
Unless absolutely necessary, he did not wish to become their enemy.
Even though Du Gui Dao had more or less guessed their true intentions, he still had to consider appearances, at least for the sake of maintaining a semblance of harmony.
"The might of the Blade Emperor! I have learned from it!"
Chen Gong cupped his fists in a salute and turned to leave.
His tone already conveyed everything.
However, before he could take a few steps, his body suddenly froze, as if he had received a death stare. Every hair on his body stood on end.
"Grandpa Du! You are too merciful!"