Translator: AnubisTL
Everyone looked up to see a group of black-armored cultivators who had appeared in the field at some point, each of them radiating the Spiritual Radiance of the Spirit Nurturing Realm.
"The Crown Prince's personal guards?"
The governor of Cloud Prefecture immediately recognized the identity of these cultivators.
"Shu Yuheng cannot be killed. He is the Crown Prince's designated study companion, and upon returning to the capital, he will remain by the Crown Prince's side!"
The leading cultivator slowly walked forward, his gaze fixed on Gu Feng as he spoke in a deep voice.
Sporadic murmurs arose in the crowd. If the Crown Prince himself was backing Shu Yuheng, Gu Feng might indeed be unable to kill him.
"If I recall correctly, the Sunset Glow Sect is not under the Crown Prince's jurisdiction, right? This is a life-and-death battle!" Gu Feng narrowed his eyes and said with a smile.
"What did you say?"
"The Great Chu Dynasty does not interfere in sect affairs. That's the rule." Gu Feng's expression remained calm, completely unfazed by the other party's threat.
As the tension between the two escalated, Chu Youhuan flew into the field.
"His Majesty was severely injured years ago, and his passing is imminent within the next few years. The Crown Prince's position is secure, and he will undoubtedly rule the Great Chu Dynasty in the future. There's no need to confront him head-on!
I beg you, spare Shu Yuheng!" Chu Youhuan knew Gu Feng's temperament well—he responded better to soft persuasion than to threats—so she quickly approached and gently urged him.
"Do you have feelings for him?" Gu Feng asked with a strange expression.
"No, no, I've never liked him," Chu Youhuan hurriedly explained.
"Then why are you pleading for him?"
"The Swamp Fortress has always been under the jurisdiction of the Great Chu Dynasty. There's no need to antagonize the imperial court over him!"
"You really have no brains," Gu Feng said, shaking his head in exasperation as he lightly tapped Chu Youhuan's forehead.
Originally, Shu Yuheng had his meridians shattered and his Dantian mostly destroyed by Gu Feng. Without a miracle, he posed no threat to Gu Feng, so sparing his life might have been possible.
But then Chu Youhuan appeared, pleading for Shu Yuheng's life.
In such a situation, even if Gu Feng were willing to show mercy, Shu Yuheng would have lost the will to live.
A proud man like Shu Yuheng would never want to survive at the plea of the woman he loved, especially when he was already half-crippled. He would rather seek death.
All eyes were on Gu Feng, and the captain of the Crown Prince's personal guards also watched him with interest.
However, what Gu Feng did next shocked everyone.
He turned to face Shu Yuheng, who was also looking at him.
"I will still kill you."
"A life-and-death battle—it's only right," Shu Yuheng nodded with a sense of relief.
He understood his situation. The Crown Prince's intervention to save him was solely because of his father, the commander of the imperial guards. Even if his martial foundation were intact, he would never agree to it, let alone now.
Pop—
A faint sound, like an eggshell cracking, echoed as Gu Feng's finger pierced through Shu Yuheng's sea of consciousness. Shu Yuheng made no attempt to defend himself.
A once-in-a-generation prodigy, the top-ranked disciple on the Sunset Glow Sect's Inner Sanctum Heaven Ranking, had fallen.
Chu Youhuan was momentarily stunned, and then she heard Gu Feng's voice in her ear: "I told you you had no brains. Now, not only have I offended the Crown Prince, but Shu Yuheng is also dead."
The captain of the personal guards narrowed his eyes, but the expected outburst did not come. Instead, he watched Gu Feng with interest, remaining silent.
"Hahaha, Boss Gu has won!"
"What are you all standing around for? Cheer!"
"The new leader of the Sunset Glow Sect has been born—it's Boss Gu!"
"..."
Wu Qi and the others were dancing and cheering wildly.
The disciples of the Sunset Glow Sect also erupted into enthusiastic applause. Compared to Shu Yuheng, it was clear that Gu Feng becoming the sect leader would bring them more benefits.
Liu Wuxiang and the other Outer Sect Elders of the Sunset Glow Sect clenched their fists, equally excited.
As for the Inner Sect Elders, their faces were dark, as if they had swallowed a fly.
Yan Yexue let out a silent sigh. In the Swamp Zone, she had been Gu Feng's subordinate, and now he had become her sect leader. Was this what they called dual leadership?
Yan Xixi was jumping up and down, so overjoyed she could hardly contain herself.
Dou Xiaojian looked utterly dejected, helplessly glancing at his Inner Sect Elder grandfather, unsure of what to do.
"Grandpa, after Gu Feng becomes the sect leader, will he kill me?"
"You're overthinking it. With your lack of presence and your role as a hanger-on following Qu Yanran around, as long as you don't cause any more trouble, Gu Feng probably won't even bother with you," Elder Dou said, exasperated.
"That's true. But what about Junior Sister Qu? Why haven't I seen her?" The moment Dou Xiaojian mentioned Qu Yanran, he immediately transformed into a lovesick fool, his eyes darting around in search of her.
"Stop looking. She left the Sunset Glow Sect half a month ago and probably won't ever return."
"Ah—why is this happening!" Dou Xiaojian let out a mournful cry, his face pale.
"Sect Leader!"
"Sect Leader!"
"Sect Leader!"
At the urging of Chao Yuan and others, all the Outer Sect disciples began shouting the title "Sect Leader."
At this moment, the old sect leader, who had been as still as a meditating monk, slowly rose to his feet.
He was frail, with little life left in him, standing at the center of the high platform, his gaze sweeping across the crowd as he took out the sect leader's token.
"According to the rules set by the founder of the Sunset Glow Sect, each sect leader may only serve for a hundred years. Now that the century has passed, the Sunset Glow Sect welcomes a new sect leader!"
"I hereby announce the 49th Sect Leader of the Sunset Glow Sect!"
"Qiu Potian!!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. Everyone was stunned, frozen like statues.
Liu Wuxiang and the elders beside him all looked bewildered.
The big shots and Inner Sect Elders present also felt their heads spinning.
The disciples were left with their mouths agape, as if they were hearing things.
Even Gu Feng, who had been silently communicating with Zhu Qingyan about the Immortal Eye, was left in a daze.
Qiu Potian?
How could this be?
Had the old sect leader gone senile? Qiu Potian, who had left the Sunset Glow Sect over half a year ago and whose whereabouts were unknown, had been appointed as the new sect leader?
The key point was, Qiu Potian wasn't even present.
"Old Senior, are you mistaken? Leader Gu is the new sect leader!" Sima Juncong shouted toward the high platform.
"I am not mistaken, and you are not hearing things.
Throughout the history of the Sunset Glow Sect, the position of sect leader has always been given to the strongest disciple. However, there is another condition: the candidate must have good character.
In the past, the most outstanding disciples all had good character, which led everyone to overlook this point.
It is true that Gu Feng is the strongest, but... after careful consideration, I have decided to pass the position of sect leader to Qiu Potian!"
The old sect leader's aged voice echoed through the hall.
Whispers broke out below.
The old sect leader's reasoning was clearly shaky. While it might be somewhat convincing to say that Gu Feng's character was lacking, Qiu Potian's character was far from virtuous.
If it really came down to a comparison, out of a hundred people, one hundred and one would lean toward Gu Feng.
Gu Feng was also speechless. Comparing him to Qiu Potian was undoubtedly an insult.
"What should we do?"
"I've told you before, one should be honest and upright. Now you're facing the consequences," Zhu Qingyan said with a pout.
"There must be some hidden reason here. Even if my character is bad, it can't be worse than Qiu Potian's," Gu Feng retorted, then turned towards the high platform and spoke loudly.
"Old Sect Master, even if my character is lacking, it's still not Qiu Potian's turn to become the sect master.
Senior Sister Chu is beautiful and generous, with a noble character. There should be no doubt about her becoming the sect master!"
As he spoke, Gu Feng pushed Chu Youhuan forward, presenting her to everyone.
"Chu Youhuan is not suitable. Her character is even worse than yours. She still owes many Inner Sect disciples and Elders Spirit Stones that she hasn't repaid."
Hearing this, Gu Feng looked at Chu Youhuan in astonishment. The latter weakly said, "It's just a little bit."
Pfft—
Gu Feng really felt like vomiting blood.
"I never thought you were like this?"
"It's all because you tricked me so badly that I had no choice but to borrow money!" Chu Youhuan glared at Gu Feng and shouted.
"What about Yan Yexue? She should be suitable, right?" Gu Feng said unwillingly.
"Yan Yexue's character is sufficient, but her strength is lacking," the Old Sect Master said expressionlessly.
"Surely, among the Inner Sect disciples, Qiu Potian isn't the only suitable one!"
"Qiu Potian's current strength is not much worse than Shu Yuheng's. He is the most suitable."
Hearing this, Gu Feng finally understood. The Old Sect Master was determined to pass the sect master position to Qiu Potian.
A thought struck him, and he asked Chu Youhuan, "Senior Sister Chu, do you know the secret of the Sunset Glow Sect?"
"I didn't know before, but now I probably do. The Sunset Glow Sect must have some treasure that only the sect master can obtain," Chu Youhuan said solemnly.
"Exactly. Beneath the Sect Master's hall, there is an Immortal Eye buried by the founding ancestor. Qiu Potian knows about it, and Shu Yuheng probably does too. Maybe some other disciples know as well," Gu Feng said without hiding anything.
"You mean Qiu Potian told this secret to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince wants to obtain the Immortal Eye. Earlier, he pressured the Sunset Glow Sect.
The Crown Prince's guards came here to pressure Shu Yuheng after he became the sect master to obtain the Immortal Eye. But since Shu Yuheng lost, the Crown Prince's guards didn't even get the chance to pressure him.
So they resorted to a backup plan, making Qiu Potian the sect master!"
Chu Youhuan was also clever and immediately grasped the key point.
"That's probably the case!" Gu Feng said solemnly. "This is troublesome. I don't have the strength to forcibly seize the Immortal Eye!"
"Sect Master, Qiu Potian is not suitable to be the sect master. His character is despicable. He once incited Qiu Tian to massacre the entire Gu family of Yunwo City. Dozens of Inner Sect disciples have died at his hands...
Moreover, he's not even here. How can the position of the Sunset Glow Sect's master be treated so lightly!" Liu Wuxiang's gaze was sharp as he stared at the Old Sect Master. "In any case, we of the Outer Sect do not agree!"
"Who says I'm not here?"
As Elder Liu's voice fell, a young voice rang out.
It was Qiu Potian!
Behind him, another group of Crown Prince's guards appeared.
The two groups of guards stood together, exuding an imposing aura. On the surface, their strength was not much inferior to the Outer Sect Elder group of the Sunset Glow Sect.
"Hahaha... Gu Feng can't be the sect master anymore..."
The atmosphere on the scene suddenly grew tense, with only Dou Xiaojian appearing elated. Elder Dou shot him a glare, and he quickly fell silent.
The Inner Sect Elder Council exchanged glances. If they had to choose, even if they looked down on Gu Feng, they would undoubtedly choose him without hesitation. Qiu Potian's character was simply too poor. If he were to become the sect master, the Sunset Glow Sect, which had been passed down for five thousand years, would likely come to an end.
Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, several figures flew in from the horizon, their auras overwhelming the void. They were cultivators who had surpassed the Spirit Nurturing Realm and reached the Sea Condensation Realm.
They moved swiftly, riding on Divine Rainbows, and in the blink of an eye, they appeared above the training grounds.
"The five Supreme Elders of the Qiu family?"
"This is bad, a great battle might break out!"
"Now, not only will Gu Feng fail to become the sect master, but his life might also be in danger here!"
(End of the Chapter)
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