No longer dwelling on the strange details, Gu Qingfeng turned his attention to the martial artists who had come to challenge the secret realm.
Looking at these lively and energetic youngsters in the Internal Qi Realm and even the Qi Gathering Realm, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but laugh. He felt an inexplicable sense of being a top-tier player dropped into a beginner's match.
Normally, his opponents were at least grandmasters, with many even reaching the Dragon Transformation level. He never expected that today he would be competing against a bunch of rookies.
If word got out, wouldn't it tarnish the reputation of a god?
But the feeling of dominating noobs was so satisfying!
He loved this kind of unfair competition!
Back when he read novels, Gu Qingfeng enjoyed stories where the protagonist ventured into secret realms, overcame countless dangers, defeated powerful enemies, and seized treasures. It was thrilling.
But now that it was his turn to enter a secret realm, he preferred the feeling of crushing everyone effortlessly. Who wouldn't want to easily obtain treasures instead of risking life and limb?
As Gu Qingfeng pondered, the Azure Cloud Sparrow began its gradual descent.
The massive Azure Cloud Sparrow, accompanied by a grandmaster, naturally drew quite a bit of attention.
However, the spotlight was soon stolen by someone else.
From the eastern sky, a fleet suddenly appeared.
Yes, a fleet in the sky.
It was composed of hundreds of giant black-feathered eagles, each carrying a luxurious sedan chair, arranged in a long serpentine formation that stretched for over a kilometer, resembling a massive dragon.
Before they even arrived, the sound of roaring winds could be heard.
"It's the people from the Spirit Herb Mountain!"
Someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"As expected of the renowned alchemy sect of the Great Yan Dynasty, using black-feathered eagles to pull sedan chairs. They're truly wealthy," voices filled with envy and jealousy rose from the crowd.
Gu Qingfeng, who had already landed, was instantly captivated by the grand display of Spirit Herb Mountain.
To be precise, he was drawn to the word "wealthy."
"Are alchemy sects always this extravagant?" Gu Qingfeng's eyes lit up as he muttered to himself.
He suddenly realized that his vision shouldn't be so narrow, focusing only on the Ageless Pill and divine refining techniques. He needed to think more about ways to get rich.
After all, the Heavenly Fragrance Tower wasn't cheap. If he didn't make more money, how would he temper his Dao heart in the future?
Soon, the people from Spirit Herb Mountain landed.
They didn't choose to land in the uninhabited outskirts but instead flew straight to the front, close to the Green Mountain, to descend.
It was worth noting that the area in front of the Green Mountain was already packed with people, but Spirit Herb Mountain completely ignored them, landing directly above their heads.
The massive black-feathered eagles flapped their wings, creating strong gusts of wind as they descended toward the crowd.
The people in that area immediately let out cries of alarm, scrambling to get out of the way of the descending eagles, clearing a space for Spirit Herb Mountain.
Flap, flap, flap...
The huge eagle wings beat against the ground, using the counterforce to steady themselves as they slowly landed. However, the gusts of wind they created kicked up dust and debris, leaving those nearby covered in dirt.
Faced with such arrogance from Spirit Herb Mountain, the crowd could only seethe in silence, not daring to voice their anger.
After all, Spirit Herb Mountain was a renowned alchemy sect in the Great Yan Dynasty, controlling a large portion of the nation's pill supply. Not only were they powerful, with a Dragon Transformation-level ancestor overseeing the sect, but their connections were also vast.
Through their pills, they had befriended numerous powerful factions. In the world of martial artists, who hadn't relied on pills at some point? Thus, no one wanted to offend Spirit Herb Mountain lightly.
This was why Spirit Herb Mountain could act so domineeringly—they had the capital to back it up.
Fortunately, Gu Qingfeng and his group had arrived late, so they stayed in the outskirts. If they had been at the front, Spirit Herb Mountain might have landed right above them, and that would have likely spelled disaster.
As the black-feathered eagles settled, the sedan chairs on their backs opened one by one, and out stepped disciples dressed in spotless white robes.
Leading them was an elderly man with a white beard, his aura solid and imposing—clearly a grandmaster. Though only at the early stage of the grandmaster realm, his appearance prompted even mid and late-stage grandmasters to approach him respectfully.
After all, he controlled a significant portion of the pill supply, including many exclusive pills that couldn't be obtained elsewhere.
Even grandmasters needed pills, didn't they?
The white-bearded elder, facing several grandmasters stronger than himself, carried an air of arrogance, his demeanor lofty.
Watching this from a distance, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but feel a sense of realization.
Only now did he truly understand how low-key he had been in the past.
Sure, he had cursed at Dragon Transformation-level demons, pretended to be an ancestor of the Gu family, and even deceived the imperial court's state preceptor.
But his style was nothing compared to Spirit Herb Mountain's.
Not long after, several other major factions made their appearances.
The Zhenwu Sect, the Divine Sword Sect, the Red Lotus Sect, and others—almost all of the top ten sects in the Great Yan Dynasty had arrived. Of course, some smaller sects and factions also sent representatives, but they were mostly crammed in the back, while the area closest to the entrance of the Jade Dragon Secret Realm was dominated by the major powers.
Aside from sects, there were also prominent families and local clans. Everyone wanted to try their luck, sending any promising alchemy talents from their families.
Among the families, the most famous were the four great clans of the capital: the Ye, Lin, Xiao, and Gu families, all of which had sent some young disciples.
Even though these top-tier families weren't primarily alchemy-focused, they still nurtured alchemy talents within their ranks, so they naturally came to try their luck.
Like the top ten sects, they occupied the front rows.
Their entrances were equally extravagant—some rode on low-grade flying spirit weapons, others flew on swords, and some even rode giant elephants. It was reminiscent of a modern gathering of the wealthy, with countless supercars parked at the entrance.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. He realized he needed a mount of his own. As a true god, how could he keep running around on foot?
But the question was, what kind of mount would be worthy of a god?
It had to be something extraordinary, far surpassing the mounts of these families and sects.
Having only been in this world for two months, Gu Qingfeng's understanding was still limited. After some thought, the only thing that came to mind was Demon Pu.
Demon Pu would be perfect!
Was there anything more impressive than riding a peak Dragon Transformation-level demon?
Thus, Gu Qingfeng decided that once this matter was settled, he would go find Demon Pu.
After a while, it was already noon, and the sun hung high in the sky. No more people were arriving. Just then, a middle-aged man clad in golden armor and wielding a halberd suddenly appeared in the sky.
He seemed to materialize out of thin air, and despite the presence of numerous grandmasters, no one could detect how he had arrived.
The golden-armored man looked down at the crowd from above, his back to the sun. The sunlight reflected off his armor, casting a blinding golden glow.
Shrouded in golden light, his face was indistinct, making him appear like a deity descended from myth, lofty and untouchable.
Seeing the golden-armored man, the grandmasters all stepped forward respectfully, bowing solemnly. "Greetings, General."
"At ease," the golden-armored general said indifferently, his voice not loud but somehow reaching everyone's ears as if amplified by some spell.
"Is this what lies beyond the grandmaster realm? Such overwhelming presence!"
"The legendary undefeated General—truly awe-inspiring. Just getting to see such a figure makes coming to the Jade Dragon Secret Realm worth it."
Countless people looked on with fervent admiration, their eyes glued to the towering figure.
In the crowd, Gu Qingfeng curled his lip.
"Isn't that the guy Demon Pu sent flying with a slap when he fled? He sure knows how to put on a show."
"And these bastards, every single one of them loves to show off!"
"Damn it! So what if he's beyond the grandmaster realm? It's not like I'm not."