Qing Di!

Although Gu Yuan spoke this way, looking at Ning Chen with a calm and smiling expression, his heart was already churning with turbulent waves. The level of his shock was such that even if someone had told him right now that Xiao Xuan had been resurrected, it would likely have been no different.

Who exactly is he?

To reach such a state of returning to simplicity, what kind of realm is this?

What is his intention in coming to the Xiao Clan? Is it truly unrelated to the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade?

Did he... really see through my concealment just now, or had he anticipated it all along and was merely testing me?

Countless questions echoed incessantly within Gu Yuan's mind.

He could be certain that the person before him was the same young man his precious daughter had spoken of, but the problem was, how could this person possibly be a mere Dou Wang?!

Before Gu Yuan had truly met Ning Chen, in his eyes, Ning Chen was most likely a high-level Dou Zun, or perhaps even a Ban Sheng or a low-level Dou Sheng.

If he were just an ordinary Dou Zun, then it would definitely be this brat using information from some unknown source to feign power.

But he happened to be at the Dou Wang realm!

What kind of joke is this?!

Whose Dou Wang could see through the concealment of a late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng? And whose Dou Wang, upon knowing his identity as the head of the Gu Clan, would still dare to speak like this?

This person's cultivation is likely not below mine; otherwise, with my cultivation as a late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng, it would be impossible for any concealment technique to escape my eyes...

Could he be some old monster who has long lived in seclusion? But how is that possible?

Looking back over the ten thousand years of the Dou Qi Continent, apart from the Dou Di clans, only the Huangquan Demon Saint, the Jinglian Demon Saint, and those two ancestors from Burning Flame Valley and Danta had reached the nine-star Dou Sheng level as rogue cultivators!

Looking at the gently smiling Gu Yuan, then looking at the large amounts of surprise points continuously pouring into the system.

The corners of Ning Chen's mouth were harder to suppress than an AK. He immediately kept his expression unchanged, nodded slightly, and laughed softly.

"Clan Head Gu is too kind. Caring for one's children is human nature... Heh, I understand."

He paused, then continued, "As for the Xiao Clan... I was merely passing by. After seeing an old acquaintance from the past, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia and stayed for a few days. I trust Clan Head Gu understands."

BOOM!!

Hearing this, Gu Yuan felt as if he had been struck by invisible lightning! A second wave of intense emotional fluctuation, transformed into ten thousand "surprise points," was contributed.

This person really is an old monster! He actually knows that the Xiao Clan are the descendants of the Xiao Tribe!

In that case, he likely guessed long ago that Xun Er came for the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade of the Xiao Clan!

"Heh heh, your deep attachment to old friendships is truly a refined trait."

Gu Yuan chuckled, suppressing the blood and emotions that were almost spiraling out of control in his heart. The smile on his face was slightly stiff, but he quickly adjusted it.

"It is shameful to say, but although I, Gu, have lived for several thousand years and consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about the secrets and past events of the continent, I have never heard of a person of your exceptional grace and talent."

"I wonder... could you tell me your holy title? It would allow me, Gu, to know which friend and expert I have had the fortune to meet today."

Here it comes!

Ning Chen laughed inwardly. I knew Gu Yuan would ask this.

Names can be fabricated, but a "holy title," which represents identity, status, and strength, often leaves traces in the circles of top-tier powerhouses, making it easier to be traced back to its roots.

He had long been prepared for this. A faint, wistful look appeared on his face, as if he were reminiscing about distant years, and he spoke in a leisurely tone.

"A holy title, you ask... The seas have turned into mulberry fields, and time is like dust. It has been too long... so long that even I had almost forgotten."

"I vaguely remember... an old friend once jokingly bestowed it upon me. Now that Clan Head Gu has mentioned it, I do recall a little bit."

Ning Chen paused, looking directly into Gu Yuan's gentle yet bottomless eyes, and clearly and calmly spat out two words. The voice was not loud, but it fell into Gu Yuan's ears like a thunderclap.

"Qing Di."

Qing... Di?!

The smile on Gu Yuan's face froze completely in that instant!

Di?!

How could he dare?! How is he worthy?! How... is it possible?!

On this Dou Qi Continent, the word "Di" is so heavy!

It is the supreme title that stands above all things! It is the ultimate realm that countless Dou Qi cultivators spend their entire lives looking up to but can never reach!

Even someone as strong as Gu Yuan, the head of one of the eight ancient clans and a peak existence at the late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng level, would not dare, could not, and was not worthy of using "Di" as his title!

Even the ambitious Hun Tiandi, who had "Di" in his name, was privately considered by many to be arrogant.

And now, the person before him actually dared to use "Qing Di" as his holy title?!

This is no longer arrogance; this is simply... defying the heavens!

After the shock, a deeper suspicion surged like a tide.

Gu Yuan's thoughts raced once again.

Qing Di?

Never heard of him!

Since ancient times, apart from those Dou Di ancestors whose bloodline origins cannot be traced, has there ever been a powerhouse who used "Di" as their title?

Huangquan Demon Saint and Jinglian Demon Saint were both brilliant and peerless, standing at the pinnacle of the Saint realm, yet even they would not dare to claim such a title!

Could it be... that he is truly a remnant powerhouse from an even more ancient era, one long buried in the dust of history, not even recorded in the oldest scrolls of my Gu Clan?

This thought sent a shiver down Gu Yuan's own spine.

But another, stronger thought immediately took hold.

I don't believe it!

Their Emperor clans had been passed down for tens of thousands of years, their foundations unfathomably deep; they were the true masters of the Dou Qi Continent.

If such a powerhouse who dared to use "Emperor" as a title had truly existed, how could there not be even the slightest trace left behind?

Either he is lying, and this title is purely fabricated just to bluff, Or...

A sharp glint flashed deep in Gu Yuan's eyes; perhaps his level truly surpassed both mine and Hun Tiandi's, making him... a quasi-Emperor!

As for a true Dou Di?

What kind of joke is that?

That is not even how one tells a tall tale.

Intertwined with suspicion and astonishment, Gu Yuan felt an urgent need for a more direct verification.

Everything else can be fake, but power! Power cannot be faked!

With his mind made up, a smile reappeared on Gu Yuan's face, though this smile now held a sharper edge.

"Qing Di... what a magnificent title, truly fascinating."

Then, his tone shifted abruptly, "I have a hobby in my life: whenever I meet someone of exceptional character, my hands itch, and I always want to exchange pointers to verify what I have learned."

"Meeting you today, Qing Di, is truly a heaven-sent opportunity. I wonder... would you be willing to fulfill this humble request for a spar?"

He spoke politely, but the word "spar" clearly signaled his intent.

He wanted to personally test the true quality of this "Qing Di"!

True or false, dragon or worm—a single battle would reveal all!

For Gu Yuan, who was at the late stage of the nine-star Dou Sheng, any realm below his—be it Dou Zun, Ban Sheng, or an ordinary Dou Sheng—was something he could settle with a single slap.

If this "Qing Di" could not withstand even a serious move or two from him, or if the essence of his power was hollow, then all his previous mystery and arrogance would vanish like bubbles.

Upon hearing this, Ning Chen felt no ripples in his heart; instead, a surge of eager excitement welled up.

It's finally here!

The ultimate test of the Wu Wu Kai system!

The distant, melancholic look on his face vanished in an instant, and a calm smile curled at the corners of his lips. Meeting Gu Yuan's gaze, he nodded slightly, "Since Clan Leader Gu has such refined interest, I shall naturally oblige. It just so happens that I haven't stretched my limbs in quite some years."

Seeing Ning Chen agree so readily, the light in Gu Yuan's eyes grew even more intense, "This place is in the heart of the Northwest Continent, where living beings gather. If we were to fight here, even with some restraint, the aftermath would likely harm the innocent and lay waste to thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. Why don't we..."

Before he could finish his sentence, without any complex movements, he simply flicked his sleeve toward the surrounding space.

Hum--!

The surrounding space rippled like the surface of a lake.

The next moment, Ning Chen felt the scene before his eyes suddenly blur, stretch, and distort!

The forests, the twilight, the distant mountains, the drifting clouds... all familiar sights faded away rapidly like a fading ink wash painting.

Replacing them was a scorching, dry, and boundless golden hue that flooded his vision.

In just a trance, not even the time of a single full breath.

Beneath his feet was no longer soft soil and fallen leaves, but hot, fine sand.

Looking around, the sky was high and the earth vast, with a bright moon hanging in the air.

For ten thousand miles, there was no sign of human life; the world was nothing but yellow sand!

They were now in the far north of the Northwest Continent, deep within that vast desert known for its death and desolation!

The methods of a Dou Sheng: turning the near into the far, shifting the heavens and the earth!