"Di Xin, the Human Emperor, respectfully welcomes you, Senior Wine Sword Immortal!"
His solemn words resounded through heaven and earth, imbued with the fortune-bearing authority unique to the Human Emperor's voice, reaching every corner of Chaoge City.
At that moment, the entire capital fell deathly silent.
Countless citizens and cultivators kneeling on the ground instinctively held their breath.
They raised their heads, gazing up at the figure in blue robes with all the devotion and fervor of their lives, waiting for this guardian deity of humanity to respond.
Time stretched endlessly at that moment.
Every breath seemed as long as an entire epoch.
Amid this silence heavy enough to crush mountains, Gu Changqing finally moved in the sky.
His eyes, which always seemed slightly intoxicated, lowered and swept over the dense sea of people below before finally settling on Di Xin, who knelt in royal robes before the palace gates.
Then he merely waved a hand.
The gesture was utterly casual, as though he were shooing away an annoying fly.
A soft chuckle, thick with the scent of wine, drifted leisurely down.
"Heh, no need to stand on ceremony."
Hearing his voice, Di Xin and countless humans breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
The senior had answered!
But before their excitement could surge, Gu Changqing's next words instantly brought everyone's thoughts to a crashing halt.
"I came here only to find fine wine and drink until I'm thoroughly drunk."
Drink until he was thoroughly drunk?
Drink... until he was thoroughly drunk?
Those few simple words floated down lightly, yet carried a force more terrifying than divine thunder from the highest heavens.
They slammed straight into the minds of millions in Chaoge City, battering their divine souls, which had been boiling with fervor and reverence, into utter blankness.
Silence.
A