However, no matter how unhappy and resentful these two elders of the Water Cloud Sect were, they dared not act rashly in the face of Gu Chen's strength. The old man even stood in front of the tea table, like his subordinate.
Gu Chen tapped the table lightly a few times before looking at the old man and asking, "Speak, why did you arrest my men?"
"Sect Master Gu, it's like this..." Lu Fan chimed in from the side.
"I didn't ask you," Gu Chen interrupted him directly, then pointed to the old man beside him and said, "Elder Ye, you speak."
"Boy, what kind of attitude is this? Are you interrogating me?" The old man, unable to contain his anger any longer, said, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! Even if I can't beat you, I'll fight you to the death today! None of us in the Water Cloud Sect are afraid of death!"
"Hmm, not bad, you really have guts." Gu Chen nodded at Elder Ye, then said indifferently, "But even if you fight me, you'll only be throwing your life away. No one will know why you died, not even your sect. If you're hoping to gain a glorious reputation, your plans have failed. Moreover, because of your recklessness, your Water Cloud Sect will definitely offend an insurmountable enemy!"
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
The old man was already about to make a move, but upon hearing Gu Chen's words, he could only force himself to hold back.
Although he was extremely angry, there was even more fear in his eyes.
Clearly, both Gu Chen's cultivation level and his superb Sword Control Technique had left an indelible mark on their hearts.
"Now it's my turn to ask you a question!" Gu Chen said coldly. "Answer my question quickly!"
"The reason we arrested your people is actually quite simple. Because of Lu Fan's unilateral action, our Water Cloud Sect is likely to offend a powerful sect like the Steel Tremor Sect, which is at the peak of the second star level. Therefore, we have to react." This time, it was the old woman who spoke.
"So, you captured my man and even tried to turn him against us, didn't you? Then, you planned to use him to lure me into a trap, capture me, and then hand me over to the Steel Tremor Sect as an apology," Gu Chen said calmly.
"Not bad, you do have some skill; you guessed so accurately." The old woman said proudly, "But we never expected your strength to be so great, and that you even know some techniques of controlling qi. We are indeed ashamed of ourselves for that."
"But you should have received Lu Fan's notification before coming to Zhou City," Gu Chen said. "Since I've already decided to cooperate with your Water Cloud Sect and told you about the Shennong Grass, isn't it a case of going back on my word to arrest my disciple and set a trap for me?"
"Lu Fan is just a lowly black market manager in Zhou City. What does his decision mean? It has to be reported to our Water Cloud Sect and approved before it can be made!" The old man scoffed, "Don't you even think about it? Since when has our Water Cloud Sect ever had to let an ordinary servant make decisions???"
"Then think about it," Gu Chen said coldly, "You came to Zhou City because of the Shennong Grass, and only then did you learn of my feud with the Steel Tremor Sect! This is cause and effect!" Gu Chen's face darkened. "Since you decided to come, you must have accepted the invitation from my Heavenly Pivot Sect. But after you arrived, you tried to betray your allies and turn against us! You even took my people hostage while I was away. Tell me, how should I punish you for this???"
Seeing that he couldn't win the argument with Gu Chen, the old man still held his head high with arrogance and sneered, "Hahaha, what did you say? Punishment? What right do you have to punish us? Heavenly Pivot Sect? This is simply laughable, a force I've never heard of before, who knows where it came from!!!"
"Heh, you haven't heard of it? That only proves your ignorance. But I can't understand why you're so smug." Gu Chen glanced at him indifferently, sneered, and said, "Since you don't know, then I'll tell you!! Do you know about the Land of Heaven and Earth!"
"What utter bullshit..."
He had only spoken halfway when the old man suddenly froze, and then an expression of disbelief quickly appeared on his face as he stared at Gu Chen in horror.
"What, what did you just say???" The old man felt his tongue trembling. The shock in his heart was like a tidal wave, one wave after another, sweeping over him and swallowing him up in an instant!
The old woman was also taken aback, and then she too showed a look of shock.
Suddenly, the space fell silent, as if a scene from a movie had abruptly stopped. In the quiet space, apart from heavy breathing, one could hear a pin drop!
Only Lu Fan was confused, and there was even a hint of bewilderment on his face.
"You, you mean..." The old man swallowed hard. After a few minutes, he finally snapped out of his shock and stammered as he looked at Gu Chen, "You're from..."
"What do you think?" Gu Chen smiled faintly, then calmly picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.
Hmm, the tea is a bit cold, but the taste of top-grade Da Hong Pao is really quite good.
Although Gu Chen didn't say it directly, this was tantamount to an admission!
Coupled with his unfathomable demeanor, it truly struck the old man like a thunderbolt!
"The Heavenly Pivot Sect actually comes from the Land of Heaven and Earth!!!"
The old woman and the old man exchanged a glance, and both saw terror in each other's eyes!
Just then, Gu Chen's voice rang out again, calmly, "Do you think I dared to kill Jiang Yi of the Steel Tremor Sect, dared to destroy the Zhou Family, dared to defy Wuji Manor, and dared to make a deal with you just because of the few people around me?"
"You, aren't you just an abandoned son kicked out by the Shangjing Gu Family?" The old man was still somewhat incredulous. After a moment of clarity, he quickly asked.
"It seems you investigated me beforehand." Gu Chen's eyes turned cold, and he said, "Since you know about the Shangjing Gu Family, you should also know that the Gu Family is backed by a martial arts family! And my Heavenly Pivot Sect is a top-tier power that even the families behind the Gu Family can hardly match!"
Gu Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing, instantly suffocating the two elders of the Water Cloud Sect!
The Land of Heaven and Earth and Earth, the Heavenly Pivot Sect!!!
Even more powerful than the family influence behind the Shangjing Gu Family!!!
If everything Gu Chen said is true, then what wouldn't Gu Chen dare to do?!
In the secular world, even a mere one-star ordinary sect—who would dare to stand in their way?!