Puff!
Wei Hang coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling as if his bones were about to shatter! As he struggled to lift his head, he discovered that Gu Chen had already appeared in front of him without him noticing!
It was too fast! He didn't even see how Gu Chen made his move, nor did he see when Gu Chen got close!
Wei Hang's face was filled with horror!
"Continue," Gu Chen said, looking down at Wei Hang. "What's your ranking on the Tiger Ranking?"
Wei Hang opened his mouth, and then Gu Chen stepped on him!
Ah--!!
Wei Hang screamed in agony. Gu Chen's blow almost crushed his heart and lungs, making it hard for him to breathe and nearly suffocating him!
"Don't worry, I won't kill you." Noticing the fear in Wei Hang's eyes, Gu Chen said calmly, "Of course, it's not that I'm afraid to kill you. You should know that killing you would be very easy for me. I just want you to pass on a message for me."
"What... what did you say?"
Feeling Gu Chen's feet loosen slightly, Wei Hang asked, trembling.
"Tell the martial artists already in this forest, or about to enter," Gu Chen said calmly, "I, Gu Chen, give them time, but only half an hour. Those who want my life, come and take it!"
After saying that, Gu Chen withdrew his foot and left without looking back.
"Big brother, are you alright?"
It wasn't until Gu Chen left that the two remaining siblings of the Wei Family reacted and quickly came to Wei Hang's side. Their faces were filled with worry and shame, because under the sudden and powerful pressure from Gu Chen, they hadn't dared to move and couldn't even help him.
"Fine."
Wei Hang watched Gu Chen leave, and even after the latter's figure disappeared into the depths of the forest, the fear in his eyes did not dissipate much.
"This Gu Chen is too strong." Recalling the scene just now, Gu Chen's terrifying gaze seemed to still be vivid in his mind. Wei Hang spoke with fear in his voice.
After coughing up two more mouthfuls of blood, he slowly got up from the ground and said, "Let's go."
"Are we just going to let him go like this?" Miss Wei Family asked, slightly unwilling.
"Otherwise what? This Gu Chen's strength is probably no less than Kang Zuoqing's!" Wei Hang gasped and said, "Let's go, but don't let anyone else find out that we fought with Gu Chen."
"No need to pass on the message?" asked the young master of the Wei Family.
Wei Hang glanced coldly at his younger brother and said, "Pass on a message? Why should I pass on a message? My original goal was to break into the top thirty of the Tiger Ranking, but I was already seriously injured after just one encounter and need at least several hours to recover. The others are probably in no better shape after facing Gu Chen. Only when they confront Gu Chen will our Wei Family have a chance to ascend Starfall Cliff."
"Brother, that's brilliant!" The second young master of the Wei Family's eyes lit up.
Wei Hang grunted and said, "Let's go."
Gu Chen was unaware of Wei Hang's ulterior motives. Even if he had known, he would have disagreed. Wei Hang's words were just casual remarks, because he knew that even without notification, the martial artists from the top-ranked families on the Tiger Ranking would eventually come to the foot of Starfall Cliff.
All he needed to do was reach Starfall Cliff ahead of schedule.
Along the way, Gu Chen encountered several more groups of martial artists from powerful families. Some were alone, while others were in groups of two or three. Just as Wei Hang had said, he knew these people well, so there was no need to make a big fuss in the forest. They all had the same goal: to reach Starfall Cliff.
But Gu Chen's arrival was like a flea, making him the target of everyone's attention. Almost everyone who saw him attacked him without hesitation.
"This bad reputation is more annoying than I imagined."
Gu Chen frowned as he hurried along. He dealt ruthlessly to every martial artist who approached him, leaving them all severely injured. In particular, he encountered Ren Chong, who had first mocked Gu Chen and then threatened him after being severely injured. Gu Chen Gu Chen, without hesitation, crippled Ren Chong's limbs and hung him on a tree as a warning to others.
Gradually, those people realized that Gu Chen was ruthless and completely different from his carefree attitude yesterday, so few dared to provoke him anymore. And since Gu Chen had gone deeper into the area, no one bothered him anymore.
The forest at the top of Leisurely Mountain is vast, and because it's within an array, it's like a maze, easily disorienting people. Gu Chen, relying on his powerful Divine Sense, was the first to reach the foot of Starfall Cliff.
Only a little over an hour has passed, and there are still about three hours until 3 PM.
The Aristocratic Family Assembly only truly began upon reaching Starfall Cliff.
Gu Chen looked up from below the cliff. The Starfall Cliff was towering into the clouds, probably over a hundred meters high. There was a long, man-made staircase leading up the cliff. Although it was newly built, it was quite impressive.
If Gu Chen knew about the Heaven and Earth Palace, he would find this place incredibly similar to the cliffs Heaven and Earth Palace.
Gu Chen glanced around and realized that this staircase was the only way to get to the top of the cliff. He gathered a bunch of branches, made them into a long plank like a raft, and laid it horizontally, blocking the entire three-meter-wide staircase.
Before crossing the suspension bridge, after learning the rules, Gu Chen already had an idea in mind.
Now, he simply wants to put this idea into action.
After blocking the entrance, Gu Chen stood on the steps in front, then sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and quietly waited for the time to approach.
Just as Gu Chen was making preparations to block the road at the foot of Starfall Cliff Starfall Cliff, someone noticed him from above.
Above the Starfall Cliff lies a vast platform, with a bamboo grove on the left and a pasture for raising livestock on the right. However, the garden is filled with flowers and plants of various colors and shapes, and there are few birds or beasts.
Behind them was a wooden hut. Five people were sitting at the front, four men and one woman, all middle-aged. Four of them were sitting on the ground around a stone table less than half a meter wide, while the other person was on the edge of the cliff, looking down.
Of these five people, one was the slightly elderly Elder Ge, and Shi Che came from the Heaven and Earth Palace. The other three came from the six great families: Wei Fenghua from the Snow Clear Sect, Zhuge Wangyue from the Zhuge Family, and Yin Binwen from Xingxiu School.
Judging from their aura, they were all experts who had reached the Peak Grandmaster Realm.
The clouds and mist on the cliff were light and airy, and their clothes fluttered in the wind. Standing atop the highest peak, they created a picturesque scene.
"At this conference, all the younger generations of your Six Great Families, except for Fan Yingqiu from the Fan Family, are almost over thirty years old, so there is no hope for them to compete for the Tiger Ranking."
"Yes, even the younger ones aren't qualified to participate. Getting a place outside the top 30 doesn't really mean anything."
"Other families have to benefit from this, right? In the Land of Heaven and Earth, resources are shared; this was decided by all of us."
"I've heard that the Yellow Rock Grass unearthed this time is a highly nourishing substance for those below the Grandmaster Realm. Doesn't your Zhuge Family have any interest in it?"
"With the ability to cultivate a martial artist at the Late Grandmaster Realm, Wei Fenghua, isn't your Wei Family tempted?"
"Hahahaha... By the way, it's fine that the Black Fiend Sect didn't come, but I wonder why the Fan Family and the Water God School went back? Now, Starfall Cliff is the only place without them, and it really feels a bit strange."
"Has Madam Yin not received the news?" Elder Ge, a martial artist from the Heaven and Earth Palace, glanced at the group and said in a deep voice, "It's said that Wang Gui is dead. Of course, the Fan Family and the Water God School need to go back to discuss their plans."
"What?" Yin Binwen stood up, a look of horror flashing across his face. "Elder Ge, what did you just say? Wang Gui, he's dead?"
"This news will probably spread throughout the entire Land of Heaven and Earth very soon."
The four men sat together, joking and chatting animatedly, but a single sentence from Elder Ge, a martial artist from the Heaven and Earth Palace, plunged the room into a deathly silence. The martial artist representatives from the other three major families exchanged glances, each seeing a burning desire in the other's eyes!