Chapter 298

"Han Daoyou, is this distribution a little too little?"

"It's a little too little! As Han Daoyou said, Emei hasn't been to the cloud and fog Valley for many years, so we need to give a preferential treatment. In that case, why don't we be generous and give him the remaining 40% 20%?"

"That's right. Qingcheng and situ's family will definitely not come this time. They have only one person to enter the Shu ruins. They can't survive any mistakes, or all the gains will be lost! In that case, there will be only the remaining 40% of our three sects, 20% of Emei, which I don't think is much!"

Everyone didn't expect that the three sisters Ling Xue helped Gu Zheng speak at this time! This is not a simple good word or proposal. It is reducing your own resources and helping other sects!

Han Yi smiled angrily: "ha ha... Ling Xue, Ling Yu and Ling Bing, you say such words and make such a decision. Your elders know and don't know what to think!"

"I think this distribution is very good. I agree with Ziyun Palace's proposal. Let's set the harvest of Emei at 20%."

Yang LANBO also spoke. They had the right to mediate in Shushan during this distribution.

For Shushan mountain, Yunwu Valley is their most important resource. All the fairy fruits brought out from here are used by several immortals in Shushan mountain for alchemy! They have 60% of the constant fairy fruit resources, so they always hope that the more people entering the cloud Valley, the better. Whether Emei accounts for 5% or 20% has no impact on them.

"No, 20% is too much. He's alone. How many spirit beasts and Youquan blood clan can he kill? We have so many people. If he can account for 20% alone, what's the so-called fairness?" Han Yi was angry and his veins burst on his forehead.

"Han Yi, what do you mean? What's the matter with me alone? Can't I kill many spirit beasts and Youquan blood families alone? Fair? When you first gave me five percent, did you think about the so-called fair? I tell you, Emei wants that 20 percent!"

Gu Zheng was so angry that his momentum suddenly came out.

"That's good! The advanced level has become the cultivation achievement at the beginning of the fifth floor. No wonder you have a lot of temper! But is the beginning of the fifth floor great? Among us, there are people from the beginning of the fifth floor to the middle of the fifth floor. What can you be arrogant? You want that 20 percent? Don't even think about it!"

Han Yi was a grumpy man, and then he was going to explode.

"Enough!"

Seeing that they seemed to be ready to fight, Yang LANBO shouted quickly.

"The cloud Valley is about to open. You really have the heart to quarrel at this time!"

Yang LANBO gave a loud voice and then looked at Han Yi with stern eyes: "take a step back and give Emei 15%, and I'll let Emei take another step back, as long as 15%!"

"It's impossible. He can't stand 15%. I'll give you deacon Yang face. He deserves 10% at most!" Han Yi looks at Gu Zheng and sneers.

"I can't stand it? I deserve ten percent? What a ten percent! Isn't your spirit sword sect more people? Is it so great?"

Gu Zheng seemed very angry. After a few words, he hugged Yang LANBO: "Deacon Yang, originally I wanted to give you face, 15% is 15, but now it seems that someone here doesn't want me to join the cooperation. In that case, Emei just quit the cooperation. I'll go into the cloud Valley alone. As for the amount of resources I harvest, it doesn't matter. At least it won't be looked down upon by others, or at least I'll get a clean ear!"

"Well, the ancient leader is ambitious!"

Han Yi claps his hands and cheers. He wants Gu Zheng to enter the cloud Valley alone! Let's not say whether Gu Zheng will die in it, at least we don't need to worry about him.

"Martial uncle, don't be impulsive!" Ling Bing said urgently.

"Brother Gu, it's better not to be impulsive. Only when we cooperate can we work together to make it safer! If you have to work alone for a while, you won't be able to get the protection of Shushan!" Luo Xiao said anxiously.

"Ancient leader, I don't want you to be impulsive. What do we have..."

"Brother Yang, it's not that I don't give you face, but, hey! It's so far. It's useless to say more. Gu Mou leaves first!"

Gu Zheng interrupted Yang LANBO's words and left with a swing of his sleeve at Han Yi.

Seeing that there was no room for recovery, Yang LANBO glared at Han Yi and didn't say anything more.

Looking at the disappearance of Gu Zheng, Luo Xiao's eyebrows gradually wrinkled.

"Why is he so impulsive today? I always feel something is wrong. It doesn't look like him!" Luo Xiao said.

After all, Luo Xiao had a trip to the back of Shu mountain with Gu Zheng. Luo Xiao did have some understanding of Gu Zheng's character. Gu Zheng was not impulsive, but he would not be impulsive to open such a big event in the cloud Valley!

The so-called 20% is just a figure for Yu Gucheng. He didn't intend to cooperate with Shushan, so it's useless to give him much.

Gu Zheng came here today, just a passing scene, to make a reasonable explanation for meeting in the cloud valley. After all, it is very suspicious for a person to enter the cloud valley without reason! Moreover, in the history of the opening of Yunwu Valley, there are not no sects that choose to enter alone, but whether they choose cooperation or alone, they need to meet with Shushan and explain.

As for the unhappiness with Lingjian sect, this is bound to happen. Even if Han Yi doesn't bother Gu Zheng, Gu Zheng will quarrel with him. Who makes him unhappy!

The prohibition of Yunwu Valley is very comprehensive, not only at the mouth of the valley, so when the prohibition disappears, the spirit beast and Youquan blood clan will enter the Yunwu valley through various ways.

In the history of Shushan mountain, there was an event that almost killed the door, and the person who caused all this was the powerful Youquan blood devil of the original devil road.

It is unknown whether the Shu ruins are the battlefield between Youquan blood demons and the ancestors of Shu mountain. But deep in the ruins of Shu, there are indeed "Youquan blood acupoints"!

It is said that the "Youquan blood cave" is gathered by the evil spirit between heaven and earth. The existence of Shushan is to suppress it. Today, every time the Shu ruins are opened, Shu mountain disciples also go to the "Youquan blood cave" to check the seals left by their ancestors.

As for the Youquan blood clan, it is actually a variation of spirit animals or animals affected by the overflow of blood gas from the "Youquan blood acupoint". This has happened since the Shu ruins were opened every ten years. The ancestors of Shu mountain had no choice but to prevent the emergence of Youquan blood clan.

Youquan blood clan is very strange. Before the cloud Valley opens, I don't know where they hide, so it's difficult to find their trace. When the cloud valley opened, I didn't know where they came from. Anyway, there were a lot of them. As for the fairy fruits in the valley, they will disappear again.

The Youquan blood clan competing for immortal fruit is generally very powerful, which is equivalent to the later cultivators of the fifth floor, accounting for about one third of its total each time. Moreover, there is another characteristic of Youquan blood clan, that is, they can cast some spells more or less, which is unmatched by spirit beasts.

Youquan blood clan is very powerful, but Shushan sect is also very powerful. Every time the Shu ruins are opened, the supreme elder in the door will give the leader some good things to improve their viability. If a branch sect cooperates with Shushan, unless it is particularly unlucky, few people will die in the cloud valley.

Compared with the powerful Shushan mountain, the ancient struggle alone will be very dangerous. However, since Gu Zheng dares to do so, he naturally has his dependence.

Leaving the mouth of Yunwu Valley, Gu Zheng came to Yunwu Mountain. After he chose a suitable place, he immediately prepared to make the food repair he relied on.

Earlier, when he completed the "test of finding three kinds of food with little fame", Gu Zheng obtained three methods of food cultivation, one of which was the "wind speed food cultivation" used at the ranking event. The food practice that Gu Zheng wants to do now comes from another of the three food practices. Its name is iron armor food practice.

Wind speed increases speed, and armor increases resistance, which is also the method of no food repair. When Gu Zheng entered the peripheral orchard, he wanted to get the tortoise shell of the Earth Spirit turtle precisely because the tortoise shell was the main material for iron armor food repair.

There are seven kinds of food materials needed for Tiejia food repair, of which the main material is the Earth Spirit turtle shell. As for the other eight kinds of auxiliary materials, Gu Zheng chose medium-quality sea flowers, ordinary quality jade Poria cocos, ordinary quality rice milk, ordinary quality lightning honey, etc.

The auxiliary materials of iron armour food repair don't need to be treated, but the main materials are a little troublesome. It needs to be roasted with flame for half an hour.

The fire control formula of ancient struggle today is already advanced. If you don't use "Benming real fire" to launch an attack, it will consume far less immortal power than before.

Using the advanced fire control formula to deal with the ground spirit turtle shell is undoubtedly more time-saving. Gu Zheng only took 20 minutes to bake the original earthy yellow turtle shell with golden light.

Put the turtle shell into the boiling earth vein Yongquan. After boiling for half an hour, Gu Zheng put eight kinds of accessories in it.

It's still boiling in a big fire. Gu Zheng needs to exercise the fire control formula and water control strategy at the same time, and this iron armor food repair will be the most time-consuming food repair method after he has done the big pot Zengyuan food repair.

The tortoise shell of the Earth Spirit was too hard. The ancient people used the fire control formula to control the fire. Either it was boiled fiercely in a large fire or stewed slowly over a small fire for more than an hour before it was finally boiled in the pot.

After boiling for such a long time, when the iron armor food repair is completed, there is no food material in the pot. It has completely turned into a golden paste, emitting a not very strong medicine smell.

The original pot of soup, a whole ghost turtle shell and a lot of accessories have become a bowl of golden paste, which was sent to the mouth by Gu Zheng.

"Eat!"

With strong expectation, Gu Zheng ate the first spoonful of iron armor food repair.

"The soft and smooth taste is not so delicious. It always reminds people of the taste of Guiling cream?"

Gu Zheng frowned. He knew that iron armor food repair wouldn't taste very good, but he didn't expect to be inferior to Zengyuan food repair.

However, the bad taste does not mean that the effect is not good. As soon as the Yellow paste enters the abdomen, it immediately turns into a numb feeling and appears in all parts and bones.

Gu Zheng's body is like a mouse, and the skin on the body surface is driven out of exaggerated pimples by the medicine from time to time. With the continuous use of iron armor food repair, a mouse has become a group. Gu Zheng's clothes have been smashed, and the whole person has become a very terrible muscle man!

"Hoo..."

Gu Zheng took a long breath, his exaggerated muscles disappeared, and finally returned to normal.

"Whoosh!"

The cruel light in Gu Zheng's eyes flashed and directly cut Tang Mo with his left hand on his right arm.

"Yes, I don't feel pain at all. It's like I'm wearing thick leather armor."

Gu Zheng looked at his right arm. What was left by Tang Mo was just a faint blood mark! Such terrible defensive power, the cultivators in the later stage of the fifth floor will sigh that they are inferior!

The effective time of iron armor food repair is half an hour. Gu Zheng also pinches the time to eat.

Now the cloud Valley is about to open, and the fog over the valley is fading. When these white fog are completely gone, the prohibition will also be completely invalid.

The area of Yunwu Valley is not too large. There are 108 fairy fruit trees, which are divided into four kinds: yulongan, Jinguang litchi, wuzhijiao and xiantengpapaya.

Yulongan and Jinguang litchi are ordinary fairy fruits. The fairy power contained in a yulongan is equivalent to two small cold melons. The immortal power contained in a golden litchi is equivalent to two jade longans.

Wuzhijiao and xiantengpapaya belong to medium-level immortal fruits. The immortal power contained in a string of wuzhijiao is equivalent to two immortal apricot fruits in the ancient flood and wasteland space. The immortal power contained in a fairy vine papaya is equivalent to five fairy apricot fruits.

The most precious xianteng papaya tree is only eight, wuzhijiao tree is 18, Jinguang litchi tree is 32 and yulongyan tree is 50.

108 fairy fruit trees, the location of branches in the valley is random! This is because the ancestors of Shushan arranged a Dharma array in it. The displacement of fairy fruit trees in the process of growth actually implies the mystery of four images. Such displacement can make them grow stronger in an environment without fairy power. Moreover, the Dharma array also provides them with strong protection. Even if people and spirit beasts turn the world upside down in it, the fairy fruit tree itself will not be damaged.

The white fog disappeared, the cloud and fog valley was completely lifted, and the picture of demons appeared in an instant.

"Whew!"

"Squeak!

Blood red crows, blood red monkeys, and many blood red spirit beasts came out of their original hiding place and jumped into the valley below with the momentum of dumplings.

Gu Zheng didn't want to fall behind. He jumped down at the first time with Tang Mo in his hand.

Although the prohibition of the cloud and fog Valley is completely lifted, the fog in the valley gathers but does not disperse, which will have a certain impact on the sight of all creatures.

After falling from a high altitude, Gu Zheng, who had entered the valley, took a look. The fairy fruit tree closest to him in front was a medium-quality five finger banana.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Zheng rushed to wuzhijiao immediately.

"Ow!"

"Woo!"

There was a scene of demons dancing around. There was a blood red shadow in sight from time to time. The scene was a mess.

"Die!"

Gu Zheng waved Tang Mo and beheaded an intermediate spirit beast in the way. In such an environment, the intermediate spirit beast came in and died.

The distance of 100 meters will soon arrive. When Gu Zheng approached the five finger banana tree, there were already three non-human beings there! They were a high-level spirit beast with the appearance of a black bear, and the other two were Youquan blood families like a crow.

Black bear spirit beast and Youquan blood clan did not fight free. They greedily devoured the five finger banana on the tree.

The five finger banana looks like a person's five fingers and tastes similar to a banana. Its overall size is like a small bowl. There are almost more than 20 such fruits hanging on each five finger banana tree. However, the five finger banana is not like a banana. It is a large string growing together. It is like a peach, scattered on the branches of the five finger banana tree.

"Ow!"

"Whew!"

When Gu Zheng approached, the three guys who were greedy eating attacked Gu Zheng together.

The roar of the black bear spirit beast is a sound wave attack. Generally, the cultivators in the later stage of the fifth floor are suddenly roared by it, and they almost feel dizzy for a moment.

Gu Zheng knew that the sound wave attack of the black bear spirit beast was very powerful. When he approached, he had closed his hearing. The roar of the black bear spirit beast had no impact on him.

As for the attack launched by two blood crows, two blood red feathers flew out of their wings. The blood red feathers were fast and slow. The fast one was like an arrow, and the puncture force was very strong. As for the slow one, it would follow the attack object like a shadow. Once it touched the target, it would produce a strong impact force.

"Qiang!"

The sound of the combination of gold and iron can pierce the body of the later cultivators on the fifth floor into a hole of "fast blood feather". When they encounter the ancient dispute, they are bounced away, leaving no injuries.

"Bang!"

The sound of a heavy impact sounded, and Gu Zheng did not dodge the approach of the "slow blood feather", and the powerful "full blood feather" only shook his body.

Without avoiding the attack, Gu Zheng is to race against time. During the moment of taking the attack, he has put his strength inside and outside twice and collected two five finger bananas in the wasteland space.

The attack launched by black bear spirit beast and even blood crow is only a measure of the strength of the intervener. If the intervener dies, it will be done. If the intervener does not die, they will have the same qualification to compete for five finger plantains as they do. They will not waste time attacking. After all, collecting more fairy fruits in a limited time is their fundamental purpose.

Gu Zheng's intervention was recognized by black bear spirit beast and blood crow. Then a high-level spirit beast and a Youquan blood clan were not so lucky! Under the tempting attack of black bear spirit beast and blood crow, one died on the spot and the other was injured and ran away. During this time, Gu Zheng took the opportunity to harvest two five finger plantains.

"Ow!"

The black bear spirit beast roared at Gu Zheng, as if to denounce his carelessness. As for the two blood crows, they did not overreact. They took the time to devour the remaining five finger plantains.

Although the blood crows are not big, they devour the five finger banana not slowly. As soon as their long mouth sucks at the five finger banana, the five finger banana will turn into an immortal force and fly into their belly. The black bear spirit beast devoured the five finger banana by almost the same means.

On a five fingered banana tree, there are only more than 20 five fingered bananas. It is only a moment. When Gu Zheng harvested six five fingered bananas, there are only three remaining on the tree! During this time, another powerful high-level spirit beast intervened, and it also took a share.

Instead of staying for the remaining three five finger plantains, Gu Zheng immediately rushed forward, trying to find the next medium-quality fairy fruit tree.

The scene is too chaotic. Collecting five finger plantains is the king. If you blindly look for xianteng papaya, you may end up with little harvest. After all, there are too few xianteng papaya trees. It will certainly be more than worth the loss to look for it.

"Qi Ling, the Youquan blood clan is also evil by definition? But why didn't Tang Mo convey the demand for them?" Gu Zheng asked the Qi Ling on the way to find the immortal fruit tree.

"Only natural evil things can attract Tang mo. these Youquan blood families you see are not born. In addition, not all natural evil things can attract Tang mo. only evil things of a certain level can trigger the kind of vision brought by shadow beasts." the tool spirit replied.

Gu Zheng's luck was good. After running a distance and abandoning a yulongyan tree and a golden litchi tree, he saw a fairy rattan papaya tree! However, the so-called abandonment is not complete. When Gu Zheng passed the Yulong eye tree and the golden litchi tree, he waved Tang Mo's internal strength and put it out, and then collected the fallen fairy fruit into the wasteland space.

Xianteng papaya does not grow together like papaya. It is also a fairy fruit scattered on the branches. Moreover, under the fairy vine papaya tree, there is already a Youquan blood clan.

The Youquan blood clan under the xianteng papaya tree is a blood red skeleton. It stretches its bone claws at a xianteng papaya on the tree and absorbs the immortal power.

If it takes three seconds for the blood crow to devour a five finger banana, it only takes two seconds for the blood skeleton to absorb a fairy vine papaya.

On a fairy vine papaya tree, there are usually twelve fairy vine papaya. Now there are only six xianteng papaya in this tree! Near the blood skeleton, there are four fallen spirit beasts and Youquan blood clan!

"Whoosh!"

Before it was completely close, Gu Zheng cut out a fairy vine papaya from the tree with an external internal force.

"Bang, bang!"

The teeth of the blood skeleton made a collision sound, and the bone claw stretched out to absorb the xianteng papaya cut by the ancient dispute, but its speed was not as fast as that collected by the ancient dispute. When it stretched out its claw, the xianteng papaya had fallen into the wasteland space of the ancient dispute.

"Woo!"

The angry blood skeleton made a real roar. The blood red flame beating in its eyes suddenly became larger, and the bone palm waved at Gu Zheng, and suddenly a blood red fog with a strong corrosive smell blew towards Gu Zheng.

Gu Zheng held his breath and took two steps forward again. He raised his hand with a knife and cut off the second xianteng papaya.

The ordinary five layer cultivators must melt their skin and bones in the blood fog, and the ancient struggle against their harm made the blood skeleton completely angry.

Like a blood whirlwind, the seemingly rigid blood skeleton has appeared beside Gu Zheng, and the bone claws extend straight and stab Gu Zheng's chest.

Even with the protection of iron armor food repair, the increased resistance of iron armor food repair is not invincible, not to mention the blood skeleton in front of us is definitely a hard stubble.

Gu Zheng didn't touch the blood skeleton and dodged the bone claw inserted into his chest. The blood skeleton's outstretched arm immediately changed its move and swept across Gu Zheng's neck.

The characteristic of "floating" in the ethereal illusory body art was launched. Gu Zheng's body was as light as a feather in an instant. He flew to the xianteng papaya tree under the sweep of the blood skeleton. Tang Mo cut off a xianteng papaya in his hand and collected it into the wasteland space.

"Bang!"

There was a loud noise on Gu Zheng's body, and the blood skeleton suddenly accelerated. When Gu Zheng fell, a punch hit him in the stomach.

'floating' can't be played continuously, and the ancient struggle of blood skeleton can't be avoided! Although he didn't fly, Gu Zheng was also shocked, his Qi and blood surged, and there was blood line overflow at the corners of his mouth.

The blood skeleton is as powerful as expected. It really has the strength to break the resistance of iron armor and food cultivation. If it hits the later cultivators on the other five layers, it is definitely a second kill!

Although the time for the blood skeleton to fight against the ancient is short, during this time, there has been a monkey like Youquan blood clan on the xianteng papaya tree. Under the tree, a spirit beast like a badger also began to absorb fairy rattan papaya.

Of the six fairy rattan papaya, Gu Zheng has got three. The new blood monkey and badger shaped spirit beast also get one each. There is the last fairy rattan papaya, and four creatures shoot at the same time.

Badger shaped spirit beast and blood skeleton absorb immortal power. The blood monkey wants to remove papaya. Gu Zheng just needs to put it inside and outside and cut it down.

"Squeak!"

The blood monkey probes into the claw of xianteng papaya and quickly takes it back. The last xianteng papaya has fallen and disappeared under the chop of Gu Zheng.

"Cluck!"

The blood skeleton screamed at Gu Zheng. Without finding fault, it immediately ran to the fog.

Gu Zheng understood that both the former black bear spirit beast and the current blood skeleton had hatred for him. Once the fairy fruit is picked and meets these two guys, they are bound to retaliate.

"Come on, who's afraid of who!"

Gu Zheng sneered and ran into the fog.

In the Yunwu valley near the valley mouth, the Xianguo grabbing war of Shu mountain forces is also in full swing.

The spirit beast and Youquan blood clan are both powerful. The ancient struggle relies on the super resistance, and the Shushan mountain relies on the "array plate".

The "array plate" is a kind of immortal tool, in which there are different Dharma arrays carved.

"Array disk" is not the only magic weapon, that is, there is no exclusive owner.

"Array plate" is carved from it. Different from the array, it can be used by one person or more people.

When they compete for immortal fruit, they need to run to a fairy fruit tree at the same time, and then defeat the enemy with the "five elements growing array" in the immortal ware.

Among the four kinds of fairy fruit trees, yulongan is the fairy fruit tree with the most fruits. On each yulongyan tree, there are almost more than 130 strings of yulongan, and there are two fruits on each string of yulongan.

Unlike Gu Zheng's competition strategy, Shu mountain forces pay more attention to the quantity of immortal fruit due to the large number of people. The reason why Gu Zheng pays more attention to the quality of immortal fruit is that Qi Ling told him that the effect of good quality immortal fruit when used in the method of food cultivation in the future can not be piled up with low dosage of immortal fruit.

Under a jade dragon eye tree, five people of the spirit sword sect are fighting with some spirit beasts and Youquan blood clan.

The spirit beast and Youquan blood clan originally put swallowing fairy fruit first, but the swaggering collection of five people of the spirit sword sect finally triggered the public anger of the spirit beast and Youquan blood clan.

"Whoosh!"

Han Yi's internal strength outside knocked down a string of jade dragon eyes. He didn't wait for the spirit beast and Youquan blood clan to grab it. Zhu Ming, standing on the wooden seat of the "five elements mutual growth array", had a green light on his body, and the jade dragon eyes immediately flew into his hands.

"Ouch!"

A human shaped Youquan blood clan was furious, and the palm of a PU fan was drawn towards Zhu Ming. Unfortunately, Zhu Ming, protected by the "five elements generation method array", was not hurt at all, but his dense light around him faded.

Zhu Ming was attacked, and the position of the five people only moved slightly. The dense light on the water level immediately added to Zhu Ming's Wooden position. Moreover, it is not only the water level that changes, but also the dense light in other positions!

The alternating rotation of water wood, wood fire, fire earth, earth gold, gold water and dense light only occurred in a moment. The originally damaged and thin dense light also recovered in the rotation.

When the palm of the humanoid secluded spring monster came again, Zhu Ming, who was already in full state, carried it again without injury. Moreover, during the period when Zhu Ming was attacked, other positions were also attacked, but also did not suffer substantive damage. Naturally, the action of collecting jade longan will not stop.

The reason why Zhu Ming and others are so abnormal is entirely due to the use of immortal tools. However, they are not invincible. When the destructive power is faster than the repair of the five element rotation, the magic power of immortal tools will be broken, and then each of them will be eaten back.

However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Zhu Ming and others collect fruits safely with the help of immortal tools, but they are naturally limited by magic tools and supernatural powers. The five of them must be together, and the speed of fruit collection is naturally slower.

The Lingjian sect used the "five elements generating array plate", and the three people in Ziyun Palace used the "three talents array plate". As for the 15 people on the other side of Shushan mountain, they used a total of five array plates.

Among the five array disks, three are "four image array disk" and one is "Liangyi array disk". The "one element array disk" with the strongest protection is used by Luo Xiao.

With the most powerful "one element array", Luo Xiao's action is naturally a person.

Luo Xiao, who has rushed into the hinterland of the valley, not only wants to collect medium-quality fairy fruits, but also has a purpose to see how Gu Zheng is doing! With the passage of time, she felt more and more that Gu Zheng must have a very means to choose a person to enter the valley. She wanted to see what Gu Zheng's means were.

Kung Fu pays off. Luo Xiao, who shuttles through the fog for several times, finally sees the ancient struggle of fighting alone.

Gu Zheng was fighting a black bear spirit beast and a blood skeleton under a five finger banana tree.

Luo Xiao's eyes widened involuntarily when he saw the ancient dispute.