Summoning the Celestial Demon

"I'm going to become the Demon Lord someday!"

Gu Qingfeng thought excitedly, his gaze shifting to the two figures sobbing before him.

"Hey, you two—done crying yet? So, are you dying or not?"

Qiu Qianren immediately shielded Su Mei behind him, glaring at Gu Qingfeng. "Gu Qingfeng, I was the one who schemed against you. I’ll accept any punishment you deal, but she has nothing to do with—"

"Enough, enough. Stop wasting my time," Gu Qingfeng interrupted impatiently. "Neither of you has to die. I’ve changed my mind. Swear loyalty to me, serve me from now on, and you both get to live."

Qiu Qianren, who had been moved by Su Mei’s pleas, now seemed to find a new will to survive.

"Are you serious?" Su Mei asked, her face lighting up with hope.

"Don’t trust him! I know exactly what kind of man he is—"

"Ugh, so damn tedious!" Gu Qingfeng snapped. With a surge of overwhelming soul force, he cast an illusion upon them. In an instant, their eyes glazed over, their expressions turning blank.

"Now, swear your oath."

At his command, the two began to recite the vow like lifeless puppets.

Once the oath was complete, their senses returned—and terror seized them.

"What did you do to us?!"

Both could now see an ethereal thread of vows binding them to Gu Qingfeng.

That thread represented their pledge of allegiance. Betrayal would bring unimaginable consequences.

"Quit whining and shut up," Gu Qingfeng ordered. "Now, your first task: within three days, capture every demon in the Demon Prison of Wutong County. And listen carefully—the Corpse Demon in the sixth cell on the left side of the first floor must be brought to me unharmed. If even a single hair on her is out of place, neither of you will live to see another day. Understood?"

"Y-yes… Master," they stammered, struggling to adjust to their new roles. Yet the power of the oath coiled around them, forcing compliance.

"Good. Now go."

"Yes, Master."

"Wait—Su Mei, before you leave, hand over that so-called Fox Clan’s treasure and tell me the secret of godhood."

Su Mei hastily presented a black orb to Gu Qingfeng with utmost reverence.

"This is the Fox Clan’s sacred relic—the Celestial Fox’s Eye. A Heaven-grade spiritual weapon of the highest tier, possessing the rare attribute of spatial manipulation. The wielder can tear through space to teleport or erect spatial barriers. It is a supreme treasure for escape and defense."

Gu Qingfeng took the orb, eyeing it skeptically. "If it’s so powerful, why didn’t you two use it to flee earlier?"

"The Celestial Fox’s Eye requires energy. The long-distance teleportation and the spatial barrier that withstood the Dragon Transformation realm nearly depleted its spatial power. It cannot be used again so soon. It replenishes automatically by absorbing spatial energy, taking roughly three days to recharge before it can be used again."

Gu Qingfeng nodded. That makes sense. If this thing could be spammed endlessly, it’d be even more broken than the Shadow Demon’s teleportation.

Even with its limitations, it was undeniably formidable—worthy of its Heaven-grade ranking.

"And the secret of godhood?"

"My ancestor was a true god. He left the secret within our ancestral grounds, and the Celestial Fox’s Eye is the key to unlocking it."

"You had the key—did you never try entering?"

"Impossible," Su Mei shook her head. "My ancestor once said, 'A mortal cannot gaze upon a god, nor touch divine relics.' The ancestral grounds house such relics. Unless one’s soul has reached the Imperishable God-Seeing realm, entering is certain death."

"Imperishable God-Seeing?!" Gu Qingfeng’s eyes lit up. This was practically tailor-made for me!

Looks like fate itself is paving my path to godhood!

"Alright, you two, get moving."

Once they left, Gu Qingfeng expanded his soul perception, confirming no one lurked within miles. Satisfied, he eagerly retrieved the Heavenly Demon Scroll.

Rubbing his hands together, his excitement was palpable.

Truthfully, he had been waiting for this moment. If not for that earlier interruption, he would have summoned the Aspect of Longevity ages ago.

Right now, even becoming a prince paled in comparison to his burning desire to witness a true Heavenly Demon.

He unfurled the scroll, laying it flat on the ground. Following its instructions, he channeled his soul energy to activate the sacrificial array, murmuring an arcane incantation under his breath.

The syllables of the chant were bizarre—inhuman, almost—as if forged from the whispers of the void. The more he recited, the louder the echoes grew, a dissonant chorus of countless voices overlapping.

At first, faint as droplets hitting stone. Then, swelling into a thunderous, otherworldly resonance—a sound both majestic and sinister, reverberating across the heavens.

Gradually, Gu Qingfeng alone perceived it—an indescribably vast will silently descending upon this realm.

So colossal that the world itself strained to contain it. Even a mere sliver of its presence filled the skies to bursting.

He looked up. The firmament was cloudless, serene. Yet only he knew—an unfathomable entity had cast its gaze across the barriers of countless worlds, fixing its attention here.

Gu Qingfeng trembled with exhilaration.

Now this… this is presence! Compared to this, that pathetic Aspect of Oaths was utter trash.

And then—it manifested.

Or rather, a fraction of its projection did.

The Aspect of Longevity defied description. Neither fully god nor demon, yet both. Everywhere and nowhere at once, like the air—omnipresent yet unnoticed.

Compelled, Gu Qingfeng activated his Truth-Seeking Eyes, his irises blazing like stars as he beheld the demon’s form.

What he saw was a tapestry of unfathomable laws, the endless cycle of creation and decay, and within its near-infinite body—the fleeting lives of countless mortals, flickering like candle flames.

"Mortal… how much lifespan do you offer?"

The words, spoken in a tongue no human throat could replicate, echoed directly in Gu Qingfeng’s mind. Though alien, their meaning was unmistakable.

Gu Qingfeng couldn’t suppress his grin. Incredible! It speaks! A thousand times better than that mute Aspect of Oaths!

Stay calm, Gu Qingfeng. Don’t act like a starstruck peasant. Take it slow—you don’t want to scare it off before you’ve even started.

Clearing his throat, he steadied his voice.

"I offer… all of it."