Luring and Killing the Celestial

"Kid, don't be stubborn. Come out now, and I promise to spare your life."

"With your cultivation level, your soul will scatter in moments. Hurry out!"

"Hehehe... Spare my life, my ass! If you’ve got the guts, come in here yourselves!"

Gu Qingfeng watched the group of Heavenly Realm experts with their disgusted expressions, feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

"Bastard! We’ll just wait here. I refuse to believe you’d rather have your soul obliterated than come out!"

"Bunch of idiots. Suit yourselves."

As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng took out a few pills and swallowed them. The medicinal effects manifested instantly, and his depleted energy began rapidly recovering.

The Heavenly Realm experts watched coldly, convinced that Gu Qingfeng was merely putting on a brave face. At this very moment, he must be enduring the agony of his soul dissolving.

In just a short while, this brat would come running out on his own.

Yet, as time passed, Gu Qingfeng remained lively, showing no signs of suffering. In fact, his energy had nearly fully recovered.

"How is this possible? Why isn’t he affected at all?" one of the Heavenly Realm experts exclaimed in shock.

"Could something have changed in the Primordial Forbidden Land? Has the Heavenly Dao’s curse disappeared?"

Some among them were already growing restless.

Gu Qingfeng smirked inwardly. He had deliberately positioned himself just a few miles inside the boundary of the Primordial Forbidden Land, refusing to go deeper—just waiting for them to lose their patience and charge in after him.

"Hehehe... You old bastards, didn’t you say my soul would scatter? Why don’t I feel a thing?

Look at you cowards, all high and mighty, pretending to be righteous. You just want to rob me of my treasures, don’t you? Too bad you’re all spineless! Today, I’ll take them all out—let’s see if you dare come in and take them!"

With that, Gu Qingfeng pulled out the Reverse Scale Sword and waved it boldly in front of them. "Look! A Saint Weapon—a top-grade Saint Weapon!

What’s the matter? Never seen one before, you bunch of paupers?"

The Heavenly Realm experts stared greedily at the top-grade Saint Weapon in Gu Qingfeng’s hand.

Who wouldn’t covet such a treasure?

Even a Heavenly Monarch would be tempted, let alone mere Heavenly Realm cultivators.

Most of them were still using low-grade Saint Weapons, yet Gu Qingfeng already possessed a top-grade one.

Then, Gu Qingfeng took out the Ethereal Spirit Water and even took a swig right in front of them.

"What a waste! Stop! The Ethereal Spirit Water isn’t meant to be drunk like that—it’s for refining Ethereal Spirit Pills!" cried one of the Heavenly Realm experts, clearly well-versed in alchemy, his face twisted in distress.

Gu Qingfeng ignored him. He didn’t need any Ethereal Spirit Pills—he only wanted to purify his essence, energy, and spirit.

True to its name, the Ethereal Spirit Water was miraculous. With just one sip, Gu Qingfeng felt his essence, energy, and spirit undergoing a wondrous transformation. His already dense life force was further refined, becoming even purer.

Incredible stuff! Time for another sip!

Just as he was about to drink again, the Heavenly Realm experts finally snapped.

The first to move was none other than the Blood River Sage.

Whoosh!

He transformed into a streak of bloody light, charging straight into the Primordial Forbidden Land toward Gu Qingfeng.

Seeing this, the others couldn’t hold back either. Human nature was like that—the moment someone else acted, the fear of missing out took over.

It didn’t matter what the prize was—if someone else was going for it, they had to as well.

Yet, the moment they stepped into the Primordial Forbidden Land, their expressions changed drastically.

An invisible force—the Heavenly Dao’s curse—seeped into their souls, corroding them like acid.

"What?! How?!"

"The curse is still here! Then why isn’t that brat affected?!"

The pain of their souls being corroded was unbearable, even for Heavenly Realm experts.

This kind of damage was a hundred times worse than physical injuries.

One of them immediately turned and fled back out of the forbidden land.

But the rest, their faces twisted with determination, unleashed all kinds of techniques.

Some activated secret arts, others summoned divine barriers to shield their souls, gritting their teeth as they pressed forward despite the curse.

Gu Qingfeng was right there—if they could just grab him and retreat, the damage would be worth it.

Given their strength, they could endure the outer regions of the Primordial Forbidden Land for a short time.

The reason they hadn’t dared enter recklessly before was to avoid unnecessary soul damage—after all, healing the soul was far harder than healing the body.

But with such treasures at stake, a little suffering was acceptable.

As they closed in, Gu Qingfeng grinned savagely before activating his Golden Light Movement Technique, darting even deeper into the forbidden land.

At this, several Heavenly Realm experts immediately turned tail and fled without hesitation.

But three of them, confident in their strength, clenched their jaws and continued the pursuit.

The chase continued, one fleeing, three pursuing, deeper and deeper into the forbidden land.

Then, Gu Qingfeng’s speed suddenly slowed. His handsome face contorted in pain.

The pursuers’ eyes lit up with triumph.

"The curse is taking effect! He can’t hold on any longer!"

"He must have some treasure protecting his soul, allowing him to last this long. But his cultivation is too low—even with a treasure, he’s reached his limit!"

Seeing victory within reach, their greed flared brighter. They chased for dozens more miles, completely consumed by their desire.

As the distance between them narrowed, Gu Qingfeng let out a desperate, furious roar—like a final burst of strength—and accelerated slightly, pulling ahead once more.

Now, even the three pursuers began to waver. Fear of death warred with unwillingness to let their prey escape.

He was clearly on his last legs. If they just endured this last burst, he’d be finished. And after coming this far, retreating now would mean all their suffering was for nothing.

As Heavenly Realm experts, how could they possibly last less time than this brat?

The three exchanged glances, each seeing the hesitation in the others’ eyes—yet none of them backed down.

This was the worst situation. If everyone gave up, it’d be easier to accept. But if even one persisted, the others couldn’t bear to lose out.

If they retreated now, wouldn’t they just be handing the prize to someone else?

A top-grade Saint Weapon! Ethereal Spirit Water! Over a thousand divine swords! A movement technique that turned the body into golden light! And more...

The more they thought about it, the hotter their greed burned. Finally, with a vicious resolve, they pushed forward.

By now, they had ventured deep into the Primordial Forbidden Land. The curse grew thicker, their protective artifacts and techniques failing one by one. Their souls corroded faster and faster.

Yet their eyes only grew wilder—like gamblers who had bet everything on one last desperate throw.

Gu Qingfeng saw it all.

And because his back was turned, none of them could see the increasingly monstrous grin spreading across his face.