Are women always so duplicitous

"Fei'er is actually a Human Demon too!" Lin Miaoke exclaimed in disbelief.

After all, Ling Fei'er was her disciple.

"How is this possible?! She can actually wield the Emperor Demon Sword?!" The members of the Sword Sect cried out in shock, finding it utterly inconceivable.

"Look! The Emperor Demon Sword now has a scabbard!"

Everyone turned their gaze and only then noticed a simple, jet-black scabbard encasing the Emperor Demon Sword.

Dugu Wei seemed to recall something, his expression shifting as he said, "I once heard my master say that the Emperor Demon Sword originally had no scabbard. But before the Sword Heavenly Emperor passed away, fearing that future generations might be harmed by the sword, he specially forged a scabbard for it. It was lost long ago, though—who would’ve thought it ended up in the hands of the Human Demons?"

"No wonder she can wield the Emperor Demon Sword—it's all thanks to the scabbard."

At this moment, Ling Fei'er's face no longer held its usual brightness. Instead, it was filled with struggle, fear, hesitation—a myriad of complex emotions.

She stepped forward slowly, treading over the corpses and blood on the battlefield, her lips tightly pressed together as she stared at the two opposing forces—the Sword Demon and Gu Qingfeng. She no longer seemed like a demoness but more like an ordinary girl from a common family.

The Sword Demon, seeing the Emperor Demon Sword cradled in Ling Fei'er's arms, felt the demonic energy within him surge. He snarled, "Ling Fei'er! What are you doing?! Why did you stop me when I summoned the Emperor Demon Sword earlier?"

Surprisingly, Ling Fei'er ignored the Sword Demon entirely, paying no heed to the countless powerful figures looming around her.

Her presence seemed to disrupt the battlefield's killing intent.

Taking a deep breath, the turmoil on her face vanished, replaced only by determination and hope. Her eyes locked onto Gu Qingfeng as if he were the only person in the world. Softly, she asked, "Gu Qingfeng, do you actually like me?"

Ling Fei'er wanted an answer. She had been with Gu Qingfeng for a long time, yet he had never once said he liked her.

Gu Qingfeng was taken aback. So, I just dealt with one love-hate entanglement, and now another one pops up?

Even if the Sword Demon were a fool, he would understand what was happening. Enraged, he bellowed, "Give me the Emperor Demon Sword now!"

He didn’t dare snatch it by force—the scabbard wasn’t just for holding the sword; it also possessed formidable defensive capabilities.

Ling Fei'er still ignored him, her gaze fixed on Gu Qingfeng as she pressed, "Answer me!"

At this, Gu Qingfeng could only think, This demonized girl is really something—ordinary people wouldn’t dare pull a stunt like this.

The Sword Demon's expression darkened further. He immediately activated the demonic seed within Ling Fei'er's body.

A flicker of pain crossed Ling Fei'er's delicate face.

But as a faint, eerie light flashed in Gu Qingfeng's eyes, the pain vanished instantly.

The Sword Demon knew Gu Qingfeng was behind this. Panic set in—the demonic seed was his means of controlling Human Demons. If it no longer worked, how could he reclaim the Emperor Demon Sword?

Yet Ling Fei'er's eyes shimmered with joy. She knew Gu Qingfeng had just saved her.

"You do like me, don’t you?" she asked, her voice tinged with excitement.

But Gu Qingfeng's response was:

"A wise man does not fall into the river of love."

Hearing this, the light in Ling Fei'er's eyes instantly dimmed.

The Sword Sect members erupted in fury, cursing Gu Qingfeng inwardly. Why couldn’t you just humor her? Even if she’s being pushy, you could’ve lied and tricked her into handing over the sword!

The Sword Demon, who had been momentarily flustered, was now overjoyed. If he had known the term "steel-straight man," he would’ve slapped it right onto Gu Qingfeng's forehead.

"Ling Fei'er, you heard him yourself—Gu Qingfeng is heartless and ungrateful. Hand me the Emperor Demon Sword now, and I’ll let bygones be bygones. Weren’t you always jealous that Nangong Xue was the Holy Maiden? Once I unify the Sword Sect, I’ll make you the Holy Maiden and reduce her to your servant!" the Sword Demon tempted her.

Ling Fei'er had originally fallen into demonhood out of jealousy toward Nangong Xue—it had become her obsession. So the Sword Demon figured this would be the most effective bargaining chip.

But what the Sword Demon, a practitioner of the Ruthless Sword Path, failed to understand was that once a woman fell in love, her only obsession became love itself.

Thus, even after hearing his offer, Ling Fei'er still ignored him. Tears welled up in her eyes before spilling over as she cried out angrily, "Gu Qingfeng, you bastard!"

With a furious shout, she hurled the Emperor Demon Sword away with all her might.

The Sword Demon was ecstatic, immediately reaching out to catch it—only to freeze in shock.

Because the sword had been thrown straight toward Gu Qingfeng.

He tried to intercept it, but the dozen or so Heavenly Monarchs behind Gu Qingfeng had already sealed off all paths.

In the blink of an eye, the Emperor Demon Sword was in Gu Qingfeng's hands.

Now the Sword Demon was truly desperate. Why would Ling Fei'er throw the sword to Gu Qingfeng even after calling him a bastard?

Are women always this contradictory?

For the first time, he regretted mastering the Ruthless Sword Path—it had left him utterly clueless about matters of the heart.

Now, the Sword Demon could only pray for one thing: that Gu Qingfeng couldn’t control the Emperor Demon Sword. After all, unlike him, Gu Qingfeng didn’t possess the sword’s demonic essence.

The Sword Demon could wield the Emperor Demon Sword because he had embraced demonhood through its power—essentially, he was like a seed left behind by the sword.

He was akin to a sword slave, though slightly higher in rank, allowing him limited control.

But there was another problem: even if Gu Qingfeng couldn’t wield it, Dugu Wei could. Using a secret technique, he could sacrifice his life to briefly command the sword.

No matter what, the Sword Demon knew he had lost today.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became—so much so that even the Ruthless Sword Path couldn’t suppress his fury.

With a twisted snarl, he glared at the weeping Ling Fei'er and roared, "You wretched woman! Die!"

Clang!

A pitch-black sword light slashed viciously toward Ling Fei'er!

Ling Fei'er stared blankly at the incoming attack. She didn’t dodge—nor could she. She simply stood there, waiting for death.

Swish!

A golden flash streaked across the battlefield.

Gu Qingfeng appeared before Ling Fei'er, shielding her with his back as the sword strike landed.

Ling Fei'er stared in stunned silence at Gu Qingfeng, who had descended like a savior. Her beautiful eyes widened slowly, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Why did you save me?"

"Shut up! All you do is cry, cry, cry—what’s the point?! Have you forgotten you’re this master’s servant? Do you think someone of my stature would just stand by and watch my servant get killed?!"

Ling Fei'er blinked at Gu Qingfeng’s fierce scolding, then suddenly burst into laughter. In that moment, it was as if a spring breeze had swept across the land, bringing with it blue skies, green fields, and blooming flowers.

"You villain!"

Gu Qingfeng ignored her lovestruck giggles, instead frowning in confusion. Why didn’t my stats increase?

He quickly checked and realized—the Emperor Demon Sword’s scabbard was emitting a faint glow. It was this glow that had effortlessly blocked the Half-Step Heavenly Monarch’s attack.

Instantly, Gu Qingfeng was displeased. Damn it, ruining my plans! No wonder Ling Fei'er wasn’t worried about me getting hurt—this scabbard is actually this powerful?!