Grandmaster Gu's Bluff

"Dream on!"

"Not a chance!"

"We'd rather die than submit to your demonic tyranny!"

A group of Supreme Elders seethed with indignation.

"Let's take turns attacking. Kill this demon ten thousand times—I refuse to believe he can't truly die!"

Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "You won't yield until you see your own doom."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several Supreme Elders struck simultaneously, drowning Gu Qingfeng in a torrent of divine light. His body instantly dissolved into black mist, vanishing into the void without a trace.

The Supreme Elders rejoiced.

"Elder Demon Gu is dead?!"

"Was he just bluffing earlier?"

"Don't let your guard down, everyone. He wouldn't perish so easily. We must search everywhere for his true form."

Unbeknownst to them, Gu Qingfeng had already transformed into the collective malice of all living beings, dispersing across the world. At this moment, he was formless, untraceable.

The sensation was strange—an experiment he had never tried before.

It was as if he had disappeared entirely, yet also as if he existed everywhere at once.

"Disappeared" meant that no matter how thoroughly they searched, even scouring the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, they would find no trace of him.

"Everywhere" meant he had become one with all living beings—every shred of malice in every creature was him.

If he willed it, the entire world lay within his sight.

He could see Ling Fei'er of the Sword Sect in the Verdant Wood Realm, lost in foolish infatuation, her mind radiating waves of lustful thoughts.

Further beyond, in distant realms, cultivators murdered and plundered, their malice boiling like steam.

Elsewhere, young lovers entwined in dual cultivation, their desires intertwining like vines.

Suddenly, Gu Qingfeng's gaze settled upon the Eternal Divine Dynasty. Sifting through countless threads of malice, his focus landed on a lone guard.

This was a Heavenly Supreme Elder, seething with resentment. He hated the injustice of the world—how, in this era of great strife, he lacked the qualifications to compete.

He was only a Three-Star Supreme, a mere keeper of the Eternal Divine Dynasty’s treasury.

Time and again, he had fantasized about stealing the entire vault, using its resources to cultivate, perhaps even ascending to the rank of Emperor.

These thoughts were his malice—invisible to others, yet crystal clear to Gu Qingfeng.

With a mere thought, Gu Qingfeng’s consciousness descended upon this Heavenly Supreme Elder’s malice. Instantly, a wisp of black mist coalesced from the resentment.

Then, from all corners of the world, endless malice converged. The black mist thickened, slowly taking human form.

The Heavenly Supreme Elder suddenly sensed movement behind him. Whirling around, he broke into a cold sweat.

There stood a strikingly handsome young man clad in black-and-gold robes, smiling at him.

Since when?!

The Heavenly Supreme Elder’s face twisted in shock. Never had he imagined someone could approach him undetected.

"Who are—"

His words died in his throat as he witnessed something even more unbelievable.

The young man waved his hand, and the void filled with countless figures—each radiant with divine light, their auras overwhelming, like deities descended from the heavens.

Gu Qingfeng and his hundred-plus enslaved Dao companions.

Gu Qingfeng cast an indifferent glance at the Supreme Elder and uttered two words:

"Beat him."

"As you command, Great Lord!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, the hundred-plus Supreme Elders surrounded the treasury guard. Divine hands pressed down on him, pinning him to the ground.

Then came the relentless stomping.

Each kick carried the force of a collapsing mountain, battering the guard until he was barely recognizable.

He couldn’t resist. Though he was a Supreme Elder, facing over a hundred of his peers was hopeless—no amount of skill could save him.

It was like a grown man besieged by a hundred others—the helplessness was indescribable unless experienced firsthand.

Soon, the guard was dragged before Gu Qingfeng, barely conscious.

Without hesitation, Gu Qingfeng unleashed endless malice, invading the guard’s mind.

With no resistance left, the corruption took hold seamlessly.

And just like that, the guard became Gu Qingfeng’s.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one guarding the Eternal Divine Dynasty’s treasury. The rest had already joined the Demon-Slaying Army and departed for the Celestial Court.

Once the guard was dealt with, Gu Qingfeng stored his enslaved Dao companions in his palm-world and strode into the treasury, bypassing all its seals and restrictions effortlessly.

Ever since gaining the Sin of Extremity, he had nearly abandoned the Heaven-Sent Array. Now, he could teleport anywhere malice existed.

Moreover, no barrier could stop him—he could slip through as formless malice.

That said, the Heaven-Sent Array wasn’t entirely useless. There was one thing the Sin of Extremity couldn’t do: transport others.

Gu Qingfeng could manifest anywhere malice dwelled, but he couldn’t bring anyone along. For that, he still needed the Heaven-Sent Array or his palm-world.

Another limitation was desolate, lifeless wastelands—places devoid of living beings had no malice, making them inaccessible via the Sin of Extremity.

Inside the treasury, Gu Qingfeng wasted no time. His enslaved Dao companions fanned out, plundering mountains of heavenly treasures, divine weapons, sacred artifacts, cultivation manuals, and elixirs.

The operation went smoothly. Most Supreme Elders were at the Celestial Court, and the Eternal Divine Emperor was secluded, desperately striving to ascend to Quasi-Emperor.

With over a hundred hands working in unison, the Eternal Divine Dynasty’s treasury was emptied in no time.

Then, Gu Qingfeng recalled his enslaved Dao companions, dissolved into malice, and willed himself back to the Celestial Court.

---

Celestial Court.

The Supreme Elders were still searching for Gu Qingfeng.

"Any luck?"

"None. We’ve scoured a million miles—no trace of Elder Demon Gu."

"Could he really be dead? But even the Thirteenth Ancestor failed to kill him..."

"Perhaps the Thirteenth Ancestor drained most of Elder Demon Gu’s power earlier. Our combined attack finished him off before he could revive."

"So we were all fooled by his bluff?"

"I don’t think he was bluffing. After all, he’s so handsome—clearly an honest, upstanding man."

The moment someone praised Gu Qingfeng’s looks, the others froze, then whipped their heads toward the speaker, baffled by such heresy.

Their shock deepened instantly.

"Elder Demon Gu!!"

"You’re still alive?!"

Gu Qingfeng smiled. "Surprised?"

Surprise was an understatement—several Supreme Elders nearly jumped out of their skins.

At this moment, Fu Yangxi suddenly stepped forward and declared confidently, "Everyone, don’t be afraid. Elder Demon Gu took so long to revive this time, which proves our earlier speculation was correct—his immortality isn’t without cost. If we kill him a few more times, he’ll surely perish for good!"

Hearing this, the crowd’s morale soared. Fu Yangxi’s reasoning made perfect sense—after all, why had Gu Qingfeng resurrected instantly before, only to take noticeably longer this time?