Wei Qing's resolute refusal and his firm persuasion only deepened Murong Fei's wariness towards Gu Qingfeng.
He couldn't be sure whether Wei Qing's words were genuine or had some ulterior motive.
Was it sincere advice, or a ploy to let others fight so he could reap the spoils?
Unclear.
Murong Fei couldn't guess either.
He was not a rash man. Under normal circumstances, faced with such uncertainty, he would usually adopt a wait-and-see approach.
Murong Fei stared intently at the crystal-like object floating within the Cave Dwelling's Eye, which seemed to be undergoing some transformation.
Although he didn't know what this thing was, nor what it was transforming into, he did know one thing: the Cave Dwelling's Eye was filled with pure Tai Yin Spiritual Qi, and it appeared this crystal was the source of that Qi.
Even a single Blue Nurturing Frost Crystal containing Tai Yin Spiritual Qi was priceless beyond measure. Let alone this crystal that could actually generate Tai Yin Spiritual Qi—its value was almost unimaginable.
Murong Fei thought he would wait a little longer. But just then, the crystal within the Cave Dwelling's Eye suddenly trembled, and Gu Qingfeng, standing beside it, seemed to stir into action. Seeing this, Murong Fei hesitated no longer. He sent a secret voice transmission with an order.
"Attack!"
The eight grim-faced men behind Murong Fei nodded. They circulated their Spiritual Power, and dazzling light erupted wildly around them. To everyone's surprise, all eight were pure Golden Core True Beings, and the depth of their Spiritual Power was extraordinary.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The eight men drew their flying swords and leaped forward, surrounding Gu Qingfeng as they unleashed sword techniques. Their coordination was flawless, and they were executing the formidable Eight-Direction Annihilation Myriad Sword Formation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!—Countless sharp and profound sword techniques materialized, filling the sky in an instant, their numbers beyond count.
Seizing this opportunity, Murong Fei leaped into the air. Swish!
Three golden-hued rays of light flashed around his body.
Beside the Cave Dwelling's Eye, the white-robed man stood motionless. Facing the endless flying swords within the Eight-Direction Annihilation Myriad Sword Formation, his cold, stern face wore a fierce expression.
"You court death!"
With a cold shout, a turbid light erupted from his body. He raised his arm and struck out with a palm through the air.
Boom!
Turbid Spiritual Power exploded forth, mingled with crackling lightning. A deafening roar echoed, and the Eight-Direction Annihilation Myriad Sword Formation instantly disintegrated. All eight men cried out, vomiting blood as they plummeted to the ground.
"Get up!"
As Gu Qingfeng took a step forward, his long hair whipped wildly, and his robes snapped loudly. His foot landed, and turbid Spiritual Power spread out like lightning, causing the hall's floor to shatter. The eight men who had fallen were instantly blasted back into the air.
"Roll back and show me your true faces!"
Gu Qingfeng swept his arm. A crackling arc of lightning exploded, striking the eight men in mid-air. Their hair stood on end, their skin split open, and they crashed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices—but the blood was black.
This all happened far too quickly, leaving True Person Da Qian and True Being Ziyun outside the hall dumbfounded, hearts trembling with fear. They knew Gu Qingfeng was powerful, but they hadn't imagined he was this powerful. Eight pure Golden Core True Beings joining forces, executing the formidable Eight-Direction Annihilation Myriad Sword Formation...
Not only had they failed to harm Gu Qingfeng in the slightest, but they had been utterly scattered by a single palm strike through the air.
They only knew Gu Qingfeng's physical body was formidable, but they had never imagined his Spiritual Power was so terrifying. The aura of his Spiritual Power was clearly only at the Foundation Establishment level—how could it be so strong? Even more baffling was that not only was his Spiritual Power aura merely Foundation Establishment, it was also extremely turbid.
Everyone knew turbid Spiritual Power was soft and spongy, lacking cohesion and utterly devoid of combat effectiveness.
How could his Spiritual Power...
They didn't know. No one understood.
They were bewildered, and Murong Fei was even more so.
His original plan was to use the Eight-Direction Annihilation Myriad Sword Formation to temporarily restrain Gu Qingfeng. He didn't expect it to kill him, just to hold him off long enough for him to seize the crystal within the Cave Dwelling's Eye. But he never dreamed these eight men couldn't even hold Gu Qingfeng back for a single second.
By the time he flashed to the Cave Dwelling's Eye, the eight were already completely defeated. Seeing this, Murong Fei paled in shock. Although the crystal within the Cave Dwelling's Eye was within easy reach, he didn't dare stretch out his hand. He immediately tried to flash away and retreat.
He was fast, but Gu Qingfeng was faster. Just as Murong Fei was about to flash away, Gu Qingfeng had already raised his hand.
His five fingers spread open like heavenly hooks, his palm like a mountain, his aura soaring to the heavens, his power pressing down upon the earth.
With one palm descending, the three golden rays around Murong Fei instantly shattered.
"Since you don't even want to be among the living, why bother with cultivation!"
Another palm fell. Murong Fei's skin split, his foundation was destroyed, his dantian shattered, and he thudded to his knees on the ground.
"Roll back and show me your true face too!"
Gu Qingfeng kicked out, sending Murong Fei flying sideways!
Was it over?
Perhaps.
In the eyes of Da Qian and Ziyun, the battle might have ended. But in the eyes of Wei Qing and Monk Bu’er, the battle was not over. They could both see that Murong Fei and his men's abilities did not end here.
They both knew what Murong Fei's true capabilities were.
They knew, and Gu Qingfeng knew too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told them to reveal their true faces.
However, both Wei Qing and Monk Bu’er knew even more clearly that even if Murong Fei revealed his true abilities, it would be useless. It would change nothing.
Opposite them.
The white-robed man, Gu Qingfeng, still stood beside the Cave Dwelling's Eye. He didn't speak, just stood there quietly. His cold, stern face held a somber expression, his dark eyes now fixed on Murong Fei and the other eight men lying prostrate on the ground.
Murong Fei lay in a pool of blood, utterly disheveled.
Typically, having one's foundation destroyed and one's Golden Core shattered, while not fatal, would absolutely render one unconscious.
Yet Murong Fei stood up again as if nothing had happened. Even more bizarre was his blood—it wasn't bright red either, but black. Black blood mist also seeped from his entire body.
"Since you're so eager to witness my Bloodline, I'll grant your wish!"
Roar!
When Murong Fei raised his head, his face was twisted with ferocity, his eyes blood-red. He opened his mouth and let out an ear-splitting roar, two sinister fangs particularly conspicuous. The blood mist around his body began to boil.
At the same time, the other eight men also stood up, throwing back their heads to roar. Their eyes were blood-red, and boiling black blood mist emanated from their bodies.
Outside the hall, witnessing this scene, True Person Da Qian and True Being Ziyun could hardly believe their eyes.
Qing Ning also cried out in horror, "Murong Fei's Bloodline... how can it be so... so evil? And these people, how... they..." Qing Ning knew Murong Fei possessed a Bloodline, but she had never known what kind. Now, seeing Murong Fei's ferocious face, the boiling blood mist around him, his blood-red eyes, and especially those two sinister fangs in his mouth, she couldn't help but recall a certain evil existence.
Beside the Cave Dwelling's Eye, Gu Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back. His cold expression showed little surprise. He narrowed his eyes, looking at them, a trace of disdain curling at the corner of his mouth. "I never imagined that after the great calamity, with all things reviving, even ancient creatures like zombies would emerge."
"Oh?"
A sinister smile twisted Murong Fei's ferocious face. His blood-red eyes fixed intently on Gu Qingfeng as he hissed, "It seems you recognize my noble Bloodline!"
"Noble Bloodline?"
Gu Qingfeng scoffed. He undid his collar and rolled up his sleeves, smiling. "A zombie is merely an ancient existence. It has nothing to do with Bloodline. Not only can you not claim a noble Bloodline, even among the myriad ancient creatures—demons, ghosts, monsters—a zombie is merely the lowest form of monster. Especially a zombie like you, who abandons their soul to pretend to be a living dead—you're not even as good as a ghost or a monster."