"Is that so…" Gu Qingfeng looked at the elegant woman, deep in thought.
"Old Gu, this lass may look like just a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, but that's only on the surface. I reckon she's disguised; her true cultivation is definitely not something as simple as a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. If she were merely a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, it wouldn't be possible for her to send me plummeting into hell with just a single glance. Such a mysterious and eerie, terrifying technique is also beyond the understanding of a mere Grand Luo Golden Immortal."
"Moreover!" Lei Lie paused for a moment before continuing, "I even suspect the immortal aura around her might be fake too. Whether her true identity is even an Immortal is an unknown."
"You're not wrong. This lass indeed is not an Immortal."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng say this, Lei Lie couldn't help but be stunned, seemingly quite shocked. "Old Gu, do you actually know her?"
"No."
"If you don't know her, how do you know she's not an Immortal?"
"I can see it, of course."
"This…" Lei Lie swallowed hard. Although he had secretly set up a formation earlier and wasn't worried about his words being overheard, he still spoke in a hushed, strained voice, "Old Gu, if this lass isn't an Immortal, then what is her true identity?"
"A Demon."
As the word 'Demon' fell, Lei Lie's heart immediately skipped a beat, his face changing repeatedly. It took him quite a while before he managed to ask, "Really? Is she really a Demon?"
"Yes."
"That's just too… too much."
In the Great Desolate, Demons have always been existences that strike fear into people's hearts.
Since ancient times, it has always been this way.
Never changed.
Although the number of Demons is very small—not to mention compared to the Immortal Dao or the Human Dao, even compared to monsters, ghosts, and spirits, or even the least numerous Buddhist Dao, there are more of them than Demons.
However.
Because Demons are born with evil and terrifying power—this is innate, something that the Immortal Dao, Buddhist Dao, Monster Dao, and others cannot compare to. Even someone like Lei Lie, a Grand Luo Golden Immortal at the peak of the Nine Luminaries stage, might not necessarily be able to defeat the most ordinary Demon. If he encountered a Demon with awakened intelligence, fighting wouldn't even be an option; he'd run if he could, and if he couldn't, he could only wait for death.
The methods of Demons are simply unimaginable to ordinary people. Often, they don't even need to make a move; they can directly erode others' minds, devour their consciousness, even their souls.
Although Lei Lie boasted that his friends included all sorts from the Three Teachings and Nine Schools, monsters, ghosts, and Demons, it was just boasting. He did have friends from the Monster Dao and the Ghost Dao, but he had no friends from the Monster Dao. After cultivating for so many years, the number of times he'd encountered a Demon could be counted on one hand.
"Gu… Fellow Daoist Gu, Fellow Daoist Lei, you're here."
At that moment.
An elder walked over—it was Old Huang. Arriving on the deck and seeing Gu Qingfeng, he initially wanted to respectfully address him as 'Venerable Chixiao,' but the words stuck in his throat and ultimately went unsaid.
Venerables were originally a rare existence in the Great Desolate; otherwise, they wouldn't be considered legends.
With so many people on the deck, if someone overheard, it would inevitably attract attention.
And if the words 'Chixiao' were added before 'Venerable,' it would be impossible not to attract attention; it might even cause a series of misunderstandings. After all, although the existence of the Nether Emperor was a taboo from ancient times, in the hearts of many, the Nether Emperor was absolutely a towering, indomitable hero. Throughout the myriad realms of the Great Desolate, many revered him to the utmost and held him in the highest esteem. If anyone else dared to take 'Chixiao' as their Dao title, it would be disrespectful to the Nether Emperor.
Old Huang was a cautious man. After careful consideration, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he felt it was better to address him as Fellow Daoist.
"Old Huang, you came at just the right time. Sit down quickly, I'll tell you."
Seeing Old Huang, Lei Lie pulled him over and said in a low voice, "Do you know what that lass's true identity is? I guarantee it'll scare you."
"Lass?" Old Huang looked utterly confused.
"Her!" Lei Lie gestured with his lips towards the elegant woman sitting on the other side of the deck. "The lass I tried to flirt with last time."
"You mean Fairy Yunyan?" Old Huang asked. "What about her?"
"Fairy my foot! She's a Demon! A genuine Demon!"
"A Demon?" Hearing that Fairy Yunyan was a Demon, Old Huang was also greatly shocked. Like Lei Lie, he only knew that Fairy Yunyan might have concealed her true identity, but he had no idea what she actually was. Now, hearing Lei Lie say Fairy Yunyan's true identity was a Demon, Old Huang was truly startled and immediately asked, "How did you find out?"
"Old Gu said so."
Lei Lie had also long realized that addressing Gu Qingfeng by his Dao title was somewhat inappropriate, but addressing him as Fellow Daoist Gu felt too distant. Looking at Gu Qingfeng reclining in his chair, legs crossed, appearing utterly relaxed and carefree—very much like a pampered old master—he simply started calling him Old Gu.
"Fellow Daoist Gu, then… Fairy Yunyan's true identity is truly… a Demon?"
"Correct."
Gu Qingfeng held his wine cup, raised it slightly, took a small sip, and continued, "However, that lass's existence is not as simple as just being a Demon."
This time, not only Lei Lie, but even Old Huang, a Great Desolate Spirit Immortal who had cultivated for nearly a hundred thousand years, was somewhat unable to grasp the meaning of Gu Qingfeng's words.
"Old Gu, what do you mean by that? What do you mean 'not as simple as just being a Demon'?" Lei Lie widened his tiger-like eyes and asked curiously, "What else is she?"
"That lass carries a Heavenly Destiny upon her."
"Carries a Heavenly Destiny?" Lei Lie and Old Huang couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. They exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and panic in each other's hearts.
The existence of a Demon was terrifying enough on its own. If that Demon also carried a Heavenly Destiny, then it wasn't just terrifying—it was horrific!
What was Heavenly Destiny?
In the Present Era, Heavenly Destiny was represented by Star Lords. If a Demon possessed such a Heavenly Destiny, they would be a Demon Lord.
And in the Ancient Era, Heavenly Destiny was represented by Thrones. If any Demon possessed such a Heavenly Destiny, they would be a Monster King.
Thinking of this.
Lei Lie felt his scalp go numb. Even his speech became slightly stumbling as he stammered, "That lass… no! Yunyan… Fairy Yunyan's Heavenly Destiny is… what kind of Heavenly Destiny?"
Seeing Lei Lie's frightened look, Gu Qingfeng found it somewhat amusing. He glanced at Old Huang, whose expression was also extremely uneasy. Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "Guess…" Lei Lie shook his head.
He couldn't guess, and he didn't dare to.
"The Heavenly Destiny on that lass should be the Star Lord of the Present Era, making her a Demon Lord."