"Gu Qingfeng!
You bastard!
I'm not done with you!"
The Black Pig Monster King roared in furious rage. He knew that in his current state, he was no match for Gu Qingfeng. He probably couldn't even block this one palm strike. Yet, he refused to sit and wait for death, choosing instead to resist with all his might.
Unfortunately.
Gu Qingfeng's palm strike was simply too fast. By the time the Black Pig Monster King realized it, the blow had already landed, striking squarely on the crown of his head.
Boom!
It felt like being struck by heavenly thunder, jolting the Black Pig Monster King until his entire body went numb. And then...
There was no 'and then'...
He could feel nothing anymore, not even pain.
It's over.
I'm dead!
The first thought that flashed through the Black Pig Monster King's mind was that his physical body had been utterly annihilated, turned to dust and smoke by Gu Qingfeng's palm.
At this realization,
the Black Pig Monster King felt as much fury and regret as was humanly—or demonly—possible.
He knew that running into Gu Qingfeng this time would bring no good fortune.
Yes.
He knew.
From the very first moment he laid eyes on Gu Qingfeng outside, he'd had that feeling. That's why, when Gu Qingfeng suggested he stay behind to heal his injuries, the Black Pig Monster King had thought it over carefully and ultimately declined.
But what he never could have anticipated was that Gu Qingfeng, this shameless bastard, would suddenly launch a sneak attack on him out of nowhere!
The hatred burning in the Black Pig Monster King's heart!
He wanted nothing more than to chop Gu Qingfeng into a thousand pieces!
However.
At this moment, all he could do was seethe inwardly.
Beyond that, he was powerless. The Black Pig Monster King had once roamed the Nine Underworlds with Gu Qingfeng. He clearly remembered that while this guy usually appeared idle and carefree, when he moved into action, he was more ruthless than anyone. Moreover, this fellow never acted unless he intended to finish the job completely. He wouldn't give you any chance for revenge—not only would he destroy your physical body and shatter your soul, he'd go and slaughter your entire clan.
Thinking of this, the Black Pig Monster King fell into utter despair, contemplating that today was probably the end of the line for him.
Just as he was thinking this, suddenly, something felt off.
His physical body, which should have vanished, was...
gradually regaining sensation.
Though the feeling was faint, the Black Pig Monster King could still perceive it.
How could this be?
Wasn't my physical body annihilated, turned to dust and smoke by that bastard Gu Qingfeng?
Why can I feel it now?
Unclear!
He didn't know.
The Black Pig Monster King wondered if this was some illusion before death. He focused intently, sensing carefully. His physical body was indeed still there, and the sensations grew clearer and clearer, like mist gradually dispersing. Everything about his body began to come into sharp focus.
What left the Black Pig Monster King even more incredulous was the discovery that his body was brimming with vitality.
It must be remembered that the Black Pig Monster King was severely wounded, his body weak and frail. His Breath of Life was like the flame of a candle in the depths of winter, ready to be snuffed out at any moment.
Yet now, his Breath of Life had become extraordinarily vigorous. If before it had been like a candle's flame, now it was like a raging inferno, burning fiercely through the heart of winter.
This...
The Black Pig Monster King was completely dumbfounded. His thoughts froze, his mind went blank. He simply couldn't comprehend what was happening.
He didn't know how much time passed. When his consciousness fully returned to his physical body, he checked and rechecked, over and over again.
That's right.
It wasn't an illusion.
His Breath of Life was indeed incredibly vigorous, many times stronger than it had been even before he was injured. And the wounds on his body—including the injuries to his true form, his meridians and bones, his dantian and spirit, even the severely damaged throne of his Great Dao—all of it, under the enveloping influence of this vigorous Breath of Life, was recovering at an unbelievable speed.
If this weren't happening to him personally, the Black Pig Monster King would never have believed it could be real.
He opened his eyes.
He found himself still within that dark space. And there was Gu Qingfeng, sitting in that old master's chair, sipping fine wine, looking at him with a faint, amused smile.
"You...
I...
This..." The Black Pig Monster King opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
He had thought today was the day he'd meet his final end.
He never, ever expected that not only had he not died, but his Breath of Life had become so vigorous.
Perhaps the contrast was simply too great, so great that the Black Pig Monster King couldn't bring himself to believe it was real.
He just sat there slumped on the ground, checking and rechecking his physical body. He didn't know how many times he checked. Finally, the Black Pig Monster King realized he wasn't dreaming. This wasn't an illusion. His Breath of Life was indeed overwhelmingly strong.
Though he didn't understand how this had happened, he knew it must be related to that palm strike from Gu Qingfeng.
"You...
That palm strike just now...
It...
It wasn't meant to kill me?"
Taking a deep breath, the Black Pig Monster King voiced the question in his heart.
"Kill you?
Why would I want to kill you?" Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "Not only do we have no grudge between us, even if we did, I couldn't be bothered to kill you. Besides, if I wanted you dead, would I need to lift a hand?
A single breath from me, and you'd be turned to dust and smoke on the spot."
These words were undeniably arrogant.
If anyone else had said them, the Black Pig Monster King wouldn't have even deigned to respond. But coming from Gu Qingfeng, it was a different matter entirely.
"You...
What did you do to me?
How did my Breath of Life become so vigorous?"
"We've known each other for a while. We may not be friends, but we're not enemies either. Putting everything else aside, just for the sake of the camaraderie we shared back when we roamed the Nine Underworlds together, I couldn't just stand by and watch you die."
Gu Qingfeng stood up, stretching lazily, speaking in a casual, offhand manner. "You refused to stay here and heal your injuries, so I could only give you a bit of Breath of Life. As long as your Breath of Life is vigorous, you won't drop dead out there somewhere."
For all living beings—whether immortal, Buddha, human, demon, ghost, or monster—the Breath of Life was of paramount importance.
Once the Breath of Life was extinguished, one's essence, energy, and spirit would dissipate like smoke. It was like an oil lamp burning dry—death was not far off.
Recovering one's Breath of Life was extremely difficult. Even with the aid of miraculous elixirs and supporting formations, it required long periods of secluded cultivation to gradually restore.
For Gu Qingfeng to instantly revitalize the Black Pig Monster King's weak Breath of Life with a single palm strike was an ability both profoundly mysterious and wondrous. At least, that's how it seemed to the Black Pig Monster King. He simply couldn't fathom how Gu Qingfeng had managed to make his Breath of Life so vigorous with just one palm.
Suddenly,
A possibility occurred to him.
Back in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, he had personally witnessed Gu Qingfeng manifest several forbidden Daos.
There was the Dao of Silence, the Dao of Death, the Dao of the Absolute, the Dao of Slaughter... and the Dao of Life.
Could it be that the palm strike just now was the legendary Dao of Life?