No one paid him any heed.
Whether it was the Black-Robed Woman, Chen Yue, or Shui Yunruo, the five women present were each preoccupied with their own thoughts, their minds wholly focused on how to seize the Lunar Essence Spirit-Seed.
At this moment, the Lunar Essence Spirit-Seed still floated quietly within the Cave Manor Eye.
The Moonlit spiritual energy contained within it had also grown increasingly dark and crimson.
In the corner, Gu Qingfeng glanced over and shook his head with a sigh. The five women might not be able to tell, but he knew the mysterious breath had already overflowed and was beginning to spread throughout this stone chamber. It wouldn't be long before it completely enveloped everything.
Although the five women's cultivation was not weak—possessing either innate bloodlines or innate inheritances—that was all they had.
They fundamentally could not withstand the erosion of the Union Bliss Flower's breath.
Even Immortals and Demons were wary of this thing, let alone them.
After all, this thing was a famously strange flower of heaven and earth, one that bewildered the mind, disturbed the spirit, seduced the heart, and confused the Heart-Mind.
Seeing the breath grow increasingly dense, Gu Qingfeng couldn't be bothered to say anything more. Besides, he didn't have much mental energy to spare worrying about others right now.
The existence of that Evil Demon was even more formidable than he had imagined. The strength of its Divine Sense was truly rare, and its methods were exceptionally sophisticated.
Having fought for so long, he still hadn't managed to suppress the other party. This left Gu Qingfeng feeling rather helpless, pondering that this time he had truly been somewhat overconfident and underestimated his opponent.
He sighed even more deeply, lamenting that his current Divine Sense was simply incomparable to what it had been in the past.
Back then, the strength of his Divine Sense was such that with just a wisp of intent, he could obliterate the consciousness of an Immortal across the Great Void. However, after being judged by the heavens, not only had he lost all his cultivation and had his Great Dao foundation destroyed, but even his soul had become so weak that it had to be temporarily sealed away. His damaged spirit had yet to recover to this day. Although his Divine Sense was gradually recovering, it was still far too feeble.
Of course.
Feeble was one thing.
Having fought each other for so long, Gu Qingfeng hadn't been able to suppress the Evil Demon, and the Evil Demon hadn't been able to suppress him either.
The Evil Demon's Divine Sense was like a sky full of ice and snow, its powerful mental force sweeping over Gu Qingfeng's spirit like a tidal wave.
"I say, miss, let's just go through the motions. Why be so persistent? You can't even suppress my Divine Sense, so why do you keep trying to erode my Heart-Mind?"
While firmly guarding his Heart-Mind, Gu Qingfeng leisurely employed his own Divine Sense to resist. Having fought for so long, he was getting a bit tired too.
And in a contest of Divine Sense, what was consumed was the Heart-Mind, the essence of vitality and spirit. The longer the fight dragged on, the more fatigued the spirit became, and the wearier the heart grew.
"Miss, after fighting for so long, you should realize by now that you can't do anything to my Heart-Mind. How about we make a deal and call it quits?"
"Just who are you?!"
Clearly, the Evil Demon had also realized it seemed fundamentally incapable of shaking Gu Qingfeng's Heart-Mind, its consciousness filled with shock.
"Who I am, even if I told you, you wouldn't know. You've been sealed here for at least a few thousand years, right? We're simply not from the same era."
Gu Qingfeng responded, "You should just go about your business. Keep breaking your seal, and just pretend I don't exist."
"You ruined this palace's plans! I will not spare you!"
"You mean this matter?
Fine, I'll leave right now."
"Too late!
Hmph!
You ruined this palace's plans. Today, I shall use your soul as compensation!"
Whoosh!
The Evil Demon once again attempted to erode Gu Qingfeng's Heart-Mind.
"And you want my soul as compensation..." Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile.
He had started fighting in this world since his youth, fighting all the way up to the Celestial Realm. He had fought Nine Heavens True Immortals above and Nine Nether True Demons below. The number of fights he had been in was simply uncountable.
He was a warmonger, a man who reveled in violence. If a fight could be had, he would never waste words arguing—at least, that's how he used to be.
However, there was one type of fight he disliked the most.
It was none other than this kind: fighting for ages with neither side able to gain the upper hand, just pointlessly draining each other. It was utterly boring. Dragging it out to the end only had one result: both sides exhausted, drained dry like dead dogs.
Back in the Nine Nethers, he once fought a battle against an opponent of equal strength that dragged on for a full nineteen years. They truly exhausted each other for nineteen years. During that time, they did nothing else, because they couldn't do anything else. The slightest relaxation of spirit might have allowed the other to seize an opening. So they just kept draining each other, for a full nineteen years.
Even now, just thinking about that fight made him feel a bit nauseated.
Yes, nauseated.
He never expected to encounter such a situation again. That Evil Demon was clearly determined to posture and drain him to the end.
Over here, Gu Qingfeng sat in the corner, locked in a battle of attrition with the Evil Demon.
Inside the secret chamber, the Black-Robed Woman, the Old Crone, Chen Yue, Shui Yunruo, and Lan Feier still surrounded the Cave Manor Eye. However, they were no longer as cautious and careful as before. Their expressions each looked rather strange and complex. Their minds were no longer pondering how to seize the Lunar Essence Spirit-Seed—not that they didn't want to, but they simply couldn't concentrate enough to think about it. Their thoughts would inexplicably drift to other matters.
Why was this happening?
They didn't know. No one understood.
Lan Feier shook her head, trying to focus her spirit. Unfortunately, it was useless. She wanted to ask Shui Yunruo and looked over, exclaiming in surprise, "Yunruo, your face...
What's wrong with you?"
"You...
Your face too..." What?
Lan Feier touched her own burning hot cheek and asked, "I feel weak all over..."
"You...
You...
How...
I...
I feel the same..."
The two of them were like this, and Chen Yue was no exception. She shook her head, looked up, and found Lan Feier and Shui Yunruo both staring at her with peculiar looks in their eyes.
"Why...
are you looking at me?"
"You...
You're actually...
Fire Dance Chen Yue?"
Chen Yue's disguised appearance had vanished at some unknown time, replaced by a delicate and exquisite true visage. Seeing her real face, Shui Yunruo and Lan Feier finally learned Chen Yue's true identity. To their surprise, she was actually the heaven-favored daughter of the Nine Radiance Alliance, one who stood above the Seventy-Two Tai Xuan Young Masters: Fire Dance Chen Yue.
However, it wasn't just Chen Yue whose disguised appearance had vanished. The Black-Robed Woman and that Old Crone had also lost theirs.
When these two shed their disguises and their true faces were revealed, not only were Lan Feier and Shui Yunruo greatly astonished, but even Chen Yue stared wide-eyed.