A peculiar space, with soft light, no mountains or water, no wind or ground — a vast, empty blank.
"Just so." The words had barely left Feng Jiuge's lips when Qin Baisheng, standing before him, turned his gaze toward the Three Immortals of the Central Continent across from them, revealing a deep smile. "Had it not been for the arrangements left behind by Dao Tian Demon Venerable, how could I have possibly lured Brother Feng here?"
Indeed.
Though Qin Baisheng was formidable, encountering a once-in-a-millennium talent like Feng Jiuge still gave him trouble.
Moreover, Qin Baisheng's two great killing moves were not designed for trapping enemies — they focused solely on killing.
To temporarily restrain Feng Jiuge, his only option was to activate the methods that Dao Tian Demon Venerable had personally laid down.
"Is this truly Dao Tian Demon Venerable's inheritance?" Fairy Ling Mei's voice carried a trace of fervor.
Throughout the long and vast history of Gu cultivation, countless geniuses and heroes had risen and fallen. If these figures were the stars scattered across the sky, each shining in its own brilliance, then the ten Ninth Transformation Gu Immortals were like blazing suns — dazzling beyond compare, stretching across the heavens.
Every generation's Venerable, whether Immortal Venerable or Demon Venerable, stood as the supreme being of their era, sweeping across the world, crushing the Eight Wastes, unmatched by any.
Among them, Dao Tian Demon Venerable was the stuff of legend. He had mastered the Path of Space, his thievery was without equal, and he had also cultivated the Path of Transformation, excelling in disguise. Even before achieving the Ninth Transformation, he had taken on countless appearances, using various identities to further his hidden agendas — stirring up storms in all directions, plunging the entire world into chaos.
Dao Tian Demon Venerable was also connected to Ancestor Chang Mao. The failed refinement of the Space Escape Immortal Gu had become Ancestor Chang Mao's lingering obsession after death, a tale passed down through the ages.
Such a figure's inheritance lay right before their very eyes!
Even Fairies Ling Mei and Ao Xue, hearts as cold as ice, could not help but feel stirred. Their hearts burned with excitement.
But Feng Jiuge promptly doused them with cold water: "Don't even think about it. Dao Tian Demon Venerable's inheritance is not something you two can lay hands on."
Ling Mei and Ao Xue both changed expression.
Right. Feng Jiuge was here, and so was Qin Baisheng. Facing such two titans, how could Dao Tian Demon Venerable's inheritance possibly fall to the two of them?
In that moment, Ling Mei and Ao Xue were filled with disappointment and dejection.
Feng Jiuge stood with his back to them, facing forward, but as though sensing the two immortals' mood, he spoke again: "You two have misunderstood. Dao Tian Demon Venerable's inheritance requires an exceedingly strict condition for succession. You would not meet it. Neither would I, and I'm afraid Brother Qin has no possibility of inheriting it either."
Ling Mei and Ao Xue were greatly surprised. One of them asked: "There's more to this?"
Qin Baisheng laughed three times: "Brother Feng knows the Dao Tian true inheritance quite well. It seems the rumors are true — Ling Yuan Zhai has indeed gotten hold of a genuine Dao Tian Demon Venerable inheritance and has been studying it all this time, only to no avail."
A flash of sharp light flickered through Feng Jiuge's eyes as he stared at Qin Baisheng, admitting frankly: "I didn't expect that Brother Qin, despite residing in the Northern Plains, would be so well-informed about the Central Continent's intelligence. That's right — it is precisely because my sect has obtained a Dao Tian true inheritance that we've made some discoveries through years of research."
Ao Xue and Ling Mei exchanged a glance, still unwilling to give up. Fairy Ling Mei asked respectfully: "May I ask Lord Feng Jiuge — what exactly is this condition of succession? Perhaps we might truly be able to meet it."
Feng Jiuge kept his gaze fixed on Qin Baisheng, not daring to relax for even a moment.
He said: "Do you know Dao Tian Demon Venerable's origins? He was not a person of the Five Domains. He came from beyond the sky — an Outer Demon. Therefore, the only requirement he placed upon his inheritance is that the successor must be someone from beyond the sky! I certainly am not, and Brother Qin even less so. If he were, he would have inherited it long ago instead of waiting until this very moment. And what about you two?"
Before Ling Mei and Ao Xue could respond, Qin Baisheng flicked his sleeve and scoffed coldly, flatly dismissing the notion: "Absolutely impossible! Every Gu Immortal in the Hundred-Day Battle is human — none are Outer Demons. If that were not the case, how could I possibly have brought you all in here?"
"Outer Demons? Are there really Outer Demons? I've never seen one in all my years."
"Dao Tian Demon Venerable was an Outer Demon?!"
Fairies Ling Mei and Ao Xue were stunned beyond words.
Feng Jiuge nodded: "Though Outer Demons are rare, they do exist. Since they came from beyond the sky, then beyond the Five Domains and Nine Heavens, there must be entirely new worlds. Unfortunately, the world beyond the sky has never been explored by anyone."
Ling Mei and Ao Xue exchanged another glance, then continued:
"Beyond the Five Domains, there truly exist other worlds?"
"Even if we can't meet the condition for inheritance — but the inheritance is a thing of stone while we are living people. Surely, with Lord Feng Jiuge's power, you could simply break through it by force?"
In the end, they still refused to let go.
This was the Dao Tian true inheritance, after all!
You eat the meat, I'll drink the soup — the two female immortals didn't aspire to the lion's share; they simply wanted a taste.
Qin Baisheng chuckled coldly: "Delusional fantasies! Even Ju Yang Immortal Venerable, who had achieved the Ninth Transformation, returned empty-handed when he encountered the Dao Tian true inheritance. Not only did he fail to obtain it, but he also lost face in the process, ending up battered and humiliated. Heh heh heh… That is precisely why Ju Yang Immortal Venerable harbors a deep hatred and wariness toward Outer Demons. And you think you can lay hands on such an inheritance?"
"Such a thing actually happened?"
"That's absurd! Ju Yang Immortal Venerable was also a Ninth Transformation Gu Immortal. Dao Tian Demon Venerable was already dead — and he still couldn't handle a single inheritance?"
Ling Mei and Ao Xue widened their beautiful eyes, caught between belief and skepticism.
Feng Jiuge did not contradict them, and instead explained in a grave voice: "Dao Tian Demon Venerable's attainments in the Path of Space were unfathomable, beyond anything ordinary people could imagine. There is a saying: because he was an Outer Demon, once he became a Gu Immortal of the Path of Space, he manifested unique Dao Marks of Space. These Dao Marks originated from the world beyond the sky — for the Five Domains and Nine Heavens, they were entirely new and alien. The space we currently inhabit may appear ordinary, but it has in fact transcended beyond, no longer within the Five Domains or Nine Heavens. Ju Yang Immaster Venerable was desperate to seize the true inheritance, but feared the consequences, and thus suffered defeat — tumbling into failure, and for the rest of his life, he could do nothing about it."
Ling Mei and Ao Xue gasped in succession.
Compared to Feng Jiuge and Qin Baisheng, the two of them were still young. This kind of secret lore involving the Venerables — it was their first time hearing any of it.
In that moment, both Ling Mei and Ao Xue felt as though their eyes had been opened wide to a whole new world.