Chapter 1060: Who's Trying to Get Free Meal Again?

"Let me take a look."

Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation remained calm and unreadable, like a deep, still well.

"

Mhmm

."

Ling Feng fully opened his sea of consciousness. Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation studied it for a moment, then slowly began to speak.

"This is a type of Gu Curse mark. Normally, it lies dormant in your sea of mind and causes no harm. But once triggered by a certain force, it begins to corrode your soul, eventually taking control of you and turning you into a puppet!"

"What!"

Ling Feng's pupils contracted sharply. His thoughts raced. The Supreme Lotus Seed had been refined by the Blood God Cult for the Silver Wolf Demon Emperor. Given Lin Canglang's ambitions, he would never willingly submit to the Silver Wolf Demon Emperor.

That could only mean Lin Canglang intended to use the Supreme Lotus Seed to gain control over him. In doing so, he would command a demon emperor without ever appearing to.

This scheme of Lin Canglang's ran far deeper than Ling Feng had expected. He had clearly changed since their time in the Wenxian Sect!

By sheer coincidence, Ling Feng had snatched the Supreme Lotus Seed for himself and unknowingly stepped right into Lin Canglang's trap. The sinister Gu Curse had latched onto him in the process.

Frowning, Ling Feng asked in a low voice, "Senior, is there any way to remove these Gu Curse marks? I've already tried everything I could, but I can't drive them out of my sea of mind."

"It's not difficult," Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation answered calmly. "This type of mark is nearly impossible to detect unless one has cultivated in the art of spiritual refinement. But it can be removed if it's discovered before it activates."

"How do I remove it?"

Ling Feng tensed.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"The reason you've failed so far is because you haven't yet mastered the technique of weaving spiritual consciousness into threads. Your spiritual strength may rival that of a Human Emperor thanks to the Soul Splitting Art, but your control is still lacking."

After a moment, Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation continued at a slow and even pace.

"For now, I will seal the marks for you. As long as you avoid refining the remaining power of the Supreme Lotus Seed, there should be no danger. When you return to the Misty Ghost Forest and meet my true self, I will help you cleanse them completely."

"Thank you, Senior."

Only then did Ling Feng feel a measure of relief. If he were ever reduced to Lin Canglang's puppet, he would rather die than live under such control.

Thankfully, Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation had left behind this fragment of spiritual consciousness. Without it, Ling Feng might have fallen into the trap without even realizing it.

Though he still had no way to leave the demon domain for now, with the marks sealed, he should be safe for the time being.

"Hey! What about this divine beast? What should this divine beast do?"

Just as the Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation began to fade back into Ling Feng's sea of mind, the Despicable Donkey shouted in a panic.

Despite being a demon emperor, his cultivation path focused on the physical body. He had only sensed the Gu Curse marks thanks to his sharp instincts and his earlier absorption of the Evil Emperor's Blood Soul.

But when it came to the art of spiritual refinement, he was nowhere near Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation's level.

Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation glanced at him. To Ling Feng's surprise, a rare smile touched the corners of the emperor's mouth.

It seemed that Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation held a surprisingly strong impression of this donkey.

"Very well. I'll seal the marks for you as well. But my true self is not nearly as accommodating. Little donkey, you'll have to flatter him yourself!"

The spiritual thought let out a soft chuckle.

"Stop calling this divine beast 'little donkey!'"

The Despicable Donkey erupted in rage and nearly jumped off the ground.

"All right, little donkey."

The spiritual thought raised a hand. A beam of white light entered the Despicable Donkey's mind, then flowed back into Ling Feng's body and disappeared like a stream of light.

"Damn it! That old bastard!"

Despicable Donkey crossed his front hooves over his chest and began to grumble nonstop.

Ling Feng rolled his eyes, then glanced at the time. The three-day promise he had made to Bai Linger had already passed. He could only hope the sparring at Cangyan Mountain had not yet ended, or he might miss something critical.

...

At the same time, atop Cangyan Mountain.

It was now the fifth day of competition. The event had almost reached its conclusion.

Although Canglong Sanctum had performed reasonably well, and the head disciple of Black Dragon Hall had fought valiantly, they were ultimately defeated by a prodigy from Minglong Sanctum.

That young cultivator was named Ao Han. His true form was an Ice Crystal Frost Jiao. Canglong Sanctum's top disciple could not even withstand thirty moves before he was crushed and left seriously wounded.

Molong Sanctum fared even worse. They never stood a chance against Minglong Sanctum. Judging by the current situation, Minglong Sanctum was already the undisputed champion.

"It's over. Completely over!"

"I can't believe Minglong Sanctum has someone like Ao Han. He's way too powerful."

"He didn't give anyone the slightest opening. It looks like his Frost Jiao bloodline has mutated into something close to a true dragon. Ordinary king beast bloodlines are completely suppressed by it. Even at full strength, they can only bring out seventy or eighty percent of their true power. Who could ever defeat him like that?"

The head disciple of Black Dragon Hall struggled to stand. Supported by his fellow disciples, he slowly limped back to their camp.

As the sun dipped low, the final day of battle drew to its end. If no one else stepped forward to challenge Ao Han, then Minglong Sanctum would be declared the winner.

They would also earn the right to explore the ancient demon ruins.

"Long Fei... Long Fei, it's already been four days. Why haven't you come back yet?"

In the Purple Dragon Hall camp, Bai Linger sat frowning. Their disciples had all been eliminated two days ago. Their last remaining hope, Long Fei, had vanished without a trace. Outsiders believed he had run away in fear.

"

Hehe

. Bai Linger, that Long Fei is just a coward in hiding. You really think he'll show his face?"

In the Red Dragon Hall camp, Chi Gui's injuries had mostly healed after several days of rest. Though he had lost both eyes, he was still able to move by relying on his spiritual consciousness.

But with one arm missing, his combat strength had dropped drastically. He now retained less than sixty percent of his former power.

Next to him, Yin Xue's cheeks were still swollen. He yelled furiously.

"Long Fei is just a spineless rat. He doesn't even have the guts to show up against real opponents."

"You're wrong! Long Fei... he just had something important to take care of!"

Bai Linger gritted her teeth and stood up for Ling Feng without hesitation.

"What a joke."

Yin Xue's eyes flashed with cruelty.

"If he really had any courage, would he have disappeared for five days straight? If he shows up now, I'll eat shit on the spot."

"

Oh?

"

A cold voice suddenly echoed through the sky and approached with immense speed.

"Who's trying to get free meal again?"

It was unmistakable. The voice belonged to "Long Fei!"