Slowly, divine light shone within, and in the state of no-thought, suddenly a vast brightness appeared. Within the light, the faint voices of celestial maidens from an immortal palace could be heard, but Eric Bennett paid them no heed, letting them appear as they wished. However, the moment they approached the core of Eric Bennett's divine consciousness, thunder would immediately strike them down, turning them into nothingness.

This illusion occurred several times. No matter what form it took, if it merely appeared on the periphery of his consciousness, Eric Bennett ignored it. But if it ever drew near, not only would he destroy it, he would also automatically devour the magical power of the illusion.

All of this was essentially automatic. Although Eric Bennett was inwardly illuminated and aware, in the state of no-thought, there was no flow of thought, nor any gap for external illusions to exploit.

This trait, rather than being a feature of Daoist arts, was more a distinction arising from the practitioner's own mind. The more profound the Daoist art, the more subtle and heart-driven it became. By the time a cultivator reached the level of Eric Bennett, most of the power within had transformed into extremely subtle vital energy centered on the mind. Thus, although the original imprint of the Daoist sect's vital energy still existed, its future development was increasingly determined by the mind.

The nature of Eric Bennett's divine consciousness was also quite unique. He possessed the traits of others nearing ascension, but unlike other true cultivators, his subtle mental energy contained a terrifying power of destruction and devouring. Upon detecting any foreign invasion—be it celestial or demonic—he would annihilate it, shatter its imprint, and then consume it as nourishment.

The only consequence was that his primordial spirit could not split. Unlike some Daoist sects that could create incarnations outside the body, within Eric Bennett's mental energy, only one true self was allowed to exist; any other independent consciousness would be utterly destroyed.

Therefore, for Eric Bennett, so-called inner demons simply did not exist. Through five hundred years of cultivation, his mind had become an indivisible, pure entity. Any external consciousness, no matter how subtle, would be recognized as an invader by his true self and eliminated.

Likewise, because of this trait, Eric Bennett would never tolerate any other force manipulating him, whether it be the heavens or demonic consciousness.

Three hundred years ago, Eric Bennett had already entered deep cultivation. At that turning point, unlike his predecessors, he did not follow the usual path of immortal cultivation.

He chose instead to fully understand himself and pursue the very source of power.

Three hundred years of cultivation had made his power, spirit, and vital energy into a completely pure entity. Within this entity, the only master was Eric Bennett's own will. Everything else, including the spirit of the heavens and the consciousness of the heavenly demons, could not command his true self's power.

This was an independent small world.

For ordinary cultivators, the seven emotions and six desires were all obstacles on the path, because these desires—lust, violence, greed—did not entirely belong to oneself, but were influenced by the spirit of the heavens or the consciousness of the heavenly demons. Thus, one could become deluded and intoxicated, and even the cleverest person might act against reason at a critical moment, bringing about their own destruction.

But for Eric Bennett, all thoughts were integrated into a single whole. Though he could not claim absolute control, any abnormal fluctuation in consciousness would be immediately suppressed and eliminated. External spirits could not affect his inner psychological activity at all.

Thus, even when Eric Bennett harbored murderous intent, that intent belonged entirely to Eric Bennett himself, beyond the control of any external force. In this sense, Eric Bennett had no inner demons that opposed his true self.

For example, the foreign consciousness just now, though it changed endlessly—sometimes as celestial maidens, sometimes as worldly scenes, sometimes as demonic beauties—was, to a pure mind, no different at all. The moment it approached, it was immediately slain and then devoured.

This is not to say that all external consciousness was false. In fact, several times it was so-called messages from the heavens, but Eric Bennett just as unceremoniously destroyed and devoured them.

As long as there is no desire, there is naturally no gap.

Perhaps to the heavenly demons or the heavens themselves, Eric Bennett was a terrifying and unreasonable existence. All their probes were destroyed and devoured by him, with no regard for any supposed sanctity.

Meanwhile, three thousand miles away in the Blood Demon Palace, Gavin Young, who was casting spells, had already performed several techniques, all of them great arts of the heavenly demons. Yet every time the demonic magic approached that terrifying existence, that consciousness revealed a face so fearsome that even Gavin Young felt terror: whether it was a celestial maiden, the mortal world, or an immortal palace, there was only one outcome—no mercy for invaders. That consciousness would, without hesitation, crush the transformed maiden, destroy the mortal world, and shatter the immortal palace.

If not for the clear sense of a Daoist imprint within that consciousness, Gavin Young would have almost believed the other was a master of the heavenly demon path.

Heaven is ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs.

That was a will utterly devoid of the slightest compassion.

At last, Gavin Young ceased her spellcasting. Against such an enemy, there was no way to win by cunning; to defeat the opponent, only greater power would suffice.

Her expression was cold as water as she sat upon the red lotus throne. Though her divine radiance was like jade and her beauty incomparable, like a celestial maiden, the kneeling Logan Harris on the ground trembled, not daring to make a sound.