Heart-wrenching

Gu Qingfeng gazed at the lofty figures standing high above, bathed in sunlight, hiding behind the pretense of vanquishing evil and upholding righteousness, perched upon their moral high ground, their faces indistinct.

At this moment, he found the world absurd and unpredictable—so much so that he wondered if he had been handed the wrong script.

He recalled how the Heavenly Court’s Sacred Lord and four others had summoned him, declaring him the key to averting the apocalypse.

Shouldn’t the proper script have been this? As the chosen savior, under the guidance of five venerable elders, he would grow stronger step by step, eventually battling the Heavenly Demon to save the world and its people.

So how had things spiraled into this?

This, he mused, was the importance of courtesy. The Sacred Lord and his ilk, hailing from the most prestigious factions, had displayed an utter lack of it.

Though they sought his aid, they had not thought to offer their treasuries, saintesses, or imperial scriptures willingly. Instead, they had hurled insults, pressed him relentlessly, and acted with sheer arrogance.

Out of respect for their esteemed status, he had refrained from violence, settling for only the slightest compensation. Yet, laughably, even after conceding so much, they still refused to relent.

Indeed, the world knew no such thing as "forbearance brings peace, retreat brings open skies."

The reality was this: forbearance invited further oppression, and retreat led only to an abyss with no bottom.

His endless patience had only emboldened them, until now, when even the lowliest dared to bully him.

He had come to the Heavenly Court as a guest, mingling in harmony, harming no one. The Sacred Lord and the Netherworld’s Lord had perished by their own broken oaths. Yet, despite his kindness, all he reaped was suffering.

Was this the fate of a good man—to forever be held at gunpoint?

Gu Qingfeng understood now.

A good man could not survive in this devouring world. He would resist. He would rise. He would shatter all injustice and drag those self-righteous hypocrites down from their divine pedestals!

He would no longer be human!

"Heh heh heh... What a grand accusation—'bringing calamity upon the world,' 'deserving death ten thousand times over.' How easy it is to fabricate crimes for the condemned!"

Gu Qingfeng’s face twisted into a defiant sneer, his gaze sweeping contemptuously across the gathered heroes as he laughed wildly at the heavens. His black-and-gold robes billowed violently in the gale, his jet-black hair whipping like storm clouds. Even outnumbered, he stood fearless, unshaken!

Fu Yangxi scoffed. "Fabricated crimes? Demon Gu! You murdered the Heavenly Court’s Sacred Lord and the Netherworld’s Lord, plundered treasuries, defiled saintesses, and summoned the Heavenly Demon into this world. These are your deeds! And yet you dare call them 'fabricated'? Now, I’d like to hear how you explain yourself!"

"Hmph! This sovereign’s actions require no explanation to the likes of you. Since the world brands me a demon, then a demon I shall be!"

"So you admit it?"

"Admit or deny—what difference does it make? These are nothing but your pompous excuses. Enough talk! If you seek battle, then let us battle!"

Gu Qingfeng’s eyes flashed like lightning, his aura surging like an abyssal tide, as though a demon god had descended upon the world.

"Fine! Since you seek death, we shall oblige!" Fu Yangxi’s gaze turned icy, and he prepared to lead the five hundred-plus Supreme experts into action.

But then, something happened that left them all stunned.

With a mere wave of his hand, Gu Qingfeng made the hundred-plus Supreme experts guarding him vanish without a trace.

Every present figure was a Heavenly Supreme, so they instantly recognized that those enslaved cultivators had been stored away in a spatial artifact. They froze in disbelief.

"Demon Gu! What trickery is this now? Do you truly think you can face us alone?" Fu Yangxi eyed him warily.

After all, this was the Heavenly Demon’s avatar. Such an entity never acted without purpose—underestimating him would be fatal.

But Fu Yangxi was mistaken. Gu Qingfeng simply didn’t want to lose his enslaved cultivators. He was immortal, invincible once he fully embraced the Sin of Defilement. No one could kill him—not even wound him.

For the Sin of Defilement was a thought, a notion. Who could attack a thought? Such a conceptual existence was even more intangible than a soul.

But his enslaved cultivators were not immortal. Against such overwhelming force—multiple Nine-Star Supremes among them, nearly the full might of the Holy Domain—victory was impossible. He would not let them die in vain.

"Elder Fu, why waste words? What trick could this demon possibly have that would matter? With the combined strength of the Holy Domain, how could he possibly overturn the heavens? Let us act!"

Fu Yangxi considered this and nodded. Against absolute power, no scheme could prevail.

"Attack!" he commanded.

Instantly, the five hundred-plus Supremes erupted with divine radiance, shaking the heavens and upheaving the earth.

"Halt!"

A voice, vast and imperious as the echoes of the Great Dao itself, resounded across the battlefield.

Every listener trembled, their expressions shifting drastically.

"This... a Quasi-Emperor?!"

"A Quasi-Emperor has awakened?!"

Fu Yangxi paled. "Thirteenth Ancestor! Why have you roused?"

"Thirteenth Ancestor? The Heavenly Court’s Quasi-Emperor!"

"Has the Path to Emperorhood opened? But we sensed nothing..."

The voice, majestic as the heavens, spoke again: "All of you, withdraw."

The Supremes were dumbfounded. Fu Yangxi hurriedly protested, "Thirteenth Ancestor, Demon Gu is on the verge of annihilation. How can we retreat now?"

"Do not make me repeat myself." The Thirteenth Ancestor’s tone brooked no argument.

Fu Yangxi’s face darkened, but he lowered his head. He dared not disobey a Quasi-Emperor’s command, no matter how unwilling.

But some Supremes, not of the Heavenly Court, were less compliant. A Quasi-Emperor? Their own factions had such beings too.

"Elder Thirteenth Ancestor, forgive our disobedience. Gu Qingfeng is the Heavenly Demon’s avatar. If we spare him today, he will become a catastrophe tomorrow. Surely you don’t expect us to relent on your word alone?" one Supreme said coldly.

Others joined in, some even insinuating that the Heavenly Court was colluding with the Heavenly Demon, hence shielding Gu Qingfeng.

Of course, their boldness stemmed from knowing the Thirteenth Ancestor would not emerge now—else they wouldn’t dare defy a Quasi-Emperor even with ten extra lives.

The Thirteenth Ancestor snorted, itching to crush these fools with a slap. But he restrained himself and explained, "This demon brat cannot die yet. I have my reasons. As for you... defy me if you dare. When I emerge, I will settle accounts with each of you!"

He kept his true motives hidden. Even he had pride—he wouldn’t let others think he prioritized personal gain over the safety of the Cangming Realm.

Hearing the threat, the crowd wavered. None dared ignore a Quasi-Emperor’s warning.

Just as hesitation gripped them—

"Heh heh heh... What cowardly rat dares hide in the shadows and dictate this sovereign’s fate? Why don’t you piss on a mirror and see what trash you really are!"

A vicious laugh cut through the tension.

As these words rang out, the air froze. Over five hundred Supreme Beings turned their stunned gazes toward the audacious Gu Qingfeng, their minds reeling with a single thought—that’s a Quasi-Emperor! How dare he!? How DARE he!?

And here was someone trying to save his life, yet he told them to piss off and take a look at themselves in the mirror!?

If he wanted to court death, there were better ways to do it!

The outburst even left the Thirteenth Ancestor momentarily speechless. Since ascending to the rank of Quasi-Emperor, he had never encountered anyone bold enough to speak to him like this. Today, he finally met one.

"Gu Qingfeng! You reckless fool! How dare you address this Emperor in such a manner? Do you even realize the magnitude of the existence you’ve just insulted?!"

A thunderous roar shook the heavens and earth, trembling mountains and rivers.

An overwhelming imperial might erupted, instilling primal fear and reverence into every living being, as if they stood before an enraged sovereign of the highest order.

The five hundred-plus Supreme Beings, usually unrivaled and proud, now paled, their faces drenched in cold sweat.

Yet Gu Qingfeng remained unimpressed, his gaze filled with disdain. "A ‘magnificent existence’? Keh keh keh... You’re killing me with laughter."

He cackled wildly, his tone dripping with scorn for the Quasi-Emperor. "You’re nothing but a decrepit old mutt clinging to life—a loser from the last era’s battle for the Emperor’s Throne. Too weak to challenge the true Heavenly Emperor, yet too cowardly to die, so you cower in the shadows, living like a wretched insect.

And you call that ‘magnificent’?

Back when the Heavenly Emperor still walked the earth, you didn’t dare make a sound. Now that he’s gone, you’ve found your voice. Pah! What a joke!"

Every word was a blade to the heart, leaving the five hundred Supreme Beings trembling, fearing the Thirteenth Ancestor would tear free from his seal and slaughter them all on the spot.

This was sheer, unadulterated audacity—an outright death wish against a Quasi-Emperor!

For the first time in his life, the Thirteenth Ancestor felt rage beyond measure. Not even his defeat in the battle for the Emperor’s Throne had enraged him this much. The prouder a man was, the deeper his insecurities ran, and Gu Qingfeng had just ripped open the wound the Ancestor had spent lifetimes burying.

His words struck true, dredging up the Thirteenth Ancestor’s most painful memories and forcing him to confront the reality he had long refused to face. No matter how powerful or prideful he was, nothing could change the fact that he was a failure.

Nor could it erase the truth of his pitiful existence.

In this moment, the Thirteenth Ancestor’s heart had truly been pierced.