This deity cannot be destroyed by heaven nor buried by earth.

The words of the Thirteenth Ancestor plunged countless hidden observers into silence.

Were they not also the failures of the previous era? Were they not another version of the Thirteenth Ancestor?

Hiding in the shadows, barely clinging to life.

To be fair, they lacked the courage the Thirteenth Ancestor displayed now, especially with the Emperor's Path about to open. Everyone had grown increasingly cautious.

Yet, against all expectations, the Thirteenth Ancestor had emerged—not for any grand purpose, but simply to reclaim his pride and rebuild his confidence.

This step had placed him ahead of everyone else, but the cost was his life. If he failed to find the legendary Elixir of Immortality, his figure would be absent from the Emperor's Path.

At the same time, their gazes turned toward Gu Qingfeng, filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

After all, not just anyone could force a Quasi-Emperor to reveal themselves.

"After I helped you regain your confidence, this is how you repay me?" Gu Qingfeng said nonchalantly, showing no regard for the other's status as a Quasi-Emperor.

Truthfully, he hadn't intended to provoke a Quasi-Emperor into appearing. But with so many watching and the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch, he couldn't help but put on a show.

As someone from the 21st century, he had lived through the information explosion—spouting grand philosophies came naturally to him.

Who would have thought it could even help someone achieve enlightenment?

"What? Are you scared?" A cold voice echoed across the heavens.

"A mere Quasi-Emperor? Hardly worth the fuss." Gu Qingfeng smirked, his tone laced with such casual disdain that an outsider might mistake him for the Heavenly Emperor.

The ancient beings observing from the shadows couldn't help but twitch their lips at his words. Where did this arrogant fool come from?

A Quasi-Emperor? Mere?

Who did he think he was? The Heavenly Emperor?

The Thirteenth Ancestor was also taken aback. He never expected that even after his emergence, this brat would remain so brazen.

It was like teasing a tiger through the bars of a cage with a piece of meat—only for the tiger to be released, and the fool kept right on taunting. Absolute audacity.

"I emerged because of your insults. If I don't kill you, my heart's knot will remain, and the Emperor's Path will be beyond my reach. Still, in gratitude for your reminder, I will use my strongest technique to grant you an instant death. I hope you won't beg for mercy and ruin what little dignity you have left."

Gu Qingfeng clicked his tongue at the words. As expected of a Quasi-Emperor—even his speech carried an air of effortless superiority.

He understood the Thirteenth Ancestor's reasoning. At their level, clarity of Dao Heart and resolution of intent were paramount. If the Dao Heart was clouded, their state would suffer, weakening their combat power and cutting them off from the Emperor's Path.

This was the essence of cultivating an invincible mindset—without the confidence to stand above all, no matter how high one's cultivation, becoming the Heavenly Emperor would remain an impossible dream.

"Pity." Gu Qingfeng shook his head lightly. "You won't be able to kill me. It seems your heart's knot will remain, and the Heavenly Emperor's throne will forever elude you."

The Thirteenth Ancestor said no more. His left hand formed the Seal of Sun and Moon, his right the Seal of Mountains and Rivers. Then, with palms pressed together, he struck out violently.

A colossal orb of light appeared. In that instant, the world fell into silence, stripped of all color.

As if everything had been absorbed into that radiant sphere.

The orb resembled a miniature world—within it lay sun and moon, mountains and rivers, beasts and fish, the very essence of heaven and earth—all converging toward Gu Qingfeng with unparalleled force.

"The Sun-Moon Mountain-River Seal!" Fu Yangxi gasped in horror.

As an elder of the Heavenly Court, he recognized one of its most formidable divine techniques. This seal was among them, and its creator was none other than the Thirteenth Ancestor.

Gu Qingfeng remained expressionless, neither dodging nor evading, calmly watching as the orb consumed him.

There was no deafening explosion, no boundless release of energy—only silent annihilation.

Within a hundred-mile radius of Gu Qingfeng's location, everything—plants, trees, earth, structures, even the void itself—vanished in an instant, reduced to nothingness.

The Thirteenth Ancestor, mindful that this was the Heavenly Court, had restrained his power meticulously, ensuring no collateral damage beyond that hundred-mile radius.

He glanced at the empty void where Gu Qingfeng had stood, finding no trace of him.

Then, turning to Fu Yangxi and the others, who were still frozen in shock, he commanded, "Spread my order: search for the Elixir of Immortality at all costs."

But as he spoke, his brow furrowed. No one responded. Anger flared—until he noticed their horrified gazes fixed in one direction, as if witnessing something unimaginable.

A dreadful realization struck him. He whirled around—and his pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Gu Qingfeng stood there, completely unharmed, without a single scratch on him.

"You... you're alive?!" the Thirteenth Ancestor blurted out.

"Keh keh keh... This one is beyond the heavens' destruction, untouchable by the earth's burial. Even if the sun and moon were to fall, my true spirit would endure. I have fought through a hundred cycles of reincarnation, defied the fickleness of the Six Paths—and still, I remain unbroken. A mere Quasi-Emperor could never hope to kill me."

At that moment, every supreme being present—and those lurking in the shadows—was stunned. To withstand a Quasi-Emperor's full-force strike unscathed... Who was this man?

Could he be... the Heavenly Emperor?!

"Impossible!!" the Thirteenth Ancestor roared, his newly regained confidence already wavering.

He was a Quasi-Emperor!

In this era where the Heavenly Emperor had yet to appear, he stood at the very peak!

Yet now, even his full power couldn't kill an ant who hadn't even reached the Heavenly Monarch realm?

"You must have some life-replacing treasure! I refuse to believe you can't be killed!"

With a cold snort, the Thirteenth Ancestor threw a punch.

As his fist descended, the heavens filled with endless radiance, countless divine runes blazing with terrifying killing intent as they surged toward Gu Qingfeng.

BOOM—!

In an instant, Gu Qingfeng's body shattered, dissolving into a formless, intangible black mist. The divine light passed through it, leaving not a single mark.

When the light faded, the mist coalesced once more, and Gu Qingfeng reappeared, whole and unharmed.

The Thirteenth Ancestor's expression grew graver, his shock deepening. He unleashed a hundred more punches, shaking the heavens, shattering the void—yet it was like striking air. Not a single blow landed on Gu Qingfeng.

What did it matter if a Quasi-Emperor was strong? He couldn't kill—or even harm—something as conceptual as a malevolent thought.

If the Sin of Extremes could be destroyed so easily, the Heavenly Dao wouldn't have needed to seal it eternally, casting an eternal curse and turning it into a forbidden land.

Not even a Quasi-Emperor could do it. Not even the Heavenly Emperor.

Even if the Heavenly Emperor could harm the malevolent thought, it would be futile—the wicked thoughts of all living beings were endless. Destroy as much as you like; more would always remain. As long as life existed, the Sin of Extremes would never perish.

After an incense stick's worth of time, the Thirteenth Ancestor gave up. His relentless assault had only accelerated the burning of his already dwindling lifespan. If this continued, Gu Qingfeng would remain unharmed while he himself perished first.

Damn it! Was his first step after emerging destined to end in failure?

He glared at Gu Qingfeng, resolve hardening. If Gu Qingfeng lived, his path to the Heavenly Emperor's throne would be blocked. Since killing him was impossible, he would settle for sealing him away.

The Thirteenth Ancestor raised both hands—the left holding a bright moon, the right a blazing sun. Sun and moon descended together, aiming to suppress and imprison Gu Qingfeng.

Yet Gu Qingfeng's expression remained serene, his black robes pristine as if untouched by the dust of the mortal world. Like an immortal descending from the heavens, he strolled out of the Sun-Moon Seal with effortless grace.

No hindrance could bar his path.

Not even the seal could confine his thoughts.

Unless a being of the Major Thousand World's Heavenly Dao level intervened, such a feat would be utterly impossible.