Not Cultivation Partners, Bad Review

Swish!

Two pairs of pitch-black wings blotted out the sky, and soon after, the figures of two Quasi-Emperors from the Fallen Feather Clan were forced out in disarray.

Both appeared youthful—one male, one female. The man exuded a sinister aura, while the woman was enchantingly alluring. Their pale skin was marked by faint black feathers between their brows, as if they wore smoky eye makeup.

This was a hallmark of the Fallen Feather Clan—an innate aura of decadence, a natural smoky allure, reminiscent of fallen angels.

When Gu Qingfeng laid eyes on the female Quasi-Emperor of the Fallen Feather Clan, his gaze instantly brightened. Though he had encountered countless beauties, this was his first time in the Cangming Realm seeing such a dark, gothic-style beauty.

The key point was—she wasn’t deliberately made up this way. It was her natural appearance.

Interesting.

She had successfully captured his attention.

"Gu Qingfeng! Our Fallen Feather Clan has no quarrel with you. Yet you slaughter our kin and attack us without reason—what is your intention?!" the male Fallen Feather Quasi-Emperor roared.

"Shut up." Gu Qingfeng didn’t even glance at him, his gaze fixed solely on the female Quasi-Emperor as he asked, "Beauty, what’s your relationship with him?"

A sultry, magnetic voice escaped her lips: "Siblings."

Gu Qingfeng sighed in disappointment. "Not lovers? What a letdown!"

His tone carried a hint of regret and pity—though it was unclear what exactly he was lamenting.

"Gu Qingfeng, you must give our Fallen Feather Clan an explanation for today’s events! Otherwise, even if it costs me my lifespan, I’ll make you pay!"

"You stole this Emperor’s Qilin Immortality Herb, and now you demand an explanation from me? You truly have a death wish!"

Gu Qingfeng was about to strike when the female Quasi-Emperor hastily intervened, "Hold your attack—there may be some misunderstanding here."

No sooner had she spoken than two blazing streaks of firelight streaked across the distant horizon.

At that moment, she abruptly changed her tone: "Never mind. There’s no misunderstanding. Let’s fight."

"Gu Qingfeng! How dare you enslave our Qilin Clan’s royal heir?! You deserve death!"

A thunderous bellow shook the battlefield.

The newcomers were none other than two Quasi-Emperors of the Qilin Clan. As one of the ancient imperial clans, even after the passage of time, it was impossible for their lineage to have only the Qilin Child as their sole Quasi-Emperor.

Now, Gu Qingfeng understood—the two Fallen Feather Quasi-Emperors had been stalling for time, secretly summoning the Qilin Clan.

After all, with the Qilin Child enslaved, the Qilin Clan couldn’t just stand by.

"Keh keh keh... Of all the people you could’ve called, why did it have to be the Qilin Clan?" Gu Qingfeng burst into maniacal laughter, tears nearly streaming from his eyes.

With his current strength, facing four non-demon Quasi-Emperors would’ve been a losing battle. Yet the Fallen Feather Clan, fearing he was outnumbered, had to bring in two more allies.

Now, it was four against two—two Qilin Quasi-Emperors, plus the Qilin Child and himself, versus the two Fallen Feather members.

"Enough talk with this beast. Let’s attack. A single Quasi-Emperor couldn’t kill him, but with the four of us, he won’t survive!" The female Quasi-Emperor’s eyes gleamed dangerously as she unconsciously licked her dark-purple lips.

The next instant—

Four blinding divine lights erupted into the heavens, leaving Gu Qingfeng no room to react. All four attacked simultaneously, their assaults converging from every direction.

Gu Qingfeng’s response was simple—he turned his back to the two Qilin opponents, extending both hands to meet the Fallen Feather Quasi-Emperors’ strikes.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Four system notifications chimed.

Gu Qingfeng grinned. These guys were practically allies!

Just as he’d suspected—the Fallen Feather Clan’s aura screamed "not good guys," making their classification as demons no surprise.

The four attackers were certain their combined strike was unstoppable under the heavens. Yet against Gu Qingfeng, it was like striking an indestructible divine mountain—or a boundless demonic abyss that devoured all.

Not a scratch. Not a ripple.

The four Quasi-Emperors paled, scrambling back as they stared in shock at Gu Qingfeng’s unhinged laughter.

"How is this possible?!"

"Our combined attack didn’t even leave a mark on him!"

"Just recently, the Thirteenth Ancestor of the Heavenly Court blasted him apart multiple times! Even if he couldn’t be killed, at least he could be dispersed. Yet now, in such a short time, his defense can withstand four Quasi-Emperors?!"

"Wait! He’s not unharmed—look at his body!" one Quasi-Emperor suddenly cried out.

Even Gu Qingfeng was taken aback. His body? What about it?

As far as he could tell, they’d only bent a single strand of his hair. Was that worth the fuss?

He quickly glanced down—only to discover a strange, decaying aura rising from his body. Countless gray-white particles seeped out from within.

"What the hell is this?!"

For a brief moment, Gu Qingfeng wondered if the old ghost had tampered with him.

But then, one of the Quasi-Emperors provided the answer.

"That decaying aura... It’s the Fourth Heavenly Tribulation—the Flesh Tribulation!"

"He’s undergoing a tribulation?!"

"No, forget the tribulation—the real shock is that he’s only at the Fourth Heavenly Layer?!"

Gu Qingfeng relaxed. So, the attacks had triggered his breakthrough, initiating the Fourth Heavenly Tribulation.

He hadn’t even noticed—most of the Quasi-Emperors’ attacks had been converted into nourishment for his Chaos Body. Only a fraction went toward his cultivation, halting at the tribulation stage.

He’d need to clear the tribulation before progressing further.

"What’s the big deal about a tribulation? Let’s keep going."

Without hesitation, Gu Qingfeng charged at the four Quasi-Emperors mid-tribulation. A colossal hand condensed from Chaos Qi blotted out the sky, crushing the void as it descended upon them.

Of course, years of battle experience taught him to hold back—lest he scare them off.

The two Qilin Quasi-Emperors erupted in towering flames, rumbling like erupting volcanoes.

The Fallen Feather pair unfurled their sky-covering wings, spewing endless corrupt energy.

Both sides unleashed their full might, clashing in a frenzied battle.

Soon, the Fourth Heavenly Tribulation passed—Gu Qingfeng’s physique was so robust he barely felt it.

With the four Quasi-Emperors’ "help," his cultivation skyrocketed to the Fifth Heavenly Layer. Then, something bizarre happened.

The Fifth Tribulation—the Heart Demon Tribulation—never came. He instantly ascended to the Heavenly Monarch realm.

After a moment’s thought, Gu Qingfeng realized why: the Heart Demon had already blacklisted him. No tribulation needed.

Amid the relentless battle, his long-stagnant cultivation—held back by tribulations—finally surged. In mere moments, he advanced from Heavenly Monarch to Heavenly Venerate. Though the pace slowed at the Venerate stage, it was still lightning-fast compared to before.

An hour later—Heavenly Supreme.

Three hours later—Nine-Star Supreme. Then, he hit a wall.

Quasi-Emperor required forging one’s own path—it wasn’t a matter of brute-force enhancement.

For the first time, Gu Qingfeng genuinely felt his strength grow—by at least ten percent.

Before, his cultivation had been so low that breaking through a few realms barely made a difference—like pouring a cup of water into the ocean.

Now that his cultivation had reached the Nine-Star Sovereign realm, the hindrance was no longer as severe, and his combat prowess surged instantly.