The First Mission of the Heavenly Demon Cult

Several days later.

In the Dark Nether Domain, the former stronghold of the Fallen Feather Clan had now become the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Inside the headquarters, Gu Qingfeng sat loftily upon the throne of the grand hall, one arm wrapped around the Fallen Feather Clan's female quasi-emperor who had passed his trials, and the other around the little corpse demoness in her transformed form of a radiant angel.

One pair of black wings and one pair of white wings complemented each other perfectly.

Below the hall stood ten quasi-emperors, all core elites of the Heavenly Demon Sect, standing respectfully. Among them, two had recently joined, drawn by the sect's reputation.

Now that the number of quasi-emperors had reached ten, Gu Qingfeng felt a surge of ambition. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared, "From this day forth, you shall be the Ten Demon Kings of my Heavenly Demon Sect!"

"We thank the Sect Master for his grace!" the ten quasi-emperors chorused, bowing in unison.

"Kekeke..." Gu Qingfeng laughed wildly, his mood soaring. On a whim, he planted a kiss on the cheeks of the beauties beside him, eliciting playful giggles.

To wield supreme power while awake and recline in the embrace of beauties while drunk—this was the life Gu Qingfeng had pursued through years of arduous cultivation. He felt he was nearing the pinnacle of his existence.

Yet he did not lose himself in indulgence, for his ultimate goal was eternal life, to shine as brightly as the sun and moon. Thus, he knew he must continue his relentless cultivation.

First, a small goal: to achieve minor mastery of his Chaos Body and break through to the quasi-emperor realm.

"Now, I shall issue the first mission. Listen carefully," Gu Qingfeng announced. "I know your lifespans are dwindling, and you must soon enter seclusion. But this task does not require your personal involvement—merely delegate it to your subordinate forces."

"Please instruct us, Sect Master."

"Go forth and gather every special constitution and unique bloodline in the entire Cangming Realm—whether human, demon, or any other race. If they possess extraordinary traits, capture them all and bring them to me!"

"As you command, Sect Master! We shall spare no effort!"

"Good. Now, each of you, draw some blood and then return to your seclusion."

With that, Gu Qingfeng tossed ten small jade bottles toward them.

The ten quasi-emperors caught the bottles, their hearts uneasy. Blood could be used for many things—some dark arts could even kill a person through it.

But then they remembered: the Oath Thread bound them, leaving no room for defiance. Their situation was already dire—what worse could a little blood do?

Thus, they each drew blood and respectfully presented the filled bottles.

"Dismissed."

Without delay, the quasi-emperors departed, for every second they remained in the world consumed a second of their precious lifespan.

Once they were gone, Gu Qingfeng handed the ten bottles to the little corpse demoness.

Her eyes curved into crescents as she giggled with delight.

Mwah!

"Thank you, Master~! I love you the most!"

Thanks to Gu Qingfeng's relentless scheming and the vast quantities of powerful blood he had collected, the little corpse demoness had been growing stronger without lifting a finger. With no bottlenecks in her Corpse Emperor bloodline, she had already reached the strength of a Nine-Star Supreme, needing only quasi-emperor blood to break through to that realm.

The blood collected today was precisely for her.

Yet, after storing the bottles away, she clung to Gu Qingfeng and cooed, "Master, you forgot someone's blood~."

Gu Qingfeng blinked. "Who?"

The little corpse demoness licked her lips, her gaze fixed on the pale neck of the Fallen Feather Clan's female quasi-emperor beside him. "This sister right here~."

The female quasi-emperor shivered under her stare.

Gu Qingfeng suddenly remembered—he had nearly overlooked her. "Ah, right. Nana, give some blood to your little sister here."

Nana pouted but obeyed.

It was worth noting that, having passed her trials flawlessly, Gu Qingfeng had rewarded her with a fragment of the Qilin Immortal Herb's root, allowing her to extend her lifespan by a few years without needing seclusion.

"No need to trouble yourself, sister~," the little corpse demoness purred, stepping closer. "I'll help myself~."

"You—!" Nana glared, furious and fearful as the little demoness bared her tiny fangs and leaned in. She wanted to push her away, but seeing Gu Qingfeng watching with amusement, she lacked the courage.

......

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

In that time, the Heavenly Demon Sect had expanded like a rolling snowball. Rumors spread across the Cangming Realm that joining the sect granted ascension to the Heavenly Demon Realm and eternal life, stirring countless hearts.

Yet the sect's entry requirements grew ever stricter, rejecting the weak and enforcing rigorous selection criteria.

Paradoxically, this only strengthened belief in the rumors, driving more to clamor for admission.

Of course, not everyone welcomed the sect's rise. Hatred simmered among some, for it was impossible to please all.

Especially after Gu Qingfeng's decree to capture all special constitutions and bloodlines—this had provoked widespread outrage. Those with unique traits were often the prized heirs of major factions, unwilling to surrender them.

Thus, over the year, countless self-proclaimed heroes emerged, openly condemning the Heavenly Demon Sect and spreading doomsday prophecies about its destruction. Some even resisted capture in secret.

Yet no large-scale conflicts erupted on the surface.

The Heavenly Demon Sect's might was overwhelming. From its initial ten quasi-emperors, it had grown to over twenty.

In the entire Cangming Realm, the number of active quasi-emperors barely exceeded a hundred. Gu Qingfeng's sect now commanded nearly a fifth of them.

Such terrifying power left none daring to provoke them.

Without dozens of quasi-emperors banding together, the sect faced no risk of annihilation.

But with the Path to Emperorhood nearing, which quasi-emperor would sacrifice their own chances to fight the sect for the greater good?

None.

Even the righteous among them were no fools. Knowing they couldn't rally others, they too held back, waiting to attain true emperorship before eradicating the sect.

Thus, for a full year, the Heavenly Demon Sect reigned unchallenged.

And in that year of accumulation, Gu Qingfeng's Chaos Body finally achieved minor mastery—making him unrivaled among quasi-emperors.

In this era where true emperors remained absent, and excluding hidden old monsters like Old Ghost, Gu Qingfeng could proudly declare:

I am the strongest under heaven!