Toll for Safe Passage

For a moment, Gu Qingfeng found himself facing the scornful rebukes of the most elite group of powerhouses in the world.

The Quasi-Emperors were anxious, eager to enter the Emperor’s Path and vie for the throne.

The Emperor Corpses were even more desperate, longing to step onto the Emperor’s Path and reclaim their former glory.

Yet Gu Qingfeng remained utterly unperturbed.

"How noisy!"

His domineering voice echoed across the heavens and the earth.

With a contemptuous gaze and an arrogant demeanor, Gu Qingfeng swept his eyes over the crowd.

"If you wish to enter the Emperor’s Path, you’ll have to ask whether this Emperor permits it!"

His words were a simultaneous reply to two factions—the Quasi-Emperors and the Emperor Corpses.

"Arrogant fool!"

"You’re courting death!"

"By doing this, you’re making an enemy of the entire Cangming Realm!"

"Enough talk with this demon! He’s nothing but a lackey of the Heavenly Demons, deliberately blocking our path to becoming Emperors. Let’s just kill him outright!"

Faced with the jeers of the Quasi-Emperors, Gu Qingfeng threw his head back and laughed wildly, as if watching a troupe of clowns.

"Keh keh keh... Let’s see who dares to make a move!"

"I dare!"

Boom!

A ten-thousand-zhang black serpent suddenly lunged forward, its gaping maw swallowing the outspoken Quasi-Emperor before anyone could react.

Silence.

An eerie, suffocating silence.

No one had expected the black serpent beside Gu Qingfeng to possess the power to instantly kill a Quasi-Emperor. Though the victim was a newly ascended Quasi-Emperor with shallow cultivation, he was still a Quasi-Emperor!

Battles between Quasi-Emperors of the same level often lasted ten days to half a month before a victor emerged. When had anyone ever witnessed an instant kill?

"Now, who else dares?" Gu Qingfeng asked coolly.

The Quasi-Emperors wore grave expressions, yet none backed down.

With the Emperor’s Path before them, even if mountains of blades and seas of fire barred the way, they would risk their lives to charge forward.

"Brothers, this demon is ruthless. Let us join forces to eliminate him first, then proceed to the Emperor’s Path. What say you?"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Do you really think he can stop all of us?"

As they spoke, the crowd prepared to swarm Gu Qingfeng.

On his side, Gu Qingfeng had only a few dozen Quasi-Emperors, while his opponents numbered nearly a thousand—an overwhelming disparity.

Yet, as they closed in, he merely smirked in disdain.

"This Emperor indeed cannot stop all of you. However...

"I can stop the one who leads the charge.

"Let me make this clear: whoever strikes first, this Emperor will rally all the Heavenly Demon Sect’s forces to focus their attacks on that person alone. The rest may slip through—it matters not. But the first to act will die."

These ruthless words sent a chill through the Quasi-Emperors’ hearts.

They were no fools. They understood the cunning in Gu Qingfeng’s words.

Whoever took the lead would face the concentrated assault of dozens of Quasi-Emperors. Among them, who could withstand such an attack alone?

Even if someone could, how could they emerge unscathed? And once injured, how could they hope to traverse the Emperor’s Path?

As for relying on others for aid?

Nonsense. This was the Emperor’s Path—a single-plank bridge where thousands competed, and one’s triumph was built upon the bones of countless others.

If the Heavenly Demon Sect focused on attacking one person, the rest would surely seize the chance to rush into the Emperor’s Path. The fewer competitors, the better.

Moreover, even if they united in force, it would be futile. Gu Qingfeng was undying and indestructible. Once entangled with such a monster, the Emperor’s Path would be out of reach.

He couldn’t stop everyone from entering, but he could stop the first to act.

In other words, whoever struck first would forfeit their chance at becoming an Emperor, paving the way for others.

The Quasi-Emperors saw through Gu Qingfeng’s scheme, yet knowing it didn’t mean they could counter it. No one wanted to be the sacrificial lamb, cutting short their own path to greatness.

It was akin to an armed robber holding a crowd hostage with a single bullet. Though the bullet could kill only one person, its mere presence deterred everyone from acting.

Even if they knew the gun held just one shot, none dared to be the first to resist—for the first to move would surely die. Who would willingly offer themselves?

This was the mindset of the Quasi-Emperors now—none willing to stick their neck out.

"Gu Qingfeng! What is it you truly want?"

"Brothers, don’t listen to this demon’s lies! He seeks to prevent the Cangming Realm from birthing an Emperor to halt the Heavenly Demon calamity. For the sake of all living beings, let us charge together!"

The crowd grew increasingly restless, their patience wearing thin.

Indeed, this tactic could only suppress them temporarily. In the end, they would fight desperately—and whoever was singled out would simply have to accept their fate.

However, Gu Qingfeng wasn’t blocking them to keep them from the Emperor’s Path. He merely wanted to collect a toll.

He knew full well that his decisive battle with the Flame Heaven Emperor lay within the Emperor’s Path. Though he was already immensely powerful, rivaling an Emperor’s might, he sought every possible advantage to ensure victory.

"You wish to enter the Emperor’s Path? Fine. But you’ll need to pay a price," Gu Qingfeng declared abruptly.

A Quasi-Emperor sneered. "A price? Are you demanding toll money now?"

Gu Qingfeng grinned ominously. "Precisely. This Emperor is indeed of that mind."

His words ignited a firestorm of outrage.

"Absurd! The Emperor’s Path was opened by the Cangming Realm’s Heavenly Dao—it’s not your property! By what right do you demand payment?"

"By the right that if you utter one more word, this Emperor will let everyone pass—except you. Do you believe me?"

The speaker immediately shrank back, not daring to retort.

"Now, humans stand to the left. All other races, to the right. You will pay your dues one by one before entering."

Gu Qingfeng’s command hung in the air, yet no one obeyed.

"Keh keh keh... Very well. This Emperor intended to grant you a path to life, but since you refuse, try forcing your way through.

"With several dozen Quasi-Emperors under this Emperor’s command, plus these seven black serpents, a conservative estimate suggests at least a hundred of you will be stopped.

"And those hundred shouldn’t expect any rescue. With a hundred fewer competitors, the rest will be thanking this Emperor."

His words slithered like a devil’s whisper, seducing the crowd toward damnation.

No one wished to be among the hundred left behind.

Soon, the clever ones began to act.

Some realized the crux of the matter: if they didn’t want to gamble, they should pay the toll. Material possessions meant little—only their life-bound artifacts were indispensable.

Moreover, the earlier they paid, the better.

If you were the first to pay and Gu Qingfeng reneged, it would provoke collective fury, ensuring his downfall. Thus, the chance of betrayal was slim.

But if you waited until last, and the others had already entered, the final stragglers would be at his mercy.

What if he took their treasures and still barred their way? Who would hold him accountable? Could they expect the Quasi-Emperors inside the Emperor’s Path to come back out?

It was this reasoning that drove the shrewd ones to comply.

Seeing the situation unravel and morale crumbling, even the most stubborn holdouts had no choice but to yield.

Then, a bizarre scene unfolded before everyone's eyes—countless Quasi-Emperors lined up obediently like schoolchildren, with the humans standing on the left and the other races on the right.

"Good. Humans, hand over all your possessions first, and you may enter the Path to Emperorhood. The rest of you, wait your turn."