Entering the Path of the Emperor

The son of the Black Dragon Emperor let out a muffled groan, swiftly retracting his broken dragon claw. Without a word, he handed over all his possessions before fleeing into the Emperor's Path like a stray dog, not even daring to look back.

Gu Qingfeng didn't spare him a single glance the entire time.

Yet inwardly, he couldn't help but marvel—this son of the Black Dragon Emperor was far more formidable than even the Qilin Child. Had it not been for Old Ghost and his crew stirring up trouble, along with his own interference, the throne of the Heavenly Emperor might very well have been within the dragon's grasp.

After the incident with the Black Dragon Emperor's son, none of the other quasi-Emperors dared entertain any rebellious thoughts. One by one, they obediently lined up, paid their dues, and underwent the test.

Even when Gu Qingfeng later exempted several quasi-Emperors from other races, no one dared question his decisions.

Only the demonic and monstrous races felt aggrieved. As the most populous race in the Cangming Realm, they also had the highest number of quasi-Emperors.

While quasi-Emperors from the Spirit Race were praised for their solid foundations and exempted from testing, not a single demonic or monstrous quasi-Emperor received the same privilege.

This led them to suspect that Gu Qingfeng harbored some grudge against their kind and was deliberately targeting them.

An hour later...

All the quasi-Emperors had completed their tests and entered the Emperor's Path. The few who failed slunk away in disgrace.

Though they claimed to have left, they actually lurked in the shadows, waiting for Gu Qingfeng to enter so they could sneak in afterward.

Once the Emperor's Path opened, it would remain so until a Heavenly Emperor emerged.

Gu Qingfeng couldn't be bothered with them. After all, the so-called test was merely for show.

His true goal was to strengthen himself for the coming battle against the Flame Heavenly Emperor.

Facing an opponent of such caliber demanded the utmost caution—especially since this Heavenly Emperor had pushed two Daos to their absolute limits. Such peerless brilliance placed him among the greatest of all Heavenly Emperors, past and present.

The Flame Heavenly Emperor had yet to appear. Whether he had already entered the Emperor's Path through some secret method or was still biding his time remained unknown.

This round of "harvesting" had not only skyrocketed Gu Qingfeng's cultivation to the very peak of the quasi-Emperor realm but also brought his Chaos Body to the brink of perfection.

After all, this was the combined wealth of every quasi-Emperor family in the Cangming Realm!

Now, all that remained was to wait for the ancient Heavenly Emperors to awaken.

With a single thought, Gu Qingfeng vanished from his spot and stepped into the Emperor's Path.

When he reappeared, he found himself amidst a desolate, frigid expanse of stars.

Here, endless darkness reigned, and silence was the eternal theme.

Only the faint glimmer of scattered stars, like diamonds sewn into black velvet, pierced the gloom.

Gu Qingfeng scanned his surroundings, sensing nothing but a lifeless void.

"Is this the Emperor's Path?" Little Corpse Charm murmured in awe from his embrace.

"Indeed. This is the Emperor's Path—a place of eternal solitude and chaotic Daos."

"Daos?"

Little Corpse Charm focused for a moment before gasping in surprise. "Master, the laws of heaven and earth here are fully manifested... and utterly disordered!"

"Precisely. That's why the Emperor's Path is considered the ultimate training ground. Quasi-Emperors who come here can rapidly advance their cultivation. But remember—where there is opportunity, there is also peril. The chaotic Daos conceal unimaginable dangers."

Gu Qingfeng explained patiently, recounting what he'd learned from Old Ghost. That old bastard seemed to know a little about everything, and when it came to the Emperor's Path, he spoke with such authority it was as if he'd built the place himself.

Yet Old Ghost claimed he'd never set foot on the Emperor's Path—and had no intention of doing so this time either.

As for why, Old Ghost remained vague, only saying the Emperor's Path was... unique.

"Training ground?" Little Corpse Charm tilted her head cutely, pouting. "But wouldn't everyone be rushing to reach the end? Who'd stop to train here?"

"Most balance both—cultivating as they advance. The Emperor's Path isn't a race. Victory isn't about speed but endurance—growing stronger step by step and surviving to the end.

In essence, the Emperor's Path is a journey of transformation and ascension."

Little Corpse Charm gazed at Gu Qingfeng with starry-eyed admiration.

She knew exactly how to charm a man.

"Let's move," Gu Qingfeng said, waving his hand.

The dozens of quasi-Emperors behind him promptly produced an ancient war chariot forged entirely of gold.

Just as he was about to board, Little Corpse Charm clung to him.

"Master~ Carry me~ It's so dark and scary~"

Gu Qingfeng scooped her up and stepped into the golden chariot.

The quasi-Emperors began pulling the chariot forward.

The Emperor's Path was a place of solitude and despair.

Space here was wildly unstable, constantly shifting. Though Gu Qingfeng had entered only moments after the other quasi-Emperors, they were already separated by untold billions of miles.

Worth noting—the moment the Emperor Corpses entered the Emperor's Path, they slipped free from the protection of the Sinful Curse. Without so much as a farewell, they rudely bolted.

They had urgent business—first and foremost, tracking down their descendants or inheritors to reclaim their immortal bodies.

The Emperor's Path was fraught with danger. If they died before completing their mission, all would be for naught.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Gu Qingfeng's group had journeyed through the Emperor's Path for a full month without encountering a single living soul—only endless darkness and silence.

Fortunately, with Little Corpse Charm in tow—effectively a harem of three thousand—boredom was never an issue. Even if it meant not leaving the chariot for a month.

Occasionally, they stumbled upon skeletal remains drifting through the void—relics of past challengers who'd perished on the Emperor's Path.

Bathed in the Path's laws for millions of years and crafted from extraordinary materials, these bones shimmered with divine light, rivaling the finest treasures.

Gu Qingfeng collected them all.

Not out of greed, of course. He simply believed in respecting the dead—returning these pioneers to their homeland, the Cangming Realm, where they belonged.

When luck turned sour, they encountered void vortices, spatial storms, black holes, and other hazards. The obvious ones were manageable, but the subtle, sudden ones were nearly impossible to guard against.

In just one month, two of the quasi-Emperors pulling the chariot perished—one to a void vortex, the other... also to a void vortex.

Void vortices were the most insidious—nearly undetectable until it was too late.

On this day, as the golden chariot pressed onward, a thunderous rumble like ten thousand stampeding horses erupted from the depths of space.

Disturbed from his leisure, Gu Qingfeng emerged from the chariot and gazed into the distance.

There, he saw a beast so massive its full form lay beyond sight—so colossal that the naked eye could only discern a single scale at a time.

Each scale rivaled a mountain in size.

Even extending his divine sense revealed only half of its body.

The exposed half of its body took on the irregular shape of a mountain peak, its surface as rugged as the moon’s, pockmarked and uneven, somewhat resembling porous volcanic rock—only magnified billions of times over.

Most eerily, it was covered in dense, overlapping black scales.

"Master, what kind of monster is this?" Little Corpse Charm peeked out from Gu Qingfeng’s embrace, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

"An Emperor Beast."

"What’s an Emperor Beast?"

"Emperor Beasts are unique creatures of the Emperor’s Path—abominations born from the remnants of fallen Quasi-Emperors’ Dao, fused with the chaotic manifestations of the Path itself. They take countless grotesque forms, each stranger and more terrifying than the last. Their strength rivals that of Quasi-Emperors, but they lack sentience."