The Three Heavenly Emperors

Gu Qingfeng paid no heed to the stunned onlookers. Instead, he muttered to the struggling Voidfish King, "Not bad for a king of the Voidfish. To escape my grasp even once—consider yourself blessed for three lifetimes."

After his attributes were fully enhanced, the Voidfish King was crushed in his grip. Then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he swam effortlessly toward the depths of the Weak Water.

With the Voidfish King's power now his own, he could even reach the seabed of the Weak Water this time.

"Just now... did I hallucinate? Did I really see the Demon Lord Gu?" one Quasi-Emperor muttered in disbelief.

"Must be a hallucination—I saw him too."

"So... did all of us hallucinate?"

The crowd fell into silence.

......

At the bottom of the Weak Water.

Gu Qingfeng sat cross-legged, actively absorbing the Weak Water to purify himself. The refining power here was a hundred times stronger than at the surface, so intense that terrifying vibrations emanated from his body.

Gradually, a massive vortex formed around him, causing the surrounding Weak Water to churn violently. Countless impurities were stripped away and dissolved.

Three days later.

The water level had already dropped by several meters and continued to recede. Even the Quasi-Emperors on the surface noticed the anomaly.

"What’s happening? The Weak Water is vanishing at an alarming rate!"

"I’ve only ever heard of the Weak Water dissolving all things—never something dissolving the Weak Water itself!"

"Could it be related to Demon Lord Gu? He hasn’t resurfaced since diving to the bottom."

The debate raged on, but no conclusion was reached.

However, some noticed that as the Weak Water diminished, its terrifying suction force weakened significantly, making their journey much easier.

A day later.

At the seabed, Gu Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes, sensing something. He turned his head eastward and raised a hand in summoning.

A translucent, ethereal liquid appeared in his palm.

"This is... the Essence of Weak Water!"

A faint smile crossed his lips. The Essence of Weak Water was a priceless treasure, formed over countless eons under the crushing pressure of the seabed.

Glancing around, he realized the essence must have been drawn to him by the suction force of his cultivation.

With a thought, endless black mist surged from his body, spreading like ink from a squid, rapidly darkening the surrounding waters.

As he continued releasing it, the corrupted area expanded, even reaching the surface, where vast patches of black stained the water like an oil spill.

"What’s going on?! Why is the Weak Water turning black?!" The Quasi-Emperors panicked at the sudden change.

When they sensed the black energy within the water—like demonic miasma spewing from the abyss, threatening to devour the heavens and earth—they recoiled in horror, soaring higher to avoid contact.

Ignoring the frightened Quasi-Emperors, Gu Qingfeng manipulated the endless malevolent thoughts to permeate the entire Weak Water. Soon, the thoughts transformed into countless black hands, frantically gathering the Essence of Weak Water.

Three thousand drops were swiftly collected.

In the past, his malevolent thoughts would have dissolved instantly in the Weak Water. But after prolonged refinement, they had become incredibly pure—almost tangible, like a psychic force capable of affecting reality, tainted yet potent.

He devoured the three thousand essences one by one, refining them with fervor.

Seven days later.

His efforts bore fruit. With the aid of the Essence of Weak Water, Gu Qingfeng underwent a complete metamorphosis!

If his previous demonic path had been a chaotic amalgamation of all dark arts, now it felt like the origin—the very source of demonic power. It was no longer a fusion of all evil paths, but the root from which all evil could be derived.

This level of Dao far surpassed the realm of Quasi-Emperors. The only question was how it compared to the Dao of a Heavenly Emperor.

His Chaos Physique had also improved dramatically. The fusion of ten thousand constitutions and a thousand bloodlines was now flawless, the Chaos Qi purer than ever, nearing the level of primordial essence. He had broken through the final barrier, achieving Great Perfection!

A Great Perfection Chaos Physique could rival a Heavenly Emperor!

But the greatest gain was in his Supreme Malevolence.

Now, it had truly become a complete form—no longer limited to attacking the mind, but capable of manifesting as a tangible force, like psychic power, with devastating effect.

Its power had multiplied.

Before, Supreme Malevolence had been a chaotic swarm of fragmented, savage thoughts—like commanding countless mindless minions who only knew to overwhelm through sheer numbers.

But after refinement, these countless minions were no longer disorganized. They moved as one, striking with precision, their combat power exponentially greater.

If Supreme Malevolence had once barely allowed him to contend with a Heavenly Emperor—relying on exploiting mental weaknesses to turn the tide—now it stood as an equal, capable of a true head-on clash.

Gu Qingfeng reveled in the explosive surge of power within him. He couldn’t help but marvel—family truly was the greatest support when venturing into the world.

If it weren't for the help of the Xu Yu family, how could he have reaped such benefits?

However, after a brief moment of joy, a shadow of unease crept into his heart. He hadn’t forgotten about the Flame Heavenly Emperor—the one who seemed to have the script of the Chosen One—his mortal enemy!

That man was a peerless genius, unmatched throughout the ages. He had fallen into a hundred cycles of reincarnation yet retained his true spirit, unraveling the mystery of rebirth to return to this world. He was the only Heavenly Emperor to have walked two paths, and his master was none other than the ancient schemer, the Old Ghost.

Just how powerful would such an existence be?

Undoubtedly far stronger than an ordinary Heavenly Emperor.

And then there was himself—not even a Heavenly Emperor yet.

If he were to tally his overall strength, the power of Supreme Sin could barely count as one Heavenly Emperor, the Great Perfected Chaos Body might scrape by as another, and the Devil Path could—with great difficulty—be considered a third.

Honestly, it all felt far too inadequate. In battles between experts, the slightest difference could mean a thousand miles of disparity. Always saying "close enough" would eventually lead to being "far behind" when it truly mattered.

No, he had to grow stronger.

Gu Qingfeng steeled his resolve and prepared to advance to the third trial of the Emperor’s Path. The first two trials had brought him unexpected gains, and he hoped the third would bring even greater surprises—enough to narrow the gap between him and the Flame Heavenly Emperor.

When Gu Qingfeng emerged from the sea, he was astonished to find the other Quasi-Emperors playing in the water!

They acted as if they had never seen the ocean before, cautiously dipping their hands in and recoiling as if shocked, repeating the motion over and over.

"The Weak Water… has turned into ordinary water?!" several Quasi-Emperors exclaimed in disbelief.

Gu Qingfeng’s heart stirred. He focused his senses and confirmed their words—the Weak Water had indeed lost its corrosive properties and become nothing more than plain water.

Because of his resistance to Weak Water, he hadn’t noticed the change. But now it was clear—after using the Weak Water to temper his entire body, he had completely exhausted its unique essence.

It might sound exaggerated—a single person rendering an entire sea of Weak Water inert.

But upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

Supreme Sin was born from the wicked thoughts of all living beings—countless souls!

The Chaos Body was the ultimate immortal physique, forged from ten thousand constitutions and a thousand bloodlines—the strongest!

The Devil Path was a unique Dao formed with the help of countless "family members."

If all the beings involved were to jump into the Weak Water, they could fill it to the brim.