Become One with This Emperor

The argument that the illusionary realm couldn't compare to reality left the Spirit of the Forest of Sentient Beings utterly speechless.

Having existed for endless eons, it had witnessed countless prodigies and quasi-Emperors—some who succumbed to indulgence, others who relied on indomitable will to break free—but never had it encountered someone who refused to drown in the illusion simply because it paled in comparison to reality!

How was this possible!?

Unwilling to accept this, the spirit stubbornly insisted, "In my illusionary realm, you can have anything you desire!"

"This Emperor already has everything he desires in reality."

"I don’t believe you! Do you possess an Immortality Elixir? Do you wield an Emperor’s Divine Weapon? Do you possess an Immortal Physique?"

Gu Qingfeng silently took out the Kirin Immortality Elixir, followed by the Demon Emperor’s Sword, and finally gave a small demonstration of his Chaos Body...

The Spirit of the Forest of Sentient Beings: "......"

"But... but in my illusionary realm, you can attain eternal life! As long as the Path to Emperorship remains unbroken, you shall never perish! Even the Heavenly Emperor couldn’t—"

BOOM!

An endless tide of wicked thoughts erupted from Gu Qingfeng’s body, coalescing into seven colossal pitch-black serpents that coiled around him, making him resemble a demonic god emerging from the abyss, his malevolent aura overwhelming the world.

"This Emperor possesses the Sin of All Sentience. As long as life exists, I shall never perish."

The Spirit of the Forest of Sentient Beings: "......"

"So, do you have anything else to say?" Gu Qingfeng remarked indifferently.

"I refuse to believe it! I refuse!! How could someone like you exist in reality?! All living beings suffer—only by entering the Forest of Sentient Beings can one attain eternal bliss!" The spirit’s voice carried a trace of madness, as if its very beliefs were crumbling.

"Only the Forest of Sentient Beings can fulfill all your desires! Now drown in them!!"

At that moment, Gu Qingfeng’s ministers and the women by his side all revealed expressions of insanity, howling like madmen.

"Keh keh keh..."

Gu Qingfeng looked at the crumbling spirit and suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, his gaze filled with disdain, as if observing a pitiful clown.

"Drown in desire?

Today, I’ll show you who the true source of desire is!

Now, drown forever in this Emperor’s endless wicked thoughts!"

BOOM!

The wicked thoughts of all sentient beings exploded forth!

An infinite black mist surged violently from Gu Qingfeng’s body, spreading across the sky and earth in an instant, engulfing the entire illusionary world.

In that moment, the countless beings who embodied the will of the Forest’s spirit were all corrupted by the wicked thoughts. Their eyes reflected the most complex mix of emotions and desires, each one trapped in an inescapable cage of their own making.

Then, one by one, their faces twisted into expressions of fanatical devotion, their gazes fixated on Gu Qingfeng as if beholding a god!

"Keh keh keh..."

Gu Qingfeng’s laughter grew even louder, its terrifying echoes shaking the very fabric of the illusionary world, threatening to collapse heaven and earth.

"The Forest of Sentient Beings? Hah! Merge with this Emperor! Sin of All Sentience—devour it all!"

The world began to corrode under the black mist, like an ink painting drenched in a vat of the darkest ink. As the mist expanded, mountains, waterfalls, flowers, trees, living beings, the sky, and the earth were all swallowed, their original forms lost forever.

CRACK!

With a shattering sound, the illusion of the Forest of Sentient Beings broke apart, revealing the cold and desolate Path to Emperorship once more.

Alongside the path stood countless quasi-Emperors—some newly entered, others who had drowned in the Forest for entire eras.

However, those who had been trapped for too long emerged only to collapse lifelessly, their vitality long exhausted. They had died long ago, their consciousnesses sustained only by the Forest.

Now that the Forest had been devoured by Gu Qingfeng, they vanished from existence—or rather, they would live on forever within his endless wicked thoughts.

The quasi-Emperors who had been lost in the Forest now stood in confusion, unsure of where they were.

In a way, they had won by sheer luck—their earlier toll hadn’t been wasted, as they had unknowingly bypassed the Forest’s trial.

Gu Qingfeng paid them no mind, instead focusing on sensing the power of his Sin of All Sentience.

This time, the Sin had grown explosively. The Forest of Sentient Beings was a miraculous artifact capable of crafting lifelike illusions, and over countless eons, it had devoured the consciousnesses of innumerable quasi-Emperors, amassing an unimaginable reserve of power. Now, all of it belonged to Gu Qingfeng.

Had it not been for the purification of the Weak Waters earlier, the Sin in its previous state would never have been able to consume the Forest.

But now, refined and strengthened, coupled with the spirit’s shattered will and collapsed Dao Heart, the devouring had been effortless.

The Sin had at least doubled in power and gained the ability to create true illusions.

Previously, the Sin had directly stirred the wicked thoughts of its victims, drowning them in their own desires—a straightforward but crude method. Now, with the power of illusions, it could manipulate desires more subtly and effectively.

Even if an enemy possessed mental fortification techniques or treasures to suppress their wicked thoughts, the illusions could easily bypass such defenses.

This enhancement gave Gu Qingfeng a faint sense of security.

"With this, this Emperor’s chances against the reborn Flame Heavenly Emperor have slightly improved. But I mustn’t grow complacent. Against a protagonist of the Heavenly Emperor Reincarnation trope, no amount of caution is excessive—after all, he was among the mightiest of Heavenly Emperors!"

Gu Qingfeng murmured to himself, refusing to celebrate even this minor progress. Prudence and caution had always been his guiding principles, and it was precisely this mindset that had allowed him to stand at the pinnacle of the Cangming Realm.

......

"Where is this? Wasn’t this Heavenly Emperor just receiving the worship of all living beings?" one quasi-Emperor muttered in confusion.

"My beloved! Where are you?!" another cried out, frantically searching like a headless fly.

Many were in similar states, though some quickly regained their senses and began whispering among themselves.

"Why has the Forest of Sentient Beings disappeared? Right before it vanished, I thought I heard the terrifying laughter of that demon Gu Qingfeng..."

"What!? You heard it too?"

"Could it be... that the Forest’s disappearance is related to him?"

The quasi-Emperors who had regained their senses cast furtive glances at Gu Qingfeng.

Their whispers soon reached the ears of those still refusing to accept reality.

Their eyes snapped toward Gu Qingfeng, burning with boundless fury. Though the illusion had lasted only a moment in reality, within it, centuries might have passed—long enough for them to fully believe in their fabricated lives.

They had truly convinced themselves they were Heavenly Emperors, revered by all under heaven, completely forgetting Gu Qingfeng’s terrifying reputation.

"Demon Gu! Did you slaughter this Heavenly Emperor’s subjects?!"

"Gu, you fiend! Return this Emperor’s beloved!"

One after another, the deranged quasi-Emperors lunged at Gu Qingfeng, their eyes bloodshot, their hatred overwhelming. Their roars shook the cosmos as divine light and terrifying pressure erupted from their bodies.

Yet, faced with the assault of multiple quasi-Emperors, Gu Qingfeng remained utterly calm. With a casual wave of his hand—as if swatting flies—he struck.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The bodies of several Quasi-Emperors instantly exploded into clouds of blood mist, their Dao extinguished and their lives ended.

Then, he casually took out a small vial and, with a mere flick of his hand, drew the swirling blood mist toward him.

Snap!

Gu Qingfeng clicked his fingers, and a divine flame suddenly appeared, refining the blood mist in the sky into several drops of supremely pure essence blood. He then sealed them into the vial, intending to gift it to the Little Corpse Charm.

The remaining Quasi-Emperors, who had retained their senses, paled in horror at the nightmarish scene.

With just a single strike, he had annihilated multiple Quasi-Emperors. Such terrifying power sent them fleeing in panic—some desperately rushing deeper into the Emperor's Path, while others even turned tail and abandoned the trial altogether.