How dare you You actually dared to address me, the Emperor, by my name directly.

After seeing off his family member, the Soul Heavenly Emperor, Gu Qingfeng found himself somewhat unsettled.

According to the information revealed by the Soul Heavenly Emperor, the fifth trial involved battling one's peak self. To become a Heavenly Emperor, one had to overcome oneself.

This trial was clearly designed to weed out those quasi-Emperors who had sealed themselves away for countless years. These quasi-Emperors, having slumbered for too long, were on the verge of exhausting their lifespans, their vitality withered like old men with one foot already in the grave. If they were to face their younger, peak selves, they would likely stand no chance.

Of course, even those quasi-Emperors in their prime would struggle with the fifth trial. Facing an exact replica of oneself, no one could claim absolute certainty of victory.

At its core, this trial tested one's indomitable will.

With all conditions being equal, victory hinged on willpower, courage, and state of mind.

A person who truly believed in their own invincibility would naturally possess overwhelming will, courage, and focus, greatly increasing their chances of success.

So why was Gu Qingfeng unsettled?

Because not only did he lack a Dao Heart—he might also lack an indomitable will.

The fifth trial, battling his peak self—truth be told, he wasn’t confident he could win.

Though his strength was immense, allowing him to crush nearly every opponent he faced, this very fact had left him lacking experience in fighting evenly matched foes.

To put it bluntly, he was too used to bullying the weak.

"Ah, it’s all because this Emperor’s talent is too overwhelming, his brilliance too dazzling. My journey to this point has been nothing but effortless domination. I couldn’t even find an opponent worthy of a life-or-death battle if I tried."

Gu Qingfeng sighed. "Ah, there was a time when this Emperor longed for a sweet... cough... a fierce, evenly matched battle, one that pushed me to the brink of life and death. But alas, such a thing remains out of reach."

Without combat experience, what advantage could he possibly have against a cold, emotionless projection?

"In this world, the only one who can defeat this Emperor... is probably myself."

Then it struck him—no wonder that old ghost refused to set foot on the Path of the Emperor. He was afraid of the Heavenly Dao replicating his projection, afraid of the Heavenly Dao wielding his power.

Damn it!

"Whatever. I’ll just take it one step at a time. It’s not like the projection can kill me anyway."

Gu Qingfeng tried to console himself, but then he realized—if the projection also possessed the power of Supreme Sin, then he might not be able to kill it either. Wouldn’t that turn into a battle with no end?

As for whether the projection would have Supreme Sin, Gu Qingfeng felt it was almost certain. That old ghost, a being of such unfathomable mystery, didn’t dare enter the Path of the Emperor—and let’s not forget, Supreme Sin was his creation in the first place.

This suggested that the fifth trial’s projection could replicate everything—except the System.

On this point, Gu Qingfeng was somewhat confident. Though the System rarely spoke, its prestige was unquestionable.

Thinking of the System reminded him of something else.

Would his projection count as a demonic entity?

Back in the Demon Suppression Bureau, when he fought the Mirror Demon, its ability was to create an exact copy of its opponent.

After some thought, he dismissed the idea.

The Mirror Demon was a demonic being, so even if it replicated him perfectly, it would still be a demonic attack.

But the projection on the Path of the Emperor was entirely different—it was created by the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Dao of the Cangming Realm was no demon.

And since he himself was human, the projection would naturally also be human.

How damn frustrating!

In a sour mood, Gu Qingfeng decided to stop dwelling on these vexing matters and instead focused on searching the Endless Abyss for projections of his "family members" to strengthen his own Dao.

He hoped this would give him a slightly better chance in the fifth trial.

But then it occurred to him—if he grew stronger now, wouldn’t the projection in the fifth trial also grow stronger? His mood soured even further.

......

Half an hour later, after dealing with several quasi-Emperor projections, Gu Qingfeng finally encountered another family member.

This one was a tiger, its body seemingly forged from solid gold—the projection of another quasi-Emperor.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and greeted it with warm, enthusiastic, and exceedingly friendly gestures.

Ding!

Host attacked by Golden Tiger Taoist (Projection).

Law of Metal +100,000 +100,000 +100,000 +......

After exchanging pleasantries, Gu Qingfeng helped it find liberation.

Not long after, he met another family member and repeated the process, assisting them one by one in escaping the Endless Abyss.

This went on for half a month. During this time, he aided countless family members.

His Demon Dao grew increasingly refined and powerful, now just one step away from reaching its limit—the realm of the Heavenly Emperor.

From this point onward, he no longer sought out quasi-Emperor-level family members, as they were no longer of use. With countless demonic Daos now merged into his being, the rest were merely different paths leading to the same destination.

Instead, he began searching for projections of Heavenly Emperor-level beings.

Fortune favors the persistent, and with the help of Supreme Sin, he finally found a Heavenly Emperor-level family member.

......

The Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor opened his maw wide and swallowed his own projection whole, merging it into himself.

Then, his eyes flickered with an eerie light, his Emperor’s aura expanding as a pleased expression appeared on his face.

"After searching for over a month, I’ve finally found my own projection. Now it’s time to head to the fifth trial and fully restore my strength. Those old monsters have long since entered—I can’t afford to fall behind."

Having said this, the Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor prepared to depart.

But at that moment, the endless black sands around him suddenly recoiled as if terrified, parting to reveal a path untouched by their corrosive influence.

The Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor’s gaze sharpened as he looked down the newly formed passage.

There, seven colossal black serpents, each ten thousand zhang tall, slithered forward with their heads held high. And atop one of these serpents stood a man clad in imperial robes, his bearing majestic as if he were an Emperor touring his domain.

"Gu Qingfeng!? Damn it, of all people to run into..."

The Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor cursed inwardly. The memories of Gu Qingfeng’s actions in the Burial Grounds remained fresh in his mind.

Even someone as arrogant as him wouldn’t dare insult all the Emperor corpses and provoke over a hundred Heavenly Emperors at once, as Gu Qingfeng had done.

This man had long been corrupted by Supreme Sin—he was insane, not someone to provoke.

The Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor turned to leave.

But Gu Qingfeng gave him no chance.

BOOM—!

The seven black serpents moved like towering divine mountains, their massive bodies swift despite their size, encircling the Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor in an instant.

"Gu Qingfeng! What is the meaning of this?" the Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor demanded coldly, glaring up at the figure standing atop the serpent’s head.

"How dare you address this Emperor by name! You truly have a death wish!" Gu Qingfeng roared in fury, immediately striking.

The seven black serpents lunged, their jaws snapping toward the Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor.

The Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor’s expression darkened. This was clearly a deliberate provocation—was even saying his name forbidden now?

"Gu Qingfeng! You go too far!"

ROAR—!

With a deafening howl, the Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor erupted with boundless divine light. His body swelled violently, muscles surging and bulging as thick black fur sprouted across his form.

In the blink of an eye, the Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor had transformed into a colossal black dog, standing tens of thousands of zhang tall!