Gu Qingfeng had been defending for a long time, yet the true killing move from the Flame Emperor never came.
The Flame Emperor didn’t move either, just standing there as if lost in thought.
Why does the atmosphere feel so off?
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the Flame Emperor, whose expression seemed vacant, then at the other Emperors who appeared petrified.
What’s going on!?
Why are they all staring at me?
Suddenly!
Gu Qingfeng shuddered, a chilling realization dawning on him—were they not looking at him, but at something behind him?
Since when!? He hadn’t sensed a thing!
He turned around, only to find an empty void, nothing there at all.
"Wheel of Life and Death!"
The Flame Emperor’s voice rang out once more.
Once again, the power of life and death converged, forming a massive grinding wheel.
The wheel rolled forward, crushing the void in its path, leaving only lifeless silence in its wake.
It bore down on Gu Qingfeng with an unstoppable force, intent on grinding him into the purest essence of vitality, refining and obliterating him!
"Again!?"
Gu Qingfeng erupted in fury. Testing him once or twice was one thing, but this was just ridiculous!
Hadn’t the Flame Emperor promised to get serious? Yet here he was, still tossing out this weak garbage—did he think Gu Qingfeng was made of clay!?
"Go to hell!"
Boom!
Endless demonic light erupted from his body, twisting and surging, shattering the stars, darkening the heavens, and making the very laws of the universe wail in despair!
Three thousand phantom images of demonic gods manifested behind him, accompanied by the ancient chants of primordial worshippers. An overwhelming, abyssal aura rose, as if the Demon Sovereign himself had descended upon the mortal realm.
With a single punch, the three thousand demonic phantoms roared in unison, shaking the heavens and earth!
"What!?"
The Flame Emperor paled at the terrifying might of that punch, his earlier composure shattered. He refused to believe such power could exist in this world.
His face twisted into a crazed snarl as he poured everything into his dual paths—life and death, flame and destruction—like a gambler who had lost all reason.
"I refuse to lose! I am... the Flame Emperor!!!"
Under his desperate surge, the Wheel of Life and Death swelled even larger, a mysterious flame igniting upon its surface—the Profound Flame of Life and Death!
The Flame Emperor was truly going all out, even recklessly expending the very flames meant to resurrect fallen Emperors.
At this moment, he had pushed his own path to its absolute limit!
"Still holding back, huh!? Then die!"
Gu Qingfeng bellowed. In the next instant, boundless demonic light erupted, annihilating everything in its path. The Flame Emperor’s proud dual paths shattered instantly, and even the Profound Flame of Life and Death was snuffed out within the demonic radiance.
"No!!!"
The Flame Emperor let out a final, unwilling roar before his form was swallowed by the endless demonic light.
After that punch, silence reigned.
The other Emperors stood frozen, as if they had left their voices behind. Their gazes upon Gu Qingfeng were like those of mortals beholding a god.
"Dead...?"
Gu Qingfeng blinked in disbelief.
"Even in death, he refused to use his trump card. Was the Flame Emperor out of his mind?"
The other Emperors: "......"
Trump card!?
Are you blind!? The Wheel of Life and Death, the Profound Flame—weren’t those his trump cards!? He threw everything at you, and you crushed it all with one punch, yet you’re still complaining he didn’t go all out!?
Only then did Gu Qingfeng slowly realize something.
Wait a minute... could it be that the Flame Emperor wasn’t holding back, but that I’m just too strong?
After all, the Flame Emperor’s twisted, desperate expression before death didn’t seem like an act. If he truly had countless trump cards and overwhelming power, why would he bother pretending?
"Cough..."
A weak cough echoed through the desolate battlefield.
Then, endless vitality gathered, and the Flame Emperor’s body reassembled from the swirling energy, resurrecting before their eyes.
Gu Qingfeng’s eyes narrowed. Damn it, this guy really does have more tricks up his sleeve!
"Revival from death! The Flame Emperor’s mastery over life and death has reached such heights!" The other Emperors gasped, their despair momentarily replaced by elation.
They had thought their plans for resurrection died with the Flame Emperor—yet here he was, alive again!
But their joy was short-lived. What did it matter if he revived? Against Gu Qingfeng, whose power far surpassed that of an Emperor, coming back to life just meant dying again.
"Gu Qingfeng! Who are you!? You can’t possibly be the Forsaken Emperor—the Forsaken Emperor was never this strong!"
The Flame Emperor panted heavily, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at Gu Qingfeng.
"Never mind who I am. Right now, I’m more interested in who you are. Are you really the Flame Emperor? The one who mastered dual paths, endured a hundred reincarnations without perishing, apprenticed under the Ancient Schemer, blessed by destiny itself, hailed as the Child of Heaven’s Will?"
The Flame Emperor was momentarily stunned by the barrage of titles, but soon realized they did, in fact, describe him. He nodded reflexively.
"Then why are you so weak? Or are you just pretending?"
The Flame Emperor froze. Pretending!?
He snarled, "Gu Qingfeng, a warrior may be killed but never humiliated! I admit, you are slightly stronger than me, but don’t think victory is yours! With my mastery over life and death, I am immortal!"
Boom—!
Gu Qingfeng punched again, instantly obliterating the Flame Emperor’s body into nothingness. Yet, soon after, he reformed once more, though his breathing grew even more labored.
"You damn poser! No strength, all talk!"
This time, before the Flame Emperor could even speak, an enraged Gu Qingfeng flashed before him, his fists—each the size of a sand pot—hammering relentlessly into the Flame Emperor’s skull.
His head exploded, reformed, and exploded again in an endless cycle.
"Life and death, huh? I’ll beat you to death!
You’re the one doing all the grandstanding! Have you ever seen me show off?
I’m invincible, undying, revered across the realms! Even with one hand shackled by the Abyss, I remain peerless in this world—did you know that!?"
"I—" The Flame Emperor, trembling in horror, barely managed a syllable before his head burst once more.
"Of course you didn’t!
Because I’m humble. I don’t brag like you, flaunting half-baked power like a clown."
The other Emperors watching from the sidelines couldn’t help but shudder at the brutal spectacle.
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
igrating to the cultivation world for two hundred years, I've managed to lie low and reach the Nascent Soul stage. Only now does my golden finger arrive? ...
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
