Gu Qingfeng reached out and caught the Heavenly Mandate descending from the sky, his blazing gaze fixed upon it, his desire utterly unconcealed.
"Keh keh keh..."
A wild laugh erupted from his lips, echoing across the entire Emperor's Path.
"The Heavenly Mandate is mine!"
He gently stroked the lotus-shaped Mandate, its holy radiance casting light upon his twisted, grinning face, making him appear as though both divinity and demonic nature coexisted within him.
Just as he reveled in his triumph, the Heavenly Mandate suddenly erupted with boundless brilliance.
Gu Qingfeng was startled, but before he could react, the Mandate had already merged into his body.
An aura of supreme authority emanated from him, instantly sweeping across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
In that moment, countless insights and cosmic truths flooded his mind, as if all the world's mysteries were being poured into him.
His Dao—the Demonic Dao—began to manifest across the Cangming Realm. Billions of demonic god phantoms appeared in the void, their visages savage, roaring, frenzied, and cruel!
It was as though the demonic realm itself had invaded the mortal world.
Countless living beings watched in terror, their hearts trembling.
"What in the world is happening?! Have the ancient demonic gods awakened?"
"No! That’s not it! This is... Dao Manifestation in the Void, suppressing all other Daos with one’s own! This is the Dao of the newly ascended Heavenly Emperor!"
A few profound cultivators recognized the truth.
"What?! How can a Heavenly Emperor’s Dao be so sinister?! Just its manifestation alone makes my heart waver, as if I’m on the verge of falling into demonic madness!"
"Is this Heaven’s punishment upon the Cangming Realm? To let a demonic cultivator become the Heavenly Emperor?! Do we even stand a chance of survival?"
......
Gu Qingfeng stared in shock as his Demonic Dao reflected across the void, merging with the myriad Daos of the world.
He even felt as though he had become the center of the universe—everything revolving around him.
"So this is the feeling of being the Heavenly Emperor? But I don’t want to be one!"
Never had he imagined that simply holding the Heavenly Mandate would force its fusion with him.
Now, fully merged with the myriad Daos, the aura of his Demonic Dao swept through the cosmos, shaking all existence.
Gu Qingfeng stood atop the battlefield of nothingness like a supreme sovereign, his presence awe-inspiring!
And in that instant, all knew—a new Heavenly Emperor had been born.
As the Heavenly Emperor ascended, the battlefield of nothingness dissolved, and Gu Qingfeng’s peerless figure appeared upon the Emperor’s Path.
At once, the other Heavenly Emperors rushed forward to offer their congratulations, discarding all pretense of dignity—when one had favors to ask, pride was a luxury.
"Congratulations, Heavenly Emperor Gu!"
"Felicitations, Heavenly Emperor Gu!"
"Heavenly Emperor Gu’s return to the throne is truly cause for celebration!"
Gu Qingfeng’s expression darkened as he watched them. He had never wanted to be the Heavenly Emperor, yet these fools dared to fan the flames.
"By the way, Heavenly Emperor Gu, now that you hold the Heavenly Mandate and command the Life-Death Profound Flame, you should revive us as soon as possible. The Emperor’s Path will soon vanish, and if we remain exposed to Heaven’s gaze, disaster will follow."
"Yes, yes! There’s no time to waste—we must not delay our grand plan to defy Heaven!"
Gu Qingfeng’s face grew even colder as he swept his gaze over them. "Are you... instructing this Emperor on what to do?"
The Heavenly Emperors inwardly cursed. They had long known Gu Qingfeng was not an easy man to deal with, but they had still hoped to salvage the situation.
"W-We wouldn’t dare! Heavenly Emperor Gu, your wisdom is boundless—naturally, you have your own plans. We merely... Ah! Heavenly Emperor Gu, what are you doing?!"
The Heavenly Emperors suddenly paled, their voices filled with panic.
For Gu Qingfeng had summoned his power and forcibly expelled the Heavenly Mandate from his body!
Instantly, he fell from his state of unity with the myriad Daos, and the demonic aura pervading the void began to dissipate.
In that moment, the Cangming Realm’s Daos wailed in sorrow, as though an omnipotent will was departing from the world.
Simultaneously, across the Cangming Realm—whether cultivator or mortal—tears inexplicably fell, a profound sense of abandonment gripping their hearts.
It was as though Heaven itself was mourning, unwilling to let go, like a child being forsaken.
The countless beings of the Cangming Realm were dumbfounded. The overwhelming demonic aura that had just filled the heavens had vanished in an instant.
"Could it be...?"
"The Heavenly Emperor of this era... has abandoned the Heavenly Mandate?!"
"I must be dreaming! That is the Heavenly Mandate—the dream of all cultivators! And he just cast it aside?!"
None could have imagined that a reigning Heavenly Emperor would willingly relinquish his throne.
......
"Phew... out at last. Much better."
Gu Qingfeng held the Heavenly Mandate aloft, using his power to prevent it from merging with him again.
The Heavenly Mandate was a fragment of Heaven’s authority—even when fused, it granted only temporary control, not true ownership. Upon an Emperor’s death, the Mandate would be reclaimed.
Thus, in theory, an Emperor could expel the Mandate if they wished. Yet, across the annals of history, not one of the three thousand past Emperors and Sovereigns had ever done so.
Gu Qingfeng had set an unprecedented precedent. No wonder the other Heavenly Emperors were aghast—this was the Heavenly Mandate! The very prize they had fought and died for!
"H-Heavenly Emperor Gu... what is the meaning of this? Without the Mandate’s power, the Life-Death Profound Flame alone cannot revive us!"
"Who said this Emperor intended to revive you?" Gu Qingfeng sneered.
"What?!" The Heavenly Emperors’ expressions twisted in fury.
Emperor Qilin’s voice turned icy. "Heavenly Emperor Gu, you would do well to reconsider your words. The plan to defy Heaven was our collective undertaking. If you refuse to cooperate, you make an enemy of us all!"
Soul Heavenly Emperor followed up, "If you know what’s good for you, you will reabsorb the Mandate and revive us. Otherwise, no matter how strong you are, do you truly believe you can withstand the combined might of hundreds of Heavenly Emperors?"
The others voiced their agreement, their expressions threatening.
"Keh keh keh..." Gu Qingfeng remained unmoved, instead throwing his head back in laughter, his gaze contemptuous as if looking at mere ants.
"It’s not that this Emperor looks down on any of you in particular... it’s just that, in my eyes, every single one of you here is trash!"
"Arrogant brat!"
"Insolent fool!"
"We extended courtesy, yet you spit on our goodwill!"
"Brothers, attack together! Seize his Mandate and the Life-Death Profound Flame! I refuse to believe the plan hinges on him alone!"
Driven to the brink, the Heavenly Emperors could endure no more. The might of hundreds of Emperors erupted at once, shaking the heavens, shattering the void, and threatening to collapse the Emperor’s Path itself.
Emperor Qilin, who had been barely restraining himself, struck first.
Moving like lightning, golden runes burst from his forehead, dazzling as they formed an eternal sun that crashed toward Gu Qingfeng.
Soul Heavenly Emperor followed close behind, his body emitting the wails of countless ghosts. His eyes blazed with eerie light, unleashing twin beams of annihilation.
The other Heavenly Emperors also joined the fray, unleashing their divine Emperor Arts and Emperor Weapons with formidable force. In an instant, imperial might swept across the Nine Heavens, its overwhelming power so immense that even the Emperor's Path could not contain it, resonating throughout all realms of existence.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
