Chapter 364: Instantly Killing Emperor Ranks, Ascending the Emperor List! Top Strength! Shocking

Chapter 364: Instant Execution of Emperors, Ascending the Imperial List! Supreme Power! Shaking the Machine Race!

The universe is hollow and silent.

This was Qin Feng’s most visceral sensation at this moment.

A heartbeat ago, he stood atop the peak of the Martial Combat Mountain, conversing with the Master of Martial Combat—a being who seemed the very embodiment of the cosmos—while clutching the nascent cosmic artifact, [Combat].

A heartbeat later, the Master of Martial Combat, the towering sacred mountain, the circular starport, the billions of spectators... all of it had evaporated like mist under the sun, without a sound or a trace.

There were no spatial fluctuations, no dissipating energy; it was as if they had never existed, as if Qin Feng had merely endured a hundred-thousand-year-long phantom dream.

Were it not for the icy, tactile reality of the archaic formation disk in his palm and its profound connection to the depths of his soul, Qin Feng would have suspected his own Dao heart had fractured, plunging him into some unknowable hallucination.

He hovered in place, suspended within an absolute void.

There were no stars, no light; even the very concepts of time and space had blurred into obscurity.

Then, an intangible sense of "stagnation" surged from all directions, as if he were trapped in hardening amber. The void was no longer empty; it had transformed into an invisible wall, a formless cage.

A grand, solemn formation, imbued with the Zen principles of "Nirvana" and "Immobility," had silently closed around him, sealing him off completely.

The boundaries of the formation shimmered with a vitreous texture, upon which Sanskrit characters flowed and phantom Buddhas sat in meditation, chanting ancient scriptures. Every character, every Buddha-image, radiated a terrifying pressure capable of suppressing eons and grinding all life to dust.

"[The Nirvana-Immobility Zen Heart Formation]..."

Qin Feng’s eyes remained devoid of ripples.

The moment the Master of Martial Combat vanished, he had already sensed this outcome.

In the universe, there is no benevolence without cause, and certainly no supreme opportunity to be had for free.

The Master of Martial Combat handing him [Combat] and "sending" him here was, in itself, a trial—or rather, the "tribulation" inherent to this cosmic artifact.

To wield such power, one must first bear its weight.

In the void, space rippled like water.

Five figures emerged slowly from five different directions. They were draped in stone-gray monk robes, their faces ancient and austere, their auras as heavy and settled as mountains; they seemed like five primordial peaks that had existed since the dawn of time, eternal and unmoving.

They were the five Emperor-ranked elders of the Stone Race’s Zen Sect.

The leader, his face withered and eyes half-closed, seemed to contain a universe on the brink of extinction. He was the Law Enforcement Elder of the Zen Sect, [Emperor Empty Mirror].

Behind them, at a slightly greater distance, the figure of the Stone Buddha appeared.

He remained seated cross-legged, palms pressed together, yet his usually placid face now bore a trace of indescribable complexity.

He had not participated in the formation; he was more of a passive witness to the event.

"Vanguard."

Emperor Empty Mirror spoke. His voice was flat, yet it carried the weight of universal truth; every word struck like a star against the depths of one's soul.

"Surrender the cosmic artifact in your hand."

This was not a request, nor a negotiation, but a declaration of entitlement, as if the artifact naturally belonged to them.

Qin Feng’s gaze swept across the five Emperors before lingering for a moment on the Stone Buddha.

He could feel that the aura of each of these five Emperors was stronger than the four who had hunted him previously. Especially the leader, Emperor Empty Mirror, whose pressure had reached a truly terrifying zenith.

Coupled with this Emperor-level formation that locked space-time and severed causality... this was, indeed, a kill-box.

"Reason."

Qin Feng spoke slowly, his voice equally calm. He held the [Combat] disk in one hand and let the other hang naturally, his entire posture relaxed to the extreme, as if he were facing not five Emperors, but five roadside pebbles.

"Cosmic artifacts belong to those of virtue."

An elder beside Emperor Empty Mirror, known as [Emperor Suppress-Peak], spoke coldly. "This object carries too much slaughter; its karmic entanglement will only bring you endless calamity. Only by our sect’s suppression, tempered day and night by Buddhist law, can its malice be quelled. This is a merit to the universe, and it is for your own good."

"A fine ‘for my own good’."

A faint, imperceptible curve touched the corner of Qin Feng’s mouth. "And if I refuse to surrender it?"

Emperor Empty Mirror’s half-closed eyes finally opened fully.

In an instant, the pressure of the entire formation surged tenfold!

The countless Sanskrit characters and Buddha-images seemed to come alive; their chanting transformed into tangible chains that coiled around Qin Feng’s limbs and bones, intent on suppressing and grinding his Dao foundation, his soul, and his very existence into nothingness.

"Then we must invite the donor... to pass on to the afterlife right here."

Emperor Empty Mirror’s voice remained flat, yet it held the weight of an unquestionable final verdict.

"Since its inception, our sect’s [Nirvana-Immobility Zen Heart Formation] has only been used to execute three Emperors of equal standing. Today, you are the fourth creature to enjoy such an honor."

"Donor, you are strong. Eight million consecutive victories on the Martial Combat Mountain is unprecedented; we feel admiration for this."

"But you should not possess that which does not belong to you."

As the words fell, the five Emperors struck simultaneously.

There was no probing, no holding back. Even when hunting a rabbit, a lion uses its full strength. They knew the terrifying potential "Vanguard" had displayed on the Martial Combat Mountain; their first move was a thunderous, absolute kill!

"Great Mount Sumeru Seal!"

Emperor Suppress-Peak stepped forward, one hand held high, as a golden phantom of a sacred mountain—constructed from endless laws and Zen principles—materialized out of thin air. The mountain was infinitely towering, as if it were the center of the universe, bearing the terrifying power to suppress the three thousand worlds and crush all matter and energy as it descended upon Qin Feng!

"Immovable Wisdom King Palm!"

Another elder, [Emperor Solid-Rock], pressed his palms together, and a manifestation of the wrathful Wisdom King appeared behind him.

The manifestation struck with a palm, every line of the palm print clearly visible, each one resembling the trajectory of a universe’s birth and death. Before the palm force even arrived, the absolute will of "all things cease, only I remain unmoved" had locked off all of Qin Feng’s space for evasion.

"Zen Light of Wither and Bloom!"

"Finger of Nirvana!"

"Boundless Vajra Realm!"

Five distinct yet unified Emperor-level secret arts sealed off the past, present, and future, as well as every dimension of time and space from five directions.

Under the amplification of the formation, their power was boosted to an unfathomable degree, enough to annihilate any newly ascended Emperor in a heartbeat.

In the distance, the Stone Buddha’s eyes grew even more complex at the sight.

He closed his eyes slightly, as if unable to bear the view.

In his eyes, no matter how heaven-defying "Vanguard" was, he was ultimately just a newly ascended King.

Perhaps, relying on the Yao-Guang inheritance and the opportunities of the Martial Combat Mountain, he possessed combat power that could rival or even surpass a nascent Emperor, but against the combined kill-strike of five veteran Emperors and a top-tier formation, the outcome was already sealed.

Yet, facing this world-destroying onslaught, the expression on Qin Feng’s face, at the center of the storm, had not changed in the slightest from beginning to end.

He did not even look at the sacred mountain descending from the heavens, nor did he pay heed to the giant palm that locked everything in place.

He simply, slowly, raised his right hand.

His index finger tapped gently forward.

There was no earth-shattering explosion of energy, no dazzling brilliance of laws.

At the tip of his finger, only a single point appeared.

A point of pure, ultimate darkness—a darkness that seemed to devour all light and heat in the universe.

It was so profound, so pure, that the moment it appeared, the violent golden light, the majestic palm prints, and the destructive finger force all seemed to dim.

This is not a form of energy, nor is it the manifestation of any law.

It is a... concept.

A supreme concept known as "End" and "Nothingness."

The Ultimate Divine Radiance.

Having integrated the wisdom of Venerable Yaoguang’s million-year discourse and digested that peerless inheritance, this technique, personally forged by Qin Feng, had long since been reborn, ascending into a true... Emperor-Sealing Secret Art.

Its method of attack is no longer mere energy annihilation; rather, from a deeper dimension, it performs a total "erasure" of the target's very concept of existence.

Shhh.

A beam of pure black light, so thin it was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye, shot from Qin Feng’s fingertip.

Its speed transcended time and space, transcended causality, transcended thought.

Its target was not the five earth-shattering secret arts, but... Emperor Zhenyue, who was casting the Great Sumeru Mountain Seal!

A frantic alarm blared in Emperor Zhenyue’s heart; a fear born of primal instinct, unprecedented and absolute, instantly seized his soul.

He wanted to retreat, to defend, to roar, but every thought, every movement, became eternally frozen the moment he beheld that speck of pure black light.

The pure black light touched him.

And then...

There was no then.

No screams, no explosions, no collision or annihilation of energies.

Emperor Zhenyue, that stone-race Emperor with a resounding reputation across the universe, who had survived for hundreds of millions of years, along with his Great Sumeru Mountain Seal capable of suppressing an entire star field, simply... vanished.

Yes, vanished.

Erased.

As if he had never existed in this world at all.

The spot where he once stood became a void of absolute nothingness.

No aura remained, no trace, and even the thread of causality regarding him became blurred and indistinct.

"!!!"

This bizarre, terrifying scene, utterly beyond comprehension, caused the attacks of the other four Emperors to falter for an instant.

The solemnity and Zen-like calm on their faces vanished, replaced by boundless horror and a shivering that emanated from the depths of their souls.

"Zhenyue... Junior Brother?"

Emperor Panshi’s voice trembled for the first time.

He could not believe his eyes.

A fellow disciple he had known for eons, a powerful Emperor, just like that... gone?

How could this be?!

What kind of attack was that? What was that black light?! Why was he completely unable to grasp its principles?

"Bad! This boy is treacherous! Channel the array with all our might, grind him into dust!"

Emperor Kongjing was the Law Enforcement Elder, after all, his state of mind the most resolute.

After a moment of shock, he reacted instantly, letting out a shrill roar.

However, it was already too late.

Qin Feng’s second finger had already pointed out.

It was the same thin, silent beam of pure black light.

This time, the target was Emperor Panshi, who was casting the Immovable Mingwang Palm.

Emperor Panshi’s soul fled in terror; the manifestation of the wrathful Mingwang behind him erupted with ten thousand feet of golden light, palms crossed in front of him, attempting to block that light of death that seemed to hail from the Nine Nether Hells.

Yet, all was in vain.

The Ultimate Divine Radiance erases the very concept of "existence" itself.

Whether energy, matter, soul, law, will, or concept... before it, all are equal.

The black light swept past.

That indestructible manifestation of the Immovable Mingwang, touted as "impervious to all laws," was erased silently from the center, as if wiped away by an eraser from a pencil drawing.

Following it was Emperor Panshi’s face, twisted in terror, and his massive, star-like imperial body.

Another Emperor, completely "deleted" from this universe.

Dead silence.

A deathly silence enveloped the entire space of the array.

If the fall of the first Emperor brought shock and disbelief to the remaining three,

Then the "disappearance" of the second brought them a fear so profound it shattered their Dao hearts!

They finally understood.

The "vanguard" before them was not someone "comparable to a newly ascended Emperor."

This... this was a monster through and through!

An ultimate predator, wearing the skin of an Emperor-Sealer, capable of easily hunting down veteran Emperors like them!

What kind of existence had they provoked?!

"Flee!!!"

Someone let out a desperate, guttural roar.

At this moment, cosmic treasures, sect missions, Buddhist Zen—all were cast to the winds.

Survive!

That was the only thought remaining in their minds.

The three remaining Emperors, including Emperor Kongjing, no longer held a shred of fighting spirit. They frantically burned their essence, transforming into three streaks of light, fleeing desperately toward the boundaries of the array in three different directions.

They wanted to escape this cage they had built with their own hands.

Qin Feng’s face remained as calm as an ancient well.

He slowly raised three fingers.

Three beams of Ultimate Divine Radiance shot out simultaneously.

They traced three graceful black arcs through the void, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, precisely catching up to the three fleeing figures.

There was no suspense.

Before the absolute, crushing, and utterly unreasonable erasure of concepts, all struggle appeared so pale and weak.

The third Emperor.

The fourth Emperor.

And... the strongest of them all, the Empty Mirror Emperor, who was also the swiftest to flee.

Just a single step away from the boundary of the great formation, his body was utterly devoured by that ultimate darkness.

With this, the five great Emperor-level elders of the Stone Clan Zen Sect, who had besieged Qin Feng, were completely annihilated.

From the moment Qin Feng pointed his first finger to the erasure of the final Emperor, the entire process took no more than three breaths.

As the five who maintained the formation perished, the "Zen Heart Formation of Stillness and Extinction" shattered like a glass pagoda stripped of its support, dissolving into a sky of light points that vanished into nothingness.

The familiar, cold, and hollow expanse of the cosmic void once again presented itself before his eyes.

Qin Feng withdrew his finger, as if he had merely performed a trivial, inconsequential task.

He turned slowly, his gaze falling once more upon the Stone Buddha, who had not moved a single inch from the very beginning.

The Stone Buddha’s eyes were now open.

His face held no trace of the previous complexity, no relief at having survived a catastrophe, nor the grief and rage of seeing his sect brothers slaughtered.

There was only a hollow, confused void, a mixture of shock, bewilderment, and self-doubt.

What had he just witnessed?

He had seen five sect elders—figures he regarded as high as the heavens and as venerable as fathers—wiped out within their own prideful sect formation by a peer, as easily as one might crush five insects.

Throughout the entire process, the opponent had not even shifted his feet by a fraction.

That effortless grace, that ease, that indifference as if the title of "Emperor" meant nothing... it completely subverted the view of cultivation he had built over billions of years.

Was this... the true strength of the "Vanguard"?

Was this the power possessed by the legend who had reached the peak of eight million consecutive victories on the Martial Combat Mountain?

So, on the Ladder of Pain, the gap between them was not merely those final nine levels.

So, on the Monument of Heroes, the gap between them was not just that one million victory count.

Between them lay a chasm.

A chasm named "God" and "Man"!

All his previous desire to catch up, all his feelings of "meeting a worthy opponent," now seemed utterly laughable.

Qin Feng looked at him, neither speaking nor striking.

The two stood in that cold void, gazing silently at one another.

A long time passed.

Qin Feng’s figure began to fade, merging into the space, preparing to depart.

In the instant before he vanished completely, the Stone Buddha finally found his voice, speaking in a hoarse tone.

"Why... did you not kill me?"

He asked.

He was also a member of the Stone Clan Zen Sect; he, too, had been present at this siege.

By all logic, he was an enemy as well.

Qin Feng’s figure paused for a moment.

An indifferent voice crossed the space, echoing directly within his soul.

"You did not raise a hand against me."

"Furthermore..."

"You and I share a connection."

With that, Qin Feng’s figure vanished entirely.

Only the Stone Buddha remained, suspended alone in the void.

He looked at the five positions that had become "empty," recalling the final words Qin Feng had left behind.

"A connection?"

The Stone Buddha let out a long, long sigh.

He opened his eyes, and toward the direction where Qin Feng had departed, toward the direction where the five elders had "vanished," and toward this empty universe, he performed a deep, respectful Buddhist bow.

"So be it... so be it..."

He whispered, as if speaking to the departed, or perhaps to himself.

"As long as... I do not fall into the hands of the Stone Clan Zen Sect, it is enough."

Having said this, he turned, took a single step, and his figure disappeared into the depths of the vast universe.

He did not choose to return to his sect.

His path lay ahead, not behind.

...

Several hours after Qin Feng’s figure had completely vanished from that void.

A cataclysm, one capable of rendering the entire universe speechless, occurred.

Hum—

A supreme will, indescribable in language, awakened from the deepest source of the universe.

It was omnipresent, instantly sweeping across every star field, every cosmic nation, every life-bearing planet, even piercing through the barriers of all secret realms and independent spaces.

Whether it was an Emperor in deep seclusion or an apprentice just stepping onto the path of cultivation;

Whether it was an ancient existence high in a divine temple or a mercenary drowning their sorrows in a starport tavern, in this instant, all felt a tremor originating from the deepest depths of their souls.

In unison, they looked up. Within their seas of consciousness, a vast, boundless golden scroll slowly unfurled.

The [Universal Will Ranking].

This was the manifestation of the universe’s will, the most authoritative, impartial, and cruel yardstick for measuring the worth of all prodigies in an era.

It was unaffected by any faction, recording only real combat achievements and indisputable potential.

The ranking was divided into three tiers, each radiating a progressively greater pressure.

The lowest tier was the [Marquis Ranking], branded with thousands of names, each representing a brilliant talent in the Marquis realm with infinite future potential.

The middle tier was the [King Ranking], the names reduced to a few thousand; those who could leave their mark here were peerless monsters with the potential to challenge the Emperor realm in the future.

And the highest tier, the most dazzling and looked up to by billions of beings, was the [Emperor Ranking].

On it, there were only a mere one hundred names.

Each name was like an eternal star, representing the monsters who, even within the supreme realm of the Emperor, could still be crowned with the title of "Prodigy."

They were the peak of the universe’s young generation, the future pillars of the major peak races, the ultimate existences whose mere footfalls could make a star field tremble.

Every change in the [Emperor Ranking] signified a subtle shift in the cosmic landscape, enough to become a focal point of intense discussion among countless factions for tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years.

However, today, the change in the [Emperor Ranking] was not "subtle."

It was an unprecedented... cosmic earthquake!

Under the gaze of countless living beings, a brand-new name did not climb the rankings step by step from the bottom, but rather, as if conjured from the void, it tore through the established order of the list. With an unprecedented and tyrannical posture, it appeared directly at the...

Tenth place!

[Tenth Place: Vanguard (Mechanical Race)]

The moment this name was branded into existence, the entire Imperial Ranking trembled violently, erupting with billions of golden rays, as if the will of the universe itself were stunned by its emergence.

The entire universe, after a brief and suffocating silence, erupted into absolute chaos!

...

Tianji Sect Headquarters, Star-Gazing Terrace.

Hundreds of elders, draped in Taoist robes embroidered with the Eight Trigrams and exuding ethereal auras, sat gathered before a massive water mirror. Within the mirror, the image of the Prodigy Ranking was clearly reflected.

"Pfft—"

An elder responsible for monitoring the list, the moment he saw that name appear, suffered a collapse of his Dao heart; he spat out a mouthful of vital blood, staining the jade plate before him a deep crimson.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!!"

His eyes bulged, his expression bordering on madness as he pointed at the name, his voice turning shrill with extreme shock. "Tenth on the Imperial Ranking! A direct entry at tenth?! What kind of concept is this? Since the inception of the list, no being has ever ascended to this position as a 'newcomer'!"

"The last one to cause such a sensation was a million eras ago. This 'Vanguard'... what kind of monster has crawled out from the shadows?!"

Yan Qi’s figure was also present among the crowd.

He stared at that name, at once familiar and alien, while his mind involuntarily conjured the image of the other in the Yaoguang ruins—that calm, indifferent figure who treated the Ladder of Suffering as flat ground, and that streak of pitch-black light that erased the Heaven-King.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"So... that was not his limit after all..."

Yan Qi’s lips turned pale, his voice dry. "So, from the very beginning, we were not looking at his back, but rather... at an abyss with no bottom."

...

Demon Race Territory, Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.

Within the hall, where demonic energy soared to the heavens, several Demon Emperors with violent auras were in the midst of a council.

The disturbance of the Imperial Ranking caused them to cease all discussion instantly.

"Vanguard? Since when did the Mechanical Race produce such a character?"

A wolf-headed Demon Emperor furrowed his brows, his golden pupils filled with malice. "Investigate! Have it investigated! I want to know everything about him in the shortest time possible!"

"Reporting to the Wolf Emperor, intelligence on this person is pitifully scarce."

A Fox Demon Emperor in charge of intelligence smiled bitterly. "He seems to have appeared out of thin air. His first emergence in the universe was at the Martial Combat Mountain. After that, it was the ruins of Venerable Yaoguang..."

Just then, the golden light on the Prodigy Ranking shifted once more. Beneath the line belonging to "Vanguard," rows of more detailed battle records, inscribed by the will of the universe itself, began to emerge!

[Core Achievement I: At the ruins of Venerable Yaoguang, while in the King-Sealing Realm, erased the Divine Path prodigy 'Heaven-King' with a single strike. Remark: Peerless among peers, the Divine Path is severed.]

[Core Achievement II: At the Seven Heavens Abyss Temple, while in the Marquis-Sealing body, countered and slew the Demon Race's King-Sealing 'Mad Slaughter King'. Remark: Fighting across tiers is as easy as reaching into one's pocket.]

[Core Achievement III (Latest): In an unknown star field, single-handedly faced the five Great Guardian Elders of the Stone Race Zen Sect—[Empty Mirror Emperor], [Town-Peak Emperor], [Bedrock Emperor], [Withered-Glory Emperor], and [Diamond Emperor].

Within the [Nirvana Immovable Zen Heart Array], in three breaths, used a 'Concept Erasure' level secret technique to completely erase five long-renowned, veteran Emperor-Sealing masters from the level of existence.]

[Comprehensive Assessment: This being possesses the terrifying strength to stably and efficiently hunt veteran Emperor-Sealing masters. His core secret technique has touched upon the supreme laws of the universe and cannot be measured by common logic. Threat Level—Extremely Dangerous!]

When the final line of text was fully branded onto the list, the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons fell into a deathly silence.

All the Demon Emperors stood frozen, as if struck by a petrifying curse. Their faces were etched with a single word.

Absurd!

Three breaths to erase five veteran Emperor-Sealing masters?!

And that within a top-tier Emperor-Sealing array laid by the targets themselves?!

What kind of myth is this?!

"Madness... this world has gone mad..."

The Wolf Emperor muttered to himself, his golden pupils revealing for the first time an emotion called "fear." "This is no longer a prodigy... this is... this is a god or demon walking the earth!"

"Revenge?"

The Bear Emperor offered a bitter smile and shook his head. "With what shall we take revenge? Who shall we send? To serve as fodder for this monster?"

After a brief silence, a fierce glint flashed in the Wolf Emperor’s eyes, greed overriding his fear.

"No... this is an opportunity!"

He growled, "The list mentioned something else!"

All the Demon Emperors focused their gazes on the list once more.

Below the battle records, there was another line of small, golden text, radiating an alluring luster, marked by the will of the universe.

[Known Opportunities: Complete inheritance of Venerable Yaoguang (suspected); Ultimate gift for eight million consecutive victories at Martial Combat Mountain (Universal Wonder); additionally possesses several universe-grade treasures.]

BOOM!!!

If the previous battle records brought fear and awe, then this line of text brought to the entire universe a greed capable of incinerating all reason!

The complete inheritance of a Universe Venerable!

The ultimate gift of Martial Combat Mountain!

That was a legend acknowledged even by the Lord of Martial Combat himself!

And a Universal Wonder!

Any one of these three, if revealed, would be enough to make Emperor-Sealing powerhouses fight until they bled, or even provoke a Universe Lord to intervene.

And now, these three, and perhaps more unidentified treasures, were concentrated on a single person!

He was a mobile, incalculably valuable... ultimate treasury!

"Pass my order!"

The Wolf Emperor stood up abruptly, his voice carrying unquestionable resolve. "Activate the 'Heavenly Demon Hunt Order'! Unite with all factions that can be united. Tell them, the Demon Race does not want his inheritance, nor his wonders—we only want his life! Once the deed is done, all spoils are to be divided among them!"

He knew clearly that the Demon Race alone could never swallow this piece of fat.

But if this fat were shared, then every starving wolf in the universe would come running at the scent!

By then, no matter how heaven-defying this "Vanguard" might be, he would eventually be torn to shreds under the tide of greed from the myriad races of the universe!

...

Similar scenes played out simultaneously among the Zerg, the Spirit Race, the Prison Race... in every corner of the universe.

Fear birthed awe.

But greed strangled that awe.

In less than a day after the update of the [Prodigy Ranking], an invisible net, woven from countless greedy gazes, had quietly unfurled to shroud the entire universe.

Countless powerhouses and countless factions began to move.

They mobilized every resource at their disposal, calculating celestial secrets, tracing threads of causality, and analyzing intelligence—all for a single, shared objective:

To find him, to kill him, and to strip him of everything he possessed!

"Vanguard," a name that had ascended the Imperial Rankings with the grace of a miracle, transformed on the very day of his coronation from a "living legend" into the "enemy of the universe."

An unprecedented, ultimate death trap had been woven for him.

The Karafa-749 Death Sector.

This was a ruin long forgotten by the cosmos.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, a cataclysmic war of gods had erupted here, ending in the mutual destruction of two deities. The fragments of Dao laws released during their fall had thoroughly polluted this sector, rendering it chaotic and violent; any precision instrument here would fail, and any attempt to divine the secrets of heaven would be met with the backlash of savage laws.

There was no life, no resources, only eternal silence and cold, metallic debris.

Deep within the core of a derelict planet composed entirely of rusted, nameless metal, inside a makeshift cavern,

Qin Feng sat cross-legged.

In one hand, he held that ancient array disc—the cosmic wonder known as "Dou"—while his other hand rested casually upon his knee.

His eyes were tightly shut, his presence completely merged with the deathly stillness of the surroundings; had a Sovereign-tier powerhouse scanned this area with divine intent, they would have seen nothing more than an ordinary chunk of metal ore.

The power of the "Ultimate Divine Light" exceeded even his own expectations.

Having digested the legacy of Venerable Yaoguang, the essence of this secret technique had leaped from the limits of "energy" to the supreme level of "concept."

Erasure of existence.

It was an ability bordering on the "Dao" itself—brutal, overbearing, and utterly devoid of reason.

Slaughtering five Stone-race Sovereigns had cost him little.

He remained here for two reasons: first, to evade the inevitable first wave of frenzied pursuit following the update of the Heaven's Pride Rankings; second, to fully familiarize himself with and gain initial control over the cosmic wonder in his possession.

"Dou."

After establishing a soul connection with it, Qin Feng had grasped all of its functions.

By activating it, he could forcibly lock onto any living being within his mental range and issue an invitation to a "Cosmic Duel."

The opponent could choose to accept or refuse.

If they refused, "Dou" would draw upon a sliver of the universe's origin power to inflict a punitive, grievous injury.

The severity of the wound depended on the opponent's strength; the stronger the target, the more violent the backlash.

If they accepted, both would be instantly transported to an absolutely fair, independent space created by the will of the universe—the "Duel Arena"—to fight until one of them perished.

It was a simple, crude, yet terrifyingly powerful rule-based wonder.

It was a double-edged sword: it granted the chance to force a fair fight against a formidable enemy, but a misjudgment could drag the user into an abyss of no return.

"A fine tool."

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of admiration crossing them.

This wonder was a perfect match for his "Path of the Ultimate."

Just as he prepared to delve deeper into the internal law structure of "Dou," his expression shifted slightly.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the heavy planetary core and the metallic storms on the surface to look out into the void beyond the cavern.

There was nothing there.

Yet, Qin Feng could clearly perceive that three "existences" had arrived in the synchronous orbit of this planet.

They released no aura, caused no spatial fluctuations, and appeared so silently that it was as if they had always belonged there.

Had Qin Feng’s "pure black quality" soul not reached such an inconceivable level of sensitivity to space and causality, he would never have detected their arrival.

The visitors were absolute powerhouses.

And... they were not enemies.

For Qin Feng felt a familiar, homologous aura emanating from them.

It was the cold, pure light of logic that belonged to the "Machine."

Qin Feng did not move.

He sat quietly in place, waiting.

A moment later.

Three figures silently pierced through the planet's layers of barriers and appeared directly within the cavern.

They were not creatures of flesh and blood, but perfect humanoids constructed from an unrecognizable liquid metal that shimmered with a dark golden luster.

Across their bodies flowed data streams composed of billions of runes, and where their eyes should have been, two blue flames burned, as if containing all the knowledge of the universe.

They lacked facial features, yet possessed a beauty of immense harmony and precision, appearing as the ultimate embodiment of "logic" and "order" in the cosmos.

The leader was the tallest, his dark golden hue the deepest. The data stream upon him had even faintly coalesced into the phantom of a star map, slowly rotating around him.

"Vanguard."

The Machine-race powerhouse spoke.

His voice did not vibrate through vocal cords but resonated directly within Qin Feng's soul as a stream of information.

The voice held no emotional fluctuation, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"We are three envoys from the Supreme Council of the Machine Race."

"My designation is 'Tian-Shu Sovereign'."

He gestured to the slightly shorter figure on his left, whose aura was sharper. "This is 'Tian-Quan Sovereign'."

He then pointed to the right, to the most slender figure, whose surrounding data flow was the most active. "And this is 'Yao Sovereign'."

Three... Sovereigns!

And judging by the unfathomable aura they exuded, each was far beyond the likes of the Stone-race Chan Sect’s "Empty Mirror Sovereign."

These were ancient existences who truly stood at the pinnacle of the Sovereign realm.

Qin Feng’s gaze lingered for a moment on "Yao Sovereign," seemingly interested in the designation.

He stood up slowly, his mechanical body emitting a faint "clack" that broke the silence of the cavern.

"Three seniors, what brings you to me?"

His tone was neither servile nor overbearing.

"We have come for you."

The blue soul-fire of Tian-Shu Sovereign flickered slightly, the information stream transmitting steadily and efficiently.

"First, the Council expresses its highest recognition of your achievements. Ascending the Martial Fighting Mountain and placing tenth on the Imperial Rankings—you have won supreme glory for our race."

"However, you must be aware of your current predicament."

"According to the calculations of our 'Heavenly Secret' system, within the past twenty-four hours alone, at least seventeen peak races, over thirty first-class powers, and hundreds of independent Sovereign-tier powerhouses have listed you as a top-priority target for elimination."

"A hunting net of unprecedented scale has been woven against you. You are no longer a legend; you are the most expensive... prey in the entire universe."

The tone of the Heavenly Pivot Emperor held no embellishment, merely stating a frigid statistic.

Qin Feng nodded, unsurprised by this. "So, the three of you have come to...?"

"We have come to offer you a path to survival."

The Heavenly Authority Emperor interjected, his data stream carrying the sharp, metallic edge of clashing blades.

"Though you are of our kin, your rise did not rely on the collective. By the Mechanical Codex, we may offer limited asylum, but we shall never, for the sake of one individual, make an enemy of the entire universe."

"It does not conform to the core logic of maximizing racial interests."

Qin Feng fell silent.

He understood their meaning.

The Mechanical Race was a species of absolute rationality.

They would never wage a hopeless, total war for the sake of a "wild-grown" genius.

"However,"

The Heavenly Pivot Emperor’s tone shifted, "logic can be altered. The prerequisite is that you demonstrate a value sufficient to change that logic."

"What value?"

Qin Feng asked.

"A status that transforms you from a 'genius' into our race's 'core asset'."

The Heavenly Pivot Emperor’s blue soul-fire flickered with its first visible agitation.

"Return to the collective and participate in our upcoming highest-tier internal ceremony—the Mechanical Soul Tournament."

The Jade Emperor added, her data stream relatively gentle, yet equally imbued with unquestionable logic.

"The Mechanical Soul Tournament is held every million years, aiming to select a leader possessing the most perfect 'Mechanical Soul' from our most outstanding younger generation. The ultimate victor will be granted the supreme title of 'Holy Son'."

"What does 'Holy Son' signify?"

Qin Feng keenly grasped the crux of the matter.

"It signifies,"

The Heavenly Pivot Emperor’s voice carried a trace of something imperceptible... perhaps best described as "solemnity," "that you shall become the bearer of our race's 'Way' in this era. Your safety will no longer be a personal matter, but a supreme law concerning the continuation of our race's destiny!"

"At that point, let alone a few dozen factions, even if the Allied Forces of Ten Thousand Races arrived, our guardians, and even the slumbering Lords of the Universe, would awaken to fight for you!"

"Protecting you will no longer be a 'choice' requiring a cost-benefit analysis, but an 'obligation' etched into our race's core code."

"Trade the victory of a single tournament for the ultimate, cost-no-object protection of an entire peak civilization."

"Along with the countless supreme secret arts of the Mechanical Race."

The Heavenly Pivot Emperor’s blue soul-fire watched Qin Feng in silence.

"Vanguard, this is the path to survival we offer you."

"Transform the greed of the entire universe into your most solid foundation."

"This is the optimal solution to your current predicament."

Within the cavern, silence descended once more.

There remained only the blue soul-fires, burning like stars in the eyes of the three Mechanical Emperors, and the cold, contemplative mechanical visage of Qin Feng.

The road ahead seemed to have been illuminated.

Should he reject this "goodwill," continue to face endless pursuit alone in the universe, walk upon the edge of a blade, and hone his path of limits in blood and fire?

Or...

Accept this invitation, return to that nominal "kin," and vie for the position of the so-called "Holy Son"?

Or perhaps feign death to escape?

Human? Mechanical?

Qin Feng pondered; he was born human and should remain human, yet the harvest of joining the Mechanical Race was too immense... though it carried the scent of betrayal.

For a moment, Qin Feng was caught in hesitation.