Chapter 375: Emperor Rank! An Emperor Must Not Be Insulted! Qin Feng Displays Great Divine Might! Feather Race

Chapter 375: Conferred Emperor! The Emperor brooks no insult! Qin Feng unleashes his divine might! Deep within the Feathered Empire! The World Tree!

Qin Feng Universe City, the Central Temple.

The crimson-gold divine light receded into Qin Feng’s body like a retreating tide, and the imperial pressure—enough to force myriad laws into submission and make the entire star field tremble—vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Qin Feng stood silently in the center of the temple, appearing no different than he had before his breakthrough.

He remained the same human youth with black hair and dark eyes, his posture upright, his expression serene.

Yet, were a top-tier Conferred Emperor present, they would be horrified to find that they could no longer "perceive" Qin Feng’s existence at all.

He stood clearly before them, visible to the naked eye, but when divine sense swept over him, it encountered only a void.

It was as if he had transcended the web of causality and laws of this universe, becoming an independent source of "Dao" unto himself.

The completion of the [Limit Body] provided him with the absolute foundation to "shatter ten thousand laws with a single force."

Every inch of his flesh and every cell contained terrifying energy comparable to a miniature star, branded with the divinity of "immortality."

The integration of the [Golden Emperor Divine Fire] imbued his soul and will with a sliver of the "Imperial" authority from the dawn of the universe. This allowed his mastery and suppression of the laws to reach an unfathomable realm.

He was now an Emperor in name and in truth.

Moreover, he was a unique Emperor, one walking the "Path of the Limit" throughout the ages.

"Three hundred thousand years of seclusion; though the breakthrough was successful, the foundation still requires tempering."

Qin Feng murmured to himself.

His breakthrough had been catalyzed by external forces. While the process was perfect, the surging power still needed time to settle and be mastered, until it obeyed his every whim without the slightest leakage.

The trap at [Eternal Life Mountain] involved a net cast by over seven hundred Conferred Emperors of the myriad races, and it likely held top-tier Conferred Emperors or even more terrifying entities in reserve. He had to arrive there in his most perfect, peak state.

Twenty thousand years was the final preparation period he had set for himself.

"Consolidating the realm requires vast resources, and even more, it requires witnessing different 'Daos' to draw parallels and nourish oneself."

He was no longer a naive youth; he knew that working behind closed doors was not the way. A true powerhouse forged an immortal Dao heart amidst the dust of the world, adhering to a singular path even after witnessing a thousand landscapes.

With a thought, an order crossed the endless void, transmitted to "Lightning Fire," who remained in the heart of the Mechanical Race territory, still posing as the [Divine Son].

"In the name of the Mechanical Divine Son 'Vanguard,' issue a decree. I shall venture deep into the 'Chaos Vortex' at the edge of the cosmic sea for an indefinite seclusion to explore the Ultimate Dao. Until my return, all affairs of the Mechanical Race shall be decided by the Council of Elders."

This decree served to draw a reasonable, temporary conclusion to the identity of "Vanguard."

In this way, even if he did not appear for hundreds of thousands of years, it would raise no suspicion.

Having handled the backup plan for the Mechanical Race, he issued another command to the "Lightning Fire" entity remaining in Qin Feng Universe City.

"I am going on a journey, with no set date for my return. Everything in the territory shall continue as usual. If there is a major decision that cannot be made, or if a catastrophic disaster occurs, use this token to contact me."

A crimson-gold scale, condensed from his essence blood and a wisp of imperial law, quietly manifested outside the temple and was respectfully received by the waiting "Lightning Fire."

With this done, Qin Feng had no more worries.

He shed his divine light and pressure, changing into a plain black tunic. His aura was suppressed to the extreme, making him appear like an unremarkable human Conferred King just beginning his interstellar journey.

He took a step forward. His form did not merge with space, nor did it tear through dimensions.

He simply walked forward, yet the void beneath his feet seemed to shorten automatically. With one step, he crossed the entire Qin Feng Universe City and appeared in the vast sea of stars.

The name "Qin Feng" had been silent for too long.

From this day on, he would use this, his most fundamental identity, to re-measure the universe for which he had fought and bled.

...

The Chaotic Horn Star Sea.

This was a lawless zone at the intersection of the Human, Demon, and Zerg territories.

There was no order here; the laws were broken, and countless asteroid belts and shattered stars intertwined to form a natural labyrinth. It was the most famous lawless land in the entire universe.

Countless wanted criminals, desperate star pirates, and caravans seeking gray-market deals gathered here. It was a hotbed of sin and a paradise for wealth.

Qin Feng chose this as his first stop with a clear purpose—resources.

He needed a massive amount of rare divine materials containing different law attributes to fill his "Small Universe" and verify his control over the myriad laws.

In the Chaotic Horn Star Sea, these items, which were worth a fortune elsewhere, could be easily obtained if one possessed sufficient strength.

A shuttle with an archaic design traveled at a steady pace through the chaotic asteroid belt.

Qin Feng sat cross-legged inside the shuttle, eyes slightly closed, while his vast divine sense acted like an invisible net, silently shrouding an area of tens of thousands of light-years.

Within this region, the trajectory of every asteroid, the flow of every energy current, the roar of every starship engine, and the heartbeat and divine sense fluctuations of every living being were reflected with absolute clarity in his mind.

He was like an observer from the highest dimension, coldly scrutinizing the scenes of slaughter and plunder playing out in this chaotic sea of stars.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, three massive warships, pitch-black and branded with hideous blood-red skulls on their bows, formed a triangular formation, tightly surrounding Qin Feng’s shuttle.

An imperial pressure, filled with the scent of blood and tyranny, crushed down upon the small shuttle like a landslide or a tsunami.

"The Blood Skull Pirate Group?"

Qin Feng did not even open his eyes.

This name was the one he heard most often since entering the Chaotic Horn Star Sea.

It was said that their three leaders were all notorious Conferred Emperor-level powerhouses, their hands stained with the blood of countless beings.

"Listen, you on the ship!"

An overbearing divine sense came from the central flagship. "Hand over all your wealth and the shuttle, and cripple your own cultivation, and we might consider leaving your corpse intact! Otherwise, we will obliterate your soul and ensure you never reincarnate!"

This was their customary opening line, filled with unquestionable cruelty.

In their eyes, this lone little shuttle was a piece of fat meat delivered to their mouths.

However, their pressure, which could crush ordinary Conferred Kings and even make low-level Conferred Emperors feel palpitations, vanished without a trace the moment it touched within a hundred meters of the shuttle.

Inside the shuttle, there was still dead silence, as if no one existed at all.

"Hmm? Interesting."

The divine sense from the flagship carried a hint of surprise. "A tough nut to crack. Second brother, third brother, strike together and crush him for me!"

"You got it, big brother!"

Two equally powerful imperial auras erupted from the other two warships simultaneously.

The three imperial pressures stacked together, transforming into a blood-red giant claw composed of pure malice and the law of slaughter, blotting out the sky as it grabbed fiercely toward the shuttle.

This strike was enough to shake an entire cosmic nation.

However, just as the blood-red giant claw was about to touch the shuttle.

Qin Feng, inside the shuttle, finally opened his eyes slowly.

He did not cast any secret techniques, nor did he mobilize any laws.

He simply... released a sliver of the pure, material-level physical pressure contained within his completed [Limit Body].

Just, a sliver.

"Boom————!"

An absolute force, beyond language, beyond law, beyond concept, erupted from the shuttle in a thunderous roar!

The blood-red giant claw, condensed by the combined efforts of three Sovereign-level masters, was as fragile as a soap bubble before this pure, unadulterated power.

Without even a moment of resistance, it instantly collapsed, annihilated, and evaporated!

Following this, the pressure swept across the three massive pirate warships like an invisible shockwave.

Crack... crack-crack...

The immensely sturdy hull armor began to fracture, emitting a groan of unbearable strain. Inside the ships, the energy systems descended into instant chaos and detonation.

The three Sovereign-level pirate captains, trapped within their vessels, were struck as if by lightning.

Their pride, the Sovereign Domains they had cultivated, were crushed like dry twigs before this pure force!

Their physical forms were struck by the weight of a billion divine mountains, and in a single heartbeat, their bones, organs, and souls were reduced to the most primitive particles.

They could not even manage a scream; with faces frozen in shock and bewilderment, they vanished from the universe entirely.

From beginning to end, Qin Feng had merely opened his eyes.

Having done this, he closed them once more, as if nothing had occurred.

A moment later, with a flicker of his intent, the spatial artifacts left behind by the fallen Sovereigns, along with the vast resources accumulated over eons in their vaults, transformed into three streams of light. They pierced through the shattered hulls and flew into his shuttle.

The shuttle shifted its course and, unhurried, vanished into the depths of the star sea.

Only the three slowly disintegrating wrecks remained, silently testifying to the terror that had just unfolded.

...

The Relics of Ten Thousand Laws.

This was an ancient battlefield.

Legend says that in a distant epoch, several supreme beings of Sovereign rank waged a world-shaking war here.

Their Daos were forever branded into this void, turning the place into a renowned sanctuary for enlightenment.

Countless practitioners traveled here, hoping to glimpse a shred of supreme mystery within the lingering traces of the Sovereigns' paths.

Qin Feng arrived here as well.

He walked slowly across the shattered continental plates, his feet treading upon soil that had long since lost its divinity.

The air was thick with the aura of laws, distinct yet all terrifyingly powerful.

There was the law of destruction, overbearing and absolute, which had sliced a continent several light-years wide clean in half; the cut remained smooth as a mirror, radiating a sharpness that made the soul tremble.

There was the law of creation, endless and vibrant, which had carved a strange garden out of nothingness, where flora long extinct in the outside world flourished, each stalk brimming with immense vitality.

And there was the law of time, eerie and unfathomable, causing the flow of time in certain regions to become chaotic—one second it was eons past, the next, a vision of the future.

Qin Feng walked among them like the most devout pilgrim.

But he was not "learning."

Whenever he reached a trace of the Dao, he would stop and observe in silence.

The Primordial Singularity spun at high speed within his sea of consciousness, performing the deepest analysis and reconstruction of these Sovereign-level marks.

He saw the essence of that destructive blade: a Sovereign pushing their understanding of "the end" to its absolute limit.

He saw the root of the garden of creation: a Sovereign’s supreme insight into the cycle of "life."

He saw the truth of the chaotic time: the tragic mark left by a Sovereign attempting to reverse the river of time.

Thousands of different supreme Daos, all having transcended the rank of Emperor and touched the realm of the "Sovereign," shed their mysterious cloaks before him, revealing their fundamental structural laws.

Had it been his former self, he would have devoured all of this with insatiable hunger.

But now, he merely watched with calm, then compared and verified these "Daos" against his own "Path of Extremes."

"This path of destruction is too extreme; it has an end."

"This path of creation is too gentle; it lacks the edge."

"This path of time attempts to control the rules, yet is ultimately trapped by them."

...

"None are equal to my Dao."

After "reading" every trace of the Dao in this place, Qin Feng reached this conclusion.

His "Path of Extremes" encompassed all things, yet stood above all things. Whether destruction or creation, power or space, they were merely branches under his concept of the "Extreme."

His Dao had no end.

Because "the extreme" itself is endless.

Realizing this, Qin Feng’s heart of Dao became increasingly clear and complete. The purpose of his journey was fulfilled.

He bowed slightly to the ancient ruins, as if thanking the unknown predecessors for providing him with "reference points," and then turned to leave.

...

The Silicon-Based Divine Realm.

This was a peculiar star sector.

The stars here were not composed of conventional matter, but of a unique crystal. The inhabitants were not flesh-and-blood beings, but silicon-based lifeforms with crystals as their cores and information flows as their souls.

They called themselves the "Silicon Race."

The entire society of the Silicon Race functioned like a massive, incredibly precise central processor. Every individual was a computing unit; they possessed no independent "self" emotions, only pure "logic" serving the collective.

Qin Feng descended upon a massive planet, brilliant as a diamond.

He did not hide his form, for here, appearance was irrelevant.

The standard by which the Silicon Race judged a lifeform was the complexity of its soul's information flow and its energy level.

The moment he descended, every individual of the Silicon Race on the planet ceased their "calculations." The crystals on their surfaces lit up in unison, emitting streams of information that converged before him, forming a massive face made of light.

[High-dimensional information aggregate detected. Energy level: Unparseable. Threat assessment: Unknown. State your purpose.]

The cold, emotionless stream of information resonated directly in Qin Feng’s mind.

Qin Feng looked at this massive face of light and, for the first time, spoke of his own volition, his voice indifferent.

"I am merely a passing traveler, curious about your civilization."

[Curiosity: a non-logical, emotion-driven state. Understood.]

The face of light flickered, seemingly processing the concept of "curiosity."

[Traveler, you may access our public information database within limits. However, any attempt to sabotage or analyze our core 'Mother Nest' is prohibited. Otherwise, you shall be deemed hostile.]

"Agreed."

Qin Feng nodded.

For the next few decades, he remained on this planet.

He walked among the cities constructed of pure crystal, watching the Silicon Race conduct their highly efficient communication, production, and evolution through streams of information.

He entered their public database, an ocean composed of pure data.

He witnessed the entire history of this race, from their inception to their rise, and finally to the establishment of their vast divine domain.

He saw that their understanding of the universe was rooted entirely in data and logic.

To them, the laws of nature were merely the underlying code of the cosmos; cultivation was simply the optimization of one's own algorithms to attain higher permissions.

This form of purely rational civilization left Qin Feng deeply moved.

He had glimpsed another kind of limit.

Not a limit of power, but a limit of logic and information.

Yet, at the same time, he perceived the fatal flaw of this civilization.

"Pure logic brings ultimate efficiency, but it also extinguishes all possibility."

"Without emotion, without desire, without the individual, no matter how far your civilization develops, it remains nothing more than a pre-programmed sequence, forever incapable of giving birth to a true miracle."

Before departing, Qin Feng left this message behind.

The colossal face of light remained silent for a long time.

[Your message has been recorded. Executing highest priority calculation... Result: Paradox. Unable to comprehend.]

Qin Feng said nothing more and turned to leave.

He had obtained what he sought—a brand new perspective.

...

His journey never ceased.

Qin Feng traversed the Elemental Realm, composed of pure energy, and bore witness to life forms without fixed shapes.

He stepped into the Dream Galaxy, where kingdoms were constructed of psychic power, and brushed past the Dream Tapir race, who existed only in thought.

He even infiltrated the brood star-fields of the Zerg, watching with cold eyes from amidst a sea of billions of insects as the most primitive and bloody laws of evolution played out.

Over a hundred thousand years passed beneath his feet like a white horse leaping across a crevice.

His footprints covered every corner of the universe. His knowledge had long surpassed that of any ancient tome.

His state of being, through these repeated travels and observations, had been polished until it was flawless and unfathomable.

Until one day, in an ancient interstellar black market, he received news that made him pause.

"The Winged Empire will host the once-in-ten-thousand-year 'Ten Thousand Wings Pavilion' auction in its capital, the 'Heavenly Wing Divine City,' in a century's time. It is rumored that the centerpiece of this auction is the essence dripped from the 'World Tree,' the companion divine object of the Winged race—the 'Tear of the World Tree'."

The Tear of the World Tree is not a cosmic oddity, but a supreme treasure more precious than many such relics.

It possesses no offensive or defensive power; it has but one function: to cleanse the foundation of the Dao and nourish the soul, allowing the user's "Dao" to become purer, clearer, and infinitely closer to the origin of the universe.

"This is exactly what I need."

A flash of brilliance crossed Qin Feng's eyes.

His final preparations seemed to be drawing to a close.

His next destination was clear.

The Winged Empire, a pinnacle race located in the heart of the universe, renowned for its elegance, antiquity, and power.

...

As one of the oldest and most powerful pinnacle races in the central region of the universe, the Winged Empire's territory far exceeded that of ordinary cosmic nations.

Countless brilliant stars were shrouded in a soft, sacred white halo—the eternal radiance emanating from the empire's core, the companion divine object known as the "World Tree."

The architectural style here was vastly different from the grandeur of the human domains or the coldness of the Machine race; it was imbued with art and nature.

City after city was not built upon cold, metallic continents, but ingeniously integrated with the massive "Heavenly Canopy Divine Trees" that floated in the sea of stars.

White jade intertwined with the branches of the divine trees to form cities that resembled works of art, while countless Winged people with light-born wings flew gracefully among them, like a kingdom from myth.

After passing through a strict but formulaic entry inspection, Qin Feng's shuttle sailed smoothly into this sacred territory.

He put away his shuttle and walked upon this alien land in the guise of a human King-level powerhouse.

He did not head toward the capital, "Heavenly Wing Divine City," where the auction would be held; there were too many powerful beings there, and the prying eyes were too numerous for his upcoming plans.

This time, his visit to the Winged Empire had another, more important purpose beyond obtaining the Tear of the World Tree to put a perfect end to his two hundred thousand years of bitter cultivation—to settle a long-buried cause and effect.

The inheritance of the Ancient Luo King.

Years ago, he had snatched the complete inheritance of the Ancient Luo King and the fragment of the token, the "Ancient Luo Bell," from the jaws of danger, and in doing so, accepted a contract: to slay the Golden Emperor.

However, times had changed. He was no longer the Galaxy-level cultivator who had to look up to the whims of an Emperor.

In his eyes, the Golden Emperor was no longer a life-or-death enemy that required his full strength to confront. But the Golden Emperor was tied to the entire Monster race, and even deeper, to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Races.

Before the final battle at the Eternal Mountain, he did not want to expose himself prematurely or startle the snake by settling this old grudge.

A contract must be honored.

But the method could be adapted.

The contract of the Ancient Luo King's inheritance offered another path: if one could not or would not slay the Golden Emperor, one must find a worthy disciple in this universe to pass the inheritance down to.

The Winged race, as a pinnacle race that stood in constant opposition to the Monster and Zerg races, was undoubtedly the perfect soil to sow this "seed." The Ancient Luo King's inheritance was overwhelmingly domineering; once a Winged prodigy mastered it, they would inevitably become a thorn in the side of the Monster race.

In a sense, this would complete the strike against the Golden Emperor and resolve the karma with the Ancient Luo King.

After traveling through several bustling Winged cosmic cities, Qin Feng finally chose a remote city named "Flowing Cloud."

Flowing Cloud Cosmic City was not large, and among the tens of thousands of cities in the Winged Empire, it was unremarkable.

There were few powerful beings here, and the strongest was merely a City Lord who had just entered the Emperor-level, who spent his days in seclusion, indifferent to worldly affairs.

This "tranquility," just right in its measure, was exactly what Qin Feng needed.

On the outskirts of the city, in a long-abandoned old district, Qin Feng used a few pieces of divine gold he had casually acquired in the Chaotic Corner Star Sea to purchase a small courtyard.

The courtyard was ordinary, even somewhat dilapidated, with an ancient locust tree that had grown for who knows how many millennia, its branches sparse.

Qin Feng did not use any great divine power to repair it; instead, like a mortal, he cleaned and tidied it by hand, spending several days to restore a sense of life to the place.

Afterward, he hung a wooden plaque, carved by his own hand from a fallen branch of the ancient locust tree, above the gate.

On the plaque, in the oldest pictographic script of the human race, two characters were carved:

Limit.

And so, in the most obscure corner of Flowing Cloud Cosmic City, the Limit Martial Arts Hall opened its doors in silence.

There were no grand celebrations, no congratulations from the powerful, not even a passerby.

Qin Feng's life became simpler and more disciplined than ever before.

Every morning, he would pick up a broom and sweep the fallen locust leaves from the courtyard, not raising a single speck of dust.

In the morning, he would bring out a reclining chair, lie beneath the locust tree, brew a pot of green tea brought from his human homeland, and quietly watch the streaks of light from the Winged people as they crossed the sky, lying there for the entire day.

At dusk, he would close the courtyard gate, sit cross-legged, and silently consolidate the Emperor-level laws within his body, integrating the gains of his thirty thousand years of seclusion into his marrow and soul, bit by bit.

His aura was restrained to the extreme. In the eyes of his neighbors—those ordinary Winged civilians—he was merely a taciturn human stranger with somewhat eccentric habits.

No one knew that within this young man who swept the floor and drank tea, appearing harmless to humans and animals alike, lay a terrifying power capable of erasing the entire Flowing Cloud Cosmic City, and even this star field, a billion times over.

He was waiting.

Waiting for a fated soul, a vessel worthy of bearing the tyrannical legacy of the Ancient Luo King.

He was in no hurry. He had plenty of time, and an abundance of patience.

This waiting, in itself, was a form of cultivation, a polishing of the state of mind.

Yet, the tranquility he sought was not destined to last.

……

On this day, Qin Feng lay as usual on the recliner beneath the locust tree, eyes closed in repose.

The sky of Liuyun Universe City was as serene and peaceful as ever.

Suddenly!

"Boom—!"

A violent sonic boom, like a thunderclap from the nine heavens, erupted without warning over the city!

A streak of light burning with silver flames, like a star struck down by a divine bow, dragged a long tail as it plummeted in a spiraling, uncontrolled descent from the edge of the firmament toward the old district where Qin Feng resided.

Hard on its heels followed another, more domineering and arrogant crimson streak, clinging like a maggot to bone, chasing the silver flame with such ferocity that every strike left a jagged scar in the sky, as if tearing the very fabric of space.

"Ling Feng! You cannot escape! Today is the day you die!"

A divine sense, brimming with tyrannical malice, swept across the entire district like a storm.

"Red Eye King! You have betrayed our kin and colluded with foreign enemies; the Council Chairman will never let you go!"

From within the silver flames came a weak but still defiant retort, filled with fury.

"Hahahaha! The Council Chairman? Once I claim the 'Feather of the Wind God' from you and present it to that great one, I shall be the next Chairman! Die!"

The crimson streak surged in speed, and a giant claw formed of pure flame laws reached out from the void, striking viciously at the silver light!

"Pfft!"

The Feather-kin cultivator within the silver light was clearly at the end of his tether; he barely managed to condense a wind shield, only to have it shattered instantly. Struck heavily, he spat out a mouthful of golden divine blood, his descent accelerating.

The trajectory of his fall led him, unerringly, to the quiet alley where the Limit Martial Arts Hall stood.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous crash, the Feather-kin cultivator named Ling Feng slammed into the street less than a hundred meters from the hall's gate, gouging a massive crater into the solid bluestone.

He struggled to rise, but one of his silver wings was snapped, his body bathed in blood, his aura withered to the point of extinction; he had clearly lost the strength to fight.

On the recliner, Qin Feng’s eyelids flickered slightly.

He did not wish to invite trouble.

But trouble, it seemed, had come knocking on his door.

In the sky, the crimson streak descended slowly, revealing a middle-aged Feather-kin clad in red battle armor, with a pair of massive, flame-engulfed wings sprouting from his back, his eyes a terrifying, blood-red hue.

His aura was unmistakably that of a peak King-tier!

He was the Red Eye King.

He looked down from on high at the dying Ling Feng in the crater, his eyes filled with the playful cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.

"It is over, Ling Feng. Hand over the 'Feather of the Wind God,' and I shall grant you a quick death."

"You... never..."

Ling Feng struggled, his eyes burning with unyielding hatred.

"Stubborn fool."

The playfulness vanished from the Red Eye King’s face, replaced by icy murderous intent. "In that case, you shall be reduced to ash along with this entire district!"

He slowly raised his hand, and within his palm, a crimson energy sphere—the size of a fist and densely packed with the laws of destruction and fire—began to swell rapidly!

The terrifying power radiating from it caused the space in the entire district to distort and groan.

He cared nothing for the lives of the other beings in this area.

To him, these "ants," not even reaching the King-tier, were "honored" to be buried alongside Ling Feng.

At this moment, every Feather-kin civilian in this alley and the surrounding streets felt the suffocating pressure of death.

They looked up in terror at the energy sphere, which hung like a doomsday sun in the sky, their faces etched with despair.

Those with weaker cultivation had already fainted under the sheer weight of the pressure.

The Red Eye King relished the feeling of presiding over life and death, a cruel smile curling his lips.

"Goodbye, genius Ling Feng."

With a flick of his wrist, the energy sphere, capable of wiping this district off the map of Liuyun City, began its howling descent.

However, at that very instant.

"Sigh..."

A faint, seemingly helpless sigh drifted out, clear and lingering, from within the unremarkable "Limit Martial Arts Hall."

The sigh was soft, almost imperceptible.

Yet, amidst the violent environment of destructive energy, it reached the ears of every living soul present with absolute clarity, including the Red Eye King in the sky.

The Red Eye King’s movements stalled; his crimson eyes snapped toward the dilapidated courtyard, his divine sense sweeping over like a blade.

"Who?"

His divine sense, however, sank like a stone into the sea, receiving no response and detecting nothing out of the ordinary.

To his perception, that courtyard was an absolute "void," as if nothing existed there at all.

This unknown, eerie sensation stirred a flicker of caution in his heart.

But the pride of a peak King-tier instantly suppressed that caution, transmuting it into rage.

"Playing ghosts, are you? Then die together!"

He hesitated no longer, driving the sphere of destructive energy downward with all his might! His target now encompassed the strange courtyard as well!

Yet, the cataclysmic explosion he anticipated never came.

The energy sphere, containing the full-force strike of a peak King-tier, suddenly... froze halfway down.

It was as if a film being played had been hit with the pause button.

Time seemed to solidify at that moment.

The savage grin on the Red Eye King’s face froze. He discovered with horror that not only could he no longer control the energy sphere, but his own body felt as if it were being crushed by billions of invisible divine mountains, rendering him unable to move!

An indescribable, incomprehensible, and irresistible supreme pressure had, at some unknown moment, enveloped the heavens and the earth.

This pressure was not like the Red Eye King’s—it was neither violent nor outward-reaching.

It was quiet.

As quiet as the universe itself.

It targeted no one, yet every soul caught within it felt, from the deepest depths of their spirit, a primal awe—the awe of facing "Heaven" itself.

"Creak—"

The dilapidated wooden door of the Limit Martial Arts Hall was pushed open, slowly.

Qin Feng, clad in a black martial suit, stepped out with a measured gait.

He did not look at the Red-Eyed King in the sky, nor at Ling Feng, who lay gravely wounded in the crater.

He merely raised his head to gaze at the sphere of destructive energy suspended in mid-air, still radiating a terrifying heat, and his brow furrowed, ever so slightly.

He reached out a hand toward the energy orb and gave a gentle, singular squeeze.

"Pop."

There was no sound, no shockwave of energy.

The orb, capable of leveling the entire district, simply vanished—like a phantom pinched out of existence, silent and absolute.

Only after this did Qin Feng slowly lift his eyes to fix his gaze upon the Red-Eyed King, who hovered above, his face drained of color and his body trembling violently.

In that moment, the Red-Eyed King felt he was not looking into a pair of eyes.

He was staring into an endless abyss, one containing the birth and death of universes, the rise and fall of all paths.

His pride as a peak King-level warrior, his Dao, his very will—all were crushed into dust under the weight of that singular stare.

"Em... Emperor..."

The two syllables were squeezed from his throat, wrenched out with every ounce of strength he possessed.

His voice was saturated with the purest terror and disbelief.

The pressure of an Emperor permeated the land!

In this instant, the Red-Eyed King finally understood what manner of existence he had provoked!

And this fleeting yet vast aura, heavy as the mandate of heaven, struck the calm lake of Liuyun Universe City like a nuclear blast, instantly setting the entire city ablaze with panic!

Deep within the City Lord’s mansion, a white-feathered elder in seclusion snapped his eyes open, his face etched with horror!

Across the city, several auras belonging to King-level powerhouses surged toward the heavens, gazing toward the old district with expressions of profound shock and awe.

"It is the pressure of an Emperor!"

"Heavens! How could an Emperor have graced our Liuyun City with their presence?"

"This aura... it is terrifying! Far more powerful than the City Lord himself!"

In a heartbeat, the entire universe city was shaken to its core!

No one could have imagined that in this remote, tranquil city, there lay hidden an unfathomable, supreme Emperor!

...

Among the iron laws of the universe, there exists an unwritten commandment, carved into the bones of every living soul—

An Emperor, must not be insulted.

In the crater, the dying Ling Feng also felt that supreme pressure, which forced his very soul to submit. He struggled to lift his head, peering through blood-blurred vision at the young man in black who had emerged from the martial arts hall.

A tempest of shock raged within his heart.

He could not fathom that the destination of his desperate flight—this dilapidated old district—would harbor such a terrifying existence.

That pressure was vast, serene, yet carried an indisputable, absolute authority.

He had once felt the aura of the peak Emperor-level Council Chairman from afar, but compared to this, that was but a stream to an ocean!

What manner of person was this senior?

Qin Feng stood calmly before the hall, his gaze finally settling on the Red-Eyed King, who had long since lost all will to resist.

He felt no anger, nor any intent to kill.

His eyes held the look of one watching a candle flame about to flicker out, or perhaps, the scrutiny of a speck of dust.

To an Emperor, especially one walking the "Path of the Limit," a peak King-level warrior was no different from an ant.

The Red-Eyed King read this absolute indifference, born of a higher plane of existence, in Qin Feng’s eyes.

A chill, colder than death itself, pierced his spirit.

He wanted to beg for mercy, to explain, to offer everything he owned for a sliver of survival.

Yet, he could not.

Within the domain of Qin Feng’s will, he was stripped even of the right to move his lips.

Qin Feng did not raise his hand, nor did he invoke any earth-shattering secret technique.

He simply looked at the Red-Eyed King, as one might look at a dying candle, and spoke two words, softly.

"Dissipate."

The words were light, faint, devoid of any energy fluctuation.

But this was no attack.

This was a "verdict."

It was an imperial decree, issued by the dignity of an Emperor, to the laws of this world—a command that could not be defied.

His word was law!

The moment the word "dissipate" fell, an incredible scene unfolded.

There was no light, no sound, no ripple of energy, not even the slightest tremor in space.

The Red-Eyed King in the sky, that arrogant peak King-level powerhouse, began to decompose—starting from his outer armor, silently... vanishing.

Not into ash, not into particles, but simply fading away into nothingness.

Like a superfluous stroke of a brush, gently wiped from a canvas by the artist.

His armor, his flesh, his bones, his soul, his flaming wings, the imprints of the laws he had left upon this universe...

Everything, within a single breath, was thoroughly and cleanly erased from the world.

As if he had never existed at all.

Between heaven and earth, only his space ring remained, falling helplessly from the sky once it lost the support of its master.

Qin Feng summoned it with a casual gesture, and the ring turned into a streak of light, landing in his palm—the movement fluid, natural, and effortless.

This scene left the only conscious witness, Ling Feng, utterly stunned.

His eyes were wide, his mouth hung open unconsciously, and he had forgotten the agony of his own wounds.

What had he just seen?

Was it a miracle?

No...

It was something more terrifying, more incomprehensible than a miracle... it was divine retribution!

A peak King-level powerhouse, a top-tier existence who could rank in the top three of all Liuyun Universe City, was simply... "spoken" out of existence by two words?

What realm was this? What manner of supreme power was this?

Ling Feng felt his entire worldview shattered and reshaped in that singular, harrowing moment.

He had once believed that while Emperors were formidable, they remained within the boundaries of his comprehension.

Yet, the display of power by the senior in black had utterly transcended his understanding of what it meant to be strong.

Simultaneously.

Across the vast expanse of Liuyun Universe City, the mighty figures stirred by the Emperor’s pressure fell into a deathly, suffocating silence.

Deep within the City Lord’s manor.

The white-feathered elder, the City Lord himself, had been poised to intervene and halt the unfolding farce.

But in that very instant, he felt the formidable, tyrannical aura of the peak-level King, Red-Eye, abruptly and completely vanish from his perception.

It had been erased without a trace, as if some invisible hand had plucked it from the very strings of the universe’s laws.

His body froze in place, a fine sheen of cold sweat beading upon his brow.

"Instant... instant kill..."

"In a heartbeat... he erased the Red-Eye King from the very fabric of existence..."

The veteran King, who had lived for millions of years, found his voice trembling.

He realized that he, and indeed the entire city, had severely underestimated the sheer terror of this mysterious Emperor.

This was no ordinary Emperor!

This was a supreme titan who had traveled an immense distance along the path of the Imperial realm!

"Pass on my command!"

He roared the mental order to the outside world, "Seal the Old District! No one is to approach within ten thousand meters of the Limit Martial Arts Hall! Those who disobey will be executed without mercy!"

"Furthermore, prepare a greeting card of the highest order! No, I... I shall go myself to beg for forgiveness!"

He no longer dared to harbor thoughts of a mere "audience"; all that remained was the desperate need to "plead for mercy."

To plead on behalf of that fool, Red-Eye, for disturbing the quiet cultivation of such a mighty being!

Before the gates of the Limit Martial Arts Hall.

Qin Feng finished his deed as if he had merely brushed away a speck of insignificant dust.

He did not look at the sky again, nor did he pay heed to the terrified powerhouses throughout the city.

His gaze fell back into the deep crater, upon the Feather-race youth, Ling Feng, who stared back with eyes brimming with a complex mixture of awe, terror, and a flicker of fanaticism.

Qin Feng’s brow furrowed slightly.

He had only intended to wait quietly for a successor, yet he had invited a monumental trouble instead.

He did not like trouble.

But, looking at the fire of defiance that burned in Ling Feng’s eyes despite his grave injuries, and sensing the pure, sharp aura of the "Wind" law radiating from him...

Qin Feng’s heart stirred.

Perhaps this "trouble" was the very "fated one" he had been waiting for?

He said nothing, simply turning to push open the weathered wooden door and walking slowly back into the courtyard.

A calm voice drifted from within, floating softly into Ling Feng’s ears.

"If you wish to live, come inside yourself."

As the voice faded, the wooden door creaked and slowly, firmly, shut.

It left only Ling Feng in the crater, and the entire city, wrapped in awe and deathly silence.

In the sky, a silent proclamation seemed to linger—an Emperor, once insulted, demands a price.