Chapter 378: Beheading the Gold Emperor! Number One on the Genius List! Qin Feng Returns!

Chapter 378: Slaying the Golden Emperor! First on the Prodigy List! Qin Feng Returns! The Cosmic Sea Trembles!

[The Feather Clan Arena].

This is a sub-space independent of the great universe, a desolate cosmos born for the sole purpose of combat.

There is no life here, no starlight, only endless darkness and the frigid vacuum.

The laws of space have been reinforced by the supreme powers of the Feather Clan to an inconceivable degree, sufficient to withstand the ravages of Emperor-level strength without collapsing.

The flow of time here also differs from the outside; ten thousand years within may be but a single day beyond.

As Qin Feng and the Golden Emperor stepped into this battlefield one after the other, the massive gate of light connecting to the [Myriad Feather Pavilion] slammed shut, sealing off all external clamor and prying eyes.

Within the arena, only two supreme beings remained, poised to decide each other’s fate.

"Hum—"

The Golden Emperor’s colossal divine form, as if cast from solid gold, spanned the starry expanse.

His stature was so immense that he could toy with super-giant stars as if they were mere marbles.

Every golden plate of armor covering his body shimmered with the radiance of immortal Dao laws, the natural patterns etched upon them the manifestation of the "Imperial Path" he commanded.

His eyes, brighter than a supernova, locked firmly onto the tiny human figure in the distance.

"You skulking rat, state your name!"

The Golden Emperor’s voice transformed into a tangible storm of laws, sweeping across a region of thousands of light-years. "This Emperor does not slay the nameless!"

His voice was saturated with absolute confidence and condescending arrogance.

In his eyes, this duel to "determine superiority" was nothing more than a formality.

He intended to crush this fellow who had repeatedly provoked him with overwhelming force, seize the [Tears of the World Tree], and force his opponent to lose face and suffer a fractured Dao heart before the eyes of the entire universe’s powerhouses.

Qin Feng hovered silently in the void, his figure shrouded in mist, appearing as insignificant as a speck of dust before the Golden Emperor’s sky-blocking divine form.

He did not respond to the Golden Emperor’s inquiry, merely raising his right hand slowly to extend a single finger.

At the tip of that finger, a faint, pure-to-the-extreme white light began to coalesce.

The light was neither dazzling nor scorching, devoid of any energy fluctuations, yet it caused the surrounding spatial laws to begin a bizarre twisting and annihilation.

It seemed not to be a form of energy, but a "concept"—an ultimate concept that pushed "penetration" and "erasure" to their absolute limits.

"You court death!"

Seeing such indifference, the Golden Emperor was thoroughly enraged. He viewed Qin Feng’s silence and gestures as the height of contempt.

"Since you will not reveal your lineage, I shall beat you until your soul disintegrates, then scour your origin imprint!"

"Imperial Path: Golden Spear Suppresses the World!"

The Golden Emperor moved.

He made no complex motions, simply raising his massive foreclaw, capable of crushing star systems, and swiping gently toward Qin Feng.

Yet, this seemingly casual swipe triggered a resonance of laws throughout the entire desolate cosmos.

Infinite Geng-metal energy birthed from the void, manifesting as billions of golden war spears spanning the heavens.

Each spear was imbued with the Golden Emperor’s tyrannical will—to suppress, to pulverize, to pierce all things!

This was the might of an Emperor; his words were the law.

With a single thought, he could command the origin of the universe and bend it to his will.

This torrent of billions of spears was enough to instantly reduce a fortified galactic defense line to cosmic dust.

In the Golden Emperor’s view, this move was sufficient to force his opponent into a panicked, wretched state.

He was already prepared to savor the sight of his foe struggling miserably within his domain of laws.

However, Qin Feng’s expression remained entirely unchanged.

Just as the torrent of golden spears was about to engulf him, the sliver of white light at his fingertip moved.

[Limitless Divine Light].

"Shoo—"

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a faint sound of air being pierced, almost too slight to notice.

The white light, in a manner that transcended causality and ignored distance, appeared instantly in the very heart of the golden torrent.

Immediately following, a scene appeared that caused the Golden Emperor’s pupils to contract violently.

The tiny white light seemed to possess a supreme "authority"; wherever it passed, every golden war spear constructed of laws, no matter how sturdy or how tyrannical the will contained within, was directly "erased" from the conceptual level the moment it touched the light.

Not shattered, not melted, but as if it had never existed, it vanished without a sound.

The white light acted like an invisible brush, gently yet brutally carving a path of absolute "emptiness" across the magnificent, destructive masterpiece composed of billions of spears.

A straight, void channel piercing through the entire torrent of spears formed in an instant.

And the target of the Limitless Divine Light, having penetrated layers of obstacles, remained the vital point between the brows of the Golden Emperor’s massive form!

This strike was fast, precise, and ruthless!

It contained no sparring, no probing, but the purest, coldest… killing intent!

"What?!"

The Golden Emperor was both shocked and furious.

He never expected that his opponent’s first move would be a lethal strike capable of threatening his very origin!

The "limitless" Dao rhyme contained within that white light made even this veteran Emperor, renowned for tens of millions of years, feel a tremor of heart-palpitating dread.

This was no "determination of superiority"; this was a life-and-death struggle to the bitter end!

"You are serious?!"

In his shock and rage, the Golden Emperor’s massive form shuddered, and a more brilliant golden radiance erupted from his skin, forming a field of absolute defense.

Simultaneously, he tilted his massive head slightly.

"Pfft!"

The Limitless Divine Light grazed his brow armor, instantly piercing through millions of light-years of space behind him, leaving an eternal, irreparable pitch-black hole.

The piece of his "indestructible" natal divine armor that had been grazed melted away like snow touched by a red-hot iron, revealing the golden flesh beneath.

A sting of pain radiated from his brow.

The Golden Emperor… was wounded.

Though it was a trivial superficial injury, for one known for peerless defense, it was an unprecedented humiliation!

What enraged him even more was his opponent’s undisguised intent to kill.

"Good! Very good!"

The Golden Emperor’s fury burned white-hot. "Since you wish to die, I shall grant your wish! It seems there is indeed an old grudge between us! Let me see, beneath that mask, which defeated ghost of my past are you!"

"Myriad Calamity Golden Emperor Path: Undying War Body!"

The Golden Emperor roared, and his massive divine form began to transform.

The armor upon his frame grew heavier and more archaic, etched with myriad arcane golden runes that radiated an aura of eternal, indestructible permanence.

This was the foundation of his cosmic dominion, a supreme battle-form that fused his physical vessel with the very essence of his Imperial Path.

Simultaneously, he launched another assault, this time holding back nothing.

"Imperial Path: Star-Shattering Finger!"

One of his claws transformed into a golden digit that pierced the cosmos, its tip coalescing into a super-massive neutron star in a state of perpetual collapse.

Infinite gravity and the laws of reality were compressed into a single point, descending upon Qin Feng with crushing force.

This strike was sufficient to grind an entire cosmic empire into a singularity, from its physical matter down to the very fabric of its laws.

Facing this world-ending blow, Qin Feng remained serene.

He did not meet it head-on; instead, his form flickered, merging with the void until he became a shimmering, spectral phantom.

[Myriad Phenomena].

Within his eyes, billions of stars seemed to be born and perish, and under his analytical gaze, every law and energy flow of the Golden Emperor’s "Star-Shattering Finger" became crystalline and clear.

At the very instant the giant finger descended, he appeared at a seemingly impossible angle, right at the node where the laws were most fragile.

He extended a single finger in return.

[Ultimate Divine Radiance].

This time, the radiance sought not the extremity of "penetration," but the extremity of "disintegration."

"Boom!"

The white light struck the precise node of the law.

In the next heartbeat, the Golden Emperor’s unstoppable "Star-Shattering Finger" collapsed from within, like a structure stripped of its load-bearing frame!

The compressed neutron star, freed from the constraints of the law, erupted in a chaotic surge of energy, triggering a horrific explosion that swept across half the battlefield.

Yet Qin Feng had already vanished beyond the blast radius, unscathed.

"What... what kind of secret technique is this?!"

The Golden Emperor was utterly shaken.

If the first [Ultimate Divine Radiance] was the ultimate "spear," then what he had just witnessed was a terrifying insight into the laws, akin to a master butcher carving an ox.

His own Imperial killing move had been dismantled with such effortless grace.

The strength and methods of this mysterious man far exceeded his estimations.

A long-forgotten sensation, known as "danger," rose from the depths of his soul.

He realized this was no longer a duel he could control.

This was a... true death match. Every step the opponent took was intended to claim his life.

"Who... exactly are you?!"

The Golden Emperor roared again, his voice now laced with gravity and bewilderment.

This time, Qin Feng finally responded.

The mist shrouding him dissipated like a receding tide, revealing a young, calm face—one both familiar and strange to the Golden Emperor.

The moment he saw Qin Feng’s features, the Golden Emperor’s massive, burning eyes froze.

Time seemed to stand still.

His pupils, vast as stars, contracted violently, filled with disbelief, horror, confusion, and a trace of... bone-deep dread.

"It’s you?!"

The Golden Emperor’s voice trembled for the first time.

"Qin Feng... the Ultimate Marquis?! No... that’s impossible!!"

He roared hoarsely, his very soul vibrating in agony.

This name, this face, had long been carved into the deepest recesses of his memory.

It was one of the few marks of "shame" in his imperial career.

Years ago, while hunting this youth, he had been thwarted by the King of Refined Arms and eventually forced to retreat in disgrace under the siege of the five Human Emperors.

But... so what?

Should this wretch not have perished thirty thousand years ago in the "Star Abyss Siege," torn apart by the Allied Races until his soul was utterly extinguished?!

The entire universe knew that the brilliant prodigy who had defied the heavens to slay a King while still a Marquis, the one who had stirred the tides of an entire era, had fallen!

Even on the cosmic [Marquis Ranking], his name had faded into oblivion!

How could a dead man appear here?

And how could he possess Imperial-level combat power capable of matching—and even subtly suppressing—his own?!

This completely overturned his understanding of cosmic laws!

"Whether I am dead or not, you will soon cease to know."

Qin Feng’s voice sounded flat, yet it pierced the Golden Emperor’s soul like the sharpest icicle.

"But you are truly going to die."

This emotionless verdict shattered the last shred of hope in the Golden Emperor’s heart.

He understood.

This was no hallucination, no nightmare.

The man before him was indeed the Qin Feng who should have died.

Not only had he survived, but he had done so in a way beyond comprehension, ascending to the realm of an Emperor.

Everything he had done today, from the provocations at the auction to this death match in the arena, had but one purpose—

Revenge!

"ROAR!!!"

As the truth dawned on him, boundless fear and humiliation transformed into a towering, maddened bloodlust.

"Qin Feng!!"

The Golden Emperor went completely insane. "I care not what treacherous scheme you used to return from the grave! Since I failed to crush you with my own hands thirty thousand years ago, today, I shall erase you and your soul from this universe entirely! I will ensure you never find peace in any cycle of reincarnation!!"

"Golden Emperor Manifestation: Ten Thousand Calamities Descend!"

The Golden Emperor held nothing back, burning his very Imperial essence.

His massive divine body shrank rapidly, finally condensing into a human form equal in height to Qin Feng.

This manifestation was forged entirely from the purest "Immortal Divine Gold," wielding a golden spear condensed from his own Imperial laws.

His aura was a hundred times more terrifying than it had been at its peak!

This was his ultimate combat form, and every use exacted a devastating toll upon his origin.

But now, he no longer cared.

"Die!"

The Golden Emperor's dharma avatar took a step forward, transcending time and space as his battle spear thrust straight toward Qin Feng's brow.

Upon the spear's tip, the entire laws of "Nirvana" from the martial arena universe were summoned, swirling into a vortex of sheer destruction.

Faced with the Golden Emperor's desperate, life-risking blow, Qin Feng's expression finally turned solemn.

Behind him, a blurred phantom of a "Primal Singularity," seemingly encompassing the myriad paths of the heavens, slowly manifested.

"War!"

The grand battle erupted completely!

...

This was a death match of emperors that no one witnessed, yet it was destined to be recorded in the annals of history.

The first millennium of the battle.

Relying on the "Myriad Tribulations Dharma Avatar" exchanged by burning his origin source, the Golden Emperor held an absolute upper hand.

Each of his strikes carried the unyielding will of "indestructible through ten thousand tribulations," grand and wide, overbearing and matchless. Beneath the sweeping motion of his golden battle spear, vast swathes of space were bludgeoned into chaos.

Qin Feng was like a solitary skiff amidst raging waves, constantly using Myriad Phenomena Forest to decipher the opponent's attack trajectories, then employing Limitless Divine Light to execute precise strikes and evasions.

At the lowest possible cost, he continuously whittled away the Golden Emperor's origin power.

Under the Golden Emperor's frenzied assaults, his Limitless Body cracked time and again, only to heal rapidly each time under the unique traits of the Indestructible Battle Skeleton Divine Gold.

Blood stained his simple black robe, but the battle intent in his eyes burned ever more fiercely.

The third millennium of the battle.

The Golden Emperor's burning origin began to show signs of decline, and his offensive was no longer as wildly fierce as it had been at the start.

Qin Feng began his counterattack.

No longer purely defensive, he took the initiative to launch attacks.

The Limitless Divine Light transformed into infinite shapes within his hands.

At times it was an all-conquering sharp sword, at times a thread that severed karma, and at times a domain that froze time and space.

Every single one of his strikes targeted the energy nodes and structural weaknesses within the laws of the Golden Emperor's dharma avatar.

"Puff!"

A streak of divine light pierced through the Golden Emperor's shoulder blade, bringing forth a spray of golden imperial blood.

For the first time, the "immortal" radiance upon the Golden Emperor's dharma avatar grew dim.

The fifth millennium of the battle.

Both sides entered the most brutal war of attrition.

The entire martial arena universe had been utterly destroyed by the aftershocks of their combat, turning into a desperate land where chaos and turbulent energy currents intertwined.

The concepts of time and space had become blurred here.

Their divine bodies had already shattered an untold number of times.

The Golden Emperor's "Myriad Tribulations Dharma Avatar" was battered until it was covered in cracks, like porcelain on the verge of breaking. Nearly half of his burning origin had been consumed.

Qin Feng's situation was equally tragic.

Although his Limitless Body was constantly repairing itself, the speed of recovery was gradually failing to keep pace with the rate of injury.

His left arm was severed at the shoulder by the Golden Emperor's battle spear; though it regenerated swiftly, the lingering rhyme of the "Myriad Tribulations" Dao remained on the newborn arm, impossible to erase immediately.

His aura had also become wildly disordered.

This was a duel of will and foundations. Whoever faltered first would be the loser.

The eighth millennium of the battle.

The Golden Emperor's aura had declined to a perilous state.

The madness in his eyes was gradually replaced by panic and despair.

He discovered that Qin Feng was like a bottomless abyss.

No matter how he attacked, the opponent always managed to endure. And every counterattack from the opponent precisely eroded his very foundation.

Especially that Limitless Divine Light; the Dao contained within it was far too bizarre, far too overbearing, as if it were born specifically to counter an emperor like him who relied on powerful defense and domineering laws.

"No... This Emperor cannot die here!"

The Golden Emperor grew afraid.

Roaring, he began to attempt to tear through the space of the martial arena, wanting to flee.

But how could Qin Feng give him the chance?

"Wanting to leave now? Too late."

Qin Feng's voice was ice-cold. His hands formed seals, and chains of law constructed from the Limitless Divine Light emerged from the void, completely sealing off this region.

The ten-thousandth year of the battle. Under Qin Feng's continuous and unending attacks, the Golden Emperor's "Myriad Tribulations Dharma Avatar" finally shattered completely.

He reverted to his colossal true form as a giant beast, but at this moment, he was covered in wounds, his armor broken, his golden blood flowing like rivers, and his aura had weakened to the lowest ebb since he had been crowned emperor.

He floated within the chaos, panting heavily.

"Why..."

He looked at Qin Feng across from him, who was likewise heavily injured and possessed a withered aura, yet whose eyes remained terrifyingly bright. The Emperor let out a roar of despair and resentment, "How long has it been since you were promoted to Sealed Emperor?! By what right can you fight This Emperor to such an extent?!"

"Because my Dao is 'Limit'."

Qin Feng replied calmly. He walked toward the Golden Emperor step by step, and with every step he took, his injuries healed by a fraction, and his momentum grew stronger by a degree.

Molded under the grindstone of this ten-thousand-year death match, his Dao heart had become increasingly clear, increasingly indestructible.

"And your death is a necessary cornerstone upon my path of the 'Limit' Dao."

As his voice fell, Qin Feng's figure transformed into the final, and also the most dazzling, streak of Limitless Divine Light.

This light accommodated the entirety of his essence, energy, and spirit, encompassing his ten thousand years of comprehension regarding the Dao of the "Limit."

"No!!!"

The Golden Emperor let out the final roar of his life, detonating all of his remaining origin source in an attempt to drag Qin Feng down to the grave with him.

However, that white light, in an utterly unreasonable manner, pierced through all the energy explosions, penetrated the Golden Emperor's final defensive divine ability, and ultimately, precisely and gently, vanished into his brow.

The Golden Emperor's massive divine body abruptly froze.

The madness, resentment, and fear in his eyes receded like the tide, until finally, only a deathly, desolate gray remained.

"So... this... is... death..."

His final divine sense dissipated into the chaos.

"Rumble..."

An old-generation Sealed Emperor expert who had traversed the universe for tens of millions of years, the Golden Emperor of the Golden-Armored Giant Beast clan, saw his immortal imperial body begin to disintegrate inch by inch, turning into primary particles that scattered within this burial ground prepared for him.

"Pheew..."

Qin Feng reappeared, his face pale as parchment, his divine form covered in a dense web of fissures as if he might shatter at any moment. He coughed, spraying a mouthful of golden blood infused with shattered laws, his aura withered to the point of extinction.

He had won this battle.

But the price paid was harrowing. The Golden Emperor’s final, desperate counterattack had nearly pulverized his Limitless Body. Had it not been for the properties of the Undying War-Skeleton Divine Gold holding his final breath together, he might have truly perished alongside his foe.

Yet, he was the victor.

He forced his battered frame to stand, walking step by step to the core where the Golden Emperor had fallen.

There, several items hovered in the air.

A storage ring shimmering with golden light, containing the entirety of the Golden Emperor’s wealth.

A piece of Myriad-Aeon Void-Green Bronze Mother, the size of a millstone, the first treasure the Emperor had claimed at the auction.

Countless other riches lay within the ring.

Qin Feng reached out, carefully gathering these items.

His divine sense swept briefly through the storage ring, and even in his critical state, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Rare treasures and ancient manuals were piled high like mountains.

The spoils of this battle were indeed bountiful.

With this done, he could no longer hold on; he sat cross-legged and began to circulate his cultivation technique, struggling to mend his shattered essence.

Outside, in the auction hall of the Myriad Feather Pavilion, a full day had already passed.

Every Emperor waited in silence.

They were waiting for the light gate to reopen, waiting for the outcome of that legendary duel.

...

The main auction arena of the Myriad Feather Pavilion, a brilliant plaza formed from countless star fragments, was now plunged into an eerie, suffocating stillness.

Time, for these enthroned sovereigns, was usually the most meaningless unit of measure.

But now, the single day that had passed outside felt agonizingly long.

All bidding had long since ceased.

The supreme existences within thousands of independent space-times held their wills like invisible tentacles, locked firmly onto the massive light gate leading to the Feather Clan’s arena, which had remained sealed for a full day.

They were waiting.

"It has been a day; the battle within must have lasted for nearly ten thousand years," a withered divine sense echoed through the void. "This is no longer a contest of skill, but a true fight to the death."

"The Golden Emperor’s 'Myriad Calamity Golden Sovereign Path' is peerless in its dominance, its defense nearly immortal. Even if the mysterious man is his equal, he must have paid a heavy price to win," another sovereign analyzed. "I suspect the result is mutual destruction; the stranger retreated, and the Golden Emperor won a pyrrhic victory to claim the God’s Tear."

"Indeed. The Golden Emperor has been famous for tens of millions of years, his foundation unfathomable. A newly ascended sovereign, no matter how gifted, lacks the depth of accumulation. To kill the Golden Emperor? It is difficult—too difficult."

Divine senses intertwined and collided in the void, and nearly every sovereign reached a similar conclusion.

They could accept that the stranger was powerful enough to challenge the Golden Emperor.

But to suggest he could utterly slay this veteran beast-sovereign—renowned for his tenacious vitality and impenetrable defense—in a life-or-death duel? In their established understanding, the possibility was infinitesimal.

A sovereign is almost synonymous with immortality.

Every enthroned one has carved their path through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, enduring billions of trials to reach the summit.

Their hidden cards for survival are endless.

To completely erase a sovereign usually requires multiple peers of equal strength to lay a trap and surround them for a long, grueling siege.

A sovereign falling in a one-on-one duel?

Such a thing had not occurred in the universe for millions of years.

Just as this heavy, oppressive wait reached its peak, the light gate, sealed for an aeon, finally emitted a soft "click."

Every divine sense tightened in that instant!

"Boom—"

The ancient gate groaned as it slowly swung open. Blinding white light spilled from the gap, carrying a thick, indelible scent of blood and the chaotic aura of shattered laws.

The mere leakage of this aura made every sovereign present tremble.

The intensity of the battle far exceeded their imagination!

From the dazzling white light, a figure slowly stepped out, one pace at a time.

It was a human man in black robes.

His gait was unsteady, each step seemingly consuming the last of his strength.

His simple black robes were soaked in golden blood and tattered, revealing a body beneath mapped with hideous, spiderweb-like cracks.

His face was deathly pale, his aura withered to the point of a flickering candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Without question, he was severely wounded—so gravely that his very sovereign origin was at risk.

"It seems... the mysterious man has lost."

"A glorious defeat. To fight the Golden Emperor for ten thousand years and push him to this state, he has enough to be proud of."

"I wonder what state the Golden Emperor is in? Likely his origin is severely damaged, requiring hundreds of thousands of years of slumber to recover."

Divine senses quickly reached their verdict.

Yet, in the next instant, all communication ceased.

The entire auction hall, those thousands of independent space-times, fell into an eternal silence.

Because they saw it clearly.

The dying human man was dragging something behind him with his left hand.

It was a corpse.

A massive, golden-cast beast corpse, covered in shattered divine armor.

In the center of the creature's skull was a finger-sized hole, piercing through and through, where all life, soul, and even sovereign laws had been erased at a conceptual level.

Those giant beast eyes, which should have looked down upon the universe with eternal, indestructible arrogance, now held only a cold, dead, and silent gray-white.

The Golden Emperor!

That was the corpse of the Golden Emperor!

"BOOM!!!"

This realization hit like a hundred universes exploding in their minds simultaneously, instantly shattering the thoughts of every sovereign present.

Their wills, their Dao hearts, their composure honed over billions of years of storms—all were utterly overturned in this moment!

Dead?

The Golden Emperor... was actually dead?!

Not severely wounded, not defeated and retreated, not escaped in spirit, but a total, origin-extinguishing... fall!

How could this be?!

That mysterious figure, after a ten-thousand-year death struggle with the Golden Emperor, had not only emerged victorious but had... slain his opponent?

This was no longer a mere contest of supremacy.

This was a moment etched into the annals of cosmic history: a sovereign’s regicide.

Amidst a silence so profound it seemed to freeze time itself, Qin Feng dragged the colossal corpse of the Golden Emperor, step by agonizing step, out of the light gate and back onto the main stage of the Myriad Feather Heavenly Pavilion.

His wounds were grievous; with every stride, golden imperial blood spilled from his gashes, dripping onto the floor paved with star fragments, corroding the indestructible shards into bottomless pits.

Yet, he remained indifferent.

His eyes, grown deep and luminous through ten millennia of slaughter, swept across the void with a calm that seemed to pierce the barriers of space-time, meeting the gaze of every watching sovereign.

This time, he made no effort to conceal his form.

The mist that had shrouded him, shielding him from prying eyes, had dissipated the moment he stepped through the gate.

A face—young, resolute, yet etched with a weariness that defied his years—was laid bare to the perception of every sovereign present.

His aura, too, was released without reservation.

It was a terrifying, pure, and tyrannical Dao, a resonance that sought to collapse the myriad laws of the universe into a single, ultimate point.

Though weakened by his injuries, the essence of his power was as unmistakable and brilliant as a lighthouse in the dead of night.

Shock.

An incomparable, overwhelming shock, followed by a tide of infinite bewilderment.

"Who... who is this?!"

"Such an unfamiliar imperial aura! Never seen before! When did such a terrifying entity emerge in our universe?"

"Investigate! At once! The human race... when did they produce such a ruthless powerhouse? Why is there no record of him?"

Sovereigns frantically scoured the vast oceans of their memories, mobilizing the intelligence networks of their respective factions, desperate to map this stranger’s face to any known master of the cosmos.

The Heavenly Demon Emperor of the demon race? No, the aura was diametrically opposed.

The Heart-Devouring Demon Emperor of the fiends? Impossible; this man’s aura, while tyrannical, was upright and devoid of any malice.

The Martial Emperor? The Array Emperor? The Alchemy Emperor?

None of them fit.

His face, his aura, his path—to everyone present, he was a complete enigma.

As if he had simply sprung from the stone itself.

A newly emerged, unknown sovereign, in his first public appearance, had used thunderous force to slay the Golden Emperor, a veteran powerhouse of tens of millions of years, before the eyes of the entire universe!

If word of this spread, it would trigger a cataclysmic earthquake across the entire cosmic sea.

Just as the sovereigns wallowed in confusion and dread, an ancient existence who had lived through multiple epochs, witnessing the rise and fall of countless prodigies, felt his physical form—hidden deep within a pocket dimension—shudder violently.

His divine sense locked onto Qin Feng’s youthful face. A flicker of utter bewilderment crossed his eyes, only to be instantly replaced by a surge of uncontrollable, soul-shattering horror.

He remembered.

The root of this aura... this face...

"No... impossible... this is absolutely impossible..."

He whispered, his very soul trembling at the madness of the thought.

His anomaly drew the attention of the surrounding sovereigns.

"Dao-Yi Emperor, what have you discovered?"

The ancient sovereign known as the Dao-Yi Emperor did not answer at once.

With trembling hands, he wove a mirror of law. Within it flickered a dusty, long-sealed image from over thirty thousand years ago.

It was the final scene of the Star Abyss Siege.

In the image, a young man in black robes, wielding a long spear, fought through a sea of blood against the armies of ten thousand races.

A mere Marquis, he had stood against Kings, defied the odds to slay his enemies, and finally, under the combined assault of dozens of sovereigns, chose to self-destruct, becoming the most brilliant and tragic firework in the history of the Star Abyss.

The Ultimate Marquis, Qin Feng!

As this image slowly superimposed itself over the figure dragging the Golden Emperor’s corpse—weakened, yet standing tall—time seemed to hit a pause button.

Space itself seemed to solidify.

"Hiss—"

The sound of thousands of sovereigns drawing in sharp breaths echoed across the countless independent dimensions.

It was identical.

That face, that indomitable will, that essence of pushing all things to the "limit"—save for the cataclysmic shift in power, everything was exactly the same as the peerless prodigy who should have died thirty thousand years ago.

"The Ultimate Marquis... Qin Feng?!"

One sovereign uttered the name, both familiar and strange, with a voice trembling to its core.

The name acted like a singularity, detonating in the hearts of every sovereign, sparking a shockwave billions of times more intense than the fall of the Golden Emperor.

"How can this be?! Was he not dead? The Star Abyss battle—his soul annihilated, his origin imprint erased—that was a fact accepted by the entire universe!"

"Thirty thousand years! Even if he hadn't died, even if he had faked his escape... thirty thousand years to leap from a peak Marquis to a supreme sovereign capable of slaying a veteran like the Golden Emperor?! This is no longer 'genius'! This is myth! An impossible miracle!"

"It is him! It must be! No wonder... no wonder his aura felt so foreign; he is not a sovereign of our era! He is a ghost... returned from the past!"

"A ghost? No!"

The Dao-Yi Emperor’s aged, trembling voice, filled with unprecedented awe and reverence, resonated in the depths of everyone’s soul.

"He took the Limit as his Dao, ascended to the summit, and forged his own imperial throne!"

"He is no longer the Ultimate Marquis..."

"He is..."

Under the gaze of the masses, beneath countless eyes filled with shock, terror, awe, and disbelief, Qin Feng dragged the Golden Emperor’s corpse to the center of the auction hall.

He tossed the cold body aside with a dull thud, a sound like a heavy hammer striking the heart of every sovereign present.

He looked around, his eyes, tempered by ten thousand years of blood-soaked war, meeting every prying gaze with calm.

He needed no explanation.

His existence, his victory, was the ultimate declaration.

The legend that had once stirred the winds and clouds of the universe had not ended.

He had merely lain dormant for thirty thousand years, and now, when all believed him to be nothing but dust in history, he had returned with a force more powerful and unstoppable than ever before.

The Ultimate Sovereign!

Qin Feng!

...

A supreme existence, standing above the will of all races, finally offered its response.

The Will of the Universe!

That scroll spanning the entire cosmic sea, recording the most brilliant prodigies of every epoch—the [Prodigy Roll]—after lying dormant for tens of thousands of years, shifted violently without a moment’s warning!

"Hum—"

Whether in the bustling imperial capitals of prosperous races or the desolate, silent reaches of uninhabited star sectors, every living soul above the planetary level felt a vast ripple emanating from the very source of the universe at this moment.

They looked up to see, across the firmament of their respective worlds, a golden scroll woven from infinite laws and runes of the Great Dao slowly unfurling.

The [Prodigy Roll]!

Upon the scroll, names shimmering with immortal radiance represented the absolute pinnacle of this golden age.

There was the [King Gu Xu], long renowned and hailed as the one closest to a "God."

There was the [King Shen Can], the late bloomer considered the future of the Mechanical Race.

And there was that madman who lived for battle, [King Zhan Wu].

Their names hung high at the forefront of the scroll, revered and celebrated by billions of souls.

Yet, today, at this very instant!

Under the gaze of all living things, the entire [Prodigy Roll] erupted in blinding golden light!

The name of [King Zhan Wu], previously ranked third, suddenly flickered violently before its radiance dimmed and vanished with visible speed.

Next followed the second-ranked [King Shen Can].

Finally, the name of [King Gu Xu], who had occupied the throne of the first for tens of thousands of years like a living myth, was extinguished!

In that brilliant golden glow, their names disappeared, one after another!

"Heavens! What is happening? The names of the three Divine Path prodigies... why have they all vanished?!"

"Have they fallen? Impossible! How could all three of them perish at once?!"

Just as billions of souls were gripped by shock and bewilderment, a brand-new, unfamiliar name—carrying a domineering aura that seemed capable of crushing the ages—slowly began to form, stroke by stroke, at the very pinnacle of the scroll, upon the "singular" throne that had remained vacant for millennia!

It was a name both familiar and strange.

Familiar, because thirty thousand years ago, he had ascended to the top of the [Marquis Roll] with an invincible posture.

Strange, because everyone had assumed he had long since faded into history.

[Prodigy Roll · First Place]

[Title]: Extreme God Emperor

[True Name]: Qin Feng

[Feat]: Single-handedly slew the [Golden Emperor] of the Golden-Armored Behemoth race at the Feather Race Colosseum.

[Evaluation]: Divine Path prodigy, a formidable contender for the Godhead of this golden age.

As these golden divine characters finally solidified at the summit of the scroll, the entire universe fell into absolute silence.

If the rumors previously whispered from the [Ten Thousand Feather Pavilion] could have been dismissed as exaggeration or error, then this—certified by the Will of the Universe itself and proclaimed to all—turned everything into an ironclad fact!

A man dead for thirty thousand years had not only returned but had descended upon the top of the [Prodigy Roll] under the name of "God Emperor"!

His feat was not merely a victory, but a "slaying"! He had slaughtered an established Emperor!

And the final evaluation bestowed by the Will of the Universe sent a shiver down the spine of every sovereign who read those words.

"Divine Path Prodigy"!

These four words signified that the Universe acknowledged Qin Feng’s path of "Extremity" as a supreme Dao truly capable of leading to the legendary realm of "Gods"! This was fundamentally different from the shortcut-laden paths taken by King Gu Xu and his peers through racial inheritance!

"A formidable contender for the Godhead of this golden age"!

This evaluation was earth-shattering! It was a near-explicit declaration to the entire universe that Qin Feng possessed the qualifications to contend for that singular "Throne of God" in the most brilliant and cruel era yet to come!

"Storm" was no longer enough to describe the tremors shaking the universe at this moment.

This was a cosmic tsunami, triggered by the return of a "dead man"!