Battle Against the Child of Destiny, the Flame Emperor

The Heavenly Emperors thought this, and a trace of mockery couldn't help but appear on their faces.

It was a sneer directed at Gu Qingfeng's overestimation of his own abilities.

They were eager to see Gu Qingfeng get brutally beaten by the Flame Heavenly Emperor.

Gu Qingfeng glanced at the calm Flame Heavenly Emperor, then at the mocking expressions of the other Heavenly Emperors, his lips curling into a ferocious grin.

In the fifth trial, he had spent half a year absorbing the power of the projections until they were completely drained, doubling his original strength.

With such overwhelming power backing him, his confidence in defeating the Flame Heavenly Emperor grew even stronger.

A perfected Chaos Physique was never inferior to a Heavenly Emperor’s, let alone one that wasn’t just any Chaos Physique—it was the pinnacle, forged from the fusion of a thousand constitutions and ten thousand bloodlines. Now, with his strength doubled, even the most conservative estimate would place him at the level of two Heavenly Emperors.

The pinnacle of demonic cultivation was no weaker than the path of any Heavenly Emperor throughout history, as it encompassed the sum of all unorthodox and demonic methods. Now, with that also doubled, another two Heavenly Emperors’ worth of power could be added.

After purification and devouring the ultimate sin of the Forest of All Living Beings, even after doubling, it could barely be counted as two more Heavenly Emperors.

Adding it all up, Gu Qingfeng estimated his total strength to be roughly six times that of an ordinary Heavenly Emperor.

And the Flame Heavenly Emperor?

Cultivating dual paths was far from a simple one-plus-one equation—especially with the profound and mysterious Dao of Life and Death, which had to be worth at least two Heavenly Emperors. The Dao of Flames counted as one, bringing the total to three. Then, considering the chemical reaction from combining the two paths, that had to be equivalent to at least four Heavenly Emperors.

Add to that the inheritance from Old Ghost, that ancient schemer—how could he not possess formidable divine techniques and imperial arts? Another +1.

And as the Chosen One of Heaven’s Mandate, blessed with immense fortune and countless serendipitous encounters, having just a little more hidden cards wasn’t excessive, right?

Another +1.

Thus, the Flame Heavenly Emperor’s overall strength had to be six times that of an ordinary Heavenly Emperor!

Their power might be evenly matched, but Gu Qingfeng knew all too well that these Chosen Ones excelled at overcoming higher-level challenges and unleashing their potential in life-or-death situations. So while he was confident, his confidence wasn’t absolute.

Still, he wasn’t worried in the slightest—because hundreds of his "family members" were standing right beside him. With their blessings, a mere Flame Heavenly Emperor was nothing.

"All of you, scram! Don’t block this Emperor’s path!" Gu Qingfeng barked at the Heavenly Emperors, his tone dripping with contempt, trying to provoke their anger so they would beat him up and give him a little stat boost.

However, the Heavenly Emperors weren’t actually blocking the path to the Void Battlefield.

Furious curses erupted from the Heavenly Emperors, but none of them made a move.

They were all waiting for the Flame Heavenly Emperor to win swiftly and inherit Heaven’s Mandate—they wouldn’t waste time on pointless confrontations now.

Seeing them restraining themselves, Gu Qingfeng cursed inwardly. Heavenly Emperors, my ass! Not a shred of fighting spirit!

Annoyed, he deliberately veered off course, striding straight into the Heavenly Emperors’ territory, planning to take the long way around them to enter the Void Battlefield.

The Heavenly Emperors’ eyebrows twitched, and they scattered like he was the plague.

Gu Qingfeng wasn’t pleased. He glared at his old "acquaintance," Emperor Qilin, and snapped, "You old beast! You dare glare at this Emperor? I’ll fucking end you!"

BANG!

He threw a punch straight at Emperor Qilin.

Before the utterly bewildered Emperor Qilin could react, the fist was already upon him.

But at that moment, a beam of white light descended from the heavens, enveloping Gu Qingfeng in a radiant pillar.

His figure vanished instantly.

The next moment, Gu Qingfeng reappeared in the Void Battlefield.

He stared blankly at the Flame Heavenly Emperor standing not far away and the endless void surrounding them.

What the hell just happened?

Then, a vague message from the Path of Emperors urged them to begin their final battle immediately.

Now Gu Qingfeng understood—the Path of Emperors had grown impatient and teleported him in directly.

Damn it!

This Emperor wasn’t fully prepared yet!

But he didn’t despair. Having reached his level, his mind had long been tempered to perfection—unmoved by joy or sorrow.

If he was used to crushing his opponents, then this time, he’d settle for a fair fight.

His gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with the Flame Heavenly Emperor.

The Flame Heavenly Emperor, too, stepped down from his lotus of flames, meeting his stare with calm indifference.

"You shouldn’t have come here."

Gu Qingfeng almost replied with But here I am, but then he reconsidered—that wasn’t his style of arrogance.

So he changed his words:

"Xiao Weier was very satisfying."

Flame Heavenly Emperor: "......"

"Talking to you is a waste of breath. Then... die!"

BOOM!

The Flame Heavenly Emperor strode forward, divine radiance erupting from his body in an unimaginable display. His aura was vast beyond measure, his white robes billowing as each step birthed a blazing lotus beneath his feet.

With every stride, the brilliance intensified, nearly illuminating the entire Path of Emperors.

His speed increased rapidly. As he moved, a divine spear wreathed in seven-colored flames materialized in his grasp, its tip dragging against the ground, leaving a trail of flickering embers in its wake.

Gu Qingfeng sensed the overwhelming pressure and frowned slightly.

Why does he seem so... weak?

What a cunning move—pretending to be feeble to deceive me?

His vigilance heightened. He immediately allocated 99% of his power to secretly reinforce his defenses, using the remaining fraction to wield the Demon Emperor’s Sword as he charged toward the Flame Heavenly Emperor.

Though he possessed the undying, indestructible Sin of All Living Beings, he couldn’t forget—Old Ghost had once simulated the Heavenly Dao’s gaze to extract its essence.

That meant Old Ghost wielded power akin to the Heavenly Dao. And since the Flame Heavenly Emperor was his disciple, he might have it too.

If his body were shattered, what if the Flame Heavenly Emperor used that power to suppress him?

Thus, Gu Qingfeng decided it was best to be just a little cautious. After all, when dealing with a Chosen One, no amount of caution was excessive.

In an instant, both combatants accelerated to their limits.

An abyssal tide of demonic energy surged from Gu Qingfeng, shrouding him like a fiend from the depths of hell, with countless demonic phantoms manifesting behind him.

The Flame Heavenly Emperor, meanwhile, radiated a resplendent, crystalline brilliance, as if an immortal had descended from the heavens, with auspicious beasts materializing in his wake.

Then—

Their figures flashed past each other.

A faint hum resonated through the void—the sound of the Demon Emperor’s Sword clashing against the seven-colored spear.

The noise only reached them now, delayed by their blinding speed.

After the exchange, the Flame Heavenly Emperor turned, gazing at Gu Qingfeng, who now stood where he had been moments before.

"Not bad," he remarked, his tone carrying a hint of approval and critique.

Then, Gu Qingfeng’s voice rang out, laced with genuine confusion.

"That’s it?"

This wasn’t mockery—he was genuinely puzzled.

From that brief clash, he could clearly sense that the Flame Heavenly Emperor’s strength was... a tiny bit weaker than expected.

Could it be... he’s also using 99% of his power to defend himself?

Damn!

As expected of a Chosen One—just as cautious as me!

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