Emperor’s Domination

It seemed as if the Yin Yang Pond was bottomless. They had been diving down for an extremely long period of time, yet they were still unable to arrive at the bottom.

After reaching a certain depth, even the mirror began to have trouble protecting them against the all-freezing cold and the all-melting heat. Even the blood energy of the two in their most powerful state couldn’t withstand it. Under the extreme temperatures, even universal laws shattered from the coldness, and dao techniques disintegrated.

At this depth, even Virtuous Paragons couldn’t handle it, let alone Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu. If they kept diving down, they would surely die.

“Now! Your Heaven’s Will Secret Law… Cyclical River of Fate!” Li Qiye shouted at Lan Yunzhu.

After hearing his words, Lan Yunzhu immediately communicated with the heaven and earth. The heaven’s will suddenly hovered around them, channeling countless supreme dao like the infinite reincarnation cycles.

While Lan Yunzhu was activating her secret law, Li Qiye opened his sea of memories. A mantra flew out from its depths and turned into a golden divine chain that eventually rushed out of Li Qiye’s forehead.

“Clank!” The unbelievable suddenly happened. This golden divine chain struck Lan Yunzhu’s secret law and locked the most important part of the Cyclical River of Fate. In the blink of an eye, Lan Yunzhu lost control of her secret law and the heaven’s will suddenly wove into a door.

“Buzz—” The gate created by the heaven’s will laws suddenly sucked Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu inside.

The discombobulated Lan Yunzhu found that there was no longer a Yin Yang Pond as they were standing at a different location. She was quite in shock as well. She started to cultivate the secret law at a young age, and it could even be considered as her dao root, but she didn’t know that it had such an effect.

As soon as her mind returned, she was once again amazed at the scene that was unraveling before her eyes.

Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu were standing under a sky filled with stars. There was a giant willow tree at this place — the biggest willow tree that Lan Yunzhu had ever seen. It pierced all the way into the sky as it shouldered this entire realm. Each hanging branch was like a peg of a ladder; those who could climb to the top of the tree would eventually reach the nine firmaments.

What was even more moving was that the entire willow tree was golden; one could see its dazzling radiance from afar. One would be basked in a golden light if they stood below the tree, and they would be able to hear the crisp and pleasing sounds of golden powder falling down that followed a musical rhythm.

Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang Waters met right at the root of the tree. And right below it was a golden temple that was seemingly cast from pure gold. Its heavy doors were shut tight.

Lan Yunzhu took a long time to calm down after looking at this scene and asked: “Just… where is this place?”

“Below the Yin Yang Pond.” Li Qiye calmly spoke: “This is the foundation of your Thousand Carp River.”

Li Qiye sighed softly as he looked at the willow tree and the golden temple in front of him. He had finally returned after so many years.

Lan Yunzhu took a deep breath while gazing intensely at Li Qiye and exclaimed: “You used me! My Cyclical River of Fate is the key to getting in here.”

There was a rumor that the biggest secret of the Thousand Carp River was hidden below the Yin Yang Pond, but no one had been able to come here until now. But now, Li Qiye had done so.

Li Qiye smiled and said: “The Cyclical River of Fate is the key?” He then shook his head and continued: “You are mistaken. The secret law is only a medium; even without you, I could still enter. It would only be a bit more cumbersome, that’s all.”

Lan Yunzhu’s heart thumped as she cautiously gazed at Li Qiye: “You didn’t come here to catch immortal sungrass, your goal was this place from the very start!”

Li Qiye asked with a smile: “Oh? Are you cautious of me? You definitely do not understand the secrets in this place. If I wanted to do anything to your sect, I would not have waited until today. I only came to take what belongs to me.”

Lan Yunzhu just stood there while gazing at Li Qiye. Eventually, she took in a calming breath and asked: “How do you know this place? And how do you know the method to enter?”

Li Qiye responded with a smile: “I calculated with my fingers.”

How could Li Qiye not know about everything under the pond? In the past, he personally created this domain. Because of him, there was Immortal Emperor Qian Li and the Thousand Carp River.

Li Qiye pointed at the monstrous golden tree and said: “Sit down beneath the tree. Maybe you will benefit from its heavenly dao.”

Lan Yunzhu looked at the tree and asked: “What kind of divine tree is this?”

Li Qiye answered with a smirk: “An amazing divine tree. There would be no mysterious Thousand Carp River without it. If there was no Ghost Ancestral Tree in the Sacred Nether World, then it might have a chance to be the number one tree.”

“I’m going to enter now to take a few things.” Li Qiye then stepped towards the golden temple beneath the golden tree.

Lan Yunzhu suddenly realized something: “I don’t agree to let you take those things away.” Here, she deepened her tone: “They should belong to the Thousand Carp River.”

“Should belong to the Thousand Carp River?” Li Qiye replied with a smile: “Girl, do you know why the Thousand Carp Lake is such a wonderful place? A long time ago, it was just an ordinary lake, but later on, it became a wondrous land yearned for by countless people. Do you know why?”

“The lake wasn’t always like this?” Lan Yunzhu asked in surprise. Her Thousand Carp Lake had produced many amazing treasures craved by countless people.

“If the lake was always such a wondrous land, then would it be your Thousand Carp River’s turn to establish a sect here? Such a wondrous land would have soon been taken by the Myriad Bones Throne or the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom to build their ancestral grounds.”

“Then why did it become such an amazing place? Was it because of our patriarch, Immortal Emperor Qian Li?” After speaking these words, even Lan Yunzhu didn’t feel very confident.

Li Qiye mysteriously smiled as he headed inside the golden temple. Lan Yunzhu quickly followed right behind him.

Li Qiye turned around and smiled: “If you want to stop me, then you can try to follow along, but it is impossible.”

He softly sighed while standing before the immense gate of the golden temple. Then, he reached out and knocked: “I have returned.”

Li Qiye’s words had a certain harmony with the grand dao.

“Crank—” At this time, the golden gate slowly opened, revealing the primordial chaos inside.

Lan Yunzhu followed Li Qiye right after he entered, but the moment she set one foot inside, she was repelled as if there was an invincible existence forbidding her entry.

“Crank—” Before she had time to get up, the golden door had already closed.

She quickly rushed forward and pounded on the door while shouting: “Open the door, Little Devil!”

However, there was no reply from inside. She pondered for a moment and remembered Li Qiye’s earlier appearance, then she copied him by knocking on the golden gate. She also mimicked the particular rhythm when she said: “I have returned.”

But the golden gate had zero response. However, she didn’t give up and tried several times again to no avail.

“Little Devil, you dared to trick me!” Lan Yunzhu bitterly cried out: “Don’t let me catch you or I’ll really let you have a taste!”

She couldn’t do anything else but sit down beneath the golden willow tree while being filled with resentment. She eventually calmed down and looked up at this golden willow tree.

Meanwhile, Li Qiye entered the temple that was filled with primordial chaos in its entirety.

It was as if a world had not existed in this place and this was still the primal origin — the beginning of all things.

When one stood in this spot and opened their heavenly gaze while carefully listening, they could faintly hear the sounds of divine beasts, including dragons, phoenixes, qilins, and taotie as if this place was their nest. 1

Then, they could see divine pagodas along with heavenly cauldrons inside along with many other immortal treasures.

Li Qiye emotionally murmured while standing in this place: “Time is heartless, I didn’t expect to actually return to this place.”

The moment these words came out, a voice came from within the primordial chaos: “It is good to see your return.”

1. Taotie is the fifth son of the dragon king, another draconic mythical creature.