Emperor’s Domination

In the end, he finished observing one monolith after another and came to the end of the square. There was a high platform with a mirror on top. Perhaps it was more accurate to describe this mirror as a large block of white jade. This was because the surface of the mirror was very coarse, as if the maker wasn’t meticulous enough and left these imperfections behind.

However, it was placed on this platform. From a distance, it looked just like a bright moon hanging in the sky. It attracted Li Qiye’s attention like a great beauty or a kingdom-toppling lover.

After a long time, he withdrew his gaze and spoke with a tinge of emotion: “What a shame that the yellow bell from the Gu Clan isn’t here, this ancient treasury would be mine by now.”

The bell he was referring to was the one back in the store named Ancient Intent Fasting of the Gu Clan. Back in the Ancient Sky City, he had brought Li Shuangyan there and saw the bell.

Of course, he could have used many different methods to obtain it if he truly wanted to. However, he didn’t need the items inside, so he decided not to scheme for it.

That particular bell might have been in the Gu’s possession, but it wasn’t created by their ancestor. Its origin was something much more incredible. In fact, their clan couldn’t see through its true mysteries either, so the clan continued to look for the nine languages of the early inhabitants.

While standing before this ordinary mirror that resembled the moon, he chanted a mantra: “My descendant’s yellow bell, one cry will shake the heavens…”

He performed mudras in the middle of this chant. Each seal was constantly speeding up the already rapid pace. Eventually, no one could see his actions anymore, only the shifting mudras could be seen.

If Li Shuangyan’s group or the members of the Gu Clan were here, they would be completely astonished. These mantras were part of the early languages he gave to the Gu Clan!

With his continuous mudras, the initially empty mirror now showed a monstrous reflection of Li Qiye as if he was a giant.

“Buzz!” The mirror exuded a bright radiance. The coarse surface seemed to turn transparent like water. However, Li Qiye’s reflection disappeared.

A great sky appeared instead with a vast amount of stars as well as a sun and moon. This was a full cosmos. Having a sense of awe and powerlessness was inevitable for any existence upon witnessing this scene, even the largest ones were no exceptions. This sea of stars could support countless lives. Even the nine worlds seemed trivial in comparison.

“Splash!” The splashing of water shook the entire sea of stars with the appearance of a huge monster.

This was an immeasurable Kun Peng swimming in the stars. It dove and leaped or just floated there motionlessly. Anyone lucky enough to see this incredible scene would be shocked.

It devoured and released the celestials as if it was the sole ruler of this boundless cosmos.

“Boom!” With a loud blast, this gigantic Kun Peng turned into a huge bird that flew through the sea of stars with supreme speed. Nothing in this world was faster than it. It became faster and faster and eventually, time seemed to have reversed. The ebb and flow of the reincarnation cycle stopped.

Everything disappeared when it spread its wings and soared. In this place, time and myriad existences all returned to nothingness! Everything passed into eternity and, in the end, even the Kun Peng itself disappeared, leaving behind an emptiness in the mirror.

This was a seemingly empty void. However, those who grasped the profundities of the grand dao would come to understand that this void was everything. It could give birth to time and space and all kinds of creatures. Everything in the world originated from the void.

This void meant that everything was possible. It was the origin of all. The mysteries of the grand dao started here as well.

“Grand Primordial Dao.” Li Qiye sighed after seeing this nothingness: “Kun Peng, a supreme existence capable of shouldering everything. Alas, it was born in the wrong era. Otherwise, it would be able to evolve across time like all other creatures.”

The Grand Primordial Dao was the innate gift of a Kun Peng. Alas, weaker cultivators couldn’t understand its mysteries or uses. Only Immortal Emperors or existences like Li Qiye would be able to ponder it.

This was a mighty and mysterious creature. Rumor has it that since the start of time, only around three Kun Pengs appeared every epoch. This was a species rarer than even phoenixes.

There weren’t that many records of them either, thus people had a very limited understanding of this beast. Some emperors didn’t know the real profundities behind its innate gift either. For example, this boundless continent made from its corpse contained endless mysteries.

Just this Kun Peng alone was obscured enough. No one knew where it came from or how it lived. For millions of years, Li Qiye had been to countless places and read many ancient books in addition to observing murals and monuments. He even knew the writings of the earliest people that no one else was privy to.

For example, this particular Kun Peng had great ties with the colossal race. One particular scroll stated that their race protected this Kun Peng when it was very young and tiny. Another stated the exact opposite, that this Kun Peng was the one that protected their race because they had a supreme bloodline…

No one could find out which statement was correct since it was too old to be traced. Nevertheless, it was worth pondering. If the colossal race was protecting this Kun Peng, it would mean that the beast was still a child. This beckons the question, just how large would an adult Kun Peng be? What was the ultimate limit of its size?

If it was indeed young and its corpse was already tens of millions of miles long, wouldn’t an adult Kun Peng be able to devour the nine worlds just by opening its mouth?

As the mirror has shown, a Kun Peng could swim among the stars. Everything else seemed insignificant in comparison.

Li Qiye also knew of one more secret. If this Kun Peng was still young, then it could only be said that it was born in the wrong era. If it had completely matured, it wouldn’t have died in this place. This would have changed the wheel of time. Countless eras would have been different, and the same goes for all of the inhabitants. History itself would have to be rewritten.

Of course, these were mere speculations. Moreover, the beast itself had always been mysterious and hid in the river of time.

Li Qiye sat cross-legged while looking at the mirror in order to ponder the obscured void. He entered a state of zen and immersed himself within.

The endless dao took form in his eyes. It was as if this was the start of the oldest derivation of the dao. The most subtle transformation took place here. This void contained everything in this world. One would be able to find all merit laws, techniques, and branches of the dao in this place.

Perhaps this was the true beginning of the fundamentals of the grand dao.