Emperor’s Domination

The sublime and solitary expanse devoid of life would drive those with a weak dao heart crazy.

Li Qiye inside the cocoon continued to drift as if he was a corpse. There was no noise or action; this cold world was as still as a stone; time had no dominion over this area.

There were no celestial bodies floating in this place. Who knows how long he has been floating here - one thousand or ten thousand years? It could also only be the blink of an eye. Time seemed so unimportant in this forever unchanging world. A billion years ago was like this, the present was like this, and so will the future. 

Eventually, he finally drifted to what was called the other shore. Immortal light pulsed in this place, visible even in the far distance.

It was full of life - something akin to the prosperous and rowdy world of the mortals. People couldn’t help envying and chasing after it.

The light came closer; he wasn’t that far off now. The drifting cocoon finally stopped, waiting for him to wake up.

He eventually opened his eyes after an unknown period of time and felt as if he had just taken a nap. Of course, he was aware of the temporal changes due to the change in his body.

“Clank.” The myriad laws in the form of the cocoon receded and he finally got up, a real awakening this time.

He looked down and saw numerous holes on the human skin - damaged beyond repair and usability. This was another testament to the power of that ocean earlier, capable of destroying this bulwark of an artifact.

He took it off and praised his fortune that the Primordial Will beneath was just fine and well. This armored form of it was simply unbreakable. If it wasn’t for the will, he wouldn’t have made it to this place. The laws and human skin could only weaken the execution, not nullifying it completely.

He smiled and took a deep breath. Ultimately, he had survived the hardest part. Everything else was much easier compared to the ocean of executions.

He stood up and looked around, noticing the pulsing radiance ahead. These pillars of light towered endlessly. This was a world full of immortal energy. Perhaps immortals truly lived beyond this point.

He took his time moving forward, but each step encompassed the distance of an entire world. As he passed by each ray, they seemed to be sweeping through him with a slight pulse in order to figure him out.

Li Qiye ignored this reaction and acted as if nothing was happening. After crossing through the strands of light, he saw a moving fire wave ahead - a wondrous and colorful spectacle.

There was an eternal figure standing calmly in this flame, seemingly already existing at the start of the world.

No one could see the face of this figure but the faint fiery glow jumping around him could incinerate everything in this world. Just an emperor could kill an emperor. One wouldn’t be surprised if this was the figure of an immortal.

Li Qiye stood face to face with this being and stared, wishing to fathom its everything. The figure did the same.

He smiled since the two of them weren’t strangers. They have met before back at the mountain in Study Room when Li Qiye was researching the human room.

It was a gaze lasting for an eternity. This was only the shadow of a being yet it emitted an unsurpassable feeling. As long as it wished otherwise, no one could get through via force.

Li Qiye eventually broke the silence: “Is this considered a reunion?” 

The two of them both managed to detect the other’s capabilities, origin, and profundities.

The figure didn’t answer and turned to walk away from this place. The path opened before him - brimming with grand dao and immortal energy. Perhaps this was the way to an immortal world.

Li Qiye smiled and followed right behind the figure, maintaining a fair distance. After a long time, two more figures suddenly appeared and walked together with the first one. They appeared to be friends who understood each other.

These two new figures were just as incredible as the first, seemingly born from the same era and world.

The one on the left had an indescribable rhythm around him. The dao of the world were bending to his step, not the other way around. This was the master of the rhythm and flow of the world - their origin.

The one on the right was full of life. Despite its ethereal nature, it still looked like a living being walking right there. More importantly, a medicinal fragrance permeated from him. After smelling this, one would feel a garden of the greatest medicine growing from their very body.

The four of them walked quietly on this dao path without saying anything to each other. Li Qiye was nonchalant and felt at ease during this particular trip.

In fact, rushing was useless because there was no way of pushing ahead of these three characters. Even epoch lords weren’t capable of this endeavor.

Strangely enough, the three didn’t interact or try to stop Li Qiye at all. They could even be construed as his guides, checking Li Qiye to see if he could follow them in the first place.

As they made more distance, the figure became increasingly fainter and dark. Eventually, all disappeared as if they were never here in the first place; it was all an illusion. This was as far as they could take Li Qiye. 

The light was quite bright ahead with a plethora of colors - a scene of rowdy life. Merchants were shouting and female street performers were singing. One could find everything in this magical place.