Emperor’s Domination

The statue inside the stone coffin was animated and life-like. Nonetheless, it felt a bit off when the real person was around.

The robed individuals weren’t cursing Li Qiye but rather, worshipping him as a god. This ceremony was rather strange as well.

Li Zhitian started thinking about the possibilities - who were these worshippers and why was Li Qiye viewed as a god?

“Take off your mask.” Li Qiye understood the situation and ordered one of them.

The person took off the veil, revealing a face filled with wrinkles. However, they weren’t there due to old age.

It felt as if the person’s face had been twisted into a bundle like fried dough and then flattened. The process couldn’t remove all the wrinkles, resulting in his current appearance.

“Seems like a forsaken.” The old servant recognized the race instantly.

“Forsaken?” Li Zhitian had heard of this before and thought about the tales.

This race was mysterious and reclusive, always keeping a distance from the outside world. However, no powers wanted to provoke them because they were known for their strength and warlike vengeance. Messing with them was akin to disturbing a beehive.

“Your race is finally back, congratulations.” Li Qiye stared at the twisted visage and said.

“The forsaken bloods are back because of your blessing, My Lord.” The man kneeled and the rest did the same to show their respect.

“?!” Zhitian gasped after hearing this.

There were separate legends regarding the forsakens and the forsaken bloods. They were actually the same?

The forsaken bloods were monstrous, feared not only due to their appearance but also their brutality.

The word “repulsive” was an understatement when describing this race. Those who actually saw the forsaken bloods always vomited from fear and were traumatized. Their body shape was grotesque and otherworldly to the point of being nauseating. The ones before them were discomforting to look at but not frightening, unlike the legends.

The forsaken bloods lived a borrowed life on the frontier, never to see the sun. This all changed with the help of Li Qiye when they transformed to being just “forsakens”.

He found and showed them a brighter path for the future. After granting them certain profundities, they changed completely in order to escape their cursed fate.

After generations of struggling and evolving, they finally fulfilled their goal and gained a form more similar to humans. Of course, the wrinkly patterns remained on their face.

They were known as “forsakens” afterward - an entirely new race. The “blood” part of their lineage became mere history.

Li Qiye was the one who broke the cursed lineage and delivered them from the unending agony. Thus, they worshipped him as their creation god.

“Why did you all return accursed place?” Li Qiye asked.

“The land is our birthplace, here is our divine temple. Thus, we return here to conduct the ceremony for you, My Lord.” The man said.

The forsaken bloods of past had a religion and other beliefs. However, after turning into forsakens, they worshipped Li Qiye alone and performed pilgrimages to this ancestral land.

They sent their strongest and most knowledgeable ancestors in order to show their respect to Li Qiye.

Li Qiye glanced at the closed temple - the gate seemed to have been shut for eras now.

“What’s inside?” Li Qiye asked.

“We have discarded the past and everything once revered. The ceremonies in the temple have never been held again.” One of them responded.

“Open it then. From what I can tell, someone had been here already.” Li Qiye smiled.

This surprised all the forsakens since they never noticed anything during previous ceremonies.

“Creak…” Nonetheless, they didn’t hesitate and opened the gate for him.

Li Qiye entered with Li Zhitian and the others right behind him. The robed forsakens waited outside because the past was painful for them.

Now, their race has been born anew, there was no point in entering this temple with discarded legacies.

***

Inside the temple was a grotesque yet enticing statue. Its appearance defied description while exuding malevolence.

At first glance to the uninformed eye, it might seem like a large piece of rotting wood extracted from a swamp. This was obviously not the case; its enigmatic features were simply indiscernible.

If someone had to pick one word to describe it, it would be “rotten”.

Putrefaction emanated from it and evoked an intensely nauseating feeling. A repugnant odor lingered in the air and send shivers down one’s spine.

Zhitian scrutinized the statue, wanting to figure out what it was or what it represented. Alas, it was beyond his comprehension - how could such a thing exist in this world?