Emperor’s Domination

“Not bad, still alive, haha, still alive.” The old man laughed.

“I saw how Drystone Courtyard was taken, it’s surprising to see you alive too.” Li Qiye said.

“Haha, the bastard wanted this toy, not me.” He laughed.

Li Qiye had met him before - the person acting mysteriously beneath the cliff at Drystone Courtyard.

He glanced at the light source behind him; his brows furrowed slightly.

“Okay, I leave it to you now. I’m just here to watch the show.” The old man said.

“Are you sure this has nothing to do with you?” Li Qiye asked.

“Me? You’re the one who wants to know the secret.” He shrugged and said: “You got all the memories from this place already, you don’t need me anymore.”

“Tell me about this secret.” Li Qiye said.

“It’s in your mind, you have seen through it.” He said.

“Not right.” Li Qiye stared at him.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t figured it out after all this time.” He said.

“You didn’t know what it was, so it wasn’t in your memories.” Li Qiye said.

“Hey, brat, don’t accuse me of lies. You stole all my memories, you’re the villain here. If you couldn’t figure it out, that’s on you.” He said.

“Tell me how you got this Splendor.” Li Qiye said.

“I was born with it, okay?” He said.

“Then what’s happening here?” Li Qiye asked.

“Splendor must have been in my body for so long and gestated this light source.” He said.

“Is that so?” Li Qiye smirked.

“Of course.” He answered.

“I can see that you’re not suppressed, why are you still here?” Li Qiye asked.

“Because I feel like it. Is that a problem?” He asked.

“It appears you know nothing.” Li Qiye said.

“Bah, don’t look down on me.” He jumped up and said.

“Damn, I got tricked by you then. What was this about the secret being in your memories? You knew shit. You wanted me to figure it out.” Li Qiye shook his head and chuckled at the situation.

“Why do you think there was a secret?” He asked: “There’s a reason you’re here.”

“Same question for you.” Li Qiye said.

“I was born with it, not a blank piece of paper like you with nothing to speak of.” He glared at Li Qiye.

“Born with this secret, perhaps, but couldn’t figure it out. Thus, you believed only the high heaven had the answer, so you focused everything on an expedition.” Li Qiye understood.

“Either way, if you can’t solve it, that just means it is not meant for you, brat.” He said.

“You don’t want to open it?” Li Qiye asked.

“It’s whatever, you have the memories, the power, and the light source is right here. You have all the conditions now and can decide.” He acted as if he didn’t care.

“Yes, I do have your memories, so I know.” Li Qiye said.

“That’s the past, people and immortals change, myself included.” He said.

Li Qiye wasn’t strong enough to truly delve into the memories back then, deriving memories into facts. However, he could do so now.

“You saw something.” He told the old man.

“What?” He asked.

“You saw the villainous heaven, and more than just once. You might not know other things but the memories of the villainous heaven’s changes are indelible. However, I only focused on the villainous heaven and not you before.” Li Qiye said.

“Still your business.” He waved dismissively.

“Then you are aware of a problem, that you shouldn’t have been able to remember after a defeat but somehow, you certainly knew you had seen the villainous heaven before.” Li Qiye said.

He didn’t respond.

“You couldn’t forget this feeling but after a defeat, you wouldn’t have known these matters. Therefore, you thought there was a secret hidden in your memories.” Li Qiye said.

“Feel free to interpret this to your liking.” He said.

“I have a bold guess, want to hear?” Li Qiye said.

He paused for a long time before asking: “What is it?”

“You either lived again or derived from another method, albeit with the past severed.” Li Qiye said.

“Another method?” He asked.

“Hard to say. The villainous heaven has the enforcer and messenger avatar, while I can carve my divine intent into someone else.” Li Qiye said.

“You two are perverted and cruel, cutting the self into pieces.” He said.

“You could be one of these pieces.” Li Qiye smiled.

“...” He took his time responding: “I know when is enough, and I’m old now.”