Emperor’s Domination

“You chose the right example.” Li Qiye nodded.

“All are just tools in your eyes.” He stared at Li Qiye with disdain.

“But certain things must be done.” Li Qiye said.

“Then you do it yourself, don’t involve others.” He said.

“You are yourself too, no?” Li Qiye asked.

“We won’t have any part in the enjoyment, only suffering.” He disagreed.

“Perhaps self-determination will be possible.” Li Qiye said.

“You know that it is not true. Avatars originate from the true self and can’t become stronger. And even if they do, their strength belongs to the true self.” He said.

“Right.” Li Qiye said before staring at the old man: “You’re strong.”

“Obviously, all immortals in this world are just fake clowns, but I am part of the real echelon.” He laughed.

“Oh, so confident, you weren’t this arrogant back then.” Li Qiye said.

“Please, all need to bow before me.” He snorted.

“Looks like you figured out a few things, was it because of Octopus?” Li Qiye asked.

“I don’t need anyone to reach me, only the villainous heaven can match me.” He declared.

“Don’t need to raise your tail.” Li Qiye said: “Speak, what happened after Drystone Courtyard was dragged here?”

“I was always this cool, it’s just that I was humble back then and didn’t wish to show off to you plebeians.” He said: “You should feel honored that I gave you my memories.”

“My honor indeed.” Li Qiye nodded: “I couldn’t have started expeditions without them or come up with my answer. More importantly, figuring out the nine scriptures and treasures’ secrets.”

“You must be imagining things, these weren’t part of my memories.” He said.

“What are you avoiding? To not admit these things.” Li Qiye said.

“You have my memories, feel free to recheck them.” He smiled.

Li Qiye stroked his chin and said: ”I’ve gone through everything, lined up all my thoughts. As for this memory, I don’t even know how many times I’ve messed with it. After visiting more places and reading more books, I slowly pieced together some of the incomplete fragments.”

”Hmph, what a bunch of nonsense.” He sneered.

”For example, the Nine Grand Heavenly Scriptures, the Nine GrandHeavenly Treasures. There’s one saying that’s particularly important.” Li Qiye said.

”Don’t really care.” He stretched on the ground, clearly uninterested.

“That heaven and earth are like an egg. This phrase can be misinterpreted as it was passed down but in reality, it is an expression of a different meaning.” Li Qiye said: “The egg can be the heaven and earth or the villainous heaven, but not quite.”

“You’re babbling nonsense.” He uttered coldly.

“I’ve been thinking about it along with the nine scriptures and treasures. In the end, I came up with something.” Li Qiye patiently said.

“Not interested.” He said.

“For all living things in space and time, the dao shall manifest in thoughts.” Li Qiye said. [1]

He froze a bit, pretending to be dead.

“As I think about these matters and obtain the answers, some still elude me. For example, the tiny Splendor from the courtyard, there shouldn’t be such a small concentration.” Li Qiye said: “Nonetheless, the combination of the nines gave me some guesses.”

“Go on.” He finally spoke.

“I’m reminded of a funny story, I assumed it was just nonsense until later, I realized that it talked about someone else.” Li Qiye said.

“What story?” He asked.

“There’s someone named Mang who fought and shook the heaven. During the high heaven’s lapse of focus, certain matters developed.” Li Qiye said.

“Bah, if this Mang could have shaken the villainous heaven, someone would have replaced him long ago.” He said with disdain.

“Then who actually did it? Why was Mang involved?” Li Qiye patted his shoulder.

“Who knows? Not me, I was killed by the villainous heaven already.” He said.

“There’s one thing I know for sure, that Mang was once an ancient type of light. Of course, not as old as the primordial light.” Li Qiye said.

“Hmph, probably not that old.” He sneered.

“After seeing Splendor, I understand the big picture but some details still elude me.” Li Qiye said.

“That’s your business.” He said.

“Don’t you want to know?” Li Qiye asked: “I would add another word to my previous understanding of the nine words, it would explain Splendor’s origin too.”

He contemplated in silence upon listening.

“Octopus dragged the courtyard here and broke that thing to release a majority of Splendor. You certainly knew everything after one glance, right?” Li Qiye said.

“And?” He didn’t deny it.

“But you stopped there instead of looking for proof.” Li Qiye said seriously.

“What’s the point? I’m already dead.” He said.

“You’re still alive.” Li Qiye said.

“There’s no difference. So what if I can find proof?” He said: “Of course, you can blabber on about returning to the source and everything.”

“I understand, everyone wants to live their own lives, that’s the most important thing.” Li Qiye said.

1. The phrase is made up of characters from the nine treasures. There are nine characters in the original version, but this can’t be duplicated in English ☜