Dominator Emperor

Chapter 77: Slaying a Thousand Foes with a Wave of the Hand (Part 1)

At that moment, a man walked in from outside the Ghost Tower. The instant he entered, the princely aura he exuded caused the expressions of Elder Sun and the others to change drastically.

”Dong Shenglong—” Seeing the newcomer, Elder Sun cried out in alarm.

”Cao Xiong, you never told me this brat was the key to the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill!” At this, Dong Shenglong’s gaze fell upon Li Qiye. His eyes narrowed, and then he began to laugh. ”So, this means that by getting this brat, I can obtain the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Emperor Technique!”

”Brother Dong, this is not the time for mutual blame!” Cao Xiong said in a low voice. ”We should join forces and focus on getting out of here first!”

Dong Shenglong glanced at Cao Xiong and sneered. ”Cao Xiong, with your pathetic level of strategy, you think you’re qualified to command me? Hmph, if I hadn’t been keeping an eye on you this time, you’d already be a dead man!”

”Cao Xiong, collaborating with outsiders and betraying the sect—your crimes are unforgivable!” Elder Zhou roared, his voice sharp. All Four Great Elders were furious!

Cao Xiong’s face alternated between ashen and flushed. Finally, he let out a cold snort, too lazy to argue any further. With Dong Shenglong’s appearance, the situation was already set in stone.

Dong Shenglong looked at the Four Great Elders and chuckled derisively. ”Old Zhou, what you said is true, but after today, it will no longer be the truth. Heh, Li Qiye colluded with the Nine Saints Demon Gate to steal the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Emperor Technique. He was discovered by you four elders, and a great battle ensued against the traitor and the successor of the Nine Saints Demon Gate, Li Shuangyan! In the end, they all died fighting!”

”As for Gu Tieshou, Cao Xiong and I joined forces, charged into the Array Map, defeated Marquis Liezhan, and repelled a powerful enemy. Gu Tieshou, however, was severely injured within the array and died from his wounds. The Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Su Yonghuang is weak and incompetent. Facing a great disaster, she turtled up on the frontier, too afraid to fight. The entire Xiyan Ancient Sect should strip her of her position as Sect Leader. Elder Cao, on the other hand, performed great service protecting the sect and is adored by all disciples. He will become the new Sect Leader of the Xiyan Ancient Sect.” Dong Shenglong spoke with complete confidence, laying out his narrative.

Hearing this, the Four Great Elders’ expressions became extremely unsightly. They weren’t afraid of Cao Xiong alone, but with Dong Shenglong’s appearance, the outcome was sealed. Even if the four of them joined forces, they would have a hard time contending with Dong Shenglong!

”This story is quite good, isn’t it? Perhaps it will even become a celebrated tale in the Xiyan Ancient Sect.” Dong Shenglong was very pleased with his scheme, smiling as he spoke. ”Cao Xiong can be his Sect Leader in peace. As for me, it’s time I stepped down. After serving as an Honored Guest Elder for your Xiyan Ancient Sect for so long, I’ve fulfilled my duty.”

”And when you step down, will you also be taking the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Emperor Technique with you?” Just then, a leisurely and carefree laugh rang out. The words came from none other than Li Qiye, who was still being held hostage by Cao Xiong.

Li Qiye still held the Guqin in his arms. Even while being held by Cao Xiong, he remained perfectly composed. He smiled at Dong Shenglong and said leisurely, ”A decent scheme, but a pity. In my eyes, it’s nothing more than a pipe dream. Also, before you die, you should remember this: those who block my path will be killed without mercy!”

TWANG— The moment his words fell, Li Qiye’s five fingers suddenly strummed the Guqin. In an instant, the Guqin in his arms lit up, erupting with endless brilliance. A tide of Dao power rolled out, instantly blasting away Cao Xiong, who had been holding him.

TWANG— The zither’s cry resonated, and the Zither Charm within the Ghost Tower suddenly came to life. In that instant, the dense patterns covering the Ghost Tower lit up, spewing forth endless runes. Accompanied by the shriek of a sword, two beams of Sword Radiance shot out!

”Urk—” One beam of Sword Radiance slashed down. Cao Xiong didn’t even have time to scream before his head went flying. As his head soared high into the air, he saw blood gushing from the stump of his neck. Until the moment of his death, he never understood what had just happened.

”AH—” Dong Shenglong screamed in agony. The other beam of Sword Radiance pierced into his body, instantly destroying his Dao Foundation. Before this sword, his Dao Foundation was as fragile as glass. The Sword Radiance obliterated it with the ease of crushing dry weeds. He violently spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed heavily to the ground!

”No—” Dong Shenglong screamed again, rolling on the ground. His face was pale with horror as he shrieked, ”No, no, impossible!”

At this point, the Four Great Elders and Guardian Mo were completely stupefied. Cao Xiong was one thing, but Dong Shenglong was a veteran Prince! And yet, he had been defeated in a single blow. To this moment, the Four Great Elders still had no idea what had just happened.

”My... my... my three thousand years of Dao Practice—” Finally, Dong Shenglong let out a final shriek. He trembled as he struggled to his feet, having aged several hundred years in an instant. His body was stooped, his Blood Qi withered and dry.

”You little beast, I’ll kill you—” After getting up, Dong Shenglong charged at Li Qiye like a madman. But now, he was like a centenarian, trembling with every step.

”Seize him,” Li Qiye said calmly, his eyelids barely twitching.

The Four Great Elders and Guardian Mo snapped back to their senses. Elder Qian easily apprehended Dong Shenglong. Only then did Elder Qian discover that Dong Shenglong’s entire Dao Practice had been utterly destroyed, leaving him completely shocked.

”Little beast, if you have the guts, kill me! Kill me!” Dong Shenglong thrashed madly in Elder Qian’s grasp, his hair in disarray. He snarled and clawed at the air towards Li Qiye, trying to lunge at him.

Three thousand years of Cultivation, yet his Dao Practice was destroyed overnight. For a Cultivator, this was a fate more painful than death. It was no wonder Dong Shenglong was going insane.

Li Qiye finally gave him a slow glance and said, ”I will kill you, but not now. Of all the things you shouldn’t have done, the very last thing you should have done was provoke me. You brought this destruction upon yourself.”

Dong Shenglong was still screaming, trying to rush Li Qiye, but Elder Qian held him effortlessly.

This turn of events left the Four Great Elders in profound shock. A moment ago, Dong Shenglong was a Prince they feared greatly; they suspected that even the four of them together would not be his match. Yet, in the next instant, he had become a feeble old man without the strength to even truss a chicken! It was too terrifying.

Now, even the Four Great Elders couldn’t help but look at the Guqin in Li Qiye’s arms with dread. The sight of that simple, ancient Guqin sent a shiver down their spines.

In the end, Dong Shenglong was dragged away and locked up.

”What... what... what in the world just happened?” Cao Xiong’s betrayal of the sect was now a foregone conclusion, but the fact that Li Qiye had so easily killed Cao Xiong and destroyed Dong Shenglong still had the Four Great Elders reeling in shock.

”It was merely the Immortal Emperor’s Emperor’s Immortal Power. When the Emperor’s Immortal Power transforms into a sword, it is more than enough to slay all in its path,” Li Qiye said calmly, holding the zither.

At this, the Four Great Elders and Guardian Mo couldn’t help but inspect the Ghost Tower. When Li Qiye had strummed the Guqin, they had all felt that majestic Dao rhythm, but everything happened too quickly for them to see clearly. Looking at the tower now, they still couldn’t discern its Profound Mysteries.

”This... where did this Guqin come from?” Elder Sun gasped, shocked.

Li Qiye smiled and said, ”I was punished to face the wall here. During the night, the Patriarch appeared in my dreams. He sent me a message, telling me that a Guqin was buried beneath this tower. This was the very Guqin the Patriarch played back in the day, which later became buried underground.”

”Following the Patriarch’s instructions, I unearthed the Guqin. In the dream, the Patriarch also told me the true secret of this Qin Tower. It turns out this tower was where the Patriarch used to play the zither and reminisce. The Patriarch bore the world’s Immortal Power and often played here. Unknowingly, the principles of the Dao were branded into the musical laws. Over countless days and months, the entire Qin Tower became imprinted with the Zither Charm. At the same time, this endless Zither Charm also absorbed the Patriarch’s vast Emperor’s Immortal Power. There is even a supreme Zither Dao hidden within this Zither Charm.” Li Qiye’s explanation was smooth and fluent, as if it were all true.

Li Qiye smiled and said, ”In the dream, the Patriarch instructed this disciple on how to mobilize the tower’s Zither Charm and command the Emperor’s Immortal Power.”

Hearing Li Qiye’s words, the Four Great Elders were incredibly moved. They never would have dreamed that this place they regarded as the Ghost Tower would actually bear such immense Emperor’s Immortal Power!

”Qiye is the Revival Lord of our Xiyan Ancient Sect! The Patriarch chose him, which means he will lead us to rejuvenation, to rise again, and to restore the glory of our Xiyan Ancient Sect!” Elder Wu said, deeply moved.

First, the Patriarch imparted the Dao through a dream, and now he had revealed a treasure through a dream. To the Four Great Elders, there was no doubt that the Patriarch had chosen Li Qiye, selected him to be the Revival Lord of the Xiyan Ancient Sect.

In an instant, Li Qiye’s status in the elders’ hearts had completely changed. Li Qiye was the one chosen by the Patriarch, Mingren Immortal Emperor. In the future, he would represent the Patriarch himself!

After a long moment, the Four Great Elders finally came back to their senses. The scholarly Elder Qian murmured, ”Regarding the Qin Tower, I have read some records. I heard it was indeed the place where the Patriarch played his zither, but I never imagined it would bear the Patriarch’s Emperor’s Immortal Power!”

”The Emperor’s Immortal Power contained within this Qin Tower... doesn’t that mean it’s even stronger and more vast than the one in the Patriarch’s portrait that we worship?” Elder Zhou murmured to himself.

”It’s all thanks to Qiye this time. Otherwise, we would have overlooked an Emperor’s Treasure like the Qin Tower,” Elder Sun couldn’t help but add.

Elder Wu said excitedly, ”The Patriarch is watching over our Xiyan Ancient Sect! He couldn’t bear to see our Xiyan Ancient Sect decline, so he chose Qiye to be our Revival Lord!”

For a moment, the Four Great Elders were overwhelmed with excitement. For the declining Xiyan Ancient Sect, a miracle like Li Qiye had given them a glimmer of hope.

”Oh no—” At this moment, Elder Qian came to his senses and exclaimed in shock, ”First Brother is still trapped in the Array Map! We must rescue him at once! The Holy Heaven Sect might use some other dirty trick to harm him!”

”Within the borders of the Xiyan Ancient Sect, how difficult could that be?” Li Qiye said with a smile. ”Allow me to play a song and break Marquis Liezhan’s Array Map.” With that, he sat cross-legged on the ground and began to strum the Guqin. ZING ZING ZING.

Instantly, the Guqin lit up, and the Qin Tower lit up along with it...