Dominator Emperor

”Eight Madmen of the Blade—” Li Qiye let out a long roar. ”Have a taste of Mingren Kid’s favorite move!”

As his voice fell, the light from the Qimen Saber erupted, surging forth like a great tide. In an instant, eight saber rays, each a hundred zhang long, swept across the battlefield, unleashing a storm of blood and gore.

Li Qiye charged straight through the wolf pack, slaughtering them with abandon. Before long, wolf carcasses were piled like mountains and blood flowed like a river. The sharp stench of blood was so overpowering it could make one retch!

Li Qiye weaved in and out of the fray, his saber light flaring. Forged from mere Mortal Iron, the Qimen Saber was nevertheless incomparably sharp. Even if it was just Mortal Iron, having been nurtured by Mingren Immortal Emperor, it was in no way inferior to any Treasure Artifact.

In a short span of time, Li Qiye had slaughtered so many that blood flowed like a river and wolf corpses piled up like mountains. By the end, even Li Qiye himself had lost count of how many Earth-Walking Wolves he had killed.

”AWOOOO—” With a wretched howl, the last Earth-Walking Wolf King, one with a three-thousand-year Lifespan, threw its head back. A flash of saber light, and its throat was instantly slit.

This Wolf King with a three-thousand-year Lifespan had a hide like Gold, claws like Profound Iron, and fangs like Cold Silver. It was as fast as lightning, and its claws and fangs could even tear through armor. Yet, with a single flash from the Qimen Saber—a gleam of light as fast as electricity—its throat was instantly cut.

”PSHH—” Just as the Wolf King collapsed, Li Qiye abruptly executed a backhanded strike. His twin sabers darted like butterflies, piercing backward from his ribs in a reverse scissoring motion.

Blood spurted. A shadowy figure that had suddenly appeared behind Li Qiye froze in place. With a twist of the twin sabers, its body was sliced in two.

This wasn’t a wolf, but a bizarre monster. It had a mouth like a starfish, a body like a badger’s, two wings sprouting from its sides, and a single old branch growing from its head. The creature looked like a cross between a walking beast and an ancient tree.

”Wherever there are Earth-Walking Wolves, there will be Tree Weasel Spirits lurking to suck blood. Too bad for you, I noticed you a long time ago,” Li Qiye said with a lazy smile as he sheathed his Qimen Saber and looked down at the fallen monster.

Even in death, the monster’s eyes remained wide open. Its sneak attacks had always been successful, but this time, it didn’t even have the chance to make a second move. Li Qiye killed it the instant it struck. It had thought it could catch Li Qiye by surprise; never did it imagine that it would be the one surprised and killed instead.

Longevity Spirits. In this world, they were Fierce Beasts on par with Celestial Beasts. However, Longevity Spirits were far more terrifying to mortals than Celestial Beasts.

Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits were two completely different types of Fierce Beasts. Celestial Beasts, according to legend, originated in the era of the gods and were considered ancient living beings. Their most fearsome trait was their incredibly powerful bodies—flesh and bone so tough they could withstand attacks from Treasure Artifacts and True Artifacts. Their claws and fangs could even shred Divine Armor made from Treasure Artifacts.

As for Longevity Spirits, there were two theories regarding their origins. The first was that they were mountain spirits and monsters nurtured by Heaven and Earth. The second, more widely accepted theory, was that they were demonic beings possessing an Immortal Demon bloodline. No one could clearly explain what an Immortal Demon bloodline was, but most believed Longevity Spirits were demonic beings that possessed Demon Blood!

Between a Celestial Beast and a Longevity Spirit of the same age, it would be difficult to determine which was stronger. However, cultivators were often far more wary of Longevity Spirits.

The reason was simple. If you invaded a Celestial Beast’s territory, it would immediately leap out to confront you, perhaps even to eat you.

Longevity Spirits, however, were different. If you were out in the wilderness, you might not even realize when a Longevity Spirit had begun to stalk you. And once it did, it was incredibly difficult to shake.

Longevity Spirits were like phantoms, like ghosts in the darkness, often appearing and disappearing without a trace. They didn’t possess the overwhelmingly powerful bodies or the razor-sharp claws and fangs of Celestial Beasts. Instead, Longevity Spirits could borrow the Majesty of Heaven and Earth, manipulating Dao Patterns to slay their opponents.

When a Longevity Spirit chose to strike, it was almost always a fatal blow, a single attack that ended in success. They would not act without absolute certainty. Even more terrifying, anyone struck by a Longevity Spirit would have their blood completely drained.

Thus, a saying circulated among cultivators: ”Face a Celestial Beast, and you might live. Face a Longevity Spirit, and it’s either you or it that dies!”

Despite the danger, Longevity Spirits were just as precious as Celestial Beasts. Their Longevity Blood was an indispensable main ingredient for Blood Refining Medicine, and their Annual Rings were used to forge a cultivator’s Longevity Treasure.

Longevity Spirits had a unique characteristic: like trees, they possessed Annual Rings. For each year of life, another ring would form. A cultivator’s Longevity Treasure was refined from these very rings.

Li Qiye looked at the ground littered with the corpses of Earth-Walking Wolves and couldn’t help but shake his head in resignation. ’So many wolf carcasses... how long is it going to take me to extract all the Beast Marrow and Dao Bones?’ But it couldn’t be helped. The Xiyan Ancient Sect’s foundation was still weak, its resources scarce. The newly initiated disciples desperately needed these materials.

Li Qiye continued westward, slaying numerous Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits along the way. The creatures he encountered grew progressively stronger. At first, he could escape unscathed, but later, even though he used all sorts of schemes and calculations to kill Celestial Beasts and outwit Longevity Spirits, he still ended up covered in wounds.

Despite his injuries, Li Qiye only grew bolder with each battle, more ferocious with each kill. Unconsciously, a ferocious air—an Evil Qi—had begun to condense around him. This aura was almost tangible. To be caught in his gaze was like being targeted by a Fierce Beast; it was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

This brutal and perilous struggle was the perfect test for Li Qiye, the ultimate trial by fire. Surviving in such a dangerous place allowed him to recapture the feeling he’d had back when his grand schemes to control the world were first taking shape—a feeling of absolute freedom, where the vast sky is the limit for a bird’s flight and the boundless sea for a fish’s leap.

”KILL—” With a long roar, Li Qiye performed the Kunpeng Soaring in the Void. As he executed the Void Nether Transformation from the Kunpeng Six Transformations, the concept of distance seemed to vanish. He instantly appeared before a Longevity Spirit that resembled both a bird and a floating dandelion. He struck in that same moment; the Qimen Saber attacked from behind, and with a flash of its blade, blood shot out like an arrow.

The Pugu Ghost Bird, with its fifty-thousand-year Lifespan, was struck, but it abruptly flickered and vanished. ’Not good,’ Li Qiye thought. A sharp pain shot through his back. Despite his extreme speed, he was still struck by one of the Pugu Ghost Bird’s Dao Pattern slashes, and blood stained his robes red.

A fifty-thousand-year Longevity Spirit was a terrifying existence. Even cultivators at the Heroic Hero level would be wary of it. If a Heroic Hero were to fight such a creature, the outcome would be anyone’s guess.

Li Qiye flickered in an instant, his entire body seeming to jump through space. His shadow flashed, and when it reappeared, he was already in a dense forest a thousand zhang away. He flickered once more and then vanished completely.

The Void Nether Transformation, one of the Kunpeng Six Transformations: *In the Void Nether, I am the domain, free to roam as I please!* Li Qiye had already grasped the true Profound Mystery of the Kunpeng Six Transformations. It was only because his Dao Practice was still shallow; otherwise, a single step covering a thousand li would be a simple matter for him when using the transformation.

As Li Qiye suddenly fled, the fifty-thousand-year Pugu Ghost Bird appeared in the Void. It then flickered once more and vanished, giving chase.

Li Qiye tore through the jungle and eventually scaled a high peak. The Pugu Ghost Bird’s speed was astounding, and it followed close behind. However, the moment Li Qiye reached the summit, his shadow flickered again and disappeared completely.

Once the Pugu Ghost Bird locked onto its prey, it would not give up so easily. It immediately halted in the Void, searching for any sign of Li Qiye.

However, in that very instant, Li Qiye appeared directly behind it. With another use of the Void Nether Transformation, the space between them ceased to exist!

The Pugu Ghost Bird instantly flickered, trying to vanish and hide once more. This was precisely what made Longevity Spirits so vexing. They were like phantoms, rarely engaging in direct combat. If a strike missed, they would immediately hide and wait for another opportunity to assassinate their foe.

”Too late, you ghost bird! I’m tired of your games!” Li Qiye roared. He pointed a single finger to the heavens and bellowed, ”Have a taste of a Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill’s might!”

BOOM! With a finger that seemed to be Defying Heaven itself, a light like a blazing sun erupted from Li Qiye’s chest. Suddenly, the very color of the Celestial Vault changed as a supreme might descended. In that instant, Li Qiye’s finger became the Celestial Mandate!

Where the Celestial Mandate points, none dare disobey. One finger becomes the Celestial Mandate, and the myriad daos follow in its wake. This single finger held the Power of Ten Thousand Dao.

”SKREEE—” The Pugu Ghost Bird shrieked and tried to flee, but it was too late. As a Longevity Spirit, it could manipulate Dao Patterns. But before the Celestial Mandate, the Dao Patterns it could command were insignificant. How could a firefly’s glow ever hope to compete with the splendor of the full moon?

”TSSSH—” Blood sprayed and feathers scattered. Beneath that single finger, the Pugu Ghost Bird was utterly annihilated, turning to dust.

A Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill was more terrifying than anything else. Even the most powerful Emperor Techniques paled in comparison! Where the Celestial Mandate resides, the myriad daos follow. Before the might of the Celestial Mandate, even the Power of Ten Thousand Dao seemed insignificant!

This was why, in any life-or-death battle, the one thing a cultivator feared most was facing a Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill. A Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill was the supreme achievement of an Invincible Immortal Emperor’s life. Nothing embodied bearing the Celestial Mandate more than this.

’That Mingren Kid’s Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill really is something else,’ Li Qiye muttered to himself. The movement tugged at his wound, making him grit his teeth in pain.

By relying on the Day Heaven Technique, Li Qiye had recovered the Day Heaven Immortal Secret for the Xiyan Ancient Sect, and he had practiced it a little himself. He was well aware of how terrifying a Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill was and planned to use it as sparingly as possible. Such a technique was simply too coveted. For the time being, the Xiyan Ancient Sect couldn’t let outsiders know they had recovered it. Otherwise, there was no telling how many Great Teaching Territories would turn green with envy.

Li Qiye himself had no intention of relying on the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill. He possessed many other methods and would avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.

After killing the Pugu Ghost Bird, Li Qiye flickered and vanished, continuing his journey west.

Deep within a valley, inside a secluded cave, Li Qiye sat cross-legged. He circulated the Sun Vortex Yang Wheel Technique, rousing his Blood Qi, practicing the Kunpeng Six Transformations, and absorbing the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.