Dominator Emperor

At last, the medicinal concoction in the iron pot slowly solidified, gradually forming a pill cake. The cake was as smooth as cream and as delicate as a fine pastry, emitting waves of a refreshing fragrance. When the scent wafted into the nose, it instantly put one’s entire body at ease, making them feel as if they were floating on air. It was a sensation akin to growing wings and soaring into the heavens.

”We finally succeeded! This is the right ratio!” In the end, even the Old Ghost couldn’t contain his excitement and shouted aloud.

”Holy shit, it actually worked!” Li Qiye yelled, jumping to his feet in his excitement before flopping right back onto the ground, his body going limp. To him, this was nothing short of a miracle. Even a reborn Medicine God would never have believed it.

If anyone in this world knew of this Pill Formula and learned that its ratio had been successfully created, they would be scared witless. Anyone in the Nine Realms who knew of this formula would scream in disbelief.

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao both breathed a sigh of relief. Although they didn’t know what this Pill Formula was for or what the substance was, they knew the contents of that iron pot were absolutely peerless.

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao silently wiped the sweat from his brow, sharing in his joy.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Qiye finally came to his senses. He looked at the pill cake in the pot and said leisurely, ”The ratio is a success. As for refining the final pill, that will be up to you. There’s still a very, very long road ahead.”

The Old Ghost didn’t say a word, his eyes filled with delight as he stared at the pill cake in the iron pot.

Ultimately, the Old Ghost gave Li Qiye the Celestial Sacrificial Pig he required. As Li Qiye was about to leave, the Old Ghost stared at him and said in his usual slow drawl, ”How about you stay? Become my disciple. As long as you become my disciple, the title of Immortal Emperor in this generation will belong to you.”

Even Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were shaken by these words. Becoming an Immortal Emperor was no simple matter, yet the Old Ghost spoke of it so casually. For any Cultivator, raising an Immortal Emperor was the greatest honor of a lifetime. Even a peerless master wouldn’t dare claim they could nurture an Immortal Emperor, but the Old Ghost before them was brimming with confidence!

”No, you’re wrong about that,” Li Qiye said with utter composure. ”In this generation, as long as I am here, I *will* be the Immortal Emperor. Anyone who dares to compete with me for the Celestial Mandate will become nothing but a pile of dried bones along my Great Dao. That will be true even for a disciple trained by you.”

His casual tone belied a boast that would make all other grand pronouncements in the world pale in comparison. It was the most domineering declaration Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao had ever heard! He held everyone else in contempt; only he was invincible!

The Old Ghost stared at Li Qiye without a word. Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat for him, terrified that the Old Ghost would fly into a rage. The being before them was absolutely terrifying.

However, Li Qiye remained perfectly composed, as carefree as if nothing had happened at all. After a while, he spoke again in a leisurely tone, ”How could I possibly miss the day of the Alchemy? When the time comes, if you want my help, it’s not out of the question. But, you should know... there are very few things that can pique my interest.”

In the end, the Old Ghost said nothing more. He simply sat silently behind the counter and closed his eyes, appearing to have fallen asleep. He looked just like a corpse.

Li Qiye chuckled and left with Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao.

After leaving the Old Ghost’s little shop, Li Shuangyan couldn’t resist glancing at Li Qiye. ”A favor?” she asked.

”A favor is more than worth it.” Li Qiye gently stroked her smooth, dark hair and said with a relaxed smile, ”Little girl, don’t look down on him. He’s one of the most difficult people in the world to provoke—you could even say one of the most difficult people to have ever existed. A single favor from him is priceless. He wouldn’t even give face to an Immortal Emperor!”

Gently stroking her hair... only Li Qiye could get away with such an intimate gesture.

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao’s hearts trembled upon hearing Li Qiye’s words. Li Shuangyan gasped. ’What kind of existence is an Immortal Emperor? They shoulder the Celestial Mandate, stand invincible across the Nine Realms, and are the sole sovereigns of their era! What kind of person wouldn’t even give face to an Immortal Emperor? And yet, we’ve never heard of such a figure!’

Lost in her thoughts, Li Shuangyan had completely forgotten that Li Qiye was stroking her hair. When she snapped out of it, she shot him a sharp glare and said irritably, ”I’m older than you, you know! If you call me ’little girl’ one more time, I won’t be so nice!” She was so annoyed she could have ground her teeth.

Li Qiye paid her protest no mind and simply gave a slow smile. This infuriated Li Shuangyan so much she wanted to kick him, while Chen Baojiao couldn’t help but purse her lips in a soft giggle.

The two peerless beauties—one fuming with indignation, the other giggling softly—presented two completely different kinds of charm. Together, they formed a picture as lovely as any landscape, a sight one could never tire of.

After a moment, Chen Baojiao couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, ”What kind of pill is he trying to refine?”

In response to her question, Li Qiye merely gazed toward the horizon, falling silent. He said nothing, seemingly lost in a memory from a distant, distant past.

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao said nothing, quietly waiting for his answer.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Qiye finally spoke, his voice slow. ”It’s an Ancient Pill that shouldn’t exist, a thing of pure legend. The tale has been passed down since a very, very ancient time. No one knows which era the legend originated from—perhaps the Mythical Era, or maybe an era even more ancient and incomparable. In short, if this pill were ever successfully refined, the supreme titans of the world would not be able to sit still. Even a reigning Immortal Emperor wouldn’t be able to remain seated!”

Although Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao had braced themselves, they still couldn’t help but gasp quietly. Just what kind of thing was this? Or rather, what kind of Divine Pill could it be?

Back in their small courtyard, Li Qiye immediately got busy. He had Li Shuangyan prepare a large number of pots, pans, bowls, and ladles. From the looks of it, one might think he was about to show off his culinary skills.

Once everything was ready, Li Qiye shut himself in his room. Soon after, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao heard a series of BANGS and CLANGS from within. It sounded like he was chopping vegetables, then like he was hacking bones. Those sounds were followed by others resembling stir-frying, steaming, and boiling...

Hearing the bustling sounds from inside, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao exchanged a look. Anyone who didn’t know better might have mistaken Li Qiye for a master chef, busily preparing a grand feast. However, they knew that their Young Master was definitely no chef, nor would he ever personally wield a knife to prepare a feast for others.

By the second day, an enticing aroma began to drift from the room, as if a magnificent feast had just been prepared inside.

Even Nan Huairun, Qu Daoli, and the others who were cultivating in the courtyard were drawn over by the waves of fragrance. Standing outside the door, Nan Huairun couldn’t stop himself from drooling. He licked his lips and asked, ”Is Eldest Brother preparing a feast?”

The bright, wide-eyed Xu Pei quietly asked Chen Baojiao, ”Sister Chen, what is Eldest Brother doing?”

”I’m not sure.” Chen Baojiao shook her head gently. In truth, she didn’t know the specifics of what Li Qiye was doing either, only that he was preparing some kind of offering.

Standing outside, all the juniors were drooling. Before long, even Tu Buyu, Niu Fen, and Shi Gandang were drawn over by the aroma. They stood by the door, peering inside with curiosity.

The fragrance wafting from within was so potent that Tu Buyu and the others drooled for an entire day. Even Chen Baojiao and Li Shuangyan found themselves swallowing hard.

It wasn’t until the third day that, with a CREAK, Li Qiye finally opened the tightly shut door and emerged.

”Eldest Brother, playing chef? Can we have a little taste?” Nan Huairun asked eagerly with a wide grin the moment he saw Li Qiye.

Li Qiye shot him a look, then brought out two large basins from inside. The moment the basins appeared, Nan Huairun and the others were struck dumb.

The two basins were filled to the brim with soup. However, there were patches of green, white, red, blue... a whole spectrum of colors, like a bizarre mosaic. Floating in this broth were many things: some looked like chicken feet, some like Dragon Breast, some like human heads, and some like a Turtle Whip... There was a thick, fat chunk of something, a pitch-black stick, and even strips of meat covered in long, fuzzy green hair...

Yes, the incredibly enticing aroma was indeed coming from the concoction in these two basins. But the sight of it was enough to make one’s skin crawl. It looked like the most disgusting soup in the world, as if it contained ghost flesh and rotting corpses... In short, the very appearance of it was enough to make one want to vomit.

”Nope, I can’t... I think I’m gonna be sick—” Nan Huairun shuddered upon seeing the contents of the two basins.

In fact, it wasn’t just Nan Huairun; even Li Shuangyan and the others felt their skin crawl. If Li Shuangyan hadn’t prepared the ingredients herself, she would have suspected that the concoction in the two basins had been brewed from rotting corpses and ghost flesh!

Li Qiye slapped Nan Huairun on the back of the head, cursing with a laugh, ”Kid, stop daydreaming. You can’t afford to eat these two basins of Celestial Sacrifice Soup! Even a Saint Emperor wouldn’t be qualified to eat this! You hear me? This is the most profound soup in the world, one that connects the realms of the living and the dead!” With that, he placed lids on the two basins and sealed them.

Li Qiye ordered Niu Fen to prepare a ceremonial table. He then began placing one peculiar item after another upon it. Some of these oddities were made from silver paper, others were folded from Yellow Paper. They came in all shapes and sizes; some were shaped like a Treasure Sword, some like a Treasure Tower, and others like a Grotto Heaven estate. They were so bizarre that one glance was enough to know they were offerings for the dead.

Once everything was arranged, Li Qiye instructed Niu Fen and Shi Gandang, ”The two of you are to bathe and burn incense. Remember, be devout and keep your hearts calm. Early tomorrow morning, you will follow me into the Ancient Sky Corpse Land. Shuangyan and Bao Jiao will come as well.”