Dominator Emperor

Attacking the Qingxuan Ancient Country’s Grotto Heaven! The news left countless people stunned. Country lords, sect leaders, and even the reclusive Old Undyings were all utterly dumbfounded.

Attacking the Qingxuan Ancient Country’s Grotto Heaven meant declaring war on the Qingxuan Ancient Country itself. In the Middle Grand Realm, everyone knew what a war with the Qingxuan Ancient Country entailed: complete and utter annihilation.

In the entire Middle Grand Realm, there were precious few lineages capable of opposing the Qingxuan Ancient Country. A heritage that had produced Twin Emperors was a terrifying force in any era. Moreover, the Qingxuan Ancient Country of today showed no signs of decline; it was at the very height of its power.

In truth, the Middle Grand Realm was not without Ancient Sects, Secret Sects, or Great Teaching Territories that had suffered at the hands of the Qingxuan Ancient Country. But the vast majority of them, even if they burned with hatred and wished for nothing more than to attack, ultimately had to swallow their pride. They would have to grit their teeth and endure, even if it meant swallowing their own broken teeth.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want revenge. Reality was simply too cruel. Anyone who dared to make an enemy of the Qingxuan Ancient Country would meet a terrible end, most often in the form of their entire sect being wiped out.

To attack the Qingxuan Ancient Country was to court certain destruction. It was a fate no sect could hope to escape.

So when the news broke that Li Qiye was leading a great host to attack the Qingxuan Ancient Country, many were left dumbstruck. True Masters, Ancient Saints, even Saint Venerables and the mightier Saint Emperors—none of them would dare to declare war on the Qingxuan Ancient Country, let alone speak lightly of attacking it.

Yet today, a junior of merely fifteen or sixteen was so arrogant as to be unparalleled, so domineering it was absurd. He actually dared to challenge the authority of the Qingxuan Ancient Country. This left many major figures speechless for a long, long time.

The news elicited a variety of reactions and thoughts from the geniuses of the younger generation.

Take Young Emperor Nantian of Nantian Country, for example. He sat high within an Ancient Hall. When the news reached him, his eyes narrowed and his Emperor’s Qi surged. Instantly, his entire being was suffused with Blood Qi, as if he were submerged in his own boundless Sea of Blood. Within this crimson aura, a Vermilion Bird took flight, soaring through the heavens with enough power to incinerate the Nine Realms.

A terrifying, cold light glinted in Young Emperor Nantian’s eyes. ”A pity,” he said slowly. ”I won’t be able to kill that little brat myself.”

Li Qiye had killed Nan Tianhao, the Young Emperor’s own cousin. Whether for Nantian Country or the Nantian Family, having one of their disciples slain was an insult they absolutely could not swallow.

”That little brat is certainly unorthodox. In my opinion, he must be cultivating some incredible Body Technique!” an old man from Nantian Country said. ”However, Ting’er, you possess a Holy Wheel aptitude and an unrivaled Longevity Technique. You can slay the stars with a blade of grass and strike the heavens with a single leaf. If that brat didn’t have an Emperor’s Treasure, you could likely kill him in three to five moves!”

Young Emperor Nantian possessed a Holy Wheel aptitude. Most people in the world believed that aptitude related to one’s Life Palace or physique was far more important than one’s Life Wheel aptitude. In reality, this was not the case.

When cultivated correctly, a high Life Wheel aptitude could be terrifying. The better one’s aptitude, the stronger their Blood Qi, and thus, the more powerful their attacks.

With his Holy Wheel aptitude, Young Emperor Nantian’s Blood Qi was far more terrifying than that of countless peers! He cultivated an unrivaled Longevity Technique, granting him a seemingly endless supply of Blood Qi. While others might only refine a single drop of Longevity Blood after a full day of cultivation, the Young Emperor could produce ten or even more.

Therefore, with his Holy Wheel aptitude and an unrivaled Longevity Technique, Young Emperor Nantian’s offensive power was terrifyingly immense. He didn’t even need Treasure Artifacts to kill; in his hands, a mere leaf or a blade of dry grass could become a deadly weapon. The most common Cultivation Technique, when executed by him, would be ten times more powerful—or even more so. For Young Emperor Nantian, slaying stars with a blade of grass and striking the heavens with a single leaf was not legend, but reality.

Young Emperor Nantian’s eyes narrowed. ”Hmph,” he said coldly. ”An Emperor’s Treasure? If necessary, we can produce an Emperor’s Treasure of our own! The Xiyan Ancient Sect isn’t the only one in the world to possess one!”

「In the Grotto Heaven of the Treasure Pillar Saint Sect」 Saint Child Bao Zhu’s expression tightened when he heard the news, and he was visibly moved. He was far more low-key than other geniuses, a man who kept his true strength hidden. As someone with a Great Success Emperor Body who had crossed swords with Li Qiye before, he had a strong suspicion that Li Qiye was cultivating a Supreme Immortal Body Technique.

Upon hearing this news, a cold light flickered in his eyes, making his thoughts impossible to discern.

”If the Xiyan Ancient Sect truly possesses the Supreme Immortal Body Technique of the Prison Suppressing Divine Body series,” a low voice rumbled from an old man standing behind the Saint Child, ”then in the future, the Xiyan Ancient Sect itself may become our target.”

Saint Child Bao Zhu was born with a Divine Mountain Body, one of the two Emperor Bodies in the Prison Suppressing Divine Body series.

He had already achieved Emperor Body Great Success, laying an incomparably solid foundation. This low-key, profound young man was already advancing toward the Sacred Body, cultivating his physique one steady step at a time. But even achieving Great Success with a Sacred Body in the future would not be enough to satisfy him.

Saint Child Bao Zhu’s ultimate goal was Great Success with an Immortal Body—specifically, the Prison Suppressing Divine Body! It was one of the Twelve Immortal Bodies, the most powerful and unrivaled physique of its series.

’The Prison Suppressing Divine Body!’ At this thought, Saint Child Bao Zhu’s eyes narrowed. Of course he hoped to achieve Immortal Body Great Success one day. He was an extremely confident person, but the mere mention of the Prison Suppressing Divine Body made his heart sink.

The Treasure Pillar Saint Sect was, in fact, the sect with the most Body Techniques in the Middle Grand Realm, and perhaps the entire Human Emperor Realm! They even possessed an Immortal Body Technique!

Their Treasure Pillar Saint Sect had a scroll, the ”Prison-Suppression Treasure Technique,” which was the Supreme Immortal Body Technique for cultivating the Prison Suppressing Divine Body. The fatal flaw, however, was that their scroll was merely a fragment. It was incomplete.

This was why, despite being born with an Emperor Body, Saint Child Bao Zhu had started his cultivation with an Emperor Body Technique. Any other disciple from a Major Sect with an Innate Emperor Body would have likely started directly with a Holy Body Technique, as it was an easier path to achieving Saint Body Great Success.

Li Shuangyan was a prime example. She had an Innate Emperor Body and had begun cultivating a Holy Body Technique from the very start.

Saint Child Bao Zhu’s goal was the Prison Suppressing Divine Body, but the Immortal Body Technique his Treasure Pillar Saint Sect possessed was only a fragment. Therefore, he had started with an Emperor Body Technique, advancing one step at a time from Emperor Body, to Sacred Body, and then to Immortal Body. Since the sect’s Immortal Body Technique was incomplete, neither he nor the Treasure Pillar Saint Sect dared to risk a more direct path. He needed to build an unshakable foundation, stacking his physique’s progress layer by layer. This way, he could avoid a cultivation Misfire when he eventually practiced the incomplete Immortal Body Technique.

The thought that Li Qiye might possess the complete Supreme Immortal Body Technique for the Prison Suppressing Divine Body made his heart stir.

Having fought Li Qiye, he was certain that Li Qiye’s physique belonged to the Prison Suppressing Divine Body series. He wasn’t sure if Li Qiye was cultivating an Immortal Body Technique or a Holy Body Technique, but he personally leaned toward the former.

’The Immortal Body Technique for the Prison Suppressing Divine Body! A complete version, at that! How could he not be excited?’ It was what he had always dreamed of. If he could obtain such a Body Technique, he was certain he could achieve Immortal Body Great Success in the future.

’A Great Success Immortal Body! That would mean invincibility!’ The thought made his heart burn with desire.

Still, Saint Child Bao Zhu managed to remain patient. He was in no rush to seize the Immortal Body Technique from Li Qiye. He would make his move only when he was one hundred percent certain of success.

「Outside Celestial Ancient City, atop Solitary Peak」 Under the night sky, Bai Jianzhen, the successor of the Sword God Holy Land, sat on the ground with her sword in her arms. She was utterly still and silent, as if she had completely merged with the darkness.

As the successor of the Sword God Holy Land and a zealot who had dedicated her life to the sword, Bai Jianzhen was just like her blade: cold, ruthless, and exuding a heaven-piercing killing intent. Although she possessed a peerless beauty, no one who saw her ever noticed her face; they were too terrified by the sheer force of her murderous aura.

When Bai Jianzhen heard the news about Li Qiye’s plan to attack the Qingxuan Ancient Country’s Grotto Heaven, a cold light flashed in her eyes, sharp as a sword’s edge. But then, the Sword Radiance vanished, and she fell silent.

For Bai Jianzhen, who sought to prove the Dao through the sword and enter the Dao through slaughter, cultivation was a purer, more ruthless path than for anyone else.

The Sword Dao was supreme. To her, cultivating the Sword Dao meant forging ahead fearlessly, just like a Treasure Sword. If she met a god, she would slay the god; if she met a demon, she would slay the demon.

The question of warring with the Qingxuan Ancient Country forced her to look into her own heart. ’If it were me, would I dare to declare war on the Qingxuan Ancient Country? Would I wash the world in blood in a fit of rage, fighting to the last, no matter if the enemy was a god or a demon?’

’So long as I exist, I am invincible.’ This was the most resolute and dauntless heart a cultivator could possess. Only with such a heart could one ever reach the apex.

Thus, upon hearing the news, Bai Jianzhen looked deep into her own heart and contemplated this very question.

In truth, Bai Jianzhen was not the only one with such thoughts. Many young prodigies and not a few Old Undyings fell silent upon hearing the news, asking themselves the same thing: ’If it were me, would I dare to go to war with the Qingxuan Ancient Country?’

In the end, most of them could only let out a soft sigh. They, at least, would have chosen to back down. They wouldn’t be as lawlessly arrogant as Li Qiye, declaring war on the Qingxuan Ancient Country directly.

”Hmph, a reckless fool who doesn’t know the difference between life and death. As if a mere junior like him could ever hope to shake a behemoth like the Qingxuan Ancient Country!” some experts of the older generation sneered. To them, Li Qiye was simply overestimating his own abilities.