Dominator Emperor

Gu Tieshou had no choice but to do as Li Qiye wished. Although Li Qiye didn’t personally greet the Heaven-Suppressing Goddess, Zi Cui Ning, Gu Tieshou dared not show the slightest neglect. The entire Xiyan Ancient Sect, including its Elders and Guardians, personally received her with the highest honors.

After Zi Cui Ning was seated, Gu Tieshou braced himself and relayed Li Qiye’s message. Naturally, he phrased it as tactfully as possible to avoid upsetting her. By the time he finished, his palms were sweating. He feared Zi Cui Ning would suddenly storm off in a huff.

However, to Gu Tieshou’s surprise, Zi Cui Ning showed no displeasure whatsoever. She only narrowed her eyes for a moment before agreeing to meet Li Qiye.

In a secluded room on Solitary Peak, Zi Cui Ning met Li Qiye, who took a moment to size her up. The young woman before him had a powerful aura, as tranquil as a mountain yet as swift as lightning. She was like the Bi Bo Fairy or the Hanhai Goddess, faintly exuding the essence of water, as if a vast, magnificent sea surged behind her.

Zi Cui Ning, in turn, was sizing up Li Qiye. He appeared ordinary and unremarkable, yet he possessed an indescribable, unflappable calm, like a placid ancient well. He had a unique, unhurried composure, as if he could remain perfectly still even if the heavens and earth were to collapse. When his eyes narrowed, they became too profound to fathom, as if they had traversed ancient eons and seen through millennia.

Seeing this, Gu Tieshou tactfully and silently withdrew, not daring to disturb them.

”So you are Li Qiye?” The Heaven-Suppressing Goddess Zi Cui Ning’s voice was lovely, like the chiming of jade softened by the sea. She handed Li Qiye a sheet of Talisman Paper with a rune drawn on it. ”Do you recognize this rune?”

Li Qiye glanced at the rune but didn’t answer. Instead, he stared at Zi Cui Ning and said in a heavy voice, ”Is the Black Dragon King still in this world? Tell me the truth.” His voice was suddenly filled with authority, like that of a True God—stern, cold, and solemn.

Hearing Li Qiye’s words, Zi Cui Ning’s gaze sharpened. She had met all kinds of people, yet Li Qiye’s stern and solemn words carried an authority that permitted no refusal.

Zi Cui Ning watched Li Qiye, silent for a long moment, before finally speaking slowly. ”Ever since the battle with Immortal Emperor Ta Kong thirty thousand years ago, Grandmaster has never appeared again.”

In truth, this was hardly a secret. The Black Dragon King’s disappearance after that battle was common knowledge. For that matter, Immortal Emperor Ta Kong had also vanished after the fight.

Receiving Zi Cui Ning’s confirmation, Li Qiye sighed softly. Although he had expected as much, the definitive answer still weighed on him. He knew one thing for certain: ’Immortal Emperor Ta Kong could not have killed Little Black!’

”Is Lu Changsun still around?” Li Qiye asked with another soft sigh, emerging from his reverie.

Zi Cui Ning froze. Very few outsiders knew that name. Yet this seemingly ordinary young man had spoken it so casually. Anyone from Heavenly Sea City would never address him in such a manner.

”A long, long time ago, the Saint Ancestor entered death seclusion and never emerged.” This was one of Heavenly Sea City’s secrets, but after a long pause, Zi Cui Ning revealed it anyway.

Li Qiye sighed. ’So, the boy couldn’t hold on until now after all. He lived for so very long, yet still couldn’t make it. Just as I expected.’

”In Heavenly Sea City now, who has the highest seniority? Who holds the power?” Li Qiye asked.

Li Qiye’s rapid-fire questions made Zi Cui Ning suspicious. She deliberated for a moment before answering, ”Matters in Sea City are generally decided by the Elders. If they cannot reach a consensus, they request a decision from Grandmaster Gu.”

”Hmph, Gu Venerable!” Li Qiye snorted. ’I’m not surprised he’s still alive. If the Black Dragon King hadn’t pleaded for his sake back then, I never would have changed his fate!’

Zi Cui Ning felt a chill. She found it strange. This young man seemed to hold a grudge against her Grandmaster. ’But Grandmaster Gu hasn’t received visitors in a very long time,’ she thought. ’Outsiders have no way of meeting him!’

”You followed this rune all the way here, so you must have many questions,” Li Qiye finally said slowly to Zi Cui Ning. ”And you’re right. I was the one who paid respects to the Black Dragon King outside Heavenly Sea City.”

Zi Cui Ning opened her mouth to speak, but Li Qiye interrupted her with a wave of his hand. ”As for why I paid my respects, what my relationship with the Black Dragon King is, or why I have this rune... I cannot answer you for the time being.”

”Then what can you tell me?” Zi Cui Ning asked in a low voice, staring at Li Qiye.

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes at Zi Cui Ning and said slowly, ”There’s a reason you were able to follow that rune here. As the heir to Heavenly Sea City, your role isn’t just to rule it one day and glorify Sea City’s might! You have a mission to fulfill.”

”And what mission might that be?” Zi Cui Ning’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them. He was touching upon one of Heavenly Sea City’s most guarded secrets.

Zi Cui Ning was radiating killing intent, but Li Qiye remained perfectly calm. He continued slowly, ”You came from Xiaohai Village. What kind of mission do you think someone like you is meant to bear?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Zi Cui Ning’s expression changed drastically. In a flash of cold light, a sharp blade was at Li Qiye’s throat. Her aura had become terrifying, like that of a Godslayer.

”How do you know that?!” There was no doubting Zi Cui Ning’s killing intent. She would strike without hesitation if she had to. Her origin was a top secret even within Heavenly Sea City. Although she had grown up there, her background was a taboo topic, not to be mentioned by anyone who lacked the authority to know. In all of Heavenly Sea City, only three or five people had that authority.

Yet now, an outsider had just spoken it aloud. How could she not want to kill him?

”Since you are from Xiaohai Village, you should understand the mission you bear. Who I am is not important. How I know is not important. What’s important is your mission!” With a blade pressed to his throat, Li Qiye remained perfectly serene.

A tremor ran through Zi Cui Ning. She took a deep breath, withdrew the blade, and stared at the young man before her, her expression one of utter disbelief.

”Take out the Black Dragon Spear,” Li Qiye said slowly, glancing at Zi Cui Ning.

Zi Cui Ning’s heart went cold. She stared at Li Qiye for a long time before finally taking out the Black Dragon Spear. The moment the spear appeared, its aura surged to the heavens, as if a True God had descended or an Immortal Emperor had arrived. The formidable presence instantly alerted the entire Xiyan Ancient Sect.

”What is that—” Gu Tieshou and the others felt the supreme aura and were stunned. For a moment, he had the illusion that the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s own Immortal Emperor True Artifact had returned.

”You still can’t truly command the Black Dragon Spear,” Li Qiye said, shaking his head. With a flick of his hand, the spear flew into his grasp. As he gently stroked its shaft, the spear’s heaven-shaking aura vanished. Its invincible might slowly receded, and like an untamable stallion meeting its true master, it instantly became docile.

As the Black Dragon Spear settled into Li Qiye’s hand, it hummed and pulsed with what seemed like affection.

The Black Dragon Spear was jet-black, yet a faint purple light pulsed from within. It looked like a black dragon ready to soar into the Nine Heavens at any moment. This shift from black to purple was the mark of a Flood Dragon transforming into a True Dragon, signifying that the weapon was a true Celestial Spear.

Zi Cui Ning couldn’t believe her eyes. She stared, wide-eyed, in utter astonishment. When she had inherited the Black Dragon Spear, it possessed an invincible aura. The spear had been with her since childhood, yet even now, she had not fully tamed it. But today, in the hands of a stranger, it had been subdued in an instant, just like a wild stallion. It was simply inconceivable.

The Black Dragon Spear had accompanied their grandmaster, the Black Dragon King, as he dominated the world and made every creature in the Nine Realms tremble. It was an invincible spear, yet today it had been tamed by a stranger. If word of this got out, she herself wouldn’t believe it, let alone anyone else.

”Ah, the Black Dragon Spear...” Li Qiye murmured, caressing the weapon. It hummed softly in his hand, as if responding to his Divine Sense.

This Black Dragon Spear held so many of Li Qiye’s memories. He had crafted this spear, and it had accompanied the Black Dragon King on his campaigns, swept across the Nine Realms, and made countless enemies tremble in fear.

SHIING—SHIING—SHIING— At that moment, the Black Dragon Spear began to transform in Li Qiye’s hands, the technique so fast that Zi Cui Ning couldn’t even follow it.

Amidst a series of metallic rings, the Black Dragon Spear grew shorter and thicker. Even its color changed. In the blink of an eye, as if performing a magic trick, Li Qiye had transformed the Black Dragon Spear into a short spear.

Once formed, the short spear was dark red, but its tip was a bewitching, vibrant crimson. A cold light flashed from it, carrying a heaven-shattering killing intent that sent a chill through Zi Cui Ning’s heart, startling her.

But with a stroke of Li Qiye’s right hand, the terrifying killing intent instantly subsided. Even so, the bewitching crimson of the spearhead was still enough to make one’s heart pound in fear. Just looking at that vibrant red made Zi Cui Ning feel as if she were seeing dripping blood; she could even smell its coppery tang.

A Fierce Weapon! That was her first impression of the short spear. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that the Black Dragon Spear that had accompanied her since childhood could transform like this. It was like a magic trick; she found it hard to believe.

”Do you know the Black Dragon Spear’s other name?” Li Qiye asked, his gaze fixed on the short spear in his hand as if completely captivated by it.

”What name?” Zi Cui Ning was struggling to keep up. This was all too incredible; she never knew the Black Dragon Spear could even transform into a short spear!

”The Immortal Blood Spear,” Li Qiye said slowly, his voice carrying a distinct chill.

”The Immortal Blood Spear...” Hearing the name, the first thing that came to Zi Cui Ning’s mind was the bewitching crimson on the weapon’s tip.

Li Qiye said slowly, ”It’s called the Immortal Blood Spear because it has drunk the blood of a True Immortal.”

”A True Immortal!” Zi Cui Ning gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. She stared at Li Qiye. ”Do True Immortals really exist in this world?”

Li Qiye didn’t answer her question. Instead, he said slowly, ”This is a Fierce Weapon. I hope you can truly master it one day. Otherwise, you are unworthy of it.” With that, he handed the Immortal Blood Spear back to Zi Cui Ning.

Unconsciously, Zi Cui Ning’s expression grew solemn as she accepted the Immortal Blood Spear. The moment she grasped it, she felt an unprecedented flow of profound laws from the weapon—a feeling she had never experienced before.

”Do not let the fame of the Immortal Blood Spear die with you,” Li Qiye said to her seriously. ”It is more than just a weapon. It has slaughtered a True God and pierced the throat of an Immortal Emperor.”

”What—” Zi Cui Ning’s eyes flew wide open, and she was visibly shaken. His words had rocked her to the core.

A True God was a supreme existence, yet this Immortal Blood Spear had slaughtered one! And an Immortal Emperor shouldered the Celestial Mandate, making them truly invincible! Piercing the throat of an Immortal Emperor... such a thing was simply unimaginable, the most preposterous notion in the world.

But Li Qiye’s expression told her he wasn’t making an empty boast. It was the truth.

For a moment, Zi Cui Ning was completely dumbfounded. The Black Dragon Spear had been passed down from her grandmaster into her hands. She knew it was an invincible weapon that had once swept through the Nine Realms.

But she had never imagined that this very spear had slaughtered a True God and pierced an Immortal Emperor’s throat! It was something she wouldn’t have dared to believe. And yet, looking at it now, she knew it was true.