Dominator Emperor

”Then it’s a deal!” Mu Chen said, gazing at Li Qiye as he pushed the token over to him.

The War God Hall had stood since time immemorial. They possessed Ancient Techniques, Emperor Techniques, and even Immortal Emperor True Artifacts! But what they needed most was an Immortal Body Technique!

Li Qiye nodded and eventually replied slowly, ”Very well. When I reach the apex and shoulder the Celestial Mandate, you’ll have all these things.”

Li Qiye made this deal not for himself, but for the Xiyan Ancient Sect. He couldn’t invest too much of his time in nurturing the sect, so he needed the support of a powerful and experienced lineage like the War God Hall. When it came to training disciples, the War God Hall truly had a way with it!

In the end, Mu Chen and Li Qiye finalized their pact. Li Qiye swore an oath upon his True Destiny, and Mu Chen made the agreement in the name of the War God Hall.

”I’ve been out in the mortal world long enough this time,” Mu Chen said to Li Qiye as he was about to leave. ”After I return, I fear I must once again seal my blood and halt my life, entombed by Time Blood Stones. However, the War God Hall will still honor your requests. If you require anything in the future, you can contact Elder Jiang directly!”

Someone like Mu Chen, who had lived through one era after another, couldn’t possibly have survived this long on his own. They could only rely on Time Blood Stones to seal themselves away, halting their lifespans and essentially burying themselves.

For an Elder Ancestor like Mu Chen, the price of emerging into the world just once was unimaginable. The reason Mu Chen was willing to come out this time was to bury their forefather! Precisely because of this, Mu Chen also made sure to finalize the deal with Li Qiye before he was sealed within a Time Blood Stone again. Li Qiye was completely worthy of the War God Hall’s support!

For someone like Mu Chen, for whom every moment was precious, there was no reason to linger. Once the deal was struck, he departed with Elder Jiang.

When Gu Tieshou and the others learned that the War God Hall would be sending people to guide and teach the disciples of the Xiyan Ancient Sect, the Elder Guardians of the sect were beside themselves with excitement!

The Xiyan Ancient Sect might still be lacking in resources, but what they needed most of all were true Masters! Although the sect had lost many of its Emperor Techniques, it still possessed a large number of Great Sage Techniques and Saint Emperor’s Techniques. This was more than enough for the Xiyan Ancient Sect to grow strong, provided they had Masters to guide them.

Now, the War God Hall wasn’t just going to send Masters to train their disciples, but would also inject resources into the sect. How could this not leave Gu Tieshou and the others absolutely stunned?

”This... this is too incredible! It’s... it’s simply unimaginable...” Upon seeing Li Qiye, Gu Tieshou was so flustered he could barely speak coherently. He knew this had to be something Li Qiye had secured for the Xiyan Ancient Sect, but even so, the sect’s Elder Guardians were still completely shaken.

In contrast to Gu Tieshou and the others’ shocked excitement, Li Qiye was perfectly calm and composed. He simply said slowly, ”Even with the War God Hall’s full support, there will be limits. We cannot draw upon their resources limitlessly, and their Masters will not be permanently stationed at our Xiyan Ancient Sect.”

”For the Xiyan Ancient Sect, the War God Hall’s support is merely an opportunity, a foundation for our revival, and nothing more! Our true strength must come from ourselves. If we want to sweep across the world and build a profound foundation, we must ultimately rely on our own efforts to pave the way. If we simply rely on the War God Hall, we will be doing nothing more than living in their shadow! If we want to become a powerful lineage, everything ultimately depends on us!”

Li Qiye spoke in a slow, measured tone, but his expression was solemn, and every word carried immense weight.

Li Qiye’s words struck Gu Tieshou like a temple bell, jolting him from his excitement and bringing him to his senses. ’He’s right. The War God Hall couldn’t possibly support the Xiyan Ancient Sect unconditionally forever. If the sect truly wanted to become powerful, they would ultimately have to rely on themselves!’

”I will take these words to heart, and all disciples of the Xiyan Ancient Sect will do the same!” Gu Tieshou was much more clear-headed now; Li Qiye’s speech had been a stark wake-up call.

”Good.” Li Qiye nodded. Although Gu Tieshou was old, he was still someone worth whipping into shape. Even if he could never reach the realm of a Great Sage in this lifetime, he still had room for improvement. More importantly, Gu Tieshou was a man of vision within the Xiyan Ancient Sect.

That very night, Gu Tieshou convened a meeting, gathering all the Elder Guardians of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Overnight, the entire sect, from top to bottom, was invigorated. Ambition burned brightly, morale soared, and every heart was set on the grand revival of the Xiyan Ancient Sect!

The Sun Demon Emperor stayed as a guest at the Xiyan Ancient Sect for several days. On the eve of his departure, he spoke to Li Qiye with the utmost solemnity, ”As long as Young Master Li says the word, no matter the task, my Nine Saints Demon Gate will lend its full support and spare no effort!”

Even Mu Chen was willing to support Li Qiye, so for the Nine Saints Demon Gate, the choice was obvious. ’To the Sun Demon Emperor, there was no one more worthy of investment than Li Qiye.’

Li Qiye just smiled at the Sun Demon Emperor’s grand declaration and didn’t refuse. If others were sincere about befriending him, he was happy to gain an ally.

With the War God Hall’s support secured, Li Qiye was much more at ease about the Xiyan Ancient Sect. It was time for him to embark on his own journey, free from worrying about the sect’s affairs.

After Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao formally entered their secluded cultivation, Li Qiye began his journey to the East Hundred Cities.

Li Qiye retrieved Su Yuhe’s Ancient Coffin from Wanggui Peak and set out on the road to the East Hundred Cities. Before his departure, both Nan Huairun and Niu Fen wanted to accompany him.

However, Li Qiye did not take them. Instead, he imparted the True Understanding to Niu Fen. Niu Fen’s loyalty was beyond question, so Li Qiye passed the technique on to him. In the future, the Xiyan Ancient Sect would need a Celestial Beetle Ancestor like Niu Fen—just like the sect’s former Guardian God, the Snail God.

As Li Qiye’s loyal lackey, Nan Huairun naturally hoped to follow at his side and serve him hand and foot. This time, however, Li Qiye wanted to travel alone. The path of the Great Dao was long, and he wished to seek it out while also reminiscing about the past. For this reason, Li Qiye did not take Nan Huairun with him.

The East Hundred Cities was incredibly far from the Middle Grand Realm—hundreds of millions of miles. To travel there by foot or flight alone would take who knows how many years.

For this reason, the Xiyan Ancient Sect spared no expense, using a vast amount of Essence Jades to open a Daoist Door and send Li Qiye to the East Hundred Cities.

Upon setting foot in the East Hundred Cities, Li Qiye immediately headed for a specific location. His first order of business was to bury Su Yuhe’s remains, just as he had promised her.

The green mountains were quiet and remote. It was a desolate land, overgrown with weeds. Here, there were only Flying Birds and Beasts and not a trace of human life. At the foot of a low hill grew a single peach tree.

The tree was nearly dead from old age, yet it still clung tenaciously to life. Its ancient roots, of an age impossible to guess, remained sunk deep into the earth, still managing to sprout new, tender shoots.

The peach tree looked as if its days were numbered, as if it could wither and die at any moment. But anyone with a discerning eye, upon closer inspection of its roots, would discover the scorched marks left by lightning—the scars of a Celestial Punishment!

”It failed to achieve Dao Perfection in the end. The heavens would not allow it.” Gazing at the scorched marks on the old roots, Li Qiye murmured, ”Who knows how many eons it will take for the next attempt.”

This inconspicuous old peach tree held so many of Li Qiye’s memories. Who could have known that this very tree had once been blessed by an Immortal Emperor? Who could have known that an Immortal Emperor had once preached the scriptures to it?

Ages and ages ago, this place had been a small village—the hometown of the Mingren Immortal Emperor. Back then, Mingren was just a boy who loved martial arts. A peach tree was planted in front of his house, and after his parents passed away when he was young, this old tree was his only companion.

It was here that Li Qiye, as the Yin Ya, had taken Mingren under his wing. He had lived here for a long time, and it was beneath this very peach tree that he had guided Mingren through the gates and onto the long road of cultivation. Only much later did he lead Mingren away from this small world.

Under this tree, Mingren Immortal Emperor had spent years sweating through arduous training, but he had also shared moments of laughter. Li Qiye, as the Yin Ya, had even stood upon its branches.

Later, after shouldering the Celestial Mandate and becoming the Mingren Immortal Emperor, he had returned. He had granted the old tree Enlightenment, preached the scriptures to it, and hoped that one day, this tree that held his childhood memories would achieve Dao Perfection and be reborn.

But for a tree to achieve the Great Dao was far from easy—it was an act the heavens would not tolerate. Thus, the old peach tree had suffered more than one Celestial Punishment, struggling from a distant era all the way to the present. Although it never achieved the Great Dao, it had managed to survive.

Finally, Li Qiye dug a grave beneath the old peach tree and placed Su Yuhe’s Ancient Coffin within it. After laying the coffin to rest, he sighed softly, took out the Guqin, and placed it inside the coffin. ”This Guqin was with the Mingren Kid his entire life,” he said. ”Now, let it be buried here with you. This was the place of his birth, so this can be considered a return to one’s roots.”

The final wish of Su Yuhe’s lingering attachment was to be buried here. This place held so many of Mingren Immortal Emperor’s smiles and so much of his affection.

After shouldering the Celestial Mandate and becoming an Immortal Emperor, even Su Yuhe, as a wisp of lingering attachment, rarely saw him laugh. Though he was an Immortal Emperor, he had lost the happiness and sunny disposition of his youth.

Especially after Li Qiye, as the Yin Ya, fell into slumber and disappeared, the thing Mingren Immortal Emperor spoke to her of most was the old peach tree in his hometown. He could never forget it, for it held so, so many of his memories.

It was for this very reason that she, as a wisp of lingering attachment, was unwilling to dissipate for so long. Her final wish was to be buried beneath the old peach tree.