Dominator Emperor

To the Celestial Dao Academy, geniuses were worthless. Throughout the ages, far too many geniuses had come to study here; even Immortal Emperors had been students in their youth. In the present era, what was a mere genius worth?

The problem was, the Celestial Dao Academy had now opened a back door for Li Qiye! Even Divine Being Ji Kong Wudi hadn’t received such treatment. To open a back door for a particular student was something not even the elders of the Celestial Dao Academy, let alone the Supreme Elders, had the authority to do. The academy’s admission procedures had always been strictly enforced. No one could ever abuse their power for personal gain. This was one of the reasons why the Celestial Dao Academy had stood strong to this day!

It wasn’t that opening a back door was impossible, but it required a nod from the Elder Ancestors—at least two of them.

One must understand that the Elder Ancestors of the Celestial Dao Academy had heaven-shattering origins and almost never concerned themselves with worldly affairs. They were all sealed away in deep slumber. Unless it was a matter of utmost importance, it was generally impossible to disturb them!

Now, the higher-ups had opened a back door for Li Qiye, which meant that some Elder Ancestors had given their approval. This was what Yue Yi couldn’t understand. Since the Elder Ancestors had nodded, Li Qiye should have chosen the Saint World Academy. Yet, he had deliberately chosen the Great World Academy instead. It was too bizarre.

After seeing Yue Yi off, Chi Xiaodie silently tidied up Li Qiye’s living quarters. For the Chi Xiaodie of the past, this would have been unthinkable. Such trivial chores were things servants did, yet today, she was the one doing them.

Li Qiye and Chi Xiaodie had an entire courtyard to themselves, which could be described as very spacious. After Chi Xiaodie had finished waiting on Li Qiye as he washed up, he glanced at her and said, ”If you have any questions, just ask. You’ve really changed quite a bit recently. It’s time I let you in on a few things.”

”Who is Ma Gu?” Chi Xiaodie finally couldn’t help but ask. In truth, this question had been bottled up inside her for a long time, but she hadn’t dared to bring it up lightly.

Every time Ma Gu was mentioned, even the unfathomably mysterious Elder Daoist Peng from the Longevity Academy would have a drastic change in expression. This was enough to show that this person named Ma Gu had a sky-shattering background, one that could even pierce the heavens!

”Have you heard of the Xu Chong Immortal?” Li Qiye looked at Chi Xiaodie and asked slowly. Chi Xiaodie had changed a great deal during this time. She had tempered herself and truly made great progress, developing a much better mentality. This was also why Li Qiye had brought her to the Celestial Dao Academy. Otherwise, if Chi Xiaodie had remained unwilling to change, he would have sent her back to the Lion Roar Country. He had already taken more than enough care of the Chi Family.

Chi Xiaodie tilted her head, thought for a moment, and shook her head. ”I’ve never heard that name. Is she a real Immortal?”

”That just means you haven’t reached that level yet, so it’s no surprise. In this era, the only ones who know of the Xu Chong Immortal are probably that group of Old Undyings hiding in their coffins.” Li Qiye didn’t blame her and continued, ”But you must have heard of Wang Yuan, right?”

”Sub-Saint Wang Yuan! The revival ancestor of the Celestial Dao Academy.” Chi Xiaodie hurriedly said, ”Although he passed away a long, long time ago, his sacred reputation in the East Hundred Cities has never faded.”

Wang Yuan never became an Immortal Emperor, yet he enjoyed the same prestigious reputation as one. That alone was enough to demonstrate his influence.

”Wang Yuan was indeed famous, but the Celestial Dao Academy had another heaven-shaking figure—the Xu Chong Immortal,” Li Qiye said slowly.

”On par with the Sub-Saint?” Chi Xiaodie was stunned! This news was simply too shocking. Sub-Saint Wang Yuan was such a terrifying existence—though not an Immortal Emperor, he held the prestige of one!

”A long time ago, she was not Wang Yuan’s equal. Wang Yuan was truly in a league of his own when it came to Cultivation. But now... it’s hard to say what her attainments are,” Li Qiye said, his gaze drifting toward the distance.

”Alive to this day? Is that even possible?” Chi Xiaodie blurted out. But then, she came to her senses and realized it might be. Throughout the eons, countless Old Undyings had buried themselves, sealed their blood, and halted their lifespans, using Time Blood Stones to entomb themselves and counteract the erosion of time, slumbering underground to live to the present day.

”You’re wrong. She doesn’t need Time Blood Stones. She has simply lived until now because she has the Longevity Body! Do you know why the Longevity Academy is called the Longevity Academy? It’s because they inherited the Longevity Immortal Body Technique, and they only pass it down to a single person each generation! The Xu Chong Immortal was the very first Dean of the Longevity Academy. You’ve seen that old Daoist, haven’t you? He looks like he can’t get enough sleep, but it’s not because he’s drowsy—it’s because he has the Longevity Body! The Longevity Body doesn’t require Time Blood Stones, nor does it need to seal its own lifespan. Its possessor can wake up whenever they please. This can’t be compared to being sealed away.” Li Qiye was intentionally broadening Chi Xiaodie’s horizons.

The Longevity Body doesn’t necessarily offer many benefits for Cultivation, nor does it provide much help in combat, but it allows a person to live for a very, very long time.

Someone cultivating the Longevity Body can sleep continuously, doing nothing but sleeping. Of course, they can wake up whenever they wish. For those cultivating the Longevity Body, sleeping *is* Cultivation. To sleep continuously means to cultivate continuously. The moment they wake up, their Cultivation stops.

Each of the Twelve Immortal Bodies has its own Divine Techniques and world-shocking power. Among them, only the Longevity Body aids neither Cultivation nor attack. It doesn’t have many Divine Techniques, and cultivating it is an extremely long process.

For the other Immortal Bodies, if one fails to master them within their own lifetime, they will likely never succeed and may even face the destruction of their Dao and body.

But the Longevity Body is different. One lifetime is short. A second lifetime is merely the beginning. Only in the third does one start to truly make progress...

Cultivating the Longevity Body is a very slow process, like a snail’s crawl. However, only those with enough perseverance, an unshakably firm Dao Heart, and the ability to resist worldly temptations can ultimately see it through.

One must understand that cultivating the Longevity Body is a long and silent process. Basically, it is difficult for anyone to endure.

In fact, Li Qiye had groomed several geniuses to cultivate the Longevity Body in the past, but none of them could endure the loneliness and ultimately gave up.

For instance, while cultivating the Longevity Body, you might still be slowly advancing within the Palace Knocking Realm after ten years. After a hundred years, you’d still be in the Palace Knocking Realm. After a thousand years, you could *still* be in the Palace Knocking Realm. When a whole lifetime passes and everyone you know is gone, you could very well find yourself still crawling along in the Palace Knocking Realm.

For many Cultivators, this is unbearable. Others could roam the world after just eight or ten years of Cultivation. After a hundred years, they could dominate a region, receiving the respect and worship of outsiders, enjoying vast amounts of Heavenly Treasures, and controlling countless Divine Soldier Immortal Treasures!

But cultivating the Longevity Body involved nothing but sleeping. With Cultivation progressing at a turtle’s pace, who could stand it? Forget geniuses, even the stupidest person couldn’t bear such a lonely path on the Great Dao.

For Li Qiye, who had lived for countless eons and held the Body Book, the Longevity Body represented his greatest failure. He had tried to nurture people to cultivate it before, but all his attempts had ended in failure.

However, as one of the Twelve Immortal Bodies, the Longevity Body was not without its merits. If cultivated to its absolute limit, legends say one could potentially achieve true immortality. It’s hard to say if that’s true, but when the Longevity Body reaches the Great Success stage, its user can live for an incredibly long time. Moreover, they don’t need to bury themselves like those Old Undyings. Those Old Undyings are sealed by Time Blood Stones and must pay a great price every time they emerge. The owner of a Longevity Body, on the other hand, can wake up whenever they please!

Li Qiye once believed that the Longevity Body might not be the most difficult Body Technique or Cultivation Technique in the world to practice, but it was the one most impossible to master!

”The Longevity Body!” Hearing Li Qiye speak of the Longevity Body, Chi Xiaodie couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. She thought of her grandfather’s clan’s Primordial Ancestor, the Overlord Immortal Lion King. Their Primordial Ancestor had also cultivated a Supreme Immortal Body—the Angry Immortal Dominating Body! Moreover, he had even created a Supreme Immortal Body Technique.

Unfortunately, their Primordial Ancestor’s Supreme Body Technique had been lost to time. Otherwise, the Lion Roar Sect would likely be far greater than it was today.

Speaking of the Longevity Body, Li Qiye couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion. Throughout the eons, he had drifted through endless time and used the Body Book to conduct countless experiments. Several cultivators had achieved the Great Success Immortal Body under his guidance. His only regret was the Longevity Body. He had tried many times, even traveling the Nine Realms to select promising candidates. In the end, no one had ever persevered to the very end. The sole exception was Ma Gu. But to him, Ma Gu was an exception within an exception. Back then, he held no hope for her; he didn’t even think she had a chance. And yet, she was the one who stubbornly held on.

”Do you know the Xu Chong Immortal?” Chi Xiaodie asked softly, seeing Li Qiye lost in thought.

”That...” Li Qiye looked at Chi Xiaodie, then smiled. ”That I cannot tell you. You shouldn’t know, either. Some things are better left unknown. Otherwise, it could bring you disaster.”

’Xu Chong Immortal... Ma Gu.’ Li Qiye sighed softly in his heart. ’He remembered back then... she was just a plain-looking little girl. Her aptitude was terrible, so poor one could call her hopelessly dull. Even her own elders said she was a lost cause and paid her no attention at all.’

’A simple Heart Technique that others could remember after hearing it once, Ma Gu had to be told ten times or even more just to barely recall it. She learned to read at a glacial pace. Understanding even the most common Cultivation Technique—something an average person could grasp in eight or ten days—would take Ma Gu ten years, or perhaps even longer.’

’Ma Gu herself came from a Cultivator Family, but her aptitude was an absolute mess. The elders in her clan even considered her a hopeless blockhead, like rotten wood that couldn’t be carved, and couldn’t even be bothered to teach her any Cultivation Techniques.’

’But she possessed a firm heart that yearned for the Great Dao, a curious mind that craved the mysteries of the Great Dao.’

’He recalled the past, seeing a plain-looking little girl who couldn’t even speak clearly. She was unconfident, a bit grubby, and even looked foolish. Though born into a Cultivator Clan, no one in her clan was willing to pay her any mind.’

’At that time, when Li Qiye, as the Yin Ya, first met her, he was in the middle of guiding Wang Yuan’s Cultivation. And there she was, this little girl mocked by everyone, secretly watching from the side, timid and cautious.’