Dominator Emperor

After a long moment, Li Qiye withdrew his gaze and asked, ”Why didn’t the Sect Leader come?” He had intended to use this great opportunity to focus on training Li Shuangyan and the others, and he wanted to nurture his master, Su Yonghuang, as well.

”I’m afraid she won’t make it in time,” Li Shuangyan said. ”She went back to the End of the Earth a while ago and hasn’t returned yet.”

’Back to the Tianya Su Family.’ Li Qiye was surprised, but he didn’t ask any further. ’As the successor of the Su Family, she’s been away from the End of the Earth for so long. It’s only right for her to make a trip back.’

Just then, Li Qiye’s gaze sharpened as he looked down below. Li Shuangyan and the others followed his gaze. Li Shuangyan’s Celestial Eye was incredibly powerful, and she quickly said, ”Someone’s coming.”

”This girl is certainly something else.” Li Qiye nodded gently. ”It’s time to pick the tender leaves.” As he spoke, he took out a Treasure Box. The moment it opened, a blast of hot air surged forth.

Inside the Treasure Box lay a pair of scissors. But these weren’t cast from Divine Gold or forged from Treasure Iron; they were shockingly formed from two Divine Fire Laws. And these weren’t the dazzling, scorching kind of divine fire, but a subtle Divine Fire Law that seemed to have endured three thousand great tribulations!

”What treasure is this?” Chen Baojiao asked curiously, reaching out to touch it. But Li Qiye slapped her hand away. ”Don’t touch it!” he warned. ”Be careful, or it will incinerate you in an instant. These are the Karma Fire Scissors. Back in the day, it took a stroke of immense fortune for the Hao Hai Immortal Emperor to obtain this treasure! Without the Karma Fire Scissors, no one can even dream of picking the three tender leaves from the World Tree.”

”Go!” With that, Li Qiye unleashed the Karma Fire Scissors. The scissors immediately moved to cut a tender leaf. The moment they closed in on the leaf, countless phenomena manifested. Little Worlds appeared one after another, seemingly trying to block the scissors. However, the Karma Fire Scissors instantly transcended these emerging Little Worlds and snipped off the leaf.

In the blink of an eye, the Karma Fire Scissors had snipped off three tender leaves. Li Qiye, having come prepared, immediately collected all three in the Treasure Box.

These three tender leaves from the World Tree were a priceless treasure. They grew at the very apex of the World Tree, and even if one could reach the summit, it would be impossible to pick them without the Karma Fire Scissors.

In his time, the Hao Hai Immortal Emperor had a great fortuitous encounter at the World Tree. He later made an agreement with the Celestial Dao Academy, part of which stipulated that the Karma Fire Scissors be left in their care.

Just as Li Qiye collected the three tender leaves, a woman instantly arrived at the summit. As she landed, she couldn’t help but pant delicately. For an ethereal beauty like her, who seemed to subsist on something other than worldly fare, such a state added a particularly heart-stirring charm.

”Brother Li, what incredible fortune to have obtained three tender leaves.” Mei Suyao said, visibly moved as she reached the summit.

Li Qiye gave her a casual glance and said, ”Seeing as you made it all the way up, I imagine you had quite a harvest yourself.”

Mei Suyao smiled like a fairy gracing the mortal realm. ”I only came across an item or two,” she said. ”Fellow Daoist Ji Kong from Takong Mountain had an even greater opportunity. He encountered a fortunate chance and is now following the path of the Hao Hai Immortal Emperor.”

Her words left Li Shuangyan and the others stunned. The Hao Hai Immortal Emperor had been here, but no one knew what kind of opportunity he had obtained. It was certainly something extraordinary. And now, Ji Kong Wudi had actually discovered the same fortune that the Immortal Emperor had found all those years ago. What an immense stroke of luck that was!

Li Qiye, however, wasn’t concerned. He just smiled. To him, even a legendary encounter like the one the Hao Hai Immortal Emperor had was of little importance. Just obtaining three tender leaves from the World Tree was an achievement that could rival any other great fortune.

”Brother Li, your speed is astonishing, bringing so many people with you,” Mei Suyao said slowly, her eyes on Li Qiye. ”Even Suyao’s Secret Treasure was left in the dust.”

Although Mei Suyao had already concealed her treasure’s glow, Li Qiye identified it with a single glance. ”Your Long River Sect’s ’Long River Sunset Ship’ is quite impressive,” he said. ”Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to reach the summit.”

”It seems Brother Li knows a great deal about my Long River Sect.” Mei Suyao didn’t deny his claim, speaking slowly.

Li Qiye said nothing, merely gazing into the distance. Mei Suyao followed his gaze. After a long moment, she spoke. ”There’s a rumor that the true great fortune of the World Tree isn’t the tree itself. I wonder if Brother Li has any thoughts on the matter?”

Li Qiye glanced at her. ”There are countless rumors in this world. How could I possibly know which are true and which are false? There have been too many tales throughout the ages for anyone to verify them all.”

”I believe Brother Li has the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood.” Mei Suyao smiled. She was an ethereal, otherworldly fairy, and her smile was a rare and breathtaking sight, as fleetingly beautiful as an epiphyllum in bloom. Her voice was like celestial music—melodious, enchanting, and lingering like an Immortal Sound. ”Brother Li is a peerless master, his perception is unparalleled...”

When Mei Suyao smiled, her Immortal Sound was enchanting. Anyone who heard it would find their heart stirred, as if they were listening to the rhythm of the Great Dao itself, receiving sudden enlightenment as if by divine bestowal...

Seeing her smile and hearing her Immortal Sound, even Li Shuangyan, Chen Baojiao, and Chi Xiaodie felt something extraordinary, as if they were listening to the profound truths of the Great Dao.

”You little wench, you dare play your tricks in front of me?!” Li Qiye roared. He suppressed with a single hand, and in that instant, his Prison Suppressing Divine Body erupted. HUMMM! His physique became like that of a godfiend as boundless power tore through everything. As Li Qiye’s hand descended, it was like the hand of a divine demon, carrying the weight of the Three Thousand Great Worlds. It crushed down with frenzied force, shattering the Void like glass. The Laws cried out in lament, and the Great Dao itself was suppressed.

In a flash, Mei Suyao shifted with incredible speed, escaping the domain suppressed by Li Qiye’s Prison Suppressing Divine Body with impossible grace. She reappeared in an instant on the other side, still just as ethereal, still peerlessly elegant.

Li Qiye’s roar echoed like a temple bell, a sharp warning that jolted them awake. Li Shuangyan and the other two, who had been under the spell, were instantly brought back to their senses. As clarity returned, they couldn’t help but shudder. ’That was dangerous,’ they all thought. ’We almost fell for Mei Suyao’s technique.’

”You little wench, your Arahat Celestial Fragrance Dao is nothing more than a parlor trick to me!” Li Qiye said, narrowing his eyes at Mei Suyao. ”Don’t think that petty art of yours can establish its own path! You’d best restrain yourself. Otherwise, when the time comes, forget about me just stripping you bare—I might just tear down your entire Long River Sect!”

Such savage, domineering words! Mei Suyao was a peerless prodigy who stood at the apex of the current younger generation, a woman known as a Fairy. Who would dare to harass her so brazenly? As for the Long River Sect, that was even more unthinkable. It was one of the most powerful legacies of the era, a sect that had produced Three Emperors. Who would dare speak of tearing it down?

”Why must you be so angry, Brother Li? Suyao merely wanted to test your resolve,” Mei Suyao said, showing no anger herself. She remained as ethereal as ever, her bearing transcendent, truly like a fairy removed from the mortal world.

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes at Mei Suyao. In that instant, he seemed to transform into a different person, a calamitous beast unleashed. In that murderous moment, he was like a primeval fiend breaking free from its cage, an terrifying aura swirling around him, refusing to disperse.

”Test me?” Li Qiye stared at Mei Suyao, his eyes narrowed as he spoke slowly. ”Girl, believe it or not, I could just eat you alive. When I decide to take you as my personal plaything, don’t think for a second I’ll show any deference to your Long River Sect’s ancestors!”

At that moment, Li Qiye stared at Mei Suyao like a ravenous wolf, and she was nothing more than a naked little lamb ready for slaughter.

Being stared at by Li Qiye like that, Mei Suyao felt a chill run down her spine, a true sense of danger for the first time. As the worldly representative of the Long River Sect, what risks had she not seen? What great figures had she not met? And yet, at this very moment, Li Qiye gave her an indescribable feeling of crisis, as if a primeval fiend had locked onto her as its prey.

As the worldly successor of the Long River Sect, one blessed with the talent of an Immortal Bone, she was more than confident in herself. But in this moment, she felt like a naked lamb in Li Qiye’s eyes. It was as if he didn’t regard her as a threat in the slightest.

”Brother Li, please calm your anger. I will take my leave.” Mei Suyao smiled, a smile that could topple kingdoms. Coming from such an ethereal woman, that smile held an indescribable grace. Then, with a flash, she vanished into a thick branch suffused with purple mist, disappearing in an instant.

”What a vixen!” Chen Baojiao huffed after Mei Suyao left. ”She acts so pure and otherworldly, but she’s just as skilled at bewitching people.”

Li Qiye laughed. ”When it comes to vixens, who could possibly compare to you? Your charm is unparalleled, your allure bone-deep. Your every glance and seductive sway is what truly bewitches the hearts of men.”

”I have not! You’re just defending that other vixen,” Chen Baojiao retorted with a pout. But her petulance was itself a bone-deep charm, enough to leave one utterly captivated and lost in her spell.

Li Shuangyan couldn’t help but smile. ”Mei Suyao’s methods are truly formidable,” she said. ”You fall under her spell without even realizing it. If she truly set her mind to subjugating the heroes of the world, I fear few could escape her clutches.”

”The Arahat Celestial Fragrance Dao... that girl used it on the wrong person,” Li Qiye said nonchalantly. ”Although that path has a profound origin, you were simply too careless. Your Pure Body is an incredible thing. In terms of being impervious to the Ten Thousand Techniques and immune to all demonic influence, what in this world can compare to the Pure Body? The Twelve Immortal Bodies didn’t earn their reputation for nothing. If you were just a bit more mindful, what could her Arahat Celestial Fragrance Dao possibly have done to you?”

Hearing Li Qiye’s words, Li Shuangyan nodded silently and committed them to memory.

Chi Xiaodie was stunned to hear this. ’The Pure Body, one of the Twelve Immortal Bodies!’ She never imagined that Li Shuangyan was cultivating it. Though she had never witnessed the might of the Pure Body, she had seen the power of the Prison Suppressing Divine Body. That alone was enough for her to imagine how formidable the Pure Body must be.

Li Qiye surveyed the summit for a time before finally selecting a spot. He beckoned Li Shuangyan and the others over, taking Li Shuangyan’s hand with one of his and Chen Baojiao’s with the other. Chen Baojiao, in turn, took Chi Xiaodie’s hand.

***