Dominator Emperor

”The peak of the World Tree... What kind of wondrous encounter would that be?” Discussing this, some people were lost in a daze. ”Perhaps the fortuitous encounter at the peak wouldn’t be any worse than the one Hao Hai Immortal Emperor had back in his day!”

For the past year, the East Hundred Cities had been exceptionally lively, giving countless people a glimpse of a prosperous new age. It all began after the Black Dragon King’s great war against Ta Kong Immortal Emperor, which tore the Celestial Mandate asunder. In the aftermath, the Great Dao became arduous, severing the passages connecting the Nine Realms. The distance between the Five Desolations grew immense, the world fell into a lull, and powerful experts retreated from the world.

The Tough Dao Era began to end more than a decade ago. Today, the Five Desolations were abuzz with activity, finally allowing people to witness the burgeoning prosperity of a great new age! Prodigies were born and geniuses soared into prominence. This was destined to be a brilliant era.

In this past year, there was joy and sorrow, success and failure. Some rode the winds of fortune while others fell on hard times. With the opening of the Eternal Gate, everyone from the geniuses of Great Sects to the most ordinary disciples saw a glimmer of hope. They all had a chance to find their own fortuitous encounter in this new world...

At this very moment, in a mysterious land, Li Qiye’s entire body chimed endlessly with the Dao. He sat there like a Divine Being, his expression solemn and majestic. Though he was merely a Prince, the aura he exuded was terrifying. It was especially potent when the physique of his Prison Suppressing Divine Body manifested from his chest, unleashing a presence capable of crushing the heavens and slaying gods and demons.

OMM— At that moment, a cold glint flared within Li Qiye’s body. His True Destiny suddenly shone with blinding light. For a split second, Demonic Qi swirled around it, as if the once majestic and solemn True Destiny had been corrupted. However, it lasted for only a flash. In that instant, the emergent Demonic Qi was annihilated by the incomparably radiant True Destiny. Beneath the brilliant light of the Dao Foundation, the wisp of Demonic Qi was as insignificant as a candle flame.

After a long while, Li Qiye’s consciousness returned from its Divine Travel in the Void. He broke into a smile, stroking his chin as he murmured, ”The Fate Calamity is finally about to arrive. Now, how should I deal with it?”

For the Li Qiye of today, who already possessed six Life Palaces, overcoming his Fate Calamity wasn’t difficult. The true challenge lay in how to sever it perfectly, leaving behind no flaws and allowing no trace of Demonic Qi to taint his True Destiny.

Cultivators who didn’t practice a Sacred Body or an Immortal Body would inevitably speak of two matters with dread: Fate Calamity and vitality decay.

Fate Calamity is like a Heart Demon, and vitality decay is like being withered by the heavens! Both were great tribulations that many cultivators found incredibly difficult to face. For many geniuses, surviving the Fate Calamity wasn’t the issue; the real difficulty was doing so without giving rise to a Heart Demon.

Throughout the eons, countless heroes and Elder Sages had managed to sever their Fate Calamity, only for a Heart Demon to emerge many years later. For many powerful experts, a Heart Demon was a nightmare that could haunt them for a lifetime.

As for vitality decay, that was even more terrifying. In the face of it, countless breathtakingly talented individuals found themselves powerless to turn the tide. The saying ”vitality decay is like being withered by the heavens” was no empty threat.

Li Qiye held himself to a very high standard. On the day he severed his Fate Calamity, he would eradicate the Heart Demon completely, leaving absolutely no hidden dangers for the future. For a cultivator, harboring a demon in one’s heart was never a good thing!

In truth, Li Qiye could sever his Fate Calamity right now. However, he continued to suppress it with his formidable True Destiny and powerful Dao Foundation, waiting for the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Heart Demon completely with a single, decisive strike.

OMM— A vibration echoed. Just as Li Qiye was contemplating how to cleanly and decisively sever his Heart Demon, space and time suddenly warped. In an instant, an astonishing scene appeared before his eyes.

In fact, at that moment, it wasn’t just Li Qiye who witnessed the incredible sight. Everyone inside the Eternal Gate saw it as well.

At this very moment, whether they were in a Secret Realm of the Eternal Gate, digging deep underground, or perched somewhere upon the World Tree... so long as they were inside the Eternal Gate, everyone could see the astounding sight. It didn’t matter if you were in the sky, on the ground, or within some other hidden dimension.

At that moment, a gate appeared in the vision of countless people inside the Eternal Gate. It was a gate that shimmered with a faint light, so faint it seemed almost nonexistent. It looked so unreal, so dreamlike, that it made people think their eyes were playing tricks on them.

The first reaction of many who saw this faintly glowing gate was to think their eyes were deceiving them. They couldn’t help but rub their eyes. Some even asked the person next to them, ”Did you see that?”

”I saw it!” Only after receiving a firm confirmation did those who thought their eyes were playing tricks on them realize it was real.

The faintly glowing gate was bizarre. Anyone inside the Eternal Gate could see it, no matter their location. It always appeared to be right in front of them, yet when they reached out to touch it, their hands met only empty air. There was simply no such gate there at all.

For such a mysterious gate to suddenly appear... it seemed to be right within reach, obtainable with just a stretch of the arm. But in reality, nobody knew where the gate was located. Though it appeared to be right before your eyes, it wasn’t there at all. It was separated from you by an unreachable distance!

At this moment, many people were simply staring, dumbfounded, at the mysterious gate. Many couldn’t help but ask, ”This... how is one supposed to enter a gate like this?”

However, no one had an answer to that question. The mysterious gate was right there, seemingly within grasp, but when anyone actually reached for it, it simply wasn’t there.

In an instant, people came up with numerous ideas. Some tried to use treasures to capture the gate, others attempted to use a Supreme Technique to pass through it, and still others tried to peer into its secrets... But no matter what method they employed, they couldn’t get any closer to the mysterious gate.

”The Void Gate!” Upon seeing the faintly shimmering gate that seemed both real and illusory, Li Qiye shot to his feet. The ever-composed man was suddenly overcome with excitement, unable to restrain his emotions!

The Void Gate, one of the Nine Great Heavenly Treasures, a legend throughout the eons! The Nine Great Heavenly Treasures had always been the stuff of myth. Countless people had searched for them over the ages, but all had returned empty-handed. As millions of years passed, the treasures remained firmly in the realm of legend, and the people of the world began to doubt they ever truly existed.

For millions of years, many had come to believe that the Nine Great Heavenly Treasures were nothing more than a fabrication, a lie distorted through countless retellings. They believed such things simply didn’t exist. It even got to the point where, in later generations, many people had never even heard of the Nine Great Heavenly Treasures.

Li Qiye, however, was more certain of their existence than anyone. The Nine Great Heavenly Treasures were absolutely real; he had seen some of them with his own eyes on more than one occasion! It was safe to say that no one in the present age was more sure of the treasures’ existence, and no one knew the location of certain Celestial Treasures better than he did.

The Void Gate. This was something Li Qiye had been searching for over countless years. He had spent one era after another just to confirm its existence!

Today, this fantastical, dream-like gate had finally appeared before him. Li Qiye couldn’t help but be moved, couldn’t help but be thrilled. His eyes narrowed, locking dead onto the ethereal gate.

The Nine Great Heavenly Treasures had always been shrouded in mystery. Many in the world didn’t even know what they were, let alone name all nine of them.

The Void Gate, like the other Celestial Treasures, was incredibly mysterious, with countless legends surrounding it throughout the ages.

Legend said it could lead to Eternal Life. Others claimed it was a passage to the Tenth Realm, a world beyond the Nine Realms. Still others believed it could lead to the past, or perhaps even the future...

What exactly the Void Gate led to, what its true secret was—no one could ever say for sure. As for all the legends surrounding it, they were just that: legends. No one could ever verify their authenticity.

”The legends... they’re real!” Somewhere on the World Tree, Fairy Mei Suyao shot to her feet, visibly moved. The color drained from her ethereal, otherworldly face.

Seeing the Void Gate, Mei Suyao was deeply shaken. Hailing from the Long River Sect, she knew far more than any outsider. The Nine Great Heavenly Treasures were something her Long River Sect had pursued for generations. It was even rumored that three generations of Immortal Emperors from their sect had searched for the treasures, but all had ultimately returned empty-handed, having failed to find them.

Prior to this, generations of Elder Sages and Immortal Emperors from the Long River Sect had suspected that the Void Gate might exist within the Celestial Dao Academy’s Eternal Gate. Some of their Immortal Emperors had even entered the Eternal Gate in the past, but none had ever found the legendary Void Gate.

Within her Long River Sect, the Void Gate had always been the stuff of legends. Yet today, it had suddenly appeared. Fairy Mei Suyao couldn’t contain her excitement.

”This is the true grand creation!” Somewhere on the World Tree, Divine Being Ji Kong Wudi’s expression changed drastically the moment he saw the gate. The sight of it immediately brought a particular legend to his mind.

”Is it really the Void Gate?” Atop the World Tree, Yue Yi was shaken and drew a sharp, cold breath. The legends concerning the Void Gate had long been recorded in the annals of his Celestial Dao Academy.

However, according to the academy’s records, it was all just legend. In fact, over millions of years, not even the ancestors of the Celestial Dao Academy had managed to enter the Void Gate. They could only speculate that it existed. Any further records concerning the gate were considered mere hearsay, or worse, rumors distorted by time.

In that moment, countless people were left reeling in shock. The heirs from Emperor Immortal Gates and Ancient Clans had all heard tales of the Void Gate to some extent. Now, seeing the gate with their own eyes, they were utterly astounded!