Dominator Emperor

Everyone was baffled. Everyone was clueless. Everyone was stunned, unable to process what had just happened for a long, long time. When they finally came to their senses, they found themselves already within the Celestial Dao Academy.

This left everyone dumbfounded. Many had been digging with fervent enthusiasm inside the Eternal Gate, while countless others were comprehending the profound Great Dao within the Secret Realms or upon the World Tree. Suddenly, in an instant, they were ejected from the Eternal Gate, ejected from the Secret Realms, and ejected from the World Tree!

Anyone who had entered the Eternal Gate was, at this very moment, ejected. Countless people couldn’t figure out what on earth had just happened.

”What happened?” Countless people looked at each other in confusion, unable to stop themselves from asking. However, no one could give them a definitive answer.

It was impossible to know how many people were going insane with frustration, how many were seething with resentment. They had been digging away, hoping to unearth some peerless treasure, only to be ejected in the blink of an eye. How could they not be driven mad?

But now, whether they were furious or frantic, it didn’t matter. The Eternal Gate had collapsed, and everything was gone.

For a time, waves of howls and roars echoed throughout the Celestial Dao Academy—cries of resentment, sorrow, and rage.

”Curse you, heavens! Give me back my pool of Jade Treasure Water! I just got it and didn’t even have time to soak in it!” one student roared in fury.

”Damn it, my Observing Celestial Disc! I was only halfway through digging it out, I hadn’t gotten it out yet!” another student shouted, driven mad with frustration.

”Oh, Heavens, are you kidding me? I finally managed to get in and had just started climbing the World Tree, and you kick me out just like that? This is infuriating—” a successor from a Great Sect let out a long, resentful cry.

For a time, beast-like howls and roars resounded through the academy. The anguished cries were enough to make a listener’s heart ache and a bystander weep; some of these people were truly pitiful!

Li Qiye and Mei Suyao were also ejected, landing on a mountaintop. Li Qiye narrowed his eyes, not surprised in the least. ”Void Gate,” he said, ”I will be waiting for the day you open again.”

Mei Suyao said nothing. She stood to the side, and while she was as otherworldly and ethereal as ever, there was a noticeable hint of unease about her.

”Focus on your cultivation,” Li Qiye said, giving her a sidelong glance. ”Don’t waste your time messing around with all that other stuff. Your intentions might be good, but playing the Saintess isn’t for you, and it certainly isn’t suited for your Arahat Celestial Fragrance Dao. Sleeve Water Immortal Emperor didn’t leave behind these divine techniques for his descendants to run off and become Saintesses! Otherwise, sooner or later, you will destroy your own chance to reach the apex!”

Mei Suyao looked at Li Qiye and opened her mouth to speak, but just then, a series of rumbles echoed. The Celestial Dao Academy began to shake, and the ground split open.

”Not good.” Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed. He paid Mei Suyao no more mind, turning and leaving. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the deepest part of the Celestial Dao Academy.

Mei Suyao stared at Li Qiye’s disappearing back, momentarily dazed. After coming to her senses, she sighed softly to herself before gracefully drifting away.

RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE! The Celestial Dao Academy shook violently. Fissures appeared in the earth, mountains crumbled, and rivers ceased to flow!

This sudden cataclysm not only startled everyone who had just been ejected from the Eternal Gate, but it also shocked the powerful experts from the Great Teaching Territories who were lingering outside the academy.

”Did the gate’s collapse destabilize the Celestial Dao Academy?” Someone jumped in fright and immediately fled toward the outside. If the academy were to collapse like the gate, wouldn’t they suffer a terrible death here?

However, at this moment, some people considered another possibility—especially the experts from the Great Teaching Territories waiting outside the Celestial Dao Academy.

’Is it possible that the Celestial Dao Academy’s Guardian God is truly failing?’ The eyes of a few great figures from the Great Teaching Territories flickered with uncertainty.

Long before this, rumors had spread that the Celestial Dao Academy’s Guardian God, the Domain God, had fallen into a demonic state and was on the verge of a rampage that would destroy the academy. This news had caused a tremendous uproar, and at that time, countless people had set their sights on the Celestial Dao Academy.

Everyone knew what happened next. The Celestial Dao Academy had set a trap and annihilated the Secret Alliance, wiping out their countless experts. This included eleven Old Undyings who died tragically within the academy. In the end, the alliance even lost three Immortal Emperor’s Treasures.

In that battle, the Secret Alliance’s losses were catastrophic, a truly devastating blow.

Afterward, many came to believe that the so-called rampage of the Domain God was nothing more than a ploy by the Celestial Dao Academy to lure the snakes from their holes—a giant trap for those with malicious intent to jump into.

Now that something like this had suddenly happened again, it made some people recall that old affair. ’Could it be that the Celestial Dao Academy’s Domain God really *is* at its limit?’

But despite their suspicions, no one dared to make a move. No one dared to enter the Celestial Dao Academy to test the waters. The Secret Alliance was a lesson learned the hard way.

An army of tens of thousands, eleven Old Undyings, seven Immortal Emperor’s Treasures, and two Immortal Emperor True Artifacts—such an invincible lineup had ultimately met a tragic defeat, completely annihilated.

With such a painful lesson right before their eyes, no sect or lineage dared to rashly test the Celestial Dao Academy’s limits again.

”Thank the heavens, you’ve finally made it back! If you’d been a few days later, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to hold on. The Ancestor has already been forced to personally intervene.” The moment Elder Daoist Peng saw Li Qiye, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Li Qiye looked up and saw a jade-like hand materialize within the thousand-mile world where the Domain God resided. This hand held an Immortal Lotus, which sprinkled down countless drops of Sweet Dew Holy Water. Wherever the water landed, it brought peace to the soul and caused the grass to flourish. It was as if spring had returned to the earth, and all things thrived with renewed life.

”Ma Gu has emerged?” Seeing the lotus held by the jade hand, Li Qiye couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

Elder Daoist Peng shook his head. ”The Ancestor has not left the Longevity Pavilion. Her venerable self has likely just awakened. The Domain God has been getting worse and worse lately. We’ve used even our most precious treasures on it, but the effects have been minimal. We were at our breaking point these last few days when the Ancestor suddenly intervened to help.”

Although the Elders of the Celestial Dao Academy were still holding their positions, they were visibly drained. Without a doubt, they had exhausted an immense amount of effort and vitality trying to purify the Domain God.

”Did you succeed?” Elder Daoist Peng’s heart was in his throat. Looking at Li Qiye, he dreaded hearing bad news. If Li Qiye hadn’t succeeded, then the Domain God was truly beyond saving.

”I did. Let’s go in,” Li Qiye commanded and immediately rushed inside.

Elder Daoist Peng was overjoyed. Without another word, he rushed in after him. This was arguably the best news the Celestial Dao Academy had heard in the last two years.

When Li Qiye charged into the world where the Domain God dwelled, he found the scene even more disastrous than before. The earth was completely scorched open, with magma visible everywhere, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

”If this goes on any longer, I fear the entire vast territory of the Celestial Dao Academy will be turned into a land of destruction,” Elder Daoist Peng said with a bitter smile.

Li Qiye said flatly, ”To be blunt, the Celestial Dao Academy brought this upon itself. You should have made a choice long ago. Either let the Domain God choose a time to pass away peacefully, or let him return! But no, your Celestial Dao Academy insisted on pouring in all your Treasures of Heaven and Earth and Immortal Medicine Divine Marrow to keep him alive! With the Domain God rooted in your Ancestral Vein for so long, there was bound to be a day when he couldn’t bear it anymore! When that time comes, if he can’t control himself, he’ll go on a rampage. You can imagine the consequences for yourselves!”

Elder Daoist Peng gave a hollow laugh in response to Li Qiye’s words. Of course, the Celestial Dao Academy understood this logic. In fact, the Domain God should not have been able to live this long. The only reason he was still alive was because the academy had poured all its resources into extending his life, while also allowing him to root himself in the Ancestral Vein beneath their grounds.

In fact, the Domain God himself had once said that rooting himself in the Ancestral Realm would lead to disaster one day. But how could the Celestial Dao Academy bear to let such an invincible Guardian God simply pass away? With the Domain God’s protection, the Celestial Dao Academy was unshakeable—so much so that even a living Immortal Emperor would find it difficult to move against them!

When Li Qiye arrived at the place where the Domain God was rooted, he saw that the Domain God, a great pine tree, was on the verge of death. Its condition was even worse than last time. Its entire body was charred black, looking as if it had not only been struck by lightning but also burned again and again by a raging fire.

”Let’s begin,” Li Qiye said, taking a deep breath.

Not daring to delay, Elder Daoist Peng took out a Treasure Alms Bowl. Li Qiye poured the prepared medicinal liquid into the bowl, then solemnly and carefully brought out the Treasure Box and cautiously removed a tender leaf from the World Tree.

The moment the World Tree leaf was revealed, a vast and endless Life Force washed over them, moving all who felt it. The rich aura made one feel a thousand years younger. Just a faint whiff of the leaf’s fresh scent was enough to feel as if one was returning to their youth, a sensation of becoming young again.

”A tender leaf from the World Tree... Legend says that each time the World Tree appears, it only produces three such leaves. They are unparalleled in this world, their value beyond compare.” Seeing such a leaf, Elder Daoist Peng was visibly moved.

Li Qiye cautiously placed the tender leaf into the medicinal liquid within the Treasure Alms Bowl. Finally, he took out a Treasure Bottle and gently let a single drop of Starry Universe Water fall from it.

Previously, Li Qiye had to store his Starry Universe Water in a paper cup folded from Immortal Order Paper. Later, he obtained a Treasure Bottle from the War God Hall capable of holding it, and only then did he transfer the Starry Universe Water into the bottle.

”Starry Universe Water!” Seeing that single drop, Elder Daoist Peng couldn’t help but take a deep breath. This was something that could tempt even an Immortal Emperor, and a single drop was a rare sight in this world. He was desperate to see how much Starry Universe Water Li Qiye had, but unfortunately, Li Qiye put it away in an instant.