Dominator Emperor

”Throughout the eons, even an Immortal Emperor who bears the Celestial Mandate and is a Master of Heaven and Earth cannot control the True Dao of Heaven and Earth. At most, they can only grasp a very, very small part of it,” Li Qiye said.

”H-how is that possible?” Qiu Rong Wanxue was stunned, finding it utterly unbelievable.

In everyone’s mind, Immortal Emperors were invincible. They bore the Celestial Mandate and were Masters of Heaven and Earth. Yet Li Qiye claimed that even they could not command the True Dao of Heaven and Earth or grasp the true Heaven and Earth Dao. If such a thing were said aloud, it was likely no one would believe it.

”There are far too many ’impossible’ things in this world,” Li Qiye said with a smile. ”But that is the truth of the matter. To truly grasp the True Dao of Heaven and Earth is fundamentally impossible.”

”Why?” Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn’t help but ask, her curiosity piqued.

Li Qiye gazed into the distance and said, ”The reason is simple—life. Even an Immortal Emperor cannot create life from nothing. For example, if there are no seeds, no roots, not even a single leaf, an Immortal Emperor, despite being invincible, cannot grow a tree out of thin air.”

”With a seed, an Immortal Emperor has methods to make it grow into a towering tree overnight. With a branch, an Immortal Emperor can make it take root in the soil and grow into a tree. With a single leaf, an Immortal Emperor might even be able to use the most Heaven-Defying techniques to make it sprout roots and eventually grow into a great tree.”

Li Qiye paused for a moment before continuing, ”But if there is nothing at all, an Immortal Emperor cannot produce a towering tree. An Immortal Emperor cannot create life from nothing. Even if they wanted to perform a Heaven-Defying act and create life, they must have the fundamental basis for life to begin with! Creating life from nothing is the business of that Thief Old Heaven—or to put it more elegantly, it is the business of the True Dao of Heaven and Earth. Understand?”

Qiu Rong Wanxue stood there, completely stunned. Li Qiye’s words shook her to the core. It was as if he had opened a door for her that had never been opened before, allowing her to see a Great Dao she had never touched. At that moment, it felt as if she had finally stepped into the very palace of the Great Dao.

It was as if, before this, she had always been standing outside the palace of the Great Dao. Even though she was already a Prince who had practiced powerful Daoist Techniques and possessed a strong Dao Foundation, it all felt like mere imitation.

It was like a house built by her predecessors; she had merely moved in and decorated it to her liking. But now, she seemed to understand how to build a house herself—or rather, how to build her own house, brick by brick!

Seeing the look on Qiu Rong Wanxue’s face, Li Qiye smiled. ”You’re not wrong. This is what it means to forge your own Great Dao. Even if you cultivate an Immortal Emperor’s Technique, it is still the Dao of a predecessor. Without your own Dao, what hope is there of becoming a Founding God in the future? Without your own Dao, how could you gain the acknowledgment of the Celestial Mandate, let alone bear it!”

Qiu Rong Wanxue took a deep breath. Forging a Great Dao was a domain that only Great Sages could touch upon. She was currently just a Prince and had a long way to go, but Li Qiye’s words had benefited her immensely.

Li Qiye led Qiu Rong Wanxue onward. Before long, she noticed a peculiar sight high up in the sky. It would be difficult to spot if one didn’t gaze toward the horizon, but upon closer inspection, one would discover an entire realm floating there.

In the deepest part of the Celestial Vault, Immortal Light pulsed and Divine Flames flickered. Vaguely visible were towering palaces and ancient pavilions. It appeared to be an incomparably vast realm, almost another world entirely. Each gigantic palace seemed to contain Three Thousand Worlds within it.

Such a realm stood firm Above the Nine Heavens, residing high among the clouds of the Celestial Vault. It looked so fantastical, so unreal.

”Wh-what is that?” Qiu Rong Wanxue asked with curiosity, pointing at the realm Above the Nine Heavens.

Li Qiye gazed at the distant realm and said lightly, ”You can call it the ’Celestial Realm.’ As for what it truly is, there’s no need to investigate further.”

”The Celestial Realm,” Qiu Rong Wanxue murmured to herself. Then, she had a sudden thought and couldn’t help but ask, ”Have you been here before?”

”No.” Li Qiye shook his head. ”This is my first time here as well. This place isn’t easy to get to, and under normal circumstances, outsiders are not allowed. However, the situation is a bit different now. If it weren’t for certain matters, I would have no need to come here.”

Although Qiu Rong Wanxue didn’t know the specifics, she had a faint feeling that it had something to do with the Ancestor Flow Master.

With every place they went, Li Qiye would stop, as if he were observing something, or perhaps contemplating some profound mystery.

Strangely enough, myriad-colored lights shot up into the sky from this great land, but the color was different in every location. Some places were the color of Gold, some were white, and others had cooler tones...

Seeing Li Qiye’s actions, Qiu Rong Wanxue asked curiously, ”What are you contemplating?”

”Cultivation Techniques, Chapter Orders,” Li Qiye said. ”I wouldn’t call it ’contemplating,’ just taking a look. The things here are simply too vast and complex to be seen through with a single glance.”

”Cultivation Techniques? Chapter Orders?” Qiu Rong Wanxue was taken aback. She couldn’t help but look around, but even though everything here was derived from the Heaven and Earth Dao, she couldn’t discern any Cultivation Techniques within it.

Li Qiye chuckled and led Qiu Rong Wanxue to the top of a tall, straight mountain peak, where the entire landscape of mountains and rivers spread out before their eyes.

”Look at this land. The straight peak beneath your feet is a Swordsmanship Form. Now look at that lush forest ahead; that is a Longevity Wheel Method. And that surging river before us, that’s a Crossing Heaven Skill. See that broken mountain over there? That is an incomplete Heaven-Knocking Technique...” Li Qiye pointed them out to her one by one.

Qiu Rong Wanxue looked closely, but she still couldn’t perceive the Profound Mystery within them. However, after Li Qiye’s explanation, she did get a faint inkling. For instance, from the peak beneath their feet, she could now vaguely feel fluctuations of Sword Qi.

”My talent is lacking; I cannot comprehend this Profound Mystery,” Qiu Rong Wanxue said, ashamed.

Li Qiye smiled and said, ”It’s not your fault. The Profound Mystery of this place is far beyond your imagination. Even if I wanted to grasp the full picture, it would likely take a considerable amount of time.”

”Why don’t you try to comprehend all the Cultivation Techniques here?” Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn’t help but ask. They had finally arrived at a place with what could be described as countless Cultivation Techniques. A single mountain was a technique; with so many right before them, anyone would be drooling with desire, desperate to master them all.

”The Cultivation Techniques here are not suitable for me,” Li Qiye said, shaking his head. ”These are techniques belonging to your Ghost Race. They are completely unsuitable for my Cultivation.”

”Besides, even if I did comprehend these Cultivation Techniques, it would be pointless. The person who left these techniques behind was an extremely Heaven-Defying individual. It’s like the saying, ’a mountain range from the side, a peak from the front’—everyone’s comprehension and perspective will be different. This place only contains the framework of the Great Dao. Therefore, everyone’s understanding of each Cultivation Technique will be completely different, sometimes worlds apart...” He paused here.

”...If you want to fully comprehend its true Origin, you either have to reach the same realm as this person, or you must possess heaven-shaking insight and supreme talent, allowing you to meticulously dissect it layer by layer to explore its Origin. Of course, tracing the Origin of every Cultivation Technique here would require an immense amount of time.”

Li Qiye smiled and said, ”And even if you comprehend a small part of a technique here, it would be difficult to teach it to others. Different perspectives lead to different understandings. The slightest deviation creates a world of difference! However, if you could comprehend even a small part of some of these techniques, it would be of immense benefit to you all, because this is the Origin of your Ghost Race!”

”The Origin of our Ghost Race?” Qiu Rong Wanxue was stunned to hear this, finding it unbelievable.

Li Qiye nodded. ”You could say that. At the very least, the comprehension of your Ghost Race originated from here. If your people knew that this place was the Supreme Dao Land of the Ghost Race, it would cause an earth-shattering uproar!”

Qiu Rong Wanxue was so shocked she was completely dumbstruck. If this place was the origin of the Ghost Race’s path of Cultivation, then the Cultivation Techniques here were the source of all techniques for Ghost Race Cultivators!

”Th-then what exactly is this place?” Qiu Rong Wanxue was unable to recover from her shock for a long time. She finally managed to take a deep breath and asked Li Qiye in disbelief.

Li Qiye said, ”An abandoned land. Someone tossed their discarded Heaven and Earth Ten Thousand Paths here, and it became a garbage dump.”

”An abandoned land? A garbage dump?” Qiu Rong Wanxue’s eyes widened in astonishment. ”H-how is that possible? Isn’t this the land where the comprehension of our Ghost Race originated?”

”To you, it is. In a very distant era, many of your Ghost Race’s cultivation arts were passed down from here—or rather, they were passed down by this person. But to him, this place is nothing but an abandoned land, a garbage dump.”

”B-but why would he abandon such powerful Cultivation Techniques here?” Qiu Rong Wanxue asked as she looked out over the land. There were likely countless techniques hidden here. If anyone could comprehend them all, countless people would go mad with greed.

Li Qiye gazed into the distance and said softly, ”Because he failed. So he threw all his failed attempts here. For example, the mountain beneath our feet is a Sword Form, which is Metal. That forest, while a Longevity Wheel Method, is in fact Wood. The vast river ahead, while a Crossing Heaven Skill, is Water... In other words, the Five Elements, understand? He once tried to use the principles of generation and restriction among the Five Elements to achieve a Heaven-Defying act.”

”A Heaven-Defying act?” Qiu Rong Wanxue repeated.

”Creating life,” Li Qiye said, glancing at her. ”But, he obviously didn’t succeed. One look at this place tells you that. He made countless attempts, but none of them were successful.”

”Creating life?” Qiu Rong Wanxue’s heart trembled. ’Li Qiye just said that creating life is the domain of the Azure Heaven,’ she thought. ’I can’t believe someone actually tried to defy it.’