Dominator Emperor

“I’m not dead yet,” Li Qiye said with a laugh. “Not even that Thief Old Heaven can take my life!”

Lan Yunzhu quickly helped him sit down. “You’re too weak,” she said. “You must meditate and recover, or the consequences will be severe.”

Li Qiye put away the Cyan Lamp, sat cross-legged, and consumed a drop of Starry Universe Water. He immediately began to meditate. As the Starry Universe Water took effect, his body began to pulse with light.

As Li Qiye meditated, the light emanating from him grew increasingly brilliant and dazzling until eventually, his entire being was enveloped in its radiance.

Lan Yunzhu immediately began to stand Guardian for Li Qiye. She watched over him with utmost caution, not daring to let her guard down for a single moment.

An unknown amount of time passed before the light around Li Qiye slowly faded. When he opened his eyes, they shone as brightly as the stars. The vigorous and spirited Li Qiye had returned.

“How do you feel?” Lan Yunzhu asked with concern, rushing to support him as he started to stand up.

Li Qiye stood up and let out a long sigh of relief. He glanced at Lan Yunzhu and said with a smile, “Refreshed and invigorated. That Thief Old Heaven still can’t take my life!”

Lan Yunzhu was speechless. A moment ago, his body had been covered in countless cracks, as if he would shatter at the slightest touch. Now, he was suddenly bursting with energy. ‘He’s like an unkillable cockroach!’

“Madman—” A Divine Sense from the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng swept over. Seeing Li Qiye’s condition, it was rendered speechless. Even from its perspective, Li Qiye’s methods were too insane, too brazen.

Li Qiye took out the Cyan Lamp he had obtained from the Wooden Pavilion. He examined it closely, stroking it gently as he murmured, “I really hit the jackpot this time. Heh, no Secret Tomb Secret could ever compare to this!”

To outsiders, the Secret Tomb Secret was something on par with a True Immortal Medicine like the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng. In truth, a True Immortal Medicine of that caliber was enough to make anyone go mad with desire.

However, Li Qiye saw things differently. He had his own unique understanding of the Secret Tomb Secret within the First Evil Tomb’s Five Great Realms. He knew it held something else entirely.

In Li Qiye’s eyes, the Secret Tomb Secret was not something as simple as a mere treasure. While others saw it as a supreme item like a True Immortal Medicine, Li Qiye disagreed.

“What is this thing? Was it worth risking your life for?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t see through the Cyan Lamp either. Was this ordinary-looking lamp really worth betting everything, even his life, to obtain?

“It was worth it. Absolutely,” Li Qiye said with a smile. “Heh, this thing is beyond anything you can imagine!”

“Good stuff, good stuff.” The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng, now back in its Wooden Nest, stared at the Cyan Lamp in Li Qiye’s hand and couldn’t help but stand up as its Divine Sense swept over.

If it had a face, one would be able to see it practically salivating with desire.

Lan Yunzhu looked at the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng in its Phoenix form. If even a True Immortal Medicine like it was praising the Cyan Lamp endlessly, practically drooling over it, then the lamp had to be something truly extraordinary.

Li Qiye glanced at the Five Immortal Ginseng Phoenix and brandished the Cyan Lamp. “So, you’ve wanted to get this lamp all along, haven’t you?” he asked with a smile.

The Five Immortal Ginseng Phoenix shot a glance at the Cyan Lamp. Of course it wanted the lamp. Unfortunately, no matter how powerful it was, it could never enter the Wooden Pavilion. It wasn’t Li Qiye, after all!

Li Qiye brandished the Cyan Lamp again, his eyes narrowing into a grin. “If you come with me—or rather, if you stick with me—I’ll let you bask in this lamp’s glow from time to time.”

The Five Immortal Ginseng Phoenix felt a surge of indignation at his words. It let out a cold snort, then flopped down in its Wooden Nest, turning its head away and pretending to be asleep, ignoring Li Qiye completely.

“What a shame.” Seeing its refusal, Li Qiye shrugged. “Well then, I hope we meet again someday.”

In response, the phoenix-shaped Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng sent a cold wave of Divine Sense. “Let’s hope not!” Clearly, it was thoroughly annoyed with Li Qiye.

It would have been a miracle if the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng wasn’t annoyed. Li Qiye had just extorted five of its oldest Ginseng Whiskers. Even if they weren’t its literal lifelines, they were still its very essence. This extortion was a devastating loss. If not for its fear of something Li Qiye possessed, it would have strangled him on the spot.

At this point, the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng would be happiest if it never saw Li Qiye again. Every glance at him was a reminder of its five Old Ginseng Whiskers, sending a painful pang through its core.

Li Qiye shrugged and led Lan Yunzhu away. After leaving the Secret Tomb Secret, he brought her back to the Medicine Field.

At this time, the Ginseng Ancestor, the Ten-Change Dragon Silkworm Soul Grass, the Soldier Guard Tree, and the Reincarnation Celestial Soul Vine had all returned. These Medicine Kings of the Immortal Medicine Level had once again taken over the Medicine Field.

“Why are you still here?” the Soldier Guard Tree asked upon seeing Li Qiye again. They clearly did not welcome his presence. For the longest time, they had been the sole masters of this Medicine Field. When Li Qiye came and took a slice of the pie, they were naturally displeased.

Looking at the Immortal Elixirs before her, Lan Yunzhu wished she could just grab them all and run. ‘These are all genuine Immortal Elixirs! If a single one of them appeared in the outside world, it would drive everyone mad!’

Of course, taking these Immortal Elixirs was impossible. Not only were they immensely powerful in their own right, but there was also the retribution from the Medicine Field to consider. It would only be possible if the Immortal Elixirs chose to leave with them.

Li Qiye said with a grin, “I was just about to bid you all farewell. I hope we’ll meet again someday.”

“There won’t be a next time. I’m afraid it will be millions of years before anyone can enter here again,” said the Dragon Grass, the True Dragon-like Ten-Change Dragon Silkworm Soul Grass.

“Something’s not right,” the Ginseng Ancestor, rooted deep in the Medicine Field, said softly. “There’s something off about this boy. He has the scent of ginseng on him… a different kind of ginseng.”

“A different kind of ginseng scent? What do you mean, different?” asked the Reincarnation Celestial Soul Vine, another Immortal Elixir.

“Wait—” The Ginseng Ancestor shivered as it pinpointed the scent. “This boy has stumbled upon a great fortune! He… he smells of a True Immortal Medicine! It’s the scent of the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng, the secret of the Secret Realm!”

“What? Is it true? Is that really the scent of the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng?!” Even the Dragon Grass was shocked, its True Dragon-like form staring intently at Li Qiye.

“You really met the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng? And you benefited from it?” the Soldier Guard Tree demanded, its gaze fixed on Li Qiye.

“It was nothing. I just went inside and conveniently tore off a few of its Old Ginseng Whiskers. A small harvest, you could say,” Li Qiye said with a nonchalant grin, speaking as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

“That’s it! That’s the scent of the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s absolute oldest Ginseng Whiskers!” The Ginseng Ancestor was completely shocked. “Boy, how could it possibly have given you its oldest whiskers?”

“Impossible! No one has ever been able to get in there!” the Soldier Guard Tree said grimly. “Stop bluffing, boy. No outsider can enter that place besides the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng itself!”

Li Qiye took out the Cyan Lamp, stroking it gently. “And what do you all make of this?” he asked, his expression the very picture of innocence.

The moment she saw that look on his face, Lan Yunzhu had a bad feeling. She knew Li Qiye was about to cause some trouble.

The instant they saw the Cyan Lamp in Li Qiye’s hand, all the Immortal Elixirs in the Medicine Field froze. Even the Soldier Guard Tree, the calmest of them all, was stunned. After a long moment, it stammered in horror, “Th-th-that’s impossible! Th-that’s absolutely impossible! Y-y-you… how could you have obtained that thing? Th-th-that’s the stuff of legends!”

“It was nothing,” Li Qiye said with unhurried composure. “When I want something, it’s not that difficult. I just reach out and take it.”

The Ginseng Ancestor and the other Immortal Elixirs were dumbfounded. Others might not recognize the lamp, but they certainly did. Even to beings like them, the object in Li Qiye’s hand was the stuff of legends!

After a long moment, the Immortal Elixirs finally came to their senses. The Ginseng Ancestor promptly uprooted itself from the Medicine Field, hopped in front of Li Qiye, and looked up at him. “How about you take me with you when you leave? I’ll go with you.”

The Ginseng Ancestor’s words startled Lan Yunzhu. An Immortal Elixir was begging Li Qiye to take it away—it was unbelievable. At that moment, she desperately wished for Li Qiye to agree immediately. ‘This is the Ginseng Ancestor! It’s an Immortal Elixir, an Emperor Medicine in the eyes of Pharmacists! It’s something people would go crazy for!’

She remembered how the War Race’s Saint Emperor had come to the Wood Realm with an Emperor Artifact just for a three-million-year-old Ginseng King. The Ginseng Ancestor before them was countless times more valuable than that Ginseng King!

However, Li Qiye was in no hurry to accept. “Take you out? What’s in it for me? Am I supposed to use you to make chicken soup? Hmm, old ginseng and chicken soup… that does sound pretty nourishing.”

“Hey! I’m the Ginseng Ancestor!” the Ginseng Ancestor exclaimed, hopping in irritation.

Li Qiye nodded seriously. “I know you’re the Ginseng Ancestor, but how do you compare to this?” He held up one of the Old Ginseng Whiskers from the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng. “If I can’t stew you in a soup, what other benefit could you possibly be to me? If word got out that I was running around with a Ginseng Ancestor, everyone would be after my head.”

Seeing the Old Ginseng Whisker in Li Qiye’s hand, the Ginseng Ancestor instantly deflated like a popped balloon, all its previous bluster gone. Although it was called an Immortal Elixir, that was only in the eyes of Pharmacists. The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng was a genuine True Immortal Medicine!

“If you take me with you, just let me stay near the Cyan Lamp! In return, I’ll give you a drop of my ginseng essence every few days. It’s a Treasure Medicine, and its effects are no weaker than Starry Universe Water!” the Ginseng Ancestor said hurriedly, its tone almost pleading.