Dominator Emperor

”If you don’t reveal your true form, I’ll cut you down,” Li Qiye said with a calm smile, holding the Guqin.

”CHYEH—CHYEH—CHYEH—” The monster laughed sinisterly. Its voice was grating and ear-piercing, enough to make one’s skin crawl. Its cackling laughter rang out, ”You can never kill me! No one can kill me!”

”Is that so? We’ll see if I can kill you when I dig up the white bones beneath Wanggui Peak!” Li Qiye said with a leisurely smile.

”THUD, THUD, THUD...” Hearing Li Qiye’s words, the monster stumbled backward in fright.

”Show me your true form. Stop playing mysterious in front of me.” Li Qiye glanced at the monster, then sat cross-legged on the ground and gently began to strum the Guqin.

”ZING... ZING... ZING...” The Guqin’s music rose once more, flowing like water through the Ghost Tower. As the music flowed, the inherent Zither Charm within the tower resonated in harmony, soft and smooth.

Within the music, one could almost see it: among wispy green mountains, a small bridge crossing a river, the sound of chickens crowing from a courtyard. It was as if a small, tranquil village had appeared before their eyes.

The monster listened to the melody in disbelief, retreating with heavy steps. Then, the layers of mist around its body began to dissipate. The behemoth vanished, and when the mist cleared completely, there was no monster to be found. A figure appeared in its place—a graceful shadow. Her back alone was enough to topple nations and captivate the hearts of all. A mere glimpse of her silhouette could make the world turn for another look. This was an absolute, kingdom-toppling beauty, a peerless treasure of her generation!

Who would have thought that the true form of such a terrifying monster would be the shadow of a peerless beauty?

”Flowing Waters, Homes Afar!” The indistinct shadow stared at Li Qiye in disbelief and murmured, ”You... you... how do you know this song!”

”Xiaohe, it really is you.” Li Qiye stopped playing, a leisurely smile on his face as he looked at the hazy, peerless shadow.

Hearing Li Qiye’s words, the shadow of the peerless beauty was instantly horrified. She stumbled backward, her voice filled with shock and disbelief, ”You... you... who are you!”

”Back then, under the wutong tree, who else besides Mingren Kid do you think dug up your bones?” Li Qiye said with a small smile.

”You... you... you’re Lord Divine Crow!” The peerless shadow’s eyes widened in disbelief as she spoke.

Li Qiye gently stroked the Guqin and said leisurely, ”Besides me and Mingren Kid, who else knows about the wutong tree? Who else knows of Wanggui Peak? And who else knows ’Flowing Waters, Homes Afar’? I was the one who taught that song to Mingren Kid.”

”It really is you, Lord Divine Crow.” The peerless shadow was overjoyed. She walked over quickly and exclaimed with delight, ”Lord Divine Crow, you’re really still alive!”

”I have been undying throughout the ages. This is nothing surprising.” Li Qiye smiled, a hint of emotion in his voice.

The peerless shadow drew closer. Her form was hazy and indistinct, but her silhouette was enough to tell she was a peerless beauty.

Li Qiye finally looked at her and shook his head. ”You still haven’t faded away. Why must you suffer like this, making yourself neither human nor ghost? You have to remember what I told you back then. You are not Su Yuhe. You are not a ghost, but you aren’t a person either. You are merely a wisp of affection that refuses to dissipate.”

Hearing Li Qiye’s words, the peerless shadow lowered her head in silence.

”I know.” Li Qiye shook his head and said, ”You were fond of Mingren Kid, but you mustn’t forget that even he couldn’t reshape you back then. You are, after all, someone who died. Moreover, your soul has scattered and your resentment has faded. You are not a ghost, nor are you wandering resentment, and you are certainly not Su Yuhe’s soul left in this world. In fact, you have no connection to Su Yuhe anymore! You are just a wisp of affection—a wisp of affection attached to Mingren.”

The peerless shadow remained with her head bowed, saying nothing.

”Mingren Kid’s greatest weakness was his excessive kindness. I told him back then to use a song to grant you Enlightenment, but he never did it!” Li Qiye said in a heavy voice.

The peerless shadow said in a low voice, ”My lord, it wasn’t the Mingren Immortal Emperor’s fault. It... it was me. I didn’t want to receive Enlightenment. I... I... I just wanted to stay, e-even if only as a wisp of affection!”

”Mingren Kid is long gone. Do you think it’s meaningful to remain here as a wisp of affection? When he was still around, soft-hearted as he was, he would often come here to play a song for you! But you also know it wasn’t just for you. Mingren Kid is gone. Why do you still linger?” Li Qiye shook his head and said.

At Li Qiye’s words, the expression of the shadow called Xiaohe dimmed. She lowered her head very, very low. Finally, she said softly, ”After he left, I... I hoped that one day I could be buried beneath the peach tree you and he spoke of. B-but I was unable to fulfill that wish. So I could only... only stay with this Guqin. Later, the Guqin sank into the earth on its own, and I... I also fell asleep there with it.”

Looking at the pitiful woman before him, Li Qiye sighed softly. In the end, he could only say, ”Fine. After I’ve settled my affairs, I will go to Wanggui Peak, retrieve your bones, and bury you beneath the peach tree. I hope this will fulfill your final wish.”

”Thank you, my lord.” Xiaohe bowed and said gratefully.

Looking at her, Li Qiye sighed softly again. He couldn’t express the feeling in his heart. He could only say that this was Creation toying with mortals.

Back then, there was a reason he had guided the Mingren Immortal Emperor onto the path of the Dao and had him choose this place to establish the Xiyan Ancient Sect. As early as the Desolate Era, this was a mysterious land where many strange things had occurred. In that era, countless races had explored this place.

It wasn’t until the Pioneer Era that an Alien Race genius of heaven-defying talent finally rose up here and established an unrivaled Empire! This member of the Alien Race became a Tyrant of his generation. He was cruel and tyrannical, causing the entire Human Race of the Human Emperor Realm to suffer under his persecution.

Later, a Great Sage of the Human Race rose to resist this Tyrant. This Great Sage was indeed unparalleled in his mastery of the Dao, looking down upon the Eight Desolations. For a time, he was an even match for the Tyrant.

However, the Tyrant had fathomed the mysteries of this land. Whenever he and the Great Sage fought a life-and-death battle, he was able to borrow the land’s mysterious power to defeat the Great Sage at every critical moment.

The Great Sage was not discouraged. He challenged the Tyrant on this land time and time again, but he failed time and time again. He fought from his youth, when his Blood Qi was vigorous, until he became a white-haired Human Emperor. In the end, even this Great Sage couldn’t help but despair. Unless he could shoulder the Celestial Mandate, it would be impossible to defeat the Tyrant who wielded the land’s mysteries.

But he no longer had the chance. He had missed his opportunity to shoulder the Celestial Mandate! During his final, crushing defeat, the Great Sage thought of a plan.

The Great Sage had a daughter. Regardless of talent or beauty, she was peerless in her generation, worthy of being called the number one beauty of her time! In order to learn the secrets of this land, the Great Sage finally had his own daughter marry the Tyrant.

The Tyrant understood his mortal enemy’s intentions, but he coveted the number one beauty’s charms and seized her for his Empire.

From then on, the number one beauty, adored by countless people, became the Tyrant’s forbidden treasure, his plaything. Having fallen into the Tyrant’s hands, she suffered endless humiliation and violation. But in the end, she succeeded in obtaining the secrets of the land.

Using the secrets his daughter obtained, the Great Sage defeated the Tyrant in a final battle and destroyed his cruel Empire.

However, the story did not end there. The Great Sage was later unable to resist the temptation of the land’s secrets. He forcefully ascended toward the heavens, attempting to use the land’s secrets to seize the Celestial Mandate, shoulder it, and become the number one invincible existence in the Nine Realms!

But the number one beauty, having borne her humiliation and completed her mission, died of sorrow in the darkness. However, her resentment did not scatter, and it lingered, wandering over this land for a long, long time.

When the Great Sage tried to assail the Celestial Mandate, her long-lingering resentment was provoked and suddenly went berserk. The Great Sage had always felt he owed his daughter a great debt. After she died of sorrow, he was severely traumatized, allowing a Heart Demon to grow in his Dao Heart.

At the critical moment, his daughter’s resentment surged into the heavens and rushed into the heavenly tribulation. This caused the Great Sage’s Heart Demon to erupt, driving him mad. In the end, he could not withstand the backlash from his Heart Demon and died under the heavenly tribulation.

In the end, the kingdom of the Human Race that the Great Sage had established here was also reduced to ruins!

This Great Sage’s daughter, the number one beauty of that era, was Su Yuhe!

Countless ages passed. Li Qiye, as the Yin Ya, guided the Mingren Immortal Emperor to establish the Xiyan Ancient Sect here. But at the time, this place was nothing but ruins. Su Yuhe’s resentment still remained, however, and it would often emerge to cause chaos. The resentful energy soared to the heavens, turning this place into a Ghost Realm.

Later, under Li Qiye’s guidance, the Mingren Immortal Emperor found the place where Su Yuhe was buried. He exhumed her body and reburied her in another scenic location.

The Mingren Immortal Emperor used a supreme zither song to grant Enlightenment to Su Yuhe’s resentment. After session after session of Enlightenment, Su Yuhe’s resentment finally dissipated, and she was at last buried in peace.

But, after her resentment dissipated, as Su Yuhe’s wandering spirit, left in the world, came to an understanding and closed its eyes in peace, it gave birth to a wisp of affection for the Mingren Immortal Emperor. In the end, Su Yuhe was buried in peace in a place unknown to all.

However, that wisp of affection followed the Guqin back to the Xiyan Ancient Sect. By the time Li Qiye, as the Yin Ya, discovered it, this wisp of affection had already taken root in the Xiyan Ancient Sect.

Li Qiye did not approve of this. Su Yuhe was already dead and could not be reborn. Moreover, this wisp of affection was not Su Yuhe. It was not human, not a ghost, and not even a living creature—it was just a wisp of affection.

For a wisp of affection to remain in the world was nothing but self-torture. It could never become a creature of flesh and blood, nor could it follow the Mingren Immortal Emperor. It was nothing more than an ethereal, illusory wisp of affection.