Dominator Emperor

”The Divine Light is as red as blood!” Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed upon hearing this. A Divine Light as red as blood... this wasn’t what he wanted to see! In ancient times, Demon’s Back Ridge had been a world unto itself—a Supreme Small Grotto Heaven—but it was far from the Pure Land one might imagine.

”What is it?” Seeing Li Qiye’s expression, Li Shuangyan sensed there was more to the story.

Li Qiye said, ”Let’s go test things out. We’ll see if the Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits to the east are truly in hiding or if they’ve fled the area.”

In the past, Li Qiye was certain that accursed thing would never appear. Not only was it ridiculously powerful, it was also incredibly troublesome and difficult to deal with. That thing was extremely tenacious, like a weed; it was fundamentally impossible to eradicate completely.

In fact, when he first came here back in the day, he, as the Yin Ya, had purged this place once with Blood Seal Immortal Emperor. Later, he did it again with Mingren Immortal Emperor, and they nearly turned the whole world upside down. But as long as even the smallest tendril of that accursed thing remained, it could stubbornly take root once more.

However, as the Yin Ya back then, he had left behind a measure to keep it suppressed. But now, something had clearly gone wrong!

”Many Cultivators are rushing eastward. Some have tried crossing the Dangerous Area, but not a single Celestial Beast or Longevity Spirit has appeared.” Li Shuangyan reported what she’d learned to Li Qiye as they continued east.

”Just as I thought,” Li Qiye murmured. ’I’d like to see just what kind of thing can be born from millions of years of gestation!’

”A treasure of the gods? The rumors are flying everywhere now. People are saying Demon’s Back Ridge was once the Land of Gods, and that a Treasure of the Gods is hidden here!” Li Shuangyan said, looking at Li Qiye.

Hearing this, Li Qiye smiled and said nonchalantly, ”Treasure of the Gods? I really don’t know if that exists. But, who knows, you might be able to dig up one or two divine skeletons from the Sea of Bones.”

”Are there really gods in this world?” Li Shuangyan asked, her expression stirred as she looked at Li Qiye.

When it came to immortals and gods, countless legends existed—not just in the Human Emperor Realm, but across all Nine Realms. Some said that immortals had once walked the earth, only to later go extinct.

Others claimed that in an even more ancient time, there was an age of gods, and that these gods had once ruled over the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. To this day, no one could say for sure if gods truly existed. However, people had found treasures, even Treasure Artifacts, that were clearly not left behind by the Elder Sages of the Wilderness Era, but came from an even more ancient time.

Because the era of these powerful, Heaven-Defying treasures was untraceable, most Cultivators simply called them treasures of the gods.

”Gods?” Li Qiye laughed. ”If there are gods in this world,” he said nonchalantly, ”then I am their master. If there are immortals, then I am their king!”

Such words were unbelievably arrogant. Master of gods, king of immortals—anyone else would have dismissed it as the most outrageous boast imaginable, but Li Shuangyan was already used to it. Sometimes, what Li Qiye said sounded impossibly arrogant, yet he could accomplish it as easily as flipping his hand. It was uncanny to the extreme.

While Li Qiye and his group continued east, a great tide of Cultivators also poured in that direction. Many even stopped harvesting Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs or mining Treasure Ore Divine Gold. The moment news spread that the eastern region was clear of Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits, even more people began to swarm over like a crazed mob.

For a time, all sorts of rumors spread throughout Demon’s Back Ridge. One person said, ”I heard a Divine King’s Artifact has emerged in the eastern part of Demon’s Back Ridge, startling countless Great Teaching Territories.”

”That’s right! I heard even Sheng Tian Heaven Daoist and his people have withdrawn from the west to lead their disciples eastward,” another Cultivator added.

Yet another Cultivator chimed in, ”Someone saw the Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits fleeing the eastern Dangerous Area. The emergence of the Divine King’s Artifact was so momentous that even they had to give it a wide berth.”

”We should hurry, too! So many people are already heading east. I heard that since the Longevity Celestial Beasts left the Dangerous Area, treasures and Spiritual Medicines are just lying all over the ground for the taking. People are already testing the most hazardous zones. If there are no Longevity Celestial Beasts there either, then we’re all going to strike it rich!”

The rumors spread like wildfire. Soon, all sorts of outlandish stories were circulating. After learning that not a single Longevity Celestial Beast remained in the eastern Dangerous Area, every Cultivator went into a frenzy, rushing eastward in hopes of scoring a massive haul of treasure.

As for the legendary Divine King’s Artifact, no one could describe it clearly. After all, it was hard enough to define what a Divine King’s Artifact even was, let alone whether gods actually existed.

The reason so many people believed a Divine King’s Artifact was about to emerge was simple: rumor had it the news came from the disciples of the Qingxuan Ancient Country.

This was especially true after Celestial Emperor Qingxuan of the Qingxuan Ancient Country arrived at Demon’s Back Ridge. Unlike Marquis Jiangzuo or Sheng Tian Heaven Daoist, he wasn’t slaying Celestial Beasts and Longevity Spirits for their Dao Bone and Beast Marrow. Instead, he entered one Dangerous Area after another, as if probing for something.

”Celestial Emperor Qingxuan is here for a specific purpose.” This piece of news was eventually certified by the widely-traveled and knowledgeable Old Turtle King of Feijiao Lake. ”The Qingxuan Ancient Country has stood for ages and produced two Immortal Emperors. What kind of Dao Bones haven’t they seen? What kind of Heavenly Destiny True Stones do they lack? Their heritage is astonishing. There’s no way Celestial Emperor Qingxuan came for mere Dao Bone and Beast Marrow. He must be here for the Treasure of the Gods. If anything in this world could tempt an entity like the Qingxuan Ancient Country, it would have to be the Treasure of the Gods.”

The old turtle of Feijiao Lake had lived for countless years and was incredibly knowledgeable. With even him saying so, countless Cultivators were instantly convinced that a Treasure of the Gods was truly emerging in the eastern part of Demon’s Back Ridge.

Li Qiye and his companions also headed east. Of course, he wasn’t there for some Treasure of the Gods. He, better than anyone, knew whether such a thing existed. Li Qiye was only there for the toad!

However, as Li Qiye’s group crossed into the Dangerous Area in the eastern part of Demon’s Back Ridge, they ran into someone unexpected.

”Celestial Emperor Qingxuan is here!” At that moment, an unknown Cultivator shouted. The other Cultivators all raised their heads and looked toward the horizon.

Vast azure energy billowed from the horizon, stretching for countless miles. In the blink of an eye, this streak of energy, like a celestial rainbow, shot past overhead.

The azure energy blazed across the sky, its presence as immense as a procession of kings. Atop this trans-dimensional streak of energy stood a group of people, both old and young, led by a young man.

This young man had a magnificent physique, completely enveloped in azure energy. It was as if he were born from primordial chaos and had emerged from the Cyan Netherworld, a true son of heaven. Although his face was obscured, he wore a Divine Crown and an Imperial Robe, looking every bit the part of an Emperor on a royal tour.

His eyes, in particular, shone through the hazy azure energy like morning stars, seemingly capable of piercing through all illusions.

Celestial Emperor Qingxuan, the heir of the Qingxuan Ancient Country. Some said he was the son of the Qingxuan Human Emperor. Others claimed he was a descendant of the country’s Primordial Ancestor, Qingxuan Immortal Emperor. Still others believed he descended from the country’s other Immortal Emperor, the Three-blade Immortal Emperor.

But none of that was the important part. What truly mattered were the rumors in the Great Middle Realm that Celestial Emperor Qingxuan was cultivating the Emperor Techniques of two different Immortal Emperors. Some whispers even claimed he was simultaneously practicing the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skills of both Qingxuan Immortal Emperor and the Three-blade Immortal Emperor!

”The heir of an Ancient Country... truly a dragon among men.” Celestial Emperor Qingxuan’s magnificent bearing and immense presence stunned countless onlookers. Many highly talented and arrogant young Cultivators, who considered themselves peerless, could only admit their own inferiority in the face of his splendor.

”Cultivating the arts of two emperors and two Heavenly Destiny Secret Skills... across the entire Great Middle Realm, perhaps even the whole Human Emperor Realm, he is likely unrivaled,” even a Prince of the older generation sighed.

Forget Princes—even great figures at the True Level were wary of Celestial Emperor Qingxuan, giving him a wide berth and avoiding any conflict. This wasn’t just because of his personal power, but because no one could afford to provoke the Qingxuan Ancient Country that stood behind him.

Accompanying Celestial Emperor Qingxuan was another young man. While the Celestial Emperor was dazzling and his presence was unmatched, the young man beside him was not entirely outshone.

This young man was handsome and exceptional, with a cold, mountain-like solidity and a dignified Daoist aura. The air about him was haughty and imperious. Though not on par with Celestial Emperor Qingxuan, he was still remarkable in his own right.

Besides this young man, Celestial Emperor Qingxuan was also flanked by a group of elders. Although they all concealed their auras, a single glance from them was enough to send a chill through one’s heart. It was easy to imagine that these elders were all from the Qingxuan Ancient Country, and their Dao Practice was terrifyingly profound.

”Isn’t that Leng Chengfeng, the head disciple of the Nine Saints Demon Gate?” A Cultivator recognized the young man beside Celestial Emperor Qingxuan and exclaimed in surprise.

The Nine Saints Demon Gate hadn’t only produced a genius like Li Shuangyan. In fact, their head disciple, Leng Chengfeng, was also a stunning talent. For some unknown reason, however, he had not been named the sect’s heir; that title had gone to Li Shuangyan instead.

Some said it was because Li Shuangyan possessed the Holy Destiny Imperial Body that she had earned the favor of the Sun Demon Emperor and been named heir. Others claimed that Leng Chengfeng had lost the position simply because he was not the Sun Demon Emperor’s direct disciple.

Regardless, the fact that the Nine Saints Demon Gate had produced two such prodigies at once was the envy of many Great Teaching Territories. Li Shuangyan, born with the Holy Destiny Imperial Body, had a limitless future. And while Leng Chengfeng’s Celestial Mandate might not have been on par with hers, he was still exceptionally powerful. There were even rumors that he was the true number one of the Nine Saints Demon Gate’s younger generation—stronger, even, than Li Shuangyan.

”Leng Chengfeng of the Nine Saints Demon Gate is together with Celestial Emperor Qingxuan. Does this mean the Nine Saints Demon Gate has forged an alliance with the Qingxuan Ancient Country?” someone else remarked, stirred by the sight.