Dominator Emperor

After a long moment, Nan Huairun finally came to his senses and couldn’t help but curse, ”Damn, there are way too many scammers here.”

”Celestial Ancient City has an incredibly long history and is one of the largest ancient cities in the Great Middle Realm. It’s not surprising that there are a lot of scammers,” Li Qiye said with a relaxed smile.

Li Qiye and his group walked through several streets in one go. Li Qiye wasn’t in a rush, strolling along leisurely. In truth, he was also taking Nan Huairun and the others out to broaden their horizons.

After just a few streets, they had already encountered many people selling corpses. Some were real, some were fake; not all of them were scammers.

On a street corner, an Elder Cultivator sat cross-legged with a skull placed before him. The moment it was displayed, it began to emit waves of cold air, drawing a crowd of onlookers. Nan Huairun and the others couldn’t help but gather around to watch the spectacle.

”Fellow Daoist, what’s the price for this skull?” an Elder Cultivator with a discerning eye asked the moment he saw it.

The seller didn’t even bat an eye before stating slowly, ”Only trading for a Life Wheel. An Ancient Saint’s Wheel of Life, and it must be from the Sky Demon Clan!”

”I have an Ancient Saint True Artifact. Will you trade for it?” another Cultivator couldn’t help but ask.

The seller remained silent, clearly refusing the trade. However, his overpowering aura was so intimidating that no one dared to have any crooked ideas.

At this point, the curious Nan Huairun and the others couldn’t help but look at Li Qiye. Li Qiye glanced at it, then nodded lightly and said, ”It’s an Ancient Saint’s skull, imbued with saintly might.” With that, he turned and walked away.

”That was the real deal?” After catching up to Li Qiye, Nan Huairun, who had become paranoid from being scammed, asked suspiciously.

”It is.” Li Qiye nodded. ”An Ancient Saint poured his own Blood Qi into his skull before death, preserving its saintly might. This item is no less valuable than an Ancient Saint True Artifact.”

”Is it because the skull contains an Ancient Saint’s Blood Qi?” Even Qu Daoli was moved. An Ancient Saint True Artifact was countless times more precious than an Ancient Saint Treasure.

”No, it’s because of its origin. That is the skull of an Ancient Netherworld, and its Yin Killing Qi is extremely tyrannical.” Li Qiye sighed softly. The mention of ”Ancient Netherworld” stirred some of his memories.

”The Ancient Nether Race? Is there really such a race? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them,” Luo Fenghua said with curiosity.

”There is.” Li Qiye nodded gently, his gaze unconsciously drifting into the distance. Finally, he said slowly, ”In this day and age, it is hard to find any trace of the Ancient Nether Clan!” As he spoke, a cold glint appeared deep within his eyes.

Li Shuangyan immediately sensed the change in Li Qiye’s mood. She looked at him but didn’t ask for the reason.

Nan Huairun and the others followed Li Qiye for several more streets. Besides the large auction houses and shops, they encountered far too many street vendors. Among those selling all sorts of goods, the ones selling corpses were the most numerous.

”First Brother, why... why are there so many people selling corpses here?” Xu Pei couldn’t help but ask softly.

Li Qiye smiled and said, ”What’s this place called? Corpse City! Besides being close to the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, there’s another reason: many vendors here secretly sell unearthed bones! The Ancient Sky Corpse Land is the final resting place for countless people, many of whom were peerless figures in their lifetime. This tempts many cultivators of later generations to risk robbing their graves. Because of this, many people in Celestial Ancient City sell these bones. It’s a trade that has been passed down for countless eons.”

Hearing Li Qiye’s explanation, Xu Pei and the others finally understood.

Walking through Celestial Ancient City, one could not only see all kinds of vendors but also Cultivators from every sect and even every race. In a place like Celestial Ancient City, it was no longer surprising to see a Demon King with a human head on a snake’s body, or one with a human torso and a horse’s legs.

When a tall, burly man walked past Li Qiye’s group, he drew the attention of Nan Huairun and the others. The man’s entire body looked as if it were carved from rock, and his face resembled a sculpture chiseled from granite.

”Is that a rock that became a spirit and started cultivating?” Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask curiously as he watched the man walk away.

Li Qiye didn’t answer, but Shi Gandang, who was following beside him, explained, ”That’s a member of the Stone Race. A member with very low Dao Practice. If their Dao Practice were higher, they would have flesh and blood, just like humans.”

”What race is he from?” Xu Pei then pointed to a handsome young man in the distance. The youth was exceedingly handsome, to the point of being bewitching, and a halo naturally hovered above his head.

”The Sky Demon Clan. Legend has it that after the great battle between the Black Dragon King and Immortal Emperor Ta Kong, the realm’s barrier collapsed. Since then, it has been very difficult to find anyone from the Sky Demon Clan in the Human Emperor Realm. Now, the only places you might see them are ancient, massive cities like Celestial Ancient City,” Niu Fen, who was standing nearby, said with a sigh of emotion.

”Huh—” Nan Huairun and the others all stared with wide eyes. Luo Fenghua couldn’t believe it. ”I-I always thought the Sky Demon Clan were giants, with massive horns and eyes bigger than lanterns. People from the Sky Demon Clan are actually this good-looking?”

”The Sky Demon Clan isn’t just one race. It has numerous branch clans,” Li Qiye said leisurely.

Walking through Celestial Ancient City was truly an eye-opening experience for Nan Huairun and the others. Things they had never seen before were now appearing before them one after another.

They continued to walk through Celestial Ancient City and eventually reached a main thoroughfare. After an unknown amount of time, Li Qiye’s gaze came to rest on a treasure displayed in the window of a massive shop.

Seeing this treasure, Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile. As Li Qiye’s personal Sword Attendant, Li Shuangyan immediately noticed his expression. She glanced at the shop, named ”Ancient Meaning Studio,” and then suggested, ”How about we go inside and take a look?”

”Let’s go in.” Li Qiye smiled, nodded, and stepped into the shop.

From the outside, Ancient Meaning Studio looked like just another storefront. However, upon stepping inside, they discovered an immense space that opened into an Ancient Courtyard filled with the tranquil ambiance of mountains and rivers. Within the courtyard were wall shelves, treasure windows, and jade cabinets... all filled with a dazzling array of treasures: Treasure Gold, Divine Iron, True Artifacts, Soul Grass...

One could say that this place had everything imaginable. In particular, the True Treasure Wheels and Divine Sword Immortal Towers suspended overhead pulsed with streams of light, emitting a heart-shaking Divine Power that was almost suffocating!

When Li Qiye’s group walked in, the Shopkeeper personally came to greet them, even though one glance at Nan Huairun and the other boys revealed they were people who hadn’t seen much of the world.

However, Li Qiye was calm and composed, and he was accompanied by peerless beauties like Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao. Any shrewd merchant could tell at a glance that he was a major patron. Moreover, Shi Gandang and Niu Fen were clearly no ordinary individuals either.

Stepping into such a grand treasure emporium, Nan Huairun and the others felt a little intimidated, but Li Qiye remained as composed as ever.

The Shopkeeper came forward to attend to them. He was quite tactful; after a simple greeting, he saw Li Qiye’s demeanor and didn’t dare to start randomly introducing his wares.

The moment he entered, Li Qiye’s gaze fell upon a Yellow Bell in the center of the courtyard. In the middle of the large courtyard stood a small pavilion, and hanging within it was a Yellow Bell. The bell was incredibly ancient, inscribed with old runes, and had absolutely no luster!

Besides housing the Yellow Bell, the small pavilion also contained two small display cases. To the left and right of the bell, an item was placed in each. The left case held three sheets of yellowed paper. It was impossible to tell what they were made of or how old they were; the three sheets were simply yellowed and curled at the edges.

The right case held a fist-sized stone—or perhaps an egg. It was hard to say whether the object was a stone or an egg. It was the size of a fist and looked like a stone, but it also bore a stronger resemblance to an egg.

Nan Huairun and the others found it strange, not understanding why Li Qiye was focusing on these three unremarkable items. Li Qiye, however, was admiring them with great relish, as if they were the most perfect works of art in the world.

As Li Qiye admired the three items with such fascination, the Shopkeeper, ever so tactful, stood quietly to the side without saying a word, not wanting to disturb him.

”What a fine item. Forged by the Ancestors, born from all living beings... A good bell, a fine bell indeed. A priceless treasure,” Li Qiye praised after appreciating it in detail.

The moment Li Qiye spoke, the Shopkeeper was visibly delighted and couldn’t help but say, ”Sir, you are truly extraordinary. My shop has received countless customers, but you, Sir, are the first to be able to state its nature in a single breath. These three items are the signature treasures of our Ancient Meaning Studio. They are not for sale.”

”Nine papers passed down by Jiao Heng, one stone from a forgotten land. It’s only normal that they’re not for sale. If they were mine, I wouldn’t sell them either,” Li Qiye said with a smile.

Li Qiye’s words sent a jolt through the Shopkeeper’s heart, moving him deeply. He bowed to Li Qiye and praised, ”Sir, you are truly a master! To reveal the truth in a single sentence is incredible, simply incredible. Our Ancient Meaning Studio has been open in the Ancient City for countless years, and of all the customers who have come, those who know the origin of these three items can be counted on one hand.”

In response to the Shopkeeper’s praise, Li Qiye just smiled nonchalantly and didn’t say anything else.

Meanwhile, Nan Huairun and the other boys looked at each other in bewilderment. No matter how hard they looked, they couldn’t see anything precious about the three items before them. In fact, even Li Shuangyan and the others couldn’t see it. To them, the three items were just an ordinary-looking Yellow Bell, three sheets of what looked like scrap paper, and a rock.

That boy Nan Huairun, however, was adept at reading situations. He knew the others didn’t understand the value of the three items, but with Li Qiye saying nothing, he didn’t dare to ask him directly. So, he turned to the Shopkeeper and asked in a low voice, ”Esteemed Shopkeeper, our First Brother possesses a Divine Eye that can recognize Immortal Objects. We juniors have clumsy eyes and are unable to appreciate the preciousness of these three treasures.”

”If you want to ask about the origins of these three items, just say so. Why beat around the bush?” Li Qiye said with a grin, swatting Nan Huairun on the back of the head.

Nan Huairun just chuckled foolishly. In truth, it wasn’t just Nan Huairun; even Niu Fen and the others were eager to know the origins of the three items.