Dominator Emperor

Li Qiye’s first words startled the Shopkeeper. Although Nan Huairun didn’t recognize the treasures, the Shopkeeper showed Li Qiye considerable deference. He pointed to the three sheets of Yellow Paper and explained, ”This paper was passed down to my ancestors by the Jiao Heng Immortal Emperor.”

Normally, he couldn’t be bothered to explain to others, but Li Qiye’s words made him feel as if he had met a kindred spirit, so he showed the group great courtesy.

”The Jiao Heng Immortal Emperor!” Hearing this, not only Shi Gandang, but even Niu Fen was visibly moved, sucking in a cold breath.

Nan Huairun jumped in shock and gasped, ”The legendary first Immortal Emperor of the Human Race! The undefeated Immortal Emperor!”

There were too many legends about the Jiao Heng Immortal Emperor. Though he wasn’t the first to carry the Celestial Mandate, he was the first Immortal Emperor of the Human Race. Legend says the Jiao Heng Immortal Emperor was invincible. No matter what kind of powerful enemy he faced, be they Celestial Demons or from the Ancient Netherworld, he crushed them all. He was undefeated his entire life, and no one could stand against him!

One must understand that an Immortal Emperor who carries the Celestial Mandate and commands the universe is by definition invincible. However, before becoming an Immortal Emperor, no one dared to claim they were undefeated for life. Even the Mingren Immortal Emperor had tasted defeat in his youth. In fact, most Immortal Emperors were defeated by powerful foes in their younger days. This was nothing to be ashamed of! The path of the Great Dao is fraught with hardship; victory and defeat are common.

But for the Jiao Heng Immortal Emperor to be undefeated his entire life—this fact alone shrouded him in legend and mystery!

The Shopkeeper’s words had truly given Nan Huairun and the other young men a huge shock. They never imagined this Ancient Meaning Studio would have such an ancient—and astonishing—origin.

”My ancestor did the Immortal Emperor a great service, so the Immortal Emperor bestowed upon him nine sheets of paper. If my ancestor had any request, he only needed to write it on a sheet, and it would be fulfilled. In that era, as long as my ancestor used one sheet, was there any place he couldn’t go? Any item he couldn’t obtain? My ancestors used a total of six sheets of Emperor Paper, leaving three. These have remained the foundational treasures of our Ancient Meaning Studio ever since!” The Shopkeeper couldn’t help but show a hint of pride when speaking of his ancestor’s glory.

”They’re Emperor’s Treasures,” Qu Daoli and the others couldn’t help but say, deeply moved. To think these three unremarkable sheets of Yellow Paper were actually Emperor’s Treasures—how could they not be moved?

”They are called Emperor’s Treasures, but they are far superior to them,” Li Qiye said with a smile.

The Shopkeeper quickly broke into a smile as well. ”You have a discerning eye, Sir. This paper holds a special significance for our Ancient Meaning Studio. Its meaning far surpasses that of a mere Emperor’s Treasure.”

Li Qiye simply smiled. Meanwhile, Nan Huairun and the others couldn’t help but look at the other two items—the Yellow Bell and the stone. However, the Shopkeeper said no more about them, and though Nan Huairun was curious, he had to restrain himself from asking.

After admiring the three items, Li Qiye began to slowly browse the shop. The number of treasures inside was truly staggering, with everything from Treasure Artifacts to Life Pills, from Outer Daoist Soldiers to Exotic Medicine Treasure Trees. There was no end to the wonders, leaving Nan Huairun and the others dazzled.

As Li Qiye strolled and admired the wares, the Shopkeeper hurried to accompany him. He didn’t offer any introductions, simply allowing Li Qiye to appreciate things at his own pace. An ordinary customer would never have received such personal attention.

Seeing so many treasures left Nan Huairun and the others completely overwhelmed. Even Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, who came from Major Sects, were moved by the sight of so many precious items. To dare open such a treasure emporium, the Ancient Meaning Studio was clearly full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons!

”Is that a dragon?” Floating overhead were numerous True Treasure Weapons, some still sealed within Treasure Boxes. Weaving among these bobbing artifacts was a Little Golden Dragon, swimming about as lazily as a fish in water. This three-foot-long Little Golden Dragon glittered with golden light, looking no different from a True Dragon.

After observing the Little Golden Dragon for a long time, Luo Fenghua couldn’t resist asking.

”That is the Wandering Dragon Rope, an Extraordinary Treasure!” the Shopkeeper replied.

Extraordinary Treasures are weapons that fall outside the categories of Longevity Treasures, True Artifacts, and Treasure Artifacts. They are very special and extremely powerful. Moreover, forging an Extraordinary Treasure is incredibly difficult, which is why they are often even more precious than Treasure Artifacts.

”Is... is this Wandering Dragon Rope for sale?” Luo Fenghua had taken a liking to this Extraordinary Treasure and couldn’t help but ask.

The Shopkeeper nodded. ”In our shop, everything is for sale except for the three foundational treasures. This Wandering Dragon Rope was not forged by a Cultivator. It was formed after a Golden Flood Dragon died and sank into the sea. Its Dragon Tendons fused with North Sea Primordial Gold, absorbed the essence of the vast ocean, and underwent a natural Refinement by heaven and earth to become this Treasure Rope. The marked price for this Wandering Dragon Rope is 7,850,000 Ancient Saint Essence Jades! But out of respect for this gentleman,” he said, gesturing to Li Qiye, ”you can have it for 7,800,000.”

”Seven million, eight hundred thousand Ancient Saint Essence Jades!” Luo Fenghua shuddered at the price. Forget him, even the entire Xiyan Ancient Sect probably couldn’t produce that many Ancient Saint Essence Jades at once.

After hearing that price, it wasn’t just Luo Fenghua; even Qu Daoli and the others didn’t dare look at the treasures anymore. The items here were nothing short of luxury goods.

Nan Huairun and the others followed Li Qiye for a full tour of the shop. Although the treasures were incredibly eye-catching, all they could do was look. There was no need to even ask the prices. Everything here was a masterpiece; ordinary items would never be sold in this place.

Li Qiye, on the other hand, walked through the entire shop without saying a word, merely offering a faint smile and an occasional nod.

Finally, Li Qiye stopped before a display case, his gaze falling upon a Wooden Box. The box itself didn’t look valuable, and it contained four items: a set of what appeared to be old, tattered clothes; a long, unopened box; and two other things that looked like they were cast from brass—one resembling a Small Copper Hammer, the other a Small Copper Gong. It was a very strange collection.

When Li Qiye stopped here, Li Shuangyan’s beautiful eyes narrowed. She carefully examined the items in the box, understanding that he must have already spotted them from outside the shop.

Having followed Li Qiye for so long, she knew better than anyone that anything capable of catching his eye was guaranteed to be extraordinary.

”How much for this box?” After carefully inspecting the contents to confirm his suspicions, Li Qiye asked the Shopkeeper.

”Replying to you, Sir, this item doesn’t belong to our shop. It is being sold on consignment for an old friend. The owner’s asking price is eight million Prince’s Essence Jades!” the Shopkeeper quickly replied.

Another starting price in the millions. This gave Qu Daoli and the other young men a huge fright. The prices here were simply outrageous.

Nan Huairun was Li Qiye’s loyal lackey and an expert at reading his master’s expressions. The moment Li Qiye stopped, he knew he wanted the box. He reacted as if a cat whose tail had been stepped on, exclaiming, ”Shopkeeper, isn’t that price a bit of a rip-off? Eight million Prince’s Essence Jades? For that much, I could buy a King’s True Artifact made with the finest Divine Stones!”

This time, the Shopkeeper was quite agreeable. He shook his head and said, ”I can’t see what’s so precious about the items in this box either, but that’s the price the owner set. There’s nothing I can do.”

”Shopkeeper, how about you check with your friend? Can you get a little discount? It’s rare for my Senior Brother to take a liking to something.” Being a devoted lackey, Nan Huairun would naturally try to get a good deal for Li Qiye, haggling for him without being asked.

”Well...” The Shopkeeper hesitated for a moment.

”A mere eight million Prince’s Essence Jades is nothing. Shopkeeper, I’ll take this box.” At that moment, an arrogant voice rang out as a person strode into the shop with a hearty laugh.

Nan Huairun and the others turned to look and were immediately disgusted. The person who had just walked in was Leng Chengfeng, the head disciple of the Nine Saints Demon Gate!

Back at Demon’s Back Ridge, Leng Chengfeng had been with Celestial Emperor Qingxuan. However, he got lucky. He was supposed to return to the Nine Saints Demon Gate to request an Emperor Artifact, and though he failed to retrieve it, he ended up escaping a calamity!

Now, Leng Chengfeng walked in with a smile on his face—a smile that, in the eyes of Nan Huairun and the others, couldn’t have been more fake!

With that smile, Leng Chengfeng greeted Li Shuangyan, ”Junior Sister, the Sect Leader told me you had come to Celestial Ancient City. I didn’t expect to run into you so soon.”

Li Shuangyan gave Leng Chengfeng a slight nod in acknowledgment but said nothing more.

Li Shuangyan’s cold attitude was a clear snub to the inwardly gleeful Leng Chengfeng. He shot a cold, sideways glance at Li Qiye and sneered, ”The Xiyan Ancient Sect truly has fallen. Can’t even fork over a mere eight million Prince’s Essence Jades! You don’t have a bit of spare change, yet you dare to browse Ancient Meaning Studio, the number one shop in Celestial Ancient City!”

Li Shuangyan was about to speak, but Li Qiye held up a hand to stop her. He looked at Leng Chengfeng with a placid smile and said, ”So, you’re saying you’re going to buy it?”

”A mere eight million Prince’s Essence Jades is a small sum!” Seeing how Li Shuangyan treated Li Qiye, Leng Chengfeng felt even more displeased. The truth was, he had always had feelings for Li Shuangyan. However, as the head disciple of the Nine Saints Demon Gate, he had always been a rival to the genius Li Shuangyan. Moreover, with his high self-regard, he believed he was a worthy match for her and thus always maintained a reserved demeanor!

Now that Li Shuangyan was with Li Qiye, one could only imagine the bitterness in his heart.

”Shopkeeper, I’ll take this box. Wrap it up for me!” Leng Chengfeng shot Li Qiye a sideways glance and sneered, ”Can’t even come up with eight million Prince’s Essence Jades. Such a pauper. Hmph, will you even be able to afford my Junior Sister’s bride price in the future?”

Leng Chengfeng was being aggressive. Li Shuangyan started to speak, but her words died into a sigh. As fellow sect members, she didn’t want to see things turn hostile, but she knew Li Qiye well enough to realize Leng Chengfeng was just asking for humiliation!

At this, the Shopkeeper couldn’t help but look at Li Qiye. Li Qiye had asked first, so he could only sell it to the next customer if Li Qiye passed on it.

”Shopkeeper, forget who came first. I’ll add another two million! In short, this box is mine today!” Seeing the Shopkeeper look at Li Qiye, Leng Chengfeng acted like a boorish big spender and declared his intentions.

Leng Chengfeng’s attitude made even Li Shuangyan shake her head; his actions were going too far. Nan Huairun and the others glared at him, but there was nothing they could do. Ten million Prince’s Essence Jades was an astronomical sum for them.

’So what if you have money!’ Nan Huairun fumed internally. Being put down by Leng Chengfeng like this left them seething with anger. The feeling was more disgusting than swallowing a fly.

”You know what, kid? You’re absolutely right. If you have the guts, then buy it. The moment you name a price I can’t afford, I’ll gladly hand it over.” Leng Chengfeng glanced at Nan Huairun with disdain, then turned his sneer on Li Qiye. ”But I’m afraid even if you sold the entire Xiyan Ancient Sect, you still wouldn’t be able to scrape together enough money!”

Leng Chengfeng’s words made Qu Daoli and the others glare furiously. Only old foxes like Shi Gandang and Niu Fen could remain composed.

”Ten million Prince’s Essence Jades? We can still afford that!” The fiery Chen Baojiao couldn’t stomach the insult any longer. She turned to Li Qiye and said, ”Young Master, let’s just buy it!”

Although Chen Baojiao had left the Chen Family, she still had some savings. Moreover, her doting parents had secretly given her a considerable fortune when she departed.

Seeing his junior sister with Li Qiye was already enough to displease Leng Chengfeng. Now, with the peerless Chen Baojiao also at his side, it was safe to say he was green with envy.

”Hmph, so the Xiyan Ancient Sect can only produce pretty boys who live off women!” Leng Chengfeng said with contempt.

”Senior Brother—” Li Shuangyan felt Leng Chengfeng was being far too aggressive and tried to speak, but Li Qiye stopped her.

Li Qiye glanced at Leng Chengfeng. ”Are you really sure you want to buy this box?”

”I’m determined to buy it!” Leng Chengfeng sneered. ”Besides, even if I didn’t, could you actually produce eight million Prince’s Essence Jades?”

”You?” Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. ”You think you can compete with me for something? Shopkeeper, I’ll take it.”

”Shopkeeper, twelve million!” Leng Chengfeng shot a look at Li Qiye and sneered, ”This young master recently came into a fortune. I don’t have much of anything else, just a whole lot of Essence Jades!”

The Shopkeeper couldn’t help but look toward Li Qiye. If Leng Chengfeng was offering such a high price and Li Qiye was only offering eight million, he would of course sell to Leng Chengfeng.

”Huang Zhong Kunwu, one chime to shake the heavens,” Li Qiye said leisurely. Then, he looked at the Shopkeeper with a smile.

The moment the Shopkeeper heard Li Qiye’s words, his expression changed dramatically. His eyes widened as he stared at Li Qiye, filled with utter disbelief!

For a moment, the Shopkeeper was so stunned he couldn’t speak. He completely forgot to reply to Li Qiye. After a good while, he finally jolted and came back to his senses.