Dominator Emperor

At this moment, the old man finally lifted his head with painstaking slowness. The instant he saw Li Qiye, a terrifying light burst from his eyes. The flash of his gaze was like a divine light from the heavens, incomparably sharp, capable of splitting the world asunder. Even Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, who were standing behind Li Qiye, stumbled back three steps with a THUMP THUMP THUMP.

They hadn’t even borne the direct brunt of that fleeting glance, yet they could feel its power—a power that could slay gods above and slaughter demons below. Compared to such power, their level of Dao Practice was no different from that of an ant!

Cold sweat trickled down the backs of Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao. Only then did they realize that this old man, who called himself Old Ghost, was terrifying beyond their wildest imaginations.

”No—” The Old Ghost had already retracted his gaze and now looked as if he were about to fall asleep. He shook his head with stiff, slow movements.

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes, studying the old man. ”As I understand it,” he said calmly, ”there are three forms of hard currency here. First, true and false legendary tales. Second, a single phrase of the Ancestors’ ancient tongue. And third, corpses! I have two of these currencies: true and false legendary tales, and a phrase of the Ancestors’ ancient tongue. Will you choose the ancient tongue?”

”No, neither will do.” The Old Ghost still shook his head stiffly. ”At least, not from you,” he said slowly. ”I have a pot of medicine. You will concoct it for me!”

Li Qiye’s eyes sharpened as he stared at the Old Ghost. Finally, he spoke slowly, ”Those are not your rules of trade! And what I want isn’t worth that price!”

Behind him, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao listened to the bizarre exchange. The conversation was so strange that they were completely baffled.

”I know. But you are an exception. You have always been an exception!” the Old Ghost said slowly. ”I can smell the scent on you! Therefore, your three forms of hard currency are no good here, not anymore!”

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and watched the Old Ghost, saying nothing. As the Yin Ya, he had drifted through millions of years, living for countless eons. He had seen everything. Of course, he knew what this Old Ghost was, and he knew just how difficult it was to deal with.

”I’d like to see this pot of yours, then!” Li Qiye finally relented.

Without a second glance at Li Qiye, the Old Ghost stood up like a zombie. ”Follow me—” he said slowly. Then, he walked into the pitch-black alley door behind him.

”Three forms of hard currency?” Even Li Shuangyan couldn’t help but look at Li Qiye. Such a transaction was just too strange.

”This place is different from the outside world.” Li Qiye smiled and shook his head. ”The Essence Jades, Spirit Medicine Life Pills, and even treasures that are commonly used outside are useless for trade here!”

”What are true and false legendary tales?” Chen Baojiao asked, her curiosity piqued. ”Can legendary tales even be true or false?”

”Of course they can,” Li Qiye said with a smile. ”You can trade for anything you want here. But first, you have to be able to think of something rare and strange enough. Ordinary treasures from the outside world don’t exist here. To get these things, it’s simple. You can tell the Old Ghost a story...”

”...Of course, the story has to be outrageous enough, or even bizarre. It can be something you’ve personally experienced, or something you’ve made up. If your story is true, you’ll get what you want. Of course, if you can make a false story sound true enough, you can also trade for things—provided you can fool him!” Li Qiye chuckled at this.

Hearing this, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao exchanged a look. ’This is too ridiculous,’ they thought.

”What about the corpses?” Chen Baojiao couldn’t help but ask.

Li Qiye shook his head. ”Corpses are even harder. A corpse that he would even consider would have to be something absolutely incredible—something on the level of an Earth Immortal! Of course, with such a thing, you could also trade for the most world-shaking items here!”

”Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep him waiting,” Li Qiye said with a smile before walking into the pitch-black little alley door.

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao looked at each other, shivered, and hurried in after him.

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao had expected to find pitch-black darkness behind the door, but after entering, they discovered that wasn’t the case at all. Beyond the alley door was a courtyard. It was vast, a Grotto Heaven of its own. Here, rays of sunlight streamed down, creating a comfortable and languid atmosphere.

But when they got a clear look at what was inside the courtyard, the jaws of both Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao dropped wide open, and they couldn’t seem to close them! They stared in disbelief at everything before them.

The courtyard was enormous and verdant. There was a Medicinal Garden, a Jade Pool, small hills... it had everything. Even more terrifying, the things planted and raised here were simply shocking.

”The... the... Nine-Change Dragon Silkworm Soul Grass—!” Li Shuangyan cried out when she saw a strange grass growing in the Medicinal Garden. It looked like a miniature dragon and was constantly humming.

The Nine-Change Dragon Silkworm Soul Grass was the highest-grade primary ingredient for Life Refining Pills. Forget Great Teaching Territories; even an Ancient Country wouldn’t necessarily possess such a thing!

”Is... is that the legendary Yin Yang Dragon Immortal Turtle?” A turtle lay lazily in the Jade Pool, exhaling and inhaling Yin and Yang energy. The sight made Chen Baojiao’s face drain of color in horror. She had only ever seen such a creature in illustrated books of wonders. It was pure legend, something that even an Ancient Country couldn’t capture. And yet, here in this small courtyard, was such a Divine Turtle!

”And... and that’s a Shell Leaf Divine Tree...”

”This... this is a Suspended Stone, which legend says only appears once every million years...”

”The Eight-leaf Sword Saint Grass! A sacred grass that legends say once evolved into a Supreme Immortal Grass! It can nourish the soul, defy fate, and alter one’s lifespan!”

...............

Seeing one world-shattering treasure after another, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were utterly stunned. This courtyard of Spiritual Medicines and Treasure Materials... Forget existences like their Nine Saints Demon Gate or the Treasure Pillar Saint Sect; even a power like the Qingxuan Ancient Country could not possess such wealth, let alone an entire courtyard full of it.

It was too overwhelming. If any single item from this place were to get out, it would be enough to cause a bloodbath across the world. Even an Ancient Country couldn’t possibly possess such astonishing assets.

And yet, this one courtyard contained treasures that everyone in the outside world would drool with envy over. Any single one of the Immortal Herbs or treasures here was likely something most Cultivators could not obtain in their entire lifetime!

The Nine Saints Demon Gate and the Treasure Pillar Saint Sect were both Major Sects, both Great Domain Countries. As Heavenly Pride Girls, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao had seen their fair share of treasures. But compared to what lay before them now, everything they had seen before was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

”Let’s go. The things here must be traded for with the three forms of hard currency,” Li Qiye said with a smile. ”Of course, you two shouldn’t get any ideas. You can’t invent a legendary tale captivating enough for the Old Ghost.”

At this, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao exchanged another glance. ’To possess so many world-shaking treasures and Immortal Herbs without any fear of being robbed... just how terrifying is this Old Ghost?’

Eventually, the three of them entered a house. Before they even stepped inside, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao caught a whiff of an indescribable medicinal odor. The initial smell was nauseating, but as they continued to breathe it in, a different, indescribable fragrance emerged. This fragrance seemed to tug at one’s soul, making their hearts tremble. It was a completely inexplicable sensation.

Once they were inside the house, Chen Baojiao and Li Shuangyan saw that it was filled with countless medicine jars. There was no telling what kind of medicines were stored within them!

In the center of the room was an iron pot. A small, ghastly green flame flickered beneath it, looking just like a will-o’-the-wisp.

What was cooking in the pot was even stranger—a black, viscous goop. The dark substance writhed as if it were alive. One moment, it looked like squirming worms; the next, it was as if vicious ghosts and Evil Spirits were about to burst forth from within. Then, it would look like a gurgling stream...

The sight of such a bizarre substance cooking in the pot sent a chill down Chen Baojiao’s and Li Shuangyan’s spines.

At this moment, Li Qiye closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the medicinal air, and murmured, ”Iron Ghost Earth Snake, Worldly Disdain, Escape Immortal Grass, Divine Blood Crystal, Time-Devouring Ghost Brain...”

Li Qiye listed one ingredient after another, as if reciting them from a book. Seeing him identify the medicines just by their scent left Chen Baojiao dumbfounded. Li Shuangyan, on the other hand, had seen Li Qiye’s Divine Techniques before and was almost used to such feats!

As Li Qiye recited name after name, the Old Ghost, standing nearby, would nod his head from time to time, as if checking to see if Li Qiye had made any mistakes.

After reciting a long list of ingredients, Li Qiye finally opened his eyes. He looked at the Old Ghost, his expression moved, and said, ”You found that ancient formula!”

The Old Ghost replied slowly, ”Hard work pays off. However, it’s only a fragment of the formula. This is just the first stage; the various medicines haven’t been properly proportioned yet!”

”Even I might not be able to proportion it,” Li Qiye said, shaking his head with a soft sigh.

Li Shuangyan, who knew Li Qiye well, was struck by his words. She understood him better than anyone, and this was the first time she had ever heard him speak with such uncertainty! ’It has always seemed like nothing in the world could stump him, but today, he sounds so unsure! What in the world is this ancient formula? To think it could shake the confidence of their ever-unrivaled Young Master.’

”I smelled the medicinal scent on you. I smelled the scent of that toad on you. You should be someone who knows his stuff!” the Old Ghost said slowly.

Li Qiye said nothing, his eyes fixed on the black, goopy medicinal liquid in the pot, as if trying to see through its very essence.

One ancient Pill Formula after another surfaced in Li Qiye’s mind. Back in those days, he and the Medicine God had formulated countless Pill Formulas and discovered many others left behind from ancient eras—some so old their origins could no longer be traced.