Dominator Emperor

A huge crater had been smashed into the ground of the estate’s grand courtyard. The impact had carved out a long, deep trench. As everyone peered inside, they saw wisps of green smoke curling up, and the stench of something burnt wafted out.

Lying in the crater was a person, charred black from head to toe as if they had just been roasted in a fire. Despite their state, they clutched a Stone Egg tightly to their chest.

Everyone was dumbfounded. ’Where in the world did this charred guy pop out from?’

”Damn it, I’m practically cooked! Fuck, sooner or later, I’m going to tear down the Ancient Sky Corpse Land!” the charred figure in the crater cursed.

”Young Master Li—” Hearing that unmistakably familiar voice, Chi Yun and the Elders were utterly stunned.

”Young Master—” At that moment, Li Shuangyan and the others arrived, along with Tu Buyu and the younger disciples. Upon hearing a voice so familiar they could never mistake it, Li Shuangyan and her companions were on the verge of tears. They rushed down into the crater and helped up Li Qiye, who was still clutching the Stone Egg.

”Young Master, it’s really you—” After helping Li Qiye up, the two peerless beauties, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, couldn’t contain themselves. They both embraced him, their eyes welling up with tears before they knew it.

”My two great beauties, as your Young Master, I certainly don’t mind your warmth. However, I’m already fiery enough as it is—my whole body is about to burst into flames. If you two keep hugging me like this, I’m afraid I’ll be consumed by the fires of passion and burn to ash.” Though charred black, Li Qiye still possessed an ineffable elegance and composure.

At this, Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, who had been overcome with emotion, finally snapped back to their senses. Realizing that countless pairs of eyes were on them, their lovely faces flushed bright red, and they couldn’t help but let out an indignant huff.

Once Li Qiye was helped out of the crater, everyone from Tu Buyu’s group to the Elders of the Nine Saints Demon Gate couldn’t believe their eyes. To board the Netherworld Ship and return alive and kicking—it was simply too incredible!

”Ha, ha, ha! First Brother, I knew you were invincible! What’s the Netherworld Ship? Even the Underworld wouldn’t dare take you! If they did, you’d surely tear them to shreds!” Seeing Li Qiye alive, the disciples of the Xiyan Ancient Sect were ecstatic, especially Nan Huairun, who was laughing boisterously.

The still-charred Li Qiye smacked him on the back of the head, laughing as he scolded, ”Enough with the flattery. I was almost turned into a roast duck!”

”Heh, Young Master, the kid has a point,” Niu Fen chimed in admiringly. ”Only someone as invincible as you could board the Netherworld Ship at such a young age and return alive. It’s a miracle for the ages.”

”Young Master Li, you are truly valiant beyond compare! For someone of the younger generation to board the Netherworld Ship and return... I fear you are the very first,” Chi Yun sighed emotionally. His words were not flattery, but a sincere expression of his awe.

To all the disciples of the Nine Saints Demon Gate, this was utterly inconceivable. Forget a young, living person—even among the Old Undyings who boarded the Netherworld Ship on their last breath, precious few ever returned!

The remaining Elders from the War God Hall also rushed over. When they saw Li Qiye alive and well, they couldn’t believe their eyes. It was simply too incredible! The man had actually come back alive, and after only twenty days! It was nothing short of a miracle!

”Alright, it’s normal for your old eyes to play tricks on you. But yes, I am back, alive and well.” Li Qiye glanced at the War God Hall Elders rubbing their eyes and said with a leisurely air.

His words made the War God Hall Elders freeze on the spot. Despite their embarrassment, the situation remained unbelievable. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would have deemed it impossible.

Both the Nine Saints Demon Gate and the young disciples of the Xiyan Ancient Sect were overjoyed and excited.

”I know everyone’s giving me a warm reception, but you have to let me get cleaned up, right? I’m practically a roast duck at this point,” Li Qiye said with a nonchalant smile.

In the end, the crowd dispersed, and Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao helped Li Qiye get cleaned up!

After washing up and changing into a fresh set of clothes, Li Qiye felt completely refreshed. However, none of that mattered to him right now. The most important thing was figuring out this Stone Egg!

”It’s just a Stone Egg. Is it really worth all this?” Seeing her Young Master so mesmerized, Chen Baojiao, who was attending to him, pouted charmingly, her peerless elegance and bone-deep allure on full display.

Such breathtaking beauty and soul-stealing charm would be irresistible to most, but Li Qiye paid it no mind. His eyes were glued to the Stone Egg.

”Girl, you just don’t understand. This Stone Egg... it’s something else. Something else entirely.” Li Qiye gently stroked the Stone Egg as if it were a lover, trying to feel its pulse, but there was no reaction at all.

Hearing Li Qiye call her ”girl,” Chen Baojiao shot him an annoyed glare, yet it was so bewitching it could steal one’s very soul.

”What’s so incredible about it?” Li Shuangyan couldn’t help but glance at the Stone Egg. Since his return, their Young Master hadn’t put it down for a moment. He had even given the Stone Egg a thorough scrubbing while he washed up! He treated it like his most precious treasure.

Li Qiye looked up at them and smiled. ”What’s so incredible about it? You could offer me an Immortal Emperor True Artifact for it, and I wouldn’t make the trade.”

Hearing this, both Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were stunned. An Immortal Emperor True Artifact—that was the most powerful and invincible weapon in the world!

Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao both stared at the Stone Egg and reached out to touch it. Still, they couldn’t see anything mystical about it. It was just a drab, gray Stone Egg.

”It just looks like a normal Stone Egg. Is it really that valuable?” Chen Baojiao was still skeptical. No matter how she looked at it, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about it.

”That’s what you don’t understand,” Li Qiye said with a smile. ’If the world knew that this Stone Egg had swallowed an entire pool of Starry Universe Water, they would be scared to death. Even an Immortal Emperor would be dumbfounded to hear of such a thing! I’m afraid that in all of history, no person or creature has ever swallowed more Starry Universe Water than this!’

’But what I still don’t get,’ Li Qiye thought, ’is why this blasted Stone Egg showed no change at all after swallowing so much Starry Universe Water. I’ve seen countless Divine Objects. If this Stone Egg were alive, swallowing an entire pool of Starry Universe Water should have absolutely triggered some kind of reaction.’

’My Ten Thousand Furnace God is incredible, its origins heaven-shaking, worthy of being called the number one furnace in the world! Yet, it acted drunk after swallowing just one large gulp of Starry Universe Water.’

’And yet, this blasted Stone Egg swallowed an entire pool of it without any reaction whatsoever. It makes me wonder... is this thing even alive? But if it *is* alive and can swallow a whole pool of Starry Universe Water with no reaction, then that’s terrifying. I can’t even imagine it! If that’s the case, just what kind of creature could it be?’

’I dare say I’ve seen every living creature under the heavens! But if a creature exists that can swallow a pool of Starry Universe Water with zero reaction... then that’s something I’ve truly never seen. Even an Immortal Emperor probably couldn’t handle that much; they wouldn’t be able to digest it anytime soon.’

”What is this thing?” Seeing that Li Qiye wasn’t joking, Li Shuangyan studied the Stone Egg carefully, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Li Qiye shook his head. ”If I knew, I wouldn’t be wasting my time trying to figure this damn egg out! The truth is, I have no idea what it is either.”

Since his return, Li Qiye had been mulling over the Stone Egg, but he still couldn’t figure it out. He was certain it held a heaven-shattering secret, related to either the Ancient Sky Corpse Land or the Underworld. But even so, the egg remained an enigma.

”Netherworld emerges, rebirth begins; the Celestial Road appears, the Divine Stone opens. Enter the Celestial Coffin, become myriad heavens; awaken the Corpse Land, Celestial General Gu!” Li Qiye had been contemplating this saying, trying to connect it to the Stone Egg, but so far, he couldn’t sort out the clues.

「On the second day after Li Qiye’s return」

Li Shuangyan informed him, ”An Elder Ancestor from the War God Hall wishes to see you.”

”See me?” Li Qiye barely lifted his eyelids. ”Then let him come. Am I supposed to go and pay respects to him? He’s the one seeking me out, not the other way around.”

Li Shuangyan was left speechless. She wasn’t the only one; anyone in the world would be dumbfounded to hear such words. An Elder Ancestor of the War God Hall was an invincible figure. Never mind Holy Master Lords or Emperors, even a Great Sage wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly before a War God Hall Elder Ancestor. But her Young Master was arrogant beyond measure!

In the end, the Elder Ancestor of the War God Hall came. In truth, the War God Hall had more than one Elder Ancestor; this was merely the one who had stayed behind to oversee the situation while the others returned to the War God Hall.

The War God Hall Elder Ancestor entered and sat down to the side. This time, he was not wearing black robes, but a simple Cloth Robe. His Blood Qi was completely restrained, making him look like an ordinary old man. In fact, after reaching his Heaven-Defying, invincible realm, his Blood Qi could be controlled at will.

”I am Mu Chen.” Although the War God Hall’s Elder Ancestor was not haughty, he still carried an air of reserve. Indeed, with his status and invincible power, he had every right to be imposing.

Mu Chen! If anyone outside were to hear that name, they would be scared witless. Forget an existence like the Holy Heaven Sect; even an Elder Ancestor from the Qingxuan Ancient Country would turn pale at the mention of his name.

Li Qiye merely flicked his gaze up at him and said with some surprise, ”You’re still alive. That’s unexpected. Back when that old fellow, the Muzhan God, was buried, I heard you were one of his pallbearers. Old Man Mu thought quite highly of you.”

Li Qiye’s words sent a jolt through Mu Chen. This was an affair so ancient that not even the disciples of the War God Hall knew of it, let alone outsiders. Besides the other surviving Elder Ancestors of the War God Hall, no one else could possibly know!

”I have only survived by being sealed within a Time Blood Stone until now,” Mu Chen said. If it weren’t for sending off his ancestor, he likely wouldn’t have paid the immense price to emerge from it.

At this, Mu Chen looked at Li Qiye and said, ”Ancestor Muzhan lived another life, but he could not endure until the present day.”

Li Qiye waved his hand dismissively. ”Don’t try to sound me out. Even those old men from your Hidden Immortal Hall weren’t willing to dig any deeper. Are you looking to take that gamble?”

Mu Chen fell silent. To be honest, to him and to the War God Hall, Li Qiye was simply too uncanny. He felt that Li Qiye was more than just the first disciple of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. But since his own ancestor had mentioned this matter, and with Li Qiye now saying this, he didn’t dare probe into his origins any further.

”The Muzhan God already lived for two lifetimes, then buried himself in a Time Blood Stone to live even longer. That was already Defying Heaven! The high heavens stopped tolerating him long ago; it was a miracle he lasted as long as he did. Now, you’ve buried another old man from your Hidden Immortal Hall in the Netherworld Ship. That’s enough. Don’t be too greedy.” Li Qiye glanced at Mu Chen. ”Your War God Hall is fine in every respect, except the stench of decay is too strong. It’s not unrelated to all you old geezers hanging around.”

Li Qiye’s words left Mu Chen speechless again. The War God Hall had stood strong from the Desolate Era until now not just because of its successive generations of geniuses, but also because of the immense contribution from ancestors who were willing to seal themselves away to protect the sect. The young generation created the future, while the sealed ancestors guarded the heritage. It was precisely because of this that the War God Hall had survived to this day.

”Alright, let’s not waste any more words. If you have something to say, say it. Considering the War God Hall’s immense contributions to the Human Race, I can tell you what you want to know, as long as it’s permissible,” Li Qiye said slowly.

Mu Chen’s heart trembled upon hearing Li Qiye’s words. ’Those words are not simple!’ He sat up straight, focused his gaze on Li Qiye, and asked, ”I would like to ask Young Master Li, where is the place the Netherworld Ship docks? After it drifts away... I wonder if Young Master Li could elaborate on the details of what happens?”