Dominator Emperor

Li Qiye glanced at the little thief and said nonchalantly, ”I know its origins better than you.” ’How could he not know the origin of the Eighty-One Transformations? He was the one who created it. Back in the Desolate Era, when he wasn’t yet powerful enough, as the Yin Ya, he had used this Miracle Technique to escape pursuit time and time again!’

’Later, after he became truly powerful, he rarely used this Miracle Technique anymore and casually passed it on to a junior by his side.’

’He had personally created this technique and used it to escape countless times. Was there anyone in the world who understood this Miracle Technique better than him? He knew all of its strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand! For this little thief to use the Eighty-One Transformations in front of him was simply an amateur showing off before a master—he was courting death.’

However, the little thief would never have dreamed that the creator of the Eighty-One Transformations was standing right before him. If he had known, he never would have used such a method.

”Show me your True Body. Don’t play tricks in front of me,” Li Qiye said with calm composure.

The little thief stared at Li Qiye without a word. He would never easily reveal his True Body to outsiders. His enemies were not to be trifled with; if his True Body were ever identified, it would be a disaster. He would surely be hunted across the world.

Seeing the little thief hesitate, Li Qiye said leisurely, ”Are you going to reveal your True Body yourself, or do I have to personally dismantle you? Believe me, if I make a move, I don’t care who you are. I’m afraid that once you go down, you’ll never get back up again!”

Li Qiye’s leisurely and plain words carried no hint of a threat in their tone. However, upon hearing them, Chi Xiaodao, his sister, and the little thief all felt a chill in their hearts. At this moment, none of them doubted Li Qiye’s resolve.

The little thief took a deep breath. Finally, with a flash, his body changed, and he transformed into a different person, revealing his True Body! He wouldn’t easily reveal his True Body to outsiders, but at this moment, his intuition told him that the young man before him, who didn’t look very old, was absolutely more dangerous than he had imagined. He feared that, just as Li Qiye had said, if he didn’t reveal his True Body, he would be in for major trouble!

When the little thief revealed his True Body, both Chi Xiaodie and Chi Xiaodao were stunned. In their minds, a swindler like him should have a sleazy and cunning appearance. In reality, however, the little thief before them was dignified and handsome. Seeing his features, it was hard to associate him with a conman.

After revealing his True Body, the little thief bowed to Li Qiye and said, ”You are truly incredible, Brother. My Eighty-One Transformations has never failed me before. I can switch identities in an instant, and no one can ever see through it. Yet you saw through it at a glance. I just can’t figure out how.”

”Because it was nothing more than an amateur’s clumsy display!” Li Qiye said. Then, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the thief. ”I don’t care how you obtained the Eighty-One Transformations. But starting today, you will remember two things. First, in my presence, you will behave. If you’re a dragon, you will coil up. If you’re a tiger, you will lie down! Don’t you dare play tricks on me! Second, I don’t care what you do—whether it’s good deeds or bad, whether you swindle and bluff, I won’t interfere. But in all things, you will maintain a bottom line. You are not to cross it...”

”...If you can’t do these two things, then you are forbidden from ever using the Eighty-One Transformations again! If you still wish to use it, you will obey these two rules. Otherwise, I will personally break your bones, one by one. Understood?”

Li Qiye’s tone was calm as he spoke, but in that instant, his entire demeanor changed. It was as if he was sitting high in the Nine Heavens, grasping the universe in his hands, and looking down upon the Nine Realms! At that moment, even the All Heavens Gods and Demons would be cowed by his aura.

Instantly, it wasn’t just the little thief; both Chi Xiaodao and Chi Xiaodie were overwhelmed by Li Qiye’s presence. A chill shot through their hearts, a hair-raising sensation! It was a primal fear that came from the very depths of their souls. At that moment, whether it was the Chi siblings or the little thief, they all believed that Li Qiye would do exactly as he said. They could even vividly imagine the scene of him breaking the thief’s bones one by one, sending a shudder of horror and an icy chill through their entire bodies.

This was especially true for the little thief. His origins were extraordinary; he had weathered more storms than the Chi siblings and was older than them. Yet, at this moment, an involuntary shudder ran through him. He realized he had encountered someone unfathomably deep. This young man, who looked even younger than him, was absolutely terrifying! He believed that if he provoked this youth, he would die without a burial place. At this thought, even he, who considered himself daring to the extreme, couldn’t help but flinch.

Chi Xiaodie was also stunned. ’With an aura like that,’ she thought, ’no matter how I look at it, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would trick my brother out of his medicinal ingredients. With such presence, perhaps it’s just as he said—the treasures of the Lion Roar Sect are beneath his notice!’

Whether it was the little thief or the Chi siblings, all three of them were shaken. One could say that the little thief’s Eighty-One Transformations could change him from one person to another, making him instantly unrecognizable. However, an aura like Li Qiye’s, that lofty Divine Power as if he were seated high in the Nine Heavens, was not something that could be faked. Even with the Eighty-One Transformations, it would be impossible to feign such a presence!

”I will take your instructions to heart, Brother.” The little thief became cautious, not daring to be impudent. He bowed to Li Qiye, convinced that if he truly provoked the young man before him, it would mean certain death—a death without even a grave!

Li Qiye glanced at him and asked, ”What is your name?” At that moment, the aura that had intimidated the Nine Heavens vanished without a trace, and he returned to the appearance of an ordinary young man.

”People call me Sikong Toutian.” Only after Li Qiye retracted his aura did the little thief finally breathe a sigh of relief. Li Qiye’s demeanor just now had been too terrifying. He would rather face the Old Undyings from the Great Teaching Territories than ever face that side of Li Qiye that could intimidate the Nine Heavens again. It was too horrifying. He was sure he would have nightmares tonight!

”Sikong Toutian—” Hearing this name, Chi Xiaodie stared at the little thief and said, ”So you’re *that* Sikong Toutian from the East Hundred Cities, the one everyone wants to beat up! The shape-shifting swindler cursed by thousands, the tomb raider, the peeping tom, the shameless, degenerate thief...”

”Miss, you can’t believe the rumors out there, you really can’t.” Sikong Toutian was extremely embarrassed as Chi Xiaodie rattled off a long list of his nicknames. He said, ”I just sell a few cheap goods, and maybe pick up some trash that others have thrown away. I wouldn’t say I’m a swindler, and I’m definitely not a thief.”

”Bullshit! Then what about the medicinal ingredients you tricked me out of! Still say you’re not a swindling thief? You clearly scammed a huge pile of them! You damn thief, you’ve caused me so much misery! I’m not letting you go today!” Chi Xiaodao couldn’t help but jump up and curse, pointing at Sikong Toutian’s nose.

Cursed out by Chi Xiaodao like that, Sikong Toutian was incredibly awkward. He gave a dry laugh and said, ”Brother Chi, heh, heh, heh, well, uh, it’s not like I actually meant to trick you. Heh, heh, it was like this. At the time, I really did want to cure your problem. At first, I thought you were afflicted by the Lion Dominator Body. I assumed your condition was caused by an overbearing constitution and Blood Qi, so I planned to harmonize your Blood Qi...”

”...But when I actually started treating you, I realized that wasn’t the case at all. It was only then that I understood your issue wasn’t as simple as an overbearing constitution and Blood Qi. It was an extremely rare Lion-Biting Turtle. And for your symptoms, heh, heh, heh, to be honest, I, I was truly a bit out of my depth. Your, your, your condition requires a change of fate. That’s, that’s very difficult. You know, changing fate is harder than climbing to the heavens. It requires a suitable Supreme Pill Formula, and also a supreme Medicine Dao Technique...”

Sikong Toutian said in his own defense, looking extremely embarrassed.

Sikong Toutian’s words left both Chi Xiaodao and Chi Xiaodie stunned. Chi Xiaodie, in particular, felt her heart tremble. What Sikong Toutian had just said was exactly the same as what Li Qiye had told them!

”But that’s still no excuse for tricking me out of my medicinal ingredients!” Chi Xiaodao’s anger had subsided considerably by now, but he still spoke with great annoyance.

Sikong Toutian gave another dry laugh. ”Brother Chi, back then, I didn’t intentionally trick you out of your ingredients. I also wanted to cure your problem, and just make a small profit on the side. I have to earn some medicinal ingredients one way or another, don’t you think? But when I started treating you, I realized your symptoms were completely different, and it was fundamentally incurable. Heh, heh, heh, to be honest with you, Brother Chi, I, I had boasted too much. At that point, I couldn’t afford to lose face, so I just ran away. I truly didn’t mean to scam you out of your ingredients!”

”I don’t care if you meant to trick me or not, just give me back all my medicinal ingredients!” Chi Xiaodao said, still very annoyed.

Caught red-handed, Sikong Toutian had no choice but to give in. With a dry laugh, he said, ”Alright, alright. Once I gather all of Brother Chi’s medicinal ingredients, I’ll deliver them to the Lion Roar Sect!”

”I don’t believe a word of your nonsense,” Chi Xiaodie snorted coldly. ”You’d better give them back to my brother right now!”

”Well, that’s, that’s a bit difficult. I don’t have that many medicinal ingredients on hand right now,” Sikong Toutian said with an awkward, dry laugh.

Li Qiye interrupted them. He eyed Sikong Toutian and asked, ”You know how to raid tombs?”

”You’re joking, Brother. With my meager skills, how could I dare claim to be a tomb raider? I just pick up a bit of trash that others have discarded in graveyards,” Sikong Toutian hurriedly denied. He was still genuinely a bit scared of Li Qiye.

Li Qiye ignored such trivial matters and said, ”Since you raid tombs, do you know where I can buy Rotting Nether Beans in Donglin City?”

”Rotting Nether Beans?” Hearing Li Qiye’s question, Sikong Toutian was taken aback for a moment. He then said thoughtfully, ”That stuff rarely appears. I heard a jar of them showed up once before, but it seems the Long River Sect bought them all in one go. That thing has many uses, a wide range of applications. It’s quite sought-after.”

”Do you know where else to find them?” Li Qiye asked, looking at Sikong Toutian.