Dominator Emperor

”Bingyu Palace.” Seeing the woman before him dressed as a man, Li Qiye couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. A memory from the past surfaced—Bingyu Immortal Emperor. The thought of that matter made him crack a smile!

The moment they saw Bing Yuxia, the heir of Bingyu Palace, everyone present grew tense. They acted cautiously, lest Bing Yuxia think they were mocking her. At that moment, Li Qiye was arguably the only person smiling, which immediately drew Bing Yuxia’s attention.

”It seems this isn’t the Tomb of the Medicine Emperor,” Bing Yuxia said with a smile, glancing at the grave that was still being excavated.

Her smile was stunning. She was an exceedingly beautiful woman, yet she insisted on wearing men’s clothes. When she smiled, it was a blend of seventy percent feminine charm and thirty percent masculine handsomeness. The combination made her smile exceptionally beautiful and captivating, enough to make even other women gasp in admiration.

By this time, the female disciples from Bingyu Palace who had arrived with Bing Yuxia had already set up an exquisite pavilion on the highest point of the terrain. Though not large, the pavilion was fully furnished with an ice stove, tea set, a soft couch, and a comfortable daybed—it lacked nothing.

Bing Yuxia reclined on the soft couch, looking utterly relaxed and comfortable, as if basking in the morning sun. Her languid posture exuded an indescribable sense of ease.

Several beautiful women attended to her. With a light laugh and an arm around the beauties on her left and right, she looked every bit the part of a dashing young master. She even teased them from time to time, their laughter ringing out. It was as if she weren’t a girl at all, but an incredibly handsome man enjoying the company of gorgeous women, with beauties on both arms and an endless retinue at her beck and call.

Seeing this absurd yet titillating scene left many cultivators speechless. Some of the older generation might sigh at the degeneration of modern morals, while many younger cultivators couldn’t help but feel envious. ’To be in his shoes, surrounded by such beauties,’ they thought, ’what a delightful and sensual affair that would be.’

Even though Bing Yuxia was clearly a girl, her actions were those of a refined young master—gentle as jade, graceful, and extraordinary. If she were truly a man, she would undoubtedly charm countless women.

Bing Yuxia’s romantic and flamboyant display made men envious and women sigh with emotion. Even other girls would praise her, saying, ”What a fine young master in this sullied world.”

Compared to Bing Yuxia, Sima Longyun, who had just been preening about his own graceful and outstanding demeanor, now seemed as classy as dirt. Even though Bing Yuxia was a woman dressed as a man, her elegant bearing and gentle refinement were completely natural, without a trace of affectation.

Next to Bing Yuxia, Sima Longyun’s so-called elegance was revealed as mere pretentiousness. The comparison made him seem obnoxious and utterly tacky.

Bing Yuxia’s appearance completely stole Sima Longyun’s thunder. Moments before, as a disciple of the Nu Xian Sacred Country with a Great Success Innate Body, he had been seen as a promising, outstanding young talent worthy of attention. But now that Bing Yuxia had arrived, she was the true dragon among phoenixes. Sima Longyun, in comparison, was merely an Earth Dragon.

Even though Bing Yuxia had stolen the spotlight, Sima Longyun didn’t dare utter a peep. Though he was a disciple of the Nu Xian Sacred Country, he was leagues below Bing Yuxia. She was the heir of Bingyu Palace, a lofty and superior figure. With her status, she commanded respect anywhere in the East Hundred Cities. Moreover, as an Emperor Immortal Gate, Bingyu Palace was far more powerful than the Nu Xian Sacred Country.

Forget Sima Longyun; even if the Crown Prince of their Nu Xian Sacred Country were here in person, he would have to show Bing Yuxia due deference.

Bing Yuxia enjoyed the pavilion and the company of her beauties all to herself. Watching from the side, Li Qiye couldn’t help but chuckle. It reminded him of the Bingyu Immortal Emperor! ’So many years have passed, yet the Bingyu Palace still hasn’t changed its tune. This little lass is really trying to imitate her ancestor! She’s even copied her style. I wonder how much of that girl’s actual skill she has learned.’

”It’s out! It’s out!” In the valley, it wasn’t long before the Chenggu Pavilion finally unearthed the entire buried mausoleum. The mausoleum was ancient, its age impossible to guess. It was constructed entirely from Divine Stones, with Dao rhythms still flowing around it. Unquestionably, this mausoleum had been blessed by a powerful figure. Despite this, it had been eroded by time, and its Dao rhythms were greatly weakened.

The experts from Chenggu Pavilion lifted the entire mausoleum, placed it in the center of the valley, and cleaned it off. Only then did the auctioneer step forward.

”Ahem! Fellow Daoists. This grave belongs to a Legendary Pharmacist from an ancient era. This Pharmacist hailed from a Medicine Dao Family. Our Chenggu Pavilion has appraised this tomb and can guarantee its authenticity. Chenggu Pavilion stakes its multi-million-year-old golden reputation on it,” the auctioneer announced to the crowd after stepping forward.

At this, all the cultivators in the valley stared at the mausoleum, their gazes fixed upon it.

”According to the rules of our Chenggu Pavilion’s grave auctions, this Legendary Pharmacist Level mausoleum will first be auctioned as a whole. If there are no bidders, we will then open the mausoleum and auction its contents separately,” the auctioneer said, looking at the people present.

”This mausoleum—how much are you planning to auction it for?” Upon hearing the auctioneer’s words, a cultivator couldn’t hold back and shouted.

Although a Legendary Pharmacist Level mausoleum was unlikely to contain any world-shaking, invincible Secret Manuals or peerless Treasure Weapons, it was very likely to hold precious Ancient Medicine.

Many Pharmacists would seal precious Spirit Medicine Treasure Grass in jars to be buried with them before they died. For many cultivators with special needs, especially great figures at the King and Marquis True Master level or higher, Ancient Medicine was exceptionally valuable.

Just like Sima Longyun, who needed Ancient Medicine for his Body Tempering. Although Body Ointment was suitable for tempering all physiques, and its formula was known to all cultivators, the ingredients for high-level Body Ointments—especially Saint-level Body Ointment—were not so easily found. The top-grade ingredients among them were even harder to come by.

Body Ointment could be called a universal ointment, suitable for any physique. However, some Inheritance Territories had their own secret formulas or used Ancient Pill Formulas to temper specific physiques.

It was precisely because many Ancient Pill Formulas required Ancient Medicine that Ancient Medicine was in such high demand. Sima Longyun, for example, was searching for Ancient Medicine to prepare an ancient formula to temper his Golden Bull Body.

Seeing the cultivators present were all eager to start, the auctioneer cleared his throat and said seriously, ”I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on the value of Ancient Medicine. Besides the Burial Land Old Soil, one can usually only find Ancient Medicine underground. Good Ancient Medicine is sought after everywhere. This mausoleum has been appraised by our Chenggu Pavilion, and we believe it contains a considerable amount. Chenggu Pavilion has decided that the starting bid for this mausoleum will be 900,000 Great Sage Essence Jade.”

”Nine hundred thousand Great Sage Essence Jade!” Hearing this, an uproar went through all the cultivators present.

Nine hundred thousand Great Sage Essence Jade was a sum that forget Loose Cultivators, even a marquis from a Major Sect couldn’t produce. Even a Great Teaching Territory might not be able to come up with so much Essence Jade at once! And even if they had that much Essence Jade, they would have to consider if it was worth it.

”Are you kidding me?” a Demon King said. ”That’s an astronomical price! For that price, you could buy a top-grade Saint-level Body Ointment. To exaggerate a bit, you could even buy Immortal Body Ointment! Who would be willing to blow 900,000 on a Legendary Pharmacist’s tomb?”

Many great figures echoed this sentiment. A True Master shook his head and said, ”Nine hundred thousand Great Sage Essence Jade? Even if it’s the lowest grade of Great Sage Level Essence Jade, it’s not worth it. That price is simply too outrageous. If you converted it, 900,000 Saint Venerable Essence Jade might be worth considering. And if it were top-grade Saint Venerable Essence Jade, even that would be expensive.”

”Exactly,” the others chimed in. ”That price is absurd. If this were the tomb of a Great Sage, no one would complain if you at Chenggu Pavilion asked for 900,000 Great Sage Essence Jade. But for a Legendary Pharmacist, that price is just ridiculously high.”

”Everyone, as you all know, a Legendary Pharmacist’s status has always been very high, no less than that of a Great Sage! Considering the status of a Legendary Pharmacist, it’s worth this price,” the auctioneer said with an amicable smile, not at all angered.

This was the advantage of a grave auction. In a normal auction house, once the price was set, there was no room for negotiation. But at a grave auction, you could haggle the price down if you had the skill.

”That only applies when they’re alive,” another Pharmacist spoke up. ”It’s one thing to say a living Legendary Pharmacist has a higher status than a Great Sage, but that’s not necessarily true once they’re dead. As a Pharmacist, the only things they can pass down are some Ancient Medicines.”

The auctioneer chuckled and said, ”This price is still reasonable. Who knows, perhaps there’s a Nine-Change Soul Grass among the Ancient Medicine. As everyone knows, a Nine-Change Soul Grass that has been sealed in a jar and buried for millions of years is truly incredible. If you used it to concoct an Ancient Life Pill, that would be an absolutely priceless treasure! For an older generation Great Sage, it would be even more potent.”

”Nine-Change Soul Grass, easy for you to say! Even a Legendary Pharmacist would be lucky to see a Nine-Change Soul Grass once or twice in their entire lifetime, let alone more.” A marquis shook his head and said, ”It might be believable if a Medicine Emperor were buried with a Nine-Change Soul Grass, but a Legendary Pharmacist? Absolutely not. He would have passed down such a priceless treasure to his descendants!”

”Nine hundred thousand Saint Venerable Essence Jade. If you’re willing to part with it for that, I’ll take it,” a True Master offered.

”Impossible. Five hundred thousand Great Sage Essence Jade,” the auctioneer said, shaking his head.

At this point, an Ancient Saint said thoughtfully, ”Five hundred thousand Great Sage Essence Jade is completely out of the question. If you’re truly sincere about selling, then fifty Great Sage Essence Jades.”

For a time, all the great figures with the means to bid began to haggle with the auctioneer. After several rounds of back-and-forth, the auctioneer from Chenggu Pavilion finally refused to go any lower than 200,000 Great Sage Essence Jade!

”Six hundred Great Sage Essence Jade. If you’re willing to part with it for that, I’ll take it.” In the end, the final offer came from Bing Yuxia, the heir of Bingyu Palace!

This price was too ridiculously far from what Chenggu Pavilion was asking. No matter what was said, Chenggu Pavilion was unwilling to sell.