Dominator Emperor

Back then, she had agreed on impulse, not giving it much thought. She never imagined something like this would happen, that Li Qiye would bring her here to teach her the ultimate skill of her ancestor.

”You... You’re...” Chi Xiaodie was stunned. A myriad of emotions welled up in her heart, but she couldn’t quite put a name to them. It was a bit bittersweet, but also touching. She was at a loss for words.

”Given your aptitude, your insight, and your personality, I originally had no intention of training you,” Li Qiye said lightly. ”But for the sake of your Chi Family, I gave you a chance. You seized that chance yourself, and in doing so, you’ve taken control of your own destiny.”

Chi Xiaodie froze. ’If I hadn’t agreed to come with him as a servant,’ she thought, ’I would have missed a heaven-sent opportunity, one I’d regret for the rest of my life.’

”Stop letting your mind wander and sit down. Now is the perfect time,” Li Qiye told Chi Xiaodie in a serious tone.

Chi Xiaodie snapped out of it and took a deep breath to calm herself. Following Li Qiye’s instructions, she slowly sat down and, under his guidance, closed her eyes.

”Look with your heart. The Divine Pupil is meant to be used by looking with your heart; it points directly to the Origin. If you don’t use your heart, you won’t be able to unleash its power, even if you possess it. The Divine Pupil can build Wan Dao, but its Origin lies not in the eye, but in the heart. The Divine Pupil is merely a window. It opens the window, but whether or not you can see the scenery outside depends on your spirit...” Li Qiye instructed.

Under Li Qiye’s guidance, Chi Xiaodie saw nothing the first time, and nothing the second. But on the third try, the statue of her ancestor suddenly became clear in her mind. In that instant, the statue abruptly turned its head and its eyes snapped open. She saw her ancestor’s eyes clearly and was startled to find that they, too, seemed to be forged from gold.

”I saw it!” Chi Xiaodie’s eyes flew open, and she exclaimed in a mix of shock and delight. But as soon as her eyes were open, the vision vanished.

”Not bad.” Li Qiye’s expression was neutral as he nodded. ”But just seeing it isn’t enough. Continue to look with your heart. Whether you can obtain the Divine Eye Thousand Soldiers Path from your ancestor will depend on your own Creation.”

Chi Xiaodie took a deep breath and nodded earnestly. ”I’ll do my best.” Although she was clearly several years older than Li Qiye, in his presence she was like a student, a complete mismatch for their respective ages.

Chi Xiaodie closed her eyes once more. Gradually, she saw her ancestor’s eyes again—a pair of Golden Eyes. Slowly, the eyes began to change. When his Divine Pupil opened, they became incredibly profound, making her feel as if she were in a world of the Great Dao. The Divine Pupil began to manifest Order Divine Chains, gradually constructing the Great Dao in a myriad of unpredictable transformations...

Chi Xiaodie was completely mesmerized, deeply captivated by the profound mysteries of the Great Dao.

For some time, Chi Xiaodie remained immersed in her ancestor’s Supreme Ultimate Skill, the Divine Eye Thousand Soldiers Path. Li Qiye also stayed at the Ancestral God Hall to practice his cultivation. In addition to his own Cultivation Techniques, he also worked on the Thousand Hands Reverse Nine Realms, which he had extracted from the Ten Thousand Forms True God.

Thousand Hands Reverse Nine Realms was a supreme Ritual Technique, no weaker than any Immortal Emperor Technique. Even when compared to the most heaven-defying and forbidden secret techniques, Thousand Hands Reverse Nine Realms could still hold its own.

Thousand Hands Reverse Nine Realms was the Clan’s Secret Technique of the Ten Thousand Forms True God, so Li Qiye naturally knew its power. As he cultivated it, his only regret was his lack of suitable weapons.

Li Qiye currently didn’t have many Treasure Weapons he could use in battle. This became especially apparent after he started cultivating Thousand Hands Reverse Nine Realms; he felt his arsenal was far too small.

The only Treasure Weapons he had on hand were the Nine-Word True Bow and the Zero Domain Void Wheel. He had left the Six Paths Sword and the Overlord Immortal Saber with Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao.

During their time in the Ancestral God Hall, Chi Xiaodie cherished this rare opportunity and cultivated with immense diligence, a fact that earned Li Qiye’s approval.

After a period of cultivation, Li Qiye took Chi Xiaodie with him. ”Come on,” he instructed, ”I’m taking you to dig something up.” With that, he handed a shovel and other tools to her.

Without a word, Chi Xiaodie followed him. Li Qiye led her into the Western Border Mountains and Rivers area of the Celestial Dao Academy. There, in a deep valley, he cut down a dozen or so bamboo stalks. The bamboo was purplish-green, as hard as iron, and felt cool and heavy in her hand.

”What kind of bamboo is this?” Chi Xiaodie asked as she shouldered the stalks for Li Qiye.

”Cui Tie Bamboo,” Li Qiye said. ”It has the highest affinity with the wood element. We’re going to the Longevity Academy. I have something waiting for me there.”

Chi Xiaodie didn’t know where the Longevity Academy was, but she didn’t ask any further questions. She knew that simply following Li Qiye was the right course of action. In her time with him, she had slowly developed the habit of not prying into matters that didn’t concern her.

Only when they arrived outside the Daoist temple of the Longevity Academy did Chi Xiaodie realize such a place existed right across from the Ancestral God Hall where they were staying. She had no idea it was there before.

Glancing at the small, dilapidated temple, Chi Xiaodie couldn’t imagine what kind of treasure it could possibly hold. But by now, no matter the situation, she chose to trust Li Qiye. There was no one she trusted more.

As Chi Xiaodie followed Li Qiye into the temple called Longevity Academy, a series of snores as loud as thunder echoed from within.

”Someone’s here,” Chi Xiaodie whispered to Li Qiye, startled by the earth-shattering snores. She had thought the Longevity Academy was empty.

Standing at the doorway of the old Daoist’s room, she saw him lying on a camp bed. Chi Xiaodie was dumbfounded, unsure of what to make of the situation.

The old Daoist was still sleeping on his back. It was as if he hadn’t moved a muscle, not even changing his position, since Li Qiye’s last visit.

”Ignore him.” After a quick glance at the old Daoist, Li Qiye led her into the Longevity Academy’s main hall. He then began to measure the temple grounds with his steps, again and again. One moment he was pacing inside the temple, the next he was circling it, and then he was even walking up the walls...

Li Qiye measured the temple with his steps, as if he were surveying for something. Following behind him, Chi Xiaodie held her breath, afraid to make a sound. ’We’re here to dig for treasure,’ she thought, ’and there’s an old Daoist sleeping inside. If we wake him, it’ll all be for nothing.’

After measuring time and again, Li Qiye finally stopped at a spot three zhang from the temple’s entrance. He tossed the shovel to Chi Xiaodie while holding the Cui Tie Bamboo himself. ”Every time I plant three stalks of Cui Tie Bamboo,” he ordered, ”you will dig three shovelfuls, three cun deep, right at this spot. Act quickly, understand?”

”Understood.” Chi Xiaodie took a deep breath, her hands gripping the shovel tightly. She couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed. He moved like lightning, instantly driving three stalks of Cui Tie Bamboo into the ground! In that same instant, Chi Xiaodie dug three shovelfuls of dirt, her movements swift and perfectly synchronized with his.

Li Qiye moved with incredible speed. Each time he drove three stalks of Cui Tie Bamboo into the ground, Chi Xiaodie would immediately follow up with three digs of the shovel, not daring to be a second too late or make a single mistake.

Eventually, all the Cui Tie Bamboo in Li Qiye’s hands were planted in the ground, forming a perfect circle. Li Qiye immediately took the shovel from Chi Xiaodie and began to dig in the center of that circle.

When he had dug deep enough, he finally unearthed something: a gigantic earthworm. Chi Xiaodie had never seen an earthworm so large in her entire life and jumped back in fright.

It was a gigantic earthworm, and it was carrying a Yellow Mud Box on its back. The box wasn’t large and seemed to be made of yellow mud.

The earthworm lay there completely still; it was impossible to tell if it was dead or just unconscious.

”What is this?” Chi Xiaodie was astonished by the strange sight. Digging up a giant earthworm was strange enough, but one carrying a Yellow Mud Box on its back? That was just bizarre.

”A Crossing Sky Worm.” Li Qiye breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the creature was unharmed.

”Why did we have to dig in such a specific way?” A bizarre worm was one thing, but Li Qiye’s method of excavation was just as strange.

”The Crossing Sky Worm isn’t a normal earthworm. Even if you knew it was under this spot, you’d never find it, even if you dug up this entire mountain. That’s because it doesn’t exist in our space. You can only find it if you can pinpoint its exact location in a different spatial dimension and lock onto it instantly.”

”But,” Li Qiye continued, ”that’s not enough. If you startle it, it can escape in an instant, crossing over into another spatial region. To dig it up, you have to trap it first. It has a natural affinity for Divine Land, so to trap it, you must use something with an affinity for Divine Wood. Only by using wood to conquer earth can you restrain it. That’s why we needed the Iron Cui Bamboo, which has the highest wood affinity.”

”So, the Iron Cui Bamboo is enough to trap it?” asked Chi Xiaodie.

”No. Once it leaves the soil, nothing can restrain it. You can only use wood to conquer earth while it is still in the ground. The moment it’s free of the dirt, it’s like a bird in the sky or a fish in the sea. Space itself becomes its domain, and it can instantly cross into another Zero Realm!” Li Qiye explained.

Chi Xiaodie was stunned. It was the first time she had ever heard of such a creature. A Crossing Sky Worm... she had never even heard the name before.

Li Qiye had already picked up the worm and was opening the Yellow Mud Box on its back.