Dominator Emperor

”The legendary Domain God?” Chi Xiaodie, who had been listening to their conversation the entire time, was visibly moved. She had only heard legends about the Celestial Dao Academy’s Guardian God.

The Celestial Dao Academy’s Guardian God had always been shrouded in mystery. Legend had it that the Guardian God had lived for a very, very long time, but no one knew for exactly how long. For millions of years, no one in the world had ever laid eyes on the Celestial Dao Academy’s Guardian Divine Beast!

Some people even speculated that the Celestial Dao Academy didn’t have a Guardian God at all, and that it was merely a rumor deliberately spread by the academy itself.

”Precisely the Domain God.” Even the usually flippant Elder Daoist Peng’s expression turned solemn as he mentioned the Celestial Dao Academy’s Guardian God. He said, ”Recently, my junior brother and the other old men have been saying that the Domain God has been restless.”

”Your Celestial Dao Academy has opened its gates several times. The Domain God should have left long ago. It has been in this world for too long. You could say it’s time for it to return to its roots, dust to dust. Unfortunately, your academy’s generations could never bear to part with it and have always held it back,” Li Qiye said, gently shaking his head.

”The Domain God! I’ve heard of it! Holy smokes! Heh, heh, in the future, I’m gonna be an existence just like that! Opening the Ten Thousand Realms with a single thought, creating the Celestial Realm with a single thought! No, I’ll surpass it! Heh, I’ll become the true Space God! Just you wait, in the future, I’ll be the Space Immortal Emperor!” Mentioning this Guardian God, even Xiao Niqiu couldn’t help but feel a sense of worship, making a grand, boastful declaration.

Li Qiye shot it a sideways glance and said, ”Become an Immortal Emperor with your gluttonous and lazy personality? What kind of pipe dream are you having? If you want to be an Immortal Emperor, start by refining your own Zero Realm! If your domain can’t even become a realm, what gives you the right to talk about becoming an Immortal Emperor!”

”Heh, with Young Master here, how would this little one dare compete with you for the title of Immortal Emperor? Heh, becoming a True God is good enough for me. No Immortal Emperor for me, no, no. Young Master is the one truly chosen by the Celestial Mandate! If Young Master doesn’t become the Immortal Emperor, then no one else in the world is qualified!” Feeling guilty under Li Qiye’s gaze, Xiao Niqiu immediately started sucking up.

”The Two Great Gods... If my junior brothers can’t pacify the Domain God, I’m afraid it will disappear just like the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Snail God,” Elder Daoist Peng couldn’t help but mutter.

”The Xiyan Ancient Sect once had the Snail God, and the Celestial Dao Academy has the Domain God. They are known as the Two Great Gods. Which one is stronger?” Chi Xiaodie, who was standing nearby, couldn’t resist asking. She had heard of such legends when she was very young. The Two Great Gods had always been a distant myth, and she never imagined she would one day be discussing the matter so intimately.

”Well, that’s... not easy to say. Very hard to say.” Elder Daoist Peng just chuckled evasively and shook his head.

Li Qiye, however, explained, ”That depends on where they are. Within the Celestial Dao Academy, the Domain God commands the Heaven and Earth Vein. It was born here and achieved its divinity here. Its roots are planted in this land, so this land is its to command. While it guards the Celestial Dao Academy, you could say it’s invincible. As long as it doesn’t leave the academy and remains rooted in this land, not even an Immortal Emperor in person could necessarily force their way past it. But if it leaves the Celestial Dao Academy, that’s another story. Its Blood Qi is failing, after all. If it were to contend with the Snail God, it would surely suffer a great loss.”

”That powerful?” Chi Xiaodie was deeply stirred. Even an Immortal Emperor might not be able to breach its defense. The thought was terrifying.

Li Qiye glanced at her. ”There’s a reason the Celestial Dao Academy has stood tall since ancient times. Furthermore, the Domain God’s origin is heaven-shattering, beyond your imagination! It’s just a pity that it’s been burdened by the Celestial Dao Academy. Its success is due to the academy, but so is its failure. If it had left the academy in its youth, it would have surely shouldered the Celestial Mandate and become an Immortal Emperor of its generation!”

”The Domain God was born in the Celestial Dao Academy. The Elders poured their hearts and souls into raising it. It also considers the academy its home, so it’s understandable that it’s unwilling to leave,” Elder Daoist Peng said with a grin.

Li Qiye shot him a sideways glance. ”It’s your Celestial Dao Academy that can’t bear to let it leave! For millions of years, how many crises has it averted for the academy? The Celestial Dao Academy has made immense contributions to the Human Race, but in truth, the Domain God’s contributions are just as undeniable.”

”That’s true, that’s true,” Elder Daoist Peng said with a dry laugh, feeling a bit guilty.

”In the end, all things return to dust. The Domain God has lived long enough. It will leave one day. No one in this world can live forever, not even Immortal Emperors, and not even Immortal existences,” Li Qiye said slowly.

Hearing this, Elder Daoist Peng’s expression darkened, and he sighed softly. He understood this principle, as did the other Elders of the Celestial Dao Academy. That day would inevitably come. To keep the Domain God, the academy had expended countless efforts to extend its life! But no matter what, it would have to leave one day.

”I need to make a trip to your Celestial Dao Academy.” Finally, Li Qiye said to Elder Daoist Peng, ”The fluctuations in your Heaven and Earth Vein have been too strong lately. It’s very abnormal. It’s hard to say where the portal will open this time, so I must enter your academy to see for myself. Your Ancestral Land’s Dao Foundation has locked down this Heaven and Earth Vein. I need to personally survey your Ancestral Land to understand this anomaly.”

During this time, not only had Li Qiye been having Xiao Niqiu explore the changes in the Heaven and Earth Vein, but he had also been divining the location of the Void Gate. In the current era, no one understood the Void Gate better than him, so he felt there was a high probability of finding the true Void Gate in this lifetime.

”Good—” Elder Daoist Peng said hurriedly, ”I’ll have my junior brother and the other old men arrange it for you.” He was happy to see Li Qiye enter the Celestial Dao Academy. The unfathomable Li Qiye might be able to secure an opportunity for the academy.

”No.” Li Qiye fell silent for a moment before saying, ”How about this, I’ll just enter the Great World Academy.”

”Should I mention this to the Ancestor?” Elder Daoist Peng couldn’t help but ask softly. In truth, he also wanted to understand Li Qiye’s origins. He wanted to know how Li Qiye knew their Longevity Academy’s Ancestor! It seemed utterly impossible. Perhaps Li Qiye was a descendant of one of their Ancestor’s old friends.

”No.” Li Qiye shook his head. ”There’s no need to disturb anyone. I just want to see the situation with the Heaven and Earth Vein.” As he said this, he couldn’t help but sigh softly in his heart.

’It’s better if we don’t meet. Right now, he didn’t want to see Ma Gu. The era was too distant, and the past was already sealed in dust. What need was there to meet again?’

Elder Daoist Peng didn’t insist. He nodded and said, ”Then I’ll have Le Kid make the arrangements for you. That kid is the most outstanding disciple of our Celestial Dao Academy’s younger generation. He has an excellent temperament and mindset, absolutely worth cultivating.” As he spoke, he glanced intentionally, yet nonchalantly, at Chi Xiaodie.

Li Qiye smiled but didn’t comment on the remark. He turned to Chi Xiaodie and said, ”Pack your things. We’re heading to the Celestial Dao Academy tomorrow.”

「The next day.」

Li Qiye left the Ancestral God Temple with Xiao Niqiu and Chi Xiaodie. Although Elder Daoist Peng didn’t leave the Longevity Academy, he had already arranged everything for Li Qiye’s entry into the Celestial Dao Academy.

Before leaving, Chi Xiaodie couldn’t help but gaze reluctantly at the dilapidated old temple, her eyes fixed on the statue of her ancestor. This old temple held too many secrets. The world had no idea of its origins, nor what other secrets it held; even she was in the dark.

To her, this old temple represented so much. It could be said that her time living in this old temple had changed her immensely, from her mindset to her perspective. Coming to this old temple had opened a gateway for her, allowing her to truly come into contact with the majestic Great Dao!

Before this, she could be described as a proud canary in a cage—the Princess of the Lion Roar Country, a Heavenly Pride Girl. No matter how humble she appeared, deep down, she still possessed the arrogance of the Golden Branches and Jade Leaves, the noble air of one used to a life of luxury. But now, as she was leaving, she was merely a pious Cultivator who had ground away her pride and sheathed her sharpness. She remained by Li Qiye’s side with sincere devotion.

Before, what she had seen was but a tiny corner of the Great Dao. But after following Li Qiye, she had finally seen the Great Dao in its entirety. She had truly stepped onto the majestic path leading to the supreme palace!

”Let’s go. If you want to come back in the future, you’ll have plenty of opportunities,” Li Qiye said, glancing at the reluctant Chi Xiaodie.

Chi Xiaodie took a deep breath, bowed to her ancestor, and finally rose to follow Li Qiye.

The Celestial Dao Academy, a heritage that has stood since time immemorial, was the oldest lineage of the Human Race. Some even said that the origin of the Human Race’s Great Dao comes from two lineages: one is the War God Hall, and the other is the Celestial Dao Academy! The academy was so ancient that no one knew in which era it originated; its beginnings were untraceable.

Only when standing before the mountain gate of the Celestial Dao Academy could one truly comprehend its majestic grandeur. Countless Divine Mountains dotted the landscape, with colossal palaces standing upon them. Some Divine Mountains pierced straight into the Celestial Universe, reaching beyond the heavens. In the highest, most profound reaches, a Star River coiled around them, and massive palaces blotted out the sky, as if forming a world unto itself. Between the giant peaks, Divine Bridges spanned tens of thousands of miles, connecting one side to the other...

Within the Celestial Dao Academy, Divine Cranes soared through the air, Flood Dragons hid among the clouds, and Auspicious Beasts roamed freely... Standing outside the academy, everyone felt that this was no mere academy; it was a world unto itself. Calling it the Heavenly Dao Realm would not be an exaggeration.

Looking at the magnificent spectacle of the Celestial Dao Academy, Chi Xiaodie was deeply moved. The Western Border of the academy’s territory was merely a single corner of this vast place, an insignificant one at that!

Upon entering the Celestial Dao Academy’s mountain gate, a giant Ancient Stele came into view. It was more fitting to call it a massive stone wall than a stele. One name after another was carved upon it, some with sharp, forceful strokes, some with flowing, energetic script, and others with bold, unrestrained flourish...

Immortal Emperor Feiyang, Hao Hai Immortal Emperor, Ta Kong Immortal Emperor, Overlord Immortal Lion King, Martial God, Sword Ancestor... Figure after figure who had once stunned their entire era, one invincible expert after another who had once swept through the Eight Desolations—all had their names carved into the Ancient Stele.

These were all the most stunning students to have emerged from the Celestial Dao Academy. Any student who hadn’t achieved an invincible status wouldn’t have the face to come back and leave their name on this Ancient Stele!

On this Ancient Stele, densely packed names were left one after another, representing generation after generation of invincible beings who had emerged from the Celestial Dao Academy.