Dominator Emperor

”Clan Leader, where are we going now? Without Night Sun Fish, we can’t buy a thing here,” another disciple couldn’t help but say.

”To the Night Sea. We can only catch Night Sun Fish at the Night Sea. We’re just passing through here,” Qiu Rong Wanxue said.

”Awesome! Then let’s get a move on.” Hearing this, Peng Zhuang grew incredibly excited, wishing he could fly to the Night Sea that very instant.

This wasn’t Qiu Rong Wanxue’s first visit, however, and she wasn’t in a great hurry to reach the Night Sea. She intentionally wanted Peng Zhuang and the others to see more of the world and broaden their horizons.

As they passed a street corner, Peng Zhuang and the others saw a young man at a stall selling his wares. He was actually using Essence Jades for transactions, which piqued Peng Zhuang’s curiosity. He immediately leaned in and asked, ”Doesn’t Fengdu City use Night Sun Fish for trade? How come you’re using Essence Jades? What are you selling? Let me see?” he asked, his eyes excitedly scanning the goods on the stall.

But Peng Zhuang’s over-the-top enthusiasm earned him a fierce glare from the young man. He shot Peng Zhuang a look and impatiently waved him away. ”I’m not a ghost! I’m a person—no, wait, a member of the Ghost Race!”

The young man’s explosive reaction startled Peng Zhuang. He hurriedly activated his Celestial Eye and saw that the other party wasn’t a ghost. Mortified, Peng Zhuang immediately stammered an apology, ”Heh, heh, heh, my apologies, my apologies! I thought you were a ghost—no, no, no, a lingering obsession! A lingering obsession.” With that, he scampered off in embarrassment.

Seeing this, Li Qiye, who had been quiet the entire time, couldn’t help but crack a smile. ’Peng Zhuang and these other youngsters really know very little about Fengdu City.’

In truth, it was hard to blame them. The Snow Shadow Ghost Clan was a small clan, after all. For ordinary disciples, opportunities to visit a place like Fengdu City were practically nonexistent, so their ignorance was understandable.

”There are plenty of outsiders who stay in Fengdu City to do business. You’ll find more than just ghosts here—there are many young cultivators, too. From now on, use your Celestial Eye before you make assumptions about people,” Qiu Rong Wanxue reminded them.

”So that’s how it is. Aren’t they afraid, living among ghosts?” one of the six young disciples, a girl, asked, a shiver running down her spine.

The thought that every resident of Fengdu City was a lifeless, lingering obsession was terrifying. Living in such a place was no different from living in a true ghost city. The entire ancient city was filled with ghosts. Just the idea was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

”In Fengdu City, as long as you don’t provoke the ghosts, they won’t provoke you. It’s best not to antagonize them. Making enemies of the ghosts in Fengdu City never ends well!” Qiu Rong Wanxue warned the disciples.

Indeed, Qiu Rong Wanxue was right. People who came to Fengdu City were there either for the spectacle or for fortune. They had no reason to make enemies of the ghosts; more often than not, they needed to trade with them. Thus, visitors to Fengdu City were loath to start any trouble.

In Fengdu City, making an enemy of the ghosts meant you likely wouldn’t leave alive.

Qiu Rong Wanxue led Peng Zhuang, the other five disciples, and Li Qiye onward, sightseeing as they went. It took them a full two days to finally reach their destination: the Night Sea.

For anyone hoping to accomplish anything in Fengdu City, the first stop was always the Night Sea. This was because the common currency wasn’t the Essence Jades of the outside world, but Night Sun Fish—and Night Sun Fish could only be found in the Night Sea.

The Night Sea was less a sea and more a lake. In fact, it was an immense lake, and standing before it was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

The water before them was black as ink. Gazing out from the shore, one was overcome with a sinister, gloomy feeling. The entire Night Sea resembled a colossal, malevolent ghost with its gaping maw wide open, ready to devour anyone at any moment.

”Night Sea, I’m here! Let’s do this!” Upon seeing the Night Sea, Peng Zhuang and the other five young disciples felt no fear, only immense excitement. Peng Zhuang, in particular, looked ready to dive into the water right then and there to scoop up some Night Sun Fish.

”Don’t be reckless.” Qiu Rong Wanxue’s sharp rebuke stopped all six of them in their tracks. In a low, serious voice, she said, ”Once you step into the Night Sea, you can never come back out. You’ll die without a trace.”

Hearing their Clan Leader’s words, Peng Zhuang and the others froze in shock. A chill ran down their spines. ”Really?” one of the disciples asked.

”The Night Sea is an incredibly dangerous place. Anyone who steps into its waters will die without a trace and never return. Even a Great Sage would be no exception,” Qiu Rong Wanxue warned them with a solemn expression.

”Then how are we supposed to catch Night Sun Fish?” Peng Zhuang asked.

”We find a Ferry Boat. Only Ferry Boats can enter the Night Sea,” Qiu Rong Wanxue explained. ”Entering the Night Sea without one is just courting death.”

”Over there—” A sharp-eyed disciple spotted a small boat moored at the shore. But before they could even react, they saw a dozen or so youths board it and set off into the vast Night Sea.

Qiu Rong Wanxue led the group to look for a Ferry Boat, but they found several in a row only to find they’d been beaten to it; they were all already rented.

Each Ferry Boat was piloted by a Ferryman, which Peng Zhuang and the others found very strange. The Ferrymen looked different from the other ghosts in Fengdu City. They had physical bodies and even emanated a faint aura of Blood Qi.

”Are the Ferrymen human or ghost?” Looking at them, Peng Zhuang and the others felt a chill creep over them. Each Ferryman was dressed in ancient-looking clothes, like a corpse that had climbed out of a tomb. Their eyes, in particular, were filled with Ghost Qi, a chilling sight for anyone who met their gaze.

”No one knows. The Ferrymen have always been here, rowing their boats. And only a Ferryman can pilot a Ferry Boat,” Qiu Rong Wanxue said, shaking her head.

”Are the Ferrymen like the ghosts of Fengdu City? Are they also unable to leave?” one disciple couldn’t help but ask, noticing the faint Blood Qi emanating from a Ferryman.

”Not necessarily.” Li Qiye, who had been as quiet as a well-behaved child, smiled and shook his head. ”There are legends that a Ferryman once left and achieved invincibility.”

”Left Fengdu City?” The disciple was stunned. ”For real?”

Qiu Rong Wanxue glanced at Li Qiye and said, ”That’s just a legend. The person in question was the patriarch of the Mingdu Marsh. But it is only a legend.”

”I’ve heard that one!” Peng Zhuang slapped his thigh excitedly. ”You’re talking about the Mingdu Immortal Emperor! Some legends say he came from Fengdu City and was very likely a Ferryman!”

”The Mingdu Immortal Emperor, yes,” Qiu Rong Wanxue said. ”But again, it’s just a legend. The Mingdu Marsh has never acknowledged such a claim. Besides, the Ferrymen of the Night Sea cannot leave this place. No one has ever heard of a Ferryman leaving the Night Sea!”

The Mingdu Immortal Emperor was an Immortal Emperor who preceded the Qianli Immortal Emperor. There were many legends about his origins, but two were the most widely circulated. One claimed he was a ghostly ferryman on the Nether River, while the other claimed he came from the Night Sea of Fengdu City.

This latter legend held that the Mingdu Immortal Emperor was once a Ferryman on the Night Sea. He later had an incredible, fortuitous encounter that turned him from dead to living. He then broke free from the Night Sea, left Fengdu City, and eventually became an invincible Immortal Emperor.

But whether the legend placed his origins at the Nether River or the Night Sea, they were all just that—unverified legends. Furthermore, the Mingdu Marsh, as the inheritors of the Mingdu Immortal Emperor’s legacy, flatly denied such claims.

Most in later generations believed that the Mingdu Immortal Emperor originated from the Ghost Race, a point that was indeed acknowledged by many who lived during his era.

After being beaten to several Ferry Boats, Qiu Rong Wanxue paused in thought. She glanced at Li Qiye, then said, ”Fellow Daoist Li, can you watch them for me? I’ll go look for a Ferry Boat.”

Compared to Peng Zhuang and the other hot-blooded, reckless young disciples, Li Qiye—who appeared as harmless as a well-behaved child—seemed far more trustworthy. He gave off a steady and reliable air, which was why Qiu Rong Wanxue would entrust the group to him, even if only temporarily.

Li Qiye beamed. ”Don’t worry, Clan Leader. We’ll all wait right here for you.” This was a perfect opportunity for him. He could finally ask Peng Zhuang about the First Evil Tomb.

Qiu Rong Wanxue gave Li Qiye one last look, issued some final instructions to Peng Zhuang and the others, and then hurried off to find a Ferry Boat.

Once Qiu Rong Wanxue was gone, Li Qiye asked Peng Zhuang, ”Brother Peng, you mentioned a giant hand back when the sky went dark. What was it like?”

”Brother Li is quite interested in that, I see,” another disciple said with a quick laugh. They held no ill will toward Li Qiye; on the contrary, they had a rather favorable impression of him.

”The sky suddenly going dark that day scared me badly. So now that I hear Brother Peng talk about a giant hand, I can’t help but be curious,” Li Qiye said with a relaxed smile.

”Speaking of which, that scared me stiff! I heard the Clan Leader and the Elders went to the Ancestral Land immediately, afraid that something major was about to happen.” At the mention of this, the other five disciples all grew interested and began chattering at once.

”The moment the sky went dark, I definitely saw a giant hand. It was only for an instant, but I’m sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me,” Peng Zhuang insisted solemnly.

In truth, very few people believed him, because only he had seen the giant hand. As it happened, he was the only one looking toward the First Evil Tomb at that exact moment.

”What kind of giant hand was it?” Li Qiye asked, his interest clearly piqued.

”Well... how should I put it? It was a massive, massive hand. It seemed to be a world unto itself. The hand was like a starry sky, or maybe its own world, with stars, a sun, and a moon. When it appeared, it was as if that giant hand was going to replace our very sky...” Peng Zhuang said, carefully recalling the events of that day.