Dominator Emperor

A bald monk stood there, the discipline scars on his head particularly conspicuous. A string of large, round Buddha Beads hung from his chest. With his hands clasped in a prayer gesture and a beaming smile, one might mistake him for an Enlightened Monk at first glance.

”Monk Dazhi.” Seeing this monk before him, Li Qiye smiled and shook his head.

Monk Dazhi looked at Li Qiye, also clasping his hands with a smile. He chanted a Buddhist mantra, ”Amitabha. Mr. Li, we are truly fated to meet. I never expected to run into you even here in the distant Netherworld.”

”Don’t—” Li Qiye waved his hand dismissively. ”I’m not fond of monks. You show up and ruin my fun. I was just about to slaughter that brat, but you scared him away.”

Monk Dazhi didn’t mind at all. He said with a smile, ”If Mr. Li wants to slaughter him, what’s so difficult? As the saying goes, ’You can run, but you can’t hide.’ If Mr. Li really has it in for him, you can just charge right into the Nightwalker Sect, level the Nightwalker Sect, and annihilate the Ye Xing Clan!”

Hearing Monk Dazhi’s words, Qiu Rong Wanxue, who was beside Li Qiye, couldn’t help but shudder. The Nightwalker Sect was a Great Sect. For this monk to speak so casually of leveling it was far too arrogant.

Li Qiye shot him a sidelong glance. ”Are you trying to egg me on? Monk, don’t try to use me as your weapon. Careful, or I’ll tear down your temple and pluck you clean.”

”Merciful Buddha, merciful Buddha. Mr. Li, your hostility is truly soaring to the heavens. It ought to be purified.” Monk Dazhi clasped his hands, adopting the air of a High Monk. Those who didn’t know him would have really thought he was one.

Li Qiye spread his hands and squinted at Monk Dazhi. ”So, you’re saying you want to enlighten me, Monk? I’ve been waiting for a divine being to grant me Enlightenment. Go on then, you do it.”

Monk Dazhi was genuinely startled by Li Qiren’s words. He immediately retreated several steps and frantically waved his hands. ”A joke, just a joke! I am just a humble monk who stokes the fires. My Daoist Technique is shallow. How could I possibly have the qualifications to grant Enlightenment to a Divine Being like Mr. Li?”

”Good, as long as you understand. Remember, you owe me a favor. You scared off my prey,” Li Qiye said leisurely, glancing at Monk Dazhi with a calm and unhurried demeanor.

”Well, in that case, I’ll just go capture Ye Sha and bring him back to you, Mr. Li,” Monk Dazhi said hurriedly, startled.

Li Qiye shook his head. ”It’s too late for that. A hunt is all about the process. If you go and drag him back now, there’s no fun in it. In short, you owe me a favor. Understand?”

Monk Dazhi couldn’t help but pull a long face. He said with a wry smile, ”Mr. Li, aren’t you just digging a pit and waiting for me to jump in? You’re setting me up on purpose.”

Li Qiye chuckled leisurely. ”You’re wrong about that. You’re the one who jumped out to act cool. What’s that got to do with me? If you hadn’t been showing off, none of this would have happened.”

Monk Dazhi couldn’t help but hang his head, resigning himself to his fate. However, this ”wine and meat” monk was an optimist. A moment later, he lifted his head again, looked at Qiu Rong Wanxue beside Li Qiye, and let out a sly chuckle.

”Amitabha.” Monk Dazhi chanted the mantra and said with a grin, ”Mr. Li, how are things progressing with that lass from Feihuai Manor?”

Li Qiye gave him a slow look. ”None of your damn business. You’re a monk, what are you doing asking about such worldly matters?”

”Heh, Mr. Li, I’m just concerned about you,” Monk Dazhi said with a beaming smile. ”You should know, that lass is famous in Nanyao Yun for being difficult to deal with. Heh, when she flies off the handle, anyone would get a massive headache. As her fiancé, Mr. Li, you’ve run off to the Netherworld with a lone woman. If that lass were to find out about this, things could get ugly.”

At Monk Dazhi’s words, Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn’t help but blush. This monk was definitely not a proper one.

”What, are you threatening me now?” Li Qiuye glanced at him and said.

This time, it was Monk Dazhi’s turn to be calm and composed. He said slowly, ”Mr. Li, as the saying goes, if you want to keep someone quiet, you have to offer them some benefits. Don’t you agree? Without any benefits, well, there’s no telling what this big mouth of mine might say.”

Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh. He said leisurely, ”Speaking of keeping mouths shut, I know the best method. Do you know who’s the best in the world at not leaking secrets? A dead man. If a person is dead, it doesn’t matter how much they knew.”

”What is all this nonsense?” Qiu Rong Wanxue was vexed. The way the two of them were talking, it was as if her relationship with Li Qiye was something illicit that couldn’t be exposed, when absolutely nothing had happened between them.

Monk Dazhi, startled by Li Qiye, retreated a few steps and laughed dryly. ”Amitabha. Merciful Buddha, merciful Buddha. Mr. Li, you’re taking it too seriously. I was just joking.”

”Alright, stop pretending to be a High Monk in front of me, you wine-and-meat monk.” Li Qiye waved his hand dismissively, smiling and shaking his head. ”It doesn’t matter even if you tell that lass. For a man, having three wives and four concubines is just a part of life. There’s no woman I can’t handle.”

This made Qiu Rong Wanxue shoot him a look. This young man didn’t just talk big when facing enemies; even on matters like this, his arrogance was off the charts.

”Brilliant! Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Monk Dazhi gave a thumbs-up in admiration. Then he rubbed his hands together and chuckled. ”Heh, Mr. Li—no, Brother Li, how about you teach this little brother of yours a thing or two? I have the utmost admiration for Brother Li’s wife-taming arts. I’m in absolute awe of you, Brother Li. My respect for you is like the waters of the three great rivers, flowing on and on without end...”

Monk Dazhi’s sudden change left Qiu Rong Wanxue dumbfounded and speechless. ’He’s a monk, what does he need to learn the art of taming a wife for?’

”What, are you giving up being a monk? Has your mortal heart suddenly been stirred? Thinking of returning to secular life?” Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at Monk Dazhi.

The words made Monk Dazhi a bit awkward. He gave a dry laugh and said, ”To be honest with you, Brother Li, heh, me being a monk... that’s just a temporary measure. A temporary measure.”

”So you really are a fake monk,” Li Qiye laughed. ”It’d be one thing if you were just a wine-and-meat monk, but you’re actually a fake one too.”

At this point, Li Qiye squinted his eyes and said with a smile, ”Taming a wife? Do you even need a special method for that? Fine, I’ll teach you. Just push her onto the bed. Everything will be fine after that.”

”Shameless—” Qiu Rong Wanxue’s face flushed crimson. Both embarrassed and angry, she huffed. She was speechless. This young man really dared to say anything.

”Er—” Even Monk Dazhi was choked speechless by his words. Finally, he couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

Li Qiye shook his head and said with a laugh, ”Forget it. Every family has its own problems to deal with; you’ll have to figure it out yourself. But still, fake monk, how did you end up fleeing all the way to the Netherworld?”

”Didn’t Brother Li come to the Netherworld as well?” Monk Dazhi said with a grin. ”After the Lost Divine Island disappeared, the news exploded across Yao Yun. There are rumors that some people in the Netherworld saw a giant hand extend from the First Evil Tomb. Because of that, many Great Teaching Territories are rushing over here. A lot of the old monsters are guessing that the First Evil Tomb might open in this generation, so everyone’s coming to join the excitement. That’s why I came running, too.”

Li Qiye wasn’t surprised by this news. A secret like this couldn’t be kept forever. The number of people who saw the giant hand emerge from the First Evil Tomb was likely far greater than just Qiu Rong Wanxue and her group. At dusk, the First Evil Tomb suddenly extended a giant hand, and then the Lost Divine Island vanished. It was easy for people to connect the two events.

He had simply guessed the possibility before others and arrived a step ahead.

”You came to Fengdu City. Are you also hoping to get the key to the First Evil Tomb?” Li Qiye asked, looking at Monk Dazhi.

Monk Dazhi shook his head. ”The key to the First Evil Tomb isn’t that easy to obtain. That’s a matter of great Creation. For me, it doesn’t matter who gets the key. After all, once the First Evil Tomb is open, everyone can go in. So what if someone else gets the key? As long as it gets opened, that’s all that matters.”

”That’s true,” Li Qiye said with a smile. However, he had to get the key to the First Evil Tomb. For him, its purpose was far more than just opening the tomb.

Monk Dazhi said with a grin, ”But, I did hear a piece of news. I heard there’s an auction in Central City called the Little Ghost Coffin Auction. I wonder if Brother Li would be interested in going together?”

”Little Ghost Coffin Auction!” Li Qiye was inwardly startled. He narrowed his eyes, thinking of a certain existence, one that hadn’t shown its face in a very, very long time. He had thought that existence had died long ago.

”Alright then. I have nothing better to do anyway, so what’s the harm in taking a look?” Li Qiye was intrigued. If it really was the Little Ghost Coffin Auction, it would indeed be worth the trip.

Li Qiye and the others immediately set off for Central City. However, they hadn’t gone far when a red cloud drifted over from the horizon. The cloud was moving extremely fast, flying straight toward them.

The moment he saw the red cloud approaching from the horizon, Monk Dazhi’s expression changed drastically. He immediately said to Li Qiye, ”Brother Li, something’s come up, I have to go!” Before the words were even out of his mouth, he had turned to flee, as if he’d just seen his nemesis, escaping with incredible speed.

”Jian Xuan, even if you run to the End of the Earth, I will drag you back!” A fiery voice echoed from the horizon.

The approaching red cloud wasn’t a cloud at all, but a woman dressed in red. Her speed was incredible, and she instantly gave chase in the direction Monk Dazhi had fled.

And Monk Dazhi didn’t dare to linger for even a second. He vanished over the horizon in the blink of an eye, looking for all the world like a mouse that had just seen a cat.

”So he’s henpecked.” After seeing Monk Dazhi flee, Li Qiye couldn’t help but grin. Now he understood why the monk had wanted to learn the art of taming a wife.

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