Dominator Emperor

Qing Jinzi and his group took out all the items they had obtained in Fengdu City, but their collection was a far cry from Prince Shen Ran’s. The prince had brought many disciples from the Divine Burning Country, and they had been in Fengdu City for a long time. Having caught a considerable number of Night Sun Fish, they had managed to trade for a great many things.

”How did this fall into your hands?” Li Qiye’s expression changed the moment Little Ghost took out the Small Wooden Coffin. He stared at it for a good while before becoming certain that it was absolutely genuine.

”Fate,” Little Ghost said, looking at Li Qiye with a quick smile. ”Do you want it? Let’s make a trade. I’ll trade you for what’s in your bottle.”

Li Qiye smiled and shook his head gently. ”You should know that what’s in my bottle is not something I can trade. However, I am determined to have this Small Wooden Coffin.”

”Hmph, how many treasures from Fengdu City could you possibly have?!” Prince Shen Ran was instantly displeased. He let out a cold snort and said icily, ”Do you have enough treasures from Fengdu City to trade for this senior’s Small Coffin?”

It was no wonder Prince Shen Ran was displeased. Of everyone present, he possessed the most treasures from Fengdu City, and Little Ghost had come specifically for such items. This meant he had the best chance of obtaining the Small Wooden Coffin. Now that Li Qiye was meddling again, how could he not be furious?

Li Qiye had already ruined his previous deal, and now he was interfering again. The prince was about to go mad with rage. He desperately wanted to annihilate this suicidal fool!

Li Qiye completely ignored him and said to Little Ghost, ”Although I can’t trade the item you want, I have something else you will definitely be interested in.” He then took out a Treasure Box and handed it over.

Little Ghost opened the Treasure Box. As soon as it was opened, a golden light flared from within. His expression changed the instant he saw the contents. He snapped the box shut and took a deep breath.

”This is one of the very things I need!” Little Ghost handed the Small Wooden Coffin to Li Qiye. ”It’s yours now.”

No one knew what was inside Li Qiye’s Treasure Box to have moved Little Ghost so deeply. Of course, Li Qiye’s item was more than capable of doing so. The box contained a tender leaf from the World Tree—the very last one in existence.

Such an item was basically impossible to find in this world. One could even say that this single leaf in Li Qiye’s possession was the only one left. It was something Little Ghost desperately needed, so naturally, he was more than willing to make the exchange.

”We’ll meet again if fate allows.” Little Ghost put away Li Qiye’s Treasure Box and left without a moment’s hesitation.

Watching Little Ghost depart, Li Qiye gently caressed the palm-sized wooden coffin in his hand and sighed softly. ’So this thing has appeared in the world after all,’ he thought. ’Who would have ever expected it?’

Qiu Rong Wanxue was also extremely curious. ’What in the world is inside this Small Wooden Coffin,’ she wondered, ’that would make my Young Master treat it with such importance?’

Although Qiu Rong Wanxue hadn’t been with Li Qiye for long, she knew that there were very few things he truly valued. He could casually give away an item as precious as the Immortal Moon Mei, yet he treated this unremarkable-looking Small Wooden Coffin with the utmost gravity. This filled her with curiosity. What could possibly be inside?

After Little Ghost left, the crowd began to disperse. People left one after another, and even Qing Jinzi and his group started to depart.

As he was leaving, Ye Sha glanced at Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue, flashing them a sinister smile before departing. He didn’t make a move, however.

Prince Shen Ran shot Li Qiye a look, snorted, and said coldly, ”You little brat, you’d better watch your back!” He then turned and left with his entourage.

One other person specifically stared at Li Qiye before leaving—Mo Li Dao. He was some distance away, but he watched Li Qiye with a terrifying light flickering in his eyes. He gave a cold sneer, then departed.

”I’m afraid some people have ill intentions toward us. They want our treasures.” Qiu Rong Wanxue could feel the tense atmosphere. Although no one had made a move yet, she sensed that they wanted to.

Qiu Rong Wanxue said in a low voice, ”We should leave Central City now. If we leave tonight, we might be able to shake them.”

”Leave?” Li Qiye gave a faint, leisurely smile. ”Why should we leave? If people want to come here to die, that’s a good thing.”

Qiu Rong Wanxue gave a wry smile. Since her Young Master had spoken, she didn’t try to persuade him further. However, she remained on high alert. Neither Ye Sha nor Prince Shen Ran and his followers were people she could afford to provoke.

Not only did Li Qiye not leave, but he actually checked into an inn in Central City. Of course, any inn in Fengdu City was bound to be run by a Ghost Envoy.

Staying in such a place required a certain amount of courage. However, there was an advantage to staying at a Ghost Envoy’s inn: you could get information from them. This was especially useful for newcomers who wanted to learn the layout of Fengdu City or the details about its various Evil Lands. Asking the Ghost Envoys was the best way to do so.

”Why are we staying here?” Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn’t help but ask after they had settled in. In truth, not many foreign Cultivators stayed in Ghost Envoy inns. Most Cultivators carried their own portable Ancient Halls and pavilions, allowing them to set up camp anywhere.

”We’re going to stay here for a few days,” Li Qiye said with a smile. ”Since we’re already in Central City, I want to ask about someone. No, I should say, some *ghost*. I wonder if he’s here.”

Hearing this, Qiu Rong Wanxue said no more. At this point, she simply followed all of Li Qiye’s arrangements.

”What’s inside that Small Wooden Coffin?” Qiu Rong Wanxue asked, unable to contain her curiosity as she watched Li Qiye fiddle with it.

Ever since they had checked in, Li Qiye had been fiddling with the Small Wooden Coffin, seemingly never tiring of it. Strangely, however, he never tried to open it.

”Well...” Li Qiye smiled. ”What’s inside isn’t something you can comprehend. Besides, this wooden coffin is ’natural’.”

”’Natural’? What do you mean?” Qiu Rong Wanxshe asked, momentarily stunned.

”’Natural’ means it was simply found this way,” Li Qiye explained. ”For the previous eight coffins, Little Ghost placed the items inside them himself. Take your Cyan Heaven Cicada cocoon, for instance. It needed Jade Heart Cold Jade to hatch, so Little Ghost carved a coffin-shaped box from Jade Heart Cold Jade, sealed the cocoon inside, and waited for it to hatch.”

”So your Small Coffin was already like this from the beginning,” Qiu Rong Wanxue said, understanding immediately.

Li Qiye nodded gently. ”No one could have placed the item inside—at least, not Little Ghost. It has been in there for a very, very long time. It has borne the weight of countless eons of Time, drifting through the boundless Three Thousand Worlds.”

”Is it a treasure inside?” Qiu Rong Wanxue asked, looking at the palm-sized Small Wooden Coffin. If not for her Young Master’s immense regard for it, she honestly couldn’t see what was so valuable about it.

”A treasure?” Li Qiye chuckled. ”I’m afraid no treasure in this world can compare to it. It’s not a treasure in the conventional sense, yet it surpasses countless treasures in the world! If Little Ghost weren’t in such desperate need of certain items, I doubt he would have been willing to part with it.”

”Do you know Little Ghost, Young Master?” Qiu Rong Wanxue asked. She felt that even if her Young Master didn’t know Little Ghost personally, he at least knew of his origins.

Li Qiye only gave a mysterious smile in response to her question. He then said, ”You may not be able to see what’s inside the Small Wooden Coffin for now, but I can show you this Copper Coffin.” With that, he took it out.

The Copper Coffin was large and heavy. When Li Qiye pushed it open, he revealed five copper door panels stacked on top of one another inside.

The five panels were all the same size. When arranged side-by-side, they formed one massive door.

They were copper doors, or at least each panel appeared to be cast from copper. While the five panels were identical in style, each was inscribed with different Dao Patterns and unique designs.

Each copper door featured a different central design, which was then surrounded by a multitude of Dao Patterns. Both the patterns and the Dao Patterns were unique to each door.

Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind these designs and Dao Patterns. The longer she looked, the more dazzled and disoriented she became. It was as if the five copper doors could open an ancient portal capable of sucking her very soul inside.

Just as Qiu Rong Wanxue felt her soul slipping from her body, on the verge of losing herself completely, Li Qiye suddenly covered her eyes. ”Don’t look for too long!” he whispered in her ear.

Li Qiye’s voice was like a thunderclap beside her ear, a sharp jolt that brought her back to her senses. Qiu Rong Wanxue shuddered as her soul snapped back into her body. Instantly lucid, she went limp with exhaustion and collapsed into Li Qiye’s arms.

After a long moment, the limp Qiu Rong Wanxue finally recovered. She took a deep breath, still shaken. ”What... what kind of Treasure Artifact is this?!”

”To be precise, it’s not a Treasure Artifact. Of course, you could consider it an Extraordinary Treasure,” Li Qiye said with a smile.

Recalling the feeling of her soul nearly being pulled from her body, Qiu Rong Wanxue was still filled with lingering fear. ”How powerful is this treasure?” she asked. ”How does it compare to an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure or an Immortal Emperor True Artifact?”

”Well...” Li Qiye smiled and shook his head. ”That’s hard to say. It depends on the circumstances. Used in the right way, it can be invincible. As the Five Heaven-Sealing Daoist Sects, it once sealed an entire realm. Of course, unleashing its ultimate power is no easy feat. Not just anyone can do it.”