Dominator Emperor

But at that exact moment, an indescribable, mysterious aura erupted from Li Qiye.

”Don’t provoke me, or I will slaughter every last one of you!” Li Qiye said coldly. The mysterious aura enveloping him was the very same imposing presence emanating from the item he had borrowed from the Ancestor Flow Master.

The giant black shadow and the Ferrymen were clearly terrified of this item. The shadow made no move, and the thousands upon thousands of Ferrymen averted their gazes, not daring to look directly at Li Qiye.

At the same time, the Ferry Boat carrying the two of them, seemingly pushed by some unseen force, began to slowly drift toward the Other Shore.

This scene stunned all the young cultivators. Some even thought their eyes were playing tricks on them and couldn’t help but rub them.

’Impossible!’ Countless people couldn’t believe their eyes. Li Qiye had clearly killed a Ferryman, yet the giant black shadow and the thousands upon thousands of Ferrymen were actually letting him leave?

How could they possibly know that Li Qiye possessed an absurdly heaven-defying item, something that would absolutely terrify Ghosts like the Ferrymen.

Watching Li Qiye’s Ferry Boat grow distant and eventually vanish from sight, everyone was lost in a daze for a long time.

”Tch! He just got absurdly lucky!” Prince Shen Ran’s expression was utterly foul. He seethed with indignation, grinding his teeth in hatred, unable to believe Li Qiye had actually made it to the Other Shore alive.

Saint Child Ju Que watched Li Qiye’s departing figure, a glint flashing in his eyes. He muttered, ’That brat... he’s got something incredible on him!’ As he said this, a look of pure greed spread across his face.

”Merciful Buddha, merciful Buddha... Incredible, truly incredible,” Master Dazhi couldn’t help but mutter. In fact, just as Li Qiye had said, Master Dazhi did possess a Treasure Ship that could cross the Black Sea—the very one left behind by their patriarch, Mingdu Immortal Emperor.

However, Master Dazhi wouldn’t use this Treasure Ship lightly. He, too, was wary of the giant black shadow and the Ferrymen, and he couldn’t be certain whether he would be attacked if he attempted a forced crossing.

And now, Li Qiye had forced his way across the sea, even killing a Ferryman, yet thousands upon thousands of other Ferrymen hadn’t dared to make a move. Master Dazhi knew at once: Li Qiye possessed something even more terrifying than his own Treasure Ship.

Suddenly, a red cloud approached from the distance at an unparalleled speed. Master Dazhi’s expression changed at the sight. He hunched his shoulders, turned, and fled in a panic.

The Black Sea was silent. There was nothing but the ink-black water. The Ferry Boat carrying Li Qiye shot toward the Other Shore like an Anger Arrow.

Qiu Rong Wanxue was so stunned she could barely process what had happened. She never imagined Li Qiye’s method would be to kill a Ferryman and forcibly seize their Ferry Boat. And on top of that, not a single other Ferryman had dared to attack them. She had never even dreamed of such a thing before.

”What’s wrong? Are you so fond of this Young Master’s embrace that you can’t bear to leave?” Li Qiye’s teasing voice suddenly sounded in her ear while Qiu Rong Wanxue was still in a daze.

His words snapped Qiu Rong Wanxue out of her stupor. She realized she was pressed tightly against the Young Master’s chest, her arms still wrapped firmly around his powerful waist. Mortified, she wished she could disappear. Her whole body flushed hot, her legs went weak, and a tingling sensation spread from head to toe.

Qiu Rong Wanxue scrambled to her feet, her face burning crimson, not daring to meet Li Qiye’s gaze.

”Don’t fall for me. I’m just a legend.” In contrast to Qiu Rong Wanxue’s bashfulness, Li Qiye was perfectly calm and collected, even finding the mood to continue his teasing.

Qiu Rong Wanxue’s cheeks were on fire. Yet beneath her bashful embarrassment, she felt a strange twinge of loss, an indescribable sense of disappointment. After a long moment, she let out a soft, secret sigh.

Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue sat on the Ferry Boat as it sped toward the Other Shore. After traveling across the Black Sea for an unknown amount of time, they finally saw their destination.

Looking from afar, they saw a vast, dark continent. The sky above it, however, was a riot of color, with innumerable, brilliant shafts of light piercing the heavens.

The Ferry Boat slowly pulled up to the shore. Once they had disembarked, Li Qiye sealed the Ferry Boat within the Black Sea. Ferry Boats were somewhat similar to the Netherworld Ships of the Nether River; if such a vessel were to leave the inky black water, it would immediately crumble to dust, making it impossible to take with them.

Suddenly, a clear and melodious HUM rang out. The moment the two of them set foot on the Other Shore, their Dao Foundations became incredibly active. The Great Dao hummed in resonance as strands of Law materialized around them.

The Great Dao Sound resonated around both Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue. Strands of Law Divine Refinement unfurled like a Phoenix’s plumage, runes surfaced upon the Great Dao Laws, and Dao Patterns swirled about them.

It was as if the two of them had merged into the Great Dao itself. The very Heaven and Earth Dao resonated with their Dao Foundations. With every step they took, paths of the Great Dao materialized beneath their feet. The sound of the Dao rang out like a morning bell, and the Great Dao Laws surrounding them danced with vibrant life.

Qiu Rong Wanxue’s reaction was even more pronounced than Li Qiye’s. The Laws around her wove together, forming a Chapter Order, making her appear like an open Immortal Scripture. The Great Dao Laws churned, scattering motes of Dao light like falling gold dust, accompanied by a clear and melodious chime.

At this moment, a lotus bloomed with her every step. The Heaven and Earth Dao itself seemed to elevate her, following her wherever she went.

”Wh-what is going on?” Qiu Rong Wanxue was terrified. Although the sensation of the Great Dao’s resonance was unparalleled, and she was benefiting immensely from it, she knew herself well. With her talent and her level of Dao Practice, she was nowhere near capable of causing the Great Dao to resonate, let alone making the Heaven and Earth Dao follow her every move.

Yet here it was, happening to her. How could she not be frightened out of her wits?

”This place is a Dao Land,” Li Qiye said with a smile. ”And you are of the Ghost Race. This Dao Land has a profound connection with your people.”

After some effort, Qiu Rong Wanxue managed to calm herself. As she followed Li Qiye deeper into this land, she gradually began to notice its peculiarities.

The landscape was filled with rolling mountains and magnificent rivers, like a vast territory spanning millions of miles. But upon closer inspection, one would discover the truth: the mountains were framed with Dao Bones, their soil and rock formed from Daoist Techniques. The riverbeds were made of Dao Chapters, and the flowing water was made of Dao Patterns. The same was even true for the ”life” on this land.

The birds flying in the sky, the beasts roaming the ground, the very trees growing from the earth—none of them were truly alive. They were all manifestations of the Great Dao.

A great tree ahead of them seemed to prop up the very sky, its trunk ancient and its leaves a vibrant green. But a closer look revealed that several thick Great Dao Laws were twisted together to form the ancient, iron-hard trunk, while innumerable, silk-thin strands of Order Divine Refinement were interwoven to become the verdant leaves.

For instance, as a giant elephant ran past, one could see that its bones were a Dao Foundation and its flesh was made of Dao Chapters. Its eyes were pure accumulations of the Power of the Great Dao, and when it looked their way, that Power surged toward them like a tidal wave.

A bird flying overhead had feathers of Dao Pattern and a body of Dao Source, its eyes pools of Spiritual Qi condensed by Daoist Techniques...

On the surface, everything in this land seemed to brim with life. It was a kaleidoscope of color and energy, appearing for all the world like a Pure Land or a Holy Land.

In reality, however, no life existed here at all. Everything was a manifestation of the Great Dao—the form of the Dao, not the form of life.

At first, Qiu Rong Wanxue didn’t understand, assuming the land was teeming with life. But after walking with Li Qiye for some time, she slowly began to see the truth. Birds flew and beasts ran, but if one paid close enough attention, they would realize all these things completely lacked Life Force.

”Wh-what is all this?” Qiu Rong Wanxue found it utterly incredible. Compared to Fengdu City, this place was even more horrifying.

Fengdu City was inhabited by numerous Ghost Envoys, but they had their own consciousness and perceptions. They needed to survive, to live. One could even say that aside from lacking bodies of flesh and blood, the Ghost Envoys of Fengdu City were no different from the people of the outside world.

But this place was different. Everything here was dependent on the Great Dao. The growing trees and flying birds were not acting out of independent consciousness or an instinct for survival, but were simply manifestations of Great Dao Laws.

”You can think of this place as a Dao Land. Or, to be more precise, a manifestation of another Heaven and Earth Dao,” Li Qiye said with a smile.

”Th-that’s impossible.” Qiu Rong Wanxue was utterly shaken, finding it impossible to believe.

Everyone knew that the Nine Realms and Eight Desolations, the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, all the world’s living beings, the countless existences—all of it was the masterpiece of the Heaven and Earth Dao.

The existence of heaven and earth, of living beings, of the mortal world with its passions and desires—all of it stemmed from the Heaven and Earth Dao! Yet everything before her eyes was merely a manifestation of the Great Dao. Unlike the living world outside, all existence here was nothing but Laws—cold, unfeeling, and utterly devoid of Life Force.

This world was more like a vast, complex machine. It could operate with intricate precision, yet it possessed no Life Force whatsoever.

”You can think of it as a prototype for the Heaven and Earth Dao, though it doesn’t even qualify as that, because it cannot give birth to life. More accurately, this is a microcosm of a tiny, tiny corner of the Heaven and Earth Dao’s manifestation. The true Heaven and Earth Dao is far beyond our imagination. If some Wudi existence were to claim they command the Heaven and Earth Dao and control the Heaven and Earth Laws, you could picture it as being something like this...

”...Of course,” Li Qiye added with a smile, ”those capable of mastering a Heaven and Earth Dao even on this scale are few and far between in all the world.”

Then, he added with a sigh of emotion, ”The true Heaven and Earth Dao upholds the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands and gives rise to the living beings of the Ten Thousand Realms. Its mysteries, its profundity... I fear no one will ever be able to fully comprehend them. The true Heaven and Earth Dao is different from the ’Heaven and Earth Dao’ cultivators often speak of. What cultivators refer to is merely one part of it—a type of power, a type of Law. Since time immemorial, Immortal Emperors have referred to the true Heaven and Earth Dao as the Heaven and Earth Origin Dao, the Heaven and Earth Ten Thousand Paths, or the True Dao of Heaven and Earth!”