Emperor’s Domination

Li Qiye gently caressed the giant bamboo and couldn’t help but gently sigh in his mind. He suddenly became sad for no reason and murmured: “Not everything in this world can be perfect. Although you can’t turn your dao into sentience, why is it not a good thing for you? Tens of millions of years would only be a blink of an eye. You can watch the seas turn into mulberry fields, and all the grievances and feuds in the mundane world are just ephemeral clouds and puffs of smoke.”

The green lights coming from the tree slightly shifted as if it was listening and responding to Li Qiye.

He gently leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. At this moment, he felt relaxed and carefree; at this second, his mind gained a rare moment of serenity. Many things had happened in the past millions of years. Although he could cause a storm in the Nine Worlds with a simple sway of his hand, although a simple gesture from him could massacre myriad realms, although his anger had caused the world to tremble, although the state of his eyes could change day and night… For the past millions of years, he had too many things to do: kill, battle, scheme, venture, train talents…

For millions of years, besides his deep slumbers, it was as if he had never slept before. His time seemed to pass by slowly as if each moment was an eternity.

At this time, he was sitting comfortably with peace of mind. Here, he didn’t need to think too much; he didn’t need to be vigilant against anything. Although he had countless secrets, he was able to relax at this time.

The giant bamboo seemed to be very quiet as well. Its green light became gentle as if it was quietly protecting Li Qiye.

After a long period of time, Li Qiye opened his eyes and reorganized his thoughts. He couldn’t help but smile while slowly walking around the bamboo tree.

The moment he made it halfway around, he saw a pond before him, emitting a gentle light. Before one even got close, they would feel the approaching water vapor permeate deep into their body.

The water in the pond was a collection of dew that dripped down from an old root of the tree. It took a very long time for this old root’s dew to slowly accumulate into an entire pond.

“People in this world always talk about the Immortal Nectar, but how many of them have actually seen it? How many of them know that ‘Immortal Nectar’ is merely a name?” Li Qiye chuckled after seeing the pond.

This was the Giant Bamboo Country’s Immortal Nectar. For many generations, many people of the country had tried to find the legendary Immortal Nectar, but all had failed. Every single location in the country had been searched, but no one was able to find it.

The Immortal Nectar was merely a name. Only those who were unaware would call this water Immortal Nectar. In fact, there were many types of Immortal Nectars, and the difference in rankings was quite great.

Li Qiye didn’t linger by the pond. He continued to tread forward around the pond of nectar and finally stood before a small cabin.

This cabin was not big and was also very simple. However, after millions of years, it was as if it hadn’t changed at all; it was still as clean and bright as before.

Countless images appeared in his mind while gazing at the little cabin ahead. The graceful and lively young girl that was as gentle as water and oh-so considerate… As he found himself lost in this scene, it felt as if all of it happened just yesterday, even though millions of years had passed.

“Squeak.” He opened the door and, amidst his daze, he could still hear the two words “young master” being tenderly cried out just like that year. The two words “young master” made his heart so happy!

This room was still clean, and the table and chairs inside were still the same. The bookshelf by the wall was still stocked neatly with old scrolls and trunks of books.

“Yan’er… you were not able to let go back then.” Li Qiye couldn’t help but let out a light smile. In the end, he could only sigh softly with a sad and helpless sensation while saying: “Those years lasted for ages… I once ruled myriad worlds, and some people even said that there was nothing I couldn’t do. However, the truth is, since time immemorial, frustration arose countless times. Countless people left my side, and I couldn’t keep them even if I wanted to.”

In the quiet little cabin, Li Qiye’s eyes were like a flowing river running across each corner of the room. This place was once filled with his presence.

Before he knew it, he was standing next to the bookshelf that housed many old scrolls. He couldn’t help but open some of them.

He easily read the words they contained as old scenes appeared right before his eyes. It was as if the past had struck him, as if it were yesterday, as if he was reliving past events.

If Madam Zi Yan saw these old scrolls, her soul would be scared away from her body because all of these things were secrets of the Giant Bamboo Country that were never passed down. Some of them were merit laws and techniques that even her country didn’t have.

Li Qiye only casually flipped through these secrets; they were not much to him. The merit laws and techniques that belonged to the Giant Bamboo Country mostly came from him. Only a small portion was created by its progenitor.

Back in that time, its progenitor was only an ordinary girl. Li Qiye let her stay by his side and led her down the path of the grand dao while teaching her supreme arts.

Due to various restraints, Li Qiye didn’t train her as a potential Immortal Emperor. Nevertheless, she stayed by his side as his maid and took care of his daily needs. Li Qiye, at the same time, gave his all and taught her the best techniques.

Although she couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor, her life and skill were extremely frightening and completely heaven-defying.

Li Qiye gently went through all of the scrolls on the shelf once before putting them back.

By the window, a guqin could be found. The sight of it caused Li Qiye to gently sigh. He sat before it and took a deep breath to calm his emotions before lifting his hands to play a melodious song that carried a free and relaxed temperament. 1

The melody was enchanting, and the tune seemed to be taking Li Qiye back to the past. Back then, Yan’er’s musical skill was also taught by him. Whenever he had something on his mind, Yan’er would play a tune for him. Now, when he played that old song again, he couldn’t help but think about the unforgettable past more and more.

Some time passed and the song finally ended. At this time, Li Qiye paused and was lost in his nostalgia. The scenery remained the same, but the people were gone…

***

Outside the Bamboo Garden, Madam Zi Yan summoned all eighteen Demon Monarchs. The moment they received the urgent order, they immediately came running.

At the same time, she ordered that besides her and the monarchs, no one else could enter the alchemy garden. It could be said that at this time, the entire garden was barricaded completely.

“That… that can’t be real!” After hearing the madam’s words, the Eagle Demon Monarch couldn’t help but take a deep breath and display a shocked expression.

In fact, all the other monarchs were aghast as well. To them, this was an impossible matter.

“How can this be? For millions of years, the legends stated that besides the progenitor, no one else has been able to enter the Bamboo Garden.” Ancient Pine emotionally stated.

Although they knew that Madam Zi Yan was absolutely not lying, they still found such a matter hard to believe and couldn’t accept it in a short period of time.

For many generations, even invincible Virtuous Paragons from the Giant Bamboo Country had tried to enter the Bamboo Garden, but they couldn’t successfully do so. And yet, an outsider like Li Qiye, a nameless junior, was able to enter as easily as flipping one’s palm.

If such words didn’t come from Madam Zi Yan, then the monarchs would have never believed it.

“He didn’t forcefully enter and instead went through a portal — this means that our deity has accepted him.” Madam Zi Yan said in a solemn tone.

The monarchs glanced at each other in astonishment. One of them said: “This is incredible… Our country has produced many wise rulers and geniuses, but none were accepted by our bamboo deity. Yet now, an outsider was able to enter. I just can’t believe it!”

“Your Majesty, what should we do now?” Another monarch had to ask.

At this point, all the monarchs looked at Madam Zi Yan and awaited her orders. They felt a bit helpless when an outsider had been recognized by their bamboo deity.

Madam Zi Yan looked at the monarchs in a serious manner and said: “Do fellow monarchs have any opinions? Go ahead voice them.”

Ancient Pine pondered for a bit before speaking: “Your Majesty, in my opinion, this is a good thing and is killing two birds with one stone. Young Noble Li’s dao of alchemy is peerless, so it is extremely hard for us to keep him. But now, with the acceptance of the deity, maybe we can keep him here.”

“Your Majesty, I feel Brother Ancient Pine’s opinion is right.” The alchemist monarch added: “Since no one from our country was able to obtain the deity’s acceptance for so long while Young Noble Li was able to, this means that he has fateful ties with our Giant Bamboo Country. Perhaps this is the will of the heavens, perhaps our progenitor in the heavens is answering our call so that we can have a chance to stand proudly on top of all the races…

“… Imagine Young Noble Li’s alchemy skill on top of being recognized by our deity! Maybe this means that our country will be led by Young Noble Li to a new glorious peak. Your Majesty, in my opinion, this is an extremely good omen and a reason for our country to rejoice.”

1. A guqin is a seven-string Chinese musical instrument that belongs to the zither family. This type of instrument has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement.