Emperor’s Domination

He meditated for several days in this nameless temple before coming out from the guest room.

The old nun was still sitting in the main hall. Even when Li Qiye came, she didn’t bother looking as if nothing could bother her from her state of zen.

Li Qiye told the nun: “I want to read the buddhist scrolls at the Sutra Room.”

The nun finally opened her pair of heavy and listless eyes that seemingly resulted from old age.

“The Sutra Room is only for fateful ones.” She calmly answered in an indifferent manner after taking a quick glance at Li Qiye.

“I am a fateful one.” He responded softly. With that, he didn’t say anything else. He didn’t wait for her permission before going straight to the Bodhisattva statue. He took out a wooden key beneath it and left.

From start to finish, the old nun didn’t move at all from her futon. Even when Li Qiye took the key, she remained quiet. However, her aged eyes instantly lit up like the sun and moon in a profound and unfathomable manner.

Still, she didn’t say or take any action and eventually closed her eyes to meditate again.

Li Qiye went to the very end of the temple. There was a hallway that led to a small room without any signs or plaques.

However, this was the Sutra Room that Li Qiye was looking for. When he reached the room, he inserted the wooden key. Despite the lock issuing a click, the old wooden door still didn’t open.

He placed his palm on the old door that had experienced countless years. Nevertheless, the runes on the door were still very clear.

After his touch, these runes began to change. They slowly intertwined to form a lotus flower. It appeared very sacred and gave others a feeling of ataraxia.

“Clakk!” The wooden door slowly opened and Li Qiye entered the Sutra Room. It closed behind him right afterward.

It was a room with many levels of bookshelves and numerous scriptures as far as the eyes could see. This room was not as small as it looked from the outside. There was a heavenly grotto within. Before actually entering, no one would be able to realize it.

Just like its name, the Sutra Room contained Buddhist scriptures. If others were to assume that it contained martial scriptures or supreme techniques, then they would be completely mistaken.

Only Buddhist scriptures were here. Moreover, the majority were the original copy as well, all hand-written by venerable monks. Thus, one was met with a majestic and serene Buddhist aura that permeated throughout the entire room.

Li Qiye walked and browsed these scriptures that came from all over the world. This was an accumulation of books throughout the long years. He, his generals, and the lineages that worked for him all stored scriptures in this place.

This place had to be the location with the most complete collection of Buddhist scriptures in this world. What was even more astonishing was that some of the scriptures here came from Nalanda. They were the original version so outsiders shouldn’t have been able to obtain them.

Li Qiye selected quite a few scriptures from the vast collection. The majority of the ones he chose came from the Buddhist Funeral Plateau and Nalanda.

Li Qiye had read through these scriptures before back during the long and arduous years. However, he had an entirely new strategy this time around, so he needed to read these scriptures as preparation to enter the Nihility Temple.

This wouldn’t be their first confrontation. This time, he would have a new approach.

Afterwards, he began to chant the sutras and became immersed in the dharma. This was not an attempt at comprehension but a process of transformation. I am Buddha, I am the law — this was the effect that Li Qiye desired.

With his recitation and assuming the Buddhist doctrine, visual phenomena began to emerge. Each of his words came out as lotuses while a Buddhist radiance shrouded his body. This made him resemble a Buddhist Lord.

The old abbess of the temple remained indifferent towards Li Qiye and didn’t even bother to look at him. She treated him as if he wasn’t staying inside this temple.

“Bang!” One day during his meditation, a heavy crash resounded outside as if something had slammed into the ground. This prompted his eyes to open.

He went outside and saw that a woman had fallen into the courtyard. She was dressed in a loose black attire that hid her identity. Her body was spotted with blood marks and she had difficulty standing up at this moment.

“Clank—” When Li Qiye got close, the woman in black suddenly unsheathed her sword and coldly glared at him with her pretty eyes.

Li Qiye looked at her and smiled calmly before speaking: “Escaping with a heaven-defying void shattering technique has left you devoid of blood energy. You are no different than an ordinary girl at this time, no, you’re even weaker than one. Even a mortal can kill you right now.”

She continued to glare at him and didn’t speak as if she wanted to read something from his expression.

Li Qiye slowly reached out to this woman. She looked at him once more and hesitated a bit before taking his hand so that he could help her up.

He supported her into the room and let her sit down. Meanwhile, the old abbess in the main hall continued to ignore the whole situation. She meditated with her eyes closed as if she didn’t notice the woman in black.

Inside the room, Li Qiye brought over clean water and spoke insipidly towards the woman: “Clean yourself of this bloody stench, it’s ruining my vibe.”

The woman silently looked at him and didn’t want to clean her face. Without a doubt, she didn’t want to reveal her face to him.

“Okay, show your true face. Your outfit and transformation might fool others, but not me.” Li Qiye looked at her and spoke: “A disciple of the Sleeping Dragon Cliff will always have the stench of the sea no matter where they go. I already know who you are without needing to look!”

“Who are you!” The woman was startled and raised her voice. Despite her grave injury and powerlessness, there was still an unchanging imposing force. Just her words alone had a deterrent effect.

Li Qiye chuckled: “The person who saved your life. Of course, you can call me by another name, Chu Yuntian!”

The woman felt anxious and doubtful. She looked at him but failed to truly understand him. The man was quite handsome. Despite seeming normal, he was full of mysteries.

“Okay, don’t be so paranoid of me. If I harbored bad intentions towards you, I would destroy you even when you are at your prime.” Li Qiye said with a smile.

She looked at him once more. Eventually, her body slightly changed as she revealed her true form. It was Wo Longxuan, the Sleeping Dragon Cliff’s sect master!

Li Qiye calmly looked at her revealed face while she only washed her face in silence.

“Mmm, much better. Although it cannot wash away the natural sea smell from your people, at least it washed away that smell of blood.” Li Qiye chuckled.

After she finished washing up, the entire room was lit up from her brilliance. Despite being pale from the wounds, it didn’t affect her style. She almost vomited blood from anger after hearing his remark. Even if he saved her, she still glared at him angrily and said: “I don’t have a sea stench!”

He looked at her and smiled: “If you are the cliff’s descendant, then you should know of your origin.”

“Hmph, what origin?” She coldly responded while being very annoyed at him.

He leisurely spoke: “Although your dragon cliff is not an imperial lineage, it is one of the oldest lineages. A non-imperial sect standing strong for millions of years in the northern Grand Sea, why do you think that is?”

She didn’t answer his question and only stared at him.

He sat down and nonchalantly continued: “A long time ago at the bottom of the northern sea, there once existed a particular race. They dwelled in the depths, isolated from the rest of the world. It was not until later that someone from this race exited the sea. From that point on, the world slowly came to know of the race’s existence…”

Wo Longxuan’s eyes turned serious when Li Qiye reached this point. Very few people knew about this story these days. Even the cliff’s disciples weren’t aware of it.

Li Qiye smilingly revealed: “… Gradually, this race disappeared while the northern sea received a new lineage named the Sleeping Dragon Cliff. No one knew of its exact identity as it rose to prominence overnight.”