Emperor’s Domination

The majority of the tablets had no markings. Only a few had special markings that were done meticulously.

In fact, some of them were carved from ordinary rocks. There must be more than a hundred of them.

This desolate scene should give off a creepy feeling but on the contrary, there was something dignified about this place. Those buried here didn’t wish to be bothered.

This atmosphere existed in a natural manner, not created through grand architecture. Firerage felt as if incredible gods and devils were buried in this place.

Each owner of a grave, when alive, had a peerless era of brilliance. He could see them being worshipped and feared by all living beings.

Alas, their time has passed and now, they have returned to the earth.

Li Qiye took his time walking by each tablet and gently traced his fingers through them, seemingly getting to know them and their legacy.

Without needing to read any information, Li Qiye came to learn about these great beings. Eventually, he sat down next to one and enjoyed the breezes.

Firerage followed him silently, only fulfilling his duty as Li Qiye’s protector. He knew about this cemetery and that none of these graves belonged to those from Eight-stallion Dynasty. The dao lord gave implicit permission for the cemetery’s existence inside his domain.

Uncle Xiang, the keeper, has been here for a long time as well. Nonetheless, this seemed to be a suitable job for a man near the end of his life.

The members of Eight-stallion Dynasty didn’t pay attention to it. However, as the person in charge of security, Firerage had wondered about this before.

At the start, he thought that Uncle Xiang would die after a few years. Alas, decades passed and he was still alive, and then centuries…

He had asked His Majesty before but the latter didn’t comment on it. Firerage could tell that the dao lord knew more than he let on but wanted to keep this a secret.

As Firerage waited close to Li Qiye, he got the feeling that Li Qiye was connecting with the cemetery again, that he knew everything there was to know about each grave and its owner.

Once again, he found himself being more confident in Li Qiye’s knowledge than His Majesty’s. The latter had entered numerous dangerous areas and broken domains. How would this regular cultivator know more than him?

This only confirmed his suspicion of how deliberate His Majesty’s decision was regarding the successor.

After a long while, Li Qiye opened his eyes and sighed.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Firerage became worried since Li Qiye looked a bit fatigued and sentimental.

“Your king is very lucky.” Li Qiye stared at him and said.

“What do you mean, Your Highness?” Firerage didn’t understand.

“Though he is no longer around, he has guaranteed his descendants’ success for ages to come.” Li Qiye smiled.

“Are you referring to the princess?” Firerage wondered.

“Let’s go.” Li Qiye didn’t elaborate. He patted the dust off his clothes and said.

The two of them left the cemetery and Old Xiang didn’t come out. They only heard coughing from the cabin.

Firerage did remember to say goodbye and got a faint response from the old man.

***

The moment they returned to the palace, a girl also arrived, looking rather unhappy.

“Who are you?” She said inquisitively with her hands on her waist.

Around ten years of age, she exuded nobility and seemed to be crafted from jade. Everyone could tell that her bloodline was noble. Her eyes were round and black, brimming with spirituality.

Her vitality and innate energy were extraordinary as well. The power that could come out of her small frame was out of this world; she could run for thousands of miles without a problem.

It became clear that she was a heavener due to the marking on her forehead.

“I should be asking you this.” Li Qiye teased.

“Your Highness.” Firerage greeted her.

“My name is A’zhui, Eight-stallion Dynasty is my home.” She declared. [1]

She was Eight-stallion Dao Lord’s only direct descendant in the lower three continents. However, no one knew who her mother was, not even Firerage.

The dao lord brought her back to the dynasty one day - that’s the extent of everyone’s knowledge.

1. The literary meaning for Zhui is piebald horse. On a side note, would have been cool if Shen Juntian was spared and come with Li Qiye up here too. ☜