Emperor’s Domination

“You’re right, but this will take an awfully long time.” Azure Ancestor sighed.

“Be patient since I cannot be the one to bestow the ancestral body or protect your race. Trust me, I didn’t help your race come into existence so that you all can be exterminated. That would mean my effort was wasted.” Li Qiye said.

“I will remember your guidance, Young Noble.” Azure Ancestor said: “We shall take it step by step and appreciate the journey.”

“Good, that is the right path.” Li Qiye nodded: “Accumulate slowly each day and eventually, the ancestral body will come uncontested. At that point, your ascension among the races won’t be as disastrous. There is no shortcut, the price is what will keep your future members grounded and humbled.”

“Do you have an estimate of how long this will take?” Sentinel Treant asked.

“Who knows? But the flower will blossom eventually.” Li Qiye shook his head.

“What if it won’t blossom?” Sentinel Treant wasn’t as confident.

“If that’s the mentality, then there is no need to do anything. Cultivators should just stop cultivating since most won’t become dao lords or conquerors.” Li Qiye smiled.

“You are right, Young Noble.” Azure Ancestor agreed.

Li Qiye stared at her and said sentimentally: “As a dao lord, you still have a very long way to go.”

“My path as a progenitor is even tougher.” She responded.

“Do you choose yourself or your race?” Li Qiye got to the point.

“As the first of my kind, I have a mission to fulfill.” Azure Ancestor: “I must be a proper progenitor and a role model for the sky spirits.”

“Are you sure that your path is the best one for them?” Li Qiye shook his head: “The most suitable path is the best one for each individual. I doubt many sky spirits can become a dao lord as easily as you.”

“Right.” She said softly.

“And if the sky spirits can actually reach your level, what will you do then?” Li Qiye asked.

“That is when my mission ends.” She said.

“Life doesn’t always go as planned.” Li Qiye smiled: “You cannot bend the world to your will, nor should you attempt to.”

“Bend the world to my will?” She didn’t expect to be reprimanded for her noble goal.

“For example, if someone desires world peace, then all warmongers will become sinners. If they wish for a world of light, then the darkness shall be dedicated. And if a progenitor wishes for their race to be similar, what will happen to those who are different?” Li Qiye elaborated.

“...” She fell into silence.

“The self is inherently unique so forcing others to follow your same path is an exercise of futility. It is overbearing, tyrannical, and leads to a dangerous path.” Li Qiye said.

“I’ don’t believe I’m that extreme.” She expressed disagreement.

“For now, yes, because you aren’t capable of doing so yet. What if this changes in the future? What if you can bestow the sky spirits the same gift that you have? What will you do to those who refuse your way? Would that be considered betrayal or disrespect? That they do not understand your good intentions and hard work?” Li Qiye asked.

“Well…” She had no response.

Her lifelong mission was to improve the sky spirits. Who would say no to accepting her gift? Would she readily accept the refusal?

“Do not place hope in others nor force others to walk your path.” Li Qiye said: “Cultivation allows one to express their individuality. Only by being true to oneself will they truly become successful with the dao. Pursuing someone else’s dao is nothing more than a twisted path.”

He gazed strongly at her and said: “Keep this in mind, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Everything concerning the multitude should be approached with an open mind. As an apex existence, exercise restraint over your potential when blessing others, there is no need to strive for perfection lest you risk an imbalance and a backlash that will affect your dao heart. Repeated occurrences will weaken it, leading you toward damnation.”

“Is that so…” She remained skeptical.

“I welcomed you as a new race and stopped there. What if I had kept on working and working, placing my hope in the sky spirits only for them to disappoint me? Would I be able to laugh and shrug it off after spending an entire epoch on this goal? No, this disappointment will transform into anger.” He sighed and went on: “Many supreme overlords considered protecting the world and its living beings as their initial mission. Unfortunately, the world disappointed them, not worthy of their love for it. That would be the start of their fall and in time, they would want to destroy this unworthy world since it had betrayed their expectation.”

Azure Ancestor and Sentinel Treant exchanged glances. They have never thought that far into the future.

“Savior and destroyer, often two sides of the same coin.” Li Qiye concluded.

“Have you ever felt this way before, Young Noble?” She asked.

“I have done what I should. The world has its own path and I have mine.” Li Qiye smiled: “I place neither hope nor disappointment, I follow the heart and do what I wish, not for the sake of the world or anything else.”  

“Follow the heart.” She murmured.

“I hope you understand my point and think about the direction of your path, what you should do and shouldn’t. It is a noble mission but overdoing it will send you to the abyss. You won’t be in control after a certain point and before you realize it, it is over.” He paused for a second and added: “There is another path that you can take, one that will take you farther.”

Azure Ancestor took a deep breath to calm down and kneeled before Li Qiye: “Young Noble, you are my guiding light, granting me life and illuminating my path.”

“Fate, that’s all.” Li Qiye waved his hand: “Let’s stop here. I will stay in this place, for now, to help someone create their fortune, you two can leave.”

The two prostrated one more time before taking their leave so that Li Qiye could focus on healing the woman again.

They ordered everyone in Azure Peak to not bother Li Qiye.