Emperor’s Domination

“This is what you have been searching for, not only the thirteen palaces but also the inborn trinity. You will be able to break through the limit after comprehending them, becoming an Ancestor won’t be difficult.” Li Qiye said.

“I shall try my best, Sacred Teacher.” South Emperor took a deep breath and understood the significance.

“Buzz.” Li Qiye pointed ahead and the trinity started rotating in unison. The palaces poured down chaos and derived the dao.

“Comprehend them but take your time. Support your foundation and strengthen the dao heart. This only has meaning if you can persevere. Otherwise, what’s the point of becoming an Ancestor? It will only end with my having to slay you.” Li Qiye said: “How pointless of a life would that be? Far inferior to staying in the nine worlds as a hibernating genius, at least there would be positive legends about you in that case.”

Yes, and I would be letting you down, Sacred Teacher. I will focus on my dao heart alone before thinking about cultivation. If it isn’t stable enough, I won’t become an Ancestor.” South Emperor said firmly.

“Good.” Li Qiye nodded and said: “I believe in you, there will be a day when you walk on the path of an Ancestor. Your future is boundless.”

“And I will not let you down.” South Emperor nodded before bowing with reverence, making a promise to Li Qiye.

“I have to go now.” Li Qiye smiled. Although these things could be considered immortal treasures by cultivators, he had no problem giving them to South Emperor.

“Are you heading to High Heaven Aegis?” South Emperor asked.

“Yes, to take care of some matters.” Li Qiye nodded.

“There’s a secret passage from the little village.” South Emperor said.

“Hmm, it’s a good time to see some old friends and tie some loose knots.” Li Qiye nodded in response while gazing into the distance.”

“Sacred Teacher, will you head to Celestial Court after you’re done here?” South Emperor speculated.

“Yes.” Li Qiye said: “This has dragged on long enough, it is time for the final chapter.”

“May I be of service during the assault?” South Emperor became eager.

Li Qiye shook his head and said: “No, you need to cultivate. Other emperors will be there but I suppose if you are interested, you may come take a look to see what lies beyond the limit.”

“The limit breakers in Celestial Court, their three immortals.” South Emperor replied, speculating that they must be the ones to have reached the next level.

“We didn’t see them in Imperial Field during the war.” He added.

“They weren’t willing. They came from different backgrounds and their goals don’t always align.” Li Qiye said.

“There are people behind them.” South Emperor said.

Top cultivators had heard of these beings but few actually saw them. Rumor has it that they first appeared when a great vine stretched through Celestial Court’s river of stars, forcing them to show up.

The two sides stood in confrontation but didn’t make a move. Eventually, the vine left and passed down the path of the conquerors, allowing more to show up subsequently.

“Celestial Court does not belong to the three immortals alone, its founder has his own goals.” Li Qiye shook his head.

“The founder is a limit breaker too, right?” South Emperor speculated.

This person was extremely mysterious, even more so than the three immortals. Rumor has it that only two people have met him previously - Jiao Heng and Duality Master.

“Whose side is the founder on?” South Emperor questioned.

He understood Celestial Court rather well after having fought with their commanders during Grand Dao War. His main opponents included Immortal Emperor Mu Tian and Immortal Emperor Chi Ye.

“The battle back then was strange.” He said: “It didn’t seem like they were trying to help the unknown visitor. At the very least, the three immortals and the founder didn’t show up. Nonetheless, the commanders and the armies still came.”

Since he was the main commander of The People’s coalition, he could tell that his men were unified for their cause. The same couldn’t be said about Celestial Court given its men’s movements from beginning to end.

“They represented conflicting sides.” Li Qiye smiled.

“Sword, Nether, Hao Hai, and Light-dragon moved differently. Some didn’t obey the orders of the founder.” South Emperor said.

“Perhaps the founder himself had conflicting views.” Li Qiye smiled.

“Please elaborate.” South Emperor asked.

“There are two branches right now in Celestial Court, Dao and Blood. But if we want to further distinguish this, there is an old and a new faction.”

“Light-dragon and the others?” South Emperor asked.

“Some were part of Trinity, but which epoch is it now? What are they, outsiders?” Li Qiye asked.

South Emperor agreed with the distinction. The Immortal Emperors and Immortal Monarchs belonged to the dao of the previous epoch while the conquerors’ cultivation was newer.

“In reality, the founder and the three immortals don’t care as much for this. It only matters to the ones behind the scenes.”

“Why is that?” South Emperor asked.

“Why pick someone from a different epoch as their representative? Would the dao truly align? Or perhaps some contingencies or hidden factors have been added?” Li Qiye smiled.

“Makes sense.” South Emperor agreed.

“The founder and the three immortals are out in the open. They chose Light-dragon and the other conquerors as disciples.

“But the same can’t be said for the hidden ones, they care about having the right dao.” South Emperor said.

“Yes, because picking the dao of a different epoch is not safe. If there are hidden things within that dao, they might be in danger.” Li Qiye said: “But the main reason for the founder’s conflicting views is not entirely this but rather, their unknown visitor.”

“That visitor, his identity...” South Emperor took a deep breath.

Li Qiye patted his shoulder and said: “What would you do if I were to fall to the darkness in the future? Knowing this, would you still persevere when the darkness comes for you?”

“Well...” South Emperor paused before responding: “You cannot fall, Sacred Teacher.”

“You can only pray.” Li Qiye said: “But when that day comes, you will have to face it. Perhaps your faith will crumble but more likely than not, your faith had already crumbled long ago.”

“Right.” South Emperor said.

“Well, that is what happening behind the scenes right now.” Li Qiye said: “I’m leaving.”

“Farewell, Sacred Teacher.” South Emperor didn’t have time to think about this matter because Li Qiye was gone. He prostrated in Li Qiye’s direction and bowed.