Emperor’s Domination

“Hmph, I know of your skills and nosy personality, don’t tell me you haven’t tried to calculate who this person is.” Edge Mountain Crone sneered.

“Haha, no way.” Incense Daoist shook his head immediately.

“Didn’t go well, did it?” Li Qiye stopped looking around and said.

“...” The daoist turned red, speechless.

“Go on, what happened?” She threatened him with her gaze.

“Well, I was invested in this legend and couldn’t help divining this person.” He smiled wryly and admitted.

“Who is it then?” She felt the same curiosity and asked instantly.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head.

“Are you toying with me?!” She grabbed his neck and raised him into the air.

“O-old woman, wait, wait, let’s talk this out, I-I really don’t know.” He struggled for breath while hitting her hands.

“How do you not know when you calculated?” She tossed him into the ground.

He got up, looking flustered as he said: “All right, here’s the truth. I had the idea to divine but the moment I held the ancestral trigram, it suddenly disintegrated. That scared the hell outta me.”

“Impossible, your ancestral trigram only receives damages when you reveal the heaven’s secrets.” Her expression changed.

“That’s why I was so scared.” The daoist turned pale: “I knew something was off, the person can’t be divined.”

“Given your cultivation, how many people in Three Immortals right now shouldn’t be divined?” She asked.

“Poye, Lord of Life and Death, maybe a few more.” He earnestly responded: “Definitely not Lord of Life and Death, my fate wouldn’t be my own.”

“So is this person part of the list?” She asked.

“Hehehe, you’re not going to believe it.” He smiled.

“Nonsense.” She glared at him.

“The legends speak of a terrifying existence back in time immemorial.” He lowered his voice.

“Terrifying how?” She asked.

“An existence just like the high heaven.” He pointed at the sky.

“Ridiculous, such a being doesn’t exist.” She retorted.

“I’m not lying.” He insisted: “I’ve read everything in Insane Gate back then and there were bits and pieces of this person. The king, commander, and guardian were all bestowed favors.”

“So this was who the king couldn’t forget?” She remarked.

“I would say so.” He nodded.

“So where is he now?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” The daoist looked up and whispered: “He probably left Three Immortals and went back, back to become the high heaven. This is what the final record stated.”

“Impossible, the high heaven can’t descend to our world.” She found this whole thing ridiculous: “Look, we have legends of immortals in our world, but have you ever heard of the high heaven’s legends and exploits? Your ancestors spied on the high heaven, did they write anything down? No.”

“Right…” He scratched his head.

“That’s why the man you speak of cannot be the high heaven.” She concluded.

“I just know he is real.” He asserted.

“What do you think, Young Noble? Can the high heaven descend and take form?” She asked Li Qiye.

“I don’t know.” Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: “Let’s go inside and take a look.”

The two exchanged glances and followed him inside. The shrine had two corridors, one inside and the other outside.

When the group came in, the caretakers of the shrine were nowhere to be found.

“Almost abandoned, this used to be a holy ground once.” She said, lamenting the state of the area.

The outer corridor surrounded a courtyard with a small pond with two lotus trees. Since the water had dried up, the trees withered. They captured Li Qiye’s attention as he walked by.

“The king planted them herself, or so they said.” Incense Daoist explained: “Insane Court called them ancestral lotuses and tried to take care of them after the king’s passing. It was useless, none of the ancestors could do anything. These trees are special, rare alchemy ingredients. The fruits from them can prolong lifespan and heal wounds from tribulations. I think she tried to prolong her lifespan but couldn’t wait long enough for the fruits.”

He paused for a second before adding: “But there is another legend regarding these trees with a different meaning.”

“Night lotus.” Li Qiye said: “Two lotuses from the same stem, born together and die together.” Li Qiye said.

“That’s right, Young Noble. Now that you mentioned it, I think they are related to Longevity Valley, she probably got the seeds there.” The daoist patted his thigh excitedly.

As a woman, Edge Mountain Crone thought about something else: “The king didn’t plant them for life prolongment, it’s more sentimental.”

“For that long-awaited person.” The daoist said.

“He shall return when the trees bloom.” Li Qiye sighed: “Unfortunately, she couldn’t wait long enough. Nevertheless, they should bloom in all its glory.”

Having said that, he waved his hand and released primordial rays from his fingertips. They coiled around the nearly dead night lotuses.

“Buzz.” A green light engulfed them with increasing intensity. The drooping withered leaves curled up and stretched outward.

“Splash!” Water came out of nowhere and filled the pond.

A refreshing air greeted the group as more leaves grew from the trees. The shrine came back to life while being bathed in an emerald light.