Emperor’s Domination

Tranquility returned to Sword Continent after the battles at Cloud Dream Lake. Many found this rather strange due to the losses suffered by Sea Emperor Sword Kingdom.

They lost numerous elders and protectors yet they didn't mobilize a punitive expedition. Some attributed this to their king still being in isolated cultivation. Others said that they have experienced enough of Li Qiye's sorcery and no longer dared to take risks. Many speculated that this wasn't the end of it. Sea Emperor was merely waiting for a perfect plan to deliver a fatal blow.

Ultimately, this event propelled Li Qiye's fame another step higher. It became apparent that this new rich wasn't one to be trifled with. Most importantly, he didn't think much of human lives so massacres were always possible when dealing with him.

"His wings are grown." A big shot commented.

Most agreed with this because initially, no one thought much of Li Qiye despite his wealth. They actually viewed him as a fat prey during this period.

Unfortunately, those who harbored this thought and schemed against Li Qiye all had a terrible ending.

Gradually, people came to find that Li Qiye wasn't as simple as he appeared. His devilish nature and the power of money became apparent. In fact, he was on the same level as any great sect now.

It was best to view him as a sect or clan master instead of a rich young master.

"Anyone who thinks of him as a fat sheep is courting death." One sect master said something that was on everyone's mind.

"Only Sea Emperor Sword Kingdom or Nine-wheel Citadel has a chance." An expert said.

"What a shame." A big shot who wanted Li Qiye's wealth lamented. He thought that he waited too long and now, Li Qiye has gathered enough forces. Robbing Li Qiye became impossible outside of a godsend opportunity.

Of course, some also speculated Li Qiye's true background. One group believed that Li Qiye didn't have a special background. Others disagreed; some even thought that he came from Dark Gale Camp.

"It can't be Dark Gale." Older cultivators disagreed with this line of thinking.

"He might not be from Dark Gale but he should be closely related to them. There's a reason why Nightloom came out after so many generations." One big shot thought that it was rather plausible.

"To be Li Qiye's backer." His friend who was a sect master said.

The big shot agreed: "Indeed. Li Qiye had poked the beehive that is Sea Emperor after killing their chief elder and many others. A while ago, I think their conflict was actually resolvable, not anymore. Now, it seems like if you want to get to Li Qiye, you have to get through Nightloom first."

Others agreed with this analysis.

"But are Cloud Dream Lake and Nightloom enough to stop Sea Emperor? Moreover, Li Qiye had offended other behemoths including Nine-wheel." One expert added.

"Perhaps not Sea Emperor or Nine-wheel but Nightloom is enough to deter other great powers. They would have to think about it carefully." The big shot said.

The crowd couldn't quite disagree.

"Moreover, there must be a reason why Cloud Dream Lake has survived numerous generations of dao lords." He insisted.

"In my opinion, Li Qiye is a member of the Tang. He was able to open its foundation and most importantly, he has their patriarch's money fall method that no one else has access to."

All in all, regardless of Li Qiye's actual background, everyone thought that Li Qiye's wings were fully grown at this point. Though this peaceful moment was rare in Sword Continent, people believed that this was only the calm before the storm.

Sure enough, a resonation phenomenon began occurring on the continent. Cultivators' swords would occasionally let out a hymn, even the ordinary swords.

At first, no one paid attention and thought that it was only coincidental. Eventually, more than just hymns occurred. It became resonations even for the swords stored in treasuries.

"Clank! Clank! Clank!" These sounds were heard all over the place.

"Sword Burial Zone!" A mighty cultivator became emotional and stated.

The knowledgeable big shots started realizing it too.

"The zone is coming…" An elder murmured.

"It's coming?" His juniors were both nervous and excited.

"How and where?" One of them asked.

Everyone knew that this was one of the seven forbidden zones - the battlefields of many dao lords such as Sword Queen, the duck's egg buyer, Sword Sea Dao Lord…

Unlike Black Tides, Sword Burial's location wasn't fixed. It would appear in different places on the continent and everyone had a chance to enter. There was no set time either, perhaps once or multiple times in each generation.

It always caused a stir because cultivators would have a chance at a great fortune. For generations now, many believed that the zone played a considerable part in making Sword Continent what it is.

In fact, it was believed that the majority of heavenly swords came from the zone.

Rumor has it that the first to find a heavenly sword, Sword Sea Dao Lord, obtained both the sword dao and the Vastsea Sword Dao from this place. The dao lord never talked about it, this remained mere speculation. Similar rumors existed for Daoflame Dual Lords and Violet Abyss Dao Lord.

There is no smoke without fire. In Sword Continent, many important characters obtained fortunes in the zone and became legendary characters.