Emperor’s Domination

The man regretted coming too late to save True Bear Mountain. He scanned the ruins and noticed Li Qiye who had no need to hide.

He flashed and appeared in front of Li Qiye. He instantly felt perplexed because of Li Qiye’s mysterious air.

“Greetings.” He slightly bowed.

“What is it?” Li Qiye said lazily.

His attitude surprised the man even more. He didn’t think of it as arrogance but rather, a nonchalant attitude toward everyone regardless of who they were.

“I can tell that you’re special, Sir.” The man sincerely said: “I have traveled the world but have not seen you before. May I ask where you are from?”

“From where I should be and heading for where I should go.” Li Qiye smiled.

The man was surprised to hear this response. He bowed again and asked: “Could you please elaborate?”

“Why should I?” To which Li Qiye responded.

The man smiled wryly and said: “You’re right, I was out of line, my apology.”

“You’re rather interesting.” Li Qiye chuckled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you.” The man excitedly said: “Seems like we were brought together by fate, would you like to visit Dao Alliance for a bit?”

“Not even a little bit, I don’t care about the alliances since I’m just passing by.” Li Qiye shook his head.

“You’re so direct, Sir.” The man said: “How about a drink then?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before preparing a table and boiling a pot of tea.

Li Qiye didn’t refuse this time and sat down. He poured a cup for Li Qiye and said: “This is a special product from Dao Alliance, it will be worth your time.”

“The finest tea we have to offer, I believe it is comparable to the grand dao tea from that one village, please try.” He introduced.

The tea emitted the sound of the grand dao. Its steam had a shape of a phoenix.

Li Qiye took a sip and nodded approvingly: “It’s good.”

The man poured Li Qiye another cup; his movement was in tune with nature.

“This is not your true appearance.” Li Qiye said.

“Right, it’s just that my true appearance can be problematic when I travel.” The man smiled.

“Buzz.” He became as small as a fist just like an elf. His clothes had the symbol of a lotus.

It would be foolish to underestimate him because of his appearance. His radiance had a creation affinity, turning him into the center of the world. The celestials floated in accordance with his whim.

Despite his tiny frame, his demeanor became different - domineering and aggressive instead of friendly.

“A sky spirit.” Li Qiye smiled.

The man changed back to his disguise and said: “My little trick couldn’t fool you.”

“I heard about a particular story regarding a sky spirit being ambushed in the midst of dao comprehension by numerous ancestors. However, someone from a forbidden zone came out and protected him, killing all attackers in the process.” Li Qiye said.

The man immediately stood up and bowed again: “Ah, another native, it is my pleasure.”

Li Qiye accepted the gesture and smiled: “Those from Eight Desolaces are always exceptional, not inferior to anyone from the six continents even though they are blessed by the heavens.”

“I wholeheartedly agree.” The man laughed.

“Seems like everyone is doing well in this foreign land.” Li Qiye said.

“Yes. You are a friend if you’re from Eight Desolaces. You should really come to Dao Alliance then, the current guardian is Brother All-things. He’ll be elated to see you.” The man said.

“Not interested.” Li Qiye refused again.

“Mmm, hypothetically, if you must pick an alliance to join, which one do you prefer the most?” The man became curious.

“Trying to probe my intention?” Li Qiye asked.

“No, I’m merely curious.” The man said: “I don’t know how long you’ve been here and how much you know about the six continents, but you should know that there will be another war very soon, one on the same scale as Immemorial Epoch War and Skysplitter.”

He paused for a second before continuing: “In my opinion, no one will be lucky enough to escape it, all sects will be dragged into this mess.”

“Now this is a topic I’m interested in.” Li Qiye smirked.

“The leader of Heaven Alliance is ambitious and after Brother Principle’s abdication, Divine Alliance might join them too. They will definitely attack Dao or Imperial Alliance afterward and start another war between the two sides.” He calmly elaborated.

“Celestial Court believes that the time is right?” Li Qiye asked.

“I am sure that they have some backers. The surviving emperors from the previous wars talked about strange guests there but none actually saw them.” The man shook his head: “We believe that they are concocting a plan to take over all six continents at the same time.”

“Is that why you’re traveling everywhere to recruit members of The People?” Li Qiye asked.

“My goal is to help Brother All-things in achieving solidarity among us, that’s the only way to stop Celestial Court or it’ll only be a matter of time before they take over.” The man earnestly said.

“I can see your determination, but some say that joining Celestial Court is not a bad choice.” Li Qiye said.

The man’s eyes suddenly became dreadful and piercing after hearing this. It only lasted for a split second but Li Qiye smiled and said: “Oh? Want to kill me first?”

“I’m sorry.” The man smiled bitterly and shook his head: “My dao heart was not firm enough so I made a fool out of myself.”

“It’s understandable, wanting to slay a potential enemy.” Li Qiye didn’t mind.

“You’ve just arrived from Eight Desolaces and might not know the situation well yet I already wanted to kill you. This is no different from falling into the darkness. It seems like my obsession might turn me into a monster in the future.” He said.

“It’s good to be vigilant.” Li Qiye nodded.

The man sighed and said: “Brother Sword Sea and I argued over this issue and he went to join Divine Alliance later, what a shame.”

“The alliance chosen doesn’t matter, everyone has the freedom to choose. You chose yours and he chose his. If a war is inevitable, so be it, fear nothing. Why bother forcing someone to join you?” Li Qiye said.

“If I had been less aggressive and said these words to him, it might have gone differently.” The man slapped his thigh and said: “Thank you for enlightening me, Sir.” He bowed in gratitude.