Dominator Emperor

Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Target of All (Part 1)

When Marquis Jiangzuo spoke, even the many cultivators watching from afar couldn’t help but gasp. He was forcing Li Qiye into a dead end. Li Qiye had yet to reach the Heavenly Essence Realm; if he crippled himself, his future would be ruined.

Li Qiye, however, wasn’t surprised in the least. He simply grinned and said, "Fine, a bet’s a bet. But if you lose, what will you give me?"

"You—" The Marquis Jiangzuo’s expression was utterly foul. ’A mere brat at the Yun Body Realm dares to speak so shamelessly to my face? I’m a genius on the cusp of becoming a Prince!’ If it weren’t for Li Shuangyan’s protection, crushing this little brat would be as easy as squashing an ant.

Li Qiye watched Marquis Jiangzuo with narrowed eyes. "What’s the matter? Don’t make a bet if you can’t afford to lose. Your Jiangzuo Family might call itself an Ancient Family, but from where I’m standing, you’re nothing but dirt-poor paupers."

Li Qiye’s words made Marquis Jiangzuo tremble with rage. Steeling himself, he gritted his teeth and snarled, "Brat, if you can beat me, I’ll give you a Great Sage True Artifact! I just doubt you’ll ever get the chance to take it."

A Great Sage True Artifact! The words left many people stunned. Such an item was countless times more powerful than a Great Sage Treasure. It was a truly heaven-defying object. Never mind cultivators of their level; even an Ancient Saint would drool with envy over it.

"You really think too highly of yourself." Li Qiye tsk-tsked and shook his head. "A Great Sage True Artifact? What’s that supposed to be? Our Xiyan Ancient Sect may have fallen on hard times, but producing two or three items of that level isn’t exactly difficult. And your Great Sage True Artifact? Compared to the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Emperor Technique, it’s not even in the same league!"

Li Qiye’s outrageous arrogance left the watching cultivators speechless. As for Marquis Jiangzuo, his face was so livid he couldn’t even speak, forced to swallow his seething rage.

Li Qiye’s words might have been arrogant, but many cultivators had to admit he had a point. A Great Sage True Artifact was indeed priceless, but compared to an Emperor Technique, there was still a significant gap!

"How about this... I can see the Jiangzuo Family is practically penniless," Li Qiye said with a leisurely smile. "So I’ll be the bigger person. I heard your family once came into possession of a Mingxin Treasure Box. If you lose, you will go and fetch that Mingxin Treasure Box for me!"

Marquis Jiangzuo’s face turned ashen with rage at Li Qiye’s words, and the expressions of the other Jiangzuo Family disciples were just as foul. The Jiangzuo Family was an ancient and noble house, yet in Li Qiye’s mouth, they were reduced to paupers. How could they not be driven to madness?

In truth, when Li Qiye said this, most of the cultivators had no idea what a Mingxin Treasure Box was; they had never even heard of it.

At this, Marquis Jiangzuo exchanged a look with Jiangzuo Iron Armor. Finally, the Marquis said coldly, "Fine, brat! It’s a deal. In fifteen days, we will each bring our wagered items and settle this with a duel!"

"I’ll be waiting. You’d best prepare yourself, so you don’t go crying home to your mother when you lose," Li Qiye said with a laugh.

These words made Marquis Jiangzuo’s eyes flash with murderous rage, but he managed to restrain himself. With a final cold snort, he turned and left with the Jiangzuo Family disciples.

After the armored riders of the Jiangzuo Family departed, many of the distant cultivators began to whisper amongst themselves. This was an incredible gamble, one that involved an Emperor Technique. It wasn’t just the Jiangzuo Family; the hearts of many cultivators present pounded with temptation.

An Emperor Technique—who wouldn’t want one? What sect, what lineage wouldn’t covet it? For an Inheritance Sect that lacked an Emperor Technique of its own, obtaining one would massively increase the sect’s foundational strength and power for generations to come.

Once Marquis Jiangzuo was gone, Li Qiye also rode his snail and ambled away. After they had left the area, Niu Fen couldn’t help but ask, "Young Master, why not let me act and slaughter all of the Jiangzuo Family’s armored riders?"

"There’s no rush," Li Qiye said calmly. "The Jiangzuo Family isn’t the only one coveting an Emperor Technique. Just wait and see. Catching them all in one net—wouldn’t that be wonderful? We might even be able to cook them all into a big stew."

Li Shuangyan couldn’t help but glance at Li Qiye. "Are you really going to duel Marquis Jiangzuo?" she asked. Anyone else would think Li Qiye was guaranteed to lose. While Li Shuangyan didn’t believe that, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was strange about the whole affair.

"You should be asking if Marquis Jiangzuo will dare to duel me," Li Qiye said with a grin, his eyes narrowing.

When Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed like that, Li Shuangyan’s heart skipped a beat. Experience had taught her that whenever he made that expression, it was a sure sign of trouble.

After Li Qiye’s group departed, news of his duel with Marquis Jiangzuo spread like wildfire, especially the details of their wager, which quickly circulated throughout the entire Demon’s Back Ridge.

The Jiangzuo Family’s Mingxin Treasure Box was of little interest; for one, nobody knew what it was, and for another, nobody wanted to cross the Jiangzuo Family.

But the Kunpeng Six Transformations... now that was something that made everyone green with envy. It was an Emperor Technique, rumored to be the strongest one left behind by the Mingren Immortal Emperor! It was even said that once mastered, the technique would allow one to sweep across the heavens and earth unchallenged!

At the mention of the Kunpeng Six Transformations, the hearts of countless cultivators pounded in their chests. This was especially true for Inheritance Sects that didn’t possess an Emperor Technique of their own. In an instant, countless Great Sect Leaders, Princes of powerful kingdoms, and even Emperors were stirred to action.

In a flash, the eyes of countless powerful figures glinted with a cold light. At the same time, numerous Great Teaching Territories and Ancient Sect Secret Sects began frantically trying to track down Li Qiye’s whereabouts.

At this point, for many people, the duel between Li Qiye and Marquis Jiangzuo was no longer important. If they could just get one step ahead of the Jiangzuo Family and capture Li Qiye alive, they would surely be able to torture the secrets of the Kunpeng Six Transformations out of him!

Thus, Li Qiye’s location suddenly became the focus of everyone’s attention. Before this, very few powerful figures had paid him any mind. But now, things were completely different. Li Qiye possessed an Emperor Technique, and now everyone wanted to know where he was.

"Someone’s following us," Niu Fen said in a low voice as he and his companions hurried through a Dangerous Area.

Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile. "What’s so strange about that? If I were them, I’d be drooling over the Kunpeng Six Transformations too. Who wouldn’t covet an Immortal Emperor’s Technique?"

In fact, far more than just one or two cultivators were secretly tailing Li Qiye. There were even a number of Sect Leaders and Princes tracking him personally.

For the time being, however, no one dared to make a rash move. Many were wary of Gu Tieshou, who wielded an Emperor’s Treasure, and feared he was protecting Li Qiye from somewhere nearby.

But as time went on, one of the experts could no longer hold back. A sudden attack came out of nowhere—a large hand silently shot out to grab Li Qiye. In everyone’s eyes, he was a fat sheep, and they all wanted a piece of him!

"SHING—" Before Li Qiye even had to move, Li Shuangyan’s sword flashed. With a single strike, blood sprayed through the air. A pained scream followed as a severed hand fell to the ground.

Li Shuangyan’s title as a Heavenly Pride Girl was well-earned. When a Prince like her truly went all out, even Princes of the older generation would find it hard to gain an advantage.

But even though Li Shuangyan had lopped off a hand, it wasn’t enough to curb the greed of the hidden cultivators. Before long, more of them launched probing attacks, only to be repelled by her once more.

"That Jiangzuo Iron Armor from the Jiangzuo Family is following us too," Niu Fen said to Li Qiye as they continued onward.

Li Qiye just chuckled, his eyes narrowing. "Speed up a little. Make it look like we’re trying to escape, but don’t go full speed just yet. We don’t want to lose them too soon."

Hearing Li Qiye’s words, Niu Fen immediately sped up, putting on a panicked display as he "fled" deeper to the east.

Sure enough, the moment Niu Fen sped up to "escape," the cultivators following behind all revealed themselves. The cat was out of the aag—Li Qiye clearly knew he was being tailed—so they stopped hiding and gave chase openly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A few experts caught up. With impatient shouts, they immediately summoned their Treasure Artifacts and aimed them straight for Li Qiye.

Li Shuangyan snorted coldly. Like a giant lotus blooming, streams of Sword Radiance flowed out, forming a Celestial Chasm that repelled the attackers’ strikes.

"Where do you think you’re going?!" one cultivator roared, unable to hold back. He shot forward at top speed, casting a Dharma Net to envelop Li Qiye.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! Niu Fen fled in a frenzy, the ceaseless booming shaking the earth and trembling the mountains, making it look as if he were truly running for his life without any sense of direction.

Seeing Li Qiye trying to escape, experts from many sects rushed to attack, but Li Shuangyan fought them all off, repelling one pursuer after another.

Some of the Princes, however, didn’t rush to attack. They hung back, watching coldly and waiting for the right opportunity. They were happy to let the more impatient experts act as cannon fodder to test the waters.

The scene was truly spectacular: countless cultivators chasing after Li Qiye, who was riding a giant snail. It looked like a swarm of ants trying to take a bite out of an elephant!

Jiangzuo Iron Armor, who was following from behind, had a cold look in his eyes. He wasn’t just watching Li Qiye; his senses were stretched to their limits, listening for any sign of Gu Tieshou. So far, there was no trace of him.

"They’re fighting over an Emperor Technique!" In the Dangerous Area to the east, numerous sects were already exploring and digging for treasure. The massive commotion caused by Li Qiye’s "escape" immediately alerted these even more powerful Great Teaching Territories. Seeing the massive crowd chasing Li Qiye like ants after an elephant, the hearts of these powers pounded, and they immediately joined the fray.

And Niu Fen, the giant snail, truly looked the part of a panicked beast. He crashed through the forest, toppling countless trees and sending boulders rolling as he scrambled over mountains and ridges. His appearance was one of utter panic and terror.

Niu Fen’s haphazard, east-to-west flight only emboldened the pursuing cultivators. Li Qiye seemed even more like a plump lamb, ready for the slaughter, and everyone wanted a bite.