Dominator Emperor

Chapter 181: Chapter 180: Slaying a Genius (Part 2)

When Lei She said this, even many of the cultivators present couldn’t help but exchange glances. Logically, the elders of any sect were protective of their own, yet Lei She’s actions were completely beyond everyone’s expectations.

Lei She’s words instantly caused Li Shuangyan’s expression to turn cold, while the Sheng Tian Heaven Daoist just sneered.

"Shuangyan, tell him to get lost," Li Qiye said slowly, his gaze turning cold. "Otherwise, don’t blame me for slaughtering them without any regard for the Sun Demon Emperor."

Lei She flew into a rage. "You suicidal fool!" he roared. "Today, this seat will teach you a proper lesson!" As his words fell, his giant hand manifested the Eight Stars and lunged for Li Qiye.

BANG! Before the giant hand could even touch Li Qiye, it was parried away as a figure stepped forward.

"Junior Brother Lei, your intervention is not needed here," Chi Yun said coldly, appearing from nowhere. As his senior brother, he was clearly displeased with Lei She and didn’t bother to hide his stern expression.

Chi Yun’s sudden appearance and his words thoroughly embarrassed Lei She, who shot back with a cold face, "Senior Brother, you’re overstepping your authority!"

Chi Yun had lost his patience. He brandished an Imperial Decree and said, "Junior Brother Lei, I have an order from His Majesty. Shall I escort you back, or will you see yourself out?"

’Chi Yun was furious. To deal with the War God Hall, His Majesty had all but begged Li Qiye for help. Right now, His Majesty would do anything to keep Li Qiye happy. If this matter succeeded, the Nine Saints Demon Gate would benefit immeasurably! And yet, for his own selfish schemes, Lei She kept making trouble for Li Qiye, deliberately trying to sabotage the sect’s grand plan. How could Chi Yun not be filled with rage!’

Upon seeing the Imperial Decree, Lei She’s expression turned exceedingly grim. In other sects, the position of Supreme Elder might be exceptionally special, but this wasn’t necessarily true for the Nine Saints Demon Gate. The Sun Demon Emperor was a heaven-blessed genius. Within the Nine Saints Demon Gate, apart from Sword Elder, no one’s Dao Practice was higher. One could say that the Sun Demon Emperor’s status within the sect was not something that could be casually challenged!

With the Imperial Decree presented, the matter was settled. Lei She’s expression was utterly foul, but he turned and left without another word. Leng Chengfeng didn’t dare to linger and quickly followed suit.

This development caused many of the spectating cultivators to suck in a sharp breath. It meant the Nine Saints Demon Gate was determined to support Li Qiye, even if it meant becoming enemies with the Holy Heaven Sect!

"Any other backers?" After Lei She had gone, Li Qiye shot a sidelong glance at the Sheng Tian Heaven Daoist and spoke leisurely.

The Sheng Tian Heaven Daoist snorted. "You little brat of the Li Family, in a one-on-one duel, this seat alone is more than enough to kill you!" ’He actually had no confidence in fighting Li Shuangyan; being sent flying by her last time still cast a shadow over his heart.’

"You really think I’m just some gigolo who lives off a woman?" Li Qiye laughed. "The Holy Heaven Sect? What’s that? If I wanted to wipe out your Holy Heaven Sect, it would hardly be a challenge!"

Many felt that Li Qiye’s words were an exaggeration—nothing more than an outrageous boast.

"Such arrogant words! This seat is here; let’s see how you plan to annihilate my Holy Heaven Sect!" The voice boomed, and the Celestial Vault itself seemed to dim. A figure strode forward, shaking the mountains and quaking the earth. With his arrival, a Blood Qi rivaling a True Dragon erupted, and a saintly might like Celestial Power bore down on everyone. Amidst the sound of rolling thunder, all who were present felt a powerful suppression, their ears ringing and their hearts pounding in their chests.

An old man strode forward. A faint Divine Ring shimmered around him, looking almost corporeal.

"A Great Saint at the Great Perfection realm!" Seeing the faint Divine Ring on the old man, a Prince of the older generation couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

Great Saint! This was the pinnacle of the Ancient Saint realm. The Ancient Saint realm had its own tiers, progressing from lowest to highest: Little Saint, Young Saint, and Great Saint!

The old man before them had a faint Divine Ring, which meant he was a Great Saint who had reached Great Perfection. One more step and he would become a legendary Saint Venerable.

During the thirty-thousand-year Tough Dao Era, anyone capable of reaching the Ancient Saint realm was already a peerless genius. Excluding the older generation of Ancient Saints from before that era and the Old Undyings who had sealed their vitality to stop their aging, any cultivator who had broken through to the Ancient Saint realm in the last thirty thousand years was a truly terrifying figure. To be a Great Saint at Great Perfection was even more horrifying.

"Wansheng Jian!" Someone from the older generation in the crowd recognized the elder and cried out involuntarily.

"Wansheng Jian, the legendary last disciple of the Sheng Tian Ancestor!" Hearing this name, the other Princes in attendance paled.

"So it is him," a Prince murmured. Even an Ancient Saint would narrow their gaze upon seeing this old man.

Wansheng Jian was the final disciple of the Sheng Tian Ancestor, his closed-door disciple. In truth, he had been accepted only after the Holy Heaven Sect had defeated the Xiyan Ancient Sect. By then, the Sheng Tian Ancestor had already gone into seclusion and was no longer taking disciples. It was purely due to Wansheng Jian’s immense, world-spanning talent that the Sheng Tian Ancestor made an exception and took him in.

In fact, Wansheng Jian had received very little direct tutelage from the Sheng Tian Ancestor. For the most part, his senior brothers taught him in their master’s place. Nevertheless, Wansheng Jian’s talent was undeniable. Even in the Tough Dao Era, he managed to break through to the Ancient Saint Realm and reach Great Perfection. If not for the difficult cultivation environment of the era holding him back, he would have likely become an incredible Saint Venerable long ago.

Upon his arrival, Wansheng Jian’s eyes coldly swept over the crowd, his Divine Power overwhelming. He sneered, "Chi Yun, since when did the Nine Saints Demon Gate become so arrogant?"

As the disciple of the Sheng Tian Ancestor, a Great Saint at the Perfection realm, Wansheng Jian truly had the qualifications to look down on everyone.

Facing Wansheng Jian, even a Supreme Elder like Chi Yun found his expression shifting. In terms of Dao Practice, he was no match for the man.

Before Chi Yun could reply, Li Qiye lazily drawled, "Back when the Nine Saints Demon Gate was running wild, your Holy Heaven Sect was probably still off playing in the mud somewhere."

Wansheng Jian’s eyes flashed with killing intent. He glared at Li Qiye, his voice booming like a great bell. "Ignorant child, not even the gods can save you today!" As he spoke, a giant hand lunged for Li Qiye.

A strike from Wansheng Jian was a monumental event. The heavens and earth thundered as Laws descended like a Celestial Waterfall. A single strand of this Law seemed capable of crushing the entire Ancient Street, a chilling sight to behold.

As the massive hand approached, the expressions of even Chi Yun and Li Shuangyan changed drastically.

Li Qiye, however, was perfectly calm. He held the Guqin in his arms. With a single pluck of a string—ZWIIING!—a note soared, and a wisp of Emperor Essence shot toward the heavens like Sword Radiance.

PSHCHT! Blood rained from the sky. The wisp of Emperor Essence had severed the descending Law and pierced through the giant hand, unleashing a torrential downpour of blood.

"An Emperor’s Treasure!" In that instant, Wansheng Jian’s expression changed dramatically, and he staggered back several steps. Even an Ancient Saint would pale before the might of an Emperor’s Treasure. As a Great Saint at Great Perfection, he wouldn’t dare claim he could survive a fatal strike from its Emperor Essence.

"An Emperor’s Treasure..." It wasn’t just Wansheng Jian whose face had gone pale. All the spectating cultivators stumbled back, their own faces drained of color. Everyone knew exactly what an Emperor’s Treasure signified.

Although an Emperor’s Treasure could not be compared to an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure, let alone an Immortal Emperor Forbidden Artifact, its Emperor’s Immortal Power was not something that could be easily resisted. An Ancient Saint definitely could not withstand it!

Once unleashed, the Emperor’s Immortal Power was an unstoppable killing force. If that Emperor Essence struck true, what did it matter if you were an Ancient Saint at Great Perfection? Wouldn’t your head roll just the same?

"What’s so great about the Holy Heaven Sect? Go ahead, bring out an Emperor Artifact," Li Qiye said with a smile. ZWING—ZWING—ZWING! He plucked the strings, and in an instant, wisps of Emperor Essence began to rise from the Guqin like curling trails of smoke. A single one of these wisps was enough to make the heavens and earth collapse.

In that instant, everyone trembled. A terror born from the depths of their souls washed over them. The Emperor’s Immortal Power was not something a mere mortal could ever hope to resist!

"Hmph, you think you’re the only one with an Emperor’s Treasure?" With a cold snort, Ji Kongjian appeared from out of nowhere. He held a Stone Inkstone, and as he sneered, black energy billowed from it, giving rise to its own wisps of Emperor Essence.

"Brother Ji Kong, lend us a hand!" the Sheng Tian Heaven Daoist cried out, overjoyed to see him. "Help us kill this beast, and his Emperor’s Treasure is yours!"

With two sources of Emperor Essence now present, it wasn’t just the Ancient Street that was affected; the very sky above Celestial Ancient City seemed to drain of color. The sun, the moon, and the stars all dimmed in their presence.

"A disciple from Takong Mountain!" someone cried out upon seeing Ji Kongjian. "Is this going to be a clash between two different Emperor Essences?"

"Takong Mountain," Li Qiye sneered. "Excellent. We can settle all our debts, new and old, at once!" ZWING! ZWING! ZWING! The notes from his Guqin grew more frantic, and the Emperor Essence pouring from it became even thicker. Slaying an Ancient Saint with Emperor Essence was no difficult task, but breaking another Emperor’s Treasure was another matter entirely! As Li Qiye played, the Guqin’s luster grew increasingly dim as it consumed more and more of its Emperor Essence.

"You want to compare Emperor’s Treasures with me?!" Seeing that Li Qiye was willing to burn through his own treasure’s power, Ji Kongjian bellowed. Mist billowed from the Stone Inkstone in his hand as the ink within it rapidly depleted.

Both sides were channeling immense amounts of Emperor Essence, preparing for a final, decisive strike. In the end, it would all come down to which Emperor’s Treasure was superior.

"Where did these brats come from, chirping away! It’s so noisy!" Suddenly, an old man in a paper hat appeared out of thin air. He reached out one hand and, with a single swat, slapped the billowing Emperor Essence right back into the Stone Inkstone, where it reverted to ink.

BAM! BAM! BAM! The old man in the paper hat grabbed Ji Kongjian by his right leg and began slamming him into the ground like a punching bag. He smashed him a dozen times in one breath, leaving Ji Kongjian vomiting blood, dazed, and completely unable to tell east from west!

Finally, with one last heave, the old man threw Ji Kongjian so hard that he flew like a meteor out of Celestial Ancient City, his fate—dead or alive—unknown.

Everyone was petrified. This was simply too heaven-defying, too outrageous! To slap Emperor Essence back into its Emperor’s Treasure with a single palm, and then to casually toss around Ji Kongjian like a ragdoll! Where in the world did this heaven-defying monster come from?!

This old man in a paper hat who had appeared so suddenly was none other than the old man who had demanded someone open the Stone Box, the very same one who had wanted to take Li Qiye as his disciple.

’A shame about that Stone Inkstone.’ Li Qiye felt a pang of regret at not being able to destroy it. He strummed his Guqin, recalling most of the Emperor Essence. With another sharp ZWING, the remaining essence transformed into a Celestial Sword and slashed out.

"How about you taste my sword?" Li Qiye grinned. The remaining wisp of Emperor Essence, now a Celestial Sword, slashed directly toward Wansheng Jian!