Dominator Emperor

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Great Elder’s Stratagem (Part 2)

Chapter 44: The Great Elder’s Stratagem (Part 2)

At this point, the Great Elder looked at Li Qiye and said, "Do you understand why I’m telling you all this?"

"This disciple is all ears." Li Qiye smiled calmly. His casual, composed demeanor made him a complete enigma to the Great Elder.

"We need an ally like the Nine Saints Demon Gate!" The Great Elder sighed softly, a hint of resignation in his voice as he said gravely, "Therefore, I hope you can marry Princess Li! As long as you can marry her, I will support you in anything!"

"Elder, aren’t you afraid of letting the wolf in to drive out the tiger, only to be devoured by the wolf in the end?" Li Qiye said with a smile.

The Great Elder gave a bitter smile and shook his head gently. "Some things are beyond the control of a minor figure like me." He then looked deeply at Li Qiye and continued, "That’s why I’m betting everything on you! Let’s hope for a miracle!"

At this, the Great Elder’s expression turned a bit strange. He looked at Li Qiye and said, "For the longest time, many people have wanted to obtain the Xiyan Ancient Order from Three Ghosts Master, but no one has ever succeeded! And yet, he was willing to give it to you!"

Hearing the mention of Three Ghosts Master and the Xiyan Ancient Order, Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t elaborate. Of course others wouldn’t be able to see through the profound secret hidden within that matter.

Looking at the Great Elder, Li Qiye couldn’t help but ask with a smile, "Elder, you’re betting on me, but why not on the Sect Leader? I heard she was the successor appointed by the previous Sect Leader."

The Great Elder remained tight-lipped on the matter. His attitude piqued Li Qiye’s interest. ’Just what kind of person is Su Yonghuang, the current Sect Leader of the Xiyan Ancient Sect? And what secrets are hidden here?’

"This time, I proposed you be made an Instructor. I hope you can earn some merit and have a chance to join the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s upper echelon in the future." The Great Elder changed the subject, avoiding any talk of Sect Leader Su Yonghuang.

Li Qiye smiled. "The Elder hopes I can gild my reputation, climb into the upper echelon, and perhaps gain the status of a Guardian or an Elder. Only then would I be a worthy match for the descendant of the Nine Saints Demon Gate, the Princess of the Ancient Ox Territory."

The Great Elder was stunned that Li Qiye had so easily seen through the profound secret. In fact, he hadn’t thought highly of Li Qiye at first. But when Li Qiye inexplicably passed the Nine Saints Demon Gate’s test, it made all Six Great Elders suspect he was a spy sent by the Demon Gate.

However, Li Shuangyan’s arrival and Yu He’s attitude forced the Great Elder to reconsider. If Li Qiye were a spy from the Nine Saints Demon Gate, their methods were far too high-profile, far too brazen! More importantly, Yu He’s attitude didn’t seem like an act!

This led the Great Elder to reflect. ’If Li Qiye truly coveted the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Emperor Techniques or Immortal Emperor’s Treasures, he wouldn’t need to act as a spy while holding the Xiyan Ancient Order! Three Ghosts Master gave him the order voluntarily. If Li Qiye used it to demand an Emperor Technique or an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure, the Xiyan Ancient Sect would be helpless, unless they were willing to defy their ancestral teachings!’

In truth, the Great Elder was perfectly clear on whether the Xiyan Ancient Sect even had any Immortal Emperor’s Treasures left, or how many Emperor Techniques they still possessed!

"Within the Xiyan Ancient Sect, I am the one with the most seniority. Unfortunately, my own talent is limited, and I’m unable to reverse the sect’s decline." The Great Elder looked at Li Qiye and said, "I don’t believe in miracles, but I hope that you are one. Perhaps our patriarch is unwilling to let the heavens destroy our sect. I dare not hope for you to revive the Xiyan Ancient Sect, but I do hope you can use your connection with the Nine Saints Demon Gate to preserve it!"

Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile. "For the Great Elder to think so highly of me, I’m truly overwhelmed by this favor."

Of course, the Great Elder didn’t believe him. Li Qiye showed no sign of being overwhelmed by anything. But that was no longer important.

Li Qiye smiled and said, "The Great Elder is betting on me, not on the Sect Leader. This really makes me curious. Why is that?"

It was obvious that Elder Gu, the Great Elder, was very reluctant to bring up Sect Leader Su Yonghuang. But in the end, he looked at Li Qiye and said in a low voice, "Qiye, if your origins are unclear, then the Sect Leader’s origins are something I wish I’d never seen!"

Though just a single sentence, the Great Elder’s words were laden with meaning. Su Yonghuang was the successor appointed by the previous Sect Leader, his own master, so why did the Great Elder hold her in such disfavor?

"At this point, it no longer matters who sits in the Sect Leader’s seat for our Xiyan Ancient Sect. We’re on the verge of becoming a ruined household; there’s nothing worth fighting over for the position." The Great Elder was clearly unwilling to discuss Su Yonghuang further. He said gravely, "However, I do not want the Second Elder to take the throne!"

The Great Elder’s sudden confession piqued Li Qiye’s interest. Words like these were not spoken lightly and usually reserved for one’s most trusted confidants, yet the Great Elder had said them to him.

"The Second Elder isn’t bad. I’ve heard his aptitude was always quite good when he was young. Among the elders, his Dao Practice is second only to yours," Li Qiye said leisurely.

"If Cao Xiong had stuck to his principles," the Great Elder said after a moment of silence. "Him becoming Sect Leader wouldn’t have been a huge deal! Unfortunately, he went and found Dong Shenglong! That’s pushing our Xiyan Ancient Sect into the abyss of destruction. He’s been blinded by his lust for power!"

"Dong Shenglong?" Li Qiye asked, slightly surprised. "The Honored Guest Elder of our Xiyan Ancient Sect?" He had a vague impression of the matter, as Nan Huairun had mentioned it before.

The Great Elder looked at Li Qiye and finally said gravely, "As the Chief Disciple, I hope you will shoulder the responsibilities of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. I can tell you about this. Back then, making Dong Shenglong our Honored Guest Elder was not my wish! But it was the will of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country. I had no choice in the matter!"

"Although Dong Shenglong does not hail from the Holy Heaven Sect, he is a Prince enfeoffed by them!" the Great Elder said grimly. "I don’t need to say any more, do I?"

Once the Great Elder said this, Li Qiye understood the reason behind it all. He smiled, looked at the Great Elder, and finally asked, "Is the Great Elder thinking of using my hand to get rid of Dong Shenglong?"

"I know your Dao Practice is not enough to eliminate Dong Shenglong." The Great Elder was silent for a long time before finally making his decision. He looked at Li Qiye and said, "But Yu He can. You can use Yu He’s hand to get rid of him!"

"Elder, that’s a dangerous game," Li Qiye laughed. He now understood what the Great Elder was thinking.

The Great Elder was silent for a long while before finally sighing. "I know it’s like letting the wolf in to drive out the tiger! But in terms of danger, the Holy Heaven Sect is a far greater threat than the Nine Saints Demon Gate. Thirty thousand years ago, our Xiyan Ancient Sect fought a war with the Holy Heaven Sect and lost our Ancient Country. The Holy Heaven Sect then established the Treasure Sacred Upper Country on our former lands. Although they didn’t exterminate us, it was only because they had their own reservations at the time. Within the borders of this Jiang Country, there will come a day when the Holy Heaven Sect will no longer tolerate the existence of our Xiyan Ancient Sect. The Nine Saints Demon Gate rules the Ancient Ox Territory. It’s not impossible for them to want to destroy us, but to do so, they would have to go to war with the Holy Heaven Sect!"

Choosing the lesser of two evils, the Great Elder had undoubtedly made his decision: to use the Nine Saints Demon Gate to drive out the Holy Heaven Sect!

Li Qiye smiled, then said leisurely, "I understand the Elder’s thoughts. But none of that is important right now. What’s important to me is the Body Ointment. The Elder once promised to reward me with an Emperor’s Body Ointment. I wonder when the sect will make good on that?"

"This..." The Great Elder was taken aback by Li Qiye’s sudden mention of the matter.

Li Qiye continued, "Elder, for my Body Ointment, I want to specify the main ingredient, the Beast Marrow. It must be marrow from a Hell Iron Bull. The Elder has no objection to this, I presume?"

"Well, that... that will require some time," the Great Elder said, embarrassed, forcing a dry laugh.

Li Qiye looked at the Great Elder and said seriously, "The Elder isn’t regretting it, are you?"

"Li Qiye, the sect will not go back on its promise to you!" the Great Elder immediately declared in a stern voice. "However, you’ve specified Beast Marrow from a Hell Iron Bull. You should know that with the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s current strength, obtaining a hundred-thousand-year-old beast bone is no easy feat! We do have a portion of Emperor’s Body Ointment, but its Beast Marrow is not from a Hell Iron Bull!"

"I need Beast Marrow from a Hell Iron Bull," Li Qiye said flatly.

The Great Elder took a deep breath, stared at Li Qiye, and said, "I can get you the Hell Iron Bull’s Beast Marrow. I will persuade the other elders. But there is one condition: you must marry Princess Li!"

Looking at the Great Elder, Li Qiye let out a soft sigh. He finally stood up and said composedly, "Elder, I am in control of my own women. Whether she’s a Princess or a Saintess, it’s not a problem. As for your worries, I can give you my word: as long as I’m here, anyone who tries to destroy the Xiyan Ancient Sect, I will slaughter them all! At the same time, let me tell you this: anyone who stands in the way of the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s rise—anyone who stands in *my* way—will be killed without mercy! Gods and demons are no exception!" With that, he turned and left.

The Great Elder was left stunned. A thirteen-year-old boy had just spoken such arrogant words, yet at this moment, he didn’t think Li Qiye was being ignorant or conceited. He was once again completely unable to see through Li Qiye, wondering where his confidence came from. How could a mere thirteen-year-old boy have the right to be so audacious?

In the end, the Great Elder sighed softly. For all these years, he had conscientiously managed the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s affairs. He knew the sect’s decline was irreversible, but he still hoped for a miracle!

Perhaps Li Qiye’s arrival was that miracle!

Whether he believed it or not, he had to take this gamble! He was running out of time. The other four elders were already quite displeased that he had not taken the Sect Leader’s seat himself. If this continued, without their support, the great trend would turn even more against the Xiyan Ancient Sect!