Dominator Emperor

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Purple Mountain Marquis (Part 1)

Finally, Elder Sun let out a soft sigh and said, "The sect possesses neither an Immortal Emperor True Artifact nor an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure."

"Not a single one?" Although Li Qiye was mentally prepared, he was still frustrated to hear there wasn’t even one. The Xiyan Ancient Sect was an Emperor Immortal Gate! For it to not have even a single Immortal Emperor’s Treasure was unbelievable!

Gu Tieshou sighed softly and said, "I heard that the Founder once left behind three Immortal Emperor’s Treasures and his personal life-bound weapon, the Immortal Emperor True Artifact. However, by the time I took the helm of the Xiyan Ancient Sect, all of them had vanished without a trace. At the very least, they were already gone from the Xiyan Ancient Sect before the previous Sect Leader’s time."

"Lost or stolen?" Li Qiye asked. He could let the Immortal Emperor’s Treasures go, but Mingren Immortal Emperor’s personal life-bound weapon—the Immortal Emperor True Artifact—was critically important to the Xiyan Ancient Sect!

"This... I’m not very clear on the specifics either." Gu Tieshou gave a dry laugh. "As for the Immortal Emperor True Artifact, I can’t say for sure what happened to it, and I’m afraid the previous Sect Leader couldn’t either. Back then, I overheard my martial uncles discussing it. Some said the Immortal Emperor True Artifact flew away on its own a long, long time ago. Others said that our Xiyan Ancient Sect’s ancestor, Young Emperor Mu, lost it during the final, earth-shattering battle for the Celestial Mandate against Ta Kong Immortal Emperor... I’m afraid it’s been several generations, perhaps even more than ten, since anyone in our Xiyan Ancient Sect has seen the Immortal Emperor True Artifact."

"What about the three Immortal Emperor’s Treasures?" Li Qiye asked.

Gu Tieshou pondered for a moment before saying, "I can’t be sure about those either." At this, he glanced at the other four elders. "I’ve heard that one Immortal Emperor’s Treasure might have been taken underground by Master Liu, buried along with him. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know."

"Master Liu was once the number one Defender of the Faith of our Xiyan Ancient Sect," Elder Sun explained to Li Qiye. "Based on seniority, he should be Shepherd Ancestor’s grand-disciple. I heard he was the one who presided over the battle against the Holy Heaven Sect thirty thousand years ago. After our sect was defeated and retreated back to our Ancestral Land and Sect Territory, Master Liu was never seen again. There are many rumors about him. Some elders said he died in battle, while others claim he returned to the Ancestral Land to pass away after suffering grievous injuries."

Liu Sanjian. Legend has it that he was the most incredible genius of the Xiyan Ancient Sect after Young Emperor Mu. Unfortunately, he ultimately failed to protect the sect, leading to the destruction of the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Ancient Country!

"Another Immortal Emperor’s Treasure most likely fell into the hands of the Holy Heaven Sect," Elder Qian said in a low voice.

"Fell into the hands of the Holy Heaven Sect?" Li Qiye’s gaze hardened upon hearing this. An Immortal Emperor’s Treasure. For such an item to end up with the Holy Heaven Sect was definitely not a good thing for the Xiyan Ancient Sect.

Gu Tieshou sighed softly. "That is our greatest worry. The matter can no longer be verified, but we’re afraid it’s almost certain that the Immortal Emperor’s Treasure is in the Holy Heaven Sect’s possession. I heard that in the battle thirty thousand years ago, countless Princes, True Masters, and Ancient Saints from our Xiyan Ancient Sect died tragically. In order to protect the Ancient Country, an ancestor supposedly brought out an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure to fight the Holy Heaven Sect. But afterward, our sect suffered a crushing defeat, the entire Ancient Country collapsed, and the situation descended into chaos. That Immortal Emperor’s Treasure has been missing ever since."

"I’m worried the Treasure Sacred Upper Country will use this Immortal Emperor’s Treasure to attack our Xiyan Ancient Sect," Elder Zhou said, also concerned.

If the Holy Heaven Sect had a sufficiently powerful figure capable of wielding the Immortal Emperor’s Treasure to attack the Xiyan Ancient Sect, then even with the Qin Tower, the sect would likely be unable to withstand round after round of attacks from such a weapon.

At Elder Zhou’s words, the expressions of Gu Tieshou and the others changed. This was indeed an extremely dangerous matter; they knew the power of an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure all too well.

"Let them come. So what if they have an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure?" At this moment, Li Qiye smiled with leisurely ease. "We’ll deal with whatever they throw at us! The plan doesn’t change. In three days, we execute Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan."

"Then that’s what we’ll do! This will be the first battle of our Xiyan Ancient Sect’s revival, and the starting point of our resurgence!" Gu Tieshou declared in a deep voice, his resolve firm.

All the Elder Guardians present hoped to revitalize the Xiyan Ancient Sect and restore the glory of their ancestors. This was especially true for Gu Tieshou. He had grown up in the Xiyan Ancient Sect and considered it his home. Ever since taking the helm, he had yearned for the sect to become powerful again, but he was painfully aware of his own limited talent and abilities, leaving him powerless to bring about its revival.

Now, with the appearance of a miracle like Li Qiye, blessed by the Founder’s protection, Gu Tieshou saw a chance for the Xiyan Ancient Sect to rise again.

The next day, the Xiyan Ancient Sect announced that Cao Xiong had colluded with enemies and betrayed the sect, and that he had been executed! The news sent an uproar throughout the sect. The disciples couldn’t help but despise Cao Xiong for his actions. With the Xiyan Ancient Sect facing a great disaster, everyone should have been in the same boat, yet Cao Xiong’s betrayal earned him the scorn of all his fellow disciples.

As for the matter of making Li Qiye the Revival Lord, the Xiyan Ancient Sect made no announcement. This was known only to the sect’s Elders and Guardians; even the Hall Masters had no right to know.

At the same time, on the second day, the Xiyan Ancient Sect sent a message to the Treasure Sacred Upper Country, announcing the execution of Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan in three days. This time, the Xiyan Ancient Sect acted with unprecedented high-profile confidence, even inviting the various sect inheritances of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country to attend and witness the execution.

Once this news spread, the entire Treasure Sacred Upper Country was in an uproar. Many Great Sects and Holy Gates were shaken.

"The Xiyan Ancient Sect is trying to overturn the heavens!" Upon hearing this news, many from the Great Sects and Holy Gates looked at each other in dismay. Dong Shenglong was one thing, but who was Marquis Liezhan? He was a War General of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country, a ferocious figure serving directly under its Human Emperor’s Imperial Throne!

For the Xiyan Ancient Sect to publicly execute both of them—wasn’t this a complete and utter break with the Treasure Sacred Upper Country and the Holy Heaven Sect!

"What on earth has given the Xiyan Ancient Sect such immense confidence?" one Sect Leader couldn’t help but say, deeply moved.

For the past several thousand years, everyone had witnessed the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s decline. Yet today, they actually dared to publicly execute Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan. This was far too audacious.

Some of the Cultivator Strongmen who had witnessed the battle that night had their expressions change. Many began to discuss it amongst themselves. Some believed the Xiyan Ancient Sect still possessed an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure, while others thought that the sect’s Liu Sanjian was still alive!

"Could it be that the Xiyan Ancient Sect has an absolute trump card this time? Otherwise, why would they risk war with the Treasure Sacred Upper Country to execute Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan?"

"Have they gone mad?" someone else countered. "The Xiyan Ancient Sect today versus the Holy Heaven Sect is like an egg smashing against a rock. Even if the Xiyan Ancient Sect still has an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure, it won’t be enough to reverse their decline. The Treasure Sacred Upper Country is teeming with talent right now, with countless Princes!"

"The Xiyan Ancient Sect is courting its own destruction," an Old Sect Leader who knew the inside story lamented, shaking his head. "The Xiyan Ancient Sect has no worthy successors and is blindly arrogant. Even with an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure, it’s useless for the sect in its current state. You have to remember, the Elder Ancestor of the Holy Heaven Sect is still alive."

At the mention of the Holy Heaven Sect’s Elder Ancestor, even the powerful Holy Master Lords and Sect Leaders of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country fell silent. After the Tough Dao Era, an existence like the Holy Heaven Sect’s Elder Ancestor was already unrivaled. He was a colossus, towering high above all others! If a being like him were to act, forget the Xiyan Ancient Sect—even Great Teaching Families would be annihilated with a flick of his finger!

At the mention of the Holy Heaven Sect’s Elder Ancestor, countless Old Sect Leaders and old fossils paled and shivered.

"An old ancestor who has lived for tens of thousands of years... Unless Young Emperor Mu himself is still alive, if that ancestor gets angry, the Xiyan Ancient Sect will cease to exist!" A senior Prince who had witnessed the terror of the Holy Heaven Sect’s Elder Ancestor sighed softly.

With the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s high-profile announcement of the execution of Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan, it was no surprise that within the Treasure Sacred Upper Country, no sect or cultivator dared to enter the Xiyan Ancient Sect as a guest to witness the event.

Although everyone was eager to see how this storm would end, none dared to attend the execution. Of course, that didn’t stop the experts from numerous Great Ancient Sects from observing from afar.

The Holy Heaven Sect of today was overwhelmingly powerful, ruling over the entire vast Upper Country. Within the borders of the Treasure Sacred Upper Country, not a single sect dared to make an enemy of them! Anyone who attended the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s execution would be tantamount to declaring themselves an enemy of the Holy Heaven Sect, and no one was willing to provoke such a behemoth.

However, the Holy Heaven Sect couldn’t stop them from watching from a distance and peeking in secret, nor did it have a just cause to do so.

Therefore, even before the Xiyan Ancient Sect executed Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan, countless cultivators were already paying close attention to the sect’s every move, and countless Sect Leaders from Great Sects and Holy Lands were secretly observing everything.

During these three days, the disciples of the Xiyan Ancient Sect were both excited and nervous. To them, the Holy Heaven Sect was a behemoth. Normally, even the mention of the Holy Heaven Sect or the Treasure Sacred Upper Country would make them wary. Today, the chance to execute Dong Shenglong and Marquis Liezhan was a truly morale-boosting event for the Xiyan Ancient Sect.

At the same time, the Xiyan Ancient Sect entered a state of battle readiness. Every single disciple was on high alert, prepared to enter combat at a moment’s notice.

Within the Xiyan Ancient Sect, only one person was relaxed: Li Qiye. Only Li Qiye remained perfectly serene, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

"You really are confident!" Seeing Li Qiye’s serene composure, even Li Shuangyan couldn’t help but look at him askance. If this went wrong, it would mean all-out war with the Holy Heaven Sect. Even a Heavenly Pride Girl like her was cautious about such a heaven-defying matter, yet Li Qiye didn’t seem to think it was a big deal at all.

"They’re just a minor sect. Not worth mentioning."