Dominator Emperor

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Acknowledging Ancestry and Returning to the Clan (Part 2)

At this time, the only one completely unaffected was Li Qiye. He looked at the invincible silhouette and said nothing.

The invincible silhouette stared at Su Yonghuang for a good while, then turned its head to look at Li Qiye for a long, long time. In the end, it all melted into a soft sigh. The invincible silhouette then dissipated, turning back into Emperor’s Immortal Power and returning to the portrait.

Seeing her ancestor’s Emperor’s Immortal Power, Su Yonghuang couldn’t help but be excited and moved beyond words. This was the first time she had ever been so close to her ancestor!

Long after the Emperor’s Immortal Power had vanished, the Elders finally managed to scramble to their feet, still trembling. The scene had been too shocking for them. This was the Ancestor Master manifesting his spirit!

"Heaven will not let our Xiyan Ancient Sect perish," Elder Zhou said, overcome with emotion. "The Ancestor Master’s descendant has returned, and he also shelters Qiye. Our Xiyan Ancient Sect will surely rise again!"

At this moment, Elder Zhou and the others were endlessly excited, their eyes even welling up with tears. The Ancestor Master’s spirit appearing had given the long-weakened Xiyan Ancient Sect a glimmer of hope!

The Emperor’s Immortal Power of Mingren Immortal Emperor had transformed into an invincible silhouette, summoned by a single drop of Su Yonghuang’s blood. The invincible silhouette personally gazing upon Su Yonghuang undoubtedly confirmed that she was a descendant of the Mingren Immortal Emperor.

However, the manifestation of the Ancestor Master’s spirit went far beyond that. The Ancestor Master gazing at Su Yonghuang was an acknowledgment of her identity. More importantly, he had stared silently at Li Qiye for a long, long time. Without a doubt, this meant the Ancestor Master valued Li Qiye. He was the Revival Lord chosen by the Ancestor Master himself!

Of course, the Elders did not know that the silhouette of the Mingren Immortal Emperor had stared silently at Li Qiye for other reasons. Although in this life Li Qiye was no longer the Yin Ya, his True Destiny and his soul remained unchanged. The Emperor’s Immortal Power could naturally sense this.

In the end, the Elders bowed to Su Yonghuang. Led by Gu Tieshou, they said, "We were muddled and did not realize that the Sect Leader is a descendant of the Ancestor Master. We have offended you previously; we hope the Sect Leader can forgive us."

Su Yonghuang nodded lightly and said, "The elders are too polite. Back then, I was just a thirteen-year-old girl. That I could sit on the Sect Leader’s throne is all thanks to the efforts of the elders, especially Elder Gu. You were wronged back then. The Xiyan Ancient Sect’s situation was dire, and it was not convenient to reveal my identity."

"What happened back then is in the past. We all did it for the sake of the Xiyan Ancient Sect," Elder Gu said with a sigh. "Today, with the Sect Leader’s return and Qiye receiving the Ancestor Master’s protection, we should unite as one to revitalize our Xiyan Ancient Sect!"

"Elder Gu is absolutely right. The Xiyan Ancient Sect must be united as one if we are to revitalize it." Su Yonghuang nodded. Her grace and royal bearing, the aura of an Immortal Emperor’s descendant, were entirely natural.

Li Qiye said with a faint smile, "Today, the second matter we will discuss is the Demon’s Back Ridge."

The Ancestor Master’s manifestation had left the Elders thrilled, but now that Li Qiye brought up the Demon’s Back Ridge, the atmosphere couldn’t help but grow heavy again.

"I have already decided. This time, I will mainly be taking the younger generation of disciples into the Demon’s Back Ridge. I plan to take three teams. The first team will be the disciples from Washing Stone Valley. Although their seniority in the Xiyan Ancient Sect is low and their Dao Practice is shallow, this is the best time to temper them! The second team will be the one led by Qu Daoli. This team can be considered the future elites of our Xiyan Ancient Sect, so they must be tempered even more. As for the final team, I am thinking of selecting some of the younger disciples from the second generation, as well as some Hall Masters," Li Qiye said.

At this point, Li Qiye looked at the elders present and said, "This trip to the Demon’s Back Ridge is not just a time for our Xiyan Ancient Sect to harvest; it is also a time to temper our disciples."

"When the Demon’s Back Ridge opens, I’m afraid all the Great Teaching Territories in the Great Middle Realm will come. How can we possibly secure any spots? Besides, the Demon’s Back Ridge is treacherous. With the current strength of our disciples, I’m afraid they’d just be going to their deaths," Elder Sun said worriedly.

"Spots?" Li Qiye chuckled and said calmly, "We don’t need anyone else to decide our spots. If I say we can go, we can go! Whoever dares to block my path, I will kill without mercy!"

Li Qiye spoke in a calm tone, yet his words were dripping with blood. His aura of invincibility and absolute supremacy moved the Elders. Although Li Qiye’s Dao Practice was shallow, the Elders did not think he was making empty boasts. Li Qiye was the Revival Lord protected by the Ancestor Master; who could possibly block his Supreme Dao!

Of course, Elder Gu and the others were far too superstitious about the Ancestor Master’s protection. In their eyes, with an Immortal Emperor’s protection, who could possibly stand in the way? Naturally, they had no idea that Li Qiye didn’t have any ’Ancestor Master’s protection’ at all!

"If we are to enter the Demon’s Back Ridge, I have disciples who can accompany you," Su Yonghuang said. A moment later, she summoned a group of disciples.

This group of disciples was very young; the oldest among them were about the same age as the Hall Masters. They were the very same disciples Su Yonghuang had taken with her back then. A few Hall Masters had also accompanied them at the time.

"What fine saplings—" Upon seeing these disciples, even Gu Tieshou couldn’t help but praise them. This group was even stronger than the elites among the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s second-generation disciples, nearly on par with the Guardians!

This moved all the elders present. In just over a decade, Su Yonghuang had cultivated this group of disciples into experts whose strength was nearly on par with the Guardians. This was truly remarkable.

This group of disciples had been nurtured by Su Yonghuang using the Su Family’s resources. She had never asked the Xiyan Ancient Sect for any Spiritual Medicines or treasures.

"The Su Divine Battle Array. Very good. A team like this is best suited for large-scale battlefields." Li Qiye’s gaze was far sharper than the Elders’. With a single glance, he knew how this group of disciples had been trained. When it came to training disciples, he, Li Qiye, was a Grandmaster second to none!

Su Yonghuang was visibly moved. She stared at Li Qiye. This team was, one might say, her trump card for revitalizing the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Yet, Li Qiye had grasped its essence with a single look. Such an unfathomably mysterious ability truly did not seem like it belonged to a fourteen-year-old boy.

"The Su Divine Battle Array?" Gu Tieshou was also moved. He said, "I heard that the Ancestor Master had such a team under his command back then, one that was utterly invincible! Could it be that this team was trained according to those same specifications?"

"That’s right." Before Su Yonghuang could speak, Li Qiye nodded and said, "These are indeed the specifications of the original Su Divine Battle Array. Its only weakness now is the lack of a battle Array Map or Array Platform. With an Array Map or Array Platform, its power would be even greater."

"How do you know that?!" Su Yonghuang’s expression changed. She had trained this team with her own hands, so of course, she knew its weaknesses. But for Li Qiye to point it out so bluntly, how could she not be astonished?

Li Qiye smiled and said nonchalantly, "I just did a quick calculation, and it all became clear." The original team led by the Su Woman had come from his own hands. How could he not know the strengths and weaknesses of the Su Divine Battle Array?

Su Yonghuang stared hard at Li Qiye, her gaze seeming to want to see right through him. But no matter how she looked, she couldn’t fathom him.

Seeing the atmosphere between the master and disciple grow a little tense, Gu Tieshou quickly coughed to mediate. "It would be for the best to have this team accompany us. For safety’s sake, I will go as well. We should bring the Ancestor Master’s Portrait, just in case."

Li Qiye smiled and said, "This team doesn’t need to go. Although the Su Divine Battle Array lacks an Array Map and Array Platform, it is skilled in both offense and defense. For now, let them use the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s Sect Territory as their battle platform. They have just returned, so let them first get accustomed to it and establish their roots in the Xiyan Ancient Sect. When the storm comes in the future, we might need them to hold the line on their own."

"Very well." Seeing Li Qiye’s confidence, Su Yonghuang also agreed with a nod.

"Elder Gu must definitely go; the disciples will need you to coordinate them." Li Qiye then fixed his gaze on Tu Buyu and said, "With so many gone, I’m afraid the sect will be quite empty, so we need the Sect Leader to remain and watch over things. However, Junior Brother Tu, you can’t be lazy. This time, Junior Brother Tu, you will need to put forth your best effort. You will go with Elder Gu."

Tu Buyu’s status was very particular. Within the Xiyan Ancient Sect, as a Registered Disciple of Liu Sanjian, his standing was even higher than Elder Gu’s. And yet, he had also registered under Su Yonghuang, becoming her second disciple. His status was a complete mess. People like Elder Gu found it inconvenient to give him orders, but Li Qiye was completely unaffected, still calling him "Junior Brother" directly.

"As Senior Brother commands," Tu Buyu replied with his usual affable smile.

This situation left the Elders speechless. Tu Buyu’s status was just too complicated, making things a bit awkward for them as well.

By having Tu Buyu register under her, Su Yonghuang was, in principle, placed on the same generational level as Liu Sanjian. However, since Liu Sanjian was not present, there was no one to formally confer this status upon Su Yonghuang, so the matter was left unresolved.

"Alright, it’s decided. Everyone, get ready. The Demon’s Back Ridge will be the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s first battlefield!" Finally, Li Qiye stretched lazily and spoke with a smile.

Though spoken so casually, from Li Qiye’s mouth, the words were filled with soaring heroism and absolute dominance!

The news that the Demon’s Back Ridge was about to open spread through the Great Middle Realm in the shortest possible time. Even Great Sects in the East Hundred Cities, the Southern Red Land, the Western Wilderness, and the Northern Ocean received the message.

In fact, many Great Teaching Territories had already calculated the date of the Demon’s Back Ridge’s opening long ago. This was because the Demon’s Back Ridge opened once every hundred years, and a full century had passed since its last opening. Therefore, its next opening was imminent.

Countless Great Teaching Territories had made ample preparations for this opening, and those within the Great Middle Realm, in particular, were eagerly awaiting their chance at the Demon’s Back Ridge.

For everyone, the opening of the Demon’s Back Ridge meant vast quantities of Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs, Divine Stone Treasure Gold, and even the Dao Runes of Celestial Beasts, the Life Wheels of Longevity Spirits, and Longevity Blood. The opening of the Demon’s Back Ridge signaled that the harvest season had arrived.