Dominator Emperor

The Appraisers of Chenggu Pavilion were busy appraising the corpse and the Wooden Ruler that was over three feet long! In truth, there was nothing for them to appraise about the skeleton; the key point was the more-than-three-foot-long Wooden Ruler!

However, despite a long discussion about the Wooden Ruler, none of the present Appraisers from the Chenggu Pavilion could reach a concrete conclusion. They couldn’t even identify the type of wood it was made from.

One had to understand that the Appraisers from Chenggu Pavilion were absolute authorities. As one of the oldest auction houses, their Appraisers were among the people who had seen the most treasures in the world. Yet now, even they were unable to determine what kind of wood this ruler was made of.

After the Ancient Coffin was opened, Li Qiye stared at the skeleton for a long time before turning his gaze to the Wooden Ruler, which was over three feet long. As he examined it carefully, a glint flashed in the depths of his eyes, reminding him once again of a legend from that era!

After carefully inspecting the Wooden Ruler, Li Qiye couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart. He thought of another, even more distant and ancient legend—a legend about a particular race.

"Something’s strange... really strange," Sikong Toutian, who had been keeping an incredibly low profile by Li Qiye’s side, couldn’t help but mutter.

Li Qiye glanced at him and asked lightly, "How so?" "Well..." Sikong Toutian gave a dry laugh before finally saying, "I’ve seen many kinds of wood. I’ve seen everything from the timber used for coffins to the Divine Wood used for refining treasures. But this Wooden Ruler... it’s just really strange. I’ve never seen this type of wood before."

"There are countless types of trees in the world. It’s normal that there are some you haven’t seen," Chi Xiaodie said, shaking her head.

Sikong Toutian thought for a moment. "That’s true. Who would dare claim to recognize every type of wood in the world?" At this, he turned to Li Qiye and asked, "Brother Dao, what are your thoughts?"

Li Qiye shot him a look. "It’s hard to say. In any case, it’s no ordinary piece of wood." ’He already had an idea in mind.’

"What’s the hold-up? If you’re going to auction it, then get on with it! Let’s finish the auction so we can all go home," an unsatisfied buyer complained, seeing that the Chenggu Pavilion’s Appraisers had been discussing for a long time to no avail.

Many buyers chimed in with their own protests. "Exactly! Just name a price and be done with it. Let’s get this auction over with and not waste everyone’s time."

Finally, the Chenggu Pavilion reached a consensus. The Wooden Ruler was brought forward. As for the skeleton, it was not part of the auction. Skeletons without any Divinity were generally returned to the owner of the Burial Ground or the descendants of the tomb’s occupant after the conclusion of a tomb auction!

"This is a Divine Ruler. Everyone, please take a look," the auctioneer said, holding the Wooden Ruler up with both hands for all to see.

All the buyers present took the opportunity to inspect the Wooden Ruler from up close. They all examined it carefully; some even sniffed or licked it, but it had no scent or taste whatsoever.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the Wooden Ruler was engraved with the images of Little Ghosts—ninety-nine of them, in fact. Each Little Ghost was uniquely posed and startlingly lifelike. Seeing the ruler covered in such vivid carvings would be enough to make a timid person’s skin crawl.

After carefully observing the Wooden Ruler, an Ancient Saint turned to a prominent figure from the Ghost Race and asked, "Brother Zhu Yan, what kind of ghosts are these? What branch are they from?"

This expert from the Ghost Immortal Race studied the Wooden Ruler intently before shaking his head. "I can’t tell either. Although the Ghost Immortal Race is said to comprise a Hundred Races, I’ve never seen nor heard of Little Ghosts that look like this. Perhaps they are merely figures invented by the ruler’s creator."

The Ghost Race, who call themselves the Ghost Immortal Race, was a major race in the present age, on par with the Human Race, the Demon Race, and the Celestial Demons. However, the Human Emperor Realm was the domain of the Human and Demon Races, making races like the Ghost Race and Celestial Demons a relatively rare sight.

Although the Ghosts called themselves the Ghost Immortal Race, some of their clans were physically indistinguishable from the Human Race. The most direct and effective way to identify a member of the Ghost Race was by their blood. The blood of the Ghost Race was purple—a crimson so deep it appeared violet. This was their sole distinguishing mark!

’Just what is this ruler.’ The buyers present all examined it closely, with some even picking it up. The Wooden Ruler was much heavier than they had imagined, as heavy as iron and cold to the touch.

Everyone tried to figure out the Wooden Ruler’s origin, but none of the buyers could. In truth, if even the Chenggu Pavilion’s own Appraisers couldn’t determine its specific origin, it would be even more difficult for an outsider to do so.

Li Qiye, on the other hand, carefully studied the Wooden Ruler. After he closely observed the ninety-nine Little Ghosts upon it, ’an answer had already formed in his mind.’

’This ruler is extraordinary,’ Bing Yuxia of the Bingyu Palace ultimately muttered after studying it closely. Of course, her words were for her ears only.

"Everyone, now that you’ve all seen the ruler, Chenggu Pavilion will proceed to auction it as the final burial item from this tomb, following our standard tomb auction rules. This ruler is crafted from Divine Wood and has an incredibly profound connection to the Ghost Race. Its origins are truly extraordinary. Therefore, the starting bid is three thousand Great Sage Essence Jade!" the auctioneer said.

The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, the crowd burst into an uproar. One buyer couldn’t help but shout, "Are you kidding me? We don’t even know the origin of this ruler, or what kind of wood it’s made from, yet you’re starting the bid at three thousand Great Sage Essence Jade? What a rip-off!"

"Exactly! I’d say even three thousand Saint Emperor Essence Jade would be too expensive. Maybe three thousand Saint Venerable Essence Jade... now that’s something we could consider," another buyer chimed in.

The auctioneer shook his head. "This wood is as hard as iron and is carved with ninety-nine ghosts. For the Ghost Race, ninety-nine is a supreme number. Our Chenggu Pavilion dares not make any wild claims about this ruler, but we are absolutely certain it is made from Divine Wood. As for which Divine Wood, that is still up for debate. Of course, if anyone is willing to enlighten us, we would be more than happy to listen."

"One of our Fellow Daoists has a good point," Li Qiye said with a smile, finally speaking up. "Starting the bid at three thousand Great Sage Essence Jade is indeed a bit of a rip-off. In my opinion, this ruler is made from Leaf Ghost Wood. It has no taste or smell, its grain spirals like a snail’s shell, and the grain itself is black with faint white streaks. These are the characteristics of Leaf Ghost Wood. Leaf Ghost Wood is rare in the Human Emperor Realm, but it has no particularly miraculous effects."

"Leaf Ghost Wood..." The buyers present were stunned to hear this name, as most of them had never heard of such a tree.

"Leaf Ghost Wood," one of the Chenggu Pavilion’s Wood Identification Masters repeated, his expression turning serious. He slowly said, "That is a rare species of wood in the Human Emperor Realm. It grows in the Burial Ground and is seldom seen by the world. While this wood is precious, it is true that it possesses no significant miraculous effects."

"If you don’t believe me, take a closer look," Li Qiye said with a smile. "See for yourselves if the grain spirals like a snail’s shell and if it’s black with faint white streaks. These are the exact characteristics of Leaf Ghost Wood."

Hearing this, the buyers took another close look and exclaimed, "He’s right, the grain does spiral like a shell, and it is black with faint white streaks!"

"I once heard a legend about the origin of the Ghost Race," Li Qiye said with a wide grin. "It’s said that the Primordial Ancestor of the Ghost Race was an ancient corpse that gained a soul. It came back to life, mated with a Mortal, and produced offspring. Another version of the legend states that there were ninety-nine descendants in total, with each one founding their own clan. This is why the Ghost Race is also known as the Hundred Races."

These words immediately drew a sharp rebuttal from a Ghost Race expert in the crowd. He shouted coldly, "Nonsense! Our Ghost Race’s Primordial Ancestor achieved Becoming Immortal as a ghost, which led to the birth of our race! We have the blood of Ghost Immortals flowing through our veins!"

There were three main theories regarding the origin of the Ghost Race’s Primordial Ancestor: one was a ghost achieving Becoming Immortal; another was an ancient corpse gaining a soul; and the third was a ghost mating with a Mortal.

In reality, the Ghost Race themselves only acknowledged the first theory. They were particularly repulsed by the "ancient corpse gaining a soul" version and universally denied it. As for the third theory, some believed it, and some did not.

Li Qiye chuckled. "Even though all of you in the Ghost Race deny it, you can’t deny that back in the ancient era, there were indeed Ghosts who believed in this version of the story, can you?"

"Hmph! Those were merely heretics! They weren’t worthy of being called members of the Ghost Race!" the expert retorted coldly.

Li Qiye just smiled. "Heretics or not, that’s all in the past. But there were indeed Ghosts who clung to that belief. That’s why, in a distant age, some Ghosts carved ninety-nine figures to commemorate their origin. I believe this Wooden Ruler was crafted by one of those Ghost heretics, likely as a memorial to their race’s origin. Leaf Ghost Wood is certainly precious, but if this is just a commemorative souvenir, then I’m afraid it doesn’t have much value."

"If that’s really the case, then three thousand Great Sage Essence Jade is a goddamn rip-off! How about three thousand Ancient Saint Essence Jade!" a buyer immediately shouted after hearing Li Qiye’s explanation.

"Exactly! Paying three thousand Great Sage Essence Jade for a souvenir is a total waste! I wouldn’t even want it for three thousand Ancient Saint Essence Jade! Try three thousand Prince’s Essence Jade!" many of the buyers began to jeer.

Another buyer cried out in dismay, shaking his head. "And here I thought a Legendary Pharmacist would have some Ancient Medicine like a Medicine King as a burial offering. I never expected him to be some guy who believed in that heretical Ghost origin story. If the other Ancient Medicines he was buried with weren’t half-bad, this whole tomb auction would have been a complete waste of time."

While many of the buyers were causing a commotion, Bing Yuxia, who was seated in the pavilion, kept her eyes fixed on Li Qiye. She had a strange expression as she sized him up, as if trying to see right through him.

"Play along with me. Go make a bid," Li Qiye said, nudging Chi Xiaodie with his elbow.

Chi Xiaodie shot Li Qiye an irritated glare. "Why should I play along with you? I’m not interested!"

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