Dominator Emperor

While many secretly believed Li Qiye and the Celestial Dao Academy had colluded to wipe out the conspirators in one fell swoop, no one knew the truth. This battle was, in fact, personally directed by Li Qiye; the entire strategy of luring the enemy out only to trap and slaughter them was his design alone.

The Great Fissure at the Celestial Dao Academy was real. However, the news of its final, cataclysmic eruption—the academy's supposed doomsday—was not. It was nothing more than a ruse, intentionally spread by the academy to lure the conspirators into their trap.

The conspirators truly believed the Celestial Dao Academy could no longer hold on, that with the full eruption of the Great Fissure, the academy would be utterly destroyed. Unwittingly, they walked right into the trap.

Li Qiye personally orchestrated this war, shifting the Celestial Dao Academy from a defensive stance to an offensive one. In a single battle, they slaughtered all the old fiends who sought the academy's destruction. With this, the Celestial Dao Academy instantly turned the tables and seized the initiative.

Now, even if the Great Fissure's final eruption were to truly occur, anyone else with designs on the Celestial Dao Academy would have to think twice, lest they become the next slaughtered conspirators.

After the war ended, when the Lion Roar Emperor saw Li Qiye again, his feelings were of pure awe. Before, the Lion Roar Emperor had merely sought to recruit a great talent. But after this battle, seeing Li Qiye again, that feeling had transformed into profound reverence and fear. In that moment, he finally understood why his own daughter was willing to stay behind as Li Qiye's servant.

The Lion Roar Emperor broke out in a cold sweat. 'Thank heavens our Lion Roar Sect has done nothing to offend Li Qiye,' he thought. 'Otherwise, we wouldn't even know what hit us.'

He then recalled his daughter's words: no matter the time or place, never provoke Li Qiye. The consequences would be unthinkable.

"Little Ghost, this whole scheme wasn't your idea, was it?" After the battle, Bing Yuxia appeared that very night, eyeing Li Qiye as she spoke.

Li Qiye looked her up and down. "Well now, lass. It's the middle of the night and you come running to my room. Don't tell me you're planning on throwing yourself at me," he said with a mischievous grin. "Though, I have to say, I'm not too interested while you're in men's clothes. If you want to crawl into my bed, change into a dress first. Who knows, maybe then I'll be in the mood!"

"Go to hell!" Bing Yuxia's face flushed red with anger as she aimed a vicious kick at him. Li Qiye dodged it with ease, which only made her more furious.

"Hey now, lass. I was supposedly facing a catastrophe, yet you were nowhere to be seen. Your loyalty is highly questionable," Li Qiye said, unconcerned by her anger. "Next time something good comes along, I'll have to think twice about whether to cut you in on it."

"Tch! What catastrophe? Any fool could see you were the one scheming against everyone else. Only idiots like Ba Xia and his crew would actually think they were in control," Bing Yuxia retorted, snapping open a folding fan with a flourish. "I have no interest in getting involved in your messy affairs!"

"Fine, fine," Li Qiye said nonchalantly. "If that's all, lass, you can go back now."

"What's the hurry? Are you hiding some beauty in here?" Bing Yuxia laughed. "Speaking of which, I can introduce you to one. How about the Princess from the Qinglian Sect? You're the man of the hour, and I think she's taken a liking to you. I can play matchmaker—no thanks necessary. Just remember me when you reap the rewards."

Li Qiye's gaze swept over her. "Hiding a beauty, you say? There's no rush for that, lass. If you really want to play matchmaker, why don't we have a little trial run first? You can start by warming my bed, and then we'll talk."

"Bah!" Bing Yuxia snapped. "Forget it, then! A girl that wonderful is too good for you anyway. I'll just keep her for myself and take my time wooing her!"

SMACK! Li Qiye slapped her on the backside, earning an infuriated glare.

"A tomboy, talking about wooing girls all day," Li Qiye said, patting his now-fragrant palm. "Go home and try being a proper young lady for a change."

Bing Yuxia shot him one last glare and turned to leave. But Li Qiye's lazy voice followed her. "And lass, stop being so flippant all the time. If you work hard and prove yourself, I might actually consider taking you in as my personal maid. It'd be no dishonor to you!"

Furious, Bing Yuxia stomped her foot and left without another word.

「The day after the great battle」

Elder Daoist Peng appeared at Li Qiye's residence. Upon seeing him, the Elder Daoist handed over an Ancient Box and let out a soft sigh.

Li Qiye shot him a sidelong glance. "What's with the long face? We won a great victory. If we had lost, would you be wailing and crying for your mother?"

For once, the usually irreverent Elder Daoist Peng was serious. He gave a bitter smile. "While the Celestial Dao Academy did win a great victory, I'm afraid it was a pyrrhic one. Our losses were heavy. We lost a significant number of our core disciples, including Elders and Guardians. What's more, two of the Seven Great Ancestors passed on last night. One of them was my junior brother."

The Seven Great Ancestors of the Celestial Dao Academy had lived for an incredibly long time. In truth, their natural Lifespans had been exhausted long ago, and they should have already passed away. However, they were sealed away with vast quantities of Time Blood Stones, buried deep underground, clinging to a fragile existence for the sole purpose of protecting the academy.

For beings like them to emerge into the world came at a price others could scarcely imagine. Having done so for this battle, two of the Ancient Ancestors ultimately could not withstand the ravages of Time and passed away last night.

"In this world, you win some, you lose some," Li Qiye said calmly. "To fight a war of this scale without losing a single soldier is a fool's dream. After this battle, I doubt any Great Teaching Territory will dare to have designs on your Celestial Dao Academy for a long time. Besides, you not only recovered your losses, you also gained three Immortal Emperor's Treasures!"

"Switching from defense to offense is always better than waiting to be conquered. Everyone has to die eventually," Li Qiye said. "Besides, your Celestial Dao Academy can't rely on its ancestors forever. In that respect, you're a bit like the War God Hall. You've existed for so long that while your foundation has deepened, you've also become stagnant and hidebound."

"That may be true, but…" Elder Daoist Peng could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

Li Qiye glanced at him. "You need to learn to let things go. You didn't get the short end of the stick in this war! Rather than hoping for your enemy's mercy, you should strike first. The best defense is a good offense!"

"And we had to offer this item in exchange for this victory," Elder Daoist Peng finally said, his mood lightening as he broke into a grin.

This battle had been orchestrated by Li Qiye from start to finish. As men who had lived for countless years, Elder Daoist Peng and the other Elders of the Celestial Dao Academy couldn't help but reflect that the future truly belonged to the young. Faced with such a disaster, the Elders were, after all, old. For them, a war of this magnitude was something to be avoided at all costs. They would never have willingly roused beings like the Seven Great Ancestors, who normally would not take the initiative to attack, as the price for their emergence was simply too great.

But Li Qiye had directed this battle, overriding all objections to lay his trap and rouse the Seven Great Ancestors ahead of schedule. Though the academy's losses were grievous, even the Elders had to admit that they had indeed grown old. They lacked this very boldness, this fiery and domineering spirit!

Li Qiye took the Ancient Box, opened it for a careful look, then closed it and put it away. "A transaction requires payment, of course," he said slowly. "Besides, this thing has been in your Celestial Dao Academy for far too long. Rather than letting it gather dust, it's better that I take it and put it to its true use."

"How do you plan to use it?" Elder Daoist Peng couldn't help but ask, his curiosity piqued.

Li Qiye shook his head. "That's a secret. Perhaps you'll find out one day." The treasure was far too important; he would not speak of it lightly.

"Like the Ancient Stele at the main gate, that's also a secret," Elder Daoist Peng said. "The Ancestor's Defense Line!"

Very few within the Celestial Dao Academy knew the secret of the Ancient Stele at their main gate. It was a secret known only to those of the Seven Great Ancestors' status. And yet, Li Qiye, an outsider, not only knew of the Ancestor's Defense Line, but could even command it. This was simply inconceivable.

"Correct. That is also a secret," Li Qiye said, giving the Daoist a sidelong look. Even those in the Celestial Dao Academy who knew of the Ancestor's Defense Line couldn't possibly know more about it than he did.

Although the Celestial Dao Academy's Ancestor's Defense Line was built during the Desolate Era, it had undergone several improvements in later ages. In particular, after the bloody wars of a dark epoch, the line was massively upgraded, making its foundational power even more formidable. If its true potential were unleashed, it could render the Celestial Dao Academy utterly impregnable.

In fact, the improvements to the Ancestor's Defense Line had been his idea. The defensive measures had been upgraded under his direct supervision.

Elder Daoist Peng could only laugh it off. He didn't press the matter further. Li Qiye was simply too mysterious. As much as he wanted to get to the bottom of things, he understood that Li Qiye had his limits. Anyone who crossed them would not meet a good end.

"There is one more matter, which perhaps you can resolve," Elder Daoist Peng finally said.

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes as he looked at the old Daoist. "The Domain God, I presume."

Elder Daoist Peng took a deep breath and nodded grimly. "Yes, the Domain God. His situation has grown more severe. We are completely unable to communicate with him now. In fact, we lost contact not long after the problem began. His condition is deteriorating, and if this continues… I'm afraid he might destroy the Celestial Dao Academy."

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