Dominator Emperor

Chapter 479: Chapter 477: A Different Farewell

After an unknown amount of time, a ray of light suddenly shot out from the Ancient Hall. It was the very same light that had emerged from the Ancient Box in Li Qiye’s hands, and it vanished the moment it re-entered the box.

Immediately after, a ball of light flew out of the Ancient Hall. Before Qiu Rong Wanxue could get a clear look at it, the light instantly rushed into Li Qiye’s body and merged with the green light already there. A series of clanging sounds echoed across Li Qiye’s entire body, as if a suit of Battle Armor was being fitted onto him.

Li Qiye slowly withdrew the box, closed his Life Palace, and the tree stump vanished along with it. Only then did he open his eyes and let out a long sigh.

“Success!” King Qinguang also let out a long sigh of relief, muttering, “If you can unearth that legendary item, then with this War Armor, you just might survive the coming battle!”

“Let’s hope so,” Li Qiye said calmly. “This is just one more layer of defense. Until the very end, who can say who will emerge victorious? But one thing I can be sure of is that I definitely won’t be the first to die!”

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—” A series of thunderous explosions suddenly erupted from within the Ancient Hall, as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting apart. The entire world seemed to shake.

Within the Ancient Hall, high up in the Celestial Vault, the shadow in the gateway abruptly burst forth with an incomparably brilliant light. The power it unleashed seemed capable of slaughtering all gods and demons, enough to block a curse from the Azure Heaven itself.

“What’s happening?” The sudden change startled Qiu Rong Wanxue.

“This is an opportunity. In the end, we still have to risk it all,” Li Qiye muttered, staring deeply at the scene inside the Ancient Hall.

At that exact moment, Dao Patterns surfaced on the ground. Before Qiu Rong Wanxue could understand what was happening, her vision blurred. She, along with Li Qiye and King Qinguang, was instantly teleported away.

Meanwhile, on the Ghost Race’s Dao Land, the once-vibrant earth suddenly lost all its color. Every beam of light shooting into the sky vanished in an instant, as if all power had been drained away at once.

Before anyone could understand what was happening, the Heaven and Earth Laws suddenly interwove to form a Daoist Door, which instantly teleported away all the young Cultivators remaining on the continent.

A strange change also occurred in the Golden Sea. As if suddenly drained of all its power, its waters dried up in an instant. Then, with a great RUSHING sound, ink-black seawater once again flooded the area.

The same thing happened in the Night Sea outside. The water, which had already cleared, suddenly saw ink-black water erupt from its center and begin to submerge the entire Night Sea.

“Oh my god, what’s happening?” The young Cultivators in the Night Sea saw this, turned tail, and fled, rushing ashore at their top speed. If they were submerged by that ink-black water, it would mean certain death.

Countless young Cultivators were teleported to Fengdu City without any warning. After steadying themselves and getting a clear look at their surroundings, many of them were left dazed.

“Wh-What happened?” Many were completely baffled, unable to figure out what was going on.

“What a shame—” Tian Lunhui was no exception. He hadn’t yet fully comprehended what he had been contemplating, and his heart was filled with regret. ‘If only I had more time, I would have certainly grasped it completely!’

Li Qiye’s group of three was teleported to another part of Fengdu City. King Qinguang looked around and said, “It’s about time for me to crawl back into my old coffin. When you’re ready to start the war, just summon me.” As he spoke, he handed an item to Li Qiye.

Li Qiye accepted the item and nodded. “I will. I’m counting on you for the vanguard.”

King Qinguang said nothing more. He turned and left, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn’t help but ask, full of curiosity, “Sir, is he a human or a ghost?”

“Neither human nor ghost. He is simply an existence born from a blood sacrifice.” Li Qiye smiled but said no more.

Qiu Rong Wanxue didn’t know what a “blood sacrifice” was, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she asked, “Sir, what’s our next step?”

“To the Ancestral Stream!” Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed as he muttered, “The only thing left to resolve now is the matter with Huang Jiaofu. It’s about time we left Fengdu City.”

He had already obtained everything he came for. It was now almost time to enter the First Evil Tomb. The Lost Divine Island was inside the First Evil Tomb, and he had to get the item there.

Li Qiye arrived at the Ancestral Stream once more. He had Qiu Rong Wanxue wait outside while he went to see the Ancestor Flow Master alone.

“You’re still here!” the Ancestor Flow Master said icily, clearly unwelcoming of Li Qiye.

“I just came from that place,” Li Qiye said with a smile. “Perhaps there’s some news you’d like to hear.”

“You didn’t come all this way just to tell me news, did you?” the Ancestor Flow Master said coldly. “There are some things I can guess at, even without you going there!”

“But there’s some news you’ll definitely want to hear. For example, how the Heavenly Punishment is doing,” Li Qiye said.

“If you have something to say, say it! Don’t beat around the bush. As for the news you mentioned, I’ll find out even if you don’t tell me.”

“Listening to you, one would think I’m the type who only shows up when I need something,” Li Qiye said with a dry laugh. “Can’t I just come to say goodbye?”

“And aren’t you exactly that type of person?” the Ancestor Flow Master’s voice was still cold. “As for saying goodbye, have you ever? If I recall correctly, after you snuck away that one time, you never showed your face here again. Do you really think you’re the kind of person who says goodbye?”

“Well… last time was a bit special,” Li Qiye said with another dry laugh. “That time, didn’t I want to come say goodbye? But I had to escort Mingdu Immortal Emperor out at the last minute, so I left in a hurry and didn’t have the chance.”

“Is that so?” The Ancestor Flow Master’s cold voice rang out, clearly doubting Li Qiye’s story. “If my memory serves me right, Mingdu left before you did. So where does this talk of ‘escorting’ him come from?”

“Well… heh, heh, heh, I was bringing up the rear. The rear guard,” Li Qiye said, a bit embarrassed, chuckling dryly. “Besides, isn’t that all just water under the bridge from ages ago? Let the past be the past. People have to look forward. Hope lies in looking forward.”

“My apologies, but I am not a person. So unlike you, I don’t always look forward and never look back,” the Ancestor Flow Master sneered.

“I—” Li Qiye opened his mouth to speak but ended up just giving a bitter smile and a soft sigh.

The Ancestor Flow Master fell silent for a while. After a long moment, they spoke coldly, “Say what you need to say. My patience is limited! My time is also limited. Not everyone is like you, able to live forever with enough time to squander! If there’s nothing else, I’m going to hibernate.”

“There is one thing…” Li Qiye began, but then hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject. This wasn’t going to be easy; it wasn’t a simple favor to ask.

“You’re not thinking of poaching someone from my Fengdu City again, are you?” The Ancestor Flow Master seemed to have seen through him, letting out a cold huff. Their voice was frosty, filled with displeasure toward Li Qiye.

Caught red-handed, Li Qiye couldn’t help but rub his hands together awkwardly. He gave a dry laugh and said, “Well, it’s like this… D-don’t you think Huang Jiaofu is worth cultivating a bit?”

“Huang Jiaofu!” The Ancestor Flow Master sneered. “Wasn’t it enough when you poached Mingdu all those years ago? That was already breaking Fengdu City’s rules!”

“But Huang Jiaofu is different from Mingdu,” Li Qiye said hurriedly. “Huang Jiaofu belongs to Fengdu City—you could say he’s of pure stock. Mingdu received a great Creation back then, but Huang Jiaofu’s potential wasn’t any worse; it was just that the time wasn’t right. Even someone with Mingdu’s background ended up being grateful to Fengdu City. If Huang Jiaofu can go out into the world, he will still be a disciple of Fengdu City. I can guarantee you that in the future, he will surely accomplish great things for Fengdu City, he will surely contribute to Fengdu City. I will keep an eye on him…”

“Enough!” the Ancestor Flow Master cut him off coldly. “This is impossible! I was lenient enough back then! The rules of Fengdu City cannot be broken again, and I cannot make another exception!”

The Ancestor Flow Master’s attitude was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

Li Qiye fell silent. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh and a bitter smile. “In that case, I won’t force you. It’s true that I was the one who forcefully took Mingdu away back then. I was in the wrong. I came back this time partly to apologize for that. Since you don’t agree, I will respect your wishes. I can only say that Huang Jiaofu’s Creation has not yet arrived.”

The Ancestor Flow Master merely responded to Li Qiye’s words with a cold snort.

Li Qiye spoke earnestly, “This time, I genuinely came to bid you farewell. Once I’ve obtained the other things I need, it will be time to start the war.”

“You were right. I used to be undying, with all the time in the world, but that was in the past, back when I was still the Yin Ya. The reason I didn’t say goodbye when I left that time was because I knew I had enough time. I knew that one day, I would be back to see you again,” Li Qiye sighed softly.

At this, he gave another bitter smile and said, “I am no longer the Yin Ya now. I am no longer that undying existence. This time when I leave, I don’t know how long it will be before I can return to see Fengdu City again… or if I’ll even have the chance to return and see Fengdu City again.”

“So, aside from the matter with Huang Jiaofu, I truly came to say goodbye this time.” Li Qiye sighed. “Regardless, you will have the chance to see that day arrive. And I hope that in the future, I will be able to see that day as well!”

The Ancestor Flow Master sat there in silence, their eyes fixed coldly on Li Qiye. They were immeasurably deep, betraying no hint of emotion.

Li Qiye gave the Ancestor Flow Master one last, deep look. “Take care,” he said. “I hope we will have a chance to meet again in the future!”

The Ancestor Flow Master remained seated, remained silent, and remained completely still.