Dominator Emperor

Chapter 481: Chapter 479: Imminent Disaster

In fact, at this moment, many were coveting the Key of the First Evil Tomb in Li Qiye’s possession. To countless people, the key was an irresistible temptation. It was rumored that owning it gave one a high chance of obtaining the legendary Immortality Technique. Legend told of how the Earth Fool Immortal Emperor had obtained a great Creation within the First Evil Tomb precisely because he possessed the key.

“Just you watch. Even if that human brat manages to leave Fengdu City alive, he’ll never make it to the First Evil Tomb,” someone sneered. “Once the Emperor arrives, he’s a dead man.”

Li Qiye left the Ancestral Stream, and Huang Jiaofu immediately came to find him. Li Qiye said to him, “The Ancestor Flow Master has given you permission to leave. When do you plan on going?”

“Well…” Huang Jiaofu scratched his head, hesitating. After a moment of thought, he asked, “Sir, when do you think would be a good time to leave?”

Li Qiye pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin as he looked at him. “Are you certain how many times you’ve died?”

“Well…” Huang Jiaofu gave a bitter smile, looking just as confused. He shook his head. “To answer you, Sir, I don’t know the specifics either. I’m just driven by this incredibly strong urge to leave Fengdu City.”

“Then don’t be in a hurry,” Li Qiye instructed. “First, try to remember a few things. If the opportunity arises, try dying one more time. If your transformation is successful, you can leave. Otherwise, you’ll just be courting death. If you force yourself to leave Fengdu City before your transformation is complete, you won’t live long. Even if you do survive, you’ll never accomplish anything. That would be a waste of all my effort! Understand?”

Huang Jiaofu immediately prostrated himself, saying gratefully, “Sir, I will never forget this immense kindness for as long as I live. The day I leave Fengdu City, I am willing to follow you and serve you with my life!”

“No.” Li Qiye shook his head. “It is Fengdu City you should thank, not me. Without Fengdu City, you wouldn’t have survived to this day. You could say that Fengdu City nurtured you. Besides, I wasn’t the one who made an exception for you; the Ancestor Flow Master was. His great compassion is what’s giving you this chance to create a miracle.”

At this point, Li Qiye spoke solemnly, “Remember this: in the future, no matter what you achieve or what kind of Creation you obtain, you must remember the three rules we’ve agreed upon today. First, you are never to be an enemy of Fengdu City. Second, you must do nothing that harms Fengdu City. Third, if Fengdu City is in trouble, you must help it with all your might! Fengdu City is the place that gave you life and nurtured you. This is your origin. Do you understand?”

“Rest assured, Sir. I swear to absolutely abide by the three rules we’ve agreed upon,” Huang Jiaofu vowed.

“Good.” Li Qiye nodded. “I trust that you will create a miracle in the future. The fact that you have lived life after life in Fengdu City is a miracle and a great Creation in itself!”

Huang Jiaofu hurriedly bowed his head in acknowledgment, unable to contain his excitement. His wish was finally coming true. Though he didn’t know why he wanted to leave Fengdu City, his memories held a powerful, persistent desire: to leave and see the outside world!

For the natives of Fengdu City, and especially for its Ghost Envoys, this was an inconceivable notion. Fengdu City was the very root of the Ghost Envoys; one might even call it their paradise. No Ghost Envoy had ever thought of leaving. Huang Jiaofu, however, was an exception. A long, long time ago, he had obtained a great Creation, much like the Mingdu Immortal Emperor of old. And yet, Huang Jiaofu was different from the Mingdu Immortal Emperor.

Li Qiye gave the Ancestral Stream one last look from a distance and sighed softly to himself. ‘It’s time to leave.’

Li Qiye left the Ancestral Stream to rendezvous with Qiu Rong Wanxue, but she was no longer where he had left her. A sense of alarm shot through him.

“Are you looking for that young lady, Sir?” Huang Jiaofu quickly said. “I saw her leaving in a hurry when I arrived. It looked like she was in a rush for something urgent. She left Fengdu City.”

Without another word, Li Qiye turned and left. He knew something was wrong; otherwise, Qiu Rong Wanxue would never have left on her own. There could only be one reason for her to depart in such a rush: something had happened to the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan.

RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE— A wave of thunderous roars echoed out. The sky rumbled and the earth trembled as a massive army marched across the sky, alarming countless Cultivators.

An army of thousands marched through the sky, complete with Golden War Chariots, flying Exotic Beasts, and Treasure Ship Divine Vessels. This incomparably majestic force approached from the horizon, charging forward with the momentum of a raging flood.

Wherever this army passed, everyone retreated, from the geniuses of the younger generation to the most renowned figures of the older generation. The army was completely unbridled, charging recklessly forward. It yielded for no one; others were forced to yield to it, a testament to their absolute dominance.

Even if some were displeased, their expressions changed drastically the moment they saw the high-flying Phoenix Banner. At the sight of this flag, even the most resentful and arrogant among them would give it a wide berth.

This army of thousands possessed a heaven-shaking momentum, their combined Blood Qi as vast as the sea. Divine Flames danced upon each soldier’s body. Clad in their Divine Armor, they resembled Celestial Soldiers and Divine Generals, striking awe and fear into the hearts of all who beheld them, even from a great distance.

The massive army escorted a Phoenix Carriage pulled by eight Treasure Simurghs. The entire carriage was forged from exceptionally rare Divine Gold, pulsating with a radiant light as Laws swirled around it.

Seated upon the Phoenix Carriage was a woman dressed in a Phoenix Robe. Her Phoenix Eyes held a natural authority, giving her the air of a lofty Empress. The woman’s beauty was enough to make flowers wilt in shame and outshine the moon. As she sat there, she possessed the majestic bearing of a phoenix looking down upon the world.

However, this woman was far more than just a pretty face. A series of Divine Rings unfurled around her, resplendent and magnificent. They were so dazzlingly brilliant that one could barely open their eyes, making her resemble a Golden Phoenix reigning over the sun.

Countless expressions soured at the distant sight of this woman. Even the Sect Leaders camped outside Fengdu City turned pale when they saw her on the far horizon.

“Shen Ran Phoenix Lady!” someone murmured, their face paling at the sight of her.

Shen Ran Phoenix Lady. It was a name that resounded across the lands. Even the geniuses of the younger generation felt overshadowed by it, growing incredibly wary—a sentiment shared even by the Saint Venerables of the older generation!

The Divine Burning Country was a major power in Yao Yun, a first-rate Jiang Country. However, despite being a great nation, it was still a far cry from an Emperor Immortal Gate.

However, the Monarch of the Divine Burning Country was fortunate enough to have an incredible daughter—the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady! Moreover, at a very young age, she was betrothed to the Emperor of the Ten Thousand Bones Throne. From that day on, the Divine Burning Country latched onto a powerful connection, soaring to new heights like a phoenix ascending its perch.

The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was incredibly famous throughout Yao Yun. Some even hailed her as the number one beauty of Yao Yun, and perhaps even of the entire Ghost Sacred Realm.

While such a title was partially intended to curry favor with the Emperor, it was undeniable that the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was indeed a great beauty. However, if beauty were all she possessed, she would not be qualified to be the fiancée of a peerless genius like the Emperor.

Legend has it that at the time of her birth, a Yin Phoenix appeared by her side. It was hailed as a miracle, and countless figures of the older generation believed she was favored by the Azure Heaven—a true Daughter of the Phoenix!

And indeed, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady did not disappoint. She ascended to the Saint Venerable Realm at a young age and was once hailed as the youngest Saint Venerable in all of Yao Yun.

In Yao Yun, countless people once believed that the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s talent could rival that of the Qianli River’s successor, Lan Yunzhu. One must remember that Lan Yunzhu possessed a Dual Saint Aptitude, a level of talent that was utterly stunning. For the Phoenix Lady’s gifts to be compared to hers, one could only imagine how extraordinary she must be.

The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady was indeed a remarkable woman. Even at a young age, she was already managing the Divine Burning Country on her father’s behalf. Under her rule, the country prospered and flourished, nurturing countless disciples and gaining the momentum to one day catch up to an Emperor Immortal Gate.

“Didn’t the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady go to greet the Emperor? Could it be that the Emperor has already subdued the Red Fire Qilin?” Many gasped in shock as they watched her approach from afar.

A Cultivator who knew the inside story shook his head and said, “I heard he hasn’t. The Emperor hasn’t arrived yet. The Phoenix Lady came ahead of him to avenge her younger brother.”

“That human brat, Li Qiye?” Many people exchanged glances upon hearing this. But after a moment’s thought, it all made sense. After all, Prince Shen Ran was her biological brother.

A nameless nobody from the Human Race had killed her brother. As the current de facto ruler of the Divine Burning Country, there was no way the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady would let this go.

And just as expected, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady arrived. She came neither for Fengdu City nor the First Evil Tomb. Instead, she commanded her massive army and headed straight for the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan.

The Snow Shadow Ghost Clan was located only a few tens of thousands of miles from the First Evil Tomb, and they were a very, very small clan of the Ghost Race.

RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE— The massive army galloped forth, making the heavens and earth tremble. When the army descended upon the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, the clan members were scared out of their wits.

“The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady—” An elder of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan turned deathly pale at the distant sight of the massive army. In that moment, everyone in the clan was terrified, trembling with fear.

“Quick! Inform the Clan Leader and Elder Zhi!” the pale-faced elder shrieked, snapping back to his senses.

The arrival of the massive army was a world-shaking event. In the blink of an eye, they had completely surrounded the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan. The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s Phoenix Carriage hovered high in the sky, forcing everyone below to gaze up at her.

Seated upon her Phoenix Carriage, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady merely glanced down coldly at the entire Snow Shadow Ghost Clan. In her eyes, they were nothing more than ants. She could crush them as easily as lifting a finger; with a single wave of her hand, she could wipe the entire Snow Shadow Ghost Clan from the face of the earth.

“People of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, listen well. From this moment on, no one is to take a single step outside your territory. Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy.” The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s voice was filled with a murderous and domineering authority, causing the face of every clan member who heard her to turn deathly pale.