Dominator Emperor

"Yes, yes, yes, I think that’s the name. I heard my maternal ancestors participated in a battle like that, I just didn’t know its exact name." Chi Xiaodao said excitedly. "You really know a lot. No wonder you came to visit our Chi Family’s ancestral hall."

"Indeed. To commemorate the remarkable heroes of the Human Race and recall their past glory," Li Qiye said, gazing at the statue.

Chi Xiaodao’s excitement faded, and his expression dimmed. Looking at the statue, he couldn’t help but sigh softly. "Unfortunately, neither my grandfather’s original family nor my Chi Family are what they once were. My grandfather’s family was in decline back then, which is why he traveled all the way to the East Hundred Cities. Eventually, he met my grandmother, and they fell deeply in love. Our Elder Ancestor only had my grandmother as his sole heir, so he passed down the Lion Roar Sect and the Lion Roar Country to my grandfather. In the end, my grandfather married into the Chi Family."

Chi Xiaodao couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy. Both his Chi Family and his grandfather’s original family had once been incomparably powerful lineages. But now, his grandfather’s family had completely fallen into ruin. And although the Chi Family still ruled over a Jiang Country, it was no longer as powerful as it used to be.

"Time is ruthless. Decline is only natural. Even the most powerful lineages will one day fall. Not even an Emperor Immortal Gate can escape that fate," Li Qiye said with a comforting smile.

Chi Xiaodao was a cheerful person by nature. He looked up and said with a smile, "That’s true. Still, I hope to one day restore the Chi Family to its former glory!" As he spoke, he couldn’t help but clench his fist. But then, thinking of his own situation, his expression dimmed once more.

Chi Xiaodao struck up a conversation with Li Qiye, and they left the ancestral hall, heading for the Ancient Pool. Li Qiye glanced at Chi Xiaodao and asked with a smile, "Do you live here?"

"No, I live outside the mountains," Chi Xiaodao said, shaking his head. "I came back recently to focus on my cultivation. Legend has it that my maternal ancestor once cultivated in this very Ancient Pool. He rose to prominence from here and eventually became an invincible existence! I wanted to come back and try cultivating here, to see if I could receive guidance from my ancestor’s Heroic Spirit. I was hoping it would lead to an epiphany and help me break through my own shackles."

"Given your situation, I’m afraid your ancestor’s Heroic Spirit won’t be able to guide you." Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head. "But I do know a thing or two about a condition like yours."

"You know—?" Chi Xiaodao spun around, his voice filled with emotion.

Li Qiye smiled and said, "It’s clear that your cultivation is stuck at the God Nurturing Realm. The most crucial part of the God Nurturing Realm is having the True Destiny command the physique to support the Life Wheel. However, your physique is suppressing your True Destiny! When you cultivate, you can’t make any progress. You can clearly feel your physique running wild, suppressing your True Destiny, preventing your Life Technique from circulating, and causing your Blood Qi to stagnate. It must feel like you’re suffocating!"

"How... how did you know?!" Chi Xiaodao’s face fell, completely shaken. With just a few words, Li Qiye had perfectly described his entire situation, pinpointing his fatal flaw.

Li Qiye said, "Like I said, I love reading ancient texts. Whether it’s miscellaneous lore or secret scrolls, I enjoy them all. I happened to read about your condition in one of those old books. It’s the legendary Lion-Biting Turtle! And once you mentioned your ancestor, it all became even clearer. You have a Turtle Life, but a Lion Body..."

"...To be honest, it’s extremely rare for someone’s Life Palace to have such properties. Generally, when people talk about the Life Palace, they’re referring to Imperial and Holy Mandates. But you have a Turtle Life, which is uncommon. Furthermore, your family’s ancestor was the Overlord Immortal Lion King. While you didn’t inherit his Angry Immortal Dominating Body, you did end up with a Lion Body—an Acquired Physique known as the Lion Dominator Body. As fate would have it, your life and body clash, creating the Lion-Biting Turtle! This is why your True Destiny can’t control your physique, leaving you stuck at the God Nurturing Realm."

Li Qiye explained it all with the casual authority of an expert.

"Is there a cure?" Hearing Li Qiye diagnose his problem with such perfect clarity, Chi Xiaodao was stunned. He stared at Li Qiye, utterly shocked. When he came to his senses, he asked urgently.

Li Qiye pondered for a moment before saying, "Well... I read about a method in another ancient text on the Medicine Dao: changing fate. Your life is that of a turtle, unable to suppress an Overlord Lion. If we were to change your fate and upgrade your True Destiny by one level to that of a Heavenly Turtle, it would be able to suppress your Lion Dominator Body."

"Change fate!" Chi Xiaodao was stunned. He had heard of such a thing, but it always seemed like something out of a distant legend.

Changing fate was a legendary technique. It was rumored that only a Legendary Pharmacist, or perhaps even a Medicine Emperor, could perform such an act, as it was the most profound technique in the Medicine Dao.

Hearing this, Chi Xiaodao felt like a deflated ball, his whole body going limp. He gave a bitter smile and said, "Changing fate... that’s just a legendary technique of the Medicine Dao. Who in this world could possibly possess such a skill?"

"What a coincidence." Li Qiye said in a calm and leisurely tone, "I happen to have cultivated some techniques from the Medicine Dao. Perhaps I could even change your fate."

"Really?" Chi Xiaodao’s spirits lifted at Li Qiye’s words. But then he snapped back to reality, and a cautious look came over him as he stared at Li Qiye. "What are your conditions? What do you want?"

Seeing Chi Xiaodao’s wariness, as if he were guarding against a thief, Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh. "It seems you don’t trust me. You think I’m trying to trick you."

Being a straightforward person, Chi Xiaodao gave an embarrassed laugh. "We’re just strangers who met by chance; this is all a bit too coincidental. I’ve sought out many Pharmacists for my cultivation problem, and I was badly tricked by a little thief once. He conned me out of a huge amount of medicinal herbs and Essence Jade, swearing up and down that he could cure my condition. So, you can’t blame me this time. Once you’ve been scammed, you learn to be more careful."

"I don’t blame you," Li Qiye said with a smile. "If it were me, I’d be on my guard too."

By now, the two of them had returned to the edge of the Ancient Pool. Although Chi Xiaodao couldn’t help but be wary of Li Qiye, he hadn’t given up hope. He couldn’t resist asking, "This problem of mine... can it really be solved?"

"Do you trust me?" Li Qiye asked with a smile.

"Well..." Chi Xiaodao looked at Li Qiye hesitantly. Finally, he said, "To be honest, we’ve only just met. It would be hypocritical to say I trust you."

Li Qiye laughed, then looked at Chi Xiaodao and said, "How about this? You make a vow to me. I’ll tell you a secret, and you must never tell anyone else—not even the people closest to you! Swear it on your True Destiny."

"Th-that’s impossible," Chi Xiaodao said, shaking his head. "Swearing on one’s True Destiny is too serious." A True Destiny Oath was no small matter; it bound you for life. They were just two strangers who had met by chance. How could he possibly make such a vow?

"I know. But in a little while, when you do believe me, you must make a True Destiny Oath. How about it? Otherwise, I can only take my leave," Li Qiye said with a smile.

"What could be so serious?" Seeing that Li Qiye’s expression wasn’t joking in the slightest, Chi Xiaodao asked, perplexed.

At that moment, Li Qiye looked at the Ancient Pool before them and said casually, "This pool... have you ever been down into it?"

"I have." At the mention of the pool, Chi Xiaodao’s spirits rose again. He immediately said, "This pool doesn’t look very big from the surface, but it’s unbelievably vast down below. It’s like a bottomless pit, and there are countless underwater tunnels. Once you go in, it’s like entering a maze. I went in once and nearly died in there."

Li Qiye stood at the pool’s edge, positioning himself in a specific spot. "Jump in from here," he said. "After you dive down, when you see the branching tunnels, count from the right and enter the thirteenth underwater cavern. Then, keep turning right. When you’ve passed through the thirty-second level of underwater channels, calm your mind and perform a Divine Travel in the Void. Listen with complete focus. When you think you hear a sound, follow it. I believe you’ll find something worthwhile."

"This..." Li Qiye’s words sounded too incredible to be true. It was as if he were telling a fairy tale.

"Jump!" This time, Li Qiye’s expression was solemn and serious. His demeanor held an unquestionable and immense authority.

Chi Xiaodao’s heart trembled. He took a deep breath, and with a SPLASH, he jumped into the Ancient Pool and dove under the water.

Li Qiye stood quietly by the pool, his expression relaxing as if he were simply enjoying the scenery. He had his reasons for choosing Chi Xiaodao. The boy had a decent character and was worth mentoring. More importantly, the Chi Family’s ancestor had been completely loyal to him and performed great deeds. At the same time, back in the Ancient Sky Corpse Land, he had promised the Overlord Immortal Lion King a fated connection for his descendants!

These two reasons combined to create the perfect outcome for Li Qiye. That was why he had chosen Chi Xiaodao. He would nurture him for a while, but whether or not the boy could achieve great Creation would depend on his own efforts!

An unknown amount of time passed before, with a WHOOSH, Chi Xiaodao’s head broke the surface of the pool. He was ecstatic. "I found it! I found it! Look, what is this!" he shouted, holding his right hand high. He was clutching something.

In his hand, Chi Xiaodao held a Golden Turtle. It wasn’t large and looked almost alive. In fact, it was not a living golden turtle; to be precise, it was a golden stone turtle.

Chi Xiaodao leaped out of the pool and opened his palm, saying excitedly, "This is incredible! The moment I held this Golden Turtle, I felt my stagnant Blood Qi begin to flow freely again! It’s as if this Golden Turtle was made for me!"

In contrast to Chi Xiaodao’s excitement, Li Qiye was perfectly calm and composed. This was all within his expectations. Besides the deceased ancestor of the Chi Family, he was the only one who knew the secret behind it.

"What kind of treasure is this?" Chi Xiaodao offered the Golden Turtle to Li Qiye, looking at him with disbelief.

However, Li Qiye didn’t take the Golden Turtle. He simply smiled and said, "It’s yours. This treasure belongs to you. Its surname is Chi."

Chi Xiaodao’s heart trembled, and he was deeply moved. All of this seemed too much of a coincidence, too incredible to believe.