Dominator Emperor

"The Ghost Sacred Realm was a Ghost Realm to begin with. Who knows what kinds of enormous Big Ghosts are lying underground? Even if the Thousand Islands were formed from ninety-nine ferocious ghosts, it's nothing special." Li Qiye chuckled.

When it came to understanding the origins of the Thousand Islands, probably no one in this world could compare to him. Of course, that wasn't counting the beings lying underground, unable to crawl out!

"That's not even the scariest part." The woman in blue blinked her brilliant eyes and said, "Legend has it that after the corpses of ninety-nine ferocious ghosts transformed into the Thousand Islands, their hair grew into trees—the Ghost Locust Trees. The sap of the Ghost Locust Tree is said to be the cursed blood of those ghosts. Anyone tainted by it will fall under the curse."

"You'd better be careful, Mister. If you get cursed, they say you'll turn to stone," the woman in blue added playfully.

Li Qiye simply laughed at her words.

The woman in blue couldn't help but ask, "What are you laughing at, Mister? This is a proper legend, not some story I just made up."

Li Qiye shot her a sidelong glance and said nonchalantly, "A curse? Do you know what the most terrifying curse in the world is?"

"What is it?" The woman in blue's curiosity was piqued, and she tilted her head to look at Li Qiye.

Li Qiye pointed to his own nose and said with a relaxed air, "If you're looking for the most terrifying curse in the world, that would be me. A ferocious ghost's curse? What's that? Even a curse from the Azure Heaven itself is nothing but a passing cloud to me."

"Mister, you just can't help but brag, can you? Your boasts are reaching the heavens." The woman in blue couldn't help but purse her lips and giggle. Her smile was enchanting, her eyes expressive.

Li Qiye laughed and gently shook his head, not bothering to engage with her further. 'How could a girl like her possibly understand the secrets involved?'

"Mister, what are you harvesting all that sap for?" The woman in blue, not one to give up, trailed behind Li Qiye. She was clearly older than him, but she was deliberately teasing him, so she kept calling him "Mister," each time loud and clear.

Li Qiye stopped and eyed the woman in blue, smiling as he asked, "You really want to know what I'm doing?"

"I'm all ears." The woman in blue's expression remained composed, giving her an air of graceful elegance. She was captivating, yet possessed a nobility that warned others not to take liberties.

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. When he did, the woman's heart skipped a beat. A sudden sense of peril washed over her. In that instant, her intuition screamed that his expression spelled danger!

At that moment, she felt as if Li Qiye were a primordial beast and she, a helpless lamb caught in its sights.

"It's not hard to learn the secret," Li Qiye said with a smile. "I've always been a magnanimous person, happy to share secrets. How about this: I happen to be short a plain old housewife to do my cooking. You can stay and cook for me. Who knows, you might even figure out the secret."

Li Qiye's words made the woman in blue subconsciously touch her own face. Girls are always sensitive about their looks. She huffed, "I am *not* a plain old housewife."

"Close enough," Li Qiye said flippantly. "Even if you're not one now, you're not far off. Staying to cook for me and becoming a plain old housewife wouldn't be a disgrace to you."

The woman in blue was speechless, feeling an urge to fly into a rage. As a Heavenly Pride Girl, she wasn't someone who obsessed over her appearance, but after hearing Li Qiye's words, she truly felt the impulse to go berserk.

With her looks and beauty, even if she wasn't ranked number one in Yao Yun, she was certainly among the top few—an absolute, kingdom-toppling beauty. And now, to Li Qiye, she was just a "plain old housewife."

What infuriated her even more was that Li Qiye treated her as if she were nothing. With her talent and background, she was one of the most dazzling and outstanding Heavenly Pride Girls of her generation.

In Yao Yun, she was at the absolute apex of the younger generation. Whether in terms of looks, Dao Practice, or talent, few could compare! Normally, countless young prodigies would flock to her side. Across Yao Yun, innumerable young geniuses would go to extraordinary lengths just for a single glimpse of her.

Yet today, to Li Qiye, she was nothing. He actually told her to perform such menial chores as lighting fires and cooking meals. That he would even suggest it was one thing, but what truly angered her was his attitude—as if being allowed to cook for him was some great honor.

"If you don't want to, then forget it." Li Qiye didn't even bother to glance at her again as he resumed harvesting the sap.

"Fine. I'll stay." The woman in blue took a deep breath, managing to suppress her anger.

Li Qiye waved his hand dismissively. "It's getting late. You go on back and make me lunch. I expect it to be ready when I return."

The woman in blue trembled with rage. She, a Heavenly Pride Girl, was now being treated like his servant! She felt an urge to explode, but once again, she took a deep breath.

'Endure it. Just endure it. I absolutely must endure it. It won't be too late to deal with this Little Ghost later. We'll see how arrogant he can be then!'

Shaking with anger at Li Qiye, the woman in blue ultimately went back to light the fires and cook for him. If anyone in the outside world found out about this, their jaws would hit the floor.

「At noon.」

Li Qiye returned to his island. The moment he stepped inside, he smelled something burning. Seeing the slightly charred dishes on the table, he shook his head and said with a laugh, "See? I told you. Your skills are a long way from being good enough for a plain old housewife who cooks and cleans."

The woman in blue was angry enough to cough up blood. She, a dignified Heavenly Pride Girl, had actually stooped to cooking for someone. Such vulgar tasks were completely beneath her.

Yes, the food was a little burnt, but it was the thought that counted! Besides, it wasn't her fault. She had entered her sect to begin her Cultivation as a child and had almost never done such menial chores. The fact that she could produce a meal of this quality was already quite an achievement.

"If you're not going to eat it, then don't, you little brat!" The woman in blue was so furious she could have coughed up blood. She couldn't stop herself from roaring.

Li Qiye gave her a look, then calmly tapped the table and said with an easy smile, "Mind your image, mind your image. A young lady shouldn't be roaring at the slightest provocation like a tigress. It's simply improper. Maintain a ladylike demeanor. A lady. You know what a lady is, don't you? I shouldn't have to teach you that, right?"

The woman in blue nearly died of apoplexy. She glared furiously at Li Qiye, feeling like this Little Ghost was going to be the death of her.

"Alright, fine. Seeing as you were so sincere, I suppose I'll give your cooking a proper try. Fill my bowl." With that, Li Qiye handed his bowl to the woman in blue.

The woman in blue had the urge to beat the guy to a pulp. 'This Little Ghost is just too full of himself!' But Li Qiye just looked at her and said with a grin, "What's the matter? You're the one who agreed to stay and be my plain old housewife. A Cultivator must have perseverance. Don't give up halfway."

The woman in blue felt like she was going to die of anger, but she indignantly filled a bowl of rice for Li Qiye.

If any outsider were to witness this scene, they would find it utterly unbelievable; they wouldn't dare trust their own eyes. The woman in blue was the Divine Maiden in the hearts of countless young prodigies. Who knew how many of them would move heaven and earth just for a shred of her favor? To many of them, she wasn't just a lofty genius, but an unreachable Divine Maiden.

And yet, today, their Divine Maiden was staying behind to cook and clean for someone, doing all the chores of a plain old housewife—and being scorned for her efforts, no less.

As Li Qiye ate slowly and deliberately, the woman in blue couldn't help watching him with a hint of anticipation. After all, it was her first time ever cooking for someone, and she felt a small sense of accomplishment. She was dying to ask him how it tasted.

"So-so. It's edible," was Li Qiye's final, smiling verdict on her cooking.

"Then don't eat it!" Her temper flared again. She shot him a nasty glare, ignored him, and sat down off to the side. In that moment, she looked for all the world like a pouting, wronged wife.

Li Qiye couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head and said, "Girl, don't think you're being wronged here. I'm keeping you around because I see some value in you. If I so much as nodded my head to recruit a handmaiden, never mind the Great Teaching Territories of your Yao Yun, even the Fairies and Divine Maidens from your Ancestral Realm would have to descend to serve me."

The woman in blue looked up and stared at Li Qiye for a moment before retorting irritably, "Oh, Mister, your bragging is getting more outrageous by the second. Do you have any idea what the Ancestral Realm means to the entire Ghost Sacred Realm?"

"What is there to mean?" Li Qiye said languidly. "It's just a bunch of creatures, neither human nor ghost, hiding underground, too scared to come out. If their one true Big Ghost could manage to crawl its way out, that might be a little impressive. Otherwise, they're nothing special in my eyes."

"Just more hot air," the woman in blue said, annoyed.

Li Qiye just chuckled, completely unconcerned, and continued to eat and drink at his own pace.

The woman in blue watched Li Qiye, momentarily speechless. She was completely baffled. She had originally wanted to figure out just who this Little Ghost was, but after this whole farce, she was more confused than ever.

'This Little Ghost before me doesn't seem special at all. When it comes to geniuses, prodigies, and heroes, she'd seen plenty.'

'And yet, this Little Ghost, who seemed utterly incomparable to any of them, was arrogant beyond belief. It was as if, in all the vastness of heaven and earth, nothing was worthy of entering his Dharma Eye.'

'For the life of her, she just couldn't understand. She absolutely could not figure out where this little brat got his confidence.'

'Was he just arrogant and ignorant? No, he didn't seem like that type. But if he wasn't, then where did this boundless confidence of his come from?'