Dominator Emperor

In the past, Li Qiye had once searched for another island, but he never found it. At the time, you could say he practically scoured the entire area. He had also discovered this Ancient Temple on the seabed and had studied it. He believed the temple had some connection to that island, but he always felt something was missing from it, so he had no choice but to give up his research.

"A powerful member of the Snail Crab Clan was just passing through this sea region. A while ago, a light suddenly erupted from the seabed. They went down to investigate and discovered this Ancient Temple. Inside the temple, they found a Dao Platform," Lu Baiqiu said.

"A Dao Platform?" Hearing this, Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed. He shot into the Ancient Temple like a gust of wind.

Sure enough, a Dao Platform was floating inside the Ancient Temple. Li Qiye was all too familiar with this temple; he had studied it before. Back then, there was no Dao Platform here.

Li Qiye carefully examined the Dao Platform. It floated within the Ancient Temple like a miniature continent, its entire surface as black as ink.

Li Qiye reached out and gently probed the Dao Platform with his senses. He immediately felt spatial fluctuations! He couldn’t help but murmur, "So that’s how it is. Dimensional exile!"

He had suspected before that the Ancient Temple was missing a key component. It seemed his guess back then was correct—the crucial Dao Platform had been exiled to another dimension.

"I learned from the powerful Snail Crab Clan members that there’s long been a legend among those who live overseas. There is an Uninhabited Island out at sea, a Lost Divine Island left behind from the legendary ancient era. This island is said to be hidden within a Divine Temple, and only by unraveling the temple’s secrets can one set foot on it," Lu Baiqiu said.

"After the Snail Crab Clan discovered this Ancient Temple, they tried to use Essence Jade to open this Dao Platform, hoping to reach the legendary Lost Divine Island. Unfortunately, they didn’t have nearly enough Essence Jade and couldn’t open it, so they set their sights on the Sea Crystal Stones produced by our Sea Fields," Lu Baiqiu said. "When I rushed over, they had piled this place high with Essence Jades and Sea Crystal Stones, but still failed to open the Dao Platform.

"It’s not that easy." Li Qiye said, carefully observing the Dao Platform. "And the legends aren’t necessarily correct. To be precise, this isn’t some Lost Divine Island. It’s the hundredth island!"

"The hundredth island?" Lu Baiqiu was stunned for a moment. "What hundredth island?"

"The hundredth island of the Thousand Islands." Li Qiye gently caressed the Dao Platform, feeling the spatial fluctuations within. "Your Thousand Islands actually have one hundred islands in total. And the hundredth one is far larger than your other ninety-nine islands combined!"

"Th-that’s just a legend." Lu Baiqiu was dumbfounded and couldn’t help but say, "I’ve heard that legend before, but no one has ever found this island. Besides, if this island were larger than all the other islands of the Thousand Islands combined, it would have been discovered long ago. How could it remain unfound to this day?"

"Some things are far beyond your imagination," Li Qiye said with a smile. "There are some mysteries you will never be able to touch." Lu Baiqiu was moved. Seeing Li Qiye carefully observing the Dao Platform, she hurriedly asked, "Can you open this Dao Platform?"

"That depends on who’s trying," Li Qiye said with a smile, withdrawing his hand. "To open this Dao Platform, you first need Great Sage Essence Jade. Second, you need to understand the platform itself."

"Great Sage Essence Jade!" Lu Baiqiu couldn’t help but gasp. Great Sage Essence Jade... forget about her, even for her Qingxi Country, that was a massive fortune!

Li Qiye just smiled. "And that’s just the beginning," he said. As he spoke, he took out piece after piece of Great Sage Essence Jade and slowly inlaid them into the Dao Platform.

"Great Sage Essence Jade!" Seeing Li Qiye take out one piece after another, Lu Baiqiu was utterly dumbfounded. Great Sage Essence Jade! Even their Jingxi Country didn’t have much of it, yet today, Li Qiye was casually pulling it out piece by piece!

Before this, Lu Baiqiu had thought Li Qiye was just an ordinary disciple from some sect. Yet now, he had produced pieces of Great Sage Essence Jade without a second thought. This gave Lu Baiqiu quite a shock.

Someone who could casually take out so much Great Sage Essence Jade was no ordinary disciple. Even a regular disciple from a Great Teaching Territory would be unable to produce so much!

Lu Baiqiu stared at Li Qiye, somewhat dazed. Only now did she realize that Li Qiye was a man of hidden depths. Looking at him now, it was like looking at a complete enigma; she couldn’t see through him at all.

"Open—" Li Qiye pushed the Great Sage Essence Jades inlaid in the Dao Platform. Once he had arranged them into a specific pattern, he let out a great shout, and the entire Dao Platform erupted with a dazzling light.

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK— At that moment, something incredible happened. The originally massive Dao Platform began to slowly shrink, eventually contracting to the size of a fist and landing in Li Qiye’s palm.

RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE— Just then, the world shook. The entire seabed began to tremble, and then the Ancient Temple, which had stood on the ocean floor for who knows how long, began to crumble.

"What’s happening?" Lu Baiqiu cried out, startled, taking a sharp breath.

"Let’s go!" Li Qiye shouted. He grabbed Lu Baiqiu and shot upwards, instantly breaking through the surface of the sea. When Li Qiye and Lu Baiqiu emerged, they found the entire sea surface blanketed in mist.

Just moments ago, when they went underwater, the sea had been calm under a clear blue sky. But now, a thick, persistent mist that seemed to come from nowhere shrouded the entire surface of the ocean.

"What is that?" The pervasive mist shrouded the sea, making it difficult to see. When Lu Baiqiu was finally able to make out her surroundings, her expression changed, and she pointed forward.

The sea ahead was completely enveloped in mist. However, through the haze, one could faintly see rolling mountain ranges and colossal peaks piercing the sky, as if an entire continent lay before them.

"Just as I thought." Seeing the mountains and rivers shrouded in mist, Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed. He murmured, "After searching high and low to no avail, it appears right when I least expect it!"

"Could that be the legendary Lost Divine Island?" Lu Baiqiu said, her voice filled with emotion. "Legend says that all the treasures of the ancient Divine Spirits are buried on the Lost Divine Island! Let’s go take a look." With that, she prepared to charge into the mist and step onto the island within!

"Don’t!" Li Qiye quickly grabbed her, shaking his head. "It’s not that easy to get on this island. If you don’t believe me, just watch." He casually picked up a piece of reef rock and hurled it into the mist.

The rock shot into the mist like a meteor. But just as it was about to reach the mountains and rivers, with a TSST— sound, the massive piece of rock vanished without a trace.

Seeing this, Lu Baiqiu’s face paled. The rock had disappeared so suddenly, as if swallowed by a giant beast. Now, the rolling mountains and rivers in the mist looked like a colossal monster with its bloody maw wide open, quietly waiting for its prey to deliver itself.

"What is this place!" Lu Baiqiu murmured.

Li Qiye smiled, his eyes narrowed. "This is the hundredth island, and also what you call the Lost Divine Island!"

Lu Baiqiu collected herself, took a deep breath, and said in a solemn tone, "I must return to the Capital City and report this to Your Majesty. Brother Li, what are your intentions?"

Li Qiye stared at the mountains in the mist and said casually, "You go on. I’ll stay here and study it for a bit."

Lu Baiqiu bid Li Qiye farewell and immediately hurried back. Li Qiye, however, remained, studying the mist. He knew that as long as he could pass through this layer of mist, he could set foot on the hundredth island—the place others called the Lost Divine Island.

The hundredth island of the Thousand Islands, which many in later generations would call the Lost Divine Island, held an unknown secret. Its history could be traced back to an extremely ancient era. Stepping onto such a Lost Divine Island was no easy task.

Li Qiye tried approaching the mist, but the result sent a chill down his spine. The mist enveloping the Lost Divine Island was like a Primordial Fierce Beast. Anyone who drew near would shed blood; even the most powerful were no exception.

Li Qiye studied it for several days. To get to the Lost Divine Island, one had to pass through this mist. But the mist was bloodthirsty; anyone who tried to cross it was simply seeking death.

Li Qiye pondered for a long time before a smile finally appeared on his face. He left the open sea and returned to the island where he had been staying.

For now, Li Qiye was in no hurry to ascend the Lost Divine Island. He was waiting for the right time, waiting for others to come and throw their lives away. The mist surrounding the Lost Divine Island was like a bloodthirsty monster. Until it had drunk enough blood, trying to pass through it would be harder than ascending to the heavens.

So, he wasn’t in a rush. He would wait for others to arrive. Once the time was right, ascending the Lost Divine Island would be a simple matter for him.

Li Qiye wasn’t worried that someone else would snatch what he wanted from the Lost Divine Island. He was confident of his victory, as he was the one who truly held the key to the island.

Since there was no rush to get to the Lost Divine Island, Li Qiye settled down on his island, calm and unbothered, and focused on his Cultivation.

Some time ago, Li Qiye had already forged Nine Stars. By now, he had reached the peak of the True Master level.

In fact, for Cultivators of the True Realm, forging Seven Stars signified Great Perfection in the Star-Picking Realm. By forging Nine Stars, Li Qiye had challenged the very limits of a Cultivator, reaching the absolute pinnacle of the Star-Picking Realm.