Chapter 1100: Di Wei
In the end, the negotiation was a success. The three great kings left the City of Emperors and brought their troops back to their kingdoms. They also had to prepare for the expedition.
Li Qiye took the four imperial swords outside and told the girls: "Let's go."
Many people were staring at him from the outskirts of the city. They saw the three emperors arriving, so they could guess that the emperors were here to see Li Qiye.
At this time, they watched from the distance with many speculations about what Li Qiye obtained from the city running through their minds.
"Just what kind of treasure did he get in there?" Someone quietly wondered.
A big shot from the previous generation shook his head: "For Li Qiye, treasures are only supporting items, they might not be important to him at all. I think this summoning might be to discuss something important."
"This Li Qiye is too much. He actually became an Imperial King and managed to summon the other three Imperial Kings from the border — completely inconceivable. I've never heard of an outsider able to become an imperial soldier, let alone a king." Regardless of how knowledgeable someone was, they would still find this unbelievable.
"There is a rumor that once an Imperial King is powerful enough, they can summon the other kings. No one knows whether this is true or not, though." A paragon from the previous generation commented.
Li Qiye and the girls left the City of Emperors and went southward across the border. Eventually, they came to the southernmost tip of the region and met a beautiful scene.
They arrived at a valley with scintillating imperial lights. Each of these rays resembled a divine sword. No one could enter this valley. It was said that some experts had tried to force an entry, but they were all turned into bloody mists by this terrifying imperial light. A God-Monarch had tried to do so as well, but he didn't make it far into the entrance before losing an arm. He was scared out of his mind and instantly fled, not daring to come close again.
"You guys wait out here." Li Qiye commanded while standing at the entrance.
He looked at the valley for a bit before entering by himself. The moment he set his foot inside, one could hear a clunk. Countless lights instantly fused into a sea of swords, wishing to chop him into a bloody rain.
"Zhang—" Amidst the action, the four imperial swords left their scabbards and hovered behind his back. They created a huge barrier to block the approaching sword sea.
However, after this barrier was formed, it seemed like the sea of swords purposely granted him entry. It slowly disappeared and let him pass.
After seeing this scene, the girls became quite curious, wanting to know what was inside the valley.
After stepping into the valley, Li Qiye found gurgling streams flowing everywhere. There was lush vegetation here along with a refreshing atmosphere.
The depths of the valley was where all the imperial lights came from. There was a big tree here, seemingly carved from a piece of divine jade. However, the incredibly terrifying imperial might emanating from it made it look more like an invincible king standing there than a tree.
Others did not even know its name — Sovereign Tree. It was a regal tree with an extremely powerful imperial momentum!
Under the tree was an old man silently meditating. He wore an embroidered robe with an indifferent expression. There was a gigantic sword in front of his knees.
He also emitted a horrifying imperial momentum. Without a doubt, he was an extremely strong imperial soldier, much stronger than Evil-eyed's group.
The moment Li Qiye approached, the old man suddenly opened his eyes with a glare capable of penetrating everything. This terrifying glare fell upon Li Qiye.
"War Emperor, long time no see." The old man slowly spoke after seeing Li Qiye adorned in the imperial armor. His voice was full of a wondrous rhythm like jade and gold.
Li Qiye met his gaze and said: "Grandpa Wei, long time no see. Millions of years passed in a flash, your venerable self is even greater than before."
This old man ahead was called Di Wei. He was a personal guard of the Imperial Lord, but after the lord embarked on the expedition, he was the only one who stayed behind. 1
There were essentially no solitary soldiers at the border, but Di Wei was an exception. He had always been alone, guarding this place.
Di Wei looked at Li Qiye and spoke: "You are in an even better state with your own flesh and blood. It means that you will take over this generation."
"Thank you, thank you. It is all thanks to Grandpa Wei's blessing. This generation will definitely be mine." Li Qiye chuckled.
In an ancient era, Li Qiye had stayed at the border for a long time. He schemed in this world and eventually became a king. Di Wei gave advice to him several times and told him secrets that the other Imperial Kings weren't privy to.
"This generation, eh." Di Wei sat there and gently sighed with an indescribable sadness as well as a sense of relief.
Li Qiye sat down and told him: "It seems like Grandpa Wei has also sensed the changes at the plateau. I don't need to say anything, I'm sure you already know what will happen in the future."
Di Wei gazed into the horizon and eventually commented: "A different path. Perhaps this was a chosen ending."
"Who knows what will happen?" Li Qiye gently shook his head: "Both Di Shi and the Buddhist Lord have their own path."
"You also have one as well." Di Wei smiled at Li Qiye with an air of sadness.
Li Qiye smiled back: "Yes, I have my own path. Or should I say, my pursuit is the same as Di Shi's. The only difference is the path we chose."
"Why didn't the Imperial Lord choose a different path?" Di Wei gently sighed: "But then again, who knows what will happen. Maybe all paths lead to a dead end…"
"Grandpa Wei, you are being too pessimistic." Li Qiye gently shook his head: "There will be an ending no matter what, the only difference is whether it is a good or bad end."
"Finding out now isn't necessarily a good thing." Di Wei smiled wryly: "Eternal life or the final world, there will be no good that comes of this."
Li Qiye then wondered: "Then what about the Imperial Lord?"
Di Wei pondered for a bit before answering quietly: "I don't know. After he left for the Expedition Path, there hasn't been any news. I don't think he himself knows what awaits us."
Li Qiye plainly stated: "If he has chosen this path, I'm sure he is confident."
Di Wei eventually movingly exclaimed: "Eternal life. There really are some things that cause too much trouble. For many people, eternal life is full of temptation, a lifelong pursuit. But ultimately, they only become abominations that are neither humans nor ghosts!"
"If I could choose once more in my next life, maybe I would like to be an ordinary mortal." The vicissitudes of life were embodied by the helplessness in his voice: "Even though life is short, there will be happiness and sadness through the struggles and blessings."
"There is no medicine for regret for mortals and cultivators." Li Qiye had to smile: "A mortal might have a house full of children that randomly die in the wild. I have no regrets. Since I have chosen this path, I will walk straight to the very end."
"Nevertheless, I am different from you. You didn't have any other choice, but I did. You were forced to become the Dark Crow while I was born into a wealthy family, never having to worry about food or clothing."
"Maybe so." Li Qiye gently nodded. It wasn't his own choice to take this path.
"It is all in the past, let us not talk about it." Di Wei softly sighed and shook his head as if he wanted to put all the troubles behind him.
Li Qiye asked: "Grandpa Wei, what is your plan?"
Di Wei pondered for a moment before answering: "The truth is that I don't really know. Maybe I should go to the Expedition Path or just be cannon fodder and test my luck. If the plateau wins, I can still survive and kill my way out!"
Li Qiye nodded and revealed: "Yes, that is also an opportunity. However, if you want to enter the path, you can try that as well. My Kingdom of Emperors will be working with three other empires for the expedition."
"Let me think about it." Di Wei mused it over: "If I decide to go on the expedition with your Kingdom of Emperors, I can borrow your Regal Gold as well."
"Grandpa Wei, you are too reserved." Li Qiye shook his head: "Your advice back then was quite beneficial and allowed me to become the War Emperor in a short amount of time. Just a little Regal Gold is nothing."
Di Wei smilingly denied: "I do not dare to accept the credit. If you didn't have an imperial heart, even more advice would have been useless."
Di Wei means imperial guard. ↩Chapter 1101: Elusive Heavenly Golden Water
After hearing Di Wei's praise, Li Qiye only smiled and didn't say anything else.
Di Wei saw the four floating swords behind Li Qiye and asked: "You want to take that thing away?"
"I know Grandpa Wei is guarding this place." Li Qiye smiled: "So please go easy on me, I wish to enter."
Di Wei smiled and gently shook his head: "What is this about going easy on you, the most powerful Imperial King of the border and holder of the four swords? According to the rules, you are qualified to enter."
"However, whether you can take the item or not is up to you." Di Wei said: "You aren't the only one to have come here. Even the most powerful general under the Imperial Lord has tried before, but alas, he couldn't take it away."
"I'm quite confident." Li Qiye smiled: "Otherwise I wouldn't have brought these four imperial swords."
Li Qiye couldn't help but chuckle: "Grandpa Wei, are you testing me? The truth is that I might not be too certain. It has been too long so there are virtually no records. Moreover, I think there is more than one name for this item."
"It seems like you have done a lot of preparation." Di Wei smiled and nodded: "If you can take it away, then it is all yours."
Li Qiye slightly bowed before speaking with a smile: "Thank you, Grandpa Wei."
Di Wei shook his head: "There's no need to thank me. I know that the Imperial Lord back then wanted to take it too, but the conditions weren't right so he had to give up. It was waiting for the fateful ones. If you are meant for it, then you can naturally take it away. But if not, then all will be in vain."
"I understand." Li Qiye acknowledged the fact that he might fail.
Suddenly, Di Wei shifted a tiny bit, but this movement carried the force of a shifting mountain. The stars suddenly turned upside down as a cavernous entrance appeared before Li Qiye.
It was shut tight with two imperial doors. It had an old architectural style with four sword grooves coming together. It seemed that these four swords were sealing the gate.
"Good luck." Di Wei smilingly said: "If you can take the item away, then my mission can be considered complete. In the future, whether it be on the expedition or to fight for the plateau, I will no longer be tied down."
Li Qiye gently nodded his head and went towards the entrance.
"Zzz—" Li Qiye took the four swords and pushed them into the corresponding grooves.
"Clank—" The heavy gate finally opened after he inserted all four.
He then entered without any hesitation. Once his figure disappeared inside, the gate slowly closed again.
The cave was not as dark as one would expect. On the contrary, it was very bright with a clear blue sky. One could hear the sounds of crashing waves. This was not a cave drowned in darkness but a vast ocean.
It was difficult for people to expect an ocean waiting behind the entrance of this cave.
"Squeak." When Li Qiye looked at the sea, he heard a dolphin leap out of the water like a little elf.
Li Qiye smiled and jumped on the dolphin's back then patted it with a smile: "Little fella, take me to the place where the rainbow rises."
The dolphin merrily cried out then leaped up high. It took Li Qiye towards the end of the sea through the winds and waves.
It was extremely fast as it carried Li Qiye on this trajectory for a long time. Li Qiye stood on its back and allowed it to go where it pleased while watching the rippling waves of this ocean in silence.
There were many secrets hidden in the Lesser Imperial Devil World, an entire era was buried here. It was once a brilliant era that eventually tracelessly vanished outside of this lesser world.
Eventually, the dolphin stopped after it carried Li Qiye to their destination.
The sight ahead was as beautiful as a surreal dream, capable of ensnaring others. Ahead were many rainbows slowly rising from blue waves all the way to the recesses of the sky. Each of them was heading towards a different direction and destination.
Li Qiye glanced at each rainbow with a faint grin on his face. All of them had a different destination, but only one truly led to that place. The other ones were fruitless paths.
"Only those with the purest of faiths know the real path." With a chuckle, he took out the Buddhist Lotus and loosened his grip. The flower flew outside as if it had grown wings.
After circling around in the air, it finally stopped in front of a rainbow.
"Buzz!" The flower went into full bloom and sent out a surging Buddhist light. It dyed the rainbow a golden shade.
"That is it." He immediately knew that the dyed rainbow would take him to the right place.
He set foot on the rainbow and recalled the flower while walking into the sky. The rainbow acted as a bridge to a heavenly kingdom. He was crossing through space from one world to another, from one generation to the next. It seemed that he was going against the current to find out about the past.
Without this rainbow acting as a bridge, one would never be able to reach the other place because it was crossing through time and space. No matter how powerful one might be, they wouldn't be able to pinpoint the coordinates.
There was no sun or moon here. The concept of time did not exist alongside this rainbow either. In this manner, Li Qiye kept on going forward for an unknown amount of time.
Eventually, he made it to his desired location. It was an island in an unknown space.
A refreshing breeze blew by once he reached the island. This was a reason for joy and gave off an indescribable feeling as if one finally met an oasis after a long trek in a desert.
It was not large and there was nothing else on it outside of an extraordinary lake.
Standing by the shore to look at the water, he felt that there was a dreamlike beauty to it. It seemed that it wasn't water flowing within. On a more careful observation, the lake contained flowing golden sand.
This golden sand was very exquisite and gentle to the touch with great moisture. He blinked once and the water in the lake changed. At this time, golden fishes were swimming like little elves, full of spirit. With their swimming, the entire lake exuded a great amount of spirit energy.
Another second passed by and the lake changed again. Now, there were real elves this time. Some were formed by divine swords and others by treasure pagodas or immortal sabers… All were so real yet dreamlike.
If others were here to see these transformations, they wouldn't be able to tell which were real and which were fake. Perhaps everything was fake and all part of an illusion.
Li Qiye, on the other hand, actually knew that everything was real. This was its original state, so no one could discern its authenticity.
Li Qiye murmured while looking at the lake: "Elusive Heavenly Golden Water, after searching for so many moons, who could possibly imagine that it was hidden in a place like this…"
After the sentimental statement, he slowly took out an item left behind by Immortal Emperor Qian Li… the Elusive Heavenly Vase.
In one particular generation, Li Qiye spent a lot of time to find this vase, but he failed. Later on, Immortal Emperor Qian Li found it for him.
The golden water must be stored in the Elusive Heavenly Vase; other items wouldn't be able to contain it. More importantly, without the vase, one wouldn't be able to truly use the water.
"Pluff!" Li Qiye placed the vase in the middle of the lake and allowed it to slowly sink to the bottom.
"Gulp—guk—guk." The golden water crazily rushed into the bottomless vase that was expediting the process with an extremely powerful force of absorption.
In a short period of time, the vase swallowed all of the water. One could now see the bottom of the lake.
Li Qiye shifted his gaze down to an item at the bottom. It was the size of a thumb and exuded an extraordinary golden brilliance. Each golden ray was as tangible as strings of golden silk.
Moreover, it seemed to have its own life as it creeped around slowly.
While looking at it, Li Qiye's brows slightly perched. He took a deep breath and said: "Just like the legends. Everything requires time as a witness. Without time, even the golden water won't do. No wonder why the Imperial Lord didn't take it back then."
Li Qiye held the vase and slightly applied a suctioning force onto the item. It was attached to the bottom of the lake and seemed to be very reluctant to leave. However, before the mighty power of the vase, it no longer had a choice and was eventually sucked inside.
After collecting it, Li Qiye patted the vase and said: "A journey of one thousand miles just to take half a step further. Elusive Heavenly Mountain, one day, I will get what I want!"
With that, he put away the vase and left.
Chapter 1102: Challenge
Di Wei looked at Li Qiye who came out from the cave. His eyes slightly shifted as he stated: "You have really done it. You are indeed with no equal, especially with regards to patience. After hunting from one generation to another, the deed has been done."
"I will be successful in this generation. I have waited for too long, so it is time for me to reap the rewards." Li Qiye grinned.
"I also pray for your success. It will herald a new generation that even I cannot imagine, an era that has never been seen before." With that, Di Wei looked at Li Qiye deeply and solemnly said: "Because no one has ever done it before!"
"I shall." Li Qiye gave a leisurely smile from his heart.
"I hope I can see that day." Di Wei smiled back. This was a blessing for him as well.
Li Qiye sighed secretly. He knew Di Wei had made his choice. In the end, he said: "When it is time to go, I hope to see you there."
"Maybe." Di Wei smiled but didn't elaborate.
"Grandpa Wei, there is a question I'd like to ask you." He said while staring at Di Wei.
Di Wei also smiled and replied: "I know what you want to ask. It is about the chosen path of the Imperial Lord, right?"
Li Qiye said in a carefree manner: "Nothing can hide from your eyes."
Di Wei shook his head: "You have always thought about this matter when you were here at the border. It is just that you couldn't see through it." Di Wei lamented softly: "But it is all in the past, just let it go with the wind. Your path and the Imperial Lord's are different. What's the point of knowing? What's the harm of not knowing?"
Li Qiye didn't ask any further after hearing this answer. He bowed deeply towards Di Wei: "Take care, Grandpa Wei. I hope that we can meet again in an entirely new era."
"Take care." Di Wei returned the grand gesture: "Regardless of what happens in the future, there are two things I am proud of in this life. The first is being able to follow the Imperial Lord and the second is knowing someone like you. I have no further pursuits in life except hoping that I can live till that generation where we might be able to meet again."
Li Qiye nodded his head and left. Di Wei watched his departing shadow until it disappeared from the valley's entrance.
"Cultivators, what are they truly after?" Di Wei lamented: "Even if one has eternal life, what else is there besides loneliness at the very end?"
The moment Li Qiye left the valley, the girls who were guarding the perimeter turned excited and ran to see him.
Chen Baojiao told him: "Young Noble, some people want to fight you."
Li Qiye paused and looked ahead. He noticed many people were gathered here, but they stood quite far away from the entrance since they didn't dare to come closer.
The pair in front of the crowd was Heavenly Emperor Lin and Zhan Shi. At this moment, they stood there calmly; Lin was focused yet carefree while Zhan Shi was as sharp and firm as a javelin.
As for the spectators, they stood far away without making too much sound or carelessly commenting. They could only play nice as spectating bystanders.
Many stared at Li Qiye with fear. It could even be said that those who saw him didn't dare to breathe out loud.
Today, who in this world wasn't afraid of Fiercest Li Qiye?! He even dared to kill people from the Soaring Immortal Sect. Was there anything he couldn't do?
"It seems that the two of you have prepared well." Li Qiye glanced at Lin and Zhan Shi with a smile.
Lin cupped his fists towards Li Qiye and slowly said: "Brother Li, Brother Zhan and I made a promise to battle you. Today, we have come to formally issue the challenge."
Despite wanting to challenge Li Qiye, Lin didn't have any antagonistic thoughts towards him. It was not a battle borne of a grudge!
Li Qiye looked at Zhan Shi and said: "This is a bit surprising. You two should know very well that even if you fight together, you are still not my match. And yet, you are still here today to challenge me."
"A cultivator has no fear of battle!" Zhan Shi lowered his voice: "Victory and defeat are part of life. Being too afraid to fight is the only true defeat!"
"Good, well said." Li Qiye clapped his hands approvingly and smiled: "I have many enemies, but those who can truly say these words with ease are few in number."
Lin took a deep breath and spoke: "Brother Li, our fight this time has nothing to do with feuds or grievances, victory and defeat doesn’t matter either! We know that you are unbeatable, but we want to see your true invincibility this time!"
"I understand." Li Qiye smiled: "You two felt puzzled about your defeat in the previous encounters as you lost too quickly and couldn't even get a feel for my power."
Lin nodded in all seriousness: "We couldn't see through your strength. No matter what, we want to fight, no matter the result. If we don't fight you, then even if we have higher accomplishments in the future, it would all be for naught."
"Okay." Li Qiye smiled: "Your heart is aiming for the dao, so I shall help you. I won't borrow external powers or dao and will only use my own power to fight and grant both of you a convincing defeat."
"Thank you for treating us with respect." The two of them bowed.
After hearing the conversation, the onlookers held their breaths. This would be a real fight between cultivators, a pure duel.
Li Qiye leisurely said: "Since you two are ready, pick the time and place."
Lin formally stated: "Tomorrow at this time, at the Skyraising Mountain in the Imperial Border. We will be waiting for your arrival."
"Alright, I'll be there." Li Qiye gently nodded his head and accepted this challenge.
Lin didn't say anything else. He and Zhan Shi bowed to say goodbye then turned away and disappeared into the horizon.
"A battle between gentlemen." Someone from the previous generation was moved by this: "I haven't seen this in a long time."
"Top geniuses always have some aspects that other people can't match." A paragon commented: "Lin is free and unrestrained, Zhan Shi is determined, and Fiercest is straightforward and upright despite his ferocity. They aren't people that we can compare to."
The crowd was excited to see this pure fight between cultivators. For the inhabitants of this world, it was easy to find friends who were gentlemen, but much more difficult to have enemies willing to fight with honor.
The three had an unreachable style. This was not only the style of geniuses, but also the style of experienced masters.
"Even an Immortal Emperor at a young age can't be much better than this." A God-Monarch spoke with emotions: "What a shame that all three of them were born in the same generation and have to be enemies. Otherwise, they could have become good friends."
"Even if they won't become friends, I'm sure they can sympathize and appreciate each other." Another God-Monarch felt a bit envious: "To be able to meet an enemy like this is also a kind of blessing in life."
Normally before a battle between geniuses, people would often discuss the outcome. They relished in analyzing who would win.
However, no one bothered to do so today. They only talked about the manner of this duel. Some even felt quite envious of Lin and Zhan Shi being able to fight against Fiercest.
"Hmph, a gentlemen's duel?" Jikong Wudi snorted after hearing this: "So what! Someone will die anyway!"
With that, his eyes turned cold and exposed a frightening murderous intent.
The Skyraising Mountain was the highest peak in the Imperial Border. It directly pierced into the sky as if the stars were all revolving around it.
Even though the day of the battle had yet to arrive, many cultivators came quite early. For miles around the mountain, cultivators and experts were waiting. Some were hovering in the sky while others stood on the mountains. The majority tried to pick good vantage points to watch this rare battle.
For this particular battle, the atmosphere was very calm. Despite the great amount of spectators, the scene was very quiet. No one wanted to break this calm atmosphere.
Heavenly Emperor Lin and Zhan Shi came early as well. Moreover, each of them carried a wooden coffin along with them. After reaching the top, they placed the coffins beside them.
The spectators were shaken at the sight of the coffins.
"Lin and Zhan Shi are prepared to die in this battle." Someone couldn't help but murmur after seeing this scene.