Chapter 895: Brave Tiger's Spire
"Such a big tone. Someone of your level might be able to fight a Godking, but assailing an Immortal Emperor? You think too highly of yourself." A carefree voice answered the blustering creature.
The creature glanced at the speaker and found that it was Li Qiye. He boisterously laughed and said: "Junior, I, Immortal Monarch Mo Peng, like arrogant juniors the most when I was younger. Unfortunately, you are not very smart and chose to anger me!"
"Immortal Monarch Mo Peng?" Li Qiye couldn't help but smile: "A little ninehead bird still dares to gild your face with such a statement? You think no one will recognize you after adding those Heavenly Eagle wing bones to your body?"
The creature was startled after hearing this: "Junior, you actually recognize me?"
Li Qiye looked at him and smiled: "Ninehead bird, how can I not remember you? If I am not mistaken, you were killed by Empress Hong Tian after she nailed you to the earth. The only thing that is surprising is that you are still alive."
"Well, well, well, what a knowledgeable junior." The creature laughed wildly: "Someone still remembers my past. What a shame, right? Hong Tian thought that I was dead, but I am someone who is blessed and lived on. Moreover, I even obtained the bloodline of the Heavenly Eagle and became invincible from then on. Too bad Hong Tian isn't in this world anymore or else I would fight her to the death!"
Many people were surprised to hear the domineering words coming from the creature. Just how invincible was Empress Hong Tian? But right now, this person calling himself Immortal Monarch Mo Peng dared to bluster about challenging her!
A big shot from the Jianlong Clan noticed that his ancestor was slightly dazed, so he asked: "Ancestor, who is he?"
"Heavenly Eagle Godchild, an incredible genius from the Divine Beast Realm. He had the highest chance of becoming Immortal Emperor, but unfortunately, he was supposedly killed by Empress Hong Tian!" The ancestor murmured in response.
Li Qiye leisurely smiled and said: "Ninehead bird, you weren't smart back then and you're still insensible right now. If I'm correct, you obtained the skeleton of a Heavenly Eagle that still had some divinity left, maybe even some divine blood. You did not accept your defeat to Empress Hong Tian back then and took the risk to change your bloodline and origin. Aizz, this change in bloodline turned you into an evil bird, so the remnants of the beast realm had to seal you."
"Junior, you do know quite a bit." Immortal Monarch Mo Peng was startled and stared at Li Qiye from top to bottom as if he wanted to see through him.
This creature was indeed the main descendant of the beast realm from back then. An incredible genius, the strongest opponent of Empress Hong Tian in the competition for the Heaven's Will.
However, he still lost in the end and was struck into the ground till near-death. Alas, when she attacked the beast realm, she assumed that he was dead and didn't pay him any further attention.
This ninehead bird survived the cruel war. He did not give up and obtained the skeletal remains of a Heavenly Eagle that had some divine blood left.
Keep in mind that a Heavenly Eagle was a divine beast, an existence compared to true gods. The godchild used an extreme method to swap his bloodline and origin. Although he managed to fuse with the skeleton, he was controlled by the beastly nature of the bird and went crazy.
The ancestors from the beast realm who survived came up with different methods to seal him. After millions of years, the savage nature inside him was finally suppressed. This time, these elders wanted to use the blood of the citizens of the Stony Edge Kingdom to wake the Heavenly Eagle Godchild's bloodline so that he could show himself to this world in his peak state!
Many big shots in the Stone Medicine World trembled while the godchild gazed at Li Qiye. No one knew what was to come when a monster like this came into being once more.
"The main descendant of the beast realm… fusing together with the bones of a Heavenly Eagle. Isn't this too scary? Even if he can't assail Immortal Emperors, he probably has the power to slay a Godking. Can Li Qiye win?" A disciple from the Jianlong Clan saw this and had to ask.
Prior to this, many people had absolute confidence in Li Qiye. With thirteen palaces and a Godking protecting him, it would be difficult for him to not become Immortal Emperor.
However, an existence like the Heavenly Eagle Godchild came out of nowhere — in the eyes of many, this would be someone that would be Li Qiye's most powerful opponent for the throne.
"This guy? Not to mention fusing with the bones of a Heavenly Eagle, even if he fused with the bones of an Immortal Monarch, he still wouldn't have the chance to do anything. If he was an Immortal Emperor, then he could probably last for a while. Otherwise, only death awaits him by provoking Li Qiye!" The oldest ancestor of the Jianlong Clan shook his head and answered his junior: "Remember well, it is better to antagonize the gods before opposing Li Qiye! This is our creed!"
Having said that, this ancestor became immersed in a distant memory.
"Oh? Very good, so it is an Immortal Physique, I like drinking the blood from Immortal Physiques the most!" The godchild finished judging Li Qiye and let out an evil laugh.
"Your Majesty Mo Peng, there is a Godking protecting him, please take things seriously." Ye Qingcheng was afraid that the godchild would underestimate the enemy, so he reminded him.
"Haha, a Godking? I wouldn't be afraid even if an Immortal Emperor was here!" The godchild laughed and declared with a domineering attitude: "Banner, come!"
"Buzz!" The moment he called out, a divine banner came from the horizon and fell into his hand.
This was the Coiling Dragon Banner that had escaped from Li Qiye before, an Immortal Emperor True Treasure left behind by the progenitor of the beast realm. It had swept through this world before.
With the banner in hand, he became quite heroic and aggressively claimed: "What a shame that time didn't wait for me or else Hong Tian would have had no chance of becoming an Immortal Emperor!"
The banner in his hand emitted a terrifying imperial aura. The golden dragon on the flag was extremely lively and seemed as if it could rush out at any time!
Everyone else was quiet in response to the godchild's bold claim. In the past, he was indeed brilliant enough and could have become emperor if it wasn't for Empress Hong Tian. In this generation, he fused with the bones of the Heavenly Eagle and inherited its divine bloodline, thus becoming even more terrifying!
"I shall become the Immortal Emperor of this generation!" The godchild laughed and pointed at Li Qiye with the banner in hand: "Junior, you alone are not even an appetizer. Let that Godking come out. I want to slay a Godking today!"
Any Godking who heard this would become serious. The godchild was already strong enough, but after fusing with the Heavenly Eagle body, he became even more powerful. Right now, with the Coiling Dragon Banner in hand, no matter who they might be, they would retreat before him!
"Oh, ninehead bird, still so arrogant despite being sealed for so long. Even if you have the bloodline of a Heavenly Eagle, you still aren't qualified to compete against Hong Tian for the Heaven's Will. You wouldn't even enter the top three of her strongest rivals, let alone talking about assailing Immortal Emperors." Li Qiye only smiled at the arrogant godchild.
He shook his head: "Plus, I will kill you today, there's no need for a Godking to attack! Moreover, I want to let those who still hold onto a foolish sliver of hope to know who the ruler of the nine worlds is! I shall show them the true everlasting power I hold!"
"Such an arrogant junior, but I like it that way! Today, I will take my time feasting on your flesh and blood!" The godchild said with a laugh.
At this time, an eternal mantra emerged from Li Qiye's sea of memories. His body emitted an endless brilliance.
"Buzz!" In the distant Bi'an Beastworld inside a bronze citadel, countless universal laws emerged on the bronze coffins. With clanking sounds, these laws quickly turned into bronze spires.
"Clank, clank, clank…" At the same time, Li Qiye flipped his right palm and the same type of bronze universal laws emerged and twisted together to form another bronze spire.
"Clank!" The moment this spire took form, an endless military might soared to the sky. "Boom!" A deafening blast resounded. Li Qiye soared to the sky and created a bronze pillar of light of endless height. A world emerged from this light that spawned an invincible legion. In the blink of an eye, the power of the entire legion assembled together on top of this bronze spire.
"Evil remnant, kneel and accept your death!" Li Qiye pointed his spire at the godchild while slowly chanting his mantra.
The godchild was aghast at the sight of the bronze spire in Li Qiye's hand. He took several steps backward and stared at Li Qiye in astonishment: "Brave Tiger's Temporal Spire! You, you, you are that person!"
"It is too late!" Li Qiye resembled a true god at this second. Countless bronze-colored laws poured down from the sky like waterfalls. He was the ruler of the entire Stone Medicine World. Each of his steps created a new world, each of his steps created a true god! The sovereign of the nine worlds had arrived!
The spire in his hand was the calling of an unstoppable legion! He stood alone in the sky at this moment, but there seemed to be millions of bronze soldiers behind him. This legion alone could sweep through the jade palace in the firmament! 1
The godchild was terrified. He turned around to flee from this place at an unmatched speed because he knew just how terrifying this existence and the invincible legion behind him was. His Divine Beast Realm was destroyed by this legion back then. One Godking after another were massacred!
"Slay!" As the godchild was fleeing, Li Qiye let out a loud cry. The moment the word "slay" came out, the entire legion behind him roared in unison: "Eternal Bronze Legion! Our brave soldiers shall slay the immortals!"
With that, the endless martial aura swept through the entire Stone Medicine World like a world-ending tsunami.
895 Teaser"Such a big tone. Someone of your level might be able to fight a Godking, but assailing an Immortal Emperor? You think too highly of yourself." A carefree voice answered the blustering creature.
The creature glanced at the speaker and found that it was Li Qiye. He boisterously laughed and said: "Junior, I, Immortal Monarch Mo Peng, like arrogant juniors the most when I was younger. Unfortunately, you are not very smart and chose to anger me!"
"Immortal Monarch Mo Peng?" Li Qiye couldn't help but smile: "A little ninehead bird still dares to gild your face with such a statement? You think no one will recognize you after adding those Heavenly Eagle wing bones to your body?"
The creature was startled after hearing this: "Junior, you actually recognize me?"
Li Qiye looked at him and smiled: "Ninehead bird, how can I not remember you? If I am not mistaken, you were killed by Empress Hong Tian after she nailed you to the earth. The only thing that is surprising is that you are still alive."
"Well, well, well, what a knowledgeable junior." The creature laughed wildly: "Someone still remembers my past. What a shame, right? Hong Tian thought that I was dead, but I am someone who is blessed and lived on. Moreover, I even obtained the bloodline of the Heavenly Eagle and became invincible from then on. Too bad Hong Tian isn't in this world anymore or I'll else I would fight her to the death!"
[collapse] Palace of the Jade Emperor, traditional Chinese mythology, ruler of the heavens. ↩Chapter 896: The Surrendering Of A True Treasure
This martial aura caused any and all lineages to be overwhelmed with fear. They all felt that even if their sects were more powerful, it would only take an instant for this legion to stamp them out!
The earth-rending assault of this spire was akin to the rise of an unstoppable legion with its unbeatable soldiers capable of slaying true gods and massacring devils. Even the legion of an Immortal Emperor would have to give way!
"Open!" The godchild screamed and unleashed an ultimate attack with his Coiling Dragon Banner to stop the bronze spire.
"Clank!" The whole world shook under this impact. Even the golden dragon couldn't stop this spire. It pierced through the dragon and disregarded the distance gained by the escaping godchild; it still nailed him to the ground.
"Hong Tian didn't kill you in the past, but you won't be able to escape death this time even if you have nine lives!" Li Qiye coldly stared at the godchild who was nailed to the ground.
"I, I refuse to accept this…" The godchild furiously screamed his last breath before his legs stopped their futile struggling. His final destination was the yellow river. 1
The Heavenly Eagle Godchild was killed while nailed to the ground, but his eyes remained open. He hadn’t given up even at the moment of his death. He first lost completely to Hong Tian, but his Divine Beast Realm chose to conspire with the sects of the Stone Medicine World to kill the empress. They didn't expect to bring about an even crueler fate as an invincible legion swept through their world.
After millions of years, he once again showed himself in this world after fusing with the bones of a Heavenly Eagle. He wanted to show his might and compete for the Heaven's Will, but he didn't expect to meet the invincible legion again and die to the legendary dark hand. How could he die without resentment after these continuous defeats, this string of terrible luck?
"The remnants of that year should disappear from this world!" With a ferocious glare, Li Qiye threw the spire in his hand and instantly shattered the void.
"No…" In a faraway place at the Divine Valley, more unwilling screams resounded. Before the screams could finish, the Brave Tiger's Temporal Spire descended from the sky and massacred everything. This spire turned the entire valley into a terrifying black hole. All the ancestors of the beast realm who were hiding here were completely annihilated!
"This Brave Tiger Legion is eternal… After millions of years, they still continue to exist!" The oldest ancestor of the Jianlong Clan fell back into his seat after seeing this shocking scene. He paled and was lost in thought at this moment.
"Ancestor, what is the Brave Tiger Legion?" A junior asked after calming down.
The ancestor struggled to compose himself and bitterly smiled: "A legion stronger than that of any Immortal Emperor! Among the Dark Crow's four legions, the Brave Tiger is the fiercest!"
A junior had never heard of this before and curiously asked: "Dark Crow's four legions, what is that?"
"Don't pry any further." The ancestor calmed down and gently shook his head: "It is best to remain oblivious to a few forbidden matters. That taboo existence does not want people to find out! Just remember, never oppose Li Qiye, just give way!"
The juniors in the Jianlong Clan all shivered after hearing their oldest ancestor's words.
"Xshhh!" After the godchild was killed, the Coiling Dragon Banner on the ground suddenly started to spin and jumped into the sky like a true dragon.
"That is a good weapon." Li Qiye casually pointed the bronze spire and stopped the banner from escaping. The tip of the spire was equivalent to the threat of an endless legion sealing this entire world; it rendered the banner completely immobile.
Countless people held their breaths after seeing this. This Coiling Dragon Banner was not a simple true treasure. It had an extraordinary origin as well.
"Imperial weapons with their own spirits are incredible." Even a great character from an imperial lineage murmured after seeing the banner trying to escape again.
The banner let out a draconic howl in the face of Li Qiye's spire. A gigantic golden dragon coiled around the world.
It was endlessly long with a body seemingly cast from gold that radiated a golden glow. When its eyes swept by the crowd, it gave the illusion that it was not a weapon but a real divine beast, a legendary golden dragon!
"Magnificent, to be able to show your true form even without a user." Li Qiye smiled with his spire still pointed at the banner: "I present two choices to you. Surrender or face destruction! I haven't destroyed a weapon of your level in a long time, so if you want to experience a taste of the destruction that fell on the beast realm's other true treasure in the past, I can help you!"
"This, this is too domineering." Many people were astounded at Li Qiye threatening a true treasure. But then, they thought about how Li Qiye destroyed a life treasure not long ago and forced three others to surrender. It was not too surprising for him to do the same to a true treasure.
The golden dragon occupying the sky with its flashing brilliance seemed to be hesitating!
"Hurry up and decide, my patience is wearing thin. To me, a true treasure is not much. Surrender quickly or else my spire will end your dragon banner." Li Qiye lowered his voice. Each word felt like lightning bolts striking the hearts of all listeners.
"Rwarr!" The golden dragon disappeared and the banner took its place. With a clanking sound, the Heaven's Will Lock was unsealed and the banner fell into Li Qiye's hand.
"My god, this is too heaven-defying. Even an Immortal Emperor True Treasure is scared of him!" People were at a loss for words. Even Godkings couldn't threaten true treasures, but now, the banner directly surrendered. This was too bizarre.
"This is so ridiculous, how can this be happening…?" A shocked elder from the Jianlong Clan didn't dare to believe his own eyes.
The oldest ancestor from the clan sighed and explained: "Of course the Coiling Dragon Banner would be afraid. In the past, it witnessed the other true treasure from the beast realm being torn into pieces. The spirit from the weapon was annihilated shortly after. Any true treasure would be horrified after seeing such a scene, unless their master was still in this world to back them up!"
"Destroying the spirit inside? Even an imperial soul can be destroyed?!" The elder was aghast upon hearing this.
Immortal Emperor True Treasures would have their own intelligent spirits after millions of years of gestation. Some called these spirits deities while others referred to them as imperial souls!
"Clank, clank, clank!" At this time, the Brave Tiger's Temporal Spire turned back into waves of universal laws and dispersed.
The army behind him disappeared as well. At the same time, countless coffins inside the bronze citadel lost their lights, becoming silent once more.
Li Qiye's ordinary appearance returned. He looked at Ye Qingcheng and slowly said: "Time to end all of this. It is a shame that you chose to embark on the path of evil. The Stony Edge Kingdom brought this upon itself. After millions of years of cultivation… not only did they fail to utilize your true form as a Luminous Mirrorstone, they made you choose the path of evil. How disappointing!"
As a Luminous Mirrorstone that escaped from Bi'an City, Ye Qingcheng could have become a peerless wisdom master who was capable of understanding the heavens above and peering through the nine hells below as well as reading the past and future.
Unfortunately, the elders of the kingdom did not cultivate it into such an existence. They stained him with blood energy, causing him to lose sight of his origin!
"Very well, Li Qiye, you are indeed strong and extraordinary!" Ye Qingcheng suffered a heavy blow from this defeat.
"Boom!" However, with Immortal Emperor Shi Feng's true fate weapon in hand, he screamed: "But you might not be the last one standing!"
Having said that, an endless divine light erupted from his entire body. A terrifying grand momentum emerged from his body. It left behind a print on his dao foundation.
"Open for me!" He howled. In just a moment, his cauldron of life soared to the sky. The grand momentum imprinted itself on top of his dao foundation and entered the cauldron.
"No…" All the ancestors from the Stony Edge Kingdom were terrified and screamed. However, it was all too late.
"Ah…" The disciples who had been lucky enough to survive so far started to simultaneously scream, including even the ancestors.
"Pop! Pop! Pop!" Both ancestors and the common disciples were all turned into bloody mists. Their longevity blood was quickly swallowed by Ye Qingcheng's cauldron of life.
This cauldron resembled a horrifying black hole that gobbled up the longevity blood of nearly ten thousand disciples of the sects in the area!
These were the disciples, protectors, elders, and even ancestors who survived. However, all were annihilated at this moment with their longevity blood being consumed by Ye Qingcheng.
"Rumble!" Ye Qingcheng needed far more than just this. His cauldron frantically swallowed all the worldly energies under the great veins below the kingdom. These energies were sucked into the cauldron like a flood!
"Zzzz—" In just a short period of time, this ancestral ground that was once a sacred location suddenly withered with cracks forming everywhere. It turned into a land of the dead in an instant!
For millions of years, the wise sages and even Immortal Emperor Shi Feng from the kingdom imprinted each mountain and river of the kingdom into Ye Qingcheng's body. They used all of the kingdom's grand momentum to cultivate him!
Fancy way to say death. ↩Chapter 897: Soul Annihilation
However, the wise sages didn't stop there. They even imprinted all the merit laws from the kingdom into Ye Qingcheng's stone body. From then on, whenever their disciples cultivated, their blood energy would also gestate Ye Qingcheng.
Everything they had done culminated in today's tragedy. Ye Qingcheng absorbed these seals into his body, allowing him to gather the longevity blood of all the disciples in the kingdom. At the same time, he managed to absorb all the worldly energy as well.
The wise sages never expected this bitter result to come from their painstaking efforts in trying to give their kingdom an invincible Immortal Emperor!
"… How cruel! First he sacrificed his citizens, now he sacrificed his entire sect!" Anyone who saw this couldn't help but shiver. Even those who had seen many things in their life would be horrified by Ye Qingcheng's ruthless means.
"It is over for the Stony Edge Kingdom!" An ancestor murmured after seeing this: "The entire kingdom has been sacrificed. They have brought this upon themselves!"
"You have understood a few mysteries of the cauldron of life. What a shame that you chose to use it for the wrong purposes." Li Qiye gently shook his head when he saw this.
"Pop!" In the blink of an eye, endless worldly energy and blood energy filled the Immortal Emperor True Treasure. It became blindingly bright in Ye Qingcheng's hand!
The true weapon seemed to have opened as a boundless expanse of light soared to the sky. Inside this vast expanse was the source of the weapon's imperial aura. There was a majestic shadow inside that looked down on the rest of the world. When this shadow stepped out, countless imperial laws hovered around it.
"Rumble!" The power of the weapon surged under Ye Qingcheng's Heaven's Will Secret Law, causing the entire world to shake.
"A Heavenly Annihilation…" Anyone would falter at the vast imperial aura engulfing the sky.
"Li Qiye, although you can unleash Heavenly Annihilations as well, you are still lacking compared to me!" Ye Qingcheng became a bit crazy as he laughed: "Heavenly Annihilations might be powerful, but above them is an even stronger attack. Today, I will let you see this attack that stands above Heavenly Annihilations. Your death is assured! Your annihilations cannot stop my attack!"
"Is that so? I'd like to take a look." Li Qiye sneered. The thousand hands technique appeared. At this time, Li Qiye was controlling the pentagate, the Declivity-Mountain Bell, the Yin Yang Immortal Refining Mirror… all of these unstoppable weapons emerged.
"Even if you have more imperial weapons, it would still be useless!" Ye Qingcheng shouted like a madman. His Heaven's Will Secret Law was at its peak state; a Heaven’s Will seemed to be emerging from the firmament. He poured all of the blood energy into the true treasure that was being empowered by the universal laws from the technique.
"Imperial soul, let us unleash the strongest attack in this world!" Ye Qingcheng cried: "Soul Annihilation!"
"A Soul Annihilation!" Those who knew what this "Soul Annihilation" was uncontrollably quivered once in horror.
"Boom!" At this second, a terrifying phenomenon emerged from the true treasure. The Soul Annihilation was about to begin!
"Zzz!" However, at this crucial moment, the shadow inside the endless imperial aura actually escaped the control of Ye Qingcheng's secret law. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic palm came crashing down from the vast expanse.
"No…" Ye Qingcheng was horrified. He no longer paid attention to killing Li Qiye at this moment and moved his annihilation to stop this palm instead.
But it was too late. The majestic shadow's palm reached out, causing the annihilation to stop. It mercilessly ground Ye Qingcheng's body.
"Impossible…" Ye Qingcheng screamed. His body was crushed to a pulp under the gigantic palm as his blood splattered everywhere.
"Buzzz!" After he became nothing more than a bloody mess, the entire annihilation dissipated, leaving only the true treasure floating on the spot.
Such a sudden development stunned everyone observing the situation through their heavenly mirrors. No one expected that the Imperial Soul would destroy Ye Qingcheng!
Eventually, this majestic shadow looked at Li Qiye as if it wanted to make a move against him.
"Very well, I also want to see the power of a Soul Annihilation." Li Qiye used his thousand hands to prepare each of his own weapons. They started to display their radiance as well.
"Boom!" However, the fight did not break out. The majestic shadow carried the weapon and instantly traversed through this world, disappearing into the horizon. From then on, no one ever saw the Stony Edge Kingdom's true treasure again!
The scene became quiet all at once. Who would have thought that Ye Qingcheng would sacrifice the entire kingdom to wake the Imperial Soul to unleash a Soul Annihilation only to end with his own demise?
"Soul Annihilation? Does this attack really exist?" Someone asked an ancestor in his sect.
The ancestor replied: "It exists in legends. In order to unleash this attack, one requires the recognition of the weapon's Imperial Soul. At the same time, they have to be powerful enough to awaken it in addition to having sufficient strength to unleash a Heavenly Annihilation. The final step is to combine this spirit and the Heaven's Will Secret Law to muster the invincible attack! Rumor has it that outside of Immortal Emperors, anyone else would find it extremely difficult to use this attack!"
Many juniors began to wonder. A Heavenly Annihilation was frightening enough, so just how powerful would a Soul Annihilation be?
There was no life left in this desolate land. Li Qiye went to the kingdom, but he wasn't the sole reason for its destruction, its fate was sealed by Ye Qingcheng!
"Go, find the secret treasury of the kingdom for me." Li Qiye quietly issued a command as he opened his fate palace.
The Soldier Tree flew out from the palace and quickly went underground. With a series of explosions, the tree threw a gigantic mountain out from the ground. This huge mountain was buried beneath the earth and was now dragged out.
"Recall." Li Qiye opened the palace and took the entire mountain inside. This was the secret treasury of the kingdom with millions of years of accumulated treasures. He'd take his time to open this treasury later.
"A secret treasury." Many people were drooling to see such a thing. It was definitely incredible since it came from an imperial lineage.
Unfortunately, no one dared to make a move; they could only watch Li Qiye take possession of it.
"What a regretful end to this great land…" Li Qiye glanced at the distance and gently shook his head before declaring with a voice that echoed to the nine layers of the sky: "Heavenhoof Ravine, I will give you three days. Surrender or oppose me to the end and wait for me to trample your ancestral ground!"
With that, he turned around and left.
Everyone heard him clearly and quickly looked over at those next to them.
"The butcher's blade has been raised…" A great character emotionally commented. Li Qiye had just destroyed the Stony Edge Kingdom and now he was raising his butcher's blade against the ravine!
Many sects were praising their own fortune for not opposing Li Qiye. Some sect masters were drenched in cold sweat at this thought. This was because when the beastworld was opened, Ye Qingcheng sent people to persuade many great powers to form an alliance to reinstate the agreement. However, these sect masters rejected the lobbying effort.
Thinking back to it, some of these masters became quite startled. They were quite tempted back then, but because of their distrust of Ye Qingcheng, they decided to reject him and stay uninvolved in the war at Bi'an City. This allowed them to escape this disaster unscathed!
Li Qiye returned to the beastworld. Everyone else was present. Li Qiye handed the Coiling Dragon Banner to the treefather: "Treefather, your future path will be arduous, so take your time understanding this banner. In the future godslaying war, I hope that you will become unstoppable! This banner is not just a simple Immortal Emperor True Treasure."
The treefather immediately bowed towards Li Qiye: "I will remember Young Noble's words. The direction of your gaze shall be where I point my battle banner!"
"Very good, keep working hard." Li Qiye nodded approvingly. His eyes then fell on Mei Aoxue, the Dragon-Tiger Monarch, and the Jian Clan Master.
Li Qiye spoke to Mei Aoxue: "Your ancestor asked the Hundred-Life Alchemy Emperor to tell me that your clan wishes to work for me. Very well, go back and tell your ancestors to destroy the Crystallized Sea Sect for me!"
Mei Aoxue didn't say anything. He slightly bowed and immediately left.
"Your Beastmaster Citadel will go with the Jian Clan and the Jian Long Clan to destroy the sea sect!" Li Qiye commanded the monarch and the Jian Clan Master.
The two happily bowed. Right when the monarch was about to leave, Li Qiye called for him and said: "Monarch, regardless of your initial intentions for leaving your daughter with me, she will stay behind. She has a natural Immortal Fate, so it would be unfortunate to leave her at your citadel. I will have a use for her in the future. Out of consideration for how much trouble your citadel went through to groom a disciple with an Immortal Fate, you may bring your blood oath to me next time, I shall make an exception and forgive your citadel!"
"Thank you, Young Noble!" The monarch was ecstatic after hearing this. This was the best news their citadel could receive!
"Hmph, I'm not selling myself to you!" Long Jingxian was very unhappy after the monarch left.
Li Qiye looked at her and smiled: "Little girl, staying at the citadel is a waste of your great talents. I will need you for many important things in the future. You and Wushuang are my trusted generals, so I will need the both of you to slay immortals and gods later on!"
"Are there really immortals?" The unhappy Long Jingxian began to beam with high spirits right after hearing this.
Li Qiye only smiled and did not answer the question.
Chapter 898: Heavenhoof Ravine's Plan
After giving orders to the group, Li Qiye and Ming Yexue went back to the master mansion in the city. They stood before the painting at the end of the hall. Ming Yexue had a transcendent and ancient aura. Her whole body was radiant as if she had become a true goddess.
"How did it feel?" Li Qiye looked at the painting and asked.
With unrivaled grace, Ming Yexue gently nodded in her immortal nature: "I was the heavenly dao in accordance with nature. Before I knew it, I became the ruler of a grand world, but unfortunately, it didn't stay that way."
Ming Yexue managed to break through and could directly reach the origin. However, Ye Qingcheng's sudden mobilization of the city's power stopped her enlightenment.
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Very good, even Immortal Emperor Bi Shi couldn't do so back then. You will definitely become the supreme ruler of the beastworld."
Ming Yexue slightly tilted her head and asked: "You cultivated me for millions of years, was it for you or for me?"
Li Qiye smiled in response to this inquiry: "What do you think? I won't deny it if you think that I was being selfish and it was all for me. However, would you rather be a stone for all of eternity, or would you rather become a supreme ruler?"
Ming Yexue contemplated this issue. She became privy to more information after going inside.
"This is fate, I only expedited the process." Li Qiye smiled: "In the end, whichever path you take is still up to you. Nothing is more important than being true to your heart — this is as true for you as for any other cultivator! For example, why did your Immortal Emperor Bi Shi fail? It is because this was not his true goal! But you can be successful because this is your aspiration!"
"To tread with caution for eternal moons, to calculate across the ages, don't you think you are burdened with responsibilities?" Ming Yexue sighed and recalled the past when he brought her around the nine worlds to strengthen her. The world would never be able to imagine the experiences.
"This is my true desire and my fate as well as my final destination." Li Qiye chuckled: "Those below the high heavens… how many have actually been able to jump out of this restraint? How many would be able to surpass it?" He gently stroked her hair and said: "You were born here, so you should stay at this place. It has been a very long time and the beastworld needs a master. This is not a desolate land, it is a great world with many mysterious locations. In the future, you will lead the beastworld to a brighter era."
"Immortal Emperor is not the only way. In the future, you will come to learn that this world is much bigger than you can imagine. At the apex, there will be a scene unavailable to the rest of the world. At that point, you will naturally understand that invincibility is not the end but merely the beginning." Li Qiye spoke with a rare tender voice.
"I understand." Ming Yexue nodded. She was resolute at this moment as she spoke: "I will keep treading on until the very end."
"Go, leave the troubles outside to me, there's no need for you to worry about them. Remember this, follow your heart. The grand dao's vastness is the same as your heart's expanse."
It was rare to see the overbearing Li Qiye in such a gentle state!
Ming Yexue nodded one more time while looking at the painting. She stepped towards it and turned around to softly speak: "Young Noble, thank you for always being my friend all this time. Without you, I wouldn't be here today."
"No, I should be thanking you for keeping me company for so long. Go." Li Qiye smiled and nodded in response.
Ming Yexue eventually stepped into the painting and disappeared in an instant into the endless world within.
After a long time, Li Qiye finally looked away with a tinge of emotion in his heart. This was the feeling of seeing a daughter growing up and leaving.
Li Qiye noticed the many golems in the hall and insipidly said: "After millions of years, I will give your beastworld a future. It is up to all of you to assist her and see how far you can go together. Do not let me down."
In a corner of the hall, the Guard Commander came and prostrated before Li Qiye: "Your Excellency, please don't worry. Miss Ming is our hope. If she succeeds, she will be our master. We will definitely do our best to support her in the future."
Li Qiye slowly exclaimed: "Good, the road ahead is still very long. All of you need to have the determination to fight till the end!"
"Yes, our beastworld will enter a new era. We will definitely not waste your millions of years of effort." The Guard Commander solemnly promised.
Li Qiye gently nodded and eventually left the hall without turning back.
In the Heavenhoof Ravine, the atmosphere was heavy to the extreme. There was a huge debate going on in the ravine's main chamber because of the ravine master.
Ravine Master Miao, who had resigned, came back. He reconvened this meeting with many ancestors and elders present.
"My personal opinion is that we should surrender!" Ravine Master Miao stated his opinion.
This was immediately met with the opposition of the elders. They would never accept such a thing. Surrendering was a great humiliation!
They were a sect with two emperors, what kind of storms have they not weathered before? They still had living ancestors of the Godking level, so surrendering was out of the question to them.
Because of this, Ravine Master Miao's suggestion was met with great hostility. One of the ancestors even scolded: "Is your head fried or something? Our ravine surrendering to a junior? Don't even think about it!"
"Surrendering is the best way to save our ravine. As long as the verdant hills remain, there is no lack of firewood!" Ravine Master Miao deepened his tone: "Miao Chan said so as well. We just need to lay low this generation. As long as we stay alive, there is still a chance to come out in the future."
The father and daughter left the ravine. However, Ravine Master Miao still thought of himself as a disciple from the ravine, so when this disaster was looming over the sect, he still chose to run back from far away without Miao Chan.
"Miao Chan is young and inexperienced. Virtuous Nephew's death was a big blow to her confidence." An ancestor shook his head: "Our ravine has stood strong for millions of years. We will never surrender to a junior!"
"The Stony Edge Kingdom also stood strong for millions of years, but it was still annihilated in the end." Ravine Master Miao spoke in a serious tone: "This is not the time to save face. Plus, surrendering is not a shameful thing at all. Li Qiye is the only one to have thirteen palaces in all of history. No one else will become Immortal Emperor besides him. Surrendering to the future emperor is not a shameful thing…"
"Even an invincible Godking like the Allpine Treefather pledged allegiance to Li Qiye, so it is no big deal that we surrender. As long as we can save the ravine, there is still hope and a future. If not, a calamity will befall us just because we wanted to save some face, this thing called prestige and dignity. What will be left if our ravine is destroyed?" Ravine Master Miao let go of past grievances and came back to persuade the ancestors to save the ravine. He was running out of breath from his efforts.
"Li Qiye is indeed extraordinary, but we should not belittle ourselves! Our true power is many times stronger than the Stony Edge Kingdom. They can't compare to us!" A different ancestor shook his head: "We have the protection of our emperors. No matter how strong he is and how many annihilations he throws out, we can do the same. The victor has yet to be determined."
"It is not that simple." Ravine Master Miao shook his head: "Even an imperial lineage like the Beastmaster Citadel is willing to work for Li Qiye. He is not as simple as we think. Perhaps he is even related to that legendary existence. Why can't we surrender when even the citadel is willing to do so? We should sacrifice a bit and exchange it for great benefits and peace. This is not an outrageous thing to consider at all!"
The ravine was established after the destruction of the Divine Beast Realm. They did not experience the hell that is the war of the past, so they naturally didn't understand just how terrifying the legion was. They knew even less about an existence like the Dark Crow.
The new ravine master sneered: "What is this legendary existence? It is only a rumor. The Beastmaster Citadel simply values Li Qiye and believes that he will become the Immortal Emperor. Its monarch wants to marry his daughter to Li Qiye and hopes that she will become the Imperial Queen!" 1
He continued on: "Brother Miao, your attitude towards Li Qiye is very suspicious. You keep on helping him, praising his prestige and lowering our morale. This makes people wonder if there is something else going on…"
"Bullshit! Lin, if I didn't resign, it wouldn't be your turn to become the new ravine master. Don't judge a gentleman with the mindset of a wretch!" Ravine Master Miao immediately yelled: "If I had any other plans, that Golden Crow brat wouldn't have been in the position to become the future ravine master! My daughter would have become the descendant and my seat would be solidified! A junior like you thinks you are qualified to be ravine master…"
This time, Ravine Master Miao was furious and didn't care about his own status. He began to curse loudly.
"Okay, Little Miao, I know that you only want what's best." Eventually, a Godking level ancestor from the ravine appeared. His languid voice came about: "Surrendering is out of the question. We cannot shame our ancestors' prestige in our generation. However, we must prepare for the worst as well. Let our younger generation go with Little Miao along with a portion of our treasures! If we truly can't go against Li Qiye, then at least leave behind some of our seeds! Leave the war to protect the ravine in the hands of old bones like us!"
Juniors didn't dare to say anything else after this godking had spoken. Ravine Master Miao couldn't do anything as well and had to accept this decision in the end.
I know Imperial Queen is redundant, but I'll make this distinction for now so that people know it is the wife of an Immortal Emperor. ↩