“Baa baa… baa baa… baa baa…”

The cries of a young shepherd’s sheep echoed across the usually tranquil mountain range.

Li Qiye crawled to the top of a cliff with the cold night’s breeze violently blowing against his body. His body was currently drenched in perspiration. At thirteen years of age, a little boy like Li Qiye was using all of his might to climb this mountain range — this scene in the night sky would give a macabre sensation to just about anyone.

Although the night was quiet, Li Qiye’s mind was being tormented by a flame of uncertainty.

Coming from a poor family, his parents were both peasants. At the age of seven, he began his life as a shepherd. His family name was Li; his name was Li Qiye because he cried for seven days and seven nights after birth. [1]

Today, he had completed his daily tasks. However, during the approach of dawn, he noticed that he was missing his leading sheep. While filled with worry, he rushed back to the mountain range to search for it. After seemingly scouring the entire mountain range, he still couldn’t find even a shadow of this sheep.

Thinking about the missing sheep and its evil owner, Zhang Dahu, Li Qiye feared for the worst in his heart.

Suddenly, Li Qiye thought of one place where the sheep might be. There was only one location that he didn’t search — the Immortal Demon Grotto!

As he looked towards the Immortal Demon Grotto before him, he noticed that the mountain range in the dark night resembled a fierce beast from the ancient Desolate Era; its mouth appeared to be gaping, hungering for human flesh. Hearing the howls of wolves resound from all around him, he couldn’t help but shiver in fear.

The Immortal Demon Grotto was considered a cursed land in the surrounding area. Legend states that an evil demon presided over this location, a demon who instantly consumed any trespassers. No one had ever made it out of the cave alive.

At this moment, the sound of Zhang Dahu’s whip reverberated in Li Qiye’s ears. If Li Qiye truly lost the sheep, then Zhang Dahu would definitely whip his flesh to tatters.

Having reached this point, Li Qiye gritted his teeth and approached the cave.

His body disappeared in the night.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhh…!”

The calm night was interrupted by a young boy’s miserable scream.

Li Qiye’s frightened voice rang once again: “You, you, what do you want? … Ahh…!”

Suddenly, the screams came to an end.

An unknown amount of time later at the depths of the Immortal Demon Grotto, the silence was broken by a menacing voice: “Good, good, good! My immortal Dark Crow has finally been completed. Since only a soul was missing, today, I will conveniently borrow your soul for a little bit!”

“Phwoosh… phwoosh… phwoosh!”

A moment later, as each flap loudly resounded, a strange, dark crow flew away from the Immortal Demon Grotto.

“Fly, fly, fly! I will use your soul to find all the Forbidden Burials. Fly across all the lands! As long as the Nine Worlds exist, I will find you again!” From the depths of the Immortal Demon Grotto, the heavy voice came out once again and lingered in the air.

From then on, throughout this heaven and earth, a Dark Crow flew across the planes. From heavenly cities to the most dangerous reaches and secret areas, it flew without a free will straight through the Nine Worlds for eras on end.

As time passed, millions of years came and went. A new peerless master would rise as another fell. Slowly, the crow would disappear only to reappear later on. It wanted to escape its master, it wanted to find a purpose to its life.

From the Alchemy God to Immortal Emperor Fei, Immortal Emperor Xue Xi to Immortal Emperor Min Ren, Immortal Emperor Tun Ri to Immortal Emperor Bing Yu… all the way up until the Black Dragon King. [2]

Behind each of these paragons lies the shadow of a crow, one that struggled to find freedom.

As these strongest beings came and went, the crow continued to mysteriously appear throughout the river of time.

The crow was not willing to have his fate controlled. It wanted to oppose the most frightening character in this world.

And now, millions of years has gone by with the passing of many eras…

Li Qiye, who was floating in a river, was suddenly dragged out by a person.

“Aaa!”

As he was being dragged out, Li Qiye suddenly woke up. His first reaction was to jump as he was unfamiliar with his own body. Unable to find his footing, he almost fell down to the ground.

“Ah, my body!” Looking down and seeing how his body had stayed the same, Li Qiye was both ecstatic and scared. Even after the thousands of struggles while fighting against the unending waves and winds, Dark Crow Li Qiye still couldn’t contain his emotions after regaining his own body.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and found that an old man was in front of him.

“Hehehe, it is this old man who saved you from your impending doom.” The old man loudly laughed in an inglorious manner, revealing his three remaining yellow teeth. His demeanor made others feel that his smile was very sinister.

Up the stream, Li Qiye could see the dim structure of the Immortal Demon Grotto. His eyes became increasingly cold and his aura exceeded anything that a thirteen year old child could exude.

Li Qiye took a deep breath and then stared at the old man. After a while, he eventually asked: “How should I address you, old man?”

“Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, Old Devil.” The old man answered with his mouth agape, still revealing his three golden teeth while smiling and spitting everywhere.

“Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect…” Li Qiye whispered under his breath. This name made him recall the sealed memories in his mind. These memories were from a time when he was still imprisoned in the body of the Dark Crow.

Li Qiye regained his composure and asked the old man: “Right now, who has the Heaven’s Will?”

The old man was still smiling as he replied: “Heaven’s Will eh? Right now, no one in this era has been able to shoulder the Heaven’s Will.”

“Where is Immortal Emperor Ta Kong?” After hearing the old man’s response, Li Qiye’s demeanor darkened. How long had he been asleep for? Over a hundred thousand years? [1]

“Immortal Emperor Ta Kong has been missing for thirty thousand years.”

Li Qiye inquired the old man once more: “What about the Black Dragon King of the Heaven Protector Palace?”

“No one knows. The Black Dragon King went missing at the same time as Immortal Emperor Ta Kong.” Old Devil shook his head.

Hearing this, Li Qiye’s expression drastically changed. He looked back at the Immortal Demon Grotto again and finally understood why he had regained his body.

“Let us go.” With a saddened expression, Li Qiye turned around and started to walk away. He didn’t care if Old Devil was following him or not. After experiencing pseudo-immortality, he knew exactly what he had to do.

The Heaven Protector Palace was an incredibly powerful lineage in the current times. Back in that era when the Black Dragon King — a peerless master — was still alive, no one could match him across the Nine Worlds. He was respected for three whole generations!

Even though he had been missing for thirty thousand years, the Heaven Protector Palace still stood arrogantly in this domain.

At this moment, a young boy around the age of thirteen and a lowly old man with three golden teeth were standing outside of the Heaven Protector Palace.

Just beyond the perimeter of the palace’s outer city, Li Qiye burned ceremonial money while whispering: “Little Black Dragon, you don’t have to worry. You have helped me regain my body, my life. One day, I will destroy the evil land to seek revenge for you.”

After the ceremony was over, Li Qiye stared at the Heaven Protector Palace in front of him. The scene was still the same, but the people were no longer there; everything had become foreign. He reminisced about the old days with the Little Black Dragon, the memory of them building this city from the ground up through their efforts was fresh in his mind.

Unfortunately, after thirty thousand years, not many remembered the Dark Crow hiding behind the curtains.

“Heh, let us go back to the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect.” At this time, the old man glanced at Li Qiye and stated his purpose while revealing his three shiny golden teeth.

“Let us go.” Li Qiye calmly nodded his head. No matter how illustrious or mysterious this old man might be, his origin could not surprise Li Qiye. Li Qiye had experienced countless difficulties and his soul had been trapped inside the Dark Crow for millions of years. Era after era, he walked together shoulder to shoulder alongside Immortal Emperors and became friends with the Alchemy God, so what could actually surprise him?

As they were leaving, an extremely elegant and beautiful girl stepped out of the palace. She resembled an angel from heaven, an otherworldly goddess. The moment she stepped out, she inadvertently noticed the remains of the fire from the ceremony as well as some mysterious symbols beside it.

After seeing these symbols, her expression greatly changed: “Who was having a ceremony here just now?”

An old servant nearby immediately went around to look for information and came back with results: “The city guards say that an old man and a young boy around the age of thirteen were here just now. They were burning ceremonial money.”

The girl issued her command: “Give chase and find them immediately.”

“Your Highness is supposed to go to God’s Mountain right now.” The old servant hesitantly whimpered.

The goddess softly yelled: “Find them!” Her body then disappeared as she flew across space to find the two.

In the end, she was unable to find them. She dejectedly returned to the palace after her search. The symbols beside the fire remained in her head. These symbols hadn’t appeared for a long time, so why was it that they appeared in the outskirts after tens of thousands of years? Were they friends or foes?

An old loyal servant reported: “Your Highness, we couldn’t find the people who were burning the ceremonial money.”

The goddess commanded with a serious demeanor: “Order everyone to keep in mind that if any news about those two people show up, immediately report back to me.”

The servant was extremely surprised to hear this. With the current power of the Heaven Protector Palace and the reputation of their goddess, it would be rare for her to show such a serious expression.

The servant asked: “Then what about the trip to God’s Mountain…?”

“Cancel it!” The goddess exclaimed: “I have to read the ancient books that the ancestors have left behind. Something strange is happening.”

She then immediately went to the deepest parts of the forbidden grounds in the Heaven Protector Palace.

The Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect resided in the nation of the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom. This sect was an Immortal Emperor lineage with a long history. At the beginning of the Emperors Era, Immortal Emperor Min Ren proudly stood at the peak and established a sect, naming it Cleansing Incense.

Unfortunately, after millions of years, it could not withstand the test of time and its unforgiving nature. The sect was no longer of the Immortal Emperor rank and could no longer rule the land like in the past. No matter how hard it tried, it could neither regain their ancient glory nor prevent their unrelenting and slow demise.

“Elder, I have bad news. A mortal said that he wants us to accept him as the prime disciple.” A disciple hurriedly reported to the first elder of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect as this elder was stepping outside.

“Kick him off the mountain!” Without giving the disciple a glance, the first elder continued: “Why would you even report something so ridiculous?”

A mortal wanting to become the prime disciple of their sect? What a joke. A prime disciple was the same as the sect master’s protege, the one with the highest chance of becoming the future sect master. Of course, when the sect master wasn’t present, the first elder could still personally take care of these matters.

The disciple stuttered: “But, but he was recommended by Old Devil.”

Raising his eyebrows, the first elder unhappily repeated: “Old Devil? Was he bribed by liquor? Is that why he is recommending a mortal?”

Old Devil belonged to the sect, but the sect did not want to recognize this geezer.

Although the name sounded very heroic, this old man had caused the sect to lose all face.

Old Devil had three “good” qualities to him. He was very good at spending money, lying, and fooling around in brothels. This was why they called him Old Devil. [2]

He had not cultivated any methods to the end, but he did have a very shocking background within the sect. Rumor has it that he was the bastard child of the previous sect master. This was why, when the last sect master passed away, he asked for the current sect master to take care of Old Devil.

However, there was another rumor stating that Old Devil was a bastard from the sect master two generations ago. Because the previous sect master owed this person a great favor, he had no choice but to accept this piece of trash and unwillingly took care of Old Devil. Before the previous sect master passed away, he also asked the current sect master to take care of Old Devil.

No matter who his father was, the whole sect and its upper echelons had no love for the old man. They detested the unflattering words regarding Old Devil’s character and didn’t care about the rumors in the world.

From the elders to the lowest ranking disciples, the entire sect did not welcome this old man without any cultivation.

The first elder yelled out in annoyance: “So what if it was Old Devil’s recommendation? Kick the mortal off the mountain!” His morning and good mood had been ruined by this event.

“But, but he said he has the Cleansing Incense Ancient Order from Old Devil.” The disciple stuttered once again out of fear.

“Cleansing Incense Ancient Order?!” After hearing these words, the first elder’s expression darkened. After quietly contemplating the situation, he quickly ordered: “Gather all of the elders and tell the mortal to wait outside of the grand chamber.”

The Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect had a total of six elders. After hearing the four words “Cleansing Incense Ancient Order”, the other five quickly came to the meeting.

The patriarch of the sect was Immortal Emperor Min Ren, the one who left behind three of these orders. Two had been reclaimed by the sect, but the third one fell into the hands of Old Devil.

Outside of the request from the previous sect master to take care of Old Devil, the second reason why the elders were helpless against him was because he possessed the last order.

The order represented Immortal Emperor Min Ren; the holder could request anything from the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect.

Sitting in the grand chamber of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect while staring at an elusive statue covered in golden smoke, Li Qiye couldn’t help but recall many stories from the past.

The statue of Immortal Emperor Min Ren stood strong at the highest point of this location. Although many years had passed, the statue still carried an ancient aura seemingly capable of piercing the nine heavens. Spectators couldn’t help but worship this statue; it was as if the emperor was actually in front of them.

Li Qiye didn’t know how to describe his feelings as he stared at this statue. The emperor was gone, but Li Qiye was still alive and forever will be. Although he had achieved his goal and regained his body, all of his old acquaintances had slowly disappeared in the river of time.

Qi meaning seven, Ye meaning night ↑

Fei \= fly, Xue Xi \= Blood Seal, Min Ren \= Bright Benevolence, Tun Ri \= Swallow Sun, and Bing Yu \= Icy Feather. ↑

Ta Kong \= Space Trample ↑

Originally, we used the name San Guiye instead of Old Devil, but this is now being changed to reflect the recent chapters. San \= Three, Gui \= Ghoul, Ye \= Old man. ↑

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Li Qiye recalled that when the Ancient Ming Era was coming to an end and the Emperors Era began, his soul was still trapped in the body of the Dark Crow. And now, he was in this new era, an era where he temporarily regained his sanity and control of himself from the Immortal Demon Grotto after an eternity of struggle.

When he first met Immortal Emperor Min Ren, Min Ren was still a little boy who was in love with martial arts, someone who had no knowledge of the grand cultivational world.

The time between now and when he led Immortal Emperor Min Ren into the cultivation world was already many, many years. Many generations of experts had appeared and disappeared within the mysterious ocean of time.

Inadvertently looking at the obsidian colored wooden stick next to the altar below the statue, Li Qiye couldn’t help but slightly chuckle at the sight of it. He couldn’t believe that the stick still existed after so many years.

In the past, he made great use of it and disciplined that group of energetic children, including the Immortal Emperor, until they cried for their fathers and mothers.

At this moment, the six elders from the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect had all been gathered. Even though they were old, their blood energies were still as apparent as a rainbow with bright lights surrounding their bodies.

Even though the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect had declined, it was still an Immortal Emperor lineage. If the elders accepted the titles from the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom, then they would all be Named Heroes.

At this moment, the sharp gazes of these six elders were fixated on Li Qiye, as if they intended to uncover his secrets. However, Li Qiye remained calm and quietly sat in this uncomfortable atmosphere.

Eventually, the first elder gravely inquired: “Where’s the Cleansing Incense Ancient Order?” The order was extremely important because it was an object left behind by their founding Immortal Emperor.

Li Qiye slowly opened his palm to reveal the ancient order. He was surprised when Old Devil took him to the town below the sect’s mountain and then ran off to a brothel. Before leaving, he casually threw the order into Li Qiye’s hands. It was unbelievable that a person like this old man would have an ancient order.

In the past, when Li Qiye was trapped inside the Dark Crow and when Min Ren shouldered the Heaven’s Will, he gave the three ancient orders to Li Qiye. Later on, Li Qiye then gave these orders to different people. After millions of years, Li Qiye nostalgically stared at the order in his hand. In the past, he did not need them, but today, he had no choice but to rely on its authority.

The six elders passed around the order and carefully examined it to confirm that it was indeed authentic. The truth was that the sect had wanted to reclaim the order for a long time, but they did not have a way to force it from Old Devil’s hands. Old Devil knew that the order was equivalent to another life, thus he held onto it with his dear life. Who would have predicted that it would fall into the hands of a mortal without any reputation?

The first elder coldly asked: “Where is Old Devil?” In reality, the first elder harbored no love for Old Devil, a person who could only spend money, lie, and play with women. To him, it did not matter if Old Devil was the son of the previous sect master or not.

Li Qiye calmly answered: “He went to Cui Hong Brothel.”

Shadows could be seen on the six elders’ faces. Even though they didn’t like Old Devil, the thought of someone from their honorable sect visiting the most famous and popular brothel within a thousand mile radius was a source of great shame. And it wasn’t like it was his first time visiting this brothel either. The elders had pent up anger and didn’t know how to release it. They could only hope that such a notorious player wouldn’t be part of their sect in the future.

A different elder loudly asked: “What is your demand?” They didn’t know the method Li Qiye employed to obtain it, but the truth was that the order in front of them was definitely not fake.

Li Qiye slowly responded: “I heard that the prime disciple position of the sect is still unoccupied. Since Old Devil fervently recommended me due to my talents, I have no choice but to ask for this position.”

After hearing his answer, the six elders started to curse Old Devil. That goddamned bastard, what rights did he have to recommend someone to become the prime disciple of their sect? It was an extremely important position, so the sect had to carefully select the right individual. Otherwise, the spot would have already been occupied.

An elder spoke with a cold voice: “Don’t treat the prime disciple position as a joke!”

“I know.” Li Qiye calmly and slowly enunciated his words without fear: “However, the person who carries the order has the right to demand any request — this was the rule established by Immortal Emperor Min Ren.”

The first elder interjected with a threatening question: “What if you used an underhanded method to obtain this order?” This position wasn’t something that could be joked about or given out without any thought.

Li Qiye replied in a domineering manner: “I understand. Elders fear that I might have used dishonest means to force the order from the hands of Old Devil. Since you six do not trust me, you can send people to Cui Hong Brothel for confirmation.”

Deep in their hearts, the elders cried out in pain every time they heard the name “Cui Hong Brothel.” In the end, they had no choice but to send disciples to confirm the what Li Qiye said.

A moment later, a disciple confirmed that Li Qiye’s words were indeed true. The disciple tried his best to leave out information regarding Old Devil’s joyful and debaucherous situation with the girls right now. Otherwise, the elders might have gone crazy.

Unwilling as they may be, the elders had to follow the rules given to them by the patriarch. Even if the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect has fallen, their lineage was still that of an Immortal Emperor’s. Thus, they could not dishonor the reputation left behind by their ancestor.

Ultimately, the elders issued a command: “Bring out the Truth Mirror.”

The Truth Mirror shone on Li Qiye’s body. Any mortal who wanted to join a sect for cultivation purposes had to be judged by this type of mirror. It tested for one’s physique, life wheel, and fate palace.

Within the mirror, Li Qiye’s reflection appeared. It was a hazy, unstable shadow that seemed as if it would disappear at a moment’s notice. Behind this reflection’s head, an illusive blood halo appeared, and above this halo was a dim light — both were extremely feeble.

“A mortal physique, a mortal life wheel, and his destiny shows that he has a mortal fate palace.” The disciple reported the Truth Mirror’s findings on Li Qiye’s innate talents and physical condition.

Every person had a physique, life wheel, and fate palace. The physique directly affected one’s physical strength, the life wheel indicated one’s longevity, and the fate palace showed one’s innate talent for cultivation.

Li Qiye’s mortal physique, mortal life wheel, and mortal fate palace silenced the elders. He was the most average of men; the sect could go outside and grab any commoner from the streets and they would also have the same talents.

“If you want to become the prime disciple of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, then forget about King and Saint Physiques, at the very least, you would need to have a Xiantian Physique. Your life wheel also has to be around the same level. Your abilities are not fit for this position.” The first elder directly rejected Li Qiye.

“I am aware of my talents.” Li Qiye didn’t want to think too much of it and casually spoke: “But I still want to be the prime disciple.”

“You…” The elders were extremely aggravated by these words. This person was not qualified to even become a normal disciple, let alone the prime disciple! This was one of the most unreasonable requests they had ever heard.

“I trust that the descendants of the Immortal Emperor would neither go back on their words nor violate the ancestral rule and bring shame to the sect and lineage.” Li Qiye played around with the order in his hand and slowly continued: “If this order were to fall into another’s hands, the result would be unimaginable.”

Hearing this, the expressions of the six elders froze. The first elder gazed at him and coldly retorted: “Even if such a thing happened, anyone who wants to become the prime disciple of our sect has to be tested in all aspects. This ranges from their origin to their background as well as their innate talents. After all, the sect will not allow an unqualified candidate to take the position.”

“That is your problem.” Li Qiye stared at the six elders and said: “If you think another sect sent me to steal your Immortal Emperor’s heritage, then let me tell you that I would not need to become the prime disciple. Due to this virtuous order, I can just ask for them; there would be no need to bother becoming the prime disciple. You should know this better than myself! If I wanted to harm the sect, it would not be a difficult feat with the power of this order.”

Li Qiye’s words made the elders glance at each other. Even though they were a bit ambivalent, they didn’t entirely trust Li Qiye.

“He is not exactly without reason.” Elder Cao, one of the six elders, slowly responded: “If the order keeps on wandering around outside, wouldn’t that be a hidden danger to us? We cannot refuse anyone with the order, so we might as well accept his request.”

The first elder coldly replied: “Hmph… This matter cannot be taken lightly!”

Another elder mused: “From the past till now, the prime disciple has always been the disciple directly under the sect master. Whether we accept his request or not, either way, we must first ask for the sect master’s opinion regarding this decision, then make the choice afterward.”

“This makes sense. In the end, the prime disciple would be the direct disciple of the sect master.” The remaining elders agreed.

After the six elders finished debating, the first elder immediately commanded: “Send a letter to the sect master.”

The letter was quickly sent to Sect Master Su Yonghuang, and the six elders received a reply very quickly. To their surprise, the reply was that the sect master had actually allowed for Li Qiye to become the prime disciple.

The first elder read the letter three times and confirmed that he didn’t misread, so he angrily yelled: “Truly unbelievable! The sect master is being too rash!”

Elder Cao persuaded with words: “Brother Gu, if the sect master has agreed, then why are we still debating? In the end, the prime disciple is still the direct disciple of the sect master, so the choice is in the sect master’s hands.”

“The sect master is being too rash, ah!” Another elder shook his head and sighed.

Elder Cao forcefully smiled: “So be it, we have no other choice. Ultimately, if we can recover the order, then we will have done a great service to the sect.”

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The first elder, while very discontent, still managed to grunt out a response: “Three days later, after honoring the ancestors, you will formally become the prime disciple of our sect.”

Li Qiye was still sitting there casually without a trace of surprise. He only chuckled out loud: “Me becoming the prime disciple should warrant a weapon or two for my personal safety, right?”

All the elders were surprised to see how comfortable he was under this heavy atmosphere. In the end, the boy was only thirteen years old, but his calm demeanor resembled that of a tyrant’s that dominated one sphere with everything under their control. How could a mortal like him have such a courageous spirit?

The first elder took a glance at Li Qiye and shook his head while telling him: “Although we accepted you as the prime disciple, we can only give you a normal weapon. If you desire a formidable treasure or an Immortal Emperor Merit Law, you will have to contribute to the sect.”

Li Qiye only smirked. His goal was certainly not an Immortal Emperor Merit Law or a peerless technique. His true aim was the black wooden stick lying on the pedestal. While averting his gaze to the stick, Li Qiye pressed on: “Fine, I want that wooden stick.”

“That wooden stick?” The six elders’ bodies shook in surprise.

The stick was only used for gathering the ashes after a ceremonial burning to honor the ancestors. It had always been there, and no one had any interest in it.

The elders thought that Li Qiye would ask for treasures using his new status, but he simply wanted a wooden stick. This request was outside of their expectations.

Li Qiye spoke in an unrestrained manner: “Since I am the prime disciple, my position is worthy of respect. The stick belongs to the grand chamber, and this is the Ancestral Grand Chamber of the entire sect. It represents the power of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, so it is worthy of my current position as the prime disciple…”

After hearing Li Qiye’s logic, the six elders looked at each other with their eyes wide open. They thought to themselves: ‘This idiotic brat and that goddamned playboy Old Devil definitely belong together, just like how an ox seeks another ox while a horse would find another horse.’ [1. Stupid people come together would be the meaning here.]

“So be it, we shall bestow this stick upon you.” The first elder was happy to give this worthless stick to Li Qiye if it meant that he didn’t have to hear any more of Li Qiye’s incessant babbling. To him, this stick was only a regular wooden stick meant to move the ashes; they might as well give it to Li Qiye.

“Many thanks to Honorable Elders.” Li Qiye was eagerly waiting for those words. Before his words finished coming out of his mouth, his hands were already holding the stick. This action, in the eyes of the six elders, was seen as being very naive.

“Huairen, take him to his resting quarters.” An elder finally became impatient and told a nearby disciple to send Li Qiye away.

Today’s events had greatly stressed the six elders. A wastrel has become the prime disciple of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect... Even if the sect had long passed its glory days, it was not destitute enough to accept a waste of a human being as the prime disciple.

Led by the disciple, Li Qiye approached a solitary peak. It was not small; on top of it laid a small villa the size of 36,000 square meters.

It was apparent that the villa had been abandoned for a long time due to the weeds and wild plants that surrounded it. Although this peak was far from everything, it was still part of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect.

After opening the doors, the disciple immediately said: “Junior Brot—, no, First Brother, this place will be your home from now on.”

He only spoke two words before he quickly realized his mistake.

Based on the time Li Qiye joined the sect, Li Qiye would be his junior. However, because he was the prime disciple, anyone within the third generation – no matter how young or old – would have to call him First Brother.

Li Qiye gave this wily disciple a glance and looked around before nodding his head: “This peak that’s so distant from the rest of the sect is a suitable location.”

The disciple smilingly spoke: “It has a very fitting name, Lonely Peak.” He peeked at Li Qiye a few times before continuing: “You will be the master of this peak in the future.”

The truth was that according to the rules of the sect, the prime disciple had the right to live on the peak closest to the ancestral ground. The sect owned many peaks, and the prime disciple could choose any peak for himself.

However, most of the main peaks of the sect were occupied. Moreover, all six elders were unhappy with Li Qiye. Thus, Li Qiye was exiled to this faraway place, away from the main peaks.

The main peaks located near the ancestral ground contained a thicker worldly essence than the outside mountains and inferior peaks.

Li Qiye naturally stated: “This place will be just fine.” He was not a petty man that would place importance on such trivial matters.

“I have brought over all the daily necessities for First Brother earlier.” This junior brother thoroughly handled matters with ease and experience. After taking care of all the items necessary for Li Qiye’s daily needs, he politely said: “If you need anything else, just come to the outer court to find me.”

Before the disciple departed, Li Qiye casually asked: “What is your name?”

The disciple was surprised by the sudden question. He did not think highly of Li Qiye. His talents were lacking to the point that he would not even be accepted as a regular disciple.

Li Qiye’s actions earlier in the chamber caused others to feel that he was stupid. However, the current Li Qiye who was calm and natural made this disciple feel perplexed inside; he didn’t know whether Li Qiye was crazy or if he had thought through everything beforehand.

This disciple quickly regained his wits and answered Li Qiye: “First Brother, this junior brother’s name is Nan Huairen. I am a caretaker of the outer court.”

“My name is Li Qiye.” Li Qiye gently nodded.

In the last million years, the ones who knew his true origin and name could be counted one’s fingers.

After Nan Huairen’s departure, Li Qiye did not sit idle. He began to clean up the yard and tidied up the whole mountain. After completing the task to an acceptable standard, the deserted mountain resembled more of a home.

Li Qiye did everything in a systematic and neat manner, slow but steady. If any accidental passersby were to witness his cleaning actions, they wouldn’t believe that he was only thirteen years old.

The sky had darkened by the time the tedious task was completed. Li Qiye felt tired and hungry. He slowly sat down in front of the villa. Taking in a deep breath, he took out the wooden stick that was now placed by his waist. He carefully observed the stick that people used to move ashes. His memories slowly came back to him, causing him to show a bitter smile.

The world believed that if an Immortal Emperor succeeded in shouldering the Heaven’s Will, they would become immortal. However, if that was the case, then where were Immortal Emperor Min Ren, Immortal Emperor Tun Ri, and all the other peerless cultivators from each era? Where did they go?

Li Qiye slowly regained his composure and removed the dust and ash from the stick, eventually revealing its true form. This was a stick that measured one meter. Even after being doused in fire for thousands of years, it had retained its original form without faults. In the eyes of others, however, this was only an ordinary wooden stick without any magical properties.

Li Qiye whispered as he gently wiped the wooden stick: “Serpent Punishing Stick!”

With this wooden stick in his hand, his memories caused him to feel unexplainable emotions.

Back in those days when Min Ren was without the Heaven’s Will, Li Qiye, as the master of this future Immortal Emperor, had taught a group of children that would be the loyal generals of Min Ren. Since Li Qiye wanted to groom them well, he specifically took the Serpent Punishing Stick from the Demon Forest.

Those teenagers that would stomp the Nine Worlds under their feet were all victims of this stick. After concluding their training, he left the stick here in the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, and here it has remained until now.

Gripping the stick tightly, Li Qiye immersed himself even deeper within his memories. Escaping the Immortal Demon Grotto was a success, and he finally regained his body and soul from the control of the Dark Crow.

However, time was not merciful. Everyone who used to be his friends and families, such as the Alchemy God, Immortal Emperor Xue Xi, Immortal Emperor Min Ren… and even the illustrious Black Dragon King that survived three eras, have all left this world.

At the beginning of the Desolate Era, he was only a young shepherd. In order to find a lost sheep, he went into the grotto and became imprisoned by the Immortal Demon Grotto. He was forced to follow the path his master envisioned in his crow body from era to era.

At that moment, Li Qiye was very scared. He flew without rest across the Forbidden Burials, traveling across the nine lands, across the Nine Worlds… And in the end, he still had no choice but to return to the Immortal Demon Grotto.

However, because of this, he had experienced the countless dangers and mysteries of the worlds. He trod through lands that even an unbeatable Virtuous Paragon would stay away from. His willpower, basked in hardships throughout the eras, became unshakable.

From then on, he was unwilling to forever stay as a slave of the Immortal Demon Grotto. He formulated a grand plan to cut off all the immortal spirit seals and formations within his soul.

In order to escape the body of the Dark Crow, for his own freedom and to regain his body, he continuously led many geniuses on the road of cultivation. The greatest of these young ones were able to fight on the peerless road under the sky to obtain the Heaven’s Will.

But today, when Li Qiye returned to his old body to become human once again, all his friends had left him.

Taking his last, deep breath to set aside his pain, he once again strengthened his resolve to destroy all obstacles and shatter the souls of those in the Immortal Demon Grotto.

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