Lord Empior - Chapter 1

Be be…be be…be be…
The sounds of a goat bleating echoed through the otherwise tranquil mountain range.

Li Qiye climbed the mountain. The night wind was strong and cold, but he was sweating profusely from anxiety. A thirteen-year-old boy like Li Qiye, climbing the mountain alone on his own two feet, presented a bizarre scene in the dead of night, sending shivers down anyone's spine.

Although the night was eerily silent, Li Qiye's heart burned with anxiety.

Li Qiye was born into a poor peasant family. He had been herding goats for hire since he was seven years old.

Li Qiye took the surname Li from his family because he cried for seven days and seven nights after his birth.

Today, Li Qiye was tending his goats as usual. Unexpectedly, at dusk, while herding them back, he discovered one of the lead goats was missing. He was very worried and hurried back to the mountain to search. However, despite searching the entire mountain range, Li Qiye couldn't find it.

Thinking of the ruthless landlord Zhang Dahu, and now having lost one of his goats, Li Qiye felt extremely anxious and panicked.

After searching the entire mountain range without finding any trace of the missing goat, Li Qiye suddenly thought of one place, the only place he hadn't searched yet: the Immortal Demon Cave!

Looking up at the Immortal Demon Cave in front of him, the cave in the darkness resembled a monstrous beast from the primordial era, its mouth wide open as if ready to devour anyone at any moment. The sound of howling wolves echoed in his ears, causing Li Qiye to shudder.

The Immortal Demon Cave was considered a place of extreme danger in this area. Legend says that a demon resides there, devouring anyone who enters. Throughout history, no one has ever survived after entering.

At this moment, the sound of Old Man Zhang Dahu's whip lashing echoed in Li Qiye's ears. If he lost a goat, Old Man Zhang Dahu would surely whip it to shreds.

Thinking of this, Li Qiye gritted his teeth and headed towards the Immortal Demon Cave ahead. In an instant, his figure vanished into the night.

- Aaaaaaa….

In the desolate darkness, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from within the Immortal Demon Cave.

Li Qiye's terrified voice rang out:

- You, you, you want to do what?...A…

Suddenly, the scream stopped abruptly.

After an unknown period of time, a deep, ominous voice echoed from the depths of the Immortal Demon Cave:
"Good, good, good, my immortal Yin Crow has finally been perfected, only lacking a soul. Today, I'll borrow your soul for a while!"

"Flap…flap…flap…!"

A moment later, a series of rapid flapping wings resounded, and a bizarre black crow flew out from the Immortal Demon Cave.

"Fly away, fly away! I want to borrow your soul to remember the Burial Ground (according to this story, it's a place where people, beasts, or mysterious objects are buried/hidden). Fly over all the remaining lands. As long as the Nine Realms aren't destroyed, I will definitely find you!"
From the depths of the Immortal Demon Cave, that ominous voice echoed again.

From then on, in this vast expanse of heaven and earth, a black crow roamed and soared, entering the Burial Ground, reaching the Immortal City, and traversing the Fierce Realm... Its fate was beyond its control; it flew through the Nine Realms, overcoming countless hardships, living for hundreds of thousands of years without dying.

Time passed, and the era changed accordingly. As one invincible figure rose, another fell.

Gradually, without anyone knowing when, that mysterious black crow reappeared. A black crow seeking to escape its evil confinement, it began to seize control of its own destiny.

From the Medicine God to the Flying Immortal Emperor, the Bloodthirsty Immortal Emperor, the Bright Human Immortal Emperor, then the Sun Devouring Immortal Emperor, and finally the Ice Rain Immortal Emperor... and finally the Black Dragon King.

Behind each of these eras' leaders loomed the shadow of a crow. The shadow of a black crow seeking to control its own fate.

Although each generation of supreme champions rises, another generation of deities falls, that black crow still vaguely appears within the river of time.

A black crow unwilling to accept its fate being controlled, it wants to confront the most terrifying figure in this realm.

From thousands of years ago to the present, each era has changed...

*The body is not in control of its own destiny: meaning that people sometimes have to do or cannot do things that are not due to their will or that they cannot control themselves.

With a "whoosh," Li Qiye, floating in the river, was suddenly pulled up.

- Ah!

While being pulled up, Li Qiye suddenly woke up, and his first reaction was to jump up. Not yet having adjusted to his body, he staggered and almost fell face down.

- Ah, my body!

Li Qiye lowered his head and looked, seeing that his body hadn't changed at all. He was both happy and scared. Although he had gone through many things...

Having overcome countless difficulties and storms, Yin Ya Li Qiye still couldn't contain his excitement at finally reclaiming his body.

Li Qiye took a deep breath, looked up, and saw an old man standing before him.

"Hehehe, it's me, the old man who rescued you from the river." The old man chuckled. When he spoke, he revealed only three yellow teeth, making his smile seem utterly despicable.

Li Qiye glanced upstream; from afar, he could see the faint outline of the Immortal Demon Cave. Seeing it, Li Qiye's eyes suddenly turned icy cold, and the aura emanating from him was distinctly different from that of other children his age—thirteen.

Li Qiye took another deep breath, turned to look at the old man, and after a long while, he finally asked:

"How should I address you?"

"The Cleansing Face Ancient Sect, the Three Ghost Lords."
The old man grinned, revealing three golden teeth, and replied with a chuckle, saliva dripping from his mouth.

"The Cleansing Face Ancient Sect…" Li Qiye murmured, the name instantly evoking memories that had been sealed in his mind, from the time his soul was trapped in the body of that black crow.

"Currently, who is in charge of the Mandate of Heaven?" Li Qiye calmed down and continued to ask.

"The Mandate of Heaven? Currently, no one can bear the Mandate of Heaven." The Three Ghost Lord replied with a chuckle.

"Where is the Void-Stepping Immortal Emperor?"

Hearing his reply, Li Qiye's expression instantly hardened. How long had he been asleep? More than a hundred thousand years?

"The Void-Stepping Immortal Emperor disappeared 30,000 years ago."

The Three Ghost Lords still smiled contemptuously, answering Li Qiye.

"What about the Black Dragon King of Zhen Tian Hai City?" Li Qiye asked again.

"No one knows for sure. The Black Dragon King also disappeared 30,000 years ago." The Three Ghost Lords shook their heads in reply.

Hearing this, Li Qiye's expression changed drastically. He looked up again towards the Immortal Demon Cave that was faintly visible in the distance. At this moment, Li Qiye understood why he had regained his body.

"Let's go." Li Qiye's expression darkened. He turned and left, not caring whether the Three Ghost Lords followed him or not. He had lived through countless long years, endured countless hardships and bitter experiences. Now he knew what he should do.

***

Zhen Tian Hai City is the most powerful inheritance of a contemporary invincible figure. In those years, when the Black Dragon King was alive, no one in the nine heavens and ten earths could defeat him. He was revered for three generations!

Although the Black Dragon King has been missing for thirty thousand years, Zhen Tian Hai City still stands like a colossal monster, proudly between heaven and earth.

At this moment, a boy of about thirteen years old and an old man with a humble smile revealing three gleaming gold teeth are standing outside Zhen Tian Hai City.

Li Qiye silently burns paper money outside the city gate, whispering: “Little Blackie, rest assured. In this life, you have helped me reclaim my body. One day, I will conquer the desolate realm and avenge you.”

Afterward, Li Qiye looked up at the colossal Zhen Tian Hai City before him. The old scenery and the people were gone, everything seemed strange. He recalled the years he and Little Blackie had worked so hard to build this magnificent sea city.

Unfortunately, after thirty thousand years, how many people still remember the black crow that once lurked behind the curtain?

"Heh, let's go back to the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect."
At this moment, the Three Ghost Lord glanced at Li Qiye and spoke, his three golden teeth gleaming.

"Let's go." Li Qiye calmly nodded in response. No matter how extraordinary or mysterious this Three Ghost Lord's abilities were, or what his background was, it couldn't startle Li Qiye. He had overcome countless hardships, his soul trapped in the body of the Yin Crow for hundreds of thousands of years, traversing through various eras, standing alongside Immortal Emperors, and befriending the God of Medicine. What else could possibly surprise him?

Not long after Li Qiye and the other person left, an extremely elegant and beautiful woman emerged from Zhen Tian Hai City. She resembled the Jade Wave Immortal and the Cold Sea Goddess. As she stepped out the door, her eyes inadvertently caught sight of a corner of a banknote remaining in the pile of burnt paper offerings. A faint symbol was visible on it.

Upon seeing the symbol, the Goddess's expression changed drastically, and she asked in a low voice:

"Who burned paper offerings here just now?"

An old servant beside her quickly went to inquire about the news and returned to report:
"According to the guards, not long ago, an old man and a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old burned paper offerings here."

"Chase after them immediately! Find them!" The Goddess immediately ordered in a low voice.

"Your Highness was supposed to be going to the Divine Mountain," the servant said hesitantly.

"Find them!" The Goddess shouted softly, her figure soaring through space, pursuing the two.

Ultimately, the Goddess still couldn't find the person who burned the paper offerings and had to return to Zhen Tian Hai City. She stood silently, lost in thought. That symbol had been there for a very long time.

He reappeared in Zhen Tian Hai City. Why did he suddenly appear here after tens of thousands of years? Is he an enemy or a friend?

"Your Highness, we couldn't find the person who burned the paper offerings."

The loyal old servant reported.

"Give orders to everyone to be vigilant and not to be negligent. If there is any news about those two, report it to me immediately." The goddess ordered in a low voice.

Hearing her mistress's words, the old servant was astonished. Under the current prestige of Zhen Tian Hai City, their Zhen Hai Goddess's reputation was also very illustrious; it was rare to see her with such a serious expression.

"Then what about the Divine Mountain over there…?" The old servant mused.

"Cancel it!" The goddess said sternly.

"I need to quickly read through some ancient books left by our ancestors. This matter is quite strange." Having said that, she immediately went straight to the deepest part of the forbidden area of Zhen Tian Hai City.

***

The Cleansing Face Ancient Sect is located within the territory of the Bao Sheng Kingdom, originally an Imperial Immortal Sect with a very ancient lineage. In the early years of the Age of Emperors, a proud Immortal Emperor Ming Ren, standing amidst the nine heavens and ten earths, founded this sect and named it the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect.

Unfortunately, after hundreds of thousands of years, the times changed, and the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect was no longer the Imperial Immortal Sect that once dominated the Four Seas and Eight Deserts. As time passed, the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect gradually declined. Although they tried their best to revive their former prestige, they could not reverse this downward trend.

- Elder, something bad has happened! A mortal has come to our sect saying he wants to be the chief disciple.

The Grand Elder of the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect had just stepped out of the door when he saw a disciple rushing towards him to report.

"Kick him down the mountain!"
The Grand Elder didn't even glance at him, saying immediately,

"Does such a small matter need to be reported?"

A mere mortal wanting to become the chief disciple of the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect? Are you kidding? Being the chief disciple also means becoming the successor to the sect master, and moreover, the chief disciple usually has the potential to become the next sect master. However, if the sect master isn't present, the Grand Elder can still handle these matters himself.

"But, but he, he was introduced by the Three Ghosts."

The disciple stammered, speaking hastily.

"The Three Ghosts?"
The Grand Elder frowned unhappily, saying,

"He didn't just promise them a good deal after drinking their wine, did he?"

The Three Ghosts Master was originally a member of the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect, but the sect refused to acknowledge him.

Although the name "Three Ghosts Master" sounded imposing, it caused the elders of the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect to lose face completely.

The Three Ghosts Master had three extremely good qualities: he was good at spending money, good at boasting, and good at womanizing. He also often referred to himself as "the master," so he was frequently teased and called "Three Ghosts Master."

It was said that the Three Ghosts Master hadn't cultivated any decent martial arts, but he had a very significant background within the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect. Rumor had it that he was the illegitimate son of the previous sect leader, and that the current sect leader, on his deathbed, had instructed the current sect leader to look after the Three Ghosts Master.

There were also rumors that the Third Ghost Master was indeed an illegitimate son, but the illegitimate son of the sect leader from two generations ago. The previous sect leader had received a great favor from this person, so he reluctantly accepted this disgrace and took care of the Third Ghost Master. Before the previous sect leader passed away, he even instructed the current sect leader of the Washing Face Ancient Sect to protect the Third Ghost Master.

Ultimately, regardless of whose illegitimate son the Third Ghost Master was, the high-ranking members of the Washing Face Ancient Sect didn't want to investigate and didn't care about the gossip.

The entire Washing Face Ancient Sect, from the high-ranking elders to the lowest-ranking disciples, didn't welcome this Third Ghost Master, who lacked much cultivation.

"So what if the Third Ghost Master introduces himself? We'll still kick him down the mountain!" the Grand Elder angrily shouted, his good mood ruined early in the morning by this fellow.

"But, but, he's holding the Cleansing Face Ancient Token of the Three Demon Lords."

The disciple stammered again.

"The Cleansing Face Ancient Token!"
Upon hearing these words, the Grand Elder's expression changed drastically. He pondered for a long time before giving orders:
"Summon all the elders. In addition, have that mortal wait in the main hall for now."

The Cleansing Face Ancient Sect has a total of six elders. The other five, upon hearing the words "Cleansing Face Ancient Token," also changed their expressions and quickly arrived for the meeting.

The founder of the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect, Emperor Mingren, left behind three Cleansing Face Ancient Tokens. Two of them had been recovered by the sect long ago, but for some reason, the third one fell into the hands of the Three Demon Lords.

Aside from the previous sect leader's instructions to the disciples of the Cleansing Face Ancient Sect to look after the Three Ghost Lord, the second reason why the elders, despite their frustration, could do nothing to the Three Ghost Lord was that he possessed a piece of ancient artifact.

That final decree.

The holder of this decree represents the arrival of the Mingren Immortal Emperor. This holder can offer a condition for exchange with the Washing Face Ancient Sect.

Sitting inside the ancient main hall of the Washing Face Ancient Sect, gazing at the hazy statue amidst the smoke, Li Qiye couldn't help but recall many old memories.

The statue of the Mingren Immortal Emperor stood majestically at the highest point of the hall. Though countless years had passed, the statue still exuded an ancient divine aura that seemed to pierce through the nine heavens, inspiring awe in those who looked upon it.

Li Qiye gazed at the statue for a long time, unable to express his feelings. Time flew by; the Mingren Immortal Emperor had passed away, yet Li Qiye was still alive. Today, he finally got his wish, reclaiming his body, but all he saw were old friends, one by one, who had vanished into the mists of time.