Heaven-Sealing City

Half a month later.

Su Ye rode a big black dog with a golden staff strapped to his back, crossing perilous mountains. Along the way, he suffered ambush after ambush from all kinds of Fierce Beasts and ferocious birds. After dozens of bloody battles, he finally reached a place where humans gathered.

"Big brother, can you let me go now... I mean, let your humble servant go?"

The pitch-black big black dog said sheepishly. He was shaped like an ox, his black fur gleaming like polished silk. He looked ferocious enough to intimidate the whole region, but right now he was terribly uneasy.

That was because the person riding on his back was vicious. He ate one Fierce Beast every meal, and the dog didn't want to become his next meal.

Su Ye looked down at the black dog beneath him. This was a Remnant Species he had subdued on the way. It looked like a wolfhound, but in truth, it was neither a dog nor a wolf.

It was a Qilin.

"You and I meeting here in this vast Great Wilderness proves that we're fated to cross paths. From now on, you'll follow me and fight by my side as I conquer the world. One day, your name will resound throughout the Great Wilderness."

Su Ye spoke with great enthusiasm, painting a glorious future.

There was something wrong with this Qilin, or else it would have been difficult to subdue. But since Su Ye had run into him, there was no way he'd let him get away. The Qilin clan's Treasure Art was incredibly powerful.

Of course, this Qilin wasn't one of the Ten Fiends. He was merely a Remnant Species, and the Treasure Art he'd inherited was an incomplete Qilin Precious Technique. Even so, it was still extremely powerful, comparable to the strongest Treasure Arts of ordinary pure-blooded Fierce Beasts.

I don't believe a word you're saying. Who's fated to cross paths with you? You expect me to follow you? If I weren't having problems of my own, I could slap you to death with a flick of my paw.

The Qilin raged inwardly, but didn't dare show it on his face, afraid this vicious fellow would eat him. He forced a smile and said, "I'm just a dog, a useless dog. If you want a powerful Remnant Species, I know where to find one. Suanni and Bian, for instance. They're both mighty and imposing. Only they're worthy of your noble status."

"You've got a point. Riding a dog, and a black one at that, really does undermine my mighty image."

Su Ye nodded, agreeing completely. "Since you're useless, there's no point keeping you around. I might as well eat you. But I just ate a Fierce Beast, so I'm not hungry. How about I butcher you and sell your meat for some money? Dog meat is delicious, so it ought to sell well."

"No, I'm useful! Very useful! I can be a mount, guard your home, and..."

The Qilin hurriedly spoke, his eyes filled with terror. He suspected the man was only trying to scare him, but he didn't dare take the risk. If he lost, he'd lose his life.

He cursed Su Ye incessantly in his heart. Once he recovered, he'd make him pay.

Su Ye broke into a radiant smile, pleased with the Qilin's answer. He reached out and patted the dog's head. As for how he knew this was a Qilin Remnant Species rather than a black dog—

It was naturally because his Samsara Eye could clearly see the many Fierce Beast bloodlines within the Qilin. The strongest of them was the Qilin bloodline.

A Remnant Species was a Fierce Beast that possessed the bloodline of a powerful Fierce Beast.

"Remnant Species" was the polite term. Less politely, it meant a mongrel—a hybrid. More bluntly, it meant a mutt.

The Qilin seethed with rage. How dare Su Ye pat his head? But while he was under another's roof, he had to bow his head. Once he recovered, he'd suppress Su Ye, take him as a servant, and ride him as he conquered the eight directions.

"Since you're following me now, I'll give you a name."

Su Ye looked at the big black dog beneath him. A name came to mind. "Dog is a fine name. Even a dog can look down on the ages. From now on, you'll be called Black Emperor."

"Black Emperor?"

The Qilin was taken aback. He'd expected a truly awful name, but this one was pretty imposing. "Isn't 'Emperor' a bit too arrogant? How about 'King' instead? Call me Black King. One day, I'll become the strongest expert in the Great Wilderness, revered as the king of my race."

"Emperor" was an honorific for supreme beings, on a level with Gods. He was afraid that if he took that name, he'd be beaten to death one day.

As for becoming a king, that was nothing to worry about. Even Venerables could call themselves kings. Even if he couldn't become a God, he was more than capable of becoming a Venerable renowned throughout the region. Calling himself Black King would be entirely fitting.

"Thump."

Su Ye slapped the Qilin on the head and snapped, "As my mount, can't you have a little ambition? Only the incapable are arrogant. For those who have what it takes, it's called confidence. From now on, you're Black Emperor."

"%￥#@..."

Black Emperor cursed under his breath.

Heaven-Sealing City.

An ancient city on the border of the Stone Kingdom. Just how ancient was it?

Heaven-Sealing City was older than the Stone Kingdom. It had already been an ancient city in the ancient past.

Legend had it that Heaven-Sealing City dated back to the distant primeval era. A supreme expert had once bestowed titles upon the Gods here on behalf of Heaven, and so the city had been named Heaven-Sealing City.

Of course, that was only a legend. The truth had long since become impossible to trace.

Su Ye rode Black Emperor up to the gates of Heaven-Sealing City and looked up at the ancient characters "Heaven Seal" above them.

The two characters were ancient and rather scrawled, like a child's drawing, yet Su Ye recognized them at a glance. It was as if they had long been carved deep into his mind.

"Heaven-Sealing City. I remember something about this place. There's... Oh, right! There's a famous trial ground nearby. It produces a special kind of treasure liquid that can temper the body."

Black Emperor said this because he lived less than a hundred thousand li from here and knew a little about the area.

Su Ye ignored Black Emperor and looked at the characters "Heaven Seal." The more he looked, the more extraordinary they seemed. He secretly activated his Samsara Eye to examine them.

The scrawled characters "Heaven Seal" seemed to come alive, giving off a strange Dao aura. Then they unfolded into a vast world filled with mist. Chains appeared one after another, each formed from Great Dao Rules, each a rule of order. They sealed a gate—a gate leading to Heaven Domain.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, Emperor. Are you listening?"

Black Emperor turned to look at Su Ye. His expression was vacant, as if his soul had left his body. His eyes moved, light flickering within them. He was clearly distracted, leaving himself full of openings. Should Black Emperor strike him and send him into Reincarnation?

If he killed him, then he'd be free.

But what if he failed? Then wouldn't he...

There was no "what if." If he attacked with all his strength, he could kill him in one blow.

For freedom.

"You've got murder in your eyes. What are you plotting? Don't tell me you're planning to betray me?"

Su Ye snapped out of it and looked at Black Emperor beneath him. His smile was bright and innocent, making him seem completely harmless.

"How could I? Would I, Emperor, ever be that kind of... dog? I'm the most loyal there is. I'd never betray you."

Black Emperor answered hastily, fuming inwardly.

That fellow had definitely left himself open on purpose to test me.

Just you wait. Once I recover, I'll suppress you.

Su Ye ignored Black Emperor and glanced again at the characters "Heaven Seal." His Samsara Eye could see things ordinary people couldn't, but his mastery of the pupil technique wasn't enough to fully see through them. He'd come back to examine them once his Samsara Eye had advanced further.

"By the way, you mentioned treasure liquid just now. What kind of treasure liquid?"

"Heaven and Earth Treasure Liquid. It can temper the body. It's in the Mist Mountains, and it's worth a fortune. One drop sells for ten thousand Jingbi, and you can't even buy it when you have the money."

Black Emperor's gaze burned with excitement. "Since we're here, why don't we go and try our luck? We might come away with a good haul."

"The Mist Mountains?"

Su Ye took an ancient-looking map from his robes and examined it carefully. He couldn't find the Mist Mountains on it, but he did find Heaven-Sealing City.

Heaven-Sealing City was close to the eerie and perilous Ancient Battlefield. Before he left the Wind Clan, the Old Patriarch had sternly warned him to stay far away from that area.

Black Emperor looked at the ancient map in Su Ye's hand and said helplessly, "Where'd you get that old relic? It looks at least a thousand years old."

"It's been in my family for generations," Su Ye replied. A thousand years wasn't especially long or short. A lot could change in that time in this world. "Could the Mist Mountains be that Ancient Battlefield?"

"The Ancient Battlefield?"

Black Emperor was startled. Then he realized what Su Ye meant. "Yes, but not quite. The Mist Mountains used to be part of the Ancient Battlefield. But five hundred years ago, something happened. The strange matter in the Ancient Battlefield contracted, and the Mist Mountains came into being."

The Ancient Battlefield was perilous not because powerful beings lived there, but because countless powerful beings had died there. The land had become a blood-soaked demon soil. The ancient Gods had perished, but their resentment remained, filling the battlefield with the Weird and misfortune.

Black Emperor continued, "If you're lucky, you might even find artifacts left behind by the ancient Gods in the Mist Mountains. Of course, the Mist Mountains can't compare to the Hundred Broken Mountains. Not many ancient experts fell here. If more had, the Mist Mountains might have become a special Lesser World like the Hundred Broken Mountains.

"They say the treasure liquid in the Mist Mountains is Divine Essence formed when the Gods fell, their divine blood seeped into the earth, and the essence was nurtured there over endless ages."

"So it's corpse juice?"

"..."

Black Emperor was speechless. Did he really have to put it so bluntly? "It's not the same. Even if it looks like a corpse rotting... Never mind. If I explain it, how am I supposed to eat it later?"

His expression was grim. He'd originally planned to look for some treasure liquid to temper his body, but now he'd lost his appetite.

Su Ye smiled. He knew perfectly well that it wasn't the same. The ingredients and process might be alike, but the end result was different. It was like wheat left to rot in a heap, turning into foul water, while brewing wine went through the same process.