An Emperor Realm Dragon Carp, enslaving the Emperor Realm Yu Yao

Su Linxian felt his entire body stiffen, as though an invisible hand had seized all his cultivation, his soul, and his vitality.

"What!?"

"What a terrifying aura!"

He was clearly at the peak emperor realm, standing at the pinnacle of combat strength across the heavens, yet beneath this wisp of aura, he could not muster even the slightest thought of resistance!

He was like an ant looking up at a deity above the ninefold celestial palaces, unworthy even of feeling reverence!

How terrifying.

So this was a Divine Emperor...?

Su Qi withdrew his aura, and every phenomenon vanished in an instant. The sky grew calm, the sea of clouds returned to its place, and the stream flowed again, as though nothing had happened.

Su Linxian remained frozen where he stood, a layer of cold sweat seeping down his back.

As though he had done nothing at all, Su Qi continued speaking, his tone returning to its usual laziness.

"Heaven and earth have their order, and there are three thousand Great Daos. As your father, all I can tell you is that becoming a Divine Emperor is not a matter of seeking a Dao."

He turned around and looked Su Linxian in the eyes.

"You must create a Great Dao of your own."

Su Linxian frowned. "Create a Great Dao of my own?"

"Correct." Su Qi nodded. "Every one of the world's three thousand Great Daos has been walked before. You cultivate the Tai'e Sword Art, but even if you take it to its utmost limit, you will merely become another Tai'e Sword Emperor. The peak emperor realm is already the end of another person's road. To advance any further, you can no longer follow someone else's path."

"But this is a matter of water flowing and a channel forming naturally. You reached the peak emperor realm at such a young age, and your foundations are deep, but your experience is still shallow. During this time, you can venture into the world, experience its myriad faces, and seek your own path to becoming a Divine Emperor. Until then..."

"Nothing can be rushed."

Su Linxian pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands. "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Father."

Su Qi merely shook his head, picked up the dragonfish that had been tossed aside, and threw her toward Su Linxian.

The dragonfish traced an arc through the air and landed squarely in Su Linxian's arms. She was heavy, her golden scales cold, her dragon whiskers still trembling slightly.

Su Qi turned away, picked up the bamboo pole again, and sat on the bridge pier, waving a hand with his back to Su Linxian.

"Go on. Take this fish back and cook her. She will help with your cultivation and comprehension."

Holding the emperor realm dragonfish, Su Linxian gazed at the youthful figure sitting on the bridge pier, fishing with his back to him.

That figure looked casual and indolent, yet the lingering impression of that aura remained deep in his marrow.

He glanced down again at the dragonfish in his arms.

The corners of Su Linxian's mouth lifted, and he said respectfully,

"Thank you, Father."

Then he turned and left.

Following the Grand Elder through palace after palace, Su Linxian was finally led to a standalone residence on the eastern side of Emperor City.

The residence was not large, but it was exquisitely crafted, with green jade steps and white jade railings. An unknown spirit tree grew before the courtyard, its branches laden with pale purple flowers that gave off a crisp, cool fragrance.

After the Grand Elder bowed and took his leave, Su Linxian casually tossed the dragonfish onto the courtyard's stone table.

The dragonfish bounced twice on the tabletop, her golden scales striking the stone with clear, ringing clinks. Her mouth opened and closed, and suddenly, she spoke in human language.

"Um... Your Imperial Majesty... no, Lord Divine Son, could you please be kind and let me go?"

She could talk, too?

Su Linxian bent closer, studying the dragonfish with her golden scales and twin horns. His gaze swept across her belly, and he murmured,

"A female fish, too?"

The dragonfish's scales bristled all over, as though his words had offended her.

She sprang from the stone table, her golden scales bursting into dazzling golden light. Within that radiance, her body rapidly swelled, lengthened, and transformed. When the light faded, a little blonde girl stood on the table.

She looked only about ten years old, with long golden hair falling to her waist and a pair of small dragon horns on her head, a few tiny scales still clinging to them.

She wore a short golden skirt formed from scales and went barefoot, a string of tiny golden bells tied around her ankle. On her fair little face, a pair of golden slit-pupiled eyes gazed at Su Linxian with a somewhat ingratiating smile. Her little hands were tucked behind her back, her fingers twisting restlessly.

"Lord Divine Son! Don't eat me, don't eat me!" Her voice was bright and clear, her words tumbling out rapidly. "I'm still useful! I'm really powerful!"

Su Linxian sat on a stone stool and watched her with interest.

"Let's hear it."

The little dragonfish girl immediately puffed out her chest, a trace of pride flashing through her golden eyes. "I can breathe out and nurture a Divine Pearl! It clears the mind of desire and keeps all evil at bay! Keep me beside you when you cultivate, and I guarantee your inner demons won't touch you, your mind will remain clear, and you'll get twice the results with half the effort!"

Su Linxian leaned against the stone table, propping his chin on one hand, his expression unchanged.

"With my cultivation, I have no need for such things."

The little dragonfish girl's expression froze for an instant.

Her eyes darted, a sly glint flashing through her golden pupils. Suddenly, she scampered forward and circled behind Su Linxian, clenched her little hands into fists, and diligently began kneading his shoulders.

Her pressure was neither too light nor too heavy, and it felt quite pleasant.

"Don't turn me down so quickly! My cultivation may not be high, but I've spent so many years getting by in Demon Race territory. I know lots of secrets!"

Su Linxian neither turned around nor stopped her from massaging his back.

"Such as?"

The little dragonfish girl's eyes lit up, and she worked even harder. She leaned her little head toward his ear and lowered her voice, as though afraid someone might overhear.

"I know someone who would help your cultivation even more than I could! If you eat them, the effect will be ten thousand times better!"

"The Sacred Demon Domain, the Demon Race's territory. There's a young Immortal-Era Teng Snake there who only recently broke through to the Emperor Realm. Legend says that eating its flesh lets you comprehend a realm one major realm above your own..."

"You're at the peak emperor realm. If you eat it, you might be able to comprehend the Divine Emperor realm."

The Divine Emperor realm again?

Su Linxian narrowed his eyes.

Su Qi had just said that becoming a Divine Emperor required creating his own Great Dao, and that he could not rush it.

But if there truly was a spiritual creature that could help someone comprehend the mysteries of a realm one major realm above their own, even touching the slightest edge of the Divine Emperor threshold would save him a hundred years of bitter cultivation.

"It had better."

He rose and turned to look at the little blonde girl before him, her small face tilted up, her eyes full of anticipation.

Su Linxian's gaze suddenly grew hazy and unfathomable, like two pools of cold water whose bottoms could not be seen.

"Don't resist."

The little dragonfish girl froze. "What?"

Su Linxian raised his hand, condensed a dark strand of soul light at his fingertip, and pointed it toward her brow.

The little dragonfish girl instinctively tried to retreat, but the soul light was too fast. She had only enough time to blink before that dark light sank into the depths of her sea of consciousness. A Soul Master Mark took shape, and an invisible thread connected their souls.

The little dragonfish girl trembled all over in fright, her golden pupils widening into circles. "Y-you, what did you do to me?!"

Su Linxian withdrew his hand, his tone calm.

"From now on, your name is Yu Yao."

Yu Yao froze for a beat, then felt the irresistible seal deep within her soul. Her little face fell, and she replied dejectedly, her head hanging.

"Understood... Master."

Su Linxian waved a hand and turned toward the depths of his sleeping quarters.

"All right, I'm going to cultivate. Don't disturb me."

After entering the depths of his sleeping quarters, Su Linxian sat cross-legged.

Ever since his cultivation had soared straight to the peak emperor realm, he had scarcely stopped to properly experience that realm. Now, he closed his eyes, sank into his sea of consciousness, and began exploring every thread of its mysteries anew.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Yu Yao sat listlessly beside the pond in the residence's courtyard, her snow-white feet dipping into the water as she idly kicked up splashes.

She looked up at the tightly shut palace doors and pouted.

"It's already been five years... Why hasn't Master come out yet..."

Just then, the Grand Elder approached from the far end of the corridor.

Seeing Yu Yao sitting beside the pond, he paused briefly, then cupped his hands and asked, "Miss Yu Yao, where is the Divine Son?"

Without turning her head, Yu Yao lifted her chin toward the palace doors. "Master is cultivating."

The Grand Elder's eyes flickered in understanding. He nodded and was just about to leave when a faint tremor suddenly came from the palace doors behind him.

The tremor was extremely faint, like a sigh from some long-slumbering power as it awoke.

The Grand Elder whipped his head around.

The palace doors slowly opened.

Su Linxian emerged, his robes white as snow, his figure tall and straight.

His appearance had not changed, nor had his aura surged, yet the instant the Grand Elder looked at him, he felt that figure had become even more distant than before.

The sensation was difficult to describe, as though the one standing before him was not a person, but a bottomless abyss or an endless expanse of stars.

The Grand Elder's heart tightened.

The Divine Son's cultivation had become even more unfathomable!

"Lord Divine Son."

Su Linxian nodded slightly.

"What is it?"

Suppressing his shock, the Grand Elder said solemnly, "Representatives from the Yun Family, an Emperor Clan, have arrived. The clan head asks that you come to the main hall."

Su Linxian raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Yun Family Emperor Clan?"

By now, he had also learned about the state of the myriad worlds across the heavens.

Across the heavens, the ten great Emperor Clans reigned supreme, each ruling over its own star domain, with legacies stretching back more than a million years.

The Yun Family ranked among the upper-middle tier and possessed considerable strength. There seemed to be some history between the two families. He had heard Shenyue Su mention it once, but without going into detail.

"Let's take a look."

Su Linxian led Yu Yao through palace after palace until they reached the council hall at the center of Emperor City.

Before he even stepped through the doors, he heard a clear female voice from inside, calm yet carrying a stubborn resolve.

Inside the hall, Shenyue Su sat in the seat of honor, his delicate brows slightly furrowed and his expression rather unpleasant.

Several elders of the Su Family sat on either side below him, each wearing a subtly different expression. In the center of the hall stood a stunning young woman, clad in robes whiter than snow, her features exquisite and otherworldly, her bearing cold as frost. She stood straight-backed, her chin slightly raised, like a sword freshly drawn from its sheath.

Behind her stood a silent young man, handsome and composed, who remained off to one side without saying a word.

The beautiful woman addressed a young man beside the Third Elder, her voice cool and clear as spring water.

"Shangyu Su, I've come today to fulfill our three-year agreement."

She paused, looking directly at the young man named Shangyu Su.

"Three years ago, you said that if anyone could defeat you within the same realm, you would voluntarily dissolve the marriage agreement between our families."

"Tell me—does that promise still stand?"

Shangyu Su rose from his seat, his expression calm. He was handsome and carried himself with easy composure. Faced with the beautiful woman's aggressive gaze, he merely nodded mildly.

"Of course it does."