Emperor’s Domination

Even though he wasn't completely sure of Ye Xiaoxiao's bloodline, he could still tell that it was absolutely marvelous.

If it was any other occasion, he would definitely try to guide her. Alas, today wasn't his day because he understood that she had been chosen by someone else. Even if he was stronger, he still wouldn't dare to try and steal her away.

Terminus was an existence untouchable by even Immortal Emperors since he was rooted at the Divine Tree Ridge! However, he was aware that the most terrifying existence in this world wasn't an Immortal Emperor. Their wrath didn't make all others tremble.

He knew a bit about the darkness. This was a horrifying secret only privy to characters of his level. The more one was exposed to this type of secret, the more they understood about the inviolable taboo of this world. Because of this, despite knowing full well of her great bloodline, he still didn't dare to teach her!

Terminus murmured: "I hope Heaven Spirit will be peaceful for a bit longer. A few people better start praying. Sigh, those who are blind might face a genocide!"

In fact, he hoped that a few things would end quickly. Although the Divine Tree Ridge was one of the twelve burial grounds, it wasn't a threat to everyone. A few people would consider these burial grounds to be a treasure trove. For example, the legendary dark hand.

Xiaoxiao was full of curiosity from the novelty of visiting the citadel for the first time. She looked around constantly and found that this city hanging in the sky wasn't much different from the other cities in Heaven Spirit.

Even though the buildings and mansions here weren't exquisite, they were much better than the rough structures back at the villages.

Moreover, the numerous withered here weren't too different from the other races. They lived ordinary lives in this city. However, the withered here were actually very skilled at conducting business. One wouldn't be able to tell that they were a new race at all compared to the other races.

"The withered at the Divine Tree Citadel seem much smarter than the ones back at the villages. They can do anything." Xiaoxiao carefully observed them.

Their speech was also excellent relative to the other races. The duo had been to many villages before, but the withered there simply didn't speak. Even if they could, only simple sentences came out. The ones here spoke in a very pleasant manner without any impediment.

Li Qiye answered: "It's pretty normal. The rebirth and transformation require some time for adaptation, and how long depends on the individual's talents. For example, when we are born, none of us could talk. The next development is a personal one based on the latent potential which could yield different results."

They casually strolled through the many stores at the citadel. The owners were all withered selling all types of goods. The most common commodities were spirit pills and grasses.

Xiaoxiao noticed this and asked: "Why are alchemy ingredients the most popular here? Is it because the Divine Tree Ridge has them in abundance?"

"That's one of the reasons." He smiled: "There is another one, the withered are gifted at finding these materials — quite an extraordinary talent indeed. Moreover, there are also many treecorpses here."

"What do the treecorpses have to do with this?" She was puzzled.

"The treecorpses travel in packs and like to live near alchemy ingredients. Their numbers are often proportionate, so that's why there are corpse nests and lairs around here." He paused a moment before continuing: "Despite the treecorpses being failed creations, the withered are still their parents so they can easily find these treecorpses. From this, it is easy to understand why the withered can also find alchemy ingredients at the ridge better than anyone else."

"So that's the case." It dawned on Xiaoxiao right away after hearing the explanation.

Of course, alchemy ingredients weren't the only items for trade at the citadel. Some withered even sold weapons, but they were in the minority.

"Can the withered cultivate?" This question came up since Xiaoxiao saw some stores specialized in selling merit laws.

"It's hard to say." Li Qiye understood why she thought so: "In fact, each generation, these withered are improving themselves, so the question regarding cultivation is still quite mystifying. They transformed by borrowing someone else's corpse, so the seals and traces of their host are still there. For example, they can remember a few merit laws and techniques."

He continued the explanation as they walked around the different shops: "These merit laws are collected in different manners. Some are from old memories so despite the quantity, most are imperfect and incomplete. They might be useful for the withered, but if cultivators try to train with them, it will inadvertently lead to qi deviation."

Xiaoxiao was slightly dazzled by how big the citadel was. She found it much more interesting than the other places.

In fact, Li Qiye and Xiaoxiao weren't the only two cultivators present in the city, there were other cultivators around. Some came from the Spirit Abyss while others from all other the world. There was no lack of experts.

Outside of coming to satiate their curiosity, they also wanted to buy some alchemy ingredients. As a burial ground, the ridge was full of medicines and grasses. Some even believed that this place had immortal medicines. Without a doubt, the market for alchemy was among the best across all of Heaven Spirit.

Although the withered weren't especially powerful and lacked resources compared to imperial lineages and sea god inheritances, no one dared to cause trouble in the citadel. Everyone obeyed the rules for trading.

After all, Terminus was the divine protector in this place. To cause trouble here was equivalent to courting death. It was such an unwise move that even the Spirit Abyss would behave despite being able to do whatever they wanted in the rest of Godhalt.

Li Qiye purposefully observed the city. Because of this, they didn't only wander around but also looked for a place to stay so that he could peruse the withered.

In fact, across the long years, whenever he came to Heaven Spirit, he would visit the Divine Tree Ridge in order to make a comprehensive record of his analysis. He found them worth researching, unlike the other cultivators.

Originally, creation was a matter left for the high heavens, but due to all sorts of reasons, the Divine Tree Ridge caused a new race to come into being. Even though this race had all kinds of flaws and wasn't protected by the heaven and earth like humans or charming spirits, they continued to live on and have survived for generations.

So far, they still haven't fully developed a third generation withered and couldn't escape the constraints of their bloodline, thus being unable to leave the ridge. However, in each of his records, Li Qiye found immense changes with an inclination towards improvement. With ample time, a third generation would eventually appear!

On that monumental day, an entirely new race would be born. They would no longer be withered but something entirely new that wouldn't be inferior to the other races. It was completely unfathomable that something like this could happen without the involvement of the heavens.

Therefore, these records of the withered would help Li Qiye understand the mysteries of life. Moreover, he knew one more thing. If the third generation could successfully appear, a shift will occur within the ridge that shatters the balance of Heaven Spirit, helping it gain an advantage over the Maelstrom and the Bonesea!

Xiaoxiao noticed that he had been studying in the last few days, so she smiled and asked: "Don't tell me you want to capture a withered for research?"