Emperor’s Domination

Her soul fluttered as Li Qiye entered her mind, but she had an indiscernible yet wonderful feeling. She felt naked as Li Qiye opened her seal; it felt as if he could see through her completely.

Not to mention an assassin, even an ordinary cultivator knew just how taboo it was to let someone else read your memories. She wanted to resist, but Li Qiye's charisma possessed her like a moth running to a flame. This sense of willingness couldn't be described with words.

She did feel slightly embarrassed due to this intrusion because everything about her was lying bare before him.

Finally, he let go of her. Her wits returned as well as an incredible sense of astonishment. She took several steps back in fear and stared at him as if he was a ghost.

"You, you know some demonic arts!" In her mind, this was simply inconceivable. Because of her steady mind and dao heart along with her powerful cultivation, she wouldn't be awed so easily. However, she was captivated by his charisma and was seemingly possessed to the point where she was unable to resist him. He was actually able to open her sealed domain! This was simply impossible, her sea of memories should have exploded into nothingness!

Alas, he opened it so easily that it made it seem as if her domain didn't resist him. What made her feel even more scared was that deep inside, she might be enjoying this feeling. Him opening the sealed domain was the same to opening her Godslaying Dao's palace entrance. It was as if he could go there and hand her the keys to its secrets.

In this instant, she felt as if she was willingly letting go of all resistance towards him so that he could grant her everything. He was the light on her path towards the grand dao, illuminating her life. While basking in this warm and splendid radiance, she could see her future.

Li Qiye plainly said: "Welcome back. This is the real Godslaying Dao. Your previous perception of assassins was misguided. They are not just killing machines without emotions or feelings. It looks like the person who taught you the dao had a slanted understanding of it. Your comprehension of this dao was stopped at a relatively shallow level."

She looked at him in fear. After hearing his statement, she suddenly realized something. A light flashed in her eyes and gave her a warm feeling. Countless feelings raged in her heart as if she had returned to the past. Her sealed heart had it layers unwrapped one by one.

Sima Yujian and Bai Jianzhen were different. Jianzhen started on the ultimate heartless sword dao at a young age. Because of this, her coldness was a murderous sword dao formed in a natural manner.

As for Sima Yujian, she didn't use to be so emotionless back then. Arrogance and pride were present, but she wasn't this cold and heartless.

However, after losing to the Swiftdao God in the competition for the sect master's position, her fate changed as she embarked on the path of the Godslaying Dao. This changed her from a pampered daughter to an assassin. During her training, she was as cold as ice like the sword in her hand. She became a weapon destined to kill!

However, she felt a return to the olden days. Her heart was jumping as if she was no longer an assassin!

Li Qiye noticed her expression. He was too familiar with this process and gently shook his head: "This is something everyone needs to experience. In the beginning, many will think that the Godslaying Dao is an art of subterfuge, a ruthless weapon for killing. However, even a tool for killing doesn't need to be cold and emotionless. An assassin is primarily himself and then a weapon. If you aren't even a person, how can you achieve a grand dao?"

She wanted to speak, but silence was the better answer.

"I know what you want to say." He read her like an open book: "That's right, an assassin has no need for a wavering heart, especially during the hunt; they need to be emotionless! However, this created some erroneous interpretations for many people."

"Do you know where the problem lies?" He continued in a serious tone: "It is not about removing emotional fluctuations completely. Think of it as cultivation. Is your dao heart so easily shaken? With a strong dao heart, your will will be as firm as a rock. However, this doesn't mean that you are an emotionless weapon."

She listened attentively to his preaching.

Li Qiye noticed this and slowly continued: "The Godslaying Dao and the night corps. As an assassin, you can consider yourself a monarch drifting through the night. However, just because you lurk in the shadows doesn't mean you are darkness. You are searching for your own light in the darkness, or perhaps even the light of this world."

After a while, she asked: "What is light?"

"We won't talk about anything grand such as defending the nine worlds or saving everyone — this type of moralistic beliefs and righteousness." He smiled and replied: We'll focus on ourselves, or you in particular. As the successor of the Godslaying Dao, what is your light? Is it only to kill?"

Yujian couldn't formulate an answer.

Li Qiye continued: "Or perhaps is your light being able to surpass your junior brother, the Swiftdao God?"

This question from him spoke directly to her heart. In the beginning, she chose this path in order to reach the apex and overtake her brother. She wanted to prove that she could be stronger than him.

However, the further she went, the more confused she became because the Godslaying Dao seemed to be different from her pursuit. They were two completely different paths!

"I can only say that the whole thing is absurd!" Li Qiye shook his head: "If it is only to kill or to surpass your brother, picking the Godslaying Dao is a complete mistake. If you don't think this through, you will never be able to surpass this inner demon and will never be able to control the Coiling Dragon Sword."

"I…" Countless words ran through her mind, yet she didn't know where to start and became even less articulate.

"It looks like your master has tried his best in teaching you cultivation but failed to enlighten your perspective in life." He shook his head once more: "He only taught you merit laws and techniques but didn't help you comprehend the dao. I can only say that he is a responsible master, not a good one."

Yujian immediately retorted with a cold tone: "I won't let you say so!" She had the utmost respect for her master because when her life hit rock bottom, he was the one who pulled her back up.

"I am simply telling you the truth." Li Qiye flatly said: "The Godslaying Dao is not a merit law or an assassination art. It is a grand dao at heart, and a supreme one at that. Otherwise, why would dao be part of its name? Might as well name it 3,860 killing techniques then."

This was something he rarely did — carefully imparting his knowledge to her.

Li Qiye explained: "The most important thing to start the path towards a grand dao is to have a dao heart, and an inquisitive one at that. A dao heart is essential before obtaining a grand dao. If you consider yourself a weapon of murder, an emotionless sword, then you won't even have a heart, let alone being able to seek the dao.

"When people say that the grand dao is heartless, it doesn't mean that the seekers should be heartless as well, that's just the nature of the grand dao itself. On the godslaying path, both murdering people and hunting beasts, traps and skills, all of this for the Godslaying Dao is only a means towards sharpening oneself so that the user can go further and further before reaching the apex.

"In fact, becoming an assassin is no different from cultivation. As you grow stronger, you can kill those even stronger than you, or you can use your assassination arts to achieve your objectives. This is simply a process for you to become a supreme expert and not something as superficial as a weapon.

"It's like practicing an ice technique. Once successful, you can freeze the eight directions and imprison myriad realms. Then does that mean the goal of this particular path is to become an ice woman? No, that's not the case. It is so that the user can become an Immortal Emperor or another expert standing at the pinnacle. This is a true grand dao. If this isn't your aspiration in your training, then it would just be learning techniques and tricks, and those alone will never allow you to reach the peak!" He wholeheartedly preached about the grand dao.

He had no thoughts about taking in a disciple. However, Yujian was indeed gifted in this particular aspect while he had always worried about the Godslaying Night Corps. Thus, his patience today was to repay the night corps and to fulfill one of his own wishes.

Li Qiye finished with a serious expression: "Thus, if you want to surpass yourself and reach the peak of the Godslaying Dao, you first need to stop being an emotionless weapon. Second, you're not on this path only to surpass your junior brother. You need to treat it as a supreme grand dao, something worth pondering. This is how you will cultivate yourself to the apex!"