Emperor’s Domination

The floating city still had an impressive aura akin to the presence of a fire god. This flame seemed to be dancing around for millions of years now.

The group entered and saw nothing but desolation - not a soul to be found. The wide streets were empty, a state of deterioration.

Some ruins of palaces and pavilions remained inside, made from refined stones or other rare materials such as phoenix-roost timber or divine metals…

From this, one could see that mighty True Gods and emperors once stayed there. That's why these residences still had powerful auras in them, left behind by the old masters.

"These auras are so mighty. The battle back then must have been insane." Holyfrost felt several noticeable auras.

Some were stuck together and still fighting each other - clearly the remnant effects from the battle.

This city would have turned to ashes back then if it wasn't for the immense protection blessing.

The group traveled through numerous streets before stopping at a military drill ground.

"Look, the undeads are there." The bull noticed with its big eyes.

This massive field could accommodate millions of soldiers. People would feel like an ant while standing here.

They would also sense a battle intent as if this used to be the rally spot of a great army. These soldiers would gather here before marching onward. Therefore, their battle spirit and heroism remained.

There was also an army present right now, grouped in an orderly manner. Not a single soldier made a sound, resulting in a suffocating atmosphere.

It consisted of the marching dead soldiers and the troops from the ocean. Then there were black dragons and war riders. These various forces have arrived to answer the summoning drum call.

In the center was a high platform with drums made from dragon tendons. The drum sticks exuded a ferocious aura since they were made from divine bones.

The top lords gathered around the drums at the moment then their various armies.

The deathly silence made it even creepier. One could hear the drop of a needle right now while thinking that this was a ghastly scene.

Li Qiye's group watched from a distance instead of entering.

"What are they here for? Definitely up to no good though." The bull murmured.

"Something is coming out." Li Qiye focused at the center of the platform and noticed a deep, perpendicular cave.

It looked bottomless and resembled the jaw of a devil, seemingly waiting for prey to walk in.

"What's in there? A monster or fiend will come out from there?" The bull asked.

"Who knows? Some attribute any evil event to monsters or fiends but occasionally, they are caused by men." Li Qiye smiled.

"True, a monster in the purest sense might not be as scary." The bull agreed.

Holyfrost has been having an intensifying ominous feeling along the way. She had many guesses rummaging through her mind right now.

"Du Mi Xi Ba Mou Shi…" These living creatures suddenly started chanting in an ancient language. No one had any idea what they were saying.

Moreover, their limbs started twisting as if they were dancing. This was a mysterious and bizarre ceremony.

Holyfrost didn't expect this. A while ago, these creatures looked like puppets - mere moving corpses. This looked to be a higher-level action than before.

"Master, what, what are they doing?" Liu Yanban became afraid and didn't know where to hide.

"An evil communication ceremony." The bull uttered coldly. It quietly listened to the mantra, wanting to get some hints.

"It's an ancient witchcraft ceremony that should be long gone… Why is it here now?" It became startled after listening for a bit.

"Yes, it's an evocation of the soul. We'll see if they're capable of doing it." Li Qiye said.

"Hmm, they better just stay dead because if they don't play nice, I'll let them have a taste of my hoof." The bull sneered.

"Just wait, the fun is just beginning." Li Qiye smiled; his profound eyes moved ever so slightly - still fixated on the deep cave.

The dead creatures were still chanting and twisting their body. Dark energy began to emanate from their body. These dark strands looked like poisonous smoke hovering above the creatures' head. The entire stage was filled with smoke.

"Creak…" A heavy noise came from the cave as if something was slowly sliding upward.

After a long while, an item finally showed itself from the opening.

"A cauldron?" Yanbai became curious.

The cauldron was quite big, enough to boil eighteen pots of soups at the same time. The base was entirely dark red in color.

To be more specific, it used to have a dark yellow tint but after millions of years or the influence of dark power, the yellow has turned into red. It looked quite tough. Even a fool could tell that it was an amazing artifact.

It had an attached carving of a phoenix spreading its wings. The wings served as the two ring fasteners for the cauldron. It seemed that the cauldron flame originated from this phoenix.

Inside were plenty of black objects. Perhaps they were charcoal but no one could really tell.

"This cauldron…" The bull's eyes started glowing.

"You recognize this cauldron, Senior?" Holyfrost didn't know the cauldron.

"If I am not mistaken, its name is Phoenix." The bull had a serious expression.

"Phoenix Cauldron?" She felt that she had heard of this name before but couldn't recall anything specific.

"Little girl, don't worry about this. Knowing more might not necessarily be good for you." The bull interrupted her rumination.