Emperor’s Domination

Anyone would assume that this piece of jade was a naturally-formed treasure - one of the best materials possible for crafting.

However, Li Qiye nonchalantly revealed that it was only someone's fingernail. This was enough to make anyone gasp in astonishment.

Others would immediately accuse him of lying but his group naturally trusted him. This froze them for a while.

"Whose fingernail is it?" Yang Ling was curious about the owner: "A dao lord?"

Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head: "It's a broken fingernail, the essence and divinity inside are long gone. It's not the same as before or it would be far greater."

He then glanced at her and concluded: "The dao lords can't compare."

"!!!" She took a deep breath again. How could this fingernail be even mightier than its current state?

"What was it like in its original state?" She murmured.

"If undamaged and its essences are still there, it won't just be a defensive jade. It'll absolutely be sharp too." Li Qiye smiled.

Ordinary people could have sharp fingernails, let alone a being of this level. The three started imagining one more.

"There is always a higher peak and a better man." The old man emotionally concluded.

In the past, he used to be prideful and haughty, thinking that he was above all. He thought that he could easily sweep through Eight Desolaces.

Later on, he eventually lost and understood the power of a dao lord or even greater beings. This changed his personality.

Nonetheless, he still reached what was considered the top of the cultivation world. But today, he realized that he was still so far away. His current achievements could only be considered the starting point. He had a long, long way to go before reaching the apex.

"Can it be… an immortal?" Fan Bai brought this up after a while.

A broken and damaged fingernail was already so strong. Its master had to be something greater than regular cultivators.

"Immortals don't exist in this world. This is just something beyond your station right now, that you can't reach yet." Li Qiye shook his head.

"Could you elaborate?" Fan Bai inquired.

"No rush, now is not the time. Knowing more is not necessarily a good thing for you. Once you're strong enough, you'll be able to figure it out yourself." Li Qiye smiled at her.

She nodded without getting the full gist. At the same time, Yang Ling became envious of Fan Bai.

She knew that Li Qiye had a higher expectation for Fan Bai. Fan Bai's achievements would be greater and she would be able to go farther.

However, instead of letting it become jealousy, she felt excited for Fan Bai. There was something pure about this girl that she didn't have.

The old man smiled because he knew of Fan Bai's unlimited potential. Perhaps in his lifetime, he would be able to see her soaring towards the apex that he couldn't reach.

He was aware that in order to go further, talent alone isn't enough. The most decisive factor was the dao heart. Fan Bai had a pure and firm dao heart, something he lacked.

"Let's go take a look, I'm sure it's something good." Li Qiye smiled and said.

"I can't wait to see this treasure, let's hurry." Yang Ling became excited after listening: "Plus, Young Master, that thing is as good as yours already."

Li Qiye chuckled and led the way with the group right behind him.

***

Everyone naturally heard the news about the new earth-shattering treasure's appearance. Numerous came running right away.

"Why is everyone so anxious about this treasure? What is it?" A youth became curious.

"It's Dark Abyss." An expert who was on the move briefly answered before departing.

"Dark Abyss?" The older masters nearby immediately dropped all of their tasks and followed the horde right away.

These big shots have been treasure-hunting the entire time. Black Tides had treasures everywhere and some have truly benefited.

However, the appearance of Dark Abyss was more interesting than anything else.

"So what is this place?" A junior followed his senior while asking.

"I heard that it's the place that made Eight Stallion Dao Lord." The senior answered.

"What? The dao lord came from Black Tides?" His juniors became confused.

"No." The junior patiently responded: "It has to do with the Grand Seer. During his youth, the dao lord came to the seer for guidance. Some believed that the Grand Seer performed a divination ceremony for him and showed him the way. Thus, the youth decided to enter Black Tides."

"I see." The juniors were surprised.

Everyone knew the story of how he came to help Buddha Supreme against the monsters of Black Tides. They didn't know that he had entered this area once during his early days.

He wasn't strong back then and should have died. However, this wasn't how it went down. Because of the Grand Seer's guidance, he managed to find the abyss then returned safely.

"Dark Abyss wasn't a thing back then, people had no idea what it was. The legend started with Eight Stallion Dao Lord." The senior continued: "His cultivation improved as fast as the wind. Some said that he changed completely. That's why people believe that he had found something incredible in Dark Abyss, such as a top grand dao…"

"So that's the story…" The juniors enjoyed the tale.

"Dark Abyss can create a dao lord." This became the next piece of information to spread.

The geniuses wanted nothing more than to be there already. This might be their opportunity to become a dao lord.

"Young Lord Biandu is the one who discovered it, the wild child has entered too." Another news spread.

"Three Slashes is the one who found it first?" Some found this surprising; others didn't.

"No wonder why the Biandu hasn't been doing anything. They kept it a secret." One big shot said.

Someone who saw Three Slashes' group on the first day realized it and told everyone else: "So that was his destination from the start. That's why their clan didn't participate in other events."

"I think they have been desiring it all this time." One ancestor had an insightful take: "Their clan needs a dao lord."