Emperor’s Domination

The side-profile portrait lacked details, only possessing a brief outline. Upon careful inspection, it did resemble Li Qiye.

This couldn't be verified because the drawer stopped before adding any description. The person was clearly tempted, hence the initial line, but eventually stopped for some unknown reasons.

Li Qiye smiled after seeing this while the group watched with bated breath.

He then closed the book and returned it to the clan master: "Your ancestor is a good artist. There are many interesting descriptions but I am not your ancient ancestor. My last name isn't Wu."

The clan master was speechless, the same with his clan members. They have been kneeling the entire time to a stranger.

"But our record has your portrait, Ancient Ancestor." Wise Ancestor remained calm and said.

"Well, if we have to be particular, that is indeed me." Li Qiye stared at him and admitted.

"It is you!" Wise Ancestor became excited again.

Li Qiye only smiled in response.

"It is an honor to be in your presence, Ancient Ancestor." Wise Ancestor decisively stepped forward and prostrated.

This confused the group. Li Qiye had already said that he wasn't from their clan. However, Wise Ancestor still wanted to prostrate? That would be rather improper, accepting a stranger as an ancestor.

Nonetheless, the clan master wasn't an idiot. He thought carefully about this and found logic in this move. He also walked forward and prostrated: "It is an honor to be in your presence, Ancient Ancestor."

"Greetings, Ancient Ancestor." The others calmed down and followed along.

Li Qiye waved and said: "Very well, since I do have ties with your ancestors, I will accept your grand gesture today. Rise."

"Thank you, Ancient Ancestor." Wise Ancestor and the others bowed one more time before standing up, still acting respectfully.

"Nothing good can be said about your cultivation. However, your politeness and sincerity show your intelligence." Li Qiye commented.

The group didn't know what to say.

"Call me young noble or young master, I am not that old." He went on.

"Yes, An-, Young Noble." Wise Ancestor responded.

"What is the reason for spending painstaking effort to find an ancient ancestor?" Li Qiye asked.

The clan master and Wise Ancestor exchanged glances. The group did the same.

"We…" The clan master didn't know how to respond.

"There is always a reason behind flattery and undue respect." Li Qiye continued.

The atmosphere became awkward and the clan master felt his face turning red.

Wise Ancestor remained calm and coughed wryly. He bowed his head and said: "Ancient Ancestor, the truth is that we wish to invite you home. We invite you to participate in the Primordial Union."

"Primordial Union?" Li Qiye raised his brows.

"Yes, the union was started by our saber ancestor and the duck egg buyer." Wise Ancestor elaborated.

He paused for a bit before continuing: "Your descendants are incompetent so we need your help, Ancient Ancestor. Participate in the union, enter the dao source, recreate the grand dao, all of this to help our clan once more."

"A bit interesting." Li Qiye said.

The others became anxious.

"An-, Young Noble, please participate." The clan master bowed and said earnestly.

Li Qiye stared at them and answered: "Spending so many days here, wasting so much saliva. It turns out the goal is to wake an ancient ancestor from their slumber, wanting them to toil for you like an ox."

"We do not dare!" The group became frightened and got on their knees again. The clan master said: "This is not our intention, please forgive us, Young Noble."

If this was their actual intention, it would be rather disrespectful.

"Dare? You already did it, wanting to take advantage of having an ancient ancestor. This stems from your own incompetence, needing to rely on them." Li Qiye criticized.

The group had an embarrassed expression, feeling rather ashamed.

"You're right, our clan has fallen so we have no choice but to beseech you, Ancient Ancestor." Wise Ancestor decided to admit instead of deny.

"Digging your ancestor's grave to make your clan a bit richer and bigger. Don't worry, this isn't surprising. You're not the only clan with these thoughts." Li Qiye chuckled.

They heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that Li Qiye had no intention of punishing them.

"Fine, consider this meeting a fortune for your clan." Li Qiye said.

"…" The group didn't quite understand.

"Your clan started with Martial Ancestor." Li Qiye revealed: "Fate dictates my involvement."

This didn't help either. They scratched their head in confusion.

According to their records, their progenitor was Alchemy Saint. The next noteworthy character was Saber Ancestor. They had no records of anyone known as Martial Ancestor.

Of course, this wasn't their fault. Their clan was an ancient entity. Too much time has passed for an accurate tracing.

Li Qiye, on the other hand, knew their origin rather well. They were already a famous lineage before Alchemy Saint.

Martial Ancestor was famous for many eras. Later on, their clan declined and was on the verge of total destruction.

During this dark period, they had a female disciple who would later go on to become Alchemy Saint. She followed an old alchemist and learned his skills. This allowed her to teach alchemy to the rest of the clan.

This was the reason why the first page of their records was the portrait of an old man. He wasn't a member of the clan but was pivotal in their survival.

Their clan actually went from a cultivation clan to an alchemy clan and back to a cultivation clan. The key characters were Martial Ancestor, Alchemy Saint, and Saber Ancestor of the Wu.

For the last character, the legends said that she had obtained an ancient legacy. Another said that she was taught by the duck egg buyer or that she had learned a heavenly dao…

All in all, her divergence from the alchemy path was actually a return to the clan's original way.