Emperor's Domination

The rest also followed Li Qiye and were much calmer compared to Wu Qi.

First, it was Jin Ge’s army. Now, it was Li Qiye’s group. This emboldened the crowd so many began to enter as well.

The juniors in Li Qiye’s group took a deep breath. The air here gave them a different and unimaginable feeling.

After inhaling, there seemed to be something burning, not in the lung but the soul. Something was cruelly heating their soul, causing a deep-rooted pain to emanate.

All the visitors felt the same way, this ominous pain of the soul.

“What’s going on?” Wu Qi was scared out of his mind: “I feel like someone is ripping out my chest.”

Li Qiye walked on the muddy ground and answered: “It is a wail of lament, cries of anguish bemoaning a fate worse than death from trillions of dead beings, never entering the reincarnation cycle or see the light of day. Even time can’t get rid of them.”

“Wail of lament...” Wu Qi shuddered after hearing this because this was indeed the feeling going on in his mind.

The wildland was both vast and magnificent. However, it was shrouded by dust-storms and fog. The storm wasn’t gray in color but black with a violet shade. Even the mud on the ground carried this peculiar hue, one resembling the color of dried blood.

As one breathed in and sniffed carefully, they would also find a musky sensation with a faint stench.

“There’s a stench of blood.” The princess quickly noticed then took a look at the sky and ground.

“Indeed, a very old one that didn’t go away.” Li Qiye nonchalantly said.

She looked at the general color of this land and had a terrifying thought: “This, this whole plain is stained with blood?”

“Right, blood once stained this entire world.” Li Qiye said while looking at the distance.

“How can that be? This amount of blood would require a massive army attacking the wildland in the past.” Wu Qi blurted out.

“Who says it is the blood of an expedition army?” Li Qiye replied: “It is their own blood, the ones from the epoch.”

“Do elaborate.” Wu Fengying said with surprise.

“It’s very simple, just a harvest.” His eyes became profound: “It was a golden age with prosperity and peace, one worthy of praises. However, at the apex of that epoch, when everyone thought that it was the height of their civilization, in just one night, someone harvested the lives of countless experts, invincible gods, and all beings. A war broke out that ended with the destruction of the golden age and heralded a stone age. Very few lucky survivors remained. We don’t really know what happened but the survivors began to forget about this whole ordeal.” He sighed after telling this story.

“Who was the reaper, and why?” Wu Qi asked.

“Why?” Li Qiye looked at him and explained: “You’re only seeing one era. When you take a look at an epoch as a whole, you will find that this was an ordinary harvest right on schedule.”

Wu Qi didn’t expect this answer.

“Things like this happen again and again during an epoch. An age of prosperity is left with virtually nothing. They struggle to reach prosperity once more but of course, as the saying goes - what goes up must come down. The harvest will return.” Li Qiye smiled and said.

“A type of cycle?” Fengying joined in.

Shi Hunlin understood the mysteries behind the scene: “Just a farm, the golden era and everything else. An era, from weak to strong, it is like you are feeding some cows. When they grow fat and big, it is time to kill.”

“Treating so many being as livestock?!” The juniors were stunned in horror. It was quite terrifying and nauseating to imagine themselves in the same situation.

“A cycle of weak to strong to a harvest, until the end of that era.” Li Qiye commented.

“Who harvested that era? A god or devil?” The princess asked.

“No gods or devils in this world; it is all in the heart. They themselves did it.” Li Qiye said emotionlessly.

“They harvested themselves? Everyone did that? How come no one tried to stop it?” Fengying had to ask.

“There is no savior in this world.” Li Qiye smiled. He had said this phrase too many times so it became second-nature. Nevertheless, this nonchalant statement did carry underlying facts.

Only the princess really took in the phrase because she had heard it multiple times. Fengying had a different reaction. She shuddered and felt her scalp tingling.

“There are no brave warriors? No saviors?” Wu Qi didn’t accept it. After all, he came from an imperial lineage and believed that his ancestral emperors would come to save them in time of trouble.

“Warriors?” Li Qiye was in the mood: “Have you heard the story about a warrior turning into a dragon?”

“What story?” Wu Qi didn’t understand.

“There was an evil dragon, demanding a village to offer it a virgin every year. Brave warriors tried to kill it each year but all have died. In one year, a warrior walked on the path to slay the dragon again. However, a village quietly followed him this time. Inside the nest, the village saw countless treasures and that the warrior had killed the dragon with his sword. He then sat on the dragon’s corpse and stared at all the dazzling treasures. Scales slowly grew on his body, then a tail, and he finally turned into an evil dragon.”

He went on to conclude: “However, I do want to add that the warriors won’t necessarily kill the dragon before becoming one themselves. Just looking at the treasures alone could turn them.” Li Qiye gently sighed at this point.

Shi Hunlin wistfully murmured: “Many cycles causing blood and anguish to blot out the sky. No wonder why this stinging pain exists in the wildland. The hatred and wails won’t go away.”

The juniors wondered how long this harvest cycle had lasted and how much blood was required to stain this entire world. They naturally became creeped out and thought that this was even more terrorizing than hell.

Wu Qi shuddered and asked: “What were they harvesting? Just riches and treasures?”

“When you’re standing at the apex, you think you will care for any treasure? It is all for survival.” Li Qiye revealed.

“Survival?” Wu Qi couldn’t connect the dots.

“No point in thinking about it now. When you reach that level, you will understand. Being aware of it will only stress you out. Just work hard and when that day comes, everything will be clear.” Li Qiye looked at Wu Qi who was lost in thoughts and leisurely said.