Chapter 378 - 376: Past Grudges and Favors

Before his departure for the Ghost Sacred Realm, Li Qiye returned the Immortal Blood Spear to Zi Cui Ning. After taking it back, she said, "I’m returning to Heavenly Sea City as well. Do you have any instructions for me?"

Li Qiye glanced at her and said with a smile, "Even if I did have instructions for you, you probably wouldn’t believe me. So, let’s just forget it. I’ll pay your Heavenly Sea City a visit myself in the future."

In truth, a trip to Heavenly Sea City was inevitable for him; it was only a matter of when. However, he wasn’t in a rush to go just yet. While he wouldn’t mind carrying out a massacre there, he hoped things wouldn’t escalate to that point, out of respect for the Black Dragon King.

"Tell me anyway," Zi Cui Ning said after a long silence. "If it’s within my power, I’ll certainly do everything I can to help."

Li Qiye said with a wide smile, "If you really want a word or two of advice, then here’s a warning: watch your back, and be wary of Gu Venerable."

Li Qiye’s words made Zi Cui Ning’s expression tighten. Gu Venerable, after all, was an Elder Ancestor of Heavenly Sea City. He was the one who truly held power in the sect—one could even call him their Grand Ancestor.

For an outsider to tell her, the successor of Heavenly Sea City, to be wary of their Grand Ancestor... anyone else would have thought Li Qiye was insane.

"See? I can tell you don’t believe me," Li Qiye said with a smile, spreading his hands. "Let’s leave it to fate. Just watch your own back. As for the rest, it doesn’t matter."

After a long silence, Zi Cui Ning couldn’t help but ask, "Do you have a grudge against our Ancestor Gu?"

"A grudge?" Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed as he began to laugh. He shook his head gently. "Frankly, if I truly wanted to make an enemy of him, your Gu Venerable isn’t even worthy!" He kept his next thought to himself: ’If not for the Black Dragon King, I would have killed Gu Venerable back in the last era, let alone allowed him to remain in Heavenly Sea City.’

However, Li Qiye did not say this last part aloud.

Zi Cui Ning’s gaze sharpened. Anyone would think Li Qiye was being far too arrogant. After all, their Heavenly Sea City’s Gu Venerable was one of the most powerful experts in the contemporary world, likely not much weaker than a Domain God!

’This is very strange,’ Zi Cui Ning thought. ’Our Ancestor Gu hasn’t appeared in public for a very long time. Logically, he’s never met Li Qiye, much less made an enemy of him. And yet, Li Qiye is clearly targeting him.’

"Alright, girl. I know you have many questions, but there’s a lot I can’t tell you right now. In short, you’re from Xiaohai Village, so you can’t be in the same camp as that old thing, Gu Venerable. You can go back and ask the old men of Xiaohai Village to mull it over."

"As for Gu Venerable... if you really want to know, I can tell you something." Li Qiye clearly held Zi Cui Ning in high regard. "Your Heavenly Sea City has a Treasure Vault—a *true* Treasure Vault! Compared to your sect’s current stores, it has even more, not less!"

"A Treasure Vault!" Zi Cui Ning was stunned for a moment, and after a short while, her expression changed. Now that Li Qiye had brought it up, she recalled something. This matter was never spoken of in Heavenly Sea City; the sect’s disciples were completely unaware of it. She had only chanced to overhear a few Elder Ancestors discussing it in private once. As for the vault’s specific details, those were impossible to learn.

The fact that Li Qiye was bringing it up now left her deeply shaken. Even she, the successor of Heavenly Sea City, knew very little about it, yet Li Qiye seemed to know everything.

"See? It seems you didn’t know either," Li Qiye said with a smile. "That vault doesn’t belong to your Heavenly Sea City. Gu Venerable has been coveting it for a very long time." That was Li Qiye’s Treasure Vault! Of course, he didn’t say this part aloud.

Zi Cui Ning took a deep breath and couldn’t stop herself from asking, "What kind of Treasure Vault is it?"

"Well, how should I put this..." Li Qiye laughed and said leisurely, "If an Immortal Emperor knew of this Treasure Vault, even they would covet it immensely. It contains things that not even Immortal Emperors possess!"

Zi Cui Ning was deeply shaken. A Treasure Vault that even an Immortal Emperor would covet, containing things that not even an Immortal Emperor possessed... Just what kind of Treasure Vault was this!

"Gu Venerable has coveted this Treasure Vault for a long time. A pity that even with ten lifetimes, he would never be able to open it." Li Qiye smiled and shook his head. "Your so-called Elder Ancestor is nothing more than an ungrateful wolf. Too much time has passed; most of your Heavenly Sea City’s Elder Ancestors are dead now. Back then, if your founder, the Black Dragon King, hadn’t pleaded for him... heh, an ungrateful wolf like Gu Venerable would have been captured and used to plug the Sea Eye long ago!"

"You are slandering an Elder Ancestor of our Heavenly Sea City," Zi Cui Ning couldn’t help but protest. She was, after all, the successor of Heavenly Sea City.

Li Qiye laughed and gently shook his head. "There’s nothing I can do if you don’t believe me. If any old-timers from your Xiaohai Village are still alive from Gu Venerable’s era, you can go back and ask them. Ask them if Gu Venerable wasn’t nearly captured and used to plug the Sea Eye back then. If your founder, the Black Dragon King, hadn’t pleaded on his behalf, heh, even ten lives wouldn’t have been enough for Gu Venerable to lose!"

Zi Cui Ning was stunned. When their founder, the Black Dragon King, was still alive, Heavenly Sea City held sway over the Nine Realms. Who would have dared to provoke them, let alone capture their Ancestor Gu and use him to plug the Sea Eye, forcing their founder to personally plead for his life?

A long time ago, Li Qiye had already wanted to kill Gu Venerable. However, the Black Dragon King had once promised someone that he would look after her descendants. In that era, Li Qiye had dispatched men to capture Gu Venerable and use him to plug the Sea Eye. The Black Dragon King ultimately pleaded for him, sparing Gu Venerable’s life. Otherwise, even ten lives wouldn’t have been enough for him to lose!

Zi Cui Ning stood there in a daze for a long time. She had never heard such a secret; she couldn’t even imagine it. ’When our founder, the Black Dragon King, was still alive, what kind of person would have dared to capture our Ancestor Gu to plug the Sea Eye?’

An event like that would have been absolutely earth-shattering, yet there wasn’t a single rumor about it in Heavenly Sea City. This made Zi Cui Ning even more curious. ’Just what kind of person could have forced our founder, the Black Dragon King, to personally plead for mercy?’

"Don’t overthink it. Focus on your cultivation," Li Qiye said, smiling and shaking his head. "With your current Dao Practice, you’re in no position to meddle in Old Man Gu’s affairs. When you’re stronger, on the day you can truly take charge of Heavenly Sea City, I’ll tell you a few things. For now, all you need to do is cultivate diligently. Don’t disappoint me."

Zi Cui Ning was stunned when she heard this, especially his last sentence. It sounded like it carried a hidden meaning.

Zi Cui Ning couldn’t understand why Li Qiye knew so much about Heavenly Sea City. She felt he must have some intricate connection to her sect, but she couldn’t begin to make sense of what that connection might be.

Ever since meeting Li Qiye, she had the feeling that there were many secrets and stories hidden behind Heavenly Sea City that she knew nothing about.

She even began to suspect that her becoming the successor of Heavenly Sea City wasn’t so simple. A long time ago, an Elder Ancestor had told her that her talent was peerless and that she had been selected as successor by the council of Elders. Later, other rumors claimed she had been designated as a successor generations in advance by their founder himself.

Now, she was starting to doubt it herself. Had she, a girl from Xiaohai Village, become the successor of Heavenly Sea City because of her peerless talent, or was it because she was the one designated by their founder, the Black Dragon King?

Zi Cui Ning had absolute confidence in her own talent. But after experiencing certain things, she felt that the matter of her succession had become far more intricate and complex than it appeared on the surface.

Especially after meeting Li Qiye, she began to doubt both possibilities. Perhaps she hadn’t become the successor because of her peerless talent, nor because she was the one designated by the Black Dragon King. Perhaps there was another, unknown reason behind it all.

"Alright, girl, don’t think so much," Li Qiye said, smiling and shaking his head as he saw her lost in a daze. "It’s better for you not to know certain things right now. It’s for your own good. All you need to do is focus on your cultivation."

Zi Cui Ning took a final deep breath and said, "Very well. I will be waiting for your visit to Heavenly Sea City."

Li Qiye said with a wide smile, "Oh, I’m definitely going to Heavenly Sea City. But don’t get your hopes up about my visit. It won’t necessarily be a good thing. It might even cause rivers of blood to flow!"

Zi Cui Ning’s heart trembled. In the end, she departed in silence. That very same day, she left the Celestial Dao Academy and hurried back to Heavenly Sea City.

After she was gone, Li Qiye couldn’t help but let out a soft, inward sigh.

However, before Li Qiye could set off for the Ghost Sacred Realm, Elder Daoist Peng made a special trip to see him. Of course, the old Daoist wasn’t there to wish him a safe journey.

"Hee hee, the Domain God tells me Young Master Li is headed to the Ghost Sacred Realm," Elder Daoist Peng said with a grin.

Li Qiye shot him a sidelong glance. "If you have something to say, say it. If you need to fart, let it rip. Stop beating around the bush with me."

Elder Daoist Peng gave a dry laugh. "Heh heh, I hear the Jiangzhu Ghost Eye from the Ghost Sacred Realm is a famous delicacy throughout the Nine Realms. This old Daoist would love to go have a taste. Heh, since Young Master Li is going to the Ghost Sacred Realm, could you perhaps take me along?"

Li Qiye looked him over. "That’s something you should be asking the Domain God. What, did he turn you down?"

Elder Daoist Peng let out a very awkward, dry laugh. Li Qiye shook his head. "Forget it. It’s impossible. My destination is tricky; not even the Domain God can guarantee an accurate arrival there. Besides, if I’m going to take someone to the Ghost Sacred Realm, I’d rather bring a beautiful woman than a doddering old man like you. At least she’d be easier on the eyes."

Come on, let’s go wild today! Everyone, let Xiao Sheng drown in an ocean of monthly passes! ^_^