Chapter 521 - 519: The Proudest Stone Acknowledges Its Master

"Don’t let him succeed. Don’t let him succeed. He absolutely cannot succeed. He absolutely cannot succeed." At this moment, a Ghost Race cultivator was silently cursing Li Qiye. It was now everyone else’s turn to pray for a miracle.

Before, if this stone were to acknowledge a master, everyone would have considered it a miracle. But things were different now. Now, the true miracle would be if the stone *didn’t* acknowledge Li Qiye as its master.

This was a stone that had rejected even Immortal Emperors. Countless people had tried in the generations since. To them, gaining this stone’s acknowledgment would be the miracle of the age.

However, today was different. If the stone acknowledged Li Qiye as its master, it wouldn’t be a miracle; it would be a matter of course. The true miracle today would be if the stone *refused* to acknowledge him.

Li Qiye stood beside the stone before slowly sitting down. Everyone held their breath, their hearts hanging on his every move.

Li Qiye sat down. No Blood Qi flowed from him, nor did he make any grand gestures. He simply reached out, gently caressed the stone, and smiled. "Old friend," he said slowly, "it’s been a while."

At Li Qiye’s touch, the stone actually trembled. In an instant, everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats.

"’Please don’t choose him as your master,’ someone murmured. No one knew who had spoken, but the words echoed the innermost thoughts of everyone present."

Fortunately, after that single tremor, the stone fell still. Seeing it remain motionless, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Even as they exhaled in relief, no one dared to make a sound. They remained fixated on the scene, knowing this was far from over.

Seeing the stone remain still, Li Qiye chuckled. "A proud stone indeed. I just wonder how much longer you plan on staying here."

However, the stone remained motionless and silent. This brought a flicker of joy to the hearts of many present. One cultivator even exclaimed in excitement, "It’s a miracle! The heavens have eyes!"

His words resonated with the crowd, and many nodded in agreement. The stone’s refusal to acknowledge Li Qiye allowed everyone to breathe easier, and they couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.

But Li Qiye, sitting beside the stone, remained perfectly composed. He smiled, propping himself up with his hands on the ground and tilting his head to the sky. He looked completely at ease, as if chatting with an old friend. "You remember when Qianli Immortal Emperor came, don’t you?" he said with a smile. "You didn’t accept him. I’m thinking perhaps the time wasn’t right then, to say nothing of Mingdu Immortal Emperor before him. However, I am here in person today. The past is no longer important. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Yet, the stone remained perfectly still. Everyone on the Divine Dragon Mountain held their breath. They had no idea what Li Qiye was saying to the stone, but they all desperately hoped for a miracle—that it would not choose him as its master.

"’I know you’re proud,’ Li Qiye said with a smile. ’In fact, I’ve seen far prouder. Don’t you agree? But that doesn’t matter to me. As long as I truly set my mind to something, there’s nothing I can’t achieve. What do you think?’"

The stone remained unresponsive, but Li Qiye was in no hurry. He smiled leisurely. ’This world is full of incredible things. Slaying gods and butchering immortals... what do you think of that? Or perhaps you feel that slaughtering gods is no great feat. In that case, what about killing an Immortal Emperor? How does that sound?’

Even Lan Yunzhu, standing quietly by his side, couldn’t understand why Li Qiye was saying such things to a mere stone.

Lan Yunzhu found his words utterly bizarre. ’Slaughtering gods? What a terrifying notion! And slaying an Immortal Emperor? That’s simply impossible!’

"’Perhaps you think slaying gods and immortals is nothing special,’ Li Qiye chuckled. ’But if I truly wanted to shatter a stone—any stone—I believe I have a few little tricks up my sleeve, so long as I set my mind to it. Just as you might consider slaying gods and immortals to be old news, for me... hmm... if I really make up my mind to shatter a stone, it’s also no big deal. After all, if I can’t have something, no matter how precious or priceless it is, it becomes worthless in my eyes! If I can’t have it, what’s the harm in destroying it? Don’t you agree?’"

This time, the stone finally trembled. It had reacted.

"’Don’t let it choose him!’ Seeing the stone tremble from a distance, the cultivators on Divine Dragon Mountain jumped in fright. Many of them began praying silently, hoping for a miracle."

"’However,’ Li Qiye said with a leisurely, unhurried smile, ’while I can be fierce, I’m not cruel. I have an appreciation for rare treasures. I don’t plan on shattering you today. After all, it took heaven and earth countless eons to produce a stone like you. It truly wasn’t easy. Smashing you would be a reckless waste of a divine gift.’"

"’However, if you choose to remain in this godforsaken place for this lifetime, I believe you will miss out on the most brilliant and dazzling era since the dawn of time. I fear an era like this may not come again even in a million years. You will also miss out on the most supreme, unparalleled master in all of history.’ With a smile, Li Qiye clapped his hands together and stood up."

"’If you’re content to stay, it’s no matter to me,’ Li Qiye laughed, turning to leave. ’Of the myriad treasures in this world, any weapon I desire will eventually become mine. I’m not short one more like you.’"

For some reason, seeing this, every cultivator on Divine Dragon Mountain heaved a sigh of relief. A sense of joy blossomed in their hearts, even among the cultivators of the Human Race.

In that moment, all the cultivators felt there was nothing more satisfying in the world.

"’Heh, so Li Qiye is just all talk after all...’ a Ghost Race cultivator sneered, relishing the moment. But his words caught in his throat, and his mouth fell open wide enough to fit a goose egg."

CLACK— Just as Li Qiye turned to leave, the stone suddenly leaped into the air and landed squarely in his hand.

"NO—!" Seeing this, someone let out a bloodcurdling scream, a cry more painful than being struck by a blade.

"’Is there any justice in this world?!’ one of the geniuses, utterly provoked, pointed at the sky and roared. ’Thief Old Heaven, are you blind?! Are you just picking on us weaklings? It was bad enough that you gave him all the Heavenly Destiny True Stones, but now you’ve given him the proudest one in the entire world? How are we Junior Cultivators supposed to survive?!’"

"’So much for a miracle,’ a Ghost Race cultivator couldn’t help but curse. ’Dammit, there’s no justice in this world!’"

Needless to say, the Ghost Race cultivators were dealt a massive blow. In one fell swoop, Li Qiye’s fame had completely overshadowed their race’s proudest geniuses, Emperor’s Throne and Tian Lunhui. In an instant, Li Qiye’s prestige soared, fanning the flames of the Human Race’s arrogance!

As for the humans, their feelings were incredibly complex—they didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. Their emotions were in a turmoil. The Sect Leader of a great human sect remarked with a wry smile, "The appearance of such a chosen one should be a source of pride for the Human Race. However, with a monster like him in our generation, the path for all other geniuses is severed. From now on, anyone who wishes to reach the summit must first find a way to surpass him."

For a time, countless people were overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Even his fellow Human Race cultivators couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy toward Li Qiye. He was simply the heavens’ favorite, and it was utterly unfair.

"’This was the correct choice,’ Li Qiye said with a smile, gently caressing the stone in his hand before putting it away. In that instant, countless eyes were fixed on him, some so red with envy they looked ready to go mad."

But their jealousy was useless. A Heavenly Destiny True Stone like this couldn’t be stolen. Even if someone managed to snatch it, it would never acknowledge them as its master and would simply escape into the ether.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP... All the Heavenly Destiny True Stones lying around the mountaintop suddenly began to jump, appearing incredibly joyful, as if they had just witnessed the happiest event in the world.

"’What’s happening?’ Seeing all the Heavenly Destiny True Stones on the mountaintop hopping about, the cultivators on Divine Dragon Mountain could only look at each other in bewilderment."

"’One at a time, no need to rush,’ Li Qiye said with a wide smile, looking at all the jumping Heavenly Destiny True Stones. Then, with a sweep of his hand, he collected most of the Nine Dao and Eight Dao Celestial Essence Heavenly Destiny True Stones. He also took a good portion of the Seven, Six, and Five Dao ones."

"’If you continue to develop, you’ll all have a chance to advance further,’ Li Qiye said as he tossed back a few of the Nine and Eight Dao Celestial Essence Heavenly Destiny True Stones he had picked out. The remaining Five, Six, and Seven Dao Heavenly Destiny True Stones were unwilling to be left behind, and they stared eagerly at Li Qiye."

"’Go on, back you go. Time and nourishment will give you another chance. Your future doesn’t end here.’ Li Qiye waved his hand gently. In the end, the reluctant Five, Six, and Seven Dao Celestial Essence Heavenly Destiny True Stones had no choice but to hop back to their original places."

In an instant, a large empty patch appeared on Divine Dragon Mountain. The Eight and Nine Dao Heavenly Destiny True Stones had been almost completely swept away, with very few remaining.

This scene once again shattered everyone’s understanding of the world. All eyes went wide, nearly popping out of their sockets.

Even Lan Yunzhu’s eyes were wide with shock. Li Qiye making all the Heavenly Destiny True Stones compete for his acknowledgment had already left her dumbfounded. After he obtained that one unique stone, she had been at a loss for words. ’He’s not just a monster, he’s a monster beyond all comprehension. This is beyond imagination.’

And now, he had taken most of the Eight and Nine Dao Heavenly Destiny True Stones from Divine Dragon Mountain, and even cherry-picked a good portion of the Five, Six, and Seven Dao ones. It completely shattered her perception of reality.

After all, everyone knew that a cultivator could only choose a single Heavenly Destiny True Stone. Even if multiple stones acknowledged you, once you picked one, the others would not follow.