The Nine Saint Virtuous Paragon was not only a forest chicken that successfully cultivated the dao, he was also one of the strongest Virtuous Paragons in his era. At one point, he had gloriously swept through the Nine Worlds; his illustrious and arrogant name spread to the four corners of the world. However, he still lost to Li Qiye in the end and had no choice but to become the fate protector of Immortal Emperor Min Ren.
"Only Demon under the heavens" was the slogan of the Virtuous Paragon while "Mere Chicken above the earth" was Li Qiye's line to tease him.
Many generations of sect masters and geniuses of the Nine Saint Demon Gate tried to complete the second phrase, but they had always failed. No one would have guessed that it was such a silly line.
Li Qiye calling their patriarch an old chicken was very rude. However, if one really thought about it, it was simply the truth.
"Let's see if your ancestor left behind anything good." Li Qiye happily smiled and went into the cave, not caring about the elders.
The elders regained their wits and quickly followed him in.
Only one compartment was within the holy cave. Inside, dazzling lights brilliantly shone from all the treasures. There were life treasures, immortal metals, and heavenly jewels in the central area. To the right were priceless cultivation manuals and ancient scrolls. The whole room, ornamented with powerful treasures, blinded the elders.
Li Qiye's eyes swept across the cave as he murmured: "The old chicken head's treasures are quite plentiful." The Nine Saint Virtuous Paragon's reputation was well deserved; his lifelong treasures were terrifying.
An elder nearby heard him whispering and asked: "What did you say?"
Li Qiye shook his head and replied: "Nothing, I was just talking to myself."
This answer made all the elders suspiciously stare at Li Qiye; even the grand elder thought the little boy was too mysterious.
"Violet Dragon Dual Sword!" An elder looked at the many life treasures floating in the air and couldn't help but exclaim: "Demon Extinguishing Pagoda, Nine Galaxy Spoon, Heavenly Wooden Vessel — these are all treasures that have been recorded in an ancient scroll of the sect." [1]
"This is the Qing Mu Ancient Tablet…" Another elder was looking at the cultivation manuals and found a startling ancient technique.
At this moment, the elders of the Nine Saint Demon Gate were dazzled. It seemed that their patriarch only left half of his treasures with the actual sect when he passed away.
"Immortal… Immortal Emperor Life Treasure!" At this time, the first elder's eyes moved towards a jade table in the middle of the room. There lied an ancient sealed box, but its Immortal Emperor aura was still leaking outside.
Even though it only revealed a strand of its power, it could be compared to the might of the high heavens. This power made them feel as if they were being pressured by all nine skies. The aura of the Heaven's Will could be found all around it. All worldly creatures must bow down to this remnant of an Immortal Emperor's breath.
"Immortal Emperor Life Treasure!" The rest of the elders that finally saw the item were shaken with anticipation. This was an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure left behind by an authentic Immortal Emperor created by Min Ren himself.
As the elders were drowning in their excitement, Li Qiye opened his mouth: "Don't forget, I have the right to pick the first item." These words were like throwing a bucket of cold water over all their heads.
Burning red eyes were staring straight at Li Qiye. If he was to take this treasure, wouldn't their dreams be instantly shattered?
Despite the numerous death stares, Li Qiye remained standing there casually. He wasn't afraid of them changing their minds. Even if all the elders were present, he would still act the same.
In the end, the first elder took a deep breath and stated: "Our Nine Saint Demon Gate will do what we say; if the King has made an agreement with you, we will definitely not eat our words!"
After he was done, his mouth felt bitter with regret. This was an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure, but he couldn't go back on his sect master's decision.
"It seems that you lot are still quite honorable." Li Qiye was as calm as a tranquil well as he slowly spoke: "I actually do appreciate your King, Lun Ri." [2]
These arrogant words made the elders speechless. Their King was a peerless hero. His whole life was filled with numerous achievements not only in the Grand Middle Territory, but the whole Mortal Emperor World.
However, here was a thirteen-year-old boy running his mouth. He even dared to say that he "appreciated" Demon King Lun Ri! If outsiders were to hear this, they would laugh until their teeth fell off. However, this wasn't the first time the elders heard Li Qiye say something outrageous, so what could they do outside of staying silent?
"Clap, clap, clap." Li Qiye clapped his hands three times and a mysterious ancient box from a cabinet immediately flew into his hands. Li Qiye glared at the elders and stored the box in his shirt before saying: "It is only an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure, there's no need to be so alarmed." Finished speaking, he turned around and left.
The elders of the Nine Saint Demon Gate were shocked due to two reasons. The first was because Li Qiye only clapped his hands three times for the ancient box to fly into his hands — this event was very strange. It also happened far too quickly; they couldn't do anything but watch and be curious about what was inside the box. Second, in the mouth of Li Qiye, an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure was something unimportant. This was an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure, everyone knew what this represented, but in the mouth of Li Qiye, this type of treasure was akin to clouds in the sky.
As the elders were still adjusting to the event that just transpired, Li Qiye had already left the cave. The elders quickly counted all the treasures and began preparing them to be stored in the Nine Saint Demon Gate.
It took three days for them to accomplish the task. Yu He, once again, had to carry Li Qiye on his back. However, he was no longer ashamed or angry this time; he knew how important Li Qiye was to the sect.
In the Sky Chamber, all the elders were present. Only Demon King Lun Ri wasn't there in person. When Li Qiye sat in his chair, Lun Ri's voice appeared in the chamber: "I am still in the midst of my isolated meditation. It is truly unfortunate that I cannot meet you."
Although powerful and influential, Demon King Lun Ri was very courteous towards this thirteen-year-old boy.
Li Qiye calmly answered: "We still have a lot of time, there's no need to rush."
Demon King Lun Ri was silent for a moment, then he requested: "Young Master Li, would you be willing to stay at the Nine Saint Demon Gate? Whatever the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect can offer you, we can do the same!"
The elders were not surprised by their King's words. It was as if they had already discussed this situation.
This proposition made Li Qiye contemplate for some time. The Nine Saint Demon Gate definitely had a huge advantage over the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, many times over, even. Any cultivator, especially the younger ones, would pick the Nine Saint Demon Gate without a doubt.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, but I have a fateful connection with the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect. Since I am currently the prime disciple, I will forever be a disciple of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect." Li Qiye had too many emotional attachments to the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, even if he didn't like all the sect masters, especially Min Ren's first disciple. This was why after Immortal Emperor Min Ren passed away, he never returned to the sect.
The key factor for his decision was that he wanted to rebuild the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect. If he didn't choose the Heaven Protector Palace, then it was even more unlikely that he would choose the Nine Saint Demon Gate. [3]
An Elder was unhappy with the response and coldly exclaimed: "Hmmph, it's only the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, how can it compare to out Nine Saint Demon Gate?!"
Many people wanted to join the Nine Saint Demon Gate since it was the most powerful sect in the Old Ox Country. However, Li Qiye had rejected the Demon King's personal invitation — this was not giving them any face.
Li Qiye smirked before responding: "A true peerless master will not care whether a sect is strong or weak. The apex does not care whether one comes from peasantry or royalty!"
This answer made the elder bite his tongue because it was an incredibly natural response, yet it contained confidence and strength.
Everyone stared at this thirteen-year-old boy who just spoke a line that contained the wisdom and willpower required for one to reach the apex.
[1] The vessel here means a boat/ship. It is the same type of treasure as the boat in Spirit Vessel.
[2] The word appreciate here has the connotation of an older/more powerful person praising a junior in Chinese.
[3] Heaven Protector Palace was in chapter 1; it is the sect of the Black Dragon King.