<b>Chapter 1100: Di Wei</b>
In the end, the negotiation was a success. The three great kings left the City of Emperors and brought their troops back to their kingdoms. They also had to prepare for the expedition.
Li Qiye took the four imperial swords outside and told the girls: “Let's go.”
Many people were staring at him from the outskirts of the city. They saw the three emperors arriving, so they could guess that the emperors were here to see Li Qiye.
At this time, they watched from the distance with many speculations about what Li Qiye obtained from the city running through their minds.
“Just what kind of treasure did he get in there?” Someone quietly wondered.
A big shot from the previous generation shook his head: “For Li Qiye, treasures are only supporting items, they might not be important to him at all. I think this summoning might be to discuss something important.”
“This Li Qiye is too much. He actually became an Imperial King and managed to summon the other three Imperial Kings from the border — completely inconceivable. I've never heard of an outsider able to become an imperial soldier, let alone a king.” Regardless of how knowledgeable someone was, they would still find this unbelievable.
“There is a rumor that once an Imperial King is powerful enough, they can summon the other kings. No one knows whether this is true or not, though.” A paragon from the previous generation commented.
Li Qiye and the girls left the City of Emperors and went southward across the border. Eventually, they came to the southernmost tip of the region and met a beautiful scene.
They arrived at a valley with scintillating imperial lights. Each of these rays resembled a divine sword. No one could enter this valley. It was said that some experts had tried to force an entry, but they were all turned into bloody mists by this terrifying imperial light. A God-Monarch had tried to do so as well, but he didn't make it far into the entrance before losing an arm. He was scared out of his mind and instantly fled, not daring to come close again.
“You guys wait out here.” Li Qiye commanded while standing at the entrance.
He looked at the valley for a bit before entering by himself. The moment he set his foot inside, one could hear a clunk. Countless lights instantly fused into a sea of swords, wishing to chop him into a bloody rain.
“Zhang—” Amidst the action, the four imperial swords left their scabbards and hovered behind his back. They created a huge barrier to block the approaching sword sea.
However, after this barrier was formed, it seemed like the sea of swords purposely granted him entry. It slowly disappeared and let him pass.
After seeing this scene, the girls became quite curious, wanting to know what was inside the valley.
After stepping into the valley, Li Qiye found gurgling streams flowing everywhere. There was lush vegetation here along with a refreshing atmosphere.
The depths of the valley was where all the imperial lights came from. There was a big tree here, seemingly carved from a piece of divine jade. However, the incredibly terrifying imperial might emanating from it made it look more like an invincible king standing there than a tree.
Others did not even know its name — Sovereign Tree. It was a regal tree with an extremely powerful imperial momentum!
Under the tree was an old man silently meditating. He wore an embroidered robe with an indifferent expression. There was a gigantic sword in front of his knees.
He also emitted a horrifying imperial momentum. Without a doubt, he was an extremely strong imperial soldier, much stronger than Evil-eyed's group.
The moment Li Qiye approached, the old man suddenly opened his eyes with a glare capable of penetrating everything. This terrifying glare fell upon Li Qiye.
“War Emperor, long time no see.” The old man slowly spoke after seeing Li Qiye adorned in the imperial armor. His voice was full of a wondrous rhythm like jade and gold.
Li Qiye met his gaze and said: “Grandpa Wei, long time no see. Millions of years passed in a flash, your venerable self is even greater than before.”
This old man ahead was called Di Wei. He was a personal guard of the Imperial Lord, but after the lord embarked on the expedition, he was the only one who stayed behind. [1. Di Wei means imperial guard.]
There were essentially no solitary soldiers at the border, but Di Wei was an exception. He had always been alone, guarding this place.
Di Wei looked at Li Qiye and spoke: “You are in an even better state with your own flesh and blood. It means that you will take over this generation.”
“Thank you, thank you. It is all thanks to Grandpa Wei's blessing. This generation will definitely be mine.” Li Qiye chuckled.
In an ancient era, Li Qiye had stayed at the border for a long time. He schemed in this world and eventually became a king. Di Wei gave advice to him several times and told him secrets that the other Imperial Kings weren't privy to.
“This generation, eh.” Di Wei sat there and gently sighed with an indescribable sadness as well as a sense of relief.
Li Qiye sat down and told him: “It seems like Grandpa Wei has also sensed the changes at the plateau. I don't need to say anything, I'm sure you already know what will happen in the future.”
Di Wei gazed into the horizon and eventually commented: “A different path. Perhaps this was a chosen ending.”
“Who knows what will happen?” Li Qiye gently shook his head: “Both Di Shi and the Buddhist Lord have their own path.”
“You also have one as well.” Di Wei smiled at Li Qiye with an air of sadness.
Li Qiye smiled back: “Yes, I have my own path. Or should I say, my pursuit is the same as Di Shi's. The only difference is the path we chose.”
“Why didn't the Imperial Lord choose a different path?” Di Wei gently sighed: “But then again, who knows what will happen. Maybe all paths lead to a dead end…”
“Grandpa Wei, you are being too pessimistic.” Li Qiye gently shook his head: “There will be an ending no matter what, the only difference is whether it is a good or bad end.”
“Finding out now isn't necessarily a good thing.” Di Wei smiled wryly: “Eternal life or the final world, there will be no good that comes of this.”
Li Qiye then wondered: “Then what about the Imperial Lord?”
Di Wei pondered for a bit before answering quietly: “I don't know. After he left for the Expedition Path, there hasn't been any news. I don't think he himself knows what awaits us.”
Li Qiye plainly stated: “If he has chosen this path, I'm sure he is confident.”
Di Wei eventually movingly exclaimed: “Eternal life. There really are some things that cause too much trouble. For many people, eternal life is full of temptation, a lifelong pursuit. But ultimately, they only become abominations that are neither humans nor ghosts!”
“If I could choose once more in my next life, maybe I would like to be an ordinary mortal.” The vicissitudes of life were embodied by the helplessness in his voice: “Even though life is short, there will be happiness and sadness through the struggles and blessings.”
“There is no medicine for regret for mortals and cultivators.” Li Qiye had to smile: “A mortal might have a house full of children that randomly die in the wild. I have no regrets. Since I have chosen this path, I will walk straight to the very end.”
“Nevertheless, I am different from you. You didn't have any other choice, but I did. You were forced to become the Dark Crow while I was born into a wealthy family, never having to worry about food or clothing.”
“Maybe so.” Li Qiye gently nodded. It wasn't his own choice to take this path.
“It is all in the past, let us not talk about it.” Di Wei softly sighed and shook his head as if he wanted to put all the troubles behind him.
Li Qiye asked: “Grandpa Wei, what is your plan?”
Di Wei pondered for a moment before answering: “The truth is that I don't really know. Maybe I should go to the Expedition Path or just be cannon fodder and test my luck. If the plateau wins, I can still survive and kill my way out!”
Li Qiye nodded and revealed: “Yes, that is also an opportunity. However, if you want to enter the path, you can try that as well. My Kingdom of Emperors will be working with three other empires for the expedition.”
“Let me think about it.” Di Wei mused it over: “If I decide to go on the expedition with your Kingdom of Emperors, I can borrow your Regal Gold as well.”
“Grandpa Wei, you are too reserved.” Li Qiye shook his head: “Your advice back then was quite beneficial and allowed me to become the War Emperor in a short amount of time. Just a little Regal Gold is nothing.”
Di Wei smilingly denied: “I do not dare to accept the credit. If you didn't have an imperial heart, even more advice would have been useless.”