Shrouding the Heavens: Those Years as the Female Emperor's Strictest Master

Boom!

Rumble... rumble...

High in the distant sky.

A resplendent divine radiance suddenly appeared, and a carriage came speeding through the air.

The carriage's aura was utterly different from the savage dominance of the Tyrant Blood Warship. It seemed ethereal and transcendent, yet a faint trace of saintly might surged from it, intimidating petty schemers.

Within the divine radiance, a delicate jade carriage could vaguely be seen, pulled by an extraordinary Jade Qilin with snow-white scales.

The qilin trod upon auspicious clouds. Around the jade carriage, over a hundred fairy maidens in colorful robes circled it, riding divine rainbows and surrounding it like stars around the moon. Petals occasionally drifted down, Dao melodies lingered in the air, and a pleasant fragrance wafted about.

"Those are... people from the Spring Autumn Pavilion?"

In the nearby mountain forest, concealed cultivators spoke to their companions in puzzled tones:

"The Spring Autumn Pavilion's lineage is based in the Southern Region. Their people had already arrived and stationed themselves outside the legacy on the second day after the news spread. Why has such a grand procession come again today?"

"Judging by the jade carriage's specifications, could it be Goddess Gu, the current wielder of the Spring Autumn Dao Diagram, personally arriving?"

"..."

"Gasp... it really is Goddess Gu? She's the number one beauty of our Big Dipper!"

On the outskirts of the Vast Mountain Range, a cultivator with divine eyes glimpsed the identity of the jade carriage's owner.

"But rumors say she is the daughter of Zhaotian Martial Lord, the previous Holy Lord of the Heavenly Martial Holy Land. Why would she enter a place like the Spring Autumn Pavilion?"

"Hehe, she has a younger brother by blood. A thousand years ago, something went wrong in his cultivation and he nearly dissolved into the Dao. At the time, Zhaotian Martial Lord happened to fail his breakthrough into the Great Saint Realm and died from his grave injuries. Chaos immediately broke out within the holy land. Goddess Gu was a beauty who brought disaster upon men. Though she possessed peerless talent, she had not truly matured yet. One could imagine her circumstances back then..."

Someone chuckled sinisterly.

"At first, it was said that she entered the Spring Autumn Pavilion only because a master and disciple pair of demonesses surnamed Zhao deceived her while she was seeking to treat her younger brother. But everyone can just listen to such rumors. They cannot be taken seriously..."

"So that's how it was?! No wonder the Heavenly Martial Holy Land and the Spring Autumn Pavilion have been at each other's throats for nearly a thousand years..."

"..."

"Neither early nor late—could the legacy really be about to emerge?"

Amid the countless discussions, the jade carriage did not descend into the depths of the Vast Mountain Range below. Instead, it stopped over a sea of clouds not far away.

Whoosh...

Within the sea of clouds, the jade carriage's beaded curtain was suddenly lifted slightly. A breathtaking figure could vaguely be seen sitting inside, her temperament ethereal and holy, making others afraid to look directly at her.

Countless male cultivators from the many small and mid-sized factions in the area gazed up at the clouds, their eyes widening in fear of missing their chance to glimpse the goddess's true face.

Yet as they watched, they discovered that besides Goddess Gu, there was actually a lazy Cloud Leopard lying within the jade carriage.

This was truly difficult for the male cultivators harboring romantic thoughts toward the goddess to comprehend.

The Jade Qilin, a Primordial Era descendant, was being used as a beast of burden. Why did this seemingly mixed-blood Cloud Leopard receive such treatment?

At that moment, perhaps sensing the many gazes converging on it, the Cloud Leopard flicked its tail. Its remarkably humanlike vertical eyes were filled with disdain.

As its gaze shifted, it seemed to casually sweep over the forest where Li Qingjue was hiding. A crimson gleam flashed through its eyes before vanishing, and its expression seemed to change.

Toward obedience, submission...

At the same time.

Within the ring, a thought stirred slightly in Tan Lin's remnant soul, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

This was the closest hidden chess piece he had controlled with the power of the Soul Pearl since awakening.

In his previous life, his true soul had been affected by his Primordial Spirit and shattered alongside it by the Undying Heavenly Blade. Only this remnant of his true self, carrying the All-Causes Soul Pearl, had escaped disaster by dissolving his body.

The remaining fragments of his true soul had been imbued with the Soul Pearl's miraculous power. Though scattered in every direction, they would not easily fade or dissolve, and likewise possessed a trace of indestructibility.

Apart from a very few exceptions, over the long years, most of those fragments of his true soul had either fused into artifacts and birthed spirits, or been drawn into plants, fish, insects, and beasts, granting them intelligence and turning them into spirits or monsters...

After those spirits and monsters passed away or perished, the fragments of true soul would drift unconsciously like invisible dandelion seeds until another such coincidental attraction arose.

This Cloud Leopard clearly belonged to the latter category.

Thanks to the All-Causes Soul Pearl, he held a certain power of life and death over these fragments of true soul. As long as the distance was close enough and there were no special circumstances, he could strip away the fragments at any time to repair his remnant soul.

Even from a great distance, separated by a million li, he could use the Soul Pearl's power to remotely instill an impulse to obey his commands.

On the night at the relay station, he had remotely commanded this Half-Saint Cloud Leopard to silently cripple the return teleportation formation of Tyrant Blood's group.

That said.

The current distance was actually close enough already. He could completely strip the true soul remnants from within the Cloud Leopard and merge them into his remnant soul.

But in the long run, doing so would be more loss than gain.

After all, every fragment of true soul accounted for an extremely small portion. Even if he retrieved them, their restorative effect would be limited. They were far less important than the fragments of true soul within the "legacy" deep in the Vast Mountain Range and in the Human Emperor Hall of the Central Plains.

Tan Lin had long planned to make full use of these fragments before then.

Now that the Human Emperor Hall was showing unusual activity, this "legacy" was clearly a trap waiting for him to jump in.

He needed some chess pieces to muddy the waters, confuse the public, and pave the way for him to take the bait without injury.

"More than three months have passed, yet this so-called legacy still hasn't emerged. It seems they won't release the hawk until they see the hare..."

As his thoughts turned, Tan Lin sneered inwardly and immediately transmitted an exceedingly obscure thought to the Cloud Leopard through the Soul Pearl.

The next instant.

Hiss...

Inside the jade carriage, where the beaded curtains and drapes once more cut off all sights and sounds from outside.

The Cloud Leopard, so lazy it seemed to be dozing, flicked its tail. Then, seemingly absentmindedly, it snorted and lightly stamped its forepaw in the air. An imperceptible ripple quietly spread outward from the jade carriage.

Buzz!

The next moment, something that left everyone dumbfounded occurred.

Deep within the Vast Mountain Range, the purple glow of the battle patterns flowing over the Tyrant Blood Warship, which had been slowly descending, abruptly froze and began flickering erratically.

Thud!

After the warship jolted violently, its descent suddenly accelerated. The hull crashed into the mountain ground with a thunderous impact.

Boom...

In an instant, nearly half the Vast Mountain Range shook as though an earth dragon had turned over. Sand and dirt flew everywhere, startling everyone.

"What happened?! Who attacked my Tyrant Blood clan?!"

Before the dust could settle, an enraged shout came from the ship.

"Saintly might remains! Which Saint struck? Using strength to bully the weak—do you think our Tyrant Blood clan has no elders here this time?"

A figure with blood energy as vigorous as a true dragon soared from the Tyrant Blood Warship, leaving only the attendants scrambling about inside to inspect the damage to the hull.

"..."

"What?? The legacy hasn't even emerged, and they're already fighting?"

"A Saint attacked? Judging by that commotion, it should only have been a Half-Saint, right?"

"Where did the fluctuation originate? Has anyone found it?"

"..."

The sudden turn of events immediately caused an uproar.

The disturbance also drew the attention of every watcher lurking in the shadows.

Respectfully Inviting the Human Emperor Banner

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The people from Tyrant Body Ancestral Star ran into trouble the moment they arrived. They haven't even seen a trace of the Human Emperor's Legacy, yet they've already made such fools of themselves. It seems the opportunity here won't be as easy to obtain as imagined..."

"Nonsense. Whose legacy do you think this is? The Human Emperor Hall still exists to this day. Will they really just stand by and watch us divide up its Fortune?"

"..."

"Come to think of it, why haven't any cultivators from the Human Emperor Hall entered the scene yet?"

"Could the person acting in secret just now have been a cultivator from the Human Emperor Hall?!"

"Heh, now that you mention it, that really does seem possible..."

At this moment, the discussions among the nearby cultivators gradually spread.

"Since that news spread more than three months ago, cultivators from all across the Big Dipper and even the surrounding lands of life have rushed here. The only person throughout history to successfully cultivate both Lunar and Solar paths—could he not have been the former master of the Human Emperor Hall?"

A Flood Demon in human form spoke in a muffled voice among the Demon Race cultivators.

"The Human Emperor Hall's attitude toward the legacy here is so indifferent. There must be something suspicious going on..."

"Indeed..."

"..."

There was never any shortage of conspiracy theorists in this world. Combined with the Human Emperor Hall's genuinely suspicious actions this time, the topic was quickly led astray.

When the whispered conversations of these people reached the ears of the Human Emperor Hall cultivators lying in wait, their expressions gradually darkened.

At the same time.

On the outskirts of the Vast Mountain Range, Li Qingjue could not help feeling a trace of satisfaction upon seeing her enemy suffer. Though she did not know how complicated the truth of the matter was.

Within the ring, Tan Lin's remnant soul's eyes grew increasingly profound.

He had already made his move. Now, it depended on whether the Human Emperor Hall could continue holding back.

Within the sea of clouds.

Inside the jade carriage, Goddess Gu of the Spring Autumn Pavilion had finished meditating. One slender hand rested on the Cloud Leopard's head as her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

"Qinghan, you're being disobedient again."

Whimper...

The Cloud Leopard let out a whine and blinked its intimidating vertical eyes, as if pretending to be innocent.

"Sigh, you... Come with me and apologize to them."

Gu Qingying sighed, then slowly rose to her feet.

Her unbound black hair cascaded down to the ground as she stood.

Rustle...

A maid beside the jade carriage lifted the curtain, and the woman and leopard emerged outside.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the colors of heaven and earth seemed to dim for a moment.

Countless gazes converged upon that peerless figure.

Within their view, the stunning woman wore an icy gauze cloud robe that lightly wrapped around her slender waist. The divine radiance lingering around her cast a clear, cold glow across her exquisite face.

A light veil covered her face. As her eyes moved, they seemed to stir up wisps of mist, captivating all who looked upon her. A tear-shaped beauty mark at the corner of her right eye made her beauty seem all the more real.

"My spirit pet has a stubborn temperament. The earlier disturbance to the warship caused all of you trouble, and I feel quite sorry for it. These are honey dates from the latest harvest of our Spring Autumn Pavilion's Fire Date Tree. Friends from Tyrant Body Ancient Star, please accept them as a token of my apology..."

Outside, every movement Goddess Gu made drew everyone's attention.

Her jade feet, clad in emerald spiral-fragrance shoes, moved in graceful steps. In an instant, she arrived before the damaged warship.

Divine radiance filled the sky. With a turn of her fair hand, eight fragrant red dates floated from her wide sleeve, transforming into streaks of light as they flew toward Tyrant Blood's group.

One for each person.

"They're actually fruits from the Fire Date Tree?!"

Within the mountain range, cultivators cried out in alarm upon seeing this.

Which faction in the entire Eastern Wasteland did not know that the Spring Autumn Pavilion's Fire Date Tree was a supreme Medicine King? It had taken root and sprouted from the corpse of a fire-element Great Saint Holy Spirit tens of thousands of years ago.

The dates borne by this tree came in two kinds. One bloomed once every thousand years, bore fruit after three hundred years, and ripened after another hundred and twenty years.

The other was nurtured through constant watering with spiritual spring water and the dedicated provision of life essence.