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

He could see that the thick, tangled Causal Line of the Human Emperor Hall had spawned countless branches. The Anchor Points at the ends of those branches were seated at key points throughout the formation, but they had now begun to move.

They were likely preparing to fully activate the formation and use that mysterious fluctuation from earlier to pinpoint his exact location.

Tan Lin did not need to think about it. Given the peculiar nature of this formation, it had most likely originated from those people in the restricted areas who had divided up his origin and essence blood back then, created specifically to track him down.

Only those people had the time and energy to study something that would be useless in other fields, such as combat.

And for beings like them, that small expenditure of effort was undoubtedly worthwhile.

Because if they could capture him, they might very well uncover an alternative "Immortal Ascension Road"!

They had all stood supreme over their respective eras, invincible across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Naturally, none of them were fools.

Nearly a million years had passed, yet those who had hunted him back then had not truly perished. Combined with the faint traces of a great secret they had glimpsed from him in the past, those people had already managed to infer part of the truth.

Buzz...

Within the [All-Cause Vision].

Tan Lin silently watched the lines connected to the Sea of Reincarnation, the Ancient Mine of Primordial Beginning, and even distant Mars brighten from half-lit to blazing at the same time!

It was as though, somewhere in the dark, certain slumbering beings had shown the faintest signs of awakening.

Especially in the direction of the Sea of Reincarnation, where the black line connected to Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable fluctuated most noticeably.

"Have they more or less confirmed that I am still alive?"

His thoughts raced, but Tan Lin's emotions did not stir in the slightest.

He had long known that this was a trap.

But for his remnant soul to recover and allow him to reincarnate, he had no choice but to jump into it. The only question was whether it happened sooner or later.

Those people in the restricted areas might merely have made a casual arrangement over endless years because of a faint possibility and suspicion, but that accidental move had indeed struck directly at his fatal weakness.

Yet no matter how carefully those beings calculated, they could never have anticipated what changes the Soul Pearl had undergone.

Buzz...

Suddenly, the Deep Crimson Light Point in Tan Lin's palm flared with brilliant light.

But after an instant, its radiance began to weaken as it steadily depleted at an almost imperceptible speed.

[Inverted All-Causes Vision]!

Crimson mist completely enveloped and dyed him.

At this moment, he was crimson, and crimson was him!

Whoosh...

The next instant, his entire remnant soul vanished completely from the divine consciousness of the painting's deity, as though he had evaporated from the world.

"Why... did I suddenly awaken? Was it because the restrictions between this Drill Tower and the outside world were broken?"

Within the painting, the female-shaped deity suddenly revealed a trace of confusion.

She had already forgotten every moment of seeing Tan Lin's remnant soul. She had even forgotten the fragment of his true soul that had accompanied her for nearly a million years.

Yet in truth, Tan Lin was still standing before her, seriously considering whether he should take her with him.

He felt that perhaps it was time to begin preparing for his reincarnation in his next life.

After reincarnating, everything would begin anew. Resources and secret treasures would all be part of what allowed him to swiftly return to his peak in his next life.

"Did he still take the bait?"

Outside the tower.

At the formation eye of the Profound Firmament Nine Truths Soul-Slaying Formation, the master of the Human Emperor Hall opened his eyes.

Feeling the disturbance within the formation, his expression was exceedingly complicated, though hidden deep within was a trace of disappointment.

After all, no matter how one looked at it.

That man had once led the long-weakened human race of the Big Dipper, and even those on the Ancient Road, during the Archaic Era. He had struck hard against the archaic clans and nearly restored the human race's former glory.

The Human Emperor Hall, which had sheltered him during his early rapid growth at the end of the Archaic Era, had also been established by his own hand.

He had made no small contribution to the human race.

That was precisely why the title he had always used, "Human King," was changed after he broke through to the Quasi-Emperor Realm. His soldiers and generals, along with the living beings from many human settlements on the Ancient Road, bestowed upon him the title—"Human Emperor"!

"From here on, I suppose you are doomed, Human Emperor..."

Gong Xuan slowly rose from the core of the formation eye and let out a sigh.

He was human too...

But with several Restricted-Area Supremes, including Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable, pressing down upon him, he had never had any freedom of choice.

Especially after witnessing a Dark Turmoil, he dared not disobey a Supreme's decree!

One had to know that even the Human Emperor had died at the hands of a Supreme. For survival, becoming a Supreme's dog was nothing shameful!

Crash!

Within the restricted area known as the Sea of Reincarnation, a gray-robed Daoist holding a jade bottle was driven by his true body. Before he had even left the restricted area, his brows had already furrowed tightly in uncertainty.

The Profound Firmament Nine Truths Soul-Slaying Formation was his creation, and he held the formation's master disk.

Yet judging from the fluctuations transmitted by the secondary disks, that mysterious disturbance from earlier seemed to have flashed by in an instant.

If the traces of the formation's disturbance had not been undeniable, he would have nearly begun doubting his own craftsmanship.

"What exactly is going on?"

Amid his uncertainty, he took a single step. A million miles of mountains and rivers shrank beneath his feet, and after only a few steps, he arrived beside Gong Xuan, master of the Human Emperor Hall.

At the formation eye, Gong Xuan's vision blurred. When he saw who had arrived, his liver and gallbladder trembled, and his knees inexplicably went weak.

"Y-You came personally?!"

But he was, after all, a Great Saint at the peak of his realm, with one foot already in the Quasi-Emperor Realm. Though he was still far from a match for the person before him, so long as a Supreme did not arrive in person, he would not kneel.

At the same time.

Within Undying Mountain, the Faith Body of the Undying Heavenly Emperor wore a similarly complicated expression.

His true body was undergoing nirvana on the ancient planet Mars, so he could only act in his stead.

Yet he had not expected that someone who should have died nearly a million years ago could make him feel so troubled.

Half an hour earlier.

Outside the Yin-Yang Stone Forest on the first level of the Drill Tower.

Li Qingjue had fallen into an unprecedented desperate situation.

The Divine Bridge Realm exotic beast from earlier had already died during her moment of enlightenment, but that seemed to have lit the fuse.

Deep within the stone forest, massive boulders glowing with strange colors exploded one after another.

Amid the vast clouds of dust, pairs of crimson and dark-blue eyes lit up in succession, while low growls rose and fell.

In only a few breaths, seventy or eighty exotic beasts of varying shapes, all emitting Divine Bridge Realm auras, closed in on her from every direction and sealed off every route of retreat!

Among them were even five exotic beast leaders at the peak of Other Shore.

These beasts lay atop the huge rocks of the stone forest, looking down from above at Li Qingjue's petite figure with mocking amusement.

With their status and strength, they only needed to watch that human with mere Life Spring cultivation collapse under the siege, then wait for their subordinates to offer up her flesh and blood. There was no need for them to intervene personally.

Roar!

An exotic beast shaped like a tiger, with icy spikes growing from its back, was the first to break from the group and pounce at Li Qingjue.

Boom...

On the other side, a gigantic crimson serpent with a single horn on its head whipped its long tail. As divine power erupted, lava-like heat lashed toward her in an instant.

Li Qingjue stood where she was, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Having crossed a minor realm to kill that exotic beast earlier had already consumed an enormous amount of her strength. Now, she was at the end of her rope.

She had been on the path of cultivation for less than a year, and her Mortal Body had only transformed once. Being able to kill enemies above her realm was already no easy feat.

Faced with this siege, she truly could not see even the slightest hope of surviving this desperate situation.

Bang!

Her petite body was sent flying, but she used the opportunity to evade several more ferocious attacks from the other beasts.

In this desperate battle, Li Qingjue's injuries grew increasingly severe.

The excruciating pain, the depleted divine power in her Sea of Bitterness, and excessive blood loss began to blur her consciousness. A sense of frustration and shame rose inexplicably within her.

"Am I going to die after less than half a day in these Weapon-Refining Grounds... I really am useless, bringing such shame upon Master..."

What she did not know was that the first level of these Weapon-Refining Grounds had originally been used in the Archaic Era to temper the lowest-ranking Sea of Suffering Realm soldiers through battle formations. It was designed as a many-against-many trial.

She had only recently entered the Life Spring Realm, yet she was facing so many exotic beasts alone. The fact that she had not yet died was already a stroke of extraordinary luck.

Crack... crack...

The Yin-Yang Mill above Li Qingjue's head rotated, drawing upon the lunar and solar power of this place to form a Divine Mark barrier that had helped her hold on until now.

But now, amid the siege, the barrier shattered.

Bang...

While she was weakened, an exotic beast seized the chance to pounce forward and slash its claws, sending a spray of blood from her right arm.

Crack!

Dozens of Divine Bridge exotic beasts attacked at once, and the Yin-Yang Mill was shattered directly beneath the onslaught.

"Pfft..."

Li Qingjue immediately suffered backlash and spat out a mouthful of blood.

But her talent was truly terrifying. At this moment, she gained fresh insight into the Yin-Yang Mill Scripture, and her cultivation advanced further.

Buzz...

A soft hum rang out from within her Sea of Bitterness as a fresh surge of divine power flowed from her Life Spring.

Despite her grievous injuries, she reassembled the Divine Marks at her limit. The Yin-Yang Millstone appeared once more, and its aura doubled!

Yet given the current situation, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

More attacks followed in rapid succession from all sides. Even the five Other Shore exotic beasts joined the battle personally. Li Qingjue's millstone Divine Marks shook violently, on the verge of shattering again.

She coughed blood repeatedly, her face pale as gold paper.

At the critical moment.

Wooo...

A clear leopard's roar pierced through the clouds of this level.

Bang!

Bang... bang...

Under the might of a Half-Saint, over a hundred exotic beasts were reduced to dust.

Immediately afterward, petals rained down across the heavens of this place, while Dao sounds reverberated.

A white figure shot forth like lightning. It was the Cloud Leopard, carrying its "master" upon its back.

Upon the Cloud Leopard's back, Goddess Gu still wore a light veil over her face. Even so, her breathtakingly beautiful, hazy features brightened this dim world.

Her dark hair flowed like a waterfall, her eyes resembled autumn waters, and the tear-shaped beauty mark at the corner of her eye added a touch of mournful beauty.

"It has been a long time since I last saw such a spiritually gifted little girl..."

At that moment, her shimmering gaze fell upon Li Qingjue's blood-soaked body, and a trace of emotion flickered through her beautiful eyes.