Upon arriving here, Tan Lin recognized the other party's identity with a single glance.
It was the Undying Heavenly Empress!
As he gazed at the alluring silhouette in the water, a trace of doubt flashed through Tan Lin's deep eyes.
[Inverted All-Causes Vision] had not yet been deactivated. Through the multiple Branch Line Anchor Points that branched off from Undying Heavenly Emperor's Causal Line, he was not surprised to find her within Ancient Emperor Mountain.
But this was not yet the time for her to emerge. Why had she already come out of the Divine Source?
"Was she startled by the earlier disturbance at Undying Mountain, or was there some other reason..."
At this moment, even Tan Lin's eternal, unchanging state of mind could not help but ripple ever so slightly.
Perhaps this Undying Heavenly Empress had long been restless, periodically unsealing herself as early as the Ancient Era, already showing signs of collusion with the Underworld during this period?
Or perhaps she was plotting something else...
His thoughts raced like lightning. With the clues currently available being so limited, Tan Lin could not guess the specific reason for her unsealing herself.
In the shadows, he had actually already grasped a faint thread of understanding, but certain limitations from his "past life" still kept his thinking trapped within that framework.
The wings of his butterfly had begun fluttering as early as the Primordial Era. Their impact on later generations undoubtedly existed.
For instance, the Human Emperor Hall in the Central Plains, the Weapon-Refining Grounds in the Southern Region of Eastern Wasteland... all such things would inevitably alter certain predetermined threads.
He could not guarantee that, during the nearly one million years since his death, the course of all things in this world had still followed the story within the Soul Pearl's memories.
What was more, the lineage of the Undying Heavenly Emperor had indirectly crossed paths with him as early as the Primordial Era.
"That's right. Shrouding the Heavens in my 'past life' was merely a novel, while the world I inhabit is real. Changes have already occurred, and anything is possible... This habitual way of thinking will not do. How could I make the same mistake a second time..."
For no apparent reason, Tan Lin thought of how he had died in his past life.
Just as when he had ventured deep into Undying Mountain earlier, he had not expected the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree to have undergone Nirvana, nearly causing him to miss it.
Splash, splash...
Within the Divine Spring, the Undying Heavenly Empress had not noticed anyone watching her. Her slender jade hands gently scooped up a handful of spring water, allowing it to slip through her fingers with a clear, melodious chime.
Her wet, long hair draped down her back. Her profile flickered in and out of sight amid the rippling reflections of the spring pool—her nose high and elegant, her red lips moist and alluring, her lashes...
It was not merely her face and features. Every part of her was exquisite, like Heaven's most perfect creation, meticulously sculpted enough to make ordinary people fall for her at a single glance.
Yet Tan Lin had no mind to admire such beauty at this moment.
As his thoughts turned, he gradually came to an understanding and swiftly steadied his mind.
Since she was no longer within the Divine Source, he knew this was not a place to linger.
Though the Undying Heavenly Empress was not a Supreme Being, she was still a Quasi-Emperor. She might even have stepped into Quasi-Ninth already during this era.
She was closely related to the Undying Heavenly Emperor, while the Undying Daoist still remained on the Big Dipper and was in an active period. If he stayed here too long, trouble was bound to arise.
Chirp...
Just as he was about to quietly withdraw, Tan Lin faintly heard the cry of an Immortal Phoenix. He turned back once more.
At the bend where the waters of the spring pool flowed upstream, vast life essence drifted about. Immortal radiance bathed the area, while Chaos Qi circulated through it.
"Undying Divine Phoenix Medicine? What a pity. It seems I have no fate with it this time..."
Tan Lin shook his head and sighed.
Still, he knew he was being somewhat greedy.
He had already obtained the withered branch seed of the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree in Undying Mountain, yet he still wanted to lay his hands on the Undying Divine Phoenix Medicine.
Immortal Divine Medicines had extremely stringent requirements for where they grew, and they also possessed their own awareness. They chose their companions carefully. Had he encountered anything other than a Divine Medicine seed on the outskirts of Undying Mountain earlier, then given his condition at the time, he would have been unable to take it away at all. At most, he could have broken off a section of branch or leaf.
The same was true of this Undying Divine Phoenix Medicine.
This place had a gurgling Divine Spring, and its law environment was suitable. Even if the Undying Heavenly Empress were absent, the Divine Medicine would not leave with him. Even if he somehow took it away, his current remnant soul could not sustain it.
"Forget it. I only came to take some Divine Liquid with me anyway."
Tan Lin no longer lingered. He fully activated the Soul Pearl, and his remnant soul body, like a wisp of green smoke, fled Ancient Emperor Mountain along the path by which he had come, heading toward the secret place of the Heavenly Mystic Ancient Clan.
Yet where he had been, a strand of his divine sense suddenly manifested after he had gone far away.
"Who is it?!"
In an instant, the Undying Heavenly Empress in the Immortal Pool paused slightly, her beautiful brows faintly knitting together.
She immediately sensed an unfamiliar aura suddenly appearing not far behind her.
Whoosh...
She abruptly turned around, her narrow phoenix eyes sweeping over the area.
That was a breathtaking face, so beautiful it stole one's breath. No words in this world were enough to describe her.
Her phoenix eyes shimmered, utterly enchanting yet profound, as though they could reflect all things in the world. No wonder Ning Fei, the foremost divine general, was willing to be her lapdog despite her already being married.
However.
At this moment, as the figure of a man appeared in her beautiful eyes, a chilling, awe-inspiring killing intent burst forth as well.
Yet even with murderous intent in her eyes, she still possessed a uniquely cold and alluring charm.
"Who are you? How dare you spy on me!"
The Undying Heavenly Empress's voice was icy to the extreme, yet it could not conceal its naturally exquisite quality, like immortal pearls falling upon a jade platter.
Splash!
At the same time, divine radiance blossomed around her, concealing everything.
She did not attack at once.
Given her cultivation, she could naturally see through the figure by the spring pool. It was merely formed from a strand of divine sense; the true body might already have left.
Before erasing this strand of divine sense, she was more curious about the other party's purpose in coming here.
He had done nothing. Could it be that he had come solely to watch her bathe?
But how had he known that she had loosened her seal and emerged from the Divine Source?
Countless uncertain thoughts surged wildly through her Sea of Consciousness. The Undying Heavenly Empress stared at Tan Lin, yet the more she looked, the more vaguely familiar he seemed.
A chill ran through her heart.
Had she seen this man before?
Was he also someone from before the Ancient Era?
Or had some existence from a Restricted Area emerged?
The earlier disturbance at Undying Mountain...
In but an instant, the Undying Heavenly Empress thought of countless possibilities.
"Heh, who I am is not important. I did not infiltrate this place for your sake. Once the proper person arrives later, he will understand on his own."
Tan Lin's divine sense phantom chuckled.
"I never expected to stumble upon such spring scenery as Madam bathing here. Nor did I expect that after so many years, Madam—whose body should have become a faded flower and fallen willow—would still be so captivating. Offer my praise to Brother Heavenly Emperor for me. He truly is fortunate..."
Before the Undying Heavenly Empress could attack in fury, the divine sense phantom exploded and dissipated.
But as it vanished, he glanced toward a certain corner of Ancient Emperor Mountain.
Within the pool, the Undying Heavenly Empress looked in that direction. Her beautiful face immediately shifted between light and shadow.
There lay an utterly inconspicuous stone.
Yet within that stone was the imperial heir of her Dao companion, the Undying Heavenly Emperor. It was still far from the time of hatching and entering the world; it was merely a phoenix egg.
Naturally, the imperial heir within that egg had not been born to the Undying Heavenly Emperor and her.
If she had not emerged from the Divine Source this time, then perhaps she would not have cared whether the Heavenly Emperor's Son within the egg lived or died.
"Did he come for the Heavenly Emperor's heir? But he neither seized nor destroyed it. What exactly is this man planning?"
Splash, splash...
At this moment, the Undying Heavenly Empress had already donned a celestial robe and walked out of the water. Her jade feet touched the ground as she stood beside the Immortal Pool.
Her narrow phoenix eyes gazed toward the direction in which Tan Lin had vanished, her expression complicated.
There was killing intent, confusion, and a hint of indescribable anger.
Was her body his to look at for free?!
A faded flower and fallen willow...
"You had better not fall into my hands someday..."
By the pool, the Undying Heavenly Empress murmured softly, her dark brows tightly furrowed.
"Why do I keep feeling that he is strangely familiar? Could it be... that person?"
Rumble...
After roughly two or three breaths, all the Heaven-Suppressing Runes in Ancient Emperor Mountain revived and began to rumble.
Space twisted, and the Undying Daoist's figure entered directly.
He swept his gaze through the secret realm, then looked toward the true body of his Dao companion and spoke with an unreadable tone.
"You had already emerged from the Divine Source before he came?"
Hearing this, the Undying Heavenly Empress nodded her head, openly admitting it.
"The disturbance at Undying Mountain earlier was quite significant, and it woke me somewhat. Having slept within the Divine Source for so many years, I grew restless from stillness and wished to come out for a while."
After saying this, she stretched her arms, white as jade, behind her back and gathered her wet, long hair. The motion displayed her proud, graceful figure to perfection before she asked,
"Who exactly was that person?"
The Undying Daoist let his gaze rest upon her for a moment but did not answer her question.
After she finished speaking, he walked toward where the Heavenly Emperor's Son was.
One could only say that women truly were born masters of lying. Once a lie left their mouths, not even their emotions fluctuated in the slightest. Half-truths and half-lies were the hardest to discern.
Hostile Foes Clash (4.1K)
Seeing the Undying Daoist remain silent, the Undying Heavenly Empress calmly slipped a pair of icy silk stockings over her slender jade feet, then casually stepped into a pair of spring-bloom jade snail embroidered fragrant shoes.
Tap... tap...
"That man clearly bears an old grudge against you, yet after infiltrating Ancient Emperor Mountain this time, he did nothing. His concealment and infiltration methods are exceptional. Had he not taken the initiative to manifest a strand of divine sense, I would never have noticed that he had been here..."
Her shoes touched the ground as she likewise came before the Heavenly Emperor's Son's stone egg, then softly continued,
"He said that you would understand once you arrived, and he glanced at this stone... What exactly did he mean?"
Her beauty could topple nations. Amid her sacred temperament was a trace of serenity. Once that layer of nobility and dignity faded, she appeared charming yet pure, like moon-white light that could cleanse the soul with a single glance.
But appearances often deceived. Perhaps such a peerless beauty possessed schemes and calculations beyond imagination.
She no longer asked about that man's identity. Instead, she roughly described Tan Lin's strange actions, concealing his final frivolous words while outwardly seeming considerate as she helped ease his worries.
A fragrant breeze lingered at his side. The Undying Daoist paused before the stone egg, clasped his hands behind his back, and pondered.
"It was a warning, and also a kind of tacit understanding..."
Tacit understanding?
Hearing this, the Undying Heavenly Empress slightly raised her eyelids, remaining expressionless.
"He could infiltrate Undying Mountain and steal treasure, then enter this place as well. Doing so again and again already explains certain things..."
The Undying Daoist clicked his tongue and said indifferently,
"He could have destroyed this stone egg, yet he did not act. He does possess a measure of the magnanimity and bearing of the Human Emperor of the Human Race... In that case, it would not be appropriate for this Daoist to casually raze that Drill Tower in the Southern Region to the ground."
Drill Tower?!
Upon hearing this, the Undying Heavenly Empress immediately understood the connection and asked in disbelief,
"He is that Human Emperor from the Primordial Era? He is actually still alive?"
It was no wonder she found it unimaginable. The scene back then had simply been too tragic.
Before you continue