Shrouding the Heavens: Those Years as the Empress's Strictest Master

He clearly recognized what the water in that well was.

During his third lifetime, he had encountered a great age of cultivation. The Myriad Races Ancient Road had opened, and he too had once set foot upon the Human Race Ancient Road, tempering himself through the struggles against the prodigies of every race.

In the end, he entered the Golden Ancient Road, and even traversed a long stretch of the Mythical Ancient Road, which at the time had not yet suffered severe collapse.

Within the Mythical Ancient Road, in the life zone formed from the five viscera of Lingbao Heavenly Venerable's Dao Palace, there was a Primordial Gods and Demons Forbidden Domain. Within it lay a lake of Divine Soul Pool Water.

The Reincarnation Lake, Soul Spirit Pond, and Immortal Ascension Waterfall—these three extraordinary things that existed only in worldly legends truly existed.

And among them, the Soul Spirit Pond was the handiwork of the Undying Heavenly Emperor.

Records stated that the pond water could imprint a cultivator's soul fluctuations, nurture them within the pond, and reproduce an identical soul.

However, Tan Lin knew that such claims had merely been experiments conducted by certain beings in the endless ages past. Not a single case had succeeded.

Yet it was true that it could imprint a cultivator's soul fluctuations, and it was equally true that it was the nemesis of all cultivators' souls.

The pond water was divided into three colors: golden soul, silver spirit, and transparent fusion fluid, which melted and broke down souls.

If a soul was exposed without the protection of a physical body, then once it approached the pond water, it would be dragged into the pond and melted down into new Soul Spirit Pond water.

It was worth mentioning that this pond water normally looked no different from ordinary lake water. However, if divine sense was used nearby, even if a cultivator had a body housing their soul, their soul would be dragged out from the Immortal Platform and melted into the pond, resulting in death and the dissipation of their Dao.

"It really is tailored to deal with my current state... Two years ago, when I peered in, this Soul Spirit Pond water clearly had not yet been brought from that secret place on the Ancient Road..."

Tan Lin pondered in silence.

If not for the Causal Points spawned by those black, mixed lines having settled over the years and been refined by the Soul Pearl into firefly light—

Coupled with the immense amount of firefly light born from Li Qingjue's special line, which had completely filled the second Deep Crimson Light Point and allowed him to develop the Soul Pearl's miraculous ability of further observation, enabling him to know himself and his enemies—

Then this trip to the Central Plains might truly have ended in disaster.

Whoosh...

Crimson mist churned. Centering his view upon the Undying Daoist within that fragment of imagery, Tan Lin shifted his perspective and took the opportunity to examine the surroundings.

He saw that the depths of the entire Human Emperor Hall were enveloped by a heaven-shaking killing formation. The ancient well was its formation eye. This was a meticulously prepared killing trap for him.

Hiss... hiss...

Within the Deep Crimson Light Point, the firefly light burned rapidly, draining away far too quickly. Seeing that he could not uncover any more information, Tan Lin cut off his observation of that line.

Next was the Sea of Reincarnation.

Perhaps knowing that Tan Lin could track his movements, Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable had made no move this time when the Drill Tower collapsed and its formation diagram beneath the tower foundation was taken away.

Tan Lin could only vaguely "see" that the aura surrounding Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable's sealed state was dim and obscure. He seemed to be waiting for Tan Lin to head to the Human Emperor Hall, whereupon he would emerge from the forbidden zone, head straight for the Central Plains, and deliver a thunderous blow!

Cutting off his observation once more, Tan Lin turned his attention to the other three Supreme Beings within the Ancient Mine of Primordial Beginning who had once devoured his flesh, blood, and origin.

These three were clearly in worse condition than Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable and the Undying Heavenly Emperor. They were truly self-sealed, their vitality weakened and their isolation from the world far deeper. At most, they had left behind a wisp of divine sense outside to "stand watch."

No wonder that even though these three Supreme Beings might have guessed over a decade ago that he had reappeared in the world after a million years, they had not even sent a Dao body out of the forbidden zone to get involved.

Their condition was simply too poor. They could not withstand any more strain.

Of course, it was also possible that they believed that even if they intervened, they could not compete with the two Xiaoyaos for the great secret upon him, so they had decided to wait and see.

Hiss... hiss...

The firefly light continued to burn.

Having learned what he wanted to know, Tan Lin did not continue peering any further.

This kind of observation consumed the Deep Crimson Light Points at a terrifying rate. In just these few breaths, the firefly light within the third Deep Crimson Light Point had visibly diminished by a small ring!

"Since that is the case, then I shall make a few moves as well. Let us see how you deal with them when the time comes."

His great sleeves fluttering, Tan Lin suddenly withdrew from beyond the borders of the Central Plains and headed for the secret place in the Central Region where he had hidden treasures for his next lifetime.

Plans could never keep up with changes.

Now that he had obtained the tower foundation formation diagram, he could use some divine gold and sub-divine gold materials to re-engrave, refine, and restore the worn formation patterns. This would allow him to make an additional arrangement for his next moves.

Three months later, within the secret territory of the Heavenly Mystic Ancient Clan.

Tan Lin studied the painting scroll brought out from the Drill Tower's underground palace and repeatedly scrutinized the deity within it.

The female deity was exceptionally restrained before him, somewhat at a loss over what to do.

After his examination, the deity only knew that the Human Emperor had asked her several questions about what had happened to her former master, Tianling, after her death. Naturally, she answered every one of them.

Who would have expected that afterward, he would probe her with some inexplicable questions? She was completely baffled.

Then, as though seeking to confirm some conjecture in his heart, the Human Emperor used source arts to open the passage behind the stone wall and brought her into a sleeping ground filled with members of Divine Silkworm Ridge.

It was a winding, lengthy karst cave. The journey inside felt unfamiliar to her. She did not know why the Human Emperor had brought her down here, nor did she dare ask.

Finally, when she reached the end of the cave and saw a divine maiden sealed within Divine Source, her divine consciousness suddenly fluctuated violently as she cried out:

"M-Master?!"

She emerged from the painting scroll in the form of manifested divine sense, floating before that piece of Divine Source, filled with disbelief.

But soon, the emotions conveyed through the fluctuations of her divine consciousness turned sorrowful and grief-stricken...

Beside her, Tan Lin observed silently.

After a long while, when he detected no additional reaction whatsoever between the painting scroll and Tianling's body within the Divine Source, he suddenly sighed. Then, with a wave of his hand, he put away the painting scroll.

Recently, he had recalled mentioning a hint or two about the possibility of the Artifact-Person Longevity Method to Tianling during one of their secret meetings in the Primordial Era. That had immediately made him think of this painting scroll's "special nature."

Unfortunately, the facts proved that even if Tianling's primordial spirit had vanished because she had attempted the Artifact-Person Method, her primordial spirit had not merged into this painting scroll.

"I oversimplified the matter..."

Tan Lin remained in the secret territory for another day, using [Inverted All-Causes Vision] to track the movements of the Anchor Points at the ends of every Causal Line.

At last, he waited until the moment was ripe.

Chirp...

Within the world and beyond it.

A golden eagle containing a fragment of his true soul was enveloped in crimson mist as it spiraled down. It used a divine ability to seize the formation diagram, whose radiance had been restrained, in its beak before vanishing without a trace.

On the day the tower collapsed, he had recovered nearly all the soul fragments outside. Yet he had still left behind his three strongest pieces on the board to aid him in this undertaking.

Everything had to be put to use!

The opportunity was fleeting.

In the end, Tan Lin did not hesitate. Crimson mist enveloped him as [Inverted All-Causes Vision] and [All Causes Barrier] had already spread open.

Leaving the world within the world, he transformed into an invisible substance, passed directly through the boundary wall between Eastern Wasteland and the Central Plains, and shot toward the Human Emperor Hall.

The Central Plains were boundless.

Since ancient times, this region had been the source from which Big Dipper's countless dragon veins extended. It had always been blessed with spiritual beauty, and most of the human race orthodoxies that later migrated to Big Dipper from beyond the domain had chosen to settle here.

During this Ancient Era, Dark Turmoil erupted frequently.

The sects and orthodoxies scattered throughout this region were harvested like chives in each wave of turmoil. Afterward, outsiders would continuously rise amid the ruins and develop anew.

Just like the current Hundred Schools of Thought, and even Qishi Mansion, which occupied the gateway through which the Ancient Road opened, none had existed for more than a hundred thousand years at most.

Even the Feathered Immortal Dynasty, which had once commanded the world, had only moved to Big Dipper several tens of thousands of years ago after Emperor Yuhua attained the Dao.

Yet.

Amid such difficult times, there was another colossal power here. From the middle to late Primordial Era until the present day, it had stood firm against the torrents of time, weathered an unknown number of turmoils, and remained unshaken.

Deep within the Human Emperor Hall.

The once solemn and majestic grand hall was now filled with an invisible oppressive atmosphere.

At the center of the palace complex, clear well water bubbled up from the bottom of an ancient well over three meters wide. Mist curled around its mouth, making it seem like the eye of an immortal spring.

The Undying Daoist, dressed in an ancient and simple Daoist robe, sat cross-legged beside the well. His face was blurred by drifting hazy mist, making him seem little different from an ordinary Daoist of the mortal world.

Yet whenever his eyes opened and closed, divine radiance from Dao laws shot forth, faintly illuminating the endless killing intent within this place.

The outer halls and inner halls alike, the ground, pillars, relief-covered walls, and vaulted ceilings were all carved with countless soul-suppressing patterns. Linked to the aura of the Soul Spirit Pond, they formed a net of heaven and earth targeting soul bodies.

The pond water did not exist only within that well. Scattered portions of Soul Spirit Pond water had been spread throughout the hidden corners of the vast Human Emperor Hall territory.

Having witnessed how the "Human Emperor" had been reduced to a remnant soul after falling, yet still dared to enter and leave the forbidden zone of Undying Mountain—

The Undying Daoist knew full well how formidable his methods of concealment and infiltration were. Thus, he did not underestimate him in the slightest. He had even made a special trip beyond the domain to obtain some Soul Spirit Pond water. He had truly exhausted every method.

The great hall was silent all around.

Under an order from Gong Xuan, the master of the Human Emperor Hall, not a single disciple of the Human Emperor Hall had appeared within this thousand-mile radius since the tower collapsed in the Southern Region of Eastern Wasteland.

Whenever the Undying Daoist had any daily need, Gong Xuan himself, the hall master, had to attend to it personally, running around before and after him.

Sometimes, he felt that after cultivating to his current realm, he lived worse than some of the menial disciples in the hall!

On this day, he once again entered from outside the hall with utmost respect, preparing to wait upon the Daoist.

He walked soundlessly, scarcely daring to breathe.

Dong...

At that moment, the distant morning bell rang. He had just reached the Undying Daoist's side. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke softly and carefully.

"Your Majesty... This is, after all, where that Human Emperor once cultivated. At this time every day, the disciples in the hall would normally face this place and bow in prayer for a while. Yet we have cleared this thousand-mile area for over three months now, and the disciples below are already filled with complaints. Do you think perhaps..."

"This is your matter..."

Before he could finish, the Undying Daoist cast a cold glance at him.

"If you cannot even suppress the resentment of a few cultivators beneath you, and must seek instructions on every matter, what use are you to this poor Daoist?"

The Battle Flag of Old, the Human Emperor Banner of Today

"Complaints everywhere? If you cannot control the resentment growing in people's hearts, then when some people voice their objections openly, do you not know how to deal with them? If killing one batch is not enough, keep killing. Eradicate dissidents. Was this not something you once did with great ease?"

Beside the ancient well, the Undying Daoist held a grayish-white whisk and spoke slowly.

"If it truly comes to that, kill them all. Once that big fish takes the bait, this place will no longer be of much use... Go. Do not come here again for the next few days."

"It is... It is because the Human King Hall lineage from the Ziwei Star Domain sent people here to pay respects to the place where the Human Emperor cultivated that trouble arose. Such a minor matter should not have disturbed Your Majesty. I... I will deal with them at once. I can still keep the disciples in the hall under control..."

Nearby, Gong Xuan grew more terrified the more he listened. When the Undying Daoist finished speaking, his teeth chattered, and he finally took his leave.

After he left, the great hall returned to utter stillness.

The Undying Daoist remained calm and composed as he slowly closed his eyes again.

Buzz...

The power of faith gathered over the years by the Human Emperor Hall beneath the base had long since been fully refined by him, becoming incomparably pure as wisps of it entered his body.

Waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit was inherently agonizing. Sometimes, watching those lackeys below panic in confusion... the myriad states of mortal life were not so bad.

The show was over. Now it was time to wait again.

Wait for that "fish" that was certain to take the bait.

Suddenly, less than three breaths after closing his eyes, the Undying Daoist abruptly opened them again. Terrifying brilliance burst from his gaze.

"He's here?!"

Whoosh!

At that moment, the void above the open ground before the great hall suddenly twisted.

Countless wisps of crimson mist danced through the air, so obscure that even he could not see through them clearly.

Then, a phantom-like yet incomparably solid remnant soul figure appeared without warning!

That figure was incomparably tall and straight, its eyes deep as scenes of yin-yang chaos creation and destruction flowed within them. Its entire body exuded a vast, majestic presence that made others instinctively want to prostrate themselves and worship.

Boom!!

The instant the figure appeared, every soul-suppressing pattern inside and outside the great hall lit up at once.