"No need."
"Why?"
The Female Emperor looked at him, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
"A flaw has already appeared. Even if we cover it up again, traces can still be followed... Given the nature of those vermin, they are destined to be nothing more than a disorganized rabble. If Master and I join forces, we may not be unable to wipe out a Restricted Area this time..."
"At this critical juncture, there is no need to forcibly drag that bunch of cravens into this..."
Tan Lin said flatly,
"Although the Transcendent Nether Treasure has been damaged, it is still an Immortal Weapon. The Underworld's Emperor Formation is no mere decoration.
"Furthermore, although nearly ten Supreme Beings from several Restricted Areas have fallen in succession over these past years, the losses have been spread across the various Restricted Areas. They have not truly been crippled, and their foundations remain...
"Do not forget that, for the past several thousand years, a pair of eyes has been watching us."
Hearing this, the Female Emperor fell silent for a moment before slowly withdrawing her aura.
It was not that she had failed to consider this. She had simply seen her master's vitality and condition deteriorate further after his struggle against that unseen Ominousness, and her heart ached for him.
It made her somewhat unwilling to let the matter rest for now.
In the days that followed, neither Tan Lin nor the Female Emperor entered seclusion again.
After the matter of the Late-Life Ominousness, they knew that a storm was approaching.
The two sat atop a Divine Mountain, drinking tea as they discussed the Longevity Methods that existed in the world today.
"Master is truly too modest. You attained the Dao in the Primordial Era, so what you know about the path