Shrouding the Heavens: Empress, I am truly not the Desolate Heavenly Emperor!

Om-!

At his command, the black and gold cauldron with dragon patterns trembled violently and let out a roar like a dragon's cry.

A streak of dark light shot into the sky, transforming into a giant black dragon that forcefully tore a passage through the gray mist ahead, a mist so thick it could swallow even light.

The warship roared, like a steel behemoth, and crashed into the territory of the ancient forbidden land without any attempt to conceal its presence.

……

At this moment, Ye Chen, who was stealthily making his way to the ancient ruins, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His senses are now frighteningly sharp under the blessing of the "Human-faced Peach".

Although they were at a great distance, he could still feel a heart-pounding fluctuation rapidly approaching from the outside.

That kind of aura was domineering and arrogant, carrying the air of a nouveau riche who thought he was the best in the world.

"Has someone come in?"

Ye Chen frowned slightly, then relaxed, his expression becoming somewhat amused.

"This kind of reckless approach to breaking through is only possible for those arrogant second-generation rich kids from holy lands."

He glanced at the ancient ruins not far away, silent as a dead tomb, and then at the direction from which the fluctuations came from behind him.

Originally, he was still racking his brains about how to deal with that nine-aperture stone man with his Life Spring Realm cultivation.

After all, challenging opponents of a higher level is a privilege reserved for the protagonist.

His current identity is more like that of a villainous supporting character struggling to survive in the cracks.

but now……

"Since we have guests, how can we not entertain them?"

Ye Chen licked his lips, the black and white lines in his eyes flaring wildly as he rapidly constructed an extremely despicable plan in his mind.

"The Nine-Aperture Stone Man is missing a snack, and the Yao Guang Holy Land is missing a lesson."

"And me..."

"Just what I need is a stick to muddy the waters."

Ye Chen's figure flickered, and with the help of that special "BUG perspective," he darted like a slippery fish into the chaotic rocky forest ahead, a forest so dense it could shred even divine sense.

The show is about to begin.

Amidst the chaotic rocky forest, a heavy mist hung in the air.

Ye Chen crouched behind a boulder shaped like a skull, his eyes, which glowed with an eerie light from consuming the "Human-Faced Daoist Peach," fixed intently on what lay ahead.

In his view, the originally gray world was dismantled into countless wildly twisting black and white lines.

Those are the rules of the forbidden area.

At the intersection of these lines, a stone figure, three zhang tall, stands quietly.

It is made entirely of grayish-brown rock with nine holes on its surface. With each breath, it breathes in and out the essence of heaven and earth, and with each breath, the surrounding space will slightly collapse.

An ancient remnant, a stone man with nine orifices.

This thing's strength starts at the peak of the Dragon Transformation Realm, and it may even have touched the threshold of the Sendai Realm.

To Ye Chen right now, this is Godzilla, and he is just an ordinary citizen holding a toothpick.

"A direct confrontation is definitely not the way to go."

Ye Chen rubbed his temples, forcibly suppressing the dizziness in his mind caused by directly facing the rules. "The Empress gave me the task, but not the strategy. This is typical of those in power—they only make demands and don't care about life or death."

Just then, the domineering and unparalleled fluctuation in the distance became even more intense.

boom--!

A massive bronze warship tore through the surrounding mist, like a steel tyrannosaurus that had broken into a sheepfold, crushing in with an invincible aura.

Divine light shone brightly from the warship.

In particular, the black cauldron floating at the bow of the ship cascaded down like a waterfall, forcibly pushing aside the forbidden zone rules that were trying to erode the warship.

"The Sacred Land of Yao Guang..."

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, a hint of mockery in them. "Better late than never. Just when I was about to fall asleep, someone delivered a pillow; just when I was about to kill someone, someone handed me a knife."

He stood up and dusted off his clothes.

There was no hiding, no running away.

Instead, he straightened his slightly disheveled robe, put his hands behind his back, and walked out of the shadows of the rocky forest with an extremely leisurely gait, as if he were strolling in his own backyard.

If you're going to put on a show, then go for something big.

……

On the bronze warship.

The Holy Son of Yaoguang stood with his hands behind his back, surrounded by 108 divine halos that made him appear like a god-king walking among mortals. His gaze was disdainful, and wherever his eyes fell, even the void seemed to submit.

"Holy Son, this place is strange."

Behind him, a senior elder held a compass, his brow furrowed. "The rules here are chaotic and disordered; the compass is no longer working. Moreover, I have a vague feeling that something terrifying is lurking deep within."

"If a forbidden area isn't terrifying, how can it be called a forbidden area?"

The Holy Son of Yao Guang remained indifferent, his tone exuding absolute confidence, "With the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron here, unless an Emperor is resurrected, who can stop me?"

Before he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Not only him, but all the elders and disciples on the ship stared at the chaotic rocky forest below as if they had seen a ghost.

In that forbidden and deadly place, which even powerful beings had to be extremely careful in, a young man dressed in white was walking slowly.

There was no spiritual energy fluctuation on his body.

There are no protective magical artifacts.

They didn't even adopt the slightest defensive stance.

He walked there bare-handed, like a mortal scholar who had stumbled upon this place, leisurely traversing the rifts in the rules that were powerful enough to shatter a cultivator's soul.

The most outrageous thing was that the violent, forbidden winds, when they reached within three feet of him, strangely parted automatically, as if they couldn't bear to mess up his hair.

"How...how is this possible?!"

An elder exclaimed in shock, "A mortal? No! This cannot possibly be a mortal! A mortal here would be reduced to ashes in an instant!"

"A return to simplicity...this is a return to simplicity!" Another elder's voice trembled. "Could it be some ancient sage who has secluded himself here?!"

The atmosphere on the warship suddenly became extremely tense.

No one dared to make a move.

In this forbidden zone of life, the more ordinary something seems, the more deadly it often is.

The Holy Son of Yaoguang stared at Ye Chen below, his eyes flashing intensely.

He activated his Heavenly Eye, attempting to see through Ye Chen's true nature.

However, no matter how he probed, the other party's body was completely empty, with only a pitifully weak fluctuation of divine power at the sacral sea—that was at the level of someone who had just opened their life spring.

"Life Spring Realm?"

The Holy Son of Yaoguang was stunned.

Immediately, an uncontrollable greed burned wildly in his heart like a wildfire.

If the other party is a saint, he might give way.

But if it's just an ant at the Life Spring Realm...

There's only one explanation: this ant possesses a treasure that can disregard the rules of the forbidden area!

It might even be a byproduct of the elixir of immortality!

"An opportunity...this is an incredible opportunity!"

The Holy Son of Yao Guang's breathing became rapid, and his original aloofness instantly collapsed, replaced by a gambler's fanaticism.

Once he obtains this secret, he will be able to move freely within the forbidden area, and may even obtain the inheritance of the Ruthless Great Emperor, thus proving himself to become an emperor!

"Holy Son, you must not be rash!" The elder behind him tried to dissuade him.

"Shut up!"

The Holy Son of Yao Guang shouted, "Fortune favors the bold! If this person were truly an unparalleled expert, he would have already wiped us out. Why bother with this trickery? He's merely using this extraordinary treasure for protection!"

"Bring it to me!"

Without any warning, the Holy Son of Yao Guang suddenly made his move.

Om-!

The dragon-patterned black and gold cauldron hovering above the warship emitted a deafening roar.

Although it was just a replica, under the full power of the Holy Son, it still unleashed an attack comparable to that of a Holy Lord.

A colossal hand formed from black divine light, carrying an aura of annihilation, tore through layers of mist and reached directly towards Ye Chen below.

Space crumbled inch by inch under the giant hand.

The terrifying pressure was like ten thousand mountains pressing down at once, and the surrounding rocks instantly turned into dust.

……

on the ground.

Ye Chen stopped and looked up at the enormous hand that blotted out the sky.

The wind pressure made his clothes flutter loudly, and his cheeks stung.

But he didn't move.

It's not that I don't want to move, it's that I can't.

Under the oppressive aura of a Saint Lord, his newly cultivated Life Spring Divine Power was like a candle flame in a storm, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

But there was no sign of panic on his face.

He even frowned in disdain.

"That was quite a commotion."

He muttered to himself, "I hope that crazy woman's Wi-Fi signal is strong enough, or I'll really be turned into mincemeat today."

It's a big gamble.

He was gambling on his "value" in the Empress's eyes.

He was gambling on whether the identity of that "older brother" could truly become his greatest get-out-of-jail-free card in this world.

The giant hand is getting closer and closer.

100 meters.

Fifty meters.

ten meters.

The terrifying energy fluctuations had pierced his skin, and blood was flowing down his cheeks.

But he still stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes deep and unwavering.

He is waiting.