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

"Click."

A soft sound.

The continuous apple peel in Ye Chen's hand broke.

This was originally a trivial mistake, but in front of the Ruthless Great Emperor, any slight discord could be interpreted as a flaw in his mental state, or even... a harbinger of deception.

The Empress's bloodshot eyes didn't look at the peeled apple, but were fixed on Ye Chen's eyes.

The previous naivety and dependence were gone from those eyes; in their place was a coldness that saw through eternity.

"You used me to kill someone."

Her voice was soft, yet it was like an ice pick, piercing directly into the depths of Ye Chen's soul.

It's not a question, it's a statement.

She is stating a fact.

The atmosphere suddenly turned somber, and all the warmth in the garden vanished.

The peach petals overhead stopped falling and instead hovered in mid-air, each one seemingly transformed into a sharp imperial sword, poised to strike.

This is the reckoning of the "Emperor's Body" personality.

Although she was delirious, she was a powerful figure standing at the pinnacle of the Dao. The schemes of ants were as easy for her to read as lines on the palm of her hand.

Ye Chen's fingers stiffened slightly for a moment, but the next second, his smile became even gentler, revealing a hint of helpless doting.

At this point, explaining is just covering up, and begging for mercy is courting death.

The only solution is to carry out the "fraud" to the very end.

"My daughter is so smart."

Ye Chen spoke as if praising a child who had solved a math problem correctly, his tone so natural that no one could find fault with it. He held the peeled apple to the Empress's lips, his eyes clear and open:

"Those flies are so noisy, buzzing and disturbing the peace here. I'm afraid they'll wake you, and even more afraid... their vulgarity will soil your skirt."

"So, I can only borrow your power to sweep away the dust."

"What's wrong? Are you angry with your brother?"

This set of tactics mainly relies on a combination of "righteous indignation" and "emotional blackmail".

I won't say I did it to save my life; I'll say I did it for you.

The Empress's eyes flashed with a hint of bloodlust. She looked at the apple offered to her lips, then at Ye Chen's face, which seemed to say, "I'm doing this for your own good." A flicker of hesitation crossed her murderous intent.

"Eat up," Ye Chen said gently. "After you finish eating, I'll tell you a story. You've probably never heard the story of Snow White before."

The empress remained silent for a moment, then finally opened her red lips and took a small bite of the apple.

"Click."

A crisp sound rang out.

The peach petals, which had been suspended in mid-air, began to fall again.

Ye Chen's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, but his voice remained as steady as a rock:

"Long, long ago, there was a princess who was born extraordinary. Her skin was as white as snow, so everyone called her Snow White. But the world could not tolerate her beauty. Her stepmother—who was also the 'Heavenly Dao' of that world—was jealous of her talent and wanted to kill her."

The Empress slowed her chewing; clearly, this setting had touched her.

"The stepmother sent out hunters and created countless hardships, and finally, she handed her a bright red, poisoned apple."

Ye Chen pointed to the apple in the Empress's hand, his voice low and slow, carrying a sense of fatalistic sorrow.

"This poisonous apple contains a powerful poison capable of destroying the soul. To eat it is to face eternal damnation; not to eat it is to face certain death."

"And then?" The Empress swallowed the fruit and asked for the first time.

"The fairy tale says she ate a poisoned apple and fainted, waiting for the prince to kiss her awake." Ye Chen revealed a cold smile, his eyes sharpening. "But that's just for children."

He looked directly into the Empress's eyes and said, word by word:

"The real ending is—Snow White swallowed the poisoned apple, and using the incredibly potent poison, she used her own body as a furnace within the crystal coffin to forcibly refine the poison of the Great Dao!"

"She doesn't need a prince's kiss."

"She crawled out of hell, returned to the castle, strangled her high and mighty stepmother, and donned the crown herself, becoming the world's only... queen!"

boom!

As Ye Chen finished speaking, the Empress's aura fluctuated violently.

An overwhelming and domineering imperial aura emanated uncontrollably from her body, causing the surrounding peach trees to sway wildly.

This heavily modified version of the story accurately captures the life of the Ruthless Great Emperor.

The whole world is our enemy.

He devoured all kinds of bloodlines with his mortal body.

It needs no protectors, nor does it need divine mercy.

If I become a Buddha, there will be no demons in the world; if I become a demon, what can the Buddha do to me!

"This ending..." The bloodlust in the Empress's eyes faded, replaced by a deep resonance and a peaceful tranquility after exhaustion. "I like it."

She finished the rest of the apple in a few bites, like a satisfied child. She leaned back slightly against the rough tree trunk, her eyelids beginning to droop.

The fact that she had just wiped out everyone from the Holy Land with a single finger strike was a considerable drain on her, especially since she was already in a state of Dao injury.

"If you like it, that's good."

Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief and gently straightened her skirt. "Go to sleep, brother will watch over you."

The Empress's breathing gradually became long and even.

Only after confirming that his great-aunt was completely asleep did Ye Chen collapse to the ground like a lump of mud.

"Damn it... this isn't storytelling, it's defusing a bomb."

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that those few minutes had been more exhausting than three days and three nights of confrontation with the Nine-Aperture Stone Man.

After catching his breath, Ye Chen took out the "Dao Yan Jue - Fragment" that he had taken from the Holy Son of Yao Guang.

This was his only spoils of war, and it was crucial to his survival in the forbidden area.

Using the soft divine light within the Peach Blossom Spring, Ye Chen opened the ancient scripture.

The scriptures were obscure and difficult to understand; every word seemed to be expounding the ultimate truths of the universe. Fortunately, Ye Chen had the "Devouring Heaven Dao Evolution Scripture" as a foundation within him. The two cultivation methods had similar names and seemed to originate from the same source, so understanding them was not too difficult.

As Ye Chen read on, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"So that's how it is... The core of this 'Dao Yan Jue' is actually 'simulation' and 'deception'!"

"Using one's own spiritual power as ink and the rules of heaven and earth as paper, one can paint the skin and bones but not the soul, yet this technique... can even simulate the fluctuations of the divine soul!"

This is a divine skill tailor-made for him!

The reason he's able to fool the Empress is entirely due to the "earthly aura" he brought with him when he transmigrated. But like a bottle of perfume, it will eventually run out or lose its effectiveness.

However, if he mastered the Dao Evolution Technique, he could actively simulate that aura, and even fine-tune his soul fluctuations based on the image of his brother in the Empress's memories!

At that time, he will no longer be a "suspected older brother", but the "real deal"!

"Once I master the first level of 'Divine Simulation,' I can completely secure my position as the 'older brother'!"

Ye Chen excitedly flipped to the cultivation section of the scripture.

However, when he saw the materials needed for cultivation, the smile on his face instantly froze.

To cultivate this method, one must use the "waters of the Sea of ​​Bitterness" to cleanse and refine the soul, and then use the "flower of the other shore" as a catalyst to reshape the soul garment.

"The waters of the sea of ​​suffering? The flower of the other shore?"

Ye Chen's lips twitched.

These two names sound ominous.

He looked up at the forbidden area beyond Peach Blossom Spring, shrouded in mist.

According to the original setting, there is indeed a strange "Sea of ​​Bitterness" in the Desolate Forbidden Land. It is a failed product left behind by the Empress when she tried to evolve reincarnation in order to revive her brother.

That place is a true no-go zone for strangers.

Even powerful beings would suffer greatly if they went in.

"Depend on."

Ye Chen closed the scripture and couldn't help but swear.

"This gigolo is not only hard to swallow, it's deadly!"

But after glancing at the Empress, who was still fast asleep with a slight frown, and thinking about the Yao Guang Holy Land outside, which was in an uproar and could return at any moment, he realized that the situation was quite different.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

Fortune favors the bold.

"So what if it's the Sea of ​​Bitterness? I dared to peel the Empress's apple, what's a little swim for me?"

He stood up and bowed in the direction of the Empress.

"Little sister, you go to sleep first. I'll go get you... no, I'll go get myself some 'nourishment'."

After saying that, Ye Chen flashed away, taking advantage of the last bit of pupil technique effect left by the "Human Face Dao Evolution Peach", and rushed out of the safe zone of Peach Blossom Spring without hesitation, plunging into the darker and more terrifying fog.

This time, he was no longer forced to fight for survival.

Instead, they take the initiative to seize that one-in-a-million chance to achieve enlightenment!

……

Meanwhile, outside the desolate and forbidden area.

Several terrifying streaks of divine light ripped through the sky and descended upon the spot where the warship had disappeared.

That was the Supreme Elder Council of the Yao Guang Holy Land, along with several renowned figures from the Eastern Wilderness.

"There are no signs of combat..."

An elderly man with white hair reached out and grabbed a handful of air, sniffed it, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"It's erasure."

"Eradication at the rule level."

"Even if the Holy Lord himself were here, he couldn't have done it so cleanly and efficiently!"

The group looked at each other, and they all saw the fear in each other's eyes.

"Could it be... that the one deep within the forbidden area has truly awakened?"

Just then, a sharp-eyed elder suddenly pointed to a corner of the pile of rocks and exclaimed in surprise:

"Look! There are words there!"

The crowd quickly gathered around.

On a huge rock, someone had used sword energy (actually, Ye Chen used his fingernail) to carve a line of large characters in a crooked manner.

The handwriting is arrogant and domineering, conveying a strong sense of provocation:

[You little brats of Yaoguang, the peaches here aren't sweet. Remember to bring some local specialties as tribute next time. — Ye, the most ruthless person of the ancient times]

"puff--!"

Upon reading this line, Elder Yaoguang, who was leading the group, spat out a mouthful of blood and trembled with rage.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

"Investigate! Investigate! Even if you have to search every inch of the Eastern Wilderness, find this guy surnamed Ye and tear him to pieces!!"

Angry roars echoed at the edge of the forbidden area.

At this moment, Ye Chen was standing in front of a vast, pitch-black ocean that exuded a decaying aura when he sneezed loudly.

"Who's talking about me?"

He rubbed his nose, looked at the desolate "sea of ​​suffering" before him, and revealed a smile that was even uglier than crying.

"This water... looks a bit cold."