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

It has a warm and smooth feel, like a piece of top-quality mutton fat jade that has been exposed to the warm sun.

Contrary to expectations, there was no excruciating pain of being drained dry. Instead, a vast yet gentle force forcefully surged into the body through the fingertips.

"Buzz—"

Ye Chen's mind roared, as if something deep within his soul had been violently stirred.

It was a frequency from the distant stars, incompatible with the laws of this cultivation world, yet at this moment, it resonated strangely with the power before them.

Like two locks, separated by billions of light-years, they clicked together.

The world spun around.

The gray mist, like a subject encountering a king, retreated in terror to both sides. Weightlessness followed, then the tactile sensation of solid ground beneath one's feet.

Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily.

What came into view was no longer the deathly gray fog, but a pink expanse as radiant as rosy clouds.

Peach blossom.

Peach blossoms fluttered in the air.

Each petal was crystal clear, unlike any ordinary thing. They drifted slowly down from the air, but before hitting the ground, they dissipated into specks of light.

"here it is……"

Ye Chen propped himself up and discovered that the terrifying age spots on the back of his hands, which were as dry as tree bark, had stopped spreading.

Although he still had the body of an old man on the verge of death, the life-devouring suction force had disappeared.

He survived?

Before he could even catch his breath, a chill ran down his spine.

The chill didn't come from temperature, but from a biological instinct—like an ant suddenly being hit by the breath of a dragon.

He turned his head stiffly.

Ten feet ahead was a precipice. Beyond the precipice lay a bottomless, pitch-black abyss, like a gaping maw that could swallow all worlds.

At the edge of the cliff, beneath an old peach tree, sat a white figure.

It was a woman.

With her back to Ye Chen, her black hair cascaded down her back, and even just her silhouette exuded an unparalleled elegance that seemed to suppress the heavens and the earth. But at this moment, that silhouette was trembling slightly.

"Click...click..."

The faint cracking sound was particularly jarring in the silent peach grove.

Ye Chen's heart trembled violently.

He saw it clearly.

The void surrounding the woman was collapsing, and jagged black cracks coiled around her like venomous snakes. These weren't wounds; they were the tearing apart of the Great Dao's laws!

The aura emanating from each crack was enough to completely crush the wild beast outside into dust.

[WARNING! Extremely dangerous source detected! Survival rate: 0.001%]

There was no system notification in Ye Chen's mind; it was his intuition as a "fraudster" that was frantically alarming him.

run!

That was the only thought.

This woman is definitely not someone to be trifled with. Someone of her caliber could obliterate him with a single breath.

Ye Chen held his breath, controlling his aged body, and tried to retreat silently.

step.

Two steps.

"elder brother?"

A murmur suddenly rang out.

The voice was soft, tinged with a hint of bewilderment, a slight tremor, and a sense of grievance that transcended countless ages.

Ye Chen's steps froze in mid-air.

The woman in white slowly turned around.

boom!

Ye Chen felt like his retina was about to be blinded.

What kind of face was that?

She seemed to be crying but not crying, laughing but not laughing, wearing a mask that resembled both bronze and a ghostly face, revealing only a pair of clear, heartbreaking eyes.

But at this moment, those eyes held no imperial majesty, only endless chaos and anticipation.

She stared intently at Ye Chen.

Or rather, staring at that unique aura from Earth deep within Ye Chen's soul.

That was the "anchor point" she had been searching for for two hundred thousand years in this cold universe.

"Brother...is that you?"

The woman stretched out her hand, and her once fair and jade-like arm was covered with spiderweb-like black cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment.

Ye Chen's heart pounded wildly.

elder brother?

got the wrong person?

He knows this plot very well!

As a seasoned online novel editor, he instantly came up with three solutions in his mind:

Option A: A triple denial. "Who are you, sis? I'm not, I didn't do it, don't talk nonsense." — Outcome: Slapped to death by the enraged boss.

Option B: Bow down in worship. "Fairy, save me! I'll be your leg ornament!" — Ending: Treated as an ant, casually wiped away.

Option C: Make the best of a bad situation.

Ye Chen's gaze swept back and forth between the terrifying Dao injuries on the woman's body and her bewildered eyes.

I'm taking the gamble!

Fortune favors the bold; to survive, you have to be crazier than a madman!

Ye Chen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the trembling in his body. He didn't answer immediately, but looked at the woman with an extremely complex expression.

Three parts shock, three parts heartache, and four parts hesitation.

The first law of psychology: When the other person is emotionally unstable, don't rush to give an answer; first establish "empathy".

He raised his withered, aged hand, pointing tremblingly to his face, gave a bitter smile, and his voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows:

"Looking at me like this... can you still recognize me?"

This statement is very skillful.

He neither directly admitted "I am your brother" nor denied it. Instead, he shifted the focus to the "change in appearance," leaving the other person with a huge space for imagination.

really.

Upon hearing these words, the woman in white trembled violently.

The chaos in her eyes seemed to dissipate somewhat, replaced by a light called "surprise," but the next second, it was overwhelmed by deep sorrow.

"Brother... is getting old..."

She murmured to herself, her voice choked with sobs, "It's all my fault, I'm late... I've made my brother suffer..."

Boom!

As her emotions fluctuated, the surrounding void instantly shattered.

An indescribably terrifying shockwave erupted from her center.

"puff!"

Ye Chen was blasted away and crashed heavily onto a bluestone, spitting out a mouthful of blood three meters away.

Is this suffering? This is a death sentence!

This woman is a ticking time bomb!

"No...don't..."

Upon seeing this, a flicker of panic crossed the woman's eyes. She wanted to approach, yet dared not, seemingly afraid that the destructive aura emanating from her would utterly kill the fragile mortal before her.

"Stay away from me..."

She clutched her head in agony, the black cracks on her body spreading wildly, and a tyrannical, bloodthirsty aura began to resurface within her.

That was her third personality—the demonic fetus!

"Kill...kill...all of them..."

A cold, brutal voice was forced out from deep in her throat, and her once clear eyes began to rapidly fill with blood, turning a deep crimson.

Finished!

Out of control!

Ye Chen lay on the ground, feeling as if every bone in his body was broken. He looked at the woman who was about to transform into a demon god, and a thousand curses ran through his mind.

This isn't about sucking up to someone's leg; it's about sucking up to a red-hot iron!

There's no escaping it now.

The shock he had just experienced had brought his aged body to the brink of collapse. If he didn't do something, the crazed woman would tear him to pieces in the next second.

"Cough cough..."

Ye Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard approach!

The second law of psychology: When dealing with a hysterical psychotic patient, sometimes a stronger stimulus is needed to disrupt her logical chain.

He struggled to get up.

This time, he did not retreat. Instead, he dragged his battered body step by step toward the figure exuding overwhelming killing intent.

The wind howled, cutting like a knife.

With each step Ye Chen took, his skin was cut open, and blood flowed freely.

But he stared intently into the woman's eyes, his gaze devoid of fear, only filled with a kind of... disappointment and sternness.

That was the authority of an "elder brother".

Five zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

One zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

At this moment, the woman was completely shrouded in black energy. She raised her hand, her palm gathering dark light powerful enough to destroy stars, and slammed it down on Ye Chen's head!

"die!!!"

Before the palm strike even arrived, Ye Chen's face was already deformed by the pressure, and the suffocating feeling of death gripped his throat.

At this critical moment.

Ye Chen mustered all his strength and let out a roar:

"Stop crying! Put your hand down!"

This sound carried no cultivation whatsoever; it was simply due to the loudness of the voice.

But in that instant, Ye Chen perfectly imitated the tone of his former life's head teacher reprimanding a misbehaving elementary school student.

That devastating hand stopped abruptly just three inches above Ye Chen's head.

The violent palm wind whipped Ye Chen's white hair wildly, but he didn't even blink.

He's gambling.

I'm betting that this woman subconsciously holds absolute obedience to her "brother".

All sounds are silent.

one second.

two seconds.

In those scarlet eyes, the savage killing intent faltered for a moment.

Ye Chen knew that he only had one chance.

He forced his trembling legs to stop, took the last step forward, ignored the terrifying black crack, and gently placed his blood-stained and wrinkled hand on the woman's head.

Just like comforting the little sister next door when she was a child.

The movements were gentle, yet carried an undeniable strength.

"How old are you? You still can't control your temper?"

Ye Chen's voice softened, carrying a hint of helplessness and doting as he gently ruffled her hair.

"Listen to me, take a deep breath."

boom--!

In that instant, the overwhelming demonic energy emanating from the woman actually paused for a moment as the mortal's hand touched her.

The crimson fades, and clarity returns.

She stared blankly at Ye Chen, who was so close to her, feeling the long-lost, warm touch on her head.

That was a temperature she had never dared to dream of throughout all the ages.

"elder brother?"

She carefully reached out and grasped Ye Chen's withered wrist, as if she were grasping the whole world.

however.

Just when Ye Chen thought he had won his gamble.

The woman's expression suddenly changed.

That dependence and confusion vanished instantly, replaced by an absolute indifference that seemed to look down upon eternity.

This is... her second personality, the Empress herself!

She gripped Ye Chen's pulse point tightly, and a chilling divine sense instantly swept over Ye Chen's entire body.

"A mortal body, nearing the end of its lifespan, with no cultivation whatsoever."

The Empress's voice was as cold as ancient ice, devoid of any emotion.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes, which seemed to hold the very essence of the birth and death of stars, piercing straight into Ye Chen's heart.

"You are not him."

Ye Chen's heart stopped.

Were you seen through?

"But..." the Empress's tone shifted, her smile both beautiful and cold, "his scent lingers in your soul."

She slowly stood up; although her terrifying imperial aura had subsided, it was still suffocating.

She looked at Ye Chen as if he were a rare treasure, or an interesting toy.

"Stay here."

"Make my medicine."

Ye Chen: "..."

So, I'm not the older brother, I'm aspirin?