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

The story is over.

The logic is fragmented and full of personal opinions.

But the results were surprisingly good.

The confusion in the Empress's eyes completely disappeared. She looked at Ye Chen, the coldness in her eyes melting away, leaving only a pure dependence.

"Brother, I want to hear... 'The Little Match Girl'."

Ye Chen was secretly delighted.

Steady!

We've managed to latch onto this powerful ally for now.

"Okay, tell me, tell me." Ye Chen yawned, feigning exhaustion. "But telling stories is tiring, and I'm starving now, I don't have the energy."

This is a test.

He was testing his standing in the Empress's eyes, hoping to gain some tangible benefits in return. Perhaps, a little mild, less dangerous food.

Upon hearing this, the Empress did not hesitate at all.

She raised her hand and beckoned.

In the distance, a colorful golden pheasant, which had been hiding behind a rock and trembling, flew over uncontrollably.

"Bang!"

The pheasant exploded into a cloud of blood mist in mid-air, leaving only a clean piece of lean meat that landed on the bluestone in front of Ye Chen.

It was a rare species with ancient bloodlines, its flesh translucent and exuding an alluring aroma.

"eat."

The Empress uttered only one word, then, like a well-behaved schoolchild, rested her chin on her hands, waiting for the next story.

Ye Chen looked at the piece of meat, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

This is the meat of a mythical beast, comparable to a powerful medicine!

He didn't stand on ceremony anymore, and started grilling the meat.

The flickering firelight illuminated their faces.

One is an emperor cursed by time, the other is a time traveler who talks nonsense.

In this forbidden zone filled with the aura of death, a strange yet warm harmony has emerged.

While flipping the grilled meat, Ye Chen stole glances at the Empress.

At this moment, she was as quiet as a white lotus blooming on the edge of an abyss.

If things could stay this way, wouldn't that be nice?

however.

Just as Ye Chen lowered his guard...

The Empress's voice rang out again.

This time, she is neither the soft and sweet "little girl" nor the indifferent "Emperor".

Rather, it is a profound insight that carries endless vicissitudes and sees into the human heart.

"In your story, there's Little Red Riding Hood..."

She slowly raised her head, her eyes deep and unfathomable, making Ye Chen feel uneasy. "In the end, did you really kill the wolf?"

Ye Chen's hand trembled, and the roasted meat almost fell into the fire.

"Of course," he said, trying to sound calm.

You're lying.

The empress stood up and looked down at him.

At this moment, her aura became unpredictable once again.

She extended a finger and gently placed it between Ye Chen's eyebrows.

Icy.

biting.

"Your soul is trembling," the Empress's voice boomed in his mind. "You are afraid of me."

Ye Chen suffered cardiac arrest.

Discovered?

"But it doesn't matter."

The empress withdrew her finger, turned and walked towards the cliff, leaving Ye Chen with a lonely silhouette.

"No matter who you are, no matter where you come from."

"Since you've made Nannan happy, I'll allow you to live."

"but……"

As she abruptly changed the subject, the surrounding peach blossoms withered instantly, and a murderous aura swept over them.

"My Dao injury can no longer be suppressed."

"Three days."

"If you cannot break through to the Life Spring Realm within three days, use your life essence to refine a batch of 'Spirit Awakening Pills' for me..."

The Empress turned her head to the side, revealing a stunningly beautiful profile, her smile carrying a chilling undertone.

"Then I'll have no choice but to devour you whole."

Ye Chen looked at the piece of meat in his hand that wasn't even cooked yet, and suddenly it didn't taste so good anymore.

three days?

Life Spring?

In this place where even breathing hurts?

This isn't raising an empress, it's a death sentence with a two-year reprieve!

The campfire crackled, its light casting flickering shadows on Ye Chen's pale face.

The piece of five-colored brocade meat, which would make powerful figures outside fight tooth and nail for it, had been devoured clean by him. A warm feeling arose in his stomach, but for his newly opened Sea of ​​Wheels, this amount of essence was like a cup of water poured on parched earth, vanishing in an instant.

not enough.

Far from enough.

Ye Chen looked inward at himself. The remaining medicinal power of that peach was firmly suppressed deep within his sea of ​​consciousness by the Devouring Heaven Dao Scripture, like a trapped Tyrannosaurus Rex, which could turn on him at any moment.

If he doesn't break through to the Life Spring Realm as soon as possible and guide this power to gush out, he will explode into a dazzling firework three days later, without the Empress even lifting a finger.

"Three days, the fountain of life..."

Ye Chen sneered inwardly.

For a normal cultivator, it takes at least three years and at most ten years to go from opening the Sea of ​​Constellations to cultivating the Spring of Life. This woman's offer of three days clearly indicates she doesn't intend to let him live.

This is what is known as "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger." In her eyes, she was either a useful ingredient or a useless ashes.

Since conventional methods would inevitably lead to certain death, drastic measures are the only option.

Ye Chen raised his head, his gaze passing over the campfire and looking at the cliff not far away.

The Empress remained standing there.

The night wind lifted her white dress, making it flutter. She looked up at the eternally gray, starless sky above the desolate forbidden land, her lonely figure like a monument that had stood for eternity.

What is she looking at?

Are you looking back? Or are you waiting for someone who will never come back?

Ye Chen took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing rhythm. His gaze narrowed slightly as his thoughts raced, countless micro-expressions and tone of voice options arranging and combining in his mind.

The fifth law of psychology: When the person you are communicating with is in a state of extreme loneliness, empathy is the only weapon that can break through the barrier. And the highest level of empathy is not comfort, but "mirroring".

You need to show her a mirror so she can see herself in the story.

Ye Chen stood up, patted the dust off his backside, and instead of deliberately lightening his pace, he stepped on the gravel, making a clear sound, and walked to a spot three zhang behind the Empress.

This is a safe distance. Any closer, and you'll be injured by the protective imperial aura.

"It's very dark, isn't it?"

Ye Chen's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were asking a question.

The empress neither turned around nor responded. It was as if the person standing behind her was not a person, but a speck of dust.

Ye Chen was not discouraged. He sat down cross-legged, his gaze also fixed on the vast night sky, and slowly began to speak: "When I was little, I always liked to lie to you, saying that every star in the sky represents someone who has left home. Once you count them all, that person will come back."

The Empress's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly.

effective.

The entry point is correct.

Ye Chen smiled slightly, but his voice became even deeper and more weathered, carrying a magnetic rhythm unique to storytelling.

"Later, I told you a story about stars. I wonder if you remember it..."

He paused for three seconds.

This is leaving blank space, giving the other person time to reminisce and anticipate.