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

Rumble!

Thunderous booms emanated from Ye Chen's body.

That's not just repair, it's rebuilding!

The bones of mortals were shattered, then reassembled under the intertwining of imperial tears and immortal light, transforming into crystal-clear jade bones, faintly imprinted with the patterns of the Great Dao.

The blocked meridians were forcibly opened up, widening more than tenfold, becoming as tough as dragon tendons.

The once-dry sea of ​​wheels is now surging with towering waves.

The amber-colored divine spring water was completely refined and merged into his sea of ​​suffering.

The once pitch-black sea of ​​suffering now glowed with a faint golden light, and in the center of the sea of ​​suffering, a life spring gushing with life essence was taking shape at a speed visible to the naked eye!

If cultivators outside the sect were to see this, they would be so jealous that their Dao hearts would shatter.

This is the Emperor himself personally performing a marrow cleansing and hair-removing ritual!

This is Foundation Establishment using Emperor's Tears, a divine medicine of immortality!

This isn't cultivating immortality, this is clearly cheating!

I don't know how much time passed.

The excruciating pain that tore at my soul gradually subsided, replaced by an unprecedented feeling of comfort.

Ye Chen felt as if he were floating on clouds, feeling completely relaxed and bathed in divine blessings, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

Two beams of light pierced the void like lightning.

not dead!

You won the bet!

Ye Chen was panting heavily, his whole body was already soaked in cold sweat, and the exhaustion from surviving the ordeal made his fingers tremble.

He subconsciously looked inward at himself.

Holy crap?!

What was originally a tiny puddle of a sea of ​​wheels, which had only been partially opened up, has now transformed into a vast ocean.

In the very center of the vast ocean, a spring of life gushed forth, its divine power so pure it was frightening, even carrying a faint hint of... imperial might?

[Congratulations, host! You've turned misfortune into a blessing!]

[Through the personal purification and cleansing of your marrow by the Ruthless Great Emperor, and the fusion of the Dao Principles of the Emperor's Tears, your mortal body has undergone a fundamental transformation!]

[Gained a special physique: Pseudo-Innate Dao Embryo (Incomplete Version)]

[Physical Characteristics: Naturally close to the Great Dao, spiritual energy absorption speed +500%. Although you are an artificially synthesized fake, within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, you are the Great Dao's favored child!]

Ye Chen was dumbfounded.

Pseudo-Innate Dao Embryo?

Although it has the word "fake" in it, this is the legendary physique of the Queen Mother of the West! This is a huge win!

"woke up?"

A cold voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over Ye Chen's head.

Ye Chen felt a jolt, and the joy of obtaining a divine body vanished instantly.

He stiffly raised his head.

The Empress was sitting cross-legged on a blue stone not far away, resting her chin on one hand, her deep, cold eyes looking at him with a half-smile.

That look in his eyes was no longer pure indifference.

Rather, it's a kind of playful observation that sees through everything but is too lazy to expose it.

Like a cat playing with a mouse, it carries a playful tone of life and death.

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for saving my life."

Ye Chen swallowed hard and wisely refrained from calling her "little sister" again.

If we act it out now, it will seem too fake.

Showing weakness appropriately is the way to survive.

"Save you?"

The Empress's lips curled into a slight smile, tinged with mockery. "I just don't want my medicinal catalyst to explode and spoil this paradise."

She slowly stood up, her bare feet stepping on the void, and walked step by step to Ye Chen.

As she approached, a terrifying sense of oppression washed over him, and Ye Chen felt as if his newly forged jade bones were about to be crushed.

The Empress extended a finger and gently lifted Ye Chen's chin, forcing him to look directly at her.

The two faces were less than three inches apart.

Ye Chen could even see her long eyelashes and smell the faint, cool fragrance emanating from her.

"You are smart and bold."

The Empress's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling coldness. "You know who I am, and you know what I'm thinking. You took advantage of Nannan's obsession, my Dao injury, and even my... weakness."

Ye Chen's heart pounded wildly, and cold sweat poured down his back.

This woman knows everything!

"But remember this."

The Empress's fingers slowly moved down, landing on Ye Chen's throat, her fingertips gently caressing his carotid artery.

A lie is still a lie.

"I can tolerate you lying to me for a while, because these long years are just too boring."

"Since you like acting, then I'll play along with you in this play."

"but……"

The Empress's gaze suddenly turned sharp, and with a slight exertion of her fingertips, she pierced Ye Chen's skin, causing a drop of bright red blood to seep out.

"If one day you mess up your performance, or I think the play is no longer interesting."

"I will refine you and your soul into lamp oil, and burn it for ten thousand years in my bronze palace."

After saying that, she casually tossed Ye Chen away like trash.

"Bang!"

Ye Chen crashed heavily to the ground. Although he was not seriously injured due to the protection of the pseudo-Dao Embryo, the fear of being dominated was deeply ingrained in his bones.

"Now, get back to your training."

The empress turned around, her back to him, and her voice returned to its cold tone.

"Now that the spring of life has been opened, one is qualified to cultivate."

"I don't keep useless people as pets."

"That nine-aperture stone man has been acting strangely lately. Go... and deal with him."

Ye Chen had just gotten up from the ground when he heard these words and almost knelt down again.

A nine-aperture stone man?

That's an ancient remnant! A terrifying being slumbering in the inner perimeter of the forbidden area! Although it's not as powerful as a Great Emperor, what's the difference between crushing a minor cultivator at the Life Spring Realm and crushing an ant?

"Your Majesty, this..." Ye Chen said with a bitter face, "Isn't this a bit too advanced?"

That's your problem.

Without turning her head, the empress gradually faded away and merged into the void.

"If you win, the stone man's heart will be yours, and it can help you cultivate to the Dao Palace."

"We lost..."

Only one last, faint sentence remained in the air:

"Then let it eat you up, it'll save me the trouble."

The wind blew by.

The peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.

Ye Chen stood there, rubbing his still throbbing neck, looking in the direction where the Empress had disappeared, a hint of madness suddenly appearing on his lips.

"Crazy woman."

He muttered a curse under his breath, but his eyes gleamed with ambition.

Although it's like dancing on a knife's edge, this feeling...

That was fucking exciting!

He felt the divine power surging within him and looked towards the ancient ruins shrouded in mist deep within the forbidden area.

The Nine-Aperture Stone Man, right?

Since you, my powerful backer, gave me the best gear for beginners, then this first dungeon boss...

I'm determined to swipe it!

……

at the same time.

Outside the desolate forbidden land, on the main ship of the Yao Guang Holy Land.

Several elderly men with white hair and beards were gathered around a broken life tablet, their faces solemn.

"The Holy Son...has fallen?"

"How is that possible! The Holy Son possesses a secret treasure and is accompanied by protectors. Even if he accidentally entered the outer perimeter of the forbidden area, it's impossible for him to have no news at all!"

"Investigate! Investigate immediately!"

"We must find him alive or dead! Even if we have to search every inch of this ancient forbidden land, we must find the murderer who killed the Holy Son!"

An undercurrent is surging outside the forbidden area.

Ye Chen, who was in the core of the forbidden area and had just escaped death, was unaware of this.

Aside from the capricious empress and the nine-aperture stone man they were about to face.

Another wave of classic cultivation world troubles, known as "the older generation suffers the consequences after the younger ones are beaten," is approaching him...