Covering the Sky: The Years I Was the Empress's Strictest Master

As he spoke, this white-haired old man, who had received indirect guidance from the Human Emperor many years ago in the Central Continent of the Big Dipper, and whose cultivation had successfully reached the Quasi-Emperor realm in recent years, said...

He stepped forward and helped Suiren and Lianlei up, then looked them over carefully, feeling greatly relieved:

"Excellent! After seventy or eighty years, your cultivation has greatly improved, your foundation has become more solid, you have already achieved the aura of a Human King, and you are poised to become a Quasi-Emperor in the future, perhaps even..."

There is truly hope of glimpsing that supreme realm!

"Grandfather, you flatter me."

Suiren Lianlei responded humbly, her sharp edge before venturing beyond the realm having long since been concealed.

Soon, after a lively welcoming ceremony,

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Suiren Lianlei and Suiren Hong to welcome the Emperor's Banner into the ancestral hall.

"Lianlei, was the trip smooth? Did you encounter many dangers along the way?"

At this moment, Suiren Hongcai revealed the true care and concern that one would show to a family member or elder.

Upon hearing this, Suiren Lianlei recounted her experiences from beyond the realm, highlighting the most important points.

This includes his experiences on the Golden Ancient Road and the Forbidden Ancient Road, as well as his return journey, including leaving his name in front of the Imperial Pass, witnessing strange phenomena at the Imperial Pass, and seeing the "Suiren" stele.

Of course, she did not elaborate on Tan Lin's true identity or the unusual movements of the Human Emperor Banner in the Divine Realm.

Suiren Hong nodded repeatedly, especially when he heard about the strange phenomenon in front of the Imperial Pass that reflected the stone tablet of the Human Emperor "Suiren".

Tears welled up in the old man's cloudy eyes as he solemnly bowed three times before the Emperor's Banner, which was radiating boundless light in the void:

"Our ancestors are watching over our Human King Palace... Grandson, you have seen His Majesty's mark, this is a great destiny, you must diligently cultivate, live up to the past achievements of our human race, live up to the prestige of the Human King's body, and live up to the title of 'Suiren'!"

"Granddaughter will remember this."

Suiren Lianlei solemnly agreed.

Immediately, she focused her mind and concentrated her energy, then mentally communicated with the banner that exuded a vast aura and an indomitable fighting spirit.

Wow!

As soon as the Emperor's Banner entered the ancestral hall, wisps of pure faith power, invisible to the naked eye, gathered from the void and entered the banner.

The patterns on the banner seemed even brighter, and the aura it emitted appeared more solid.

In the dim light, it seemed as if countless phantoms of human ancestors were praying in the banners, and images of soldiers and generals fighting alongside the "human sovereign" emerged.

hum...

Descending from the void, the deity of the Human Emperor Banner returned to silence, concealing all its divine aura.

With a solemn expression, Suiren Lianlei held the Emperor's Banner in both hands and slowly placed it at the top of the ancestral hall.

That was on the other side of the memorial tablets of emperors and sages throughout the ages, at the very front of a single row, on a sandalwood stand that had been prepared long ago.

“Grandfather, I have returned this time intending to re-enshrine the Human Emperor Banner in the ancestral hall, so that it may be offered up by the incense and faith of our Human King lineage. In truth, such an important artifact should remain within the lineage to suppress the fortune of our Human King lineage. It is best not to leave it untouched when not in use…”

Suiren Lianlei solemnly said.

Because she omitted some details and did not finish her story, there were some "loopholes" that left people confused.

How could Suiren Hong, who had lived for thousands of years, not understand this?

However, this Emperor Banner is of great significance, as it symbolizes the legitimate succession of the Suiren clan. The granddaughter's words are reasonable in every way, and there is nothing wrong with them.

"That's how it should be..."

After a moment's thought, Suiren Hong immediately gave the order, with all core elders and disciples taking the lead in coordinating the overall situation.

From this day forward, cultivators within the Daoist lineage and mortals within its jurisdiction will be divided into three waves.

Every three days, a sacrificial ceremony is held outside the ancestral hall, with the highest level of incense and faith used to offer sacrifices to the Emperor's banner day and night, ensuring its continuous nourishment.

……

In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.

At dawn on this day

The daily sacrificial ceremony, performed without fail, proceeded solemnly and in an orderly manner.

All the disciples of the King's Hall prostrated themselves in devout worship, reciting ancient sacrificial texts.

Meanwhile, the common people in various parts of the territory would, as is customary, bow their heads and kowtow towards this place from afar, spending only a moment in time, before going about their own business.

wow...

Day after day, the incense smoke rises, and the pure power of faith, like a trickle, converges into a river, continuously flowing into the Emperor's Banner.

Deep within the banner, a point of spiritual energy, which Tan Lin had captured using the miraculous power of the Soul Pearl and further enhanced by the Spirit Treasure Array Diagram, was injected into the pool of spiritual energy within.

It is slowly melting and refining the unknown substances that were eliminated from the primordial spirits of the cultivators that were devoured and refined into its body, in a mysterious and unpredictable way.

Then it merged with the banner itself, nurturing the millions of ancient human spirits that had been collected within the banner in the primordial era.

During this process, wisps of strange divine essence were extracted and continuously integrated into the banner, so that one day it would be able to perfectly replicate the power of the divine soul pool.

Of course,

This process is destined to be slow. After all, if we want to give the Emperor Banner an unfathomable divine power, we must absorb and refine most of the water from the Divine Soul Pool and temper it repeatedly.

But before that,

The damage to this ancestral banner, caused by someone's frequent activation and revival efforts, should be quickly restored under the combined effect of this strange soul liquid and the power of incense and prayers.

It transforms into the purest and most suitable nutrients within the banner, which in turn nourish and strengthen the human heroes and warriors within, which have many uses, and indirectly elevates the power and status of the Human Emperor Banner itself.

In the ancestral hall,

Suiren Hong stood beside Suiren Lianlei, looking at the Emperor's Banner that glowed faintly in the incense and faith, and couldn't help but vaguely compare it to the time when he entrusted it to his granddaughter to go out many years ago.

As a quasi-emperor, after observing for several days, he inevitably noticed the difference between the front and back of the Human Emperor Banner.

It was a strange and profound energy that he had never felt on the Emperor's Banner before, and it was now constantly settling and refining deep within the banner.

His thoughts drifted back to the day his granddaughter returned, and how she had only briefly mentioned certain things then.

A thought struck him, and he immediately understood that the other person's many years of hard work and experience were far more complex than what he had described. He subtly probed through telepathy:

“Lianlei, I observe that this Emperor’s Banner seems to be slightly different from the one you took away before? Could it be that this important artifact encountered some kind of fate on the ancient road that caused this change?”

Or... what are those 'senior' instructions?

Upon hearing this, Suiren Lianlei remained silent for a moment.

Then her gaze was fixed on the Emperor's Banner floating in the incense smoke, and the scene flashed through her mind: before Tan Lin left, he used an array to suppress that small pool of divine souls and absorb it into the banner.

This matter ultimately involves His Majesty's identity...

Thoughts drifted,

Finally, she gently shook her head, her voice carrying a barely perceptible fluctuation:

"Grandfather, please do not ask any more questions. These changes are beneficial to the Emperor's Banner. As for our King's Palace, we only need to sincerely offer incense and wait for the changes to happen."

Suiren Hong's eyes narrowed slightly.

He was a man of great stature. Seeing that Suiren Lianlei still did not tell him rashly, he immediately understood the hidden story behind it, which was probably more complicated than he had imagined.

In that case, the mysterious senior who the other party mentioned that helped him escape that day is probably...

He didn't press further, but gave the Emperor's Banner a deep look, already having a general idea of ​​what was going on.

In fact, he knew better than his granddaughter what the Human Emperor Banner and the "deities" within it were like many years ago.

At this very moment, this battle flag, once held by the human emperor, is undergoing an unknown transformation and sublimation.

And those beings at that level who could accomplish all of this, whether directly or indirectly, all...

But since they were not related by blood or marriage, what was the reason that person would lend a helping hand and even fan the flames, causing such a change in the imperial banner?

Unless that person and the Human Emperor Banner have some extremely deep connection with their Human King Palace lineage...

"In that case, I will pretend I know nothing about this matter and will not ask about it today."

Having thought of this, Suiren Hong said no more.

However, I continued to ponder this matter in my mind.

…………

Meanwhile, on the other side of the starry sky.

After several years, Tianling, who controlled Gu Qingying's body, also crossed endless star fields and quietly returned to the ancient star of the Big Dipper.

She used a secret technique to conceal the secrets of heaven and returned directly to the central region of the Eastern Wilderness, arriving immediately at the entrance to the secret realm belonging to her Tianxuan Ancient Clan.

The entrance to the small world remains hidden, guarded by a powerful ancient formation.

wow...

Soon, Tianling skillfully cast several spells, causing ripples in the void, and a portal of light quietly appeared.

As she stepped inside, the scenery changed before her eyes, and the familiar beauty of the mountains and rivers rushed towards her.

This little world remains peaceful and serene, brimming with spiritual energy, like a paradise on earth.

Her goal upon returning was clear: to unite her soul with her body, which was sealed deep within the "Cave of the Realm," thus eliminating the limitation that had prevented her from making any progress in her cultivation for decades.

At that time, after Shen Yue's physical body has reached the pinnacle of Great Saint cultivation...

She would then take the lead, stepping into the Quasi-Emperor realm, while Shen Yue would simultaneously exert her power, activating the Nine Transformations of the Divine Silkworm to fuse her original physical body into it, thereby "transforming" into the Heavenly Profound Emperor's blood.

When the two "ancestral bloodlines" merge and coexist, her power will far exceed the expectations of natural cultivation before the great upheaval in the ancient times.

Da...da...

Tian Ling moved lightly towards the unremarkable stone wall that concealed the cave space.

But now, after countless ages, returning to this secret place where she had met with someone day and night countless times, the sight of the place stirred up memories, and a trace of dazedness inevitably appeared on her face.

however,

As she passed above a ley line node in the secret realm, she paused slightly in surprise.

Her divine soul had been indirectly "tempered" over hundreds of thousands of years by the waters of the Divine Soul Pool; how powerful was her divine sense?

With its activation, it instantly covered most of this secret area, where, in a corner, someone had built a hut, a man-made cave dwelling.

Through a crack in the stone door of the cave, a faint aura could be heard emanating from within.

"Someone has broken free?"

Tianling's eyes flashed, and thoughts raced through her mind.

Tan Lin had told her that a hundred years ago he had sealed away several of his former "proud and fierce generals" and placed them here, and they should all be sleeping in the Divine Source now.

Logically speaking, the seal was only sealed for a hundred years. Without external forces or other factors, those people should still be asleep.

However, it cannot be ruled out that as time passes, the "source silkworm" that was once sealed in the cave of Shencan Ridge may have disobeyed orders and come out on its own.

of course,

The worst-case scenario is that this place has been discovered by some unscrupulous people from the outside world.

rustling... rustling...

With lightning speed, Tianling continued to conceal her aura and quietly approached the cave dwelling that was originally quite far away.

Upon arriving at the destination, she used a secret technique to probe with her divine sense.

Inside the cave, a somber figure stood with his back to the stone door in the center, seemingly gazing silently at some scrolls hanging on the wall.

The man was dressed in ancient armor, his hair was white and disheveled, yet his figure was as upright as a pine tree.

Although he was just standing there quietly, he naturally exuded a calm and composed temperament that had been tempered by blood and fire, as well as a faint murderous aura, making him appear old and frail.

Having reached the peak of the Great Sage realm, it seemed to have sensed a movement at the cave entrance.

The figure slowly turned around.

shuh...

It was a weathered face, and his eyes, when they opened and closed, shone with a sharp light, carrying a hint of wariness and scrutiny.

When he saw "Gu Qingying" at the cave entrance, he was slightly taken aback at first, then his brows furrowed and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes:

"Who are you? Why are you trespassing here?"

The old man spoke in a deep, hoarse but powerful voice, and at the same time, a powerful pressure subtly locked onto Tian Ling.