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

The boy awoke from his unconsciousness with a start, his eyes wide open, but this was his last moment of lucidity.

The girl with pigtails and bronze mask flew forward and struck the two men on the top of their heads with both palms, killing them instantly.

wow...

The Law Puppet merged into the heavens and earth at that moment and disappeared.

The girl stood still, subconsciously reaching out her small hand in the direction where the puppet had disappeared. She opened her mouth, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Although she knew that the other person was merely a manifestation of the rules of this place and could not speak or answer her, she still couldn't help but want to call out to them.

Ask her when her master will be back.

Or if she is here, when can I come out to see her?

……

Chapter Thirty-Six: Master, Can I... Hug You? (3.1K)

Whoosh...

In the wind and sand.

The girl with pigtails withdrew her small hand, looked at the spot where the puppet of laws had disappeared, and pursed her lips, which tasted of rust.

This wasn't the first time she'd seen such a law-based puppet, nor was it the first time she'd had the thought of seeking its advice.

But the puppets disappeared too quickly each time, and she never had time to ask them a question.

She didn't stand there for long. She silently cleaned up the battlefield, clearing away the spoils and traces of battle, and dragged the corpses to that secluded corner where she often lingered.

poof...

After doing all this, Li Qingjue could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, too weak to even move a finger.

Beneath the bronze mask, blood continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Another day has passed...

She sat cross-legged for a while to recover, and when she felt a little better, she struggled to move her gaze to the three... no, the two corpses and the puddle of mud.

At this moment, there was no joy of victory in her eyes, only a deathly coldness.

Those corpses weren't even corpses in her eyes; they were simply resources for her to strengthen herself.

That's all...

She needs the essence of these people to continuously strengthen herself.

However, just as she was circulating her demonic powers, attempting to devour and refine all the remaining essence within that pool of mud.

A faint sigh, seemingly transcending eternity, carrying an indescribable complexity, gently sounded in her ear:

"Ugh……"

The sigh was soft, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in her nearly numb mind, causing a huge uproar.

The evil dragon that had recently surfaced and was often seen probing the water seemed to be startled by something, and it immediately darted back inside.

Li Qingjue's petite body suddenly stiffened, as if she had been frozen in place by a spell.

She was naturally familiar with that voice.

At one point, she felt that the owner of this voice was too strict and harsh on her. Later, through some details, she realized that the other person treated her very well, just with a sharp tongue but a kind heart...

Later on, she got used to that indifferent tone and stern manner.

Until the day they parted, she could no longer hear.

For more than a year, she had silently hoped countless times that this voice would ring in her ears again, just like it is now.

Was I hallucinating?

"Has the demonic power corrupted my mind...have I lost control...?"

Startled, Li Qingjue incredulously twisted his neck little by little, looking in the direction from which the sound came.

Her movements were extremely slow, as if she was afraid that when she finally saw the source of the sound, it would be empty, and she would be in a daze again.

however.

This time, it was clearly different from the hallucinations that came with the previous surge of loneliness.

When she turned around completely, she saw a phantom yet incredibly familiar figure quietly appearing not far away.

Even as a remnant soul, she still exuded a majestic aura that brought immense peace of mind, which wafted over her small face.

The other person's eyes remained as deep and unfathomable as the starry sea; when they met, it felt as if everything about them was being seen through.

It really is Master!!

It really is Tan Lin...

He stood there quietly, his ethereal figure seemingly existing there since time immemorial.

At this moment, his deep gaze calmly fell on Li Qingjue's petite body, which was covered in wounds and bloodstains, and finally swept over the bronze mask that covered her face.

"Master...Master?!"

Standing still, beneath the bronze mask, Li Qingjue's voice trembled violently with uncontrollable force.

Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.

But in the past year, apart from the time she found her brother's remains in Cang Yuhang's feather artifact, she never shed a tear, no matter how severe or painful her injuries were.

But at this moment, she really couldn't control her emotions, and her nose felt sore.

When they first parted ways after entering the tower, she thought her master would return in a few days, but she ended up waiting for a year, three months, and seven days!

During that time, she had so many questions and so many things she had seen and heard that she wanted to share with them.

She wanted her master to be present to witness every transformation of her mortal body.

Every hardship and every step forward, every moment of growth, is worthwhile if it earns the Master's approval.

"Master, I'm so sorry, I think... I'm crying again..."

Li Qingjue removed her bronze mask, her small face streaked with tears, looking miserable. She tried to smile at Tan Lin, but her voice remained weak and choked with sobs, making her even more frustrated.

She remembered that the day after the incident at the post station, she swore an oath to Tan Lin, vowing never to cry again in her life.

But it seems she didn't manage to do it...

Thinking of this, she bit her lower lip, dissatisfied with her performance. She lowered her head in front of Tan Lin, as if waiting for his criticism.

Perhaps she has long forgotten that, even now, she is just an eleven-year-old girl, and it is perfectly normal for her to be unable to control her emotions.

Even the mighty emperors and ancient sovereigns, at certain times, will shed tears when they think of sad people and sad events.

whoosh...

Ahead, Tan Lin's remnant soul slowly drifted closer, his gaze sweeping over the corpses beside him, especially lingering for a moment on the pile of mud.

He paused for a moment, looking at Li Qingjue. He wanted to say something like, "You've done very well," but the words that came to his lips were simply:

"After a year apart, you've made some progress, and you've become even more ruthless."

His flat tone made it impossible to tell whether he was praising or criticizing.

His tone was so indifferent, as if he were commenting on something that had nothing to do with him, as if the person with the head bowed in front of him was not his disciple.

Even so, Li Qingjue was still perceptive enough to catch a very faint trace of another emotion in the words.

She couldn't quite pinpoint what kind of emotion it was, but she figured she wasn't too bad...

Thinking of this, Li Qingjue cautiously raised her head and looked up at Tan Lin:

"Master...you've been gone for so long, your disciple misses you..."

Her chapped lips moved slightly. A thousand words, endless grievances, the hardships she had endured, and her daily longing all turned into this cry, tinged with a sob.

At this moment, all the strength, all the pretense, all the protective shell crumbled the instant she saw Tan Lin.

At this moment, she seemed to have transformed back into that little girl in the abandoned brick kiln, who had nothing but tightly clutched that bronze ring.

At this moment, what ruthlessness is there?

What's so cold?

What kind of hostility...

All these things were temporarily set aside at this moment of meeting.

Upon hearing this and seeing this, Tan Lin's deep eyes flickered slightly.

He could naturally sense the genuine emotion in the girl's expression as she spoke, but he wouldn't express it too much. At this moment, a slight nod to the girl was the greatest response he could give.

However, the girl's next request really left him unsure how to respond:

"Master, may I... hug you?"

Li Qingjue's clear eyes were filled with a pure and tender affection for her teacher and elders. She looked at Tan Lin and asked him hesitantly.

In response, Tan Lin's remnant soul remained silent, his expression indifferent, offering no reply whatsoever.

……

rustling... rustling...

The wind and sand blew everywhere, and this hidden corner fell silent for a moment.

"Is it not allowed...?"

Li Qingjue pursed her lips, a hint of loss and frustration flashing in her eyes. She didn't know when it had started, but she had come to regard the other person as another family member besides her brother.

Even though her master was strict and cold, her heart was never too heavy during the days he was with her.

In the silence, she slowly lifted the bronze mask she had been wearing lately and whispered to Tan Lin:

"Master, I know you did this, your disciple..."

"You talk too much!"

Suddenly, before she could finish speaking, Tan Lin coldly interrupted her:

"It's just a mere magical artifact for concealing one's aura and disguising one's appearance. If there's nothing else, then do what you're supposed to do."

After speaking, Tan Lin's remnant soul turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared into the void of the ring that had been there for nearly a million years.

Three months have passed since the invisible confrontation with the incarnation of the Carefree Celestial Venerable.

During these three months, he was collecting and integrating the scattered fragments of true souls in the entire Beidou.

Now that we're back in this training tower, we've naturally completed this step roughly.

After his remnant soul stabilizes and he rests for a while to recover from the damage to his remnant soul consciousness caused by entering and leaving the Undying Mountain, he can begin to peel away the last remaining fragments of true soul that remain here.

Because these fragments had been incorporated into the bodies of some spirits, he had previously used them as eyes, ears, and pawns.

Later, when he prepares to head to Zhongzhou for a final gamble, he will strip these pieces back, regardless of whether they still have any value.

After all, whether the remnant soul is intact or not is directly related to the process of reincarnation and solving the mystery of the womb.

"I've been talking too much... But it's been so long, and I really want to talk to you more, Master..."

Outside, Li Qingjue stared blankly as he held out the bronze ring in his palm.

Seeing Tan Lin's remnant soul reside within the ring once more, she "felt" that the ring had become heavier, and a strange sense of peace welled up within her.

Although she knew that the weight of the ring did not actually change, it was just her illusion.

"Do what I should do... Yes, do what I should do. No matter what, Master has returned..."

As she murmured, her gaze shifted back to the corpse beside her.

Sitting cross-legged with his palms facing upwards, the embryonic form of the "Devouring Heaven Demon Art" quietly began to operate.

wow...

At that moment, Tan Lin's remnant soul silently reappeared from within the ring.

He raised his finger and pointed it in the air, and a ray of clear light shot out from his fingertip and went straight into Li Qingjue's brow.

Li Qingjue's body trembled, and he was about to get up.

"Do not open your eyes, close them and concentrate, carefully comprehend the ancient scripture I have passed on to you."