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

at the same time,

The sound of "Xiang Li" echoing in my ears never stopped for a day, and as time went by, it seemed to become more and more urgent, carrying an indescribable anxiety.

But it kept repeating the same sentence over and over, as if it had been lingering here in some way for a long time, and only after this strange change broke out was half of it triggered...

This left Xiang Yun and the others, who wanted to find out the truth, at a loss.

Half a year had passed since the day the strange event occurred, and a dark cloud hung over their hearts.

Xiang Yun and the others' injuries slowly recovered under the care of the spiritual medicine, but their doubts and unease grew day by day.

They could sense that something irreversible was happening in the Crimson Cloud River, or rather, deep within the Ancestral Abyss, a change they could not comprehend at all.

This change seems to have affected the Xiang family...

It's already extremely mild.

Intuition told them that perhaps following the voice's instructions and leaving this place was the best option. However, since nothing major had happened yet, he was unwilling to leave and abandon the land where his ancestors had lived and multiplied for generations.

During this time, Xiang Yun, whose lifespan was already limited, suffered further decline in his vital energy and blood due to these repeated attempts and anxieties. His hair turned white, and he truly showed signs of old age.

The other elders were similar.

Time flies, and another twenty-one years have passed.

The year 1350 of the Devouring Heaven Calendar, autumn.

At dusk that day, the setting sun was like blood, dyeing the entire Chixia River a crimson red. The scenery was magnificent, yet it seemed to vaguely reveal a hint of ominousness.

suddenly,

hum!

An invisible and intangible yet vast and profound "true meaning" and a mysterious "Taoist charm".

Like ripples created by a boulder thrown into a calm lake, it erupted from the deepest part of the Ancestral Abyss, spreading with unstoppable force throughout the entire Crimson Cloud River.

The "field" slowly formed by this Daoist aura seemed to intentionally give the Xiang family ample time to react.

First it enveloped the entrance to the Ancestral Abyss, then it spread to the entire Stone Village area, and finally, within half a month, it completely enveloped the entire Stone Village!

This true essence and Daoist charm is not violent, and it doesn't even have direct destructive power.

But wherever it goes, it seems to change the flow of time, or rather, accelerate the passing of "life".

After this domain enveloped the area for several days...

In the stone village, a strong young man who was chopping wood suddenly felt his arms go weak and sore.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that his once muscular arms had become visibly thin, wrinkled, and his skin had lost its luster!

He then touched his face in horror, and what he felt was loose skin and deep wrinkles!

"How...how come I'm old?!"

He let out a piercing scream.

Similar scenes were playing out throughout Shizhai.

Plants and trees wither and flourish at an astonishing rate. Trees that would normally take decades to mature complete their life cycle in just a few days: sprouting, branching, flourishing, withering, and decaying...

The lifespans of insects, ants, birds, and beasts have been drastically shortened, with life in the morning and death in the evening becoming the norm.

Strangely, after this round, the vegetation that regenerated in this special area seemed to have returned to normal.

But the other creatures clearly did not have a second chance.

The members of the Xiang family, regardless of their cultivation level, were horrified to discover that their lives were slipping away at an unprecedented speed!

The Sendai cultivators, who originally had several hundred years left to live, felt their life force being poured out like a flood.

For Xiang Yun and the others, who were already old and frail, this was a double blow, like candles flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

"It's that field...it's accelerating our aging!"

Xiang Yun coughed up blood, his face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with despair.

He tried to use the method to mobilize his qi and blood to fight back, but the effect was minimal.

This Daoist energy seems to act on the very source of life, pointing directly to the root, and is beyond human resistance.

Even more unsettling was the daily echo of what seemed to be the admonitions from the old "Xiang Li."

From the day the Daoist aura enveloped Chixia River, it abruptly ceased, and there has been no further movement.

It was as if the owner of that voice had already completed some kind of mission, or was no longer able to interfere.

Or perhaps, the traces left behind have simply disappeared over time.

wow...

Instantly, the shadow of death, like the coldest frost, enveloped the entire Xiang family.

Young people aged rapidly in fear, middle-aged people entered their twilight years in despair, while the older generation, including Xiang Yun, passed away one after another in a single day, their life force exhausted.

Xiang Yun was the first to pass away peacefully, without even having time to order his people to evacuate the stone village.

At that moment, he sat cross-legged in the newly rebuilt, simple ancestral hall, with the memorial tablets of Xiang Li and others placed in front of him.

He gazed at those familiar names, then looked out the window at the lifeless Chixia River shrouded in a strange atmosphere, and two lines of clear tears streamed down his cloudy old eyes.

“Grandfather… Ancestors of the Xiang family… Your unworthy descendant Xiang Yun is foolish… Why didn’t you leave sooner…”

He murmured softly, his breath growing weaker and weaker:

"If we can't protect our ancestral land, we can't continue our bloodline... and... even the last spark of our family might be lost..."

Before he could finish speaking, his head slowly drooped down, and he breathed his last.

With the passing of several elders, including Xiang Yun, who had experienced the turbulent era, as the anomaly fully erupted, the Xiang family seemed to have completely lost its backbone.

The remaining clansmen are mostly young people born in the last few decades, or middle-aged people with low cultivation and limited knowledge.

They knew very little about the secrets of the Ancestral Abyss, and were completely bewildered by the current terrifying changes, left only with endless fear.

"Leave! We must leave this place!"

At the suggestion of a few remaining members of the clan who were still rational, the surviving members of the Xiang family made a decision.

They no longer cared about the secrets of their ancestral heritage; survival was their top priority.

They began packing their belongings, preparing to evacuate the core stone village area and temporarily seek refuge in a relatively "normal" area on the edge of the Chixia River.

At this moment, they no longer cared about their clan's secrets being leaked, and were even considering whether to seek help from the outside world, for example...

The one who established the sacred land and lineage in the Southern Region and had a connection with the Xiang family, the Tianxuan Ancestor, "Chi Xuan".

however,

Just as they were discussing what to do next,

Deep within the Ancestral Abyss, the source of that profound Daoist essence permeating the Crimson Cloud River...

That being, seemingly struggling between life and death, undergoing some unspeakable transformation, appeared to sense the panic and crisis among its fellow bloodlines in the outside world.

That existence is a chaotic state of consciousness, with only a faint, almost instinctive, sensation remaining at certain specific times.

Amidst the uproar caused by the successive deaths of several people, in that fleeting moment of clarity grasped by the chaotic consciousness...

hum!

Suddenly, an indescribable, supreme power descended silently.

This power was extremely profound, sharing the same origin as the Daoist aura permeating the Crimson Cloud River, yet it was even more ethereal, and seemed to be mixed with an invisible crimson mist.

It gently brushed over the stone village, and over every member of the Xiang family both inside and outside the Chixiachuan area.

The next moment, a faint light seemed to flash.

wow...

Wherever Chixia River is located, all members of the Xiang family, regardless of age, gender, or what they are doing,

In that instant, his figure blurred and then vanished silently like a bubble!

They were enveloped by an irresistible force, traversing endless starry skies, and were thrown into outer space, heading to some unknown, relatively safe corner of the universe.

This was the arrangement made by the chaotic consciousness for the Xiang family, driven by "instinct".

However, his will was ultimately muddled, and in this hasty display of supernatural power, relying on instinct, he could not possibly attend to every detail and be thorough in every aspect.

Those before the anomaly occurred,

Those scattered tribesmen who were assigned to resource points outside Chixia River to gather herbs, hunt wild animals, or temporarily leave their territory for other matters were clearly not affected by this supreme power.

That night, the core area of ​​Chixia River seemed to have transformed into a "ghost realm".

The world had vanished, leaving only empty houses, flickering fires, and a lingering sense of panic in the air.

The next day, dawn broke.

Several young members of the Xiang family who had not been relocated returned from their shifts at resource points on the outskirts of Chixia River.

They were sent out to collect daily supplies before the Daoist aura enveloped them. Their cultivation levels were all in the Daoist Palace or the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, making them relatively marginal members of the clan.

Swoosh... Swoosh...

But when they returned to the vicinity of the stone village with their spoils, they witnessed an unbelievable scene.

The gates of the village were wide open, and the inside was completely silent; not a single person could be seen!

Familiar uncles and brothers, children playing, smoke rising from chimneys...

They've all disappeared!

what happened? !

"Where are they?! Where did everyone go?! Did they all vanish into thin air?"

"Father! Mother! Where are you?!"

Panicked cries echoed outside the empty stone village, but no one answered.

They went inside and searched frantically, scouring every stone house, but found nothing except some scattered traces.

Finally, their gaze fell upon the deep, dark ancestral abyss, which was now continuously emanating a chilling Daoist aura.

"Could it be... there?"

A bold young man said, trembling.

The boy's uncle gritted his teeth:

"I'll go check it out! You guys wait here!"

He was the most powerful cultivator, possessing the strength of the Eight Transformations of a Dragon. Summoning his courage, he decided to go down and investigate.

However, just when he was still thousands of feet away from the entrance, a strong sense of weakness and aging suddenly erupted from his body!

He was horrified to discover that his skin was rapidly losing its luster, and his black hair was turning gray at a visible speed!

"No!"

He screamed and turned to run back as fast as he could.

When he staggered back to the area where the field's influence was weaker,

He has transformed from a young man in his twenties into an "old man" with gray hair, a frail face, and declining health!

He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with despair and confusion.

…………

Chapter 298 Brother, is it really you? (Bonus chapter of 10,000 words, please subscribe!)

"Go... leave this place... don't go back in, this place... can't be left here..."

Supported by several people outside the stone village, after leaving the territory of Chixiachuan, the man used his last strength to hoarsely speak to the clansmen who had rushed over from the outside world.

Even after leaving the Crimson Cloud River, it continued to age.

In less than a day, his head lolled to the side and he stopped breathing.

Although he did not enter the abyss, he was still too close to it when he entered the Shizhai area, which accelerated his aging and drained his last bit of life force.

Given the strange changes that even Xiang Yun was helpless against, his cultivation level of the Eight Transformations of the Dragon was naturally even less able to resist such a divine field phenomenon.