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

The empress spoke to herself in a low, hoarse voice, carrying a chilling undertone.

She slowly turned around, looking out of the cave, and finally gazing towards the direction of the Crimson Cloud River.

wow...

Her gaze, which she had been observing, pierced through the void and landed once again on that abyss shrouded in twilight.

clatter……

Finally, having calmed her thoughts, the Empress did not linger there.

With a single step, her proud and ethereal figure vanished from the cave.

Only the unconscious Chi Xuan, barely breathing, remained, along with the lingering, chilling imperial aura and demonic energy within the cave.

Meanwhile, the entire Tianxuan Holy Land outside was still in a brief period of deathly silence.

All the cultivators stared in horror at the direction of the Ancestral Master's cave. The imperial aura had not yet dissipated, and for a moment, few dared to approach even half a step.

Only a very few people gritted their teeth, got up from the ground, and then staggered towards the cave.

Among them was Xiang Xuan, who had been mediocre for many years.

Compared to them, most people in the Holy Land remained cautious, unsure of what had transpired inside the cave or whether the person had actually left.

But they weren't blind; they guessed that the current emperor most likely had ill intentions.

And their ancestor...

……

Crimson Cloud River, at the bottom of an endless abyss.

The empress left and then returned.

This time, her figure passed directly over the Fist Intent Monument, standing in the space between the two supreme monuments.

shuh...

After pausing for a moment, her eyes, hidden beneath the ghost mask, were as dark as an abyss as she began to quietly scan the empty, desolate area from all angles.

From Chi Xuan's memories, she already knew all the key points.

Tan Lin... her master is indeed here.

As expected, it should be "silent" in some special state between these two giant monuments, undergoing a crucial rebirth.

For the past sixty years, the gloomy aura that has enveloped the vast territory of Chixia River has largely been created because of it.

The differences between the fist intent monument behind him and those from many years ago, such as the halo of ink and white intertwined on the monument, are also an outward manifestation of its fluctuating state.

And the fleeting glimpse she had seen when she traveled back in time was certainly not an illusion.

It was real, but it was concealed by some force before she arrived, or... passively hidden.

"..."

Thoughts swirled within her, and the Empress seemed to be muttering something to herself, her voice echoing in the silent abyss, carrying a chilling sense of understanding.

"Your current state indicates that you have already reached a critical moment, becoming one with the energy field of this place, and even the spiritual energy and fortune of the root of your nose. You cannot leave it or do as you please; it is not that you have been moved elsewhere..."

The Empress took a slow step, her elegant flat shoes making a soft rustling sound as they stepped on the cold rocks at the bottom of the abyss.

She walked around the massive monument, which exuded overwhelming fist energy, and then returned to its rear.

The space here is much more expansive than when we were in front of the monument, and the celestial light projected from the portal is even more intense.

However, the twilight field suddenly changed, almost transforming into a tangible gray mist that flowed slowly.

In the central area between the two steles, although it still appeared empty to the naked eye,

But the Empress could vaguely sense that the spatial structure here was subtly different, as if it were folded, twisted, or covered by an invisible "membrane".

For some reason, she thought of a method similar to a barrier that Tan Lin had used in the past.

The physical entity still exists, but it has blocked all exploration; it is unknowable and untraceable...

In retrospect, it may have been that kind of "secret technique".

wow...

Thinking of this, the Empress slowly raised her hand, and a wisp of dark light condensed at her fingertips.

This dark light was not the eruption of some supreme divine power.

Rather, it is an energy derived from her own chaotic origin, possessing extremely strong penetrating and tactile characteristics, like her extended limbs, capable of providing real-time feedback.

laugh……

With a flick of his finger, the dark light left his body and silently disappeared into the seemingly empty void in front of him.

next moment,

The Empress's gaze narrowed slightly.

She "touched" it.

Behind that invisible barrier, or rather, behind the folds of space, there is indeed something.

She judged that it was a huge, oval-shaped "cocoon" that was somewhere between reality and illusion.

The cocoon was not completely invisible, but rather existed in a strange "overlapping state".

It is here, yet not fully manifested in this space-time.

If she hadn't known in advance and used the remaining Daoist charm and the scenes in Chi Xuan's memories as "coordinates" to conduct a high-precision, material-level investigation with her own primordial black light, it would have been extremely difficult to discover its existence.

Now, upon actual touch, she can vaguely feel...

Within that "cocoon" lies an immense yet extremely restrained vitality, as well as a surge of energy that would make most beings in the outside world feel their hearts tremble.

"really……"

The Empress withdrew the dark light, stood still, and remained silent for a long time.

found it.

A thousand-year search, traversing the starry sky, enduring the backlash, and slowly consuming one's lifespan...

Finally, at this moment, she truly "touched" where he was.

There was no ecstatic joy as I had imagined, nor the excitement of something lost and then found again.

Only one cold, complex emotion, accumulated over thousands of years, silently spread in my heart.

Suddenly, she felt a sense of trepidation, similar to the feeling of "being close to home but feeling apprehensive."

Perhaps she didn't know how to face him?

Do not……

The Empress slowly shook her head, extinguishing the slight weakness that had arisen within her.

She doesn't need to be timid.

Now that she had found him, and since he was unwilling to show himself, she didn't care whether he was in a dazed or confused state, or whether his isolation was passive or active.

In short, it is now up to her to make the choice according to her own wishes.

Da...da...

Her emotions surged inexplicably. The Empress slowly walked to the invisible "cocoon." Although she couldn't see it with the naked eye, she could pinpoint its location by touching it.

Then, she found a relatively flat rock next to the "cocoon" and sat down cross-legged.

A black dress trailed on the ground, and beneath the ghost mask, her face remained expressionless, devoid of joy or sorrow.

that is it.

She knew that the other party was at a critical moment of rebirth, and now was certainly not the time to try to break through that barrier, as that would forcibly disturb Tan Lin in the cocoon.

For the foreseeable future, she simply plans to sit quietly like this, as if protecting her, or as if... guarding her.

"I'm waiting for you……"

She spoke softly, her voice low, yet carrying an undeniable firmness and resentment.

"Waiting for you to come out."

"No matter how long."

……

Time passed slowly.

The Empress had been sitting in solitude for half a year at the bottom of the abyss, beside that invisible cocoon.

During those six months, she was not completely at peace with herself.

She sat with her eyes closed, silently comprehending some of the profound mysteries of the Heavenly Tribulation Transcending Technique and the alternative method of achieving immortality by forming the Reincarnation Seal.

This Dharma involves birth, death, nirvana, reincarnation, and transformation.

There's a slight resemblance to Tan Lin's current state, but the similarities are minor.

However, by combining this with real-life experience and further contemplating the scripture and the method of longevity, she was able to verify certain things from a specific perspective.

This would deepen her understanding of the Great Dao, life and death, Nirvana, and reincarnation, and also allow her to better grasp Tan Lin's current state and the opportunity when he might emerge from seclusion soon.

Of course, it's impossible to know which aspect is more important to her.

Half a year of sitting still,

No longer continuously using the extremely energy-consuming spacetime reversal technique, the Empress's aura became increasingly calm and profound.

However, the loneliness and coldness that surrounded him did not dissipate. Instead, it became more subdued and settled, transforming into a more profound and awe-inspiring indifference.

As she plunged back into the abyss, various speculations and rumors about Chixiachuan have already spread like wildfire in the outside world.

Six months ago, the Emperor's might erupted, enveloping the Big Dipper.

Subsequently, the Great Emperor of the Age descended upon the Tianxuan Holy Land, causing a great uproar.

Although no one knows exactly what happened, the news that Chi Xuan, the founder of Tianxuan Holy Land, announced his seclusion is no longer a secret.

As a result, all sorts of absurd speculations have been flying around in the outside world.

However, nowadays, few outsiders pay attention to the Tianxuan Patriarch anymore; at most, they continue to speculate about what actually happened that day.

Many people have turned their attention back to that vast, gloomy territory that has truly become a "forbidden zone."

"What exactly did the Devouring Emperor discover at the bottom of the Crimson Cloud River?"

"It seems that Patriarch Tianxuan suffered a calamity because of this... Some people saw that he entered Chixia River many times during the previous sixty years. Given his cultivation level, he should have been able to dive into the abyss..."

Could there truly be a wondrous treasure hidden beneath that abyss?

"A divine miracle! It must be a divine miracle appearing! Otherwise, why would it attract the Emperor's personal attention, and even cause him to attack the Tianxuan Ancestor 'for no reason'?"

"..."

"But if it truly is a celestial relic, why has there been no further activity since the Devouring Emperor occupied that place? Half a year has passed..."

"Perhaps he is comprehending something? Or perhaps he is..."

"Perhaps that ruthless person has already left, but we just don't know it."

Such beings come and go without a trace. What happened that day was perhaps just a casual act, and they have long since wandered off to other places..."

"..."

Various speculations abound.

Some believe that the reason the Empress descended upon the Tianxuan Holy Land in the past was because Chi Xuan obtained a heaven-defying immortal destiny.

Some people have gotten wind of this from the forbidden area and speculated that it might be the starting point for the path to immortality in the future. Perhaps the current emperor entered it to scout out the location in advance?

Some believe that the Empress has long since departed, and that the Crimson Cloud River may now be accessible for exploration again.

During this period, some of them were incredibly audacious, or those whose lifespans were nearing their end and who were eager to seek opportunities, and they attempted to approach the outskirts of Chixia River to investigate.

Without exception, anyone who stepped into the area shrouded in twilight felt a new sense of dread and suppression, originating from the depths of their soul, compared to six months ago.

It was as if a pair of lonely, indifferent eyes were looking down from the endless heights.

Those with weaker cultivation levels suffered immediate mental breakdowns and fled in panic.

Even those with profound cultivation, such as saints and saint kings, felt uneasy and dared not delve deeper.