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

He firmly believed that when the situation worsened, this clan would come knocking on his door.

whoosh...

Standing there, Xiang Li stared in the direction they had disappeared, his face unusually grim.

The salvation of beings on Mount Sumeru is more troublesome than open robbery.

That directly targets the mind and faith, making it impossible to defend against.

If he hadn't reached the level of a saint and his soul hadn't been stable, he probably would have been affected as well.

"Pass down the order: all clansmen are strictly prohibited from contacting the monks of the Western Desert in the near future!"

After a long silence, Xiang Li dejectedly gave the order.

With repeated probing and pressure from all sides, the situation is gradually deteriorating, and he is now even struggling to stabilize the situation in this small area of ​​Shizhai.

however.

At this time, some confusing and unexpected things began to happen in the outside world.

The Sendai steward who led the way in crippling Xiang Ning in the previous Jade Clear Cave Heaven mysteriously disappeared in a desolate wilderness during a trip to and from the cave heaven.

Three days later, his body was found hanging on an ancient tree outside the gate of Yucheng Cave.

The corpse was shriveled up, as if all its essence and life force had been drained away. Its death was tragic and horrific. Its heart had been cut open, and its vital organs were completely empty.

Besides.

After the Jinxia Sect forcibly occupied the medicinal herb fields of the Xiang family's Jinxia Slope, they sent forty or fifty elders and disciples to guard them.

But one night, all of these people died silently in the houses next to the medicinal herb field.

The death was equally gruesome, almost identical to that of the cultivator in Jade Clear Cave Heaven. His essence and blood had dried up, his body was neatly arranged, each with a small blood hole between its eyebrows, and its heart had been ripped open.

There were no signs of a struggle at the scene; it was as if the body had been crushed in an instant, leaving no trace.

On one side of the wall, however, a message written in blood seemed to be incomprehensible to everyone.

And it wasn't just Jinxia Gate and Yucheng Cave that experienced this strange encounter.

Even the Crimson Cloud Cult, which has recently been pressing the Xiang family step by step.

An elder responsible for provoking and inciting the Xiang family to start a war was cultivating in a secret chamber of his cave.

His heart was pierced by a dark claw that suddenly emerged from the shadows, shattering his soul along with it, leaving no trace.

Afterwards, a saint from the religion deduced and reviewed the incident, discovering that all the restrictions outside the secret room were intact, and how the murderer managed to sneak in and commit the crime remains a mystery.

……

More than ten similar incidents have occurred in just a few months.

Without exception, the victims were all cultivators who had recently provoked and ruthlessly killed members of the Xiang family.

The deaths of these people were all bizarre and swift, as if an invisible eye was watching them in the darkness, and once they crossed the line, a death curse would be cast upon them.

"Who is it?!"

Who did this?

"Could it be that they hired the three most powerful assassin dynasties to do this...?"

"..."

"Could it be that the same evil scourge that disappeared from Beidou in recent years has reappeared?"

"What? It's her? This... can't be?!"

"It shouldn't be her. Their styles of action and methods of killing are completely different..."

"Yes...yes, it wasn't her. Rumor has it that she also embarked on the ancient path and went to harm other people in the outer realms..."

As more and more people were stripped of their essence and drained of their lifeblood, a nameless panic began to spread throughout the entire Southern Region of the Eastern Wilderness.

Some even harbor lingering fears that the ruthless man who struck fear into the hearts of the geniuses of the Five Regions of the Big Dipper years ago has returned.

Initially, all parties were enraged by an invisible fear, joined forces to plot, and finally concluded that it was the Xiang family's secret revenge.

Various parties sent people to question him, and there were even signs that they were gathering forces to attack Chixiachuan.

However, Xiang Li was equally shocked and confused by this.

He could swear that the Xiang family had never sent anyone to do such a thing.

It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't, and I'm completely unable to do it.

The experts of the Xiang family, especially him, are all under close scrutiny from all sides. Any slight movement will be discovered.

Moreover, the clean and efficient method of killing, which involved draining the essence of life and removing the heart from the chest, was something that the Xiang family could never do.

"Could it be... that a third party is secretly helping us?"

Inside the ancestral hall, an elder speculated.

His eyes held a mixture of surprise and hope.

"Who could it be? We've been kept in the dark until now..."

Another elder frowned, pondering for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

"The Beidou family is on such good terms with my Xiang family, and there is only one other power capable of appearing and disappearing so mysteriously. But even the Chi family in the Northern Region would never act in this way."

Xiang Li, seated at the head of the table, pondered for a long time.

Suddenly, his expression hardened, and he inexplicably thought of the rumor that had circulated outside before.

He recalled the mysterious woman in the black dress he had encountered several years ago after taking Tan Lin out of the clan's territory.

The other party's attitude towards Tan Lin at the time, and the complex and indescribable look in their eyes when looking at the child, undoubtedly proved that they had a close relationship with the child's background.

Bronze plaque...

At that moment, Xiang Li thought of many things.

However, this possibility has been overturned by various parties.

Fortunately, the number of Beidou prodigies killed by that demon several years ago has been overthrown, and he has offended many forces.

If we were to become directly involved with them, the situation would become even more dire.

So, if it wasn't the woman in the bronze mask, then who would have made a move at this critical juncture?

"This matter may be related to Lin'er's background."

After a moment of contemplation, Xiang Li slowly said:

"Pass down the order that this matter is strictly forbidden to be discussed within the clan and denied to outsiders. If anyone asks, say that you do not know anything about it, or that they may have made other enemies themselves."

"That's natural."

"Don't worry, Elder Li..."

Inside the hall, all the high-ranking members of the clan responded in unison.

They truly didn't know the inside story.

Regardless of who made the move or what their purpose was, it was still a good thing for the Xiang family.

It was like a bucket of cold water, indirectly poured on the heads of those forces that were pressing closer and closer to the Xiang family.

The effect was almost immediate.

Recently, the arrogance of forces such as Yucheng Cave Heaven and Jinxia Sect has noticeably diminished.

Although minor conflicts continue, they no longer dare to openly use lethal force to cripple or kill people.

They became suspicious of each other, even suspecting that one of them was behind the other's actions, trying to frame the Xiang family and disrupt the situation.

…………

Chapter Ninety-Four: Gu Qingying Arrives at the Door (Bonus Chapter 4, Please Subscribe)

For a time, undercurrents surged in the southern region, and the atmosphere became strange.

The pressure on the Xiang family was thus slightly relieved.

Although the clan members did not understand why, seeing their once arrogant enemies die one after another inexplicably, the pent-up anger in their hearts was finally relieved, and their morale was also restored.

Xiang Li saw all of this and felt somewhat relieved, but his doubts also deepened.

He placed even greater emphasis on Tan Lin's safety, strengthening the security around him, and at the same time becoming more determined to get him away from this dangerous place as soon as possible.

However, this brief tranquility and delicate balance vanished completely with the arrival of a Saint King from the Central Plains Feathered Divine Dynasty.

This day.

Chixiachuan, Xiangjia Stone Village.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

The light screen of the clan's protective formation rippled unsteadily in the sunlight, rumbling like a tattered cloth being blown by the wind.

The great formation was subjected to continuous probing attacks from the outside world, as well as the oppressive force of an immense pressure.

The low-hanging leaden clouds above the stone village were not a celestial phenomenon, but rather a divine anomaly caused by several powerful auras.

"Heh, the waters in the southern part of the Eastern Wilderness are really too shallow. So many people have died, and yet people are already in a state of panic. They can't even figure out that the culprit is a demon..."

"That's why they say King Gu has a discerning eye."

He only glanced at the scene of the massacre before realizing that the bloodstains on the walls of the herb field and houses were not ancient characters, but merely blurry scratches from the claws of a dragon.

"It's quite surprising that these fools actually spread the news a while ago that that demon had returned from beyond the realm..."

The voices on the cloud intertwined, conveying a sense of nonchalance, as if they didn't take the already fallen Xiang clan seriously at all.

On the stockade wall, Xiang Li stood with his beard and hair bristling.

His body was enveloped in a pale golden aura that rose like flames, and he gripped a broken but menacing bronze spear tightly in his hand, glaring angrily at the several figures standing in mid-air outside the stronghold.

Behind him, the seven remaining half-saint cultivators of the Xiang family all had blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, facing the oppressive aura of the Holy King of the Feathered Divine Dynasty, and their faces were all pale.

Further back.

Countless members of the Xiang family gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes burning with anger and unyielding determination, but even more so with a deep-seated despair.

Five figures appeared in the sky outside the stronghold, like gods descending to earth, their auras connecting heaven and earth, suppressing the surrounding area.

The person in the center wore a silver robe embroidered with a mysterious image of immortals ascending to heaven. His face was shrouded in a hazy celestial glow, making it impossible to see clearly.

Only when his eyes opened and closed did a terrifying vision of the sun, moon, and stars being annihilated appear.

Its aura was as deep and boundless as the ocean; it was none other than the Saint King who had descended upon this place from the Feathered Divine Dynasty!

Its cultivation level is far beyond what one would expect when first entering this realm. Its inner energy is profound and ancient, carrying an invisible sense of detachment from all living beings.

He was the person in charge sent by the Feathered Divine Dynasty, and within the dynasty he was already a king or marquis, with the title "Valley King".

Within the Divine Dynasty, aside from the Emperor who resides on that blue planet, his status is second only to some princes and elders.

At this moment, there were four more people on either side of him.

Two men and two women, all dressed in silver robes, possessed the aura of saints. Their gazes occasionally swept coldly down upon the Xiang family members below, who looked as if facing a formidable enemy, with a hint of mockery flashing in their eyes.

The voices that were just talking came from these four people.

"Xiang Li, my patience is limited."

After a moment of silence, the Valley King slowly spoke.

His voice was calm, yet it sounded like the divine pronouncement of heaven, causing the ripples on the array's light barrier below to intensify.

"Hand over that indestructible golden body, and the people of my divine dynasty will verify its bloodline and origins in person."

If this child is truly qualified, he can enter my divine dynasty and receive personal guidance from the emperor, who will teach him the "Immortal Ascension Scripture." From then on, he will enjoy endless resources, and his future prospects will be limitless.

Your Xiang family will henceforth receive the protection of the Divine Dynasty and regain its former glory. This is a win-win situation; do not jeopardize your own future.”

He's running out of patience; he's already issued an ultimatum.

"fart!"

Inside the stone fortress, Xiang Li roared, his voice echoing across the surrounding area:

"I am not the Golden Body lineage, but a commodity for you to inspect and sell at will? The Feathered Divine Dynasty is quite arrogant. Your dynasty may be strong, but if you want to touch Lin'er, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"