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

The sun was high in the sky when the two arrived at Yangxin Garden on Xuanwei Peak.

The atmosphere here is solemn.

Led by the old man guarding the garden, Tan Lin and the silent Chi Xuan arrived at the deepest, quiet room.

The room was filled with the fragrance of herbs. Xiang Jun sat back on the warm jade couch, looking emaciated and weak, his breath faint, just skin and bones.

But when he saw Tan Lin, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his desolate eyes.

"Brother Lin...you've come..."

Xiang Jun's hoarse voice carried a hint of relief.

Even though the two had never met before, without anyone pointing out the boy's identity, the withered bloodline in his body suddenly stirred with a long-lost restlessness because of the other's appearance.

This is simply unbelievable.

However, this also indirectly demonstrates the purity of the other party's indestructible golden body!

Their lineage has a chance to rise again...

This was the first thought that popped into Xiang Jun's mind.

At the doorway, Tan Lin saw the other person struggling to get up, so he quickly stepped forward, helped him up, and then bowed slightly.

During this process, he used a wisp of his physical essence to help the other party pass through.

…………

Chapter 115 How about we go together, sister?

While bedridden, Xiang Jun seemed to feel a little better after receiving a wisp of Tan Lin's essence.

But the good aspects are also limited.

His condition was already beyond medical help, and the fact that he could live for another ten or twenty years was thanks to the divine spring liquid extracted from the Nine Apertures Spirit Lake by the Chi family.

At this moment, his skeletal body lay limp on the bed, trembling like an old man on his deathbed. He grasped Tan Lin's hand and began to ramble on about incoherent things.

Tan Lin did not show any impatience; he listened attentively throughout.

Chi Xuan stood quietly outside the meditation room, silently watching this scene.

Xiang Jun's withered face and every cough weighed heavily on her heart.

The other person has lived in the Chi family for so many years, and can be said to have watched her grow up.

If possible, she naturally hopes the other person can get better.

But unless they can find an elixir of immortality and give it to him, this idea will remain just a pipe dream.

Time passed little by little.

Chi Xuan stood outside the door for a long time but did not go in.

During this time, she idly glanced at the boy who was about her age.

As they watched, Tan Lin's profile, calmly listening to Xiang Jun's words and occasionally smiling as he interacted with him, seemed to be bathed in a soft glow under the sunlight streaming through the windowpane of the quiet room.

At this moment, Tan Lin's eyes inexplicably overlapped with the figure in the morning forest who ruthlessly defeated her and then embraced her.

This made her heart race again, and she hurriedly looked away.

In the quiet room, Xiang Jun spoke for a long time, but his energy was depleted. He fell asleep twice during the conversation, but when he woke up, he insisted on continuing.

He didn't stop until the sun was setting, looking exhausted.

Finally, he "tightly grasped" Tan Lin's hand, his eyes, which had earlier regained their brilliance thanks to a wisp of the other's primordial energy, now appearing unfocused:

“Brother Lin… I’ve long since let go of that battle in the training tower. If I could do it all over again, I would still fight, but I would feel ashamed of the people of my clan… and of Father’s expectations of me…”

When it's time to fight, fight! When it's time to battle, battle! Your bloodline is far purer than mine, you…

His voice trailed off, and then abruptly stopped.

Xiang Jun fell into a deep sleep again, but he was still breathing, and it was not a final, lucid cry before death.

Tan Lin silently tucked the blanket around him, then passed on a few strands of his original, gentle blood energy before getting up.

He knew that although Brother Xiang Jun didn't have much time left, he still had some days left.

"Brother Tan Lin, you?"

Chi Xuan called out softly, noticing that the other person's breath seemed to be weakening.

Perhaps she herself didn't even notice that her way of addressing the boy had changed from "brother" to a two-character suffix.

"I am fine."

Tan Lin shook his head and looked at the blood-red light outside the quiet room.

He stood still for a moment, then spoke:

"Xuan'er, take me to the Nine Apertures Spirit Lake."

"it is good……"

Chi Xuan nodded slightly.

The two then left Yangxin Garden in silence.

They had only known each other for a day, yet their relationship was already somewhat subtle and inexplicable.

If Tan Lin were to use the Soul Bead to activate the [Perspective of All Causes] at this moment...

You will inevitably notice that the mottled colors on the girl's line have decreased, the branch lines themselves have become thicker and stronger, and a faint firefly has sprouted.

Da...da...

During this trip, Chi Xuan toned down her usual mischievousness.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way, and they soon arrived at the valley shrouded in a misty glow.

As far as the eye can see, a stone tablet with the four characters "Linghu Forbidden Land" stands tall.

The barrier here resembles an inverted, transparent glass bowl.

The array's power was contained, and Tan Lin waited for Chi Xuan to take out an ancient token before passing through the restriction.

They gradually ventured deeper into the valley.

Suddenly, the view opened up before them. The Nine-Colored Lake shimmered with light, and a spiritual mist swirled within it. From the center of the lake, nine springs gushed forth a divine liquid infused with the primordial energy of creation.

However, as she approached the lake, Chi Xuan was visibly taken aback.

The lakeside was not deserted.

On a protruding blue stone resembling a cow's back, a figure in white sat quietly cross-legged, with his back to the entrance.

Its black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and a faint purple Taoist aura flowed around it, blending with the spiritual mist in the lake, as if it had become a part of the natural world here.

The woman on the back of the blue ox was her older sister, Chi Yao.

At this moment, the other party obviously also noticed someone coming in. He slightly subdued his Daoist aura, slowly stopped his practice, and then opened his eyes, stood up and looked over.

Chi Yao's clear and beautiful gaze swept over her younger sister, Chi Xuan, lingering for a moment on the faint blush that seemed to have not yet faded from her earlobes, before landing on Tan Lin.

It was already late, and she thought the other party would come another day. However, after finding no one inside the barrier, she decided to enter and make a breakthrough.

"Sister? You're here too?"

Chi Xuan was also somewhat surprised.

My older sister usually cultivates in Fanghua Garden or Hedao Cliff, so she comes to Linghu less often, and they almost always come together.

Seeing the confusion in her younger sister's eyes, Chi Yao explained:

"The Four Extremes Secret Realm has been nearly perfected. Today, I suddenly had a feeling that if I could use this to break through to the Dragon Transformation Realm, I should be able to ascend several levels..."

Her voice was clear and beautiful. Standing on the back of the blue ox, she was dressed in white, as pure as snow, and as ethereal as a fairy.

After speaking, she calmly looked at Tan Lin again before offering a greeting:

"Brother."

His tone was calm and his manners were impeccable.

"Sister Chi Yao".

Tan Lin returned the greeting with a cupped hand, mentally preparing his speech, and then turned to leave.

He could sense that the Daoist aura surrounding the other party was solid and profound, and that his cultivation had reached the critical point of the peak of the Four Extremes Secret Realm, similar to his own.

He clearly intended to make a breakthrough here, but his timing was off.

But before he could speak, Chi Yao spoke first:

"Brother, you've come to use the Spirit Lake for cultivation, haven't you? This lake is full of spiritual energy, and it is indeed very effective in strengthening one's foundation and nourishing the spine to overcome obstacles..."

I observe that your vital energy is unstable, perhaps due to a depletion of your fundamental essence? You should go to the lake to nourish yourself; please feel free to do so.”

Her gaze lingered on Tan Lin for a moment, her words polite but carrying a natural sense of distance.

After saying that, she turned to leave, leaving the place to Tan Lin for the time being, not wanting to disturb him.

"Sister, wait a minute..."

At this moment, Chi Xuan suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Chi Yao's sleeve, transmitting her voice:

“Sister, you have a great opportunity to gain enlightenment, so don’t miss it. This lake is so big, you two can each occupy one side without disturbing each other, there’s no need to deliberately give way to each other.”

At this moment, she also saw her older sister's situation at the last minute, and naturally did not want her to miss out because of an outsider.

But for some reason, she was unwilling for someone whose very essence was damaged to leave and go back to recuperate on their own.

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Tan Lin not far away, and her ears seemed to get hot again.

"This is not appropriate. This is not a time for cultivation. If I break through, it will inevitably attract a heavenly tribulation and will certainly disturb others."

Upon hearing this, Chi Yao shook her head slightly and pointed out the hidden danger.

…………

Chapter 116 My Sister Is Strange

Chi Xuan didn't take it to heart.

She blinked her beautiful eyes and reminded her:

"Sister, don't forget, I'm here too. I can stay here as well. If your tribulation is too loud, I can stabilize the energy of the surrounding world in the lake and take care of that guy."

"you?"

Upon hearing this, Chi Yao frowned slightly, glanced at her sister, and then glanced at Tan Lin not far away.

Her intuition told her that something seemed off about her younger sister today.

He is usually very lazy, so why would he take the initiative to protect others?

Is this girl really planning to mess around?

As her thoughts raced, she recalled the other party's intention to use Tan Lin yesterday.

"Alright, sister, don't overthink it. Go cultivate in the lake. Now that you've broken through, I don't want to stagnate. If my cultivation level falls too far behind yours, Father and Mother will scold me again..."

Chi Xuan added.

My older sister has made such great progress that she does feel a bit of a sense of urgency; that's the truth.

Moreover, she was on the verge of a breakthrough and had planned to hone her skills for a few more days, but the aura of the Spirit Lake was stirred up at this moment, which was also an opportunity, so she decided to take that step today.

"Alright."

Chi Yao finally nodded slightly, agreeing to what the other party said.

She has a cool and aloof personality, but she is not inflexible. Now that the opportunity for a breakthrough has arrived, she cannot afford to miss it.

Moreover, what Chi Xuan said makes sense. The Spirit Lake is vast and full of resources, enough to support many people cultivating at the same time.

If they truly interfere with each other due to the Heavenly Tribulation, their primordial spirits can mediate and protect the Dharma.

After that, Chi Yao said no more, nodded slightly to Tan Lin, and sat down cross-legged on the back of the green ox again.

She was dressed in white, her black hair flowing down her back. At this moment, her eyes were slightly closed, and she entered a meditative state in an instant.