"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Emperor Yan!"
The group of cultivators all respectfully bowed to the figure in the sky. Surviving the ordeal left them feeling as though they were in a dream.
What puzzled them was the presence of a somewhat unfamiliar youth standing not far behind the Empress.
Out of reverence for the Empress, no one dared to take a second glance.
Yan Ruo and the four Flame Guards knew about Qin Yu, so they were not too surprised.
However, at this moment, their aura seemed somewhat diminished. Although they were Foundation Establishment realm experts, in order to protect the cultivators, Yan Ruo and the others could only exert the power of Dao Rhyme to resist the erosion of Death Qi.
Even so, if they delayed even half a day longer, they would inevitably exhaust their strength and fall here completely.
"Your Majesty, the array of the Black Soul Hall is just below."
Yan Ruo lifted everyone with a trace of Spiritual Power, standing respectfully behind the Empress, speaking.
"Recover first."
With a wave of her sleeve, the Empress sent a Jade Bottle floating towards Yan Ruo.
Looking at the disheveled and listless state of the four Flame Guards, the Empress’s gaze was icy.
"Boom!"
In an instant, a Thunder Power descended suddenly, causing the earth to shake and mountains to tremble. The shattered mountain was engulfed by a Power of Destruction, instantly turning into dust. A massive array appeared below.
Array patterns densely covered the formation, and streams of black mist continuously emerged from it like ink.
"Soul-Devouring Blood Refining Array?"
The Empress frowned, and with a wave of her hand, a torrent of silver lightning cascaded down, carrying terrifying destructive power, crazily impacting the array below.
Black mist surged wildly, seemingly attempting to devour the lightning. However, under absolute power, the gigantic array lasted only two breaths before completely shattering.
Below, three black-robed figures appeared, all with a hint of fear in their eyes.
They clearly felt as ants before the Great Yan Empress, with no chance of escape. They even sensed that if they made any move, they would be annihilated instantly.
"Emperor Yan, you arrived late."
Respect Five’s face was extremely grim, his body trembling uncontrollably, yet a mad gleam emerged in his pitch-black eyes.
"How dare you act recklessly within the Great Yan territory, you deserve death!"
The Empress’s gaze was icy, without any excess questioning. Her palm fell sharply upon the three black-robed figures.
"Boom!"
The sky-soaring lightning raged furiously, and in an instant, the three black-robed figures’ silhouettes were completely obliterated by the lightning.
Moments later, the black-robed figures and stone columns had long disappeared, leaving only a terrifying pit emitting black smoke.
For the Flame Guards, an existence that was hard to contend with was entirely obliterated by Emperor Yan with a single strike, be it the array or the three initiators.
Such a terrifying scene left the surviving cultivators in shock, their attitude growing increasingly reverent.
This is the Lord of the Great Yan Immortal Country!
All schemes, under his absolute strength, were like paper.
"Your Majesty, is that a Ruins Rift?"
At this moment, Qin Yu looked towards the sky, his voice solemn.
Yan Ruo and others raised their heads to look, only to find that the original entrance to the ancient ruins had unexpectedly turned into a hideous crack.
The fissure was pitch black like ink, with edges shimmering with ominous, blood-colored gleams, as if the sky were torn by an overwhelming force. Amidst this, countless moving shadows could be seen within.
"Roar——!"
Following an earth-shaking roar, a deafening bellow suddenly rang out.
Soon after, a giant claw covered in heavy scale armor tore through the shackles of space from the fissure, its sharp fingertips dripping with highly corrosive liquid. Once it touched the ground, it instantly evaporated a pungent, bloody smoke, as if even the air was tainted.
"Hmph."
The Empress coldly snorted disdainfully, the Thunder Sword already gathering in her hand. In a flash, as the sword aura leaped like a dragon, she flicked her fingers lightly, and the Thunder Sword swung down with immense thunderous force.
Instantly, thunder surged like a tidal wave, and before the giant claw could touch the ground, it was completely obliterated under the torrent of lightning, vanishing into nothingness.
"Roar——!"
Deep within the fissure, a deeper roar, soul-stirring resounded.
At the same time, the mist inside churned and writhed frantically, as if something indescribable was poised to break free, ready to descend into the world.
A long time passed.
Yet the fierce beast did not appear again.
Clearly, it possessed intelligence, sensing a crisis of life and death, unwilling to attempt crossing the void lightly again.
"Ruins Rift!"
Yan Ruo’s expression was solemn. Just now, the giant claw gave her an extreme sense of danger.
Clearly, the strength of that Ruins Beast was probably not weaker than that of a Foundation Establishment realm expert!
The Ruins Rift has appeared!
Qin Yu’s expression changed slightly, his eyes showing a hint of solemnity.
The scene before him couldn’t help but remind him of his days in Lin Xian City, when a Ruins Rift appeared, but that fissure was only about three meters in size.
Yet the current Ruins Rift was at least a thousand meters wide, spanning the sky, terrifying like a scar on the cosmos!
The first time he heard about the "Ruins" was in Lin Xian City, from his teacher Yin Qinghe, learning about the origins of the "Ruins," which were said to be the remnants of ancient powers that shattered the world. Some say it’s another unknown world, containing opportunities to truly become an immortal.
But after entering the Ruins Rift with Duanmu Hong, Qin Yu realized it truly was another world, yet even the air there was filled with heaviness and despair.
The so-called path to immortality likely doesn’t exist!
Searching through the royal archives in the Imperial Palace, he specifically looked for records of the "Ruins."
Only then did he learn the Ruins Rift was born because space barriers were broken!
However, the Ruins Rift before them was too large; even in the ancient records of the Myriad Scriptures Hall, such a massive Ruins Rift had never been documented.
Moreover, Qin Yu keenly sensed that the giant claw protruding earlier far exceeded any level five Ruins Beast he had encountered before. It was unimaginable what kind of world lay beyond this Ruins Rift, and to what degree the Ruins Beasts inside had grown formidable.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to enter the Ruins Rift and slay the Ruins Beasts!"
Yan Ruo respectfully declared. Although her cultivation had not yet fully recovered after consuming several elixirs, as a Flame Guard, she was duty-bound to help the Empress resolve her worries.
"Return for now,"
The Empress shook her head slightly, gesturing.
This Ruins Rift was bafflingly strange and couldn’t be left unchecked. Otherwise, it would wreak havoc not only on the Mountain Miao Hall but on the entire Great Yan Immortal Country.
Yet, the Death Qi enveloping the region of the Hundred Thousand Mountains also needed urgent resolution.
If delayed any longer, it would damage the Spiritual Qi of this realm, letting the Death Qi grow stronger.
"Sizzling..."
The Empress brought her palms together, emitting a Thunder Attribute Dao Rhyme Power, swirling like a Thunder Dragon before the Ruins Rift.
If any Ruins Beast dared to venture from the Ruins Rift, it would surely face the terrifying wrath of thunder.
Having done all this, the Empress gracefully departed.
Upon seeing the nearly sky-shrouding black mist barrier again, the group wore grave expressions.
Some had tried to dispel the black mist, but to no effect, helplessly watching several strong cultivators swallowed by the mist.
Had they not sought refuge with the Flame Guards swiftly, they might have become part of the nourishment for the black mist energy.
The Empress casually tore open a gap about ten feet wide in the black mist, signaling the four Flame Guards to lead the surviving cultivators back.
Yan Ruo didn’t waste words but couldn’t resist glancing at Qin Yu before leaving.
This brother-in-law...
Does he really possess something extraordinary?
If not, why would the Empress take him everywhere?
"Buzz..."
After the Flame Guards and remaining cultivators departed, the Empress acted, unleashing a horrific Dao Rhyme Power that enveloped the region.
Under the Empress’s divine might, the black mist roiled but couldn’t escape or disperse, instead drawn by an invisible force toward the central area.
With the black mist driven away, a desolate land was revealed, strewn with human corpses and various vicious beast remains, exuding a sense of sorrow everywhere.
Qin Yu wore a solemn expression, silently following behind the Empress, trying his best to channel True Essence to protect her, lest she be affected by the Death Qi.
However, it was obvious Qin Yu’s concern was unnecessary.
As a Half-Venerable, though the Empress couldn’t purify the Death Qi, the amount here wasn’t enough to affect her, only causing slight discomfort at best.
...
"Is it resolved?"
"Isn’t the Empress gone past there? Why is that nuisance still present!"
Above the Imperial Palace.
The Empress Dowager sat atop a tall edifice, gaze fixed in the direction of the Mountain Miao Hall, eyes flickering with divine light, as if seeing the scene she desired across the distance.
The only comfort was that this time, the Empress and Qin Yu hadn’t disappeared.
Meaning the Empress likely wouldn’t have the chance to bully Qin Yu.
However, the moment the Empress departed, the Empress Dowager sensed an extremely unpleasant fluctuation.
And this feeling of aversion was growing stronger!
"Can’t the Empress resolve it?"
The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows, murmuring to herself.
So vexing!
She so wished to eradicate that annoying thing!
Whatever crossed her mind, she suddenly turned towards the depths of the Imperial Palace.
With that old thing overseeing, I can leave for a while without issue, right?
But... the Empress did say, I must guard this place when she’s absent.
The Empress Dowager stomped in frustration, why could Qin Yu always accompany the Empress while I had to remain here?
Did she think I’d hold her back?
Outrageous!
By the way, why hasn’t Ling Tianfeng been recognized as a Half-Venerable yet?
Could it be he’s slacking in cultivation?
The Empress Dowager briefly sensed, her expression quickly shifting.
Soon, Yan Zhi’s figure appeared before Ling Tianfeng’s residence.
Previously asleep, Ling Tianfeng shivered awake, an ominous premonition washing over him as he shot upright.
Seeing the figure outside, his head drooped instantly.
What now?
What have I done to deserve the Flame Guard Commander supervising me?
He felt like crying but had no tears.
Though possessing Half-Venerable potential, achieving it was no simple task.
While he feared the Empress, even more, he dreaded facing the Empress Dowager.
Regarding the Empress Dowager’s background, it wasn’t a big secret, that... was indeed an auspicious sign from myth.
For Ling Tianfeng, who possessed a unique lineage, she exerted innate suppression over his blood, rendering him incapable of resisting.