Ten Thousand Mountains.
With the arrival of Yan Ruo and the others, the previously tense atmosphere finally eased somewhat.
At Hall Master Wang Liweng’s signal, the Immortal Sect cultivators began to return to their own sects, leaving only the cultivators of Mountain Miao Hall at the perimeter of Ten Thousand Mountains to observe.
After making arrangements, Wang Liweng also left in haste. He needed to oversee Mountain Miao Hall and could not remain in Ten Thousand Mountains for long.
Ever since the anomaly broke out, various factions would surely rush to Mountain Miao Hall seeking reasons. After all, far too many cultivators had perished this time—dozens at the Foundation Establishment Realm, each a pillar of their respective factions!
Just thinking about who he would have to face, Wang Liweng already felt a headache coming on.
If he did not know the Empress herself had entered Ten Thousand Mountains, he scarcely dared imagine how he would have managed relying on himself alone.
At this moment, deep within Ten Thousand Mountains.
The black fog barrier that originally enveloped dozens of miles had been forcefully compressed by the Empress into the deep pit where Yan Mie Zun Five lay.
"Begin."
The Empress glanced at Qin Yu, signaling her intent.
As early as in Lin Xian City, Yan Yu had already sent word that Qin Yu was able to purify Death Qi.
Seeing the Empress’s indifferent expression, Qin Yu dared not hesitate, immediately channeling True Essence, hurling it at the pit below that looked like a lake of black ink.
[Purifying Death Qi +100]
[Purifying Death Qi +100]
[...]
A string of numbers floated by. Watching the steadily rising Flame Points, Qin Yu suddenly felt that having his conversation with Flower Fairy interrupted might not have been such a bad thing after all.
Dozens of blasts of True Essence rained down, yet the Death Qi lake below showed no sign of diminishing.
It seemed that, to purify so much Death Qi, it would take at least several days.
"Your Majesty, was that Ruins Rift also the work of Black Soul Hall?"
Qin Yu faintly sensed a terrifying roar coming once more from the Ruins Rift and could not help but ask.
"Just those rats?"
The Empress sneered coldly.
"Not them?"
Qin Yu was stunned, somewhat baffled.
"The spatial barrier here was already thin. It should be a remnant from the ancient ghosts’ invasion or possibly caused by ancient sages expelling those ghosts..."
The Empress mused for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"People of Black Soul Hall, capable of breaching the spatial barrier?"
Qin Yu’s expression shifted slightly, but his hands did not pause at all.
"Black Soul Hall deals in sinister arts. So-called ancient ruins are merely spaces where they found weak spatial barriers."
"With fifty or sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators, and tens of thousands of ordinary cultivators as sacrifices, nourishing it with Death Qi, only then did they tear open this Ruins Rift."
The Empress’s voice grew a few degrees colder.
Fifty or sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators, and tens of thousands of cultivators...
Qin Yu trembled all over. The ruthlessness and scheming of Black Soul Hall had far surpassed his imagination.
Judging from the Empress’s icy demeanor, it was clear that should any of Black Soul Hall’s rats emerge now, she would annihilate them with thunderous force.
"Could there be a Half-Venerable level Ruins Beast on the other side of this Ruins Rift?"
The possibility suddenly came to Qin Yu’s mind.
The three black-robed figures just slain by the Empress had noticeably stronger auras than the two who had twice ambushed him, rare even in Black Soul Hall.
Three Foundation Establishment cultivators at over fifty or sixty steps, and even using such a massive amount of Death Qi to breach the spatial barrier—this was clearly a premeditated scheme.
The Empress slowly looked up to the heavens above.
The Thunder Dragon was still circling the edge of the Ruins Rift, full of latent threat. Yet through the rift opening, countless black shadows could be vaguely seen drifting about. Roars erupted from time to time, making all of heaven and earth tremble in fear.
"Perhaps,"
A golden glow flashed in the Empress’s eyes.
Half-Venerable is merely an honorific for those who have reached a hundred Foundation Establishment steps; within this level, there are still vast differences in might.
Just as the Emperor of the Great Qin, hailed as the strongest emperor by reputation—no Lord of the Immortal Country dared claim to match him.
And for the Great Yan Empress to be counted among the top three of the Nine Emperors, her power was by no means something ordinary Half-Venerables could hope to match.
So what if there was a Half-Venerable Ruins Beast on the other side of the rift?
Slay it, then!
"Your Majesty, is it possible to seal this Ruins Rift?"
Qin Yu asked.
Gazing at the thousand-zhang rift above, he could not shake off a sense of foreboding.
"A spatial rupture like this can only be left to close on its own."
The Empress frowned slightly and did not continue further.
Ruins Rift—a spatial fissure; in truth, it’s a scar left in this expanse of space.
Judging by the present scene...
For it to close on its own would likely require a great deal of time.
Even if an array were set, it would probably not hold for long, and as the Emperor, it was clearly impossible for her to remain stationed here forever.
This was what truly plagued the Empress.
If she were not present, once a Ruins Beast descended, this land would be plunged into catastrophe.
Qin Yu did not inquire further.
He could more or less guess the Empress’s concerns, given his past experiences and what he had seen before.
After all, his cultivation was still too low!
If he could step into the legendary Venerable Realm, he would surely protect the Empress by his side and share the burdens on her shoulders.
But for now, this remained nothing but a wish.
Moreover, given the Empress’s nature, even if Qin Yu reached the Venerable Realm, she would never be content to become a caged canary.
For his Dao Companions, Qin Yu would cherish them with all his heart, striving to provide them the best cultivation environment and resources. At the same time, he would respect their individual wishes.
Just like Bai Yaoyin, who could have entered the Lifebound Space to cultivate.
Yet, Qin Yu never forced her—he respected her decision to remain in the Carefree Pavilion.
One whole day elapsed. Qin Yu ceaselessly purified Death Qi until all his True Essence was completely exhausted.
The deathly lake below, once vast as a lake, had visibly been reduced by almost half to the naked eye.
[Cultivation: Early-stage Nascent Soul (64%)]
[Root Bone: Top Grade Dao Bone (Flame Points 387382/1600000)]
[Spiritual Power: Subtlety Middle Tier (Flame Points 387382/400000)]
Qin Yu glanced at the flame—it had grown by nearly two hundred thousand Flame Points in this short interval!
Of course, this was largely thanks to the Empress’s help confining the Death Qi within a single deep pit, sparing him much effort searching it out.
"Rest for a while."
The Empress spoke calmly.
This fellow, whether facing baleful energy or Death Qi, gave his all to purify it.
From this, it was clear he still held great reverence for her and had not the slightest hint of perfunctory intent.
Precisely because he understood propriety, the Empress tacitly allowed him to accompany her during her tribulation crossing.
"Your Majesty, if I return inside, I can recover faster."
Qin Yu suggested.
The Empress nodded slightly. She naturally understood what Qin Yu meant.
Though she had never entered, during the last tribulation, Qin Yu had spoken of it. She knew that time in the Lifebound Space flowed differently from the outside world.
"Go,"
The Empress casually produced a bottle of elixir to restore Spiritual Power.
Qin Yu did not refuse.
As expected, in less than half a day, Qin Yu reappeared.
The Empress was about to caution him not to overexert himself, when she sharply caught a familiar scent.
This fellow...
Even at a time like this, he hadn’t forgotten to cultivate with his Dao Companions?!
Heh!
The Empress snorted coldly in her heart but could not be bothered to censure him.
Superficial.
If not for the need to cross the Seven Emotions Tribulation, I would never let him touch so much as a hair.
Qin Yu was entirely unaware of the Empress’s reaction. In his eyes, the Empress was peerlessly dignified and above reproach. Even though they both tacitly understood each other, in daily life, he still maintained reverence and dared not gaze directly upon her sacred visage.
After two days in the Lifebound Space, his True Essence had returned to its peak.
Because of his Life Rune, he could attend to two things at once without delay.
[Purifying Death Qi +100]
[Purifying Death Qi +100]
[...]
Qin Yu began his previous actions anew, sending wave after wave of True Essence into the pit, from which blue smoke constantly billowed up.
From time to time, his gaze drifted to the sky—the black shadows within the Ruins Rift were growing ever more numerous. Yet, perhaps feeling the threat of the Thunder Dragon, however restless they became, no Ruins Beast foolishly dared charge into this heaven and earth.
Thus, four days passed.
Qin Yu exhausted his True Essence twice, finally, on his third round, purifying all the Death Qi in the deep pit.
Inside the pit, cracks sprawled everywhere. The formation once left by Black Soul Hall had long since vanished without trace.
"Your Majesty, it’s done,"
Qin Yu drew a long breath, sweeping his gaze around him.
Before him, the land lay desolate; even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had grown abnormally thin. On the broken ground, scattered remains of bones could be vaguely seen.
More terrifying still, the sky above was marred by that thousand-zhang-long scar-like fissure, flickering with blood-red light as if it might tear wider at any moment and utterly destroy this world.
The Empress inclined her head slightly, secretly heaving a sigh of relief, her eyes on Qin Yu growing just a little softer.
Such a huge amount of Death Qi—without Qin Yu, the Empress could only have temporarily sealed it, never purified it.
And that would have been a ticking time bomb. No one could know whether Black Soul Hall might secretly find a way to ignite it.
If Death Qi were left to rampage, in less than half a month, all the lands of Mountain Miao Hall would become a Death Domain; all life and even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi would be devoured.
By then, the situation would spiral completely out of control!
Fortunately, Great Yan has Qin Yu.
[Cultivation: Early-stage Nascent Soul (65%)]
[Root Bone: Top Grade Dao Bone (Flame Points 639127/1600000)]
[Spiritual Power: Subtlety Middle Tier (Flame Points 639127/400000) (Can Breakthrough)]
Qin Yu cast his gaze at the flame.
Having purified the Death Qi here, he had gained around five hundred thousand Flame Points. If he harvested two more batches of Death Qi on this scale, his Root Bone could be improved!
The Empress stood tall, suspended in midair; her gaze pierced the clouds, reaching the zenith of the heavens. Clad in a golden dragon robe shimmering with flowing light, her sleeves billowed in the wind, asserting the supreme majesty of Great Yan’s sovereign.
She had long been accustomed to overlooking all sentient beings, yet now, those deep eyes of hers rarely revealed a hint of solemn gravity.
The Death Qi was gone—but the Ruins Rift remained an unresolved threat.
Though a Thunder Attribute Dao Rhyme Power-forged Thunder Dragon lay in wait, nothing unusual had occurred these past days.
Yet, at the rift’s edge, space itself rippled like the surface of a lake.
Clearly, the Ruins Beasts within were still relentlessly expanding the spatial barrier. As space twisted and shattered, the thousand-zhang-wide rift visibly spread and grew.