Chapter 59: Visiting the Empress

The Undead Mountain Range.

Little囡囡 rode on Luo Yan’s shoulders as they walked deeper into the forbidden zone.

To be honest, Luo Yan was extremely reluctant to come here. He and the Empress shared a massive karmic tie, and having traveled against the current of time, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t slip up.

The Empress was capable of perceiving that he did not belong to this era, and her power was unfathomably deep.

The oncoming curse of the desolate ancient era and the withered years clashed with the power of laws surrounding Luo Yan, neutralizing one another.

The taboo of passing years was one of the terrifying aspects of the Desolate Forbidden Land. It could age a person in an instant, stripping away their youth and turning a young child into a hoary elder within seconds.

Such a terrifying force posed no threat to Luo Yan whatsoever. Since he mastered the Great Dao of Time, he possessed an exceptionally profound understanding of the laws of time.

Not far away stood nine divine mountains, upon each of which grew a different kind of divine tree. Divine fruits hung from the branches, and divine springs flowed at their roots.

This tree was known as the Nine-Wonder Undead Medicine. Once a single divine elixir of immortality, it was later split into nine by the Empress and planted across nine different divine mountains. Its pulp could undergo reincarnation and growth, restoring youth and containing distinct medicinal properties.

Luo Yan walked toward the precipice. Little囡囡 wore a curious expression, seeming to find the place somewhat familiar.

"Little囡囡, see if that pretty big sister down in the abyss is awake," Luo Yan said, turning his head toward her.

Although he could also peer into everything beneath the abyss, Luo Yan feared being slapped to death with a single palm. While he generally feared no ordinary Great Emperor, the Empress was in the realm of a Red Dust Immortal, far more formidable than the average Great Emperor! This realm corresponded to a Quasi-Immortal King, surpassing True Immortals!

Little囡囡 obediently complied, gazing down into the abyss. Her eyes reflected a faint golden radiance, and her pupils seemed to mirror the scenery deep below.

"That pretty big sister is awake. Her eyes are open. But it's so strange... she feels empty inside..."

Had she fallen into a state of bewilderment?

Luo Yan had some inkling of the Empress’s condition. Her state of being was extremely peculiar, alternating between chaotic and lucid.

"Brother Luo Yan... Little囡囡 is so sleepy... I want to sleep..."

Was the Empress about to wake up?

Luo Yan guessed inwardly.

Little囡囡 shared an extremely special relationship with the Empress; she was the latter's Dao fruit.

"If囡囡 is sleepy, have a good rest. Just rest your head on my shoulder and sleep!"

Soon, steady and rhythmic breathing came from his shoulder.

A white figure leapt out from beneath the abyss, standing in a blur in the distance of the cliff, quietly looking down at Luo Yan.

Matchless grace, standing above the nine heavens, looking down upon the mortal world. This was a fairy in white who did not partake in the food of mortals. Her life was filled with legends, and her persistent obsession was deeply moving.

Not to become an immortal, but simply to wait for your return in the mortal dust.

"Luo Yan pays respects to the Empress!"

The Empress was shrouded in mist, making her visage seem both present and illusory—true and false, false and true.

She opened her eyes, harboring a trace of bewilderment. A moment later, they cleared up slightly, though she remained silent.

With a wave of her hand, two futons appeared, formed entirely from the Qi of Dao. These were divine objects that would move even Great Saint-level powerhouses; if one could sit upon them and contemplate for a bit, their cultivation realm would soar by leaps and bounds!

Luo Yan sat down, maintaining a distance from her.

This was truly their first real meeting, as the previous two could only be considered brief encounters.

Sitting face-to-face with the Ruthless Great Emperor—if word of this spread, it would shake the ages. Throughout history, those who could sit opposite the Empress were few and far to be counted, and Luo Yan was fortunate enough to become one of them in this lifetime.

"I have come to seek guidance from the Empress. Does the Empress know of the weirdness surrounding the Scarlet Demon Heavenly尊? Is there a way to resolve that red curse?"

The Empress spoke, her voice like celestial music: "The Scarlet Demon once came to the Desolate Forbidden Land and was suppressed by me inside the Emperor's Mausoleum using the Desolate Pagoda! The seal outside the mystic realm was left by me; he cannot get out.

As for that red mark, I cannot completely eradicate it yet. Only the Desolate Pagoda can completely banish it."

Hearing such profound secrets, Luo Yan finally understood why the Scarlet Demon Heavenly尊 could not leave the mystic realm and could only rely on the red curse to manipulate the skeletons outside. So this was the karma behind it!

From these words, Luo Yan deduced that the Empress likely possessed a method to erase the red mark, though it was incomplete.

Luo Yan continued to probe, wishing to get to the bottom of it and understand the method the Empress mastered, but she said no more, only staring at him with bright eyes. She had manifested because of the extremely special karmic tie between him and her.

"When are you leaving?" she asked, her demeanor akin to a monarch ruling the world.

Of course, Luo Yan knew the Empress was asking when he would fulfill her brother's wish. This was a question he could not escape, and the Empress likely only showed herself because of this bond of karma.

Luo Yan produced the Mirror of Time and said, "Empress, you must ask it. It is the immortal artifact capable of leading me through time and space."

Luo Yan sold it out without hesitation, seemingly unconcerned that the Empress might snatch the Mirror of Time to travel through time herself.

Luo Yan had once asked the Mirror of Time whether anyone could use it to traverse time and space.

The answer was: No!

Luo Yan could use the Mirror of Time to travel through space-time because his own perception of the Great Dao of Time was exceptionally deep, surpassing that of others. Furthermore, the Mirror of Time had integrated with Luo Yan, making the two inseparable; not just any cultivator could casually command the mirror as he did.

"Little Mirror, someone is looking for you!"

The Mirror of Time was still in the midst of absorbing residual temporal origin to recover itself when it was suddenly hauled out. It couldn't help but complain: "Who is this?! What does she want with her daddy?"

The corner of Luo Yan's twitched. It was no coincidence this thing kept getting beaten into such a state! With a sharp tongue like that, getting hammered every few minutes was guaranteed.

The air suddenly froze. The Mirror of Time cast its gaze forward and saw a hazy white figure sitting cross-legged on a futon formed from Dao Qi. Every movement she made seemed to rise and fall within the tides of existence, unfathomable as a sovereign.

The Mirror of Time: !!!

"It is the legendary Empress, supreme across the heavens and earth, the most stunning and talented in all of ages! I wonder what instructions Your Ladyship has for summoning me?" The Mirror of Time turned demure and pretentious, sparing no praise.

The Empress stared at it with unfathomable eyes, seemingly deep in thought, appearing hesitant.

The Mirror of Time’s expression straightened: "Rest assured, Empress! Your affairs are my affairs! Next time, we will definitely fulfill your brother's dying wish! However, I must ask the Empress for a token. Your brother's era is far too distant from the one we inhabit; without a token to anchor our position, it will be extremely difficult for us to travel against the river of time and reach the space-time where your brother resides!"

As clever as it was, it guessed a piece of karma—the Empress must have appeared for his sake.

The Empress looked at Luo Yan.

Luo Yan nodded calmly.

A moment later, the Empress produced a ghost face mask—neither crying nor laughing, weeping in its smile, smiling through its tears.

This ghost face mask was identical to the one he had seen in the tomb by the Immortal Pond of Kunlun that day! It was only a pity that when that mask fell into Luo Yan's hands, it had already ceased to exist, dissolving into thin air.

That ghost face mask originally belonged to the Empress. After coming full circle, it was now handed back to Luo Yan through the Empress's own hands.

"Truly a massive karma!"

The moment he made contact with the ghost face mask, Luo Yan felt a wave of rich sorrow that tugged at his heartstrings, staining his emotions. An indescribable sadness permeated his heart.

She looked at Luo Yan, never once uttering the word "save."

Someone who had already died could not be saved, even by traveling through time and space.

Having reached her realm, many things were already crystal clear.

Luo Yan said, "Perhaps one day, the Empress will be able to retrieve her loved ones from the river of time."

The Empress sighed softly, sorrow shrouding her: "Does such a realm truly exist in this world?"

Yet she held no hope, wishing only to wait for a similar flower.