273: Chapter 271 The Empress Enters Canglan

The moment the plaque shattered, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the entire hall suddenly became violent and chaotic, surging frantically. The entire mountain stronghold trembled violently, gale winds spawned from thin air, lamps and candles flickered wildly, light and shadow twisted in confusion, beams and pillars shook unceasingly, and gravel fell with a rustling sound!

Hum—!

A low, obscure spatial hum originating from the Void Realm exploded from the depths of the void where the plaque had shattered!

This sudden and eerie transformation caused all the Shuibo experts, who had been chatting happily and full of high spirits, to freeze in place instantly. Their blood and Qi stagnated, their spiritual power was locked, their minds were shaken, and they were left stunned and bewildered, their very breathing subconsciously stopping!

Just as everyone was stunned—

From within that spatial rift, a slender, fair, exquisitely perfect, and jade-like foot stepped out slowly first!

The foot shape was beautiful and flawless, the skin as white as snow. The hem of a luxurious green dress fluttered in the wind, accompanied by wisps of Immortal Qi. Every movement carried an aura that reigned over all living beings, overlooked the myriad domains, and was coldly domineering and supreme.

The jade foot landed gently, soundless and without stirring a speck of dust, yet it instantly suppressed all the restless Spiritual Qi and chaotic gale winds in the hall, leaving the entire space in absolute silence!

The next instant, a peerless, cold figure stepped out slowly from the dark rift, composed, elegant, and ethereal.

She wore a luxurious yet elegant green dress, her figure slender and ethereal. Three thousand strands of black hair draped over her shoulders, smooth as a waterfall. Her appearance was cold and stunning, untainted by the Mortal world. Her brows and eyes were as sharp as cold blades, and her temperament was as aloof as a Prodigy. She possessed an inherent, domineering aura without needing to exert it; her presence was imposing, and every movement carried the peerless demeanor of one who overlooks the common people, gazes down upon the myriad domains, and suppresses the heavens, naturally exuding the supreme pressure of a top-tier expert.

After landing, the woman stood quietly in the center of the hall, her cold, indifferent gaze slowly sweeping across the entire hall, indifferently examining this dilapidated and desolate gathering hall, as well as the Shuibo crowd inside who were stunned, frozen in place, and trembling in spirit.

Cold, domineering, indifferent, aloof, untainted by the Mortal world, and possessing overwhelming pressure.

It was Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao, who had crossed the boundary.

After landing, her cold, indifferent gaze slowly swept over the dilapidated gathering hall, passing over the stunned and tense crowd, before finally falling upon the broken plaque, a hint of extreme indifference flashing in the depths of her eyes.

Chieftain Song He was steady in Heart-Nature, possessed deep schemes, and had experienced the winds and frosts of chaotic times, far exceeding ordinary Martial Artists in forbearance and composure.

Even though his heart was turbulent and warning bells were ringing wildly, he did not show the slightest panic or loss of composure on his face.

The drunkenness in his eyes faded completely, replaced by extreme vigilance, deep solemnity, and quiet precaution. His muscles were tense, and the residual spiritual power in his Meridians circulated quietly, ready to strike, yet on the surface, he maintained the calm and steadiness of a stronghold leader, slowly taking a step back to quietly block the path in front of his brothers.

He could tell that although the woman before him was young and appeared gentle, ethereal, and refined, without a hint of malevolence, that invisible pressure and transcendent aura proved she was an expert among experts.

Especially in the current times, with rifts sprouting everywhere and constant invasions from beyond the domain, a top-tier woman of unknown origin who had crossed the boundary and possessed unfathomable strength suddenly descending upon Shuibo made it impossible for him not to feel wary and be on high alert.

Chieftain Song He's voice was steady and deep, neither servile nor overbearing. He did not shrink back due to the terrifying aura of the other party, nor did he rashly provoke her and seek his own death. His words were steady and powerful:

"Who are you, Miss? A Prodigy from beyond the domain, crossing the boundary to arrive here and trespassing on our Shuibo territory—what is your intention?"

As the question fell, no one dared to respond.

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's gaze turned back calmly, falling upon Chieftain Song He. There was not a ripple in her cold eyes, as if she were looking at mere ants or dust. Her voice was cold, crisp, and extremely concise, devoid of any emotion or warmth:

"What place is this?"

It was the absolute posture of a superior interrogating a subordinate, brooking no doubt.

This condescending attitude instantly made the hearts of the Shuibo leaders in the hall feel stifled.

Li Gui could no longer hold back. He stepped out, eyes wide with rage, and shouted in a deep voice:

"Audacious! My brother asks you a question, and you answer with a question? A mere woman, breaking into our Shuibo gathering hall, destroying our stronghold's plaque, and disrupting our gathering ceremony—you are already guilty of being rude! And now you dare to be so arrogant, presumptuous, and dismissive of others!"

"State your name and purpose immediately! Otherwise, don't blame us, the people of Shuibo, for being impolite!"

Qilin moved, jade-colored auspicious Qi circulating quietly around his body. The Bloodline Power of a Prodigy beast was faintly reviving, his gaze arrogant and cold, locking onto Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao; Rong Geer's fingertips condensed a faint, floral, spiritual light, while the vegetation Spiritual Qi around him lay in ambush, ready to release binding spells at any moment; the three fish monster brothers slightly lowered their bodies, water-type spiritual power lingering around them, tacitly forming a triangular Formation, prepared for both offense and defense; Wu Yang and Yang Chi had their Battle Intent rising and spiritual power surging, facing the unknown powerful enemy directly.

Mei Yong moved quietly to Chieftain Song He's side and lowered his voice to remind him quickly, his tone heavy and urgent:

"Chieftain, this person's aura is unfathomable, she is definitely not an ordinary Cultivator from beyond the domain! I cannot detect the bottom line of her cultivation; she is likely a top-tier powerful being! We must not fight her head-on!"

Chieftain Song He nodded slightly, the look in his eyes becoming increasingly deep.

He knew better than anyone that among the current Shuibo crowd, not one was a match for this woman in a one-on-one fight. The slightest bit of pressure spilling from her was enough to make their spiritual power stagnant and their blood and Qi churn.

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao, facing the vigilance, confrontation, angry shouts, and saber-rattling of the crowd in the hall, had no ripples on her face, and her eyes remained indifferent and detached.

The spiritual power fluctuations, cultivation levels, and combat strength depth of these people were all laid bare and thoroughly transparent under her Peak Doudi Divine Thought. The highest was only at the Early Stage Doudi, and the rest were all at the Dousheng level. In front of a true top-tier expert, they were like children brandishing swords or ants showing off their power—ridiculous and powerless.

She could not be bothered to argue with them, nor did she want to waste time with superficial pleasantries. Her cold gaze swept over the crowd, and her voice suddenly cooled by three degrees: "Noisy!"

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's voice was suddenly filled with frost. She did not unleash a monstrous pressure, her posture remained cold and indifferent, and she did not even raise her arm to gather power. She merely raised her eyes to scan them casually and flicked a trace of imperceptible cyan spiritual power from her fingertip.

This trace of spiritual power was as thin as smoke and appeared to have no power at all. It looked unremarkable amidst the gale winds, yet it carried the pure Dao rhyme of a Doudi and the power of rules that crushed levels, precisely locking onto Li Gui, who was roaring incessantly in front.

Only a dull thud was heard.

Crack!

The crisp sound of bone breaking rang out suddenly, piercingly loud.

Li Gui's ferocious roar froze instantly, his pupils shrinking violently. An irresistible and unstoppable terrifying force poured into his limbs and bones along his fist, instantly crushing his entire spiritual power defense and shattering the force of his Physical Body.

His proud and powerful Physical Body was as fragile as thin paper and rotten wood in front of this trace of Doudi spiritual power.

"Urgh—!"

A shrill cry of pain exploded suddenly. Li Gui was sent flying backward as if struck by a lightning bolt. His body flew uncontrollably, tumbling more than ten meters in the air before smashing heavily onto the broken bluestone floor.

Boom!

Gravel splattered, dust flew, and a shallow human-shaped depression formed.

Li Gui's right hand bones were completely shattered, his flesh was mangled, and the Meridians throughout his body were trembling and tearing. He spat out blood, his Battle Intent was instantly scattered, and his body was limp, collapsed on the ground. He didn't even have the strength to struggle to get up, and could only clutch his broken arm, twitching all over, his eyes filled with extreme horror and disbelief.

One move.

With just a casual trace of spiritual power, she crushed and severely injured Li Gui in one move!

Qilin's eyes suddenly froze in coldness, and the jade-colored auspicious Qi surged instantly. His pride as a Prodigy could not suppress his anger: "Too much! It was just a few words of dispute, yet you strike so ruthlessly, crippling my brother!"

The three fish monster brothers, Wu Yang, and Yang Chi could no longer hold back. Their overflowing anger overcame the fear in their hearts. Witnessing their brother being crushed and severely injured in one move, they could no longer watch with indifference.

"Dare to hurt our Shuibo brother! Don't let her go!"

Fish Seven had the most fiery temper and was the first to charge out. Water-type spiritual power surged violently, and countless water blades condensed from thin air, thick and dense, carrying sharp murderous intent as they slashed directly at Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's vital points!

Wu Yang and Yang Chi followed closely behind. Their blades were unsheathed, cold light gleaming, and their killing spiritual power boiled to the extreme. They attacked from both sides, launching a fierce assault; Fish Two and Fish Five controlled the dark water currents, secretly locking off her retreat and sealing her space for evasion; Rong Geer's fingertips scattered pollen, an invisible binding technique quietly spreading, attempting to restrain her movements; Qilin's Bloodline was fully activated, auspicious Qi soared to the sky, and with a flash, he pounced to kill, his jade-colored palm force domineering and peerless, pressing down from above!

Seeing their own brother being randomly crushed and seriously injured by the woman from beyond the domain, they all attacked in unison, surrounding her.

Only Chieftain Song He and Mei Yong remained standing in place, their expressions heavy to the extreme.

Chieftain Song He's eyes were filled with conflict and wariness, his heart sinking heavily. He knew very well that the cultivation of this woman in the green dress had long since transcended the limits of their understanding; she was a true top-tier powerful being of the heavens.

Li Gui had been rude first, and the other party's retaliation, though ruthless, could be considered justified. At this moment, everyone rashly joining forces to attack seemed like righteous indignation and standing together against a common enemy, but in reality, it was like throwing an egg against a rock, seeking their own deaths, and pushing Shuibo into the abyss of destruction!

"Don't be impulsive! Stop immediately!" Chieftain Song He shouted sternly, trying to stop everyone to avoid creating an irreconcilable enmity.

However, the crowd, with anger getting the better of them and their hearts set on their brother, could no longer listen to any dissuasion. They only wanted to defeat the opponent and seek justice for Li Gui.

Mei Yong sighed urgently in a low voice: "Chieftain, it's too late! Oh, the brothers are… sigh!"

Sure enough, facing the sky-filling offensive launched by the crowd, Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's expression remained as indifferent as snow, without a ripple, and her eyes held only the indifference and impatience toward ants attacking.

She lightly raised her slender hand and waved it casually in the air.

Hum—!

An invisible cyan Dao rhyme spread instantly, turning into a thin yet invincible spiritual power barrier, covering her body.

Crackle!

The sky-filling water blades, sharp blade beams, vegetation binding techniques, and jade-colored palm force—all attacks bombarded the barrier, failing to stir even a ripple, and instantly shattered and dissolved into nothingness!

The next moment, the cyan spiritual power counterattacked and surged out with a roar!

Bang, bang, bang!

A series of muffled explosions erupted!

Qilin bore the brunt of the impact, its chest violently struck by the backlash of Spiritual Qi. Its jade-colored auspicious Qi shattered instantly, and its body flew backward like a kite with a broken string for several meters, crashing heavily into the ruins. Its blood energy surged, and blood sprayed from the corners of its mouth.

Rong Geer's delicate body shook violently, the spiritual charm of vegetation instantly withered, leaving him feeling weak and limp, staggering to the ground with chaotic breathing.

The three fish monster brothers were all sent flying, their water-elemental Spiritual Qi dissipating, and their Meridians aching. The three of them fell to the ground in a heap, looking wretched and unable to rise.

Wu Yang and Yang Chi's palms split open, their long blades slipping from their hands, their arms numb, and their bones and muscles trembling!

...

In just a brief moment, everyone had been defeated, all of them injured!

Chieftain Song He's pupils shrank, his heart sinking to the bottom.

The situation he feared most had finally arrived.

Even if you knew the opponent was an almighty Cultivator, why did you have to attack???

Looking at his brothers lying on the ground, heavily injured and in a wretched state, and seeing their unwilling yet powerless gazes, Chieftain Song He gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse and heavy as he spoke, enunciating every word: "Mei Yong, form the Formation!"

Mei Yong nodded heavily, his expression solemn: "Alright!"

"Everyone get up! Return to your positions! Zhou Tian Great Array, activate!" Chieftain Song He roared with a thunderous shout.

Boom—!

An invisible, terrifying force instantly exploded. The pillars of the entire Great Hall of Justice trembled, stone debris fell wildly, and the ground cracked. The roof tiles were ripped off layer by layer, a fierce wind rose, and gale winds raged, instantly extinguishing all the dim lights!

"Zhou Tian Great Array, activate!"

The moment the shout fell, the more than one hundred people present shot out, leaving their original positions and, following the Zhou Tian Formation tracks, moved at high speed, stepping into their positions and performing their respective duties!

Chieftain Song He sat in the center to guard the main Formation eye, locking his Divine Thought onto the entire Formation, coordinating the overall situation, and stabilizing the Formation base; Mei Yong roamed the auxiliary Formation, harmonizing the Spiritual Qi, filling in the gaps of the Formation, and circulating the Zhou Tian;

locking the Formation front, trapping the enemy and diffusing force, softening strong attacks, solidifying the Formation walls, and resisting the enemy head-on...

Hum—!

A sky-high Spiritual light instantly soared into the sky, spanning the entire Shuibo airspace!

A vast, magnificent, thick, and solid Zhou Tian Spiritual light barrier firmly enveloped the entire Great Hall of Justice, covering the entire stronghold!

Layer upon layer of Spiritual light screens circulated endlessly. The Zhou Tian patterns crisscrossed, dense and numerous. Ancient Formation Dao runes shone brilliantly, flickering incessantly, emitting a thick, steady, and extremely tough defensive pressure.

The Zhou Tian Great Array is solid when united, and collapses when divided. It can gather the power of ants to shake mountains, and gather the bodies of Mortals to resist a Prodigy!

"Protect the entire area! Guard the Formation base to the death!" Chieftain Song He roared in a deep voice, his entire body's Spiritual Qi burning and surging, sparing no cost to overdraw his own cultivation, forcibly driving the Great Array to its limit.

There was no other way; the Zhou Tian Great Array had strong defense, but its attack was too weak. He just needed to shrink his neck and wait for the opponent to leave out of impatience.

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao stood outside the Spiritual light barrier, her cold gaze sweeping lightly over the layered Zhou Tian Formation screens before her. A faint trace of surprise flashed in her eyes, which then turned into an indifferent calm.

She had not expected them to be hiding such an exquisite and stable unity Formation.

Unfortunately, the Formation was exquisite, but their cultivation was ultimately limited; unity could be relied upon, but the disparity in Realm was ultimately too great. Before absolute Realm suppression and absolute combat power crushing, any clever technique, any Formation, or any unity was merely futile struggling.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot; overestimating one's capabilities." These eight short words were indifferent and cold, carrying the absolute confidence of looking down upon ants.

Before the words had even faded, Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao raised her jade finger slightly, and an exquisite little hammer appeared in her hand.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no violent, raging Spiritual Qi, just a simple, understated strike!

Clang!

A cyan Spiritual light, condensed to the extreme and thin to the point of being nearly transparent, instantly broke through the air. Its speed was extreme, tearing through the air and piercing through the gale winds, striking the very center of the Zhou Tian barrier with absolute precision!

Bang—!

The Spiritual light exploded, and the Formation patterns trembled!

The incredibly thick, layered Zhou Tian defensive barrier instantly shook violently and fluctuated intensely. Countless Formation Dao runes flickered crazily, alternating between light and dark, and the entire Great Array swayed violently!

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao raised her eyebrows and lifted her hand: "Again!"

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding!" Chieftain Song He gritted his teeth and roared, how could she be so strong?

The Zhou Tian Great Array instantly activated its ultimate force-diffusing mechanism, dissolving layer by layer, cycling and buffering, dispersing, dismantling, circulating, and weakening Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's overbearing power, transmitting it throughout the entire Great Array and distributing it among everyone.

They barely blocked it! But just one hammer strike caused everyone's blood energy to surge, suffer from the shock, and their Spiritual Qi consumption to increase drastically! The gap was so large it was despair-inducing!

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao looked at the Zhou Tian Great Array before her, which was struggling to support itself, resisting stubbornly, and refusing to retreat even an inch. Her indifference deepened, and she said in a cold tone:

"You do have some tricks. Unfortunately, it's useless."

As her words fell, she stopped holding back and stopped testing them.

Her cold figure floated slightly in the air, her clothes fluttering and her dark hair dancing. The vast and boundless Great Emperor Spiritual Qi erupted from her body, and the cyan Spiritual light covered the sky, enveloped the four wildernesses, and suppressed the entire Shuibo fragmented domain!

The entire Shuibo space instantly froze completely. The gale winds stopped, the Spiritual Qi was locked, the drifting clouds stood still, and only her dominant Dao rhyme remained in the world!

"Break."

As the word fell, ten thousand techniques collapsed!

The cyan Spiritual light filling the sky instantly gathered, compressed, and condensed, transforming into a hammer that spanned heaven and earth. It was filled with monstrous killing intent and was incomparably overbearing, carrying the power to shatter the Void Realm and suppress ten thousand domains, crashing down onto the Zhou Tian barrier!

Boom—!!!

An earth-shattering loud noise exploded, resounding throughout the entire crack between the heavens!

At this moment, the heavens collapsed and the earth split, space caved in, and chaotic stones pierced through the air!

The Shuibo Great Hall of Justice bore the brunt of it. The roof was instantly ripped off by the violent shockwave, the pillars shattered inch by inch, the bluestone floor cracked layer by layer, and the entire hall collapsed with a roar!

The thick Zhou Tian barrier dented violently and trembled intensely. The Formation patterns on the surface shattered in patches, the Spiritual light dimmed crazily, and countless fine cracks spread across the entire Formation screen like a spiderweb in an instant!

"Puff—!"

Everyone in the Formation spat out large mouthfuls of blood simultaneously, their figures staggering!

Qilin's jade-colored face turned pale instantly, its Bloodline Spiritual Qi surged violently, and it retreated two steps repeatedly: "Damn it, I'm not playing anymore!"

Saying this, it crushed a piece of jade and disappeared from the spot, carrying the man beside it.

The Formation patterns filling the sky exploded into dots of Spiritual light and dissipated into the Void Realm. The thick barrier completely collapsed and ceased to exist. All linkage power, stacking power, and defensive power were wiped out entirely!

The moment the Formation broke, the terrifying shockwave exploded, ruthlessly ravaging the entire stronghold!

The entire Shuibo Island trembled violently, the earth shook and the mountains swayed. The ground split open into countless deep ravines stretching for ten thousand miles. Rocks shattered, cliffs collapsed, dense forests were completely destroyed, and the settlement was razed to the ground!

Puff, puff, puff—!

Chieftain Song He staggered backward, his jade-colored brocade robe shattered in many places, blood continuously spilling from the corners of his mouth. He said powerlessly: "What are you doing, what is this for, didn't I say it was a misunderstanding?"

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao stood in the air, her green dress unstained by a speck of dust, her figure still peerless and elegant, the pressure around her vast and boundless:

"Is it a misunderstanding? Does it matter? Can we talk properly now? I will ask you one more time, what is this place."

"I am searching for my father here. The rift in this domain is of the same origin as the Void Realm rift that abducted my father. I hope you can provide useful information."

Mei Yong's eyes rolled, and he lifted his hand with difficulty, speaking in a deep voice, his breathing weak but telling the truth: "We truly have never seen... Recently, this place has only had chaotic space turbulence and the derivation of natural rifts. There has never been a high-level Dao Cultivator crossing the boundary to fall here or stop and stay."

"But recently, all of Canglan Domain knows that a huge Void Realm rift suddenly opened above the palace of the Daming Dynasty, and a strange Cultivator fell out of thin air into the palace's Forbidden Ground. Countless Imperial Dynasty Cultivators and folk Martial Artists witnessed it with their own eyes; this is definitely not a lie."

These words were half-true and half-false, not counting as deliberate deception. The strange Cultivator who fell into the palace did indeed exist; it was one of the most sensational phenomena of the recent changes in the Canglan Domain heaven and earth, known to everyone in the entire Canglan Domain territory, but no one knew the origin or whereabouts of that Cultivator.

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's gaze narrowed slightly, a trace of contemplation flashing in her cold eyes: "Daming Dynasty?"

"Exactly!" Chieftain Song He immediately took the cue, hurriedly cupping his hands in agreement. His attitude, compared to the previous strong confrontation, had become incomparably respectful and humble, completely setting aside his status and arrogance as a stronghold chieftain: "The Daming Dynasty is the strongest power in the Eastern Wasteland, with experts as numerous as clouds!"

The rest of the people also reacted at this moment, all of them forcing themselves to endure their injuries and chiming in.

The Daming Dynasty and Yuan Chen were already their Mortal enemies in Shuibo.

Now that this top-tier Prodigy, whose strength was heaven-defying and who had crushed everyone, happened to be searching for someone, if they could use her hand to check or even kill Yuan Chen, it would be no less than a heaven-sent Opportunity for Shuibo!

Even if they couldn't completely eliminate Yuan Chen, as long as the Prodigy went to war with the Daming Dynasty and both sides killed each other, the Imperial Dynasty's combat power would inevitably be damaged and they would be unable to attend to themselves, no longer having the strength to settle scores with them.

At this thought, the eyes of everyone lit up with hope and calculation, the previous fear completely replaced by the anticipation of revenge.

Chieftain Song He was the most scheming of all. Seeing this, he simply dropped his status completely, taking the initiative to show goodwill and feigning surrender. His posture was humble and sincere, attempting to completely attach himself to this peerless almighty: "Senior's Divine Ability is peerless, and your combat power is heaven-defying. We have truly opened our eyes today. Previously, we were dull and ignorant, not recognizing the Prodigy's majesty, and rashly resisted, causing much offense. We hope Senior will be magnanimous and forgive our sins!"

He bowed and cupped his hands, his tone extremely sincere, every word and sentence intentionally fawning: "We in Shuibo are willing to sincerely submit and bow our heads to follow you. From now on, we will only follow Senior's lead and listen to Senior's orders!"

In order to make Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao take this trip seriously and not underestimate the Daming Dynasty, and to successfully provoke a war between the two sides, Chieftain Song He deliberately emphasized his tone, solemnly reminding: "However, Senior must be careful! The master of the Daming Dynasty, Yuan Chen, is by no means an ordinary mediocre ruler. This person controls the Luck of Canglan Domain, and his cultivation is unfathomable!"

Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao looked down at Chieftain Song He, who was bowing and showing goodwill. Her eyes remained indifferent, as if she had long seen through all the little schemes in his heart, yet she did not point them out.

"Since you are willing to submit, I will spare your lives for now." Sect Leader Ling Tianjiao's voice was cold and clear as she dropped a sentence lightly, then turned to look toward the territory where the Daming Dynasty was located, a murderous intent rising in her eyes: "Yuan Chen, is it? I will go and investigate personally."