Chapter 18: The Despair and Shock of the Profound Heaven Empress

A stream of light sliced through the boundless sky,

It finally came to a stop at the edge of the Burial Heaven Ancient Land.

The light faded, revealing a tall and resolute figure.

He was the last pillar of the human race on the Profound Heaven Continent,

The Profound Heaven Empress, Luo Bingyao, who bitterly upheld the remaining forces,

The phoenix robe she wore had long become tattered from years of war,

It was stained with dried blood, both from enemies and her own,

On a face that should have been peerlessly beautiful,

Now it bore signs of fatigue and exhaustion, except for those phoenix eyes, which still burned with an unyielding flame.

She had arrived.

At the moment she sensed the awakening of that 17th-level aura from the Burial Heaven Ancient Land,

She had no hesitation, bidding farewell to her followers and rushing there alone.

She knew this journey meant certain death, no chance of survival.

The Qilin Ancient Emperor,

was an existence she could neither imagine nor contend with.

But she had to come.

As the last empress of humanity,

she bore the responsibility and duty to shed her last drop of blood for the survival of mankind.

Even if it was only to give those surviving people,

a meager chance of life, she was willing to sacrifice her own life.

However, when she truly arrived at the Burial Heaven Ancient Land, the sight before her left her utterly stunned.

The imagined world-shattering might of a Quasi-Emperor did not appear.

The deathly silence and ominous aura that had shrouded this place for ages also vanished without a trace.

In their place……

was a bustling…… construction site?

All that could be seen was the core of the forbidden zone, where even legendary saints dared not tread,

At this moment, thousands of knights clad in golden divine armor, whose terrifying aura made her very soul tremble, were…… digging the earth?

Some had transformed into towering giants tens of thousands of feet tall, using both hands,

piling up mountains of god-demon skeletons as if they were mere dirt mounds, effortlessly pushing them flat.

Others brought forth various mystic treasures she had never heard of, drilling the earth to create bottomless pits.

"Clang!", "Clang!"

The sounds of digging and shouting rose and fell.

"Hey! You over there, you've dug into my side!"

"Get lost! This plot is clearly mine—I called dibs first! This god-demon skull is mine!"

"Don't fight over it! Everything belongs to the Young Master! Anyone who hoards it will be dealt with by military law!"

Luo Bingyao stared blankly at the scene,

feeling her worldview completely overturned at that moment.

What…… what is going on?

The Burial Heaven Ancient Land…… was it forcibly demolished?

Those golden-armored knights…… just who are they?

And who is the Young Master they speak of?

Her mind went blank, utterly unable to comprehend this absurd, bizarre sight before her.

Just as she stood there doubtful and uncertain,

a figure swayed out from that construction site.

It was a youth who looked no older than eighteen or nineteen,

clad in simple white robes, black hair flowing over his shoulders, his face handsome beyond words.

He had his hands behind his back, like a landlord inspecting his estate,

his expression bore a hint of listless boredom.

Luo Bingyao's pupils contracted sharply the moment she saw that youth.

She could not see through him.

Despite her Quasi-Sage cultivation, she could not fathom the youth's depth at all.

He simply stood there, utterly ordinary, with no trace of spiritual energy—like a powerless mortal who couldn't even truss a chicken.

But Luo Bingyao's intuition was screaming a warning at her!

Who is he?

Luo Bingyao's heart leapt into her throat in an instant.

Meanwhile,

Gu Yuan also noticed this sudden intruder.

He glanced at Luo Bingyao, and he too felt a hint of surprise.

"A Quasi-Sage? And she's a woman?"

"Not bad-looking, just dressed in rags—like a beggar."

"However... the sword in her hand is somewhat interesting."

Gu Yuan's gaze,

It fell on the ancient plain long sword tightly held in Luo Bingyao's hand.

That sword, its blade covered in cracks, the edge also nicked, looks like a piece of scrap iron.

However, Gu Yuan could from inside that sword,

feel a trace of weak yet extremely pure immortal Dao aura.

"A half-immortal artifact? And it's still in the form of a sword embryo?"

Gu Yuan became interested.

Such things are not often seen even in the immortal realm.

Although it's only damaged,

but if suitable materials can be found to repair it,

and then have a top-tier artifact craftsman take action,

maybe it could be refined into a true immortal artifact.

Immortal artifacts, this thing,

Even placed in the Gu family, it's not too many.

After all, it can even let the ancestor be fully armed from head to toe.

"Hey, that beggar."

Gu Yuan shouted at Luo Bingyao,

lazily waved his hand.

Luo Bingyao's body stiffened, she could hardly believe her ears.

"Want... want to beg?"

Is he calling me?

"I, the mighty Profound Heaven Female Emperor, the last hope of humanity, in his eyes am actually a beggar?"

A feeling of shame instantly surged to her heart.

But she dared not act out.

Because, as that youth opened his mouth, the surrounding thousands of gold-armored knights who were working,

all stopped their actions in unison,

Gazes icy and sharp, capable of tearing apart heaven and earth,

instantly locked onto her body!

Luo Bingyao only felt a chill, from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head!

She had no doubt, as long as she made any movement,

the next second, she would be torn to pieces by these terrifying gazes!

She took a deep breath, suppressed the shame and fear in her heart, stepped forward, and cautiously walked toward that youth.

Each step was extremely difficult.

It felt as if she wasn't stepping on the bones of gods and demons, but on a mountain of knives and a sea of fire.

"You, come over."

Gu Yuan saw her dawdling, and somewhat impatiently hooked his finger.

Luo Bingyao's heart jolted, she dared not delay any further, and quickened her steps.

Finally, she arrived before Gu Yuan.

When she got closer, she could more clearly feel that terrifying aura on the youth's body, which seemed faint yet as if merged with the heavenly Dao.

She even produced an illusion.

It seemed he was not a person, but the embodiment of this heaven and earth, the manifestation of the Dao!

"You... who are you?"

Luo Bingyao spoke with difficulty, her voice hoarse from tension.

Gu Yuan did not answer her question,

but instead pointed at her sword in her hand.

"Your broken sword, let me see it."

His tone was not a suggestion, but a command.

A kind of natural, undeniable command.

Luo Bingyao's heart sank sharply.

This Slaying Immortal Sword,

is the supreme treasure passed down from her sect for countless millions of years,

and is also her greatest reliance now.

Although it is already damaged, its power is only one-tenth,

but it is still one of the top divine weapons of the entire Profound Heaven Continent!

Now, this mysterious youth, actually as soon as he opens his mouth wants her sword?

"This... this is an heirloom of my sect, I'm sorry but I cannot obey."

Luo Bingyao gritted her teeth, mustered the greatest courage of her life, and refused.

However, just as her words fell,

Boom!

A terrifying killing intent suddenly erupted from behind her!

A golden‑armored knight wielding a Heavenly Spear,

who had somehow already appeared behind her,

the cold spear blade hung over her nape; a light slash would make her head fall to the ground instantly.

"If the Young Master lets you take it, just take it. Why all the nonsense?"

The knight's icy voice, like a death god's verdict, rang in Luo Bingyao's ears.

Luo Bingyao's body stiffened instantly, cold sweat soaking her back.

She did not doubt the truth of his words.

She could feel that if she dared utter another "no",

the next second, she would be annihilated in body and spirit!