196: Chapter 196 The Peerless and Stunning Empress! My Husband~

"Do you know?" Zhou Liangan leaned into her ear, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I love watching you like this—clearly hating me to the bone, yet completely helpless against me. Like a little bird with broken wings, forced to be at my mercy in a cage."

Chief Captain Ling Shuang's body trembled violently. She closed her eyes, and a single tear slid from the corner of her eye.

"What exactly do you want?" She opened her eyes, asking with a hoarse voice, her gaze filled with despair.

"It's very simple." Zhou Liangan straightened up, his smile remaining bright. "Tell me about your origins, tell me about your family's situation. As long as you are obedient, I can consider being a little nicer to you."

"Dream on!" Chief Captain Ling Shuang refused without a second thought. "Even if I die, I won't tell you anything!"

"Is that so?" Zhou Liangan's gaze turned cold. "It seems you still don't understand the current situation."

He reached out and grabbed Chief Captain Ling Shuang's wrist, yanking her up from the seat.

Off-balance, Chief Captain Ling Shuang fell straight into his embrace.

She smelled the faint scent of blood and tobacco on him, and her stomach churned.

She pushed hard against Zhou Liangan's chest, trying to break free from his embrace. "Let me go! Let me go!"

Zhou Liangan held her tightly, ignoring her struggle.

He lowered his head and whispered in her ear: "Chief Captain Ling Shuang, I'll give you one last chance. Will you speak, or not?"

"I won't! I won't say anything even if I die!" Chief Captain Ling Shuang shouted stubbornly.

Zhou Liangan sighed, looking very helpless.

"Since you are so unappreciative, don't blame me for being impolite."

After saying this, Zhou Liangan...

The edge of the Universe is always an endless expanse of pitch black, as if someone had spilled an entire ocean of ink into it; even starlight could barely squeeze out a faint glow within.

This is the very forefront of the Human Race's territory, and also the primary battlefield for countless invasions by foreign races. What floats in the Void Realm is not gentle nebulae, but long-cooled warship wreckage, broken divine weapons, and the remains of Cultivators who could not return to their homeland. They have drifted in the cold vacuum for thousands of epochs, long since becoming one with the starry sky.

Thin cosmic rays traverse the Void Realm, occasionally colliding with the ten-thousand-mile energy barrier set up by the Human Race, splashing ripples of pale blue.

Behind the barrier, dense formations of Human Race warships are arranged in neat rows, the muzzles of their cannons flashing with cold, frigid light, constantly wary of threats from the depths of the Universe.

Patrol squads of Cultivators ride Flying Swords, shuttling back and forth between the warships. There is not a hint of a smile on their Faces, only vigilance and exhaustion carved into their bones.

Here, any slight relaxation could bring about a catastrophe.

And at the very center of this desolate land floats a pitch-black lotus platform.

The lotus platform is composed of nine huge Reincarnation petals, each engraved with dense ancient runes. As the runes circulate, they emit a vast Aura that transcends time and space.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation sat quietly in the center of the lotus platform. Her eyes were closed, and her long eyelashes hung down like butterfly wings, casting shallow shadows on her fair cheeks.

Her hair was pure black, yet it seemed to contain the brilliance of countless stars. It was draped casually over her shoulders, and as the tips of her hair drifted gently, they caused subtle distortions in the surrounding time and space.

She could clearly perceive that, in the dark, countless eyes were staring at Zhou Liangan, staring at his unique Human Emperor Body. Those eyes were filled with greed and covetousness, like jackals smelling the scent of blood, ready to pounce and tear him apart at any moment.

At this moment, she was deducing the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao, attempting to foresee the impending world-ending catastrophe in advance.

Countless complex Laws of the Heavenly Dao swirled at her fingertips, forming one mysterious pattern after another. The patterns constantly changed, revealing various possibilities of the future.

But just then, her brows furrowed slightly, and her deduction stopped abruptly.

An extremely obscure Aura silently penetrated the Human Race's energy barrier and appeared within her perception range.

This Aura carried a rich life force, like an ancient tree that had lived for eons, and also carried a trace of domineering pressure belonging to an Ancient Emperor, completely different from the Aura of the Human Race.

It was someone from the Spirit Race.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation slowly opened her eyes. What eyes they were! Deep within her pupils, it seemed as if countless Universes were being born and destroyed, and countless cycles of Reincarnation were playing out alternately. Just the act of opening her eyes caused the surrounding flowing stardust to instantly still, and time seemed to slow down ten million times around her.

A flicker of something unusual appeared in her beautiful eyes, and her gaze narrowed slightly. Her voice was not loud, but it seemed to pierce through the vast Void Realm, sounding directly where that hidden Aura was located: "Since you've come, why hide your head and show your tail, not daring to appear?"

Her voice carried no ripples, yet it held an unquestionable majesty, like the Heavenly Dao issuing a decree.

The moment her words fell, that Aura, which had been hidden extremely well, suddenly stalled, clearly not expecting to be discovered so quickly.

There was silence in the Void Realm for a moment.

Immediately after, a pale green light slowly lit up. Within the light, a huge spirit tree grew out of thin air. The spirit tree's branches stretched, its leaves rustling, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

When the spirit tree grew to a hundred zhang in height, a tall and straight figure slowly walked out from the trunk.

The man looked to be only in his thirties. His skin was a pale cyan-green, like fine jade, and his hair was deep green, interspersed with some golden leaf vein patterns that fluttered gently with his movements.

He was wearing armor woven from the bark of an ancient spirit tree, engraved with the ancient totem of the Spirit Race. His whole body was surrounded by a rich life Aura, making even the surrounding cold Void Realm seem to warm up a little.

But there was no warmth on his Face; he wore a coldness that kept people at a distance. A pair of emerald eyes shone with a bone-chilling coldness, staring fixedly at the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation on the lotus platform.

"Reincarnation, long time no see." The man's voice was low and hoarse, like the sound of an old tree in the wind. "I didn't want to come and disturb your cultivation, but there are some things I must demand an explanation for."

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation raised her eyes and swept a casual glance at him. There were no ripples in her eyes, as if standing before her was not an Ancient Emperor of the Spirit Race who had lived for three epochs, but an insignificant ant.

"Spirit Emperor, I was wondering who it was. If you have something to say, say it; if you have a fart, let it out. I don't have time to beat around the bush with you here."

The Spirit Emperor's expression sank instantly, his fists clenched involuntarily, and his knuckles made a faint sound.

He had lived for three epochs and was a figure whose word was Law within the Spirit Race. Even other Half-Emperors of the Human Race had to give him some Face when they saw him, but the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation had always been like this, showing him no respect at all.

But he also knew that the woman in front of him had the capital to be arrogant.

She had lived for over a dozen epochs, experienced countless world-ending catastrophes, and there were at least eight or ten Ancient Emperors who had died at her hands; she was simply not someone he could easily provoke.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, the Spirit Emperor said coldly: "Reincarnation, I won't ask who you protect or what relationship you have with that person. But a member of my Spirit Race was abducted by your so-called husband. Surely you should give me an explanation for this, right?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "husband," a trace of imperceptible provocation in his eyes.

He had long heard that the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, an old monster who had lived for over a dozen epochs, had actually taken a fancy to a Human Race kid who was only in his twenties and only at the Enlightenment Realm, and even publicly claimed that he was her husband.

Upon hearing this, the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation curled her lips into a cold arc. She slowly raised her hand and picked up a Reincarnation petal that had fallen on her shoulder. The petal spun gently at her fingertips, emitting a faint black light.

"Explanation? Ling Feng, you still have the nerve to come to me for an explanation?" Her voice remained flat, yet carried a bone-chilling coldness. "There is cause for every effect. If it weren't for your incompetent descendant secretly colluding with people from the Xuanyuan Family to plot against Liangan, he didn't kill your descendant outright, which is already giving me Face and sparing their lives. You, on the other hand, have come to my doorstep to demand an explanation?"

Her gaze suddenly became sharp, like two unsheathed swords, piercing straight at the Spirit Emperor.

Being stared at like this, the Spirit Emperor felt a chill all over, as if all his secrets had been seen through by her.

He knew in his heart that everything the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation said was the truth.

But he couldn't admit it.

He hadn't come this time truly for that descendant, but was entrusted by others to test the bottom line of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation.

He wanted to see how much the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation actually cared about that Human Race kid, and how much she was willing to pay for him.

"Nonsense!" The Spirit Emperor raised his voice abruptly, the Aura on his body beginning to surge, and the surrounding Void Realm vibrating slightly because of his Aura. "My Spirit Race acts openly and honorably; how could we do such despicable things as plotting against others? It is clearly your husband who is relying on your backing to act tyrannically and abduct my Spirit Race clansmen for no reason! Reincarnation, if you insist on shielding him, then my Spirit Race is not to be bullied either!"

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation sneered, and the Reincarnation petal at her fingertips instantly turned into powder.

"Openly and honorably? Ling Feng, don't you feel ashamed when you say such things? Do you need me to count the despicable things your Spirit Race has done behind the scenes one by one?" She paused, the disdain in her eyes deepening. "Flattered, he and I are indeed somewhat similar; we both hate people who twist black and white in front of us. I have already told you what I needed to tell you. I was the one who let him capture those people. If you are not convinced, feel free to come and find me. Now, leave, I won't see you out."

After saying this, she turned her head, no longer looking at the Spirit Emperor, as if he no longer existed.

This complete disregard made the Spirit Emperor feel even more furious than any insult.

Having lived for three epochs, when had he ever suffered such grievance?

His fists clenched until they creaked, he gritted his teeth, and bloodshot red veins appeared in his emerald eyes.

The terrifying Aura belonging to an Ancient Emperor erupted from her body without reservation, like a suddenly erupting volcano, sweeping across the entire battlefield.

Boom—

The terrifying shockwave spread in all directions, causing the Human Race warships in the distance to shake violently, and dense cracks appeared on the energy shields of the hulls.

The patrolling Cultivators turned pale, hastily activating their Cultivation Techniques to resist, but even so, many Cultivators with lower cultivation levels were sent flying backward, spitting out blood from the impact.

"Reincarnation! Don't go too far!" Ling Emperor gritted his teeth, saying each word clearly, "Those Half-Emperors who walk minor paths may fear you, but my people of the Spirit Race do not fear you! I came to your doorstep today, which is giving you Face, but what is the meaning of you being so overbearing? Do you really think that, by yourself, you can be enemies with the entire Spirit Race?"

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation slowly turned her head, her eyes devoid of any fear, holding only thick mockery.

"Enemies with the entire Spirit Race? Are you even worthy of representing the entire Spirit Race?" Her voice was bone-chilling, "Old Ancestor Ling Feng, I will say this one last time, get lost. Otherwise, don't think about leaving today."

"You!" Ling Emperor trembled with rage; he hadn't expected the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation to show absolutely no Face.

He had originally thought that as long as he put on the airs of the Spirit Race, the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, no matter how protective she was, would have some scruples and would at least negotiate with him properly.

But he hadn't expected this woman to be so unyielding, ready to fight at the slightest disagreement.

But things had reached this point, and he had no way back. If he just left with his tail between his legs, what Face would he have left in the Spirit Race in the future?

What's more, there were people watching him from behind.

"Good! Good! Good!" Ling Emperor said the word 'good' three times, his eyes filled with killing intent, "Reincarnation, you forced this on me! Since you insist on protecting that brat, I can only experience your Dao of Samsara and see if it's truly as powerful as the legends say! If you want to fight, let's fight! Do you really think this Emperor fears you?"

As the words fell, he stomped his foot, and the Void Realm beneath his feet shattered instantly. Countless pale green vines grew out from the cracks, like poisonous snakes, spreading crazily toward the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation.

The tips of the vines grew sharp spikes, which shimmered with a ghostly green light, clearly containing deadly poison.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation snorted coldly, her Face devoid of any panic.

It wasn't that she was unreasonable, but she knew better than anyone that Ling Emperor hadn't come this time to demand an explanation.

He was just a pawn, a pathfinder pushed out by those behind the scenes who coveted the Human Emperor Body.

They wanted to see how much she cared about Zhou Liangan and how far she was willing to go for him.

If she showed even the slightest concession today, those jackals hiding in the shadows would swarm forward and attack Zhou Liangan together.

By then, no matter how strong her strength was, she would inevitably be unable to attend to everything at once.

Therefore, she must appear sufficiently strong and overbearing, letting those with ill intentions know that Zhou Liangan was her reverse scale; whoever dared to touch him would die.

Watching the incoming vines, the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation didn't waste any words and gently pushed with her slender, fair jade hand.

There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any dazzling light.

There was only a faint stream of black Qi that flowed slowly from her palm, sweeping toward Ling Emperor.

This stream of Qi looked light and airy, as if it would dissipate with a single breath, but the moment it made contact with the vines, something eerie happened.

Those vines, which were originally full of vitality and power, began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The leaves turned yellow and fell off, the branches became withered and brittle, and finally, they turned into ashes filling the sky.

In just a split second, all the vines Ling Emperor had sent out vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.

And that stream of black Reincarnation Qi, its momentum undiminished, continued to sweep slowly toward Ling Emperor's Face.

Ling Emperor's pupils contracted violently, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his Face.

He never expected that the strength of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation had already reached such a level.

Although he hadn't used his full strength in that strike just now, it was enough to instantly kill an ordinary Half-Emperor, yet in front of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, it hadn't even stirred up a ripple.

He dared not hesitate a moment longer and hastily activated his entire Cultivation Technique, driving the life force within his body to the extreme.

"Eternal Evergreen Shield!" He shouted, his hands forming seals, and a huge green shield appeared out of thin air in front of him. The shield was refined from the core branches of the Eternal Evergreen Tree; it was his Lifebound Treasure, possessing astonishing defensive power, and had once blocked the joint attack of three Half-Emperors.

"Clang—"

The Reincarnation Qi slammed fiercely into the shield, emitting a dull, thunderous sound.

The shield shook violently, the green light on it dimmed rapidly, and countless fine cracks began to spread across its surface.

Ling Emperor felt a terrifying force pass through the shield, shaking his blood and Qi, his throat turning sweet, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

He gritted his teeth, desperately injecting life force into the shield, attempting to block this stream of Reincarnation Qi.

But the terror of the Power of Reincarnation far exceeded his imagination.

That black stream of Qi seemed to possess life, constantly eroding the shield; the cracks on the shield became more numerous and larger.

What was even more terrifying was that he could clearly feel his life being drained away bit by bit by this stream of Qi; his hair began to turn white, wrinkles began to appear on his skin, and his entire being was rapidly aging.

"No!" Ling Emperor let out a terrified shout.

He had lived for three eras and valued his life most of all; he absolutely could not die here.

Just then, an old voice slowly resonated from above the firmament, as if coming from the space-time of the eternal past, carrying a vicissitude that had seen through the ways of the world.

"Enough! Reincarnation!"

The moment the voice fell, a huge golden palm appeared out of thin air and slapped down toward that stream of Reincarnation Qi.

The golden palm collided with the Reincarnation Qi, emitting a deafening roar, and the entire starry sky trembled violently from this loud noise.

A portion of the Reincarnation Qi was dispersed, but the remaining part continued to sweep toward Ling Emperor, finally leaving a wound deep enough to see the bone on his chest.

Ling Emperor screamed, flew backward hundreds of feet, and slammed heavily into the Human Race's energy barrier, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his Face pale as paper.

He clutched the wound on his chest, looking in terror at the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation on the lotus platform, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

Just a little more, just a little more, and he would have been completely devoured by that stream of Reincarnation Qi.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation raised her head, looking in the direction from which the voice came, coldness flashing in her beautiful eyes, "Old thing, finally willing to come out? I thought you intended to keep hiding in the back, acting like a turtle."

The Void Realm was silent for a moment.

Immediately after, an old figure slowly condensed.

It was an old man with graying hair, wearing a simple gray Taoist robe, his Face covered in wrinkles, looking just like an ordinary elderly neighbor.

But his eyes were unusually bright, like two brilliant stars, and his whole body exuded an extremely terrifying pressure, several times stronger than Ling Emperor from just before.

He was the old Half-Emperor guarding the front lines of the Human Race, Old Ancestor Cang Xuan.

Before Zhou Liangan appeared, many people believed he would be the best candidate for the next Human Emperor.

Old Ancestor Cang Xuan looked at the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, a look of helplessness appearing on his Face, "Reincarnation, why must you use such a heavy hand? Although the Spirit Race and our Human Race occasionally have friction, we are not mortal enemies after all. This matter, truth be told, is also because your... successor... is too overbearing, just like you. The Spirit Race has suffered a disaster of innocence, how could you deal such a ruthless blow?"

He had originally wanted to say "husband", but swallowed the words when they reached his lips.

He knew the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation's temper too well; if he had really said that, he feared her attack would land on his head the very next second.

After hesitating for a long time, he changed his words and called Zhou Liangan a successor.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation snorted coldly, the mockery in her eyes deepening, "A disaster of innocence? Old Ancestor Cang Xuan, you have lived for 17 eras, how have you become more muddled the longer you live? Or are you pretending to be confused while knowing the truth?"

Her voice was merciless, "Do you think I don't know that Old Ancestor Ling Feng coming this time was instigated by you? You wanted him to come and test my bottom line, to see how much I am willing to pay for Zhou Liangan. If I had shown even the slightest concession today, your next step would be to unite with other Half-Emperors to attack Zhou Liangan and seize his Human Emperor Body, right?"

Old Ancestor Cang Xuan's expression changed slightly, and a trace of imperceptible panic flashed in his eyes.

He hadn't expected the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation to see through everything so clearly.

But he quickly regained his composure, coughed drily, and said, "Reincarnation, do not make false accusations. Everything I do is for the Human Race."

"For the Human Race?" The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation seemed to have heard a huge joke and couldn't help but laugh, but there was no warmth in her laughter, only thick coldness, "Old Ancestor Cang Xuan, stop playing those petty tricks behind the scenes. If you want to test me, you can descend yourself; why use others? The position of Human Emperor is not something just anyone can sit in. It is destined by the Heavens. If you were truly qualified to become the Human Emperor, the Heavenly Dao would naturally bestow the title upon you against the rules. But you have guarded the Human Race's front lines for several eras and have rendered countless meritorious services, yet you have still not been bestowed the title of Human Emperor by the Heavenly Dao. What does this mean? It means you are simply not qualified to become the Emperor of the Human Race."

She paused, her eyes sharp as knives, piercing straight at Old Ancestor Cang Xuan, "Your cultivation has at least reached the Peak of the Half-Emperor, only a step away from the Emperor Realm; surely you don't fail to understand such a simple truth? Or is it that you know it clearly, but simply refuse to admit it, insisting on acting against the Heavenly Dao to seize something that doesn't belong to you?"

On the interstellar warship.

Chief Captain Ling Shuang's beautiful eyes were filled with confusion...