In the Sixth Continent, deep within a grand palace, a gloomy man walked with a leisurely pace. He was quite confident in his upcoming plan.
Soon, he was guided through a pair of doors, framed with the martial stances of masters of the past.
Once he entered, he encountered a woman whose hair was tied up, wearing not the attire of an empress but that of a martial artist. Of course, this attire was luxurious, not inferior to any royal robe, but clearly designed for combat.
Leaning on her fist, the woman spoke differently to the man who walked into her throne room.
"While I do owe you a favor, this is a big ask, Lord Gu."
"That's not the case. We just want your cooperation to eliminate a single Level 3 Demigoddess."
"I understand. However, this Empress does not have so much free time. Moreover, that woman is strong; even Yan Huang treats her with respect. Unless you have a plan, then don't bother speaking further and leave through my palace's door."
"Oh, but we do."
An item appeared in front of them, and the woman sitting on the throne raised her eyebrow. "An isolating array."
Not only this. Lord Gu smiled. "Since that woman and her daughter are so arrogant, we and those demons naturally made a small pact."
"Which demon?"
"Vulcan."
"Hm." The empress leaned back and then nodded. "Call me at that time. I'll guide some of my generals to assist you."
Lord Gu chuckled. "Thank you, Martial Empress. Our favor will be paid by then."
***
Once Yasenia and Tatyana arrived back at the Astral Death Sect, they were welcomed by the Sect Master Hei Lin and the Death Saintess Xing Jimie. These two powerful Seventh Realm powerhouses deferentially bowed to Tatyana and Yasenia. "Welcome back, Lady Death Empress, Young Miss."
Tatyana nodded and spoke to them. "We are going to leave the Blue Pearl World. You two will be left behind to keep in contact with this World. There is no need to expand or be aggressive. Just make sure to gather resources silently, strengthen the foundation, and solidify your standing. This World has a few things that are quite interesting."
Tatyana felt that the four areas in the Dragon Clan were quite good, and all of Yasenia's children should at least give them a try to get stronger in the future. So, this Astral Death Sect could serve as a spatial anchor to easily find this location.
Xing Jimie looked at Yasenia for a second, her feelings conflicted. She could see the tremendous improvement Cai Xue had undergone over the last few decades.
During this time, Xing Jimie had been struggling with whether she should follow Yasenia as her maid or not. After all, the potential this Young Miss had shown was second to none.
Still, part of her heart remained divided by her loyalty to Tatyana. Even when Tatyana would most likely be delighted that someone strong decided to dedicate herself to her daughter, Xing Jimie still felt that changing masters, even if it was her current master's child, would make her seem opportunistic.
Even when she was conflicted, she showed nothing on the surface, helping Yasenia and Tatyana prepare a few treasures for them to take. They were healing pills, energy-gathering pills, and many Spiritual Herb seeds for Yasenia to plant in Garest, her World Storage, which merged with the dedicated garden.
She even took some high-quality metals, formation materials, and other similar profession treasures to give her darlings as gifts. The last thing Yasenia gained from the small "ransacking" of the Astral Death Sect's treasure was a manual for Transmutation, her secondary main profession, which she had been practicing here and there when she was resting.
When one didn't need to sleep, and with Yasenia's diligence, she could basically squeeze all 24 hours dry of their value. Rest meant practicing her professions, while training meant cultivating or getting stronger.
In the end, Xing Jimie decided to stay behind instead of following. She approached Yasenia and looked up at the tall dragoness. "Young Miss, I hope you have a safe journey ahead of you. This little one will be guarding the Astral Death Sect and waiting for your and Lady Death Empress's return."
Yasenia looked at Xing Jimie and smiled with a nod. "I understand. Be careful. There are many people who became quite jealous of me during this time and will most certainly aim for the Astral Death Sect."
Hei Lin walked to Yasenia, this undead, serene man nodding at her. "Young Miss. I do wish to bid you a farewell as well. Remember that this is also part of your home, and whenever you want to return, we will gladly welcome you."
Yasenia smiled.
After a final goodbye, Tatyana waved her hand and summoned Tian Long. The Moon-sized dragon manifested, blotting out the sky from horizon to horizon with his gargantuan body.
Then, Tatyana, Yasenia, the four maids, and Luan Feixue appeared on top of the dragon's head.
Yasenia whispered. "Time to leave Blue Pearl World behind."
Tian Long stretched his sky-shrouding wings, then, with a powerful flap that triggered countless natural disasters, his body transformed into a blur and shot into the sky.
Their figures disappeared in a matter of seconds, and just a few moments later, they had crossed the incredibly high sky and broken through the Realm Barrier that surrounded the Blue Pearl World.
CRASH!
Their bodies appeared in the void of space, countless stars and galaxies shining around them with empyrean brilliance.
Luan Feixue looked around, her eyes glittering. "Wow! Is this outer space?"
Yasenia, hugging her egg in her arms, smiled at her. "It is. How is it?"
Luan Feixue looked around and then glanced at Yasenia with her beautiful, admiring eyes. "It is like your dragon form! So pretty and beautiful!"
Yasenia was momentarily surprised before she laughed, using her tail to pull over the little girl. As she hugged her, she kissed her face and smiled. "You are so cute, Little Feixue."
While happy, Feixue was a bit worried. "Master, wouldn't it have been better to leave me behind? I won't be a burden, right?"
"Silly girl." Yasenia looked at the girl with soft eyes. "You are my disciple. I have not taught you much during the last few decades, as I was busy. Now, you want me to leave you behind? I might as well not be anyone to you if I did that, right? I will use these few years of travel to catch up and teach you a few things!"
Feixue smiled, her cheeks blushing in happiness. "Alright!"
As they were leaving, Tian Long suddenly stopped. Yasenia noticed and looked at Tatyana's serious face. "What is wrong, Mom?"
Tatyana swept the surroundings, smiling with a touch of disdain as her attire slowly transformed. "A bunch of little bugs. Do not worry and stay here. Tian Long will protect you."
The Death Empress descended, and her royal red dress and black tiara manifested. In her hand, it was not a sword that manifested, but a gorgeous guitar with a white body and black strings.
When Cai Xue and the others saw that instrument, they felt as if their existence had suddenly fallen under its control.
Fate bent around the guitar's cords, and death intertwined within its body.
"Come out. Since you dare to ambush this Empress, don't make me look down on you."
Around them, a few hundred people manifested. All of these people were Seventh Realm cultivators, and at the lead, there were three powerful Ancestor figures who had reached a strength similar to that of Lady First and Ao Xianlan.
One of them, a man with a black tunic made not of cloth but living beings, spoke with a dull and indifferent tone. "You've provoked too many people, Death Empress. Our [Violet Miasma Gu-Soothing Sect], together with the Demon Sovereign of the [Vulcan Demons] and the leader of the sixth continent, Lady Martial Empress, will make you disappear."
Martial Empress spun her silvery white spear, a touch of heroic nature between her brows. "Do not resist, Lady Death Empress. We've gathered a total of 500 Seventh Realm cultivators, with 20 demigods. You have nowhere to flee."
Tatyana looked around, and then her lips arched as her red eyes began glowing. "You really underestimate this Empress, don't you?"
The Vulcan Sovereign frowned lightly, glancing at Tatyana as if she were a lunatic. "Has your brain gone insane due to fear, Death Empress? Not to mention you, even if that annoying Lady First and the old dragon Ao Xianlan were here, your outcome would not change."
Tatyana, however, laughed. "You know, Demon. There is something I have been lacking during my last few hundred thousands of years." Looking around, Tatyana spoke with an eerie, phantasmal tone. "Resources. While being cooped up in that small world, I couldn't find good-quality corpses to strengthen my army. Today, that changes."
Before they continued speaking, Tatyana's energy burst out, her [Fate Law] and [Death Law] invading the surroundings, while her [Underworld Law] seeped deeply into her body, making an ominous dark mist spread out from her body.
At this moment, Tatyana even generously spoke up. "[Death Law Sixth Layer], [Fate Law Fifth Layer], [Underworld Law Fifth Layer]... control Heaven and bring these fools under my eternal dominion."
The faces of all the people present became incredibly ugly. The Martial Empress shouted. "Impossible! No one can reach over the third level of Law within our Heavenly Layer!"
But it didn't matter; Tatyana's aura was already piercing the world. Her energy seeped through everything as she channeled her skills.
Tatyana's lips seemed to arch further than a human face would usually allow. "Impossible? Ignorant woman, I am a walking impossibility that mocked Fate, disdained Heaven, and trampled upon Death itself. [Underworld Gate]."
The void behind Tatyana shattered, a gargantuan double door manifesting and carrying the very air of the underworld. The edges of this door had countless skeletal creatures hugging and reaching out toward each other, as if they wanted to escape, as if they were unresigned yet helpless of what lay beyond the giant door.
"Attack her!"
The five hundred Seventh Realm powerhouses would naturally not allow Tatyana to complete whatever preparation she was intending to make. The world's laws fell under their control, and incredibly complex energies swept the void, changing the very nature of the cosmos surrounding them.
A few hundred Laws, all ranging from Level one to three, tried to suppress the influence of Tatyana's auras. However, how could they compete?
"Today, it is a good day to sing~. [Innate Skill: Fate Calling Song]!"
At that instant, the entirety of the void, millions of kilometers around them, fell under the influence of the Death Empress.