The Empress humphed slightly, and as her palms waved, the power of Regulation blasted from her palms. She herself turned into the flow of time. At one moment, she would be in the past, and in the next, she would be in the future, so bizarre that she could not be glimpsed.

…The red-clothed woman’s strength had been greatly boosted under the effects of the Crimson Demonic Earth, and because of the Crimson Demonic Earth, she was close to the extent that she could not be touched by any attack. Thus, it was very difficult for the Empress’s Regulations of Time to take effect on her, but there was not the slightest difficulty in exerting them on herself.

The two of them clashed, and the Regulations of Time was indeed the highest level of Regulations there was, and was also a major Regulation that any Realm would be equipped with. It was incomparably strong. It could only be seen that the Empress was beating down on the red-clothed woman, while the latter’s counterattacks were all wasted effort as they could not hit their target at all.

The red-clothed woman’s defeat was only a matter of time, and it would not take too long, either.

“Humph, to actually dare commit a crime against the line of Blue North; what brazen courage!” Amidst a loud cry, two men arrived, each of their faces bearing a strong sense of pride.

Yet when they saw how the red-clothed woman was disheveled, and how her black hair had all turned gray, they both paled in shock.

Was this still their nineteenth junior sister that prized beauty like her own life?

“Nineteenth Junior Sister, how have you become like this?”

“I will come and help you!”

The two men rushed out at practically the same moment, but Bewitching Maiden Rou humphed lightly. She shot out and stood in their way, rebuking the two men harshly, “Step down!”

She was skilled in the art of enchantment, but she walked the path of royalty. Others would submit to her, worship her, and admire her, but it was not the type for seducing others. Otherwise, Ling Han would not have tacitly approved of her presence, either.

With this exclamation, both men looked dazed. The gaze they directed at Bewitching Maiden Rou was first vacant, but then became feverish. It was as if they had encountered their benefactor of nine lifetimes. They wanted nothing more than to lower their heads and bow, surrendering even their lives without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Hao couldn’t help but stare. These two were both his junior brothers, and their strength had long since reached the peak stage of the Ascending Origin Tier, but that woman did so as well. Yet without even a single blow, both of them had knelt directly. He could not accept this at all.

The two men stepped down as commanded, while their eyes gazed feverishly at Bewitching Maiden Rou. They only needed a word from her, and they would be willing to go through water and tread on fire.

The red-clothed woman almost threw up blood. ‘Weren’t you guys saying that you wanted to help me? Now what the heck are you two doing?’

In a moment of distraction, she was instantly hit with a series of blows from the Empress. The Heaven Destroying Nine Swords slashed out, and she was covered with blood all over. Several places of her clothing had also been torn, and she looked incredibly battered.

The Empress would not quit while she was ahead. She raised her hand slightly, and sent out another sharp gust with a finger. It turned into a flash of frightening Sword Qi which would kill the red-clothed woman.

“Please have mercy!” Shen Hao hurriedly moved. No matter how lazy he was, there was no way that he could just stand by and watch his junior sister being killed.

Peng, he managed to block this blow. An astonishing flush suddenly rose up on his initially fair face, as if he was drunk. This was because the Empress’s Sword Qi was too harsh. Though he had resolved the blow, his blood had still been shaken. He felt he was close to spluttering out a mouthful of blood.

He paled in shock. He had only known that the Empress was very strong, but after taking on this blow, he had a first-hand experience. No wonder his junior sister would be suppressed by the Empress even after consuming two mouthfuls of Crimson Demonic Earth.

The Empress’s eyes sharpened, exuding a boundless dominance.

She was going to kill a rebellious subject, and someone actually dared to stop her? She would just kill both of them, then.

Ling Han grinned, and said, “Wife, just stop for a moment.” He thought that Shen Hao was quite a nice guy, and it would be a pity if he died just like this.

Only then did the Empress dismiss her intention. She walked back, her arms crossed behind her back, dominance and imperial might spreading out from her.

Bewitching Maiden Rou also giggled, and stepped back.

Only at this did the two men snap out of their trance. They looked at one another, and both could see an intense shock and lingering fear from the other’s eyes.

If Bewitching Maiden Rou had commanded that they killed each other just now, they would definitely have executed her command without the slightest hesitation. It was not certain whether they would be dead or still alive now.

Thinking about how their lives had been easily taken control of by another, their hearts squeezed strongly.

Ling Han heard how the two of them had said “the line of Blue North,” and thus asked Shen Hao, “Are you all the disciples of Blue North King?”

The red-clothed woman had gotten her breath back, and shouted at Ling Han, “So you are afraid now?”

Ling Han looked towards the red-clothed woman, his eyes clear and calm, but an aura was still pressing down on her. The red-clothed woman felt as if a large rock was weighing down on her heart, and even breathing was difficult for her. Her face instantly turned pale.

“You are asking to be beaten!” He moved, and pa, sent a slap through the air at her. When his hand rose, the force of the blow had already arrived. With a resounding slap, the red-clothed woman stumbled backwards suddenly. She opened her mouth, and spat out a few broken teeth along with blood.

“Brother Ling, though my junior sister speaks fiercely, she really does not have any malicious intent, so please have mercy!” Shen Hao hurriedly stepped in, the astonishment in his heart even stronger.

Every single member of this group of four had powerful strength, and was completely different from the outsiders that they had imagined.

Only then did Ling Han withdraw his gaze. Turning towards Shen Hao, he smilingly asked, “So you guys are just planning to stake a claim on this territory and say it’s yours so that you can seize the Celestial Tree inside for yourself?”

“This is the territory of the line of Blue North, so the Celestial Tree naturally belongs to us!” a man that had previously been enchanted by Bewitching Maiden Rou immediately declared to Ling Han.

Ling Han chuckled. “Are you joking with me?”

“Who’s joking here!” That man was both furious and embarrassed. He was not a three-year-old toddler.

Ling Han brandished a fist. “All the treasures in this world should naturally be obtained by those who have big fists. I think that my fists are the biggest. Does any one of you disagree?”

The man wanted to say something, but he could not say a word.

Ling Han and his group were too strong. He and his companions had not been able to even unleash a single attack before being directly defeated. Now, they did not have the slightest bit of confidence left.

“Brother Ling, even if you chase us off, it would be useless.” Shen Hao shook his head.

“How so?” Ling Han turned to look at him.

“Do you see that? This mountain fog can prevent entry.” Shen Hao pointed at the valley that was enshrouded in fog. “This is the first layer of protection, and after entering, it would be extremely dangerous. The closer you get to the Celestial Tree, the harder it is to approach. Though we have claimed this place, none of us have actually gotten near that Celestial Tree.”

Ling Han nodded. “I know that.”

If someone had only staked a claim in the territory, it could not possibly be so difficult to harvest the Celestial Seed, because there would ultimately be someone who could obtain it.

“Furthermore, the very hardest trial would be the Celestial Tree itself,” Shen Hao continued. “It is only hearsay for me as well. The Celestial Tree possesses an amazing ability to flee and escape. No power can trap it. If it does not wish to bestow the celestial fruits to you, even a Celestial King would be completely helpless.”

Ling Han’s determination naturally would not waver with just a few words from him. He voiced some detailed queries to Shen Hao, and soon gained a deeper understanding of this Celestial Tree.

Where did the shards of Celestial Seeds come from?

They were the pollen that was scattered when this kind of Celestial Tree was in its blooming season, or the fragrance that was contained in the fruit which spread through the winds, and was thus obtained.

The reason why Shen Hao and the others stayed here was firstly that they wished to obtain a complete Celestial Seed, but this was too difficult. Hence, they settled for the next best thing, planning to capture some of the rotten fruit, leaves, or the like that would be shed from the Celestial Tree. Gathering little by little would eventually accumulate, and they would then be able to piece an incomplete Celestial Seed.