A figure materialized suddenly, turning to stand before the Empress. Tall and slender, with a handsome face, it was none other than Zhuge Fan, who moments before had plummeted downwards.

"You're not dead?" The same question sprang from the Empress's lips and the Red Hood Girl's, almost simultaneously; one filled with surprise, the other with shock, but devoid of joy. Zhuge Fan inclined his head slightly toward the Empress, then raised his gaze to the Red Hood Girl, sneering, "I am not dead, so you shall be!" He raised his hand towards the heavens and clenched it; the overcast sky seemed to be gathered in his palm.

Thunder roared and purple lightning slashed through the void like enraged dragons dancing wildly, and the howling gale made one's eardrums tremble, as a killing chill slanted down from above Zhuge Fan's head. "Undying War Body!" Zhuge Fan's eyes shone with a strange, cold light.

His muscles writhed, and from his fair skin emerged a layer of thick, film-like black ** substance, covering his body surface and dyeing him entirely into a black warrior. This black ** substance stopped only at his neck, leaving his face completely untouched.

The Red Hood Girl watched the flowing black ** on him solidify after covering every part, his hardened physique resembling an ancient God of War, brimming with power. "This, this is Dark Jade Divine Water!" The Red Hood Girl’s pupils contracted slightly as she stared at the black ** on Zhuge Fan.

"You, you obtained Dark Jade? Such a massive quantity—a treasure specifically used to forge top-tier Void Celestial Artifacts, and you actually used it on your own body?" Zhuge Fan looked at her coldly.

"You are mistaken. This is not Dark Jade Divine Water.

Although it looks similar, this is the Black Stone of Houtu! While I only just acquired this and am not yet adept at controlling it, with the little strength you possess, you cannot kill me!" "What!" The Red Hood Girl's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, her voice trembling.

"This, this Houtu, Black Stone of Houtu??" Her voice carried undisguised horror. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and declared sharply, "Impossible!

Not only is the Black Stone of Houtu incredibly precious, but given its nature, if you tried to integrate it into your body, you would have died countless times before it even fully integrated!" "Indeed," Zhuge Fan replied with a cold smile playing on his lips. "But I possess a special ability that allows me to integrate this Black Stone of Houtu!

Didn't you just kill me? Yet here I am, perfectly fine, and I haven't even used the Black Stone of Houtu armor to resist your attacks." The Red Hood Girl froze for a moment, then her face turned ashen.

"You, you..." Zhuge Fan ceased looking at her, turned, and walked to the Empress's side. He glanced into her clear, bright eyes—his heart pounding—and quickly averted his gaze, taking her soft little hand.

He whispered, "Don't let go; I will protect you!" As he spoke, the Black Stone of Houtu slurry in his hand flowed down his arm like mud, spreading over the Empress's body. The Empress felt a layer of something soft and cool adhering to her skin, indescribably comfortable, and marveled inwardly.

At that moment, her body also turned pitch black, completely enveloped in the Black Stone of Houtu slurry. "You truly possess this treasure..." The Empress leaned slightly against Zhuge Fan, biting her lower lip, and murmured.

Zhuge Fan's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at her, seeing only a pair of clear, sorrowful eyes, and his face flushed hot.

He hastily shifted his gaze upward, staring fixedly at the Red Hood Girl. His expression immediately turned cold.

Remembering his friend's death, his heart raged, but he forcibly suppressed it, stating coldly, "With your power, you cannot penetrate the Black Rock of Houtu to harm us. Never mind you; even that Mind Realm Emissary next to you couldn't do it!

Not unless he wielded a weapon capable of piercing a top-tier Void Celestial Artifact, otherwise, he couldn't scratch me!" The Red Hood Girl's cheeks flushed pale and ashen; she was speechless, knowing Zhuge Fan spoke the truth—the Black Rock of Houtu was the essence of the earth, possessing unimaginable hardness. Seeing Zhuge Fan’s coldly smiling face, she stamped her foot in anger.

Suddenly, her eyes darted, and the rage on her face instantly vanished, replaced by a smile as warm as spring air. She chuckled, "Is that so?

Perhaps I can't deal with you, but those behind you, I can certainly manage. If you have the nerve, cover every single one of them with the Black Rock of Houtu coating you have." With that, her figure moved, darting toward the assembled crowd behind Zhuge Fan.

Zhuge Fan was momentarily stunned, his expression changing drastically. He quickly pulled the Empress and the other girl along, charging toward the Red Hood Girl, unleashing hundreds of bolts of lightning and electric light from his hand, slamming them viciously into her body.

When the smoke cleared, the Red Hood Girl was completely unaffected, still flying forward with a cheerful grin. Zhuge Fan and the Empress exchanged a look; both their faces were grim.

Although protected by the Black Rock of Houtu, rendering them immune to harm, their own offensive power was limited, and they couldn't manage to injure the Red Hood Girl at all. By this time, the Red Hood Girl had reached the formidable figures arrayed behind Zhuge Fan.

All of them had their eyes closed, fully immersed in the formation, channeling every last trace of energy through a special conduit into the burly man, granting him inexhaustible strength. The Red Hood Girl stroked her chin, observing these people with amusement but wasting no time.

She selected a middle-aged man, moved her body in a flash, and appeared before him, floating just inches away. She smiled sweetly and reached out, pressing her hand onto his forehead between his brows.

The middle-aged man’s body shuddered, and then the Red Hood Girl’s fingers sank into his forehead as if pressing into soft cake. When she pulled them out, a gaping red hole bled profusely, and his body abruptly plummeted downward.

"Scoundrel!!" Zhuge Fan’s eyes widened in fury as he lunged like a fierce tiger, a punch carrying the force of crushing mountains surging out like a raging river. The Red Hood Girl chuckled lightly, her body deftly evading the blow, moving several times faster than Zhuge Fan, making her impossible to catch.

Like a scarlet butterfly, she fluttered toward another delicate girl, stroked her chin as she observed her for a moment, then extended a finger and poked the girl's forehead, piercing her skull. "Ahhh...

you despicable thing!!!" Zhuge Fan watched two lives extinguished in the blink of an eye by this girl whose smile was so innocent and lovely. Rage churned in his chest like knives, making his eyes nearly burst.

A faint, brown, mysterious—complex mark appeared on his forehead, emitting intense, needle-like gray rays that caused ripples in the surrounding air. The Empress, who never left his side, was startled by this display but then her eyes flashed.

She silently followed Zhuge Fan, though in her heart, she recalled a long-forgotten scene. Twenty years ago, her true form was guarding the Empire.

With casual ease, she had created thousands of avatars and sent them into the mortal world to wander—some as destitute beggars, some as rich young mistresses, some as dashing young lords, or frontier generals, and so on. By chance, one of her avatars, stationed in a major faction and possessing the peak cultivation of a Pseudo-God, encountered Zhuge Fan during a trial mission.

At that time, Zhuge Fan was also a Pseudo-God powerhouse, supposedly on a mission under his master's orders to find an herb to create a gene fluid for breaking through to the Divine Spirit realm. The two decided to travel together.

Along the way, during a battle, she was astonished to discover that Zhuge Fan possessed an intensely concentrated Earth Attribute, his body naturally resonating with it. Virtually any Earth Attribute secret manual—like Earth Spikes, Rock Dragon, or Sandstorm—he learned instantly.

As they grew closer, she realized that Zhuge Fan harbored a mysterious bloodline power within him. By her estimation, he was most likely the reincarnation of some powerful being!

Thus, her true form personally intervened. After conferring with Zhuge Fan’s master, she brought him back to the Empire and poured resources into his cultivation.

With the deep foundation of this ancient Empire, which had stood firm for countless ages, Zhuge Fan was helped to break through from the Pseudo-God realm to the Divine Emperor realm in just one month! Precious elixirs were limitless, and various gene modification techniques and gene fluids were poured into Zhuge Fan’s body.

This was the might of a power structure, possessing unparalleled advantages in nurturing its disciples. The explosive surge in strength did not leave Zhuge Fan with any adverse after-effects; instead, under the Empress’s direct guidance, his foundation was solidified step by step.

Later, over twenty years, Zhuge Fan ascended to the Half-Step Epoch Realm! His strength was almost equal to hers.

Furthermore, thanks to the Black Stone of Houtu Zhuge Fan obtained through fortuitous encounters, even she could not harm him. It could even be said that even the Ten Great Hall Masters holding Void Celestial Artifacts could not harm him—they could only imprison him, for an endless duration!

During this process, she had gradually discerned the specific traits of Zhuge Fan’s body through various means, knowing he was indeed the reincarnation of a powerful figure blessed with immense destiny, allowing him to survive certain death and seize miraculous fortune in moments of peril. The seeds sown in his past life were now blossoming in this one.

Subsequent adventures allowed Zhuge Fan’s power to gradually break through the seal of the years. During one particularly perilous battle, Zhuge Fan unleashed unprecedented power, and this mark flashed across his forehead.

It was also in that battle that Zhuge Fan acquired the Black Stone of Houtu. When she returned, she immediately consulted all the ancient records within the Empire.

From some yellowed parchment scrolls, she found fragmented information about this mark but still dared not make a definitive conclusion. While the Empress’s thoughts were racing, Zhuge Fan had already rushed toward the Red Hood Girl, roaring as he charged, but the Red Hood Girl merely giggled, her body flashing backward to dodge again.

She prepared to attack once more when suddenly, her ears twitched. She turned her head toward the far horizon, where a dense, dark cloud seemed to be moving rapidly closer.

Boom, boom boom... A sound like muffled thunder arrived swiftly from thousands of miles away.