In the manor villa, Lu Jun stood dazed, the gift he had prepared long since fallen to the floor.
Lu Mei stepped forward with light, cat-like steps and hugged him tightly. Her smooth jade feet and the sleek tiled floor reflected each other's brilliance, emanating a glow in the dim light that made it hard to tell which was more dazzling.
In that instant, Lu Jun felt as if he were facing a majestic snow mountain—he dared not speak for fear of triggering an avalanche.
He instinctively wrapped his arms around Lu Mei's waist, gently stroking her smooth back. Her plump body had a soft fullness, making it quite comfortable to hold.
"Thirsty? Have some fruit first!"
Lu Mei popped a grape into Lu Jun's mouth.
The sweet fragrance overflowed, intoxicating him.
Moments later, Lu Jun came back to his senses from the dizzy spell. His skull throbbed with pain, and he snapped awake, quickly saying, "No, Ding Yumian is in my mind."
At that moment, he only hated the bad timing. Don't let Ding Yumian show up now.
Alright, that would just be too scummy—using someone and then turning them away.
So he had to restrain himself. Someone helps you, and instead of being grateful, you add insult to injury from the first-person view? That's just wrong.
Right now, Lu Jun felt the deafening roar in his spiritual world. Ding Yumian's primary soul fragment said nothing, but the stormy emotions—the towering rage—were already surfacing.
"Little Ding, I'm about to travel far for a year. I'll leave Lu Jun to you in Magic City during that time."
Lu Mei had long been aware and spoke with calm elegance, her voice flirtatious as she made the proposal, exuding the air of a lawful wife.
Tonight, don't even think of escaping!
Ding Yumian was stunned for a moment. Thinking it through, she realized Lu Mei had made the first move and instantly lost her confidence, curling up in a corner and letting out the whimper of a defeated pup.
It's over. Her savior was completely under control. Lu Jun gave up any futile resistance.
Rustle rustle!
"Wait." Lu Jun came to himself midway and called out, "I have a gift for you too."
The gift box on the floor had been knocked open, the lid flipped back, and a dazzling eight-colored silk ribbon spilled out, gleaming in the dark.
His face flushed as he picked it up and draped it on Lu Mei, letting it hang down her flawless body, radiant and resplendent. "Wear this."
"Mhm."
No more words that night.
In the early morning, Lu Jun awoke in a daze. The beauty beside him had left not long ago; the warmth and scent still lingered.
Seeing this, he stood there stunned for a long time, feeling a strange emptiness.
Last night was just too intense. Even though he wasn't a virgin, he'd never experienced that kind of play before.
"Sigh, pleasure is momentary; chasing her back is hell."
He sensed silence across his spiritual world, his head pounding.
Most likely, Lu Mei had become desperate too—thinking he might perish after jumping into the Dark Abyss —and with the farewell looming, she'd thrown all caution aside.
The main theme was leaving no regrets. The mess would be left for him to clean up.
"Yumian-jie… Yumian-jie…"
Lu Jun softly called out within his soul. Ding Yumian was older than him by two or three months, so calling her "jie" submissively wasn't out of place.
But no matter how much he spoke, there was no response.
Even with Ding-jie's gentle and uncompetitive nature, she had closed herself off.
Sighing, Lu Jun temporarily put the matter aside. He got up, drew all the curtains around him, and created a dim atmosphere.
He lit a candle in front of the mirror.
Soon, a white-dressed woman shimmered into view in the mirror's reflection.
The Queen of the NetherWorld appeared, noble and seductive, teasing in tone: "Good morning. You seem quite spirited. Looks like you had a pleasant night."
At her words, Lu Jun's expression stayed calm as he ordered, "Follow behind my sister and protect her for a year of training."
"That little girl who just left?" The Queen of the NetherWorld raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Is she the empress?"
"Yes!"
Lu Jun replied decisively, his tone solemn: "She's more important than the Undead Empire."
"I understand." The Queen of the Netherworld grew serious and assured him, "I will ensure her safety. If necessary, I will activate the Dark Abyss to notify you."
The Dark Abyss itself was a magnificent war construct, carrying billions of undead, able to move the empire and project forces across space.
Once triggered, it could summon him back from a hundred thousand miles away, transforming him into the armored emperor, returning to the throne, launching a dimensional strike.
That was the final guarantee for his sister—he would act personally.
Lu Jun felt he had truly worried himself sick over Lu Mei.
Last night, he suddenly remembered that within the Tarim Basin's Desert, there was a supreme opportunity.
A Super Mage named Shi Qianshou had deliberately hidden a [Heart of the Earth] there.
This item was extraordinary—its significance to mages rivaled that of the Vein of the Galaxy or Vein of the Starsea—a priceless treasure used exclusively for breaking through into the Forbidden Curse realm.
Furthermore, the Undying Barriers that protected cities like Bo City, Hangzhou, and the Ancient Capital were all built with the Heart of the Earth at their core, emanating a mysterious power that deterred threats. Normally, it kept monsters from infiltrating. In times of catastrophe, it served as the most resilient bastion.
And therein lay the conflict: do you choose to use it for advancing into Forbidden Curse, thus opposing emperors, or do you use it to serve the collective good?
One could say that each time a Forbidden Curse Mage was born, it came at the cost of one city's survival.
Thus, the responsibility and obligation of Forbidden Curse Mages stemmed from this. Strategically, one must weigh pros and cons.
However, Shi Qianshou's Heart of the Earth was semi-depleted and needed a long period of nurturing to recover. At best, it could only protect a small town.
Even so, driven by ambition, he went mad and framed the entire city. His identity and nature were just like Lu Nian's.
Lu Jun originally intended to sell this information for a good price, but since Lu Mei was headed there, he decided to hand it over to her.
That Heart of the Earth happened to be of dual Earth and Fire element—it couldn't be used to break into Forbidden Curse, but refining and absorbing it to advance into Super Tier would still be worthwhile.
Besides, although Shi Qianshou was strong, he was only a single-element Super Mage. For the Flame Witch to deal with him would be a walk in the park.
In the mirror, Nether Queen bent down slightly and offered a ceremonial bow. Her graceful white-dress silhouette slowly faded, her lingering voice echoing: "Wishing you smooth sailing."
At the villa, Lu Jun finished packing. Turning back to look at the room, he was filled with mixed emotions.
Inwardly, he whispered: See you in a year.
He then rushed to the hotel to retrieve the unfortunate kid he almost forgot—Lu Weixi and boarded a plane bound for the Magic City.
At the same time, the undead incident in the Ancient Capital had already spread, creating a massive national uproar.
Lu Jun's transformation into the Undead Emperor, flanked by the three Supreme Creatures and worshipped by millions of undead, became a legendary scene that went viral online.
Even more shocking was the image of the undead army retreating in utter silence—row after row of black, armored figures obediently withdrawing—as the armored emperor turned and walked away under the morning sun.
These two scenes were so breathtaking that even through photos, one could feel the emperor's overwhelming majesty and supreme authority.
"The Ancient King has truly resurrected. Our Great Qin shall rule another five hundred years and unify the world!"
"Holy crap, so handsome! He woke just in time to stop the monsters from destroying the Ancient Capital. Could it be that the Ancient King retained his sanity and stands with us humans?"
"Rumor has it that after this disaster, no undead appear at night in the Ancient Capital anymore. It's eerily quiet, and no further attacks have occurred."
"I think it's probably due to the First Emperor's suppression. Maybe the hidden threat in the Ancient Capital is completely resolved."
Where there were optimists, there were also skeptics.
"Wake up. Great Qin's been dead for thousands of years. The world today is completely different—ancient ideals are bound to clash."
"What if the Ancient King wakes up and sees his empire gone? Might he wage war and cause even worse conflict?"
"They're already monsters. Life and death stand opposed."
Many so-called 'experts' also came forward, each with their own take.
Beyond the mainstream discussions, others focused on different aspects:
"Sigh, isn't that Hangzhou's Totem Black Serpent? It actually joined the Ancient Capital battle to protect civilians—how powerful and reassuring!"
"What's that flaming figure? It looks evil as hell."
For additional chapters
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