I long to return home!

Yinyue Imperial City.

Shen Lang calmly stepped down from the throne. His gaze was like two cold sword lights, sweeping over an old man who was frail and aged, his face full of vicissitudes. He looked as if a gust of wind would knock him down, and the flame of his life was about to be extinguished.

“Grand Celestial Master, there’s no need for that,” Shen Lang said softly, bending down to gently help the old man up. Then he said decisively, “With me here, the Yin Moon Empire will surely be as solid as a rock.”

"In the end, the other party is nothing but a clown. The imperial tomb will recognize its master in a month. How could my late Emperor Yin Yue allow an outsider to succeed him? Yin Yue will eventually belong to the Shen family."

"As long as I can control the Imperial Dragon Qi, it will be the best proof of inheriting the Great Harmony."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The old man bowed with his hands clasped. If Shen Lang had not known him for many years, he would hardly believe that this Yin Yue Protector, who stood at the pinnacle of all cultivators and was able to suppress all the major sects and families with his own strength, would become so old after a great battle, as if he had been eroded by time and his lifespan had been greatly shortened.

Shen Lang turned around, a solemn expression on his face. He thought to himself, "In a hundred years, to be able to fight against the protector who has protected me for half of Yin Yue's time is truly astonishing..."

Less than half a month before the imperial tomb was opened, Xue Wu successfully rescued most of the suppressed sects and families. A massive mutiny, like a raging storm, was gradually brewing!

Separated by towering cliffs on both sides of a vast chasm, Xue Wu and Shen Lang faced each other across the river. Behind them, a mighty army of cultivators stood in formation, their imposing presence overwhelming.

Xue Wu fixed his gaze and immediately saw the old man who looked like a skeleton next to Shen Lang. From the aura emanating from the old man, it was not difficult to tell that he was Qin Yi, the man he had fought with a month ago.

After not seeing each other for more than a month, Xue Wu was somewhat surprised. He could imagine that the other party would do anything to extract life force to recover himself, but he did not expect that he would end up in such a state.

Upon meeting, these two must have been enemies, and naturally, they couldn't help but exchange a few sarcastic remarks.

However, Xue Wu clearly had the upper hand in this conversation, leaving Shen Lang speechless with just a few words.

"What? How dare someone who murdered his father and brother to seize the throne stand up? The walls of Yinyue City must have been built with your own face, right?"

"Hmph, I have come here today to visit the mausoleum of the late emperor, to inherit the imperial dragon aura of my Shen family bloodline, and to let this Yin Yue traitor witness with his own eyes that I am the destined one of the Yin Yue Empire!"

"Go to hell with you. The emperor may be ruthless, but he's not a beast who can kill his father and destroy family ties. You'd better spend more time taking care of your harem, lest I punch you to death and then you'll never have another chance."

"In the end, my royal family still bears the surname Shen. How can someone like you, who has no bloodline, be allowed to enter my Yin Yue Imperial Mausoleum?"

"Whether I can enter or not, what do I care about the hairs on your head, you patricide beast? History is written by the victors. If I become emperor, great scholars will defend me for all the things that happened in the past."

"You..." Shen Lang was speechless with anger, but he did agree with Xue Wu's words. Only the victor can rule the world. As long as he obtained the Imperial Dragon Qi, he could use the power of the entire Yin Yue Empire to suppress anyone.

"Cherish your last moments. When the time comes, I will kill you immediately." After saying that, Xue Wu turned and left. With his cultivation level, even if the other party had the protector Qin Yi, as long as he struck first with the divine skill "One Yuan Refines the Void", there would be corpses everywhere, and there would be no tomorrow.

But Xue Wu did not do that. What he wanted was to seize the imperial dragon aura in the spotlight and become the new emperor recognized by the empire. Moreover, if he did that, the Yin Yue Empire would definitely suffer damage and would not live long. Not to mention the grassland empire that had been hiding outside and eyeing him covetously.

With nine-tenths of the imperial forces stationed here, Shen Lian should be able to break in and rescue his wife and children.

Xue Wu couldn't help but look up at the sky. After a moment of contemplation, he walked back to his room, crossed his legs, placed his hands flat on his knees, and let the power of the stars flow around him. He then used the Heavenly Evolution Technique.

After an unknown amount of time, Xue Wu sat there for several days. But just then, a beautiful figure appeared out of nowhere, pushed open the tent and walked in.

Upon seeing the face of the person sitting on the prayer mat, Shen Lingjiao was utterly bewildered, her heart filled with doubt. That unfamiliar face seemed to have come from another world. Her willow-leaf-shaped phoenix eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if she were trying hard to recall something. And judging from the other person's aura, it was completely different from the person in her memory, as different as heaven and earth.

However, she confirmed from others that this person was Huaizhen.

Shen Lingjiao hesitated several times before slowly approaching and finally sitting down next to Xue Wu. She carefully observed him, hoping to find a similarity between them.

However, one thing was surprising: with Xue Wu's cultivation and divine sense, without using special methods, there was absolutely no one in this world who could approach him undetected. Unless, Xue Wu had already noticed him but simply ignored it, or perhaps it stemmed from past guilt.

Shen Lingjiao slightly raised her phoenix eyes and stared straight at the handsome man in front of her. She even had a feeling that he was hundreds of years younger than her.

In the end, Shen Lingjiao put her arms around Xue Wu's neck, and as her cheek drew close, she softly called out, "Huaizhen?"

Xue Wu opened his eyes and turned his gaze to Shen Lingjiao beside him. This glance surprised him once again. She had changed so much. The girl who used to look like a young girl had now become so alluring. What was even more unexpected was that her aura gave Xue Wu a sense of sickly beauty.

The name Ling Jiao was about to slip out, but Xue Wu swallowed it back. Jin Ling Jiao is Jin Ling Jiao, not Shen Ling Jiao. They can no longer be considered the same person.

"Princess of Yinyue, you and I are enemies. How dare you enter my tent like this? Do you have a death wish?" Xue Wu said in a low voice, hoping to use this to drive Shen Lingjiao away and sever their ties.

But to everyone's surprise, this not only failed to deter Shen Lingjiao, but instead excited her.

"Tell me, are you Huai Zhen?" Shen Lingjiao's lips curled up, looking completely insane. She held a thin, long gold needle tightly in her hand, pressing it against Xue Wu's throat, as if she would pierce him if she heard any news that confirmed her suspicions.

Xue Wu's gaze sharpened, a chilling intent appearing in his eyes. Sensing the threat, he was ready to take Shen Lingjiao's life at any moment, but out of guilt, the void spikes that had condensed behind Shen Lingjiao dissipated.

“If I were Huai Zhen, the sorcerer of the Star Watching Academy, back in Yin Yue, today I am the one who is about to seize the throne of Yin Yue,” Xue Wu said. In his heart, he so desperately hoped that Shen Lingjiao would pierce that golden needle, so that he would feel that they were even and that he would not feel that he owed Shen Lingjiao anything.

Upon hearing this, the tone shifted abruptly. Shen Lingjiao's change caught Xue Wu off guard. She snapped the golden needle in her hand, her eyes filled with frenzied passion. She tackled Xue Wu to the ground with one hand and pressed the other against his waist.

"Huaizhen, I never thought I'd see you again. Do you know how much I've missed you? When I heard you perished in Wuji, I couldn't eat or sleep. I swore then and there that I would pay for the Wuji Empire's blood debt at any cost!" Shen Lingjiao smiled, her fingertips gently stroking Xue Wu's fair cheek, her breath coming in short gasps. "But seeing you again today, I have no regrets. Huaizhen, come back to my side. This time, I'm determined to hold onto you tightly and never let you leave again."

Xue Wu's pupils widened in surprise. Shen Lingjiao's morbid behavior had reached an incurable level. She had even begun to pull off her clothes, revealing her shyly blooming, snow-white skin.

This had crossed Xue Wu's bottom line. Without much thought, he knew what the other party would do next. He gathered spiritual power in his palm and pushed Shen Lingjiao away.

Xue Wu hurriedly stood up, anger flashing in his eyes. He was about to suppress Shen Lingjiao and send her back, but his gaze inappropriately fell on her. Seeing the scar that had not yet faded, his heart began to waver.

"Huaizhen, do you not like me like this? Fine, I'll lie down. As long as you're happy."

Xue Wu clenched his fists, deciding to ignore the madwoman. He turned and left without looking back, coldly saying as he went, "I am no longer the person I once was. I hope the Fourth Princess will take good care of herself. I will find a way to erase the karma I owed in the past."

After Xue Wu left, Shen Lingjiao sat there in a daze, watching him depart. Her thoughts lingered, her heart unable to find peace. Could it be that she had acted impulsively and angered Huai Zhen? No, that's not how all men like this—the more proactive, the more they like it. It must be the wrong timing. Huai Zhen, hehe...