Inside the small courtyard.
Tang Yue gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar young man before her. His features were still sharp and handsome, his expression cool and firm. Yet now he seemed more mature—weathered, stripped of the youthful naivety he once had.
For a moment, she felt a twinge of timidity, hesitant to approach, as though time apart had built an invisible wall between them.
But that wasn't Tang Yue's nature. In the end, she stepped forward boldly, bent down, and gave Lu Jun—who was sitting cross-legged on the ground—a tight, heartfelt hug.
"Mmph!"
Lu Jun hadn't even reacted before his face was pressed against her soft chest. His heart filled with warmth, and an odd thought popped into his mind.
To hell with this 'refining my heart through the hearts of others' nonsense! So flashy! Purifying the soul will never compare to big… Ahem, cough, cough!
Standing to the side, Jun Yaojin witnessed this scene, her eyes turning strange. A mature woman and a young, strong man?
Then she looked down, noticed she couldn't see her own toes, and drew in a sharp breath. "Lu Jun, you bastard! So this is your taste! You even asked me to help you earlier—trying to pull a casting-couch move, weren't you?"
Soon after, more people entered the courtyard. Shao Zheng had just stepped through the door, but upon seeing the sight before him, he immediately turned around and left, dragging the big, boisterous Zhu Meng behind him.
"Lu Jun, I came to rescue you—hey, hey, hey!"
Zhu Meng's booming voice was cut short as he was forcibly hauled away. Completely baffled, he asked Shao Zheng, "What are you doing?"
Shao Zheng gave a knowing smile. "Let the youngsters have their moment. What are you old men barging in for?"
Inside the courtyard, Lu Jun finally pulled himself out of that suffocating embrace. Looking up, he saw Tang Yue's mature, alluring face—her delicate features and slightly reddened eyes.
Emotion stirred in his heart as he said softly, "Sister Tang Yue, I've made you worry."
Tang Yue's cheeks flushed a lovely shade of red, and she whispered gently, "As long as you're fine."
They hadn't seen each other for a long time. Now, with their skin touching, both felt a faint heat rise within them. As the saying goes, after a year in the military, even a sow looks like a goddess. Lu Jun's year of national institute training had the same effect.
However, he remained perfectly rational. There were more important matters to handle right now.
At that moment, the Tribunal Mage Siso leaned in with that irritating smirk of his and said mockingly, "You sure are protected by Nine Provinces. Coward, open your spiritual world for inspection and get out of here already."
Hearing such insolence, Tang Yue's expression turned cold. Without hesitation, she threw a cyan-colored Totem Pearl from her arms.
Rumble—!!
In an instant, the sky above the Parthenon darkened.
For several kilometers around, gales howled as the heavy clouds tore apart, as though the world itself were ending. A vast, dark-green mist surged across the heavens, rolling and swallowing half of the towering Goddess Peak.
Endless fog spread outward, and from within it, an overwhelming, divine pressure rose.
From the depths of that boundless sea of mist, two massive pupils—each the size of twin suns—appeared first, followed by the vague outline of a colossal body, as if mountains themselves were moving. That vast silhouette encircled the entire mountain range, resembling a living Great Wall descending from the sky.
Countless experts in the Parthenon Temple were alarmed. Numerous magical prohibitions began to glow with blinding light, trembling as if unable to bear the strain.
Someone gasped in shock:
"What… what kind of mighty creature is that?!"
Amid the swirling clouds, an enormous serpent rose into the heavens. Its towering body pierced through the clouds, and its gigantic head loomed beneath the sky itself.
No one could see the creature's full form—only the half of its body below the heavens.
"My… my god!!"
"It's a serpent! An incomparable serpent Monarch, side by side with the Undead King himself!"
Inside the temple, the High Priestess's face froze, and the Knight Hall's Grandmaster, Haylon, nearly forgot to breathe.
But the very next second, that vast demonic presence suddenly vanished. The terrifying aura receded completely, all the visions dispersed, and the endless blue sky returned, bright and clear as if nothing had happened.
It was as though the magnificent, apocalyptic vision had merely been a mirage.
Everyone was left stunned and speechless.
"It… it's gone?"
"What happened?! Why did the Serpent Monarch disappear?"
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain inside the courtyard, the Siso was drenched in cold sweat. He collapsed to his knees, his soul trembling with utter terror, his expression panicked and broken—like a drowning old dog.
"No way… Impossible! A Supreme Monarch-level demon of that magnitude could never be under the control of a young couple!"
Tang Yue looked down at him coldly and said, "You dared insult my little brother? You must have a death wish! I can't control that great one but you provoked Lu Jun, and it's furious."
As soon as she spoke, Siso froze. He felt as though he had fallen into a demonic abyss—darkness closing in from all directions, a chilling aura seeping into every corner of his being.
All sense of safety vanished. That dreadful sensation of being locked onto by an apex predator returned. His spirit spun into dizziness, and the surrounding gloom deepened.
Siso knew clearly that Tang Yue's words were not false. Let alone Dulank, who had reached the full cultivation of the Super Level—even their mysterious Lord could not save him now. Even the Holy City would be powerless to protect him; he felt it in his bones.
Thud!
A heavy, fleshy impact echoed. Siso immediately fell to his knees, cold sweat pouring down like rain. With the most humble and obsequious smile, he kept kowtowing to Lu Jun while slapping his own face again and again.
Siso apologized frantically: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Lord Lu Jun! I'm just a worthless dog who dared offend my master…"
Seeing this, Lu Jun secretly felt a rush of satisfaction. Smacking someone himself could never compare to having an older sister figure like Tang Yue backing him up and slapping faces for him!
Tang Yue radiated the aura of a protective wife. With a look of disgust, she flicked her slender hand—shadows squirmed and gathered into a colossal Shadow Claw, which struck Siso violently and sent him flying far into the distance.
"Get lost. I'll spare your life for the Holy City's sake."
Pfft! Siso spewed blood; his body was severely injured, yet he did not dare cast any magic to protect himself. He continued kowtowing, thinking only of surviving this encounter. After all, demons did not reason with humans.
Lu Jun's eyes gleamed slightly at this display. That elemental control was impressive—seems Tang Yue hadn't neglected her cultivation; her Shadow Element must already be perfected at the High-Tier.
Then he looked down at Siso lying on the ground. As his Spiritual Sense swept through the man's mind, a cold sneer curled his lips. This guy was all false humility—submissive on the surface, venomous underneath.
But it didn't matter. Lu Jun had no intention of letting this Tribunal Mage off so easily. He hadn't spent this past month doing nothing—he'd been preparing to deliver both the Parthenon Temple and the Holy City a fitting return gift!
At the gate, Shao Zheng, Zhu Meng, and Han Ji watched with cold eyes, making no move to stop Tang Yue.
Though the Holy City was formidable, it would never risk breaking ties with the Nine Continents over a mere Tribunal Mage.
Another mage swallowed hard, his body trembling. When Tang Yue's gaze swept toward him, he forced out a nervous smile. "M-My lady, about that inspection of the Spiritual World… let's forget it. I'll let you go right now."
Dulank himself had given the order—if the visitors were from the Nine Continents, then just let Lu Jun go.
Since the higher-ups didn't care, there was no need for him to throw away his life making trouble for Lu Jun.
Tang Yue raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but Lu Jun quickly sent her a Spiritual Transmission.
Her words instantly shifted tone; she shouted coldly, "Let us go? You think it's that simple?!"
Hearing this, the mage panicked and stammered submissively, "Th-Then… then, my lady, what would you have me do?"
"Inspect!" Tang Yue's voice brimmed with killing intent. "You accused my Lu Jun of cultivating forbidden magic—you slandered him without paying compensation or apologizing. You'll inspect him, then the Holy City will issue a public apology and use its influence to clear his name!"
"Y-Yes, yes, I'll report it to the superiors immediately!"
The mage's face twisted bitterly. Under everyone's fierce gaze, he tremblingly conducted the inspection, not daring to make a single misstep.
In his hands was a recording Magic Implement that uploaded everything to the databases of the Holy Tribunal and the Holy Court. The entire procedure was legal and compliant. Once verified, it would officially acknowledge Lu Jun's innocence.
Lu Jun opened his Spiritual World. The mage glanced through it hastily—everything appeared perfectly normal: Summoning, Water, and Curse Star Galaxies, without the slightest irregularity.
There was no trace of any Qiankun Stone or Ancient King Robe.
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