Due to an operational error, Jun Changxiao’s head of jet-black hair had all been sucked away.
The problem wasn’t major—after all, he had the modified hair growth agent. Never mind growing it back quickly, even growing it to his waist wouldn’t be a problem.
However…
The Rose Empress had developed a strong interest in bald heads!
During the process before the hair grew back, she kept staring at Jun Changxiao, repeatedly unable to resist reaching out to touch his smooth, shiny scalp, even fantasizing about him cosplaying as a Buddhist cultivator in a kasaya robe.
“Sick.”
“This woman is sick!”
After arriving at an even safer location, Jun Changxiao maintained absolute distance from the Rose Empress.
Fortunately, this situation only lasted one night, because the next day under the hair growth agent’s stimulation, his jet-black hair grew out again—and grew long enough to wrap around his waist several times.
“Snip! Snip!”
Jun Changxiao frantically took scissors and cut away, finally understanding Old Ding’s pain from back then.
The Rose Empress said with disappointment: “Actually, you’re more suited to being bald.”
“Bald my ass!”
Jun Changxiao said: “This seat isn’t a monk!”
“Why do you like calling yourself ‘this seat’?” The Rose Empress asked, puzzled.
Jun Changxiao explained while cutting his hair: “Because I’m the sect master of the Eternal Sect, the strongest sect on the Xingyun Continent.”
“Strongest sect?”
The Rose Empress said in surprise: “That impressive?”
Jun Changxiao said: “Are you interested in joining my Eternal Sect? With your strength, becoming a hall master would be no problem.”
Since this woman wouldn’t hand over her soul essence, if he could trick her into joining the sect, that would actually be pretty good.
“I’m the dignified Soul Clan Empress—how could I become a hall master of some sect?” The Rose Empress said proudly.
“Empress?”
Jun Changxiao said lightly: “You’re nothing more than a fallen phoenix worse than a chicken.”
“You…”
The Rose Empress glared at him, her fair face filled with anger.
Jun Changxiao got to the point: “If I help you reclaim your position as empress, how much benefit are you planning to give me?”
He could not make her his maidservant, could not demand her soul essence, wouldn’t even force her to join the Eternal Sect, but… there must be benefits!
“How much do you want?” The Rose Empress said.
“Well…” Jun Changxiao considered briefly, then said: “Give me one hundred million of those spirit stones you gave me before.”
“One hundred million?”
The Rose Empress said: “Do you think the Soul Clan continent is covered in spirit stones everywhere!”
Jun Changxiao also felt he was asking for too much, so he stepped back: “Fifty million is fine too.”
“…”
The Rose Empress leaned weakly against the stone wall, saying: “I only have one million. If you can help me reclaim the throne, I’ll give them all to you.”
“One million?”
Jun Changxiao was clearly dissatisfied with this amount—after all, helping her reclaim the throne would be no less difficult than an epic-level quest.
The Rose Empress said dejectedly: “This empress has campaigned north and south for many years. Although I’ve obtained quite a few martial arts resources, they’ve all been used for the development of the race, so I myself am not very wealthy.”
Speaking of this, her heart ached.
Over these thousands of years, she had worked herself to exhaustion for the strength of her race, only to end up betrayed and abandoned.
“One million is too little.”
Jun Changxiao shook his head: “If that’s the only compensation, I won’t risk helping you reclaim the throne.”
The Rose Empress looked at him seriously: “I can’t promise you anything right now, but as long as you can help me reclaim the throne, I’ll satisfy all your demands!”
Her subordinates’ betrayal in establishing the Lingping Empress hadn’t defeated her, hadn’t discouraged her. As long as there was a chance, she would definitely make a comeback and take back everything she had lost!
Never admit defeat, never back down!
In this respect, she was very similar to Jun Changxiao.
“I want to be Regent King, with power equal to the empress. Will you grant that?” Jun Changxiao said.
The Rose Empress looked at him with astonishment.
Jun Changxiao said: “If you don’t agree to this condition, I really can’t find a reason to help you.”
He wouldn’t do things without benefit, even if she looked very pitiful and helpless right now.
The Rose Empress said: “You really want to be Regent King?”
“Without sufficient wealth, I can only obtain sufficient power.” Jun Changxiao spread his hands.
The Rose Empress looked at him: “Do you know that in the Soul Clan continent, only the empress’s husband can become Regent King and gain the subjects’ recognition?”
Jun Changxiao said in surprise: “There’s such a thing?”
“Yes.”
The system said: “The Soul Clan has stipulated this from generation to generation, continuing from the first empress until now.”
As a professional system, when arriving in an unfamiliar world, it habitually searches to learn much necessary historical knowledge to better assist the host.
The Rose Empress said: “If you want to be Regent King, you must become my husband.”
“Forget it then.”
Jun Changxiao said: “I’d rather choose to die than become your husband.”
I came to the Soul Clan continent to gather intelligence and rob if possible, not to find a wife.
The Rose Empress didn’t know who “die” was, but from his tone she could tell he seemed to really disdain her. Her almond eyes widened: “You think I’m not good enough for you?”
“Correct.”
Jun Changxiao said bluntly.
“…”
The Rose Empress nearly exploded with anger.
As the supreme fourth-generation empress, if she announced she was selecting a consort, all kinds of handsome men could line up from the Empress City for a thousand miles. Yet he thought she wasn’t good enough for him?
“How about this.”
Jun Changxiao said: “Give me a prime minister position.”
The Rose Empress glared at him: “Can you guarantee you’ll help me reclaim the throne?”
Jun Changxiao shrugged: “As long as the Soul Clan doesn’t have powerhouses like you, I can guarantee I’ll help you reclaim everything you lost.”
“Though I’m the Soul Clan Empress, my cultivation isn’t the highest.” The Rose Empress said.
Jun Changxiao said in surprise: “There are those stronger than you?”
The Rose Empress said gravely: “Not only are there those stronger than me, there are many!”
“…”
Jun Changxiao’s mouth twitched.
He had used all kinds of trump cards to defeat this woman. If there were many stronger than her, he couldn’t possibly win.
The Rose Empress said: “A hundred miles outside the Empress City, there’s an ancient hall where nine hall masters reside—they’re our Soul Clan’s strongest combat power.”
Nine of them!
Jun Changxiao immediately made a decision in his heart, thinking: “I’ll just wait for the Space-Time Worm to awaken and take this woman back to the Xingyun Continent.”
Deals that lose money he won’t do; dangerous deals he similarly won’t do!
“However…” The Rose Empress said angrily: “Ten thousand years ago, when the Lingping Empress was in power, she commanded the nine hall masters to invade your Xingyun Continent. To this day they haven’t returned, leaving this empress without capable assistants. When attacking other planes, I repeatedly suffered setbacks.”
Hearing this, Jun Changxiao froze.
The nine hall masters she mentioned—weren’t they the nine Soul Clan members who invaded the Xingyun Continent? My Heaven’s Origin Soul-Suppressing Pagoda still has three of them locked up!
Thinking about Soul Dogs One and Two made him angry—they gave him false intelligence that nearly got him killed on the Soul Clan continent.
“You mean to say that with the nine hall masters not on the continent, the Soul Clan no longer has top-tier combat power?” Jun Changxiao said.
“Yes.”
The Rose Empress said.
Jun Changxiao declared confidently: “Helping you reclaim the throne will be no problem.”
“If you can help me reclaim everything I lost, I’ll give you power beneath one, above ten thousand.”
“No, I want power equal to yours!”
After a moment of silence, the Rose Empress said: “As long as you can do it!”
“I can do it!”
“Good, I’ll give you power equal to the empress!”
“A gentleman’s word.”
“Cannot be taken back by four horses!”
Just as the two made another pact, a notification sounded in Jun Changxiao’s ear: “Ding! Side quest completed. Host receives 50,000 contribution points.”
—
Chapter 1123: Everything You Lost, I’ll Help You Reclaim
“Ding! Side quest completed. Host receives 50,000 contribution points.”
“Ding! Sect contribution points: 98,800/70,000.”
“Ding! Sect contribution points overflow…”
“Ding! Congratulations to host for completing side quest and triggering hidden rewards. Received New Seal-Breaking Talisman ×1, Experience Talisman ×10.”
Hearing the beautiful notification sounds in his ear, Jun Changxiao was stunned.
Earlier, using various trump cards to thoroughly thrash the Rose Empress hadn’t met the requirements. Why had he suddenly completed it now!
“Hahaha!”
After brief confusion, Jun Changxiao covered his face and laughed loudly.
This super elite quest reward was indeed generous—just the contribution points alone were fifty thousand, plus a Seal-Breaking Talisman and ten Experience Talismans!
Awesome!
Too awesome!
Jun Changxiao, who had been regretting using various trump cards without completing the quest and feeling he’d suffered a huge loss, now felt it was totally worth it!
“Has he gone mad?”
The Rose Empress’s gaze showed surprise.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Just then, a powerful advancement aura suddenly surged around Jun Changxiao, and he smoothly broke through from Second-Rank to Third-Rank Sword and Martial Dual Saint!
This sudden cultivation advancement surprised the Rose Empress even more.
“I understand now…” Sensing his strength had greatly increased again, Jun Changxiao thought: “At my current level, to break through one rank requires at least ten Experience Talismans!”
He reached this conclusion because he had just crushed six talismans, and adding the four he’d crushed earlier made exactly ten.
The system said: “Which means that completing a super elite quest that gives ten Experience Talismans is equivalent to gifting one rank!”
“Give me six more quests like this!” Jun Changxiao said excitedly.
A one-rank increase meant he didn’t think pure strength alone could defeat a Martial Saint Grand Perfection, but if he advanced a few more ranks, there would definitely be no problem!
“Host is very beautiful.”
The system mocked: “Beautiful dreaming!”
“Ding! Side quest triggered.”
“Ding! Side quest triggered!”
Hearing two quest notifications, Jun Changxiao was overjoyed.
The system collapsed and roared: “I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth!”
“Whoosh!”
Jun Changxiao opened the side quest panel, which displayed two quests—
Side Quest One: As the saying goes, a gentleman’s word cannot be taken back. Please ensure you help the Rose Empress reclaim her lost throne [Super Elite Quest].
Side Quest Two: This quest is a continuation of Side Quest One. After helping the Rose Empress obtain the throne, you must obtain equal status with the empress, such as becoming Regent King. If you cannot complete Side Quest One, this quest will also be considered failed [Super Elite Quest].
“Damn!”
“Damn, damn, damn!”
Seeing the second quest, seeing “such as becoming Regent King,” Jun Changxiao roared: “Is this forcing me to become her husband?”
The system mocked: “The second one is no different from a hell-level quest for host.”
“…”
Jun Changxiao fell silent, then turned his head and looked at the Rose Empress with a beaming smile.
Both super side quests were related to her. If he successfully completed them, not only could he obtain generous rewards, he might even get more Experience Talismans!
Seeing him smile so lecherously, the Rose Empress said in panic: “You… what are you going to do!”
“Whoosh!”
Jun Changxiao walked over step by step.
He stopped in front of the Rose Empress, removed his straw hat, gently placed it on her head, and looked at her with unprecedented seriousness: “Everything you lost, I’ll help you reclaim.”
The system roared: “Where did the straw hat come from!”
The Rose Empress’s expression gradually became dazed. She tried hard to look up at this man, and ripples arose in her heart.
She, who had ruled the Soul Clan for thousands of years with absolute supreme royal authority, now felt like a weak and delicate woman before Jun Changxiao.
…
Night fell.
Flames burned in the cave, dispelling the cold and bringing warmth.
The Rose Empress leaned against the stone wall, thoughtfully watching Jun Changxiao sitting cross-legged by the fire. The more she looked, the more pleasing he became; the more she looked, the more manly he seemed.
“If he shaved his head, he’d have even more appeal.”
“Ahhh!”
Just then, Jun Changxiao clutched his head and cried out.
With so much contribution overflow, he’d impulsively decided to refresh the mid-tier shop, but after spending over twenty thousand, nothing good came out.
The system said: “Would have been better to buy two recipes in the high-tier shop.”
“Sigh.”
Jun Changxiao shook his head, looked at the Rose Empress, and said: “I need to understand how many powerhouses were in the palace where you used to live, and what level they were.”
“Also.”
“What realm is the Lingping Empress!”
Helping the Rose Empress reclaim the throne—the simplest method was to use violence to resolve everything.
“Crossing Void Realm, sixty-nine.”
“Spirit Union Realm, one.”
The Rose Empress informed him of the palace powerhouses’ overall strength, then added: “As for that woman, when I fought her back then, she was only at Crossing Void Realm.”
According to Xingyun Continent realm classifications, Crossing Void Realm equals Martial Saint, Spirit Union Realm equals Martial Saint Grand Perfection, and above that are Return to Simplicity Realm and the Returning to Truth Realm that can shatter the void.
“The old man who struck me with a palm was Spirit Union Realm?” Jun Changxiao asked.
“Correct.”
Jun Changxiao fell into thought: “Excluding the Lingping Empress first, as long as I can handle that old man, reclaiming the throne should be possible.”
“Oh right.”
He asked: “You mentioned the nine hall masters before—what’s their status in the Soul Clan?”
“Beneath one, above ten thousand.” The Rose Empress said. “They even have the power to decide the empress’s succession.”
“That powerful?” Jun Changxiao said in surprise.
The Rose Empress said: “Of course, the nine hall masters must be unanimous to have decision-making power. If any one opposes, they cannot shake the empress’s supreme position.”
“In that case.” Jun Changxiao said: “As long as we find those nine, we wouldn’t need to use force at all to restore you to the empress position?”
“No.”
The Rose Empress said with a bitter expression: “When the nine hall masters left the Soul Clan continent, it was still during the Lingping Empress’s reign. She became the third-generation empress with their backing. Even if they came, they wouldn’t help me.”
Honestly, if the nine hall masters hadn’t gone to attack the Xingyun Continent and never returned, even if this woman could defeat the Lingping Empress, she couldn’t have become empress—because the nine hall masters might not acknowledge her.
“Hey.”
The Rose Empress said: “Why did you stop talking?”
At this moment, Jun Changxiao was sitting cross-legged, having already entered the Heaven’s Origin Soul-Suppressing Pagoda. He held the Soul-Suppressing Whip, pointing it at Soul Dogs One and Two cowering in the corner, cursing: “You two bastards deceived me so badly!”
“Snap! Snap!”
“Ahhhhh—”
“Jun… Jun Sect Master… we’ve been on the Xingyun Continent so long, we had no idea the Lingping Empress had abdicated… ahhhhh!”
Soul Dogs One and Two were beaten until they wailed miserably.
Soul Dog Three, cowering in the distance, trembled in fear.
The Rose Empress probably never dreamed that three hall masters representing the Soul Clan’s strongest combat power and having the authority to dismiss and appoint empresses would fall to such a pitiful state.
“Er Ya!”
After beating them awhile, Jun Changxiao stopped furiously: “How’s the training of these two bastards going?”
“Master, they’ve been trained well. If you tell them to go east, they absolutely won’t dare go west.” Er Ya said.
“What about Number Three?”
“It…”
“Jun Sect Master, I’m willing to obey your commands!”
The Fifth Hall Master had been quite manly when he first came in, but after Er Ya’s training, he finally understood why the Third and Fourth Hall Masters were so cowardly.
Jun Changxiao gripped the whip, his gaze cold: “This seat is giving you three a chance to reform today. Whoever performs well won’t suffer torment anymore!”
“Thud!”
The Fifth Hall Master ran over and knelt directly on the ground, shouting loudly: “For Jun Sect Master, I’m willing to brave water and fire, die ten thousand deaths without regret!”
The Third and Fourth Hall Masters nearly vomited blood.
If we two hadn’t just been whipped, how could you have seized the initiative!
“You three.”
Jun Changxiao said lightly: “Come out with me.”
“Yes!”
—
# Chapter 1124: Ancient Hall
Outside world.
While Jun Changxiao was training Soul Dogs One and Two, the Rose Empress noticed him sitting motionless in a daze, so she quietly approached and gently reached out to touch him.
“Snap!”
Jun Changxiao returned to his senses, grabbed her wrist, his gaze cold: “What are you trying to do?”
The Rose Empress’s face showed pain: “You’re hurting me.”
“…”
Jun Changxiao released his grip with a cold expression.
The Rose Empress sheepishly retreated to her original position, rubbing her wrist while muttering quietly: “I just wanted to confirm whether you’re wearing a wig. Why so fierce?”
“…”
Jun Changxiao tugged at his own hair: “This is genuine, authentic hair. Open your eyes wide and look clearly! Also, are you a bald-head fetishist or something!”
“Really?”
The Rose Empress looked disappointed.
Jun Changxiao said: “I’ve brought you three fellow clansmen.”
“Fellow clansmen?”
The Rose Empress looked bewildered.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
Just then, space rippled slightly. Three masses of natural green attributes appeared out of thin air, then gradually coalesced into substantial physical bodies.
These were the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Hall Masters.
Because they had used divine abilities, they had infiltrated the Xingyun Continent as green devouring forces. Now returning to their homeland, they naturally coalesced their true original bodies.
Actually.
All three were middle-aged men over 1.8 meters tall with stern features and natural authority—clearly having held high positions and great power for a long time.
“You…”
The Rose Empress was so shocked she couldn’t speak.
The nine hall masters had gone to the Xingyun Continent before she was born, but after becoming empress, she had visited the ancient hall and seen the nine portraits hanging in the great hall.
“Young lady.”
The Third Hall Master said lightly: “Who are you?”
He and the other two hall masters had already sensed that the Rose Empress was of their kind, with an exceptionally strong noble aura emanating from her entire body. They had completely lost their subservient demeanor from the Heaven’s Origin Soul-Suppressing Pagoda.
“She is the Rose Empress.”
Jun Changxiao introduced: “Your Soul Clan’s fourth generation.”
“Hmph.”
The Fifth Hall Master sneered: “Without the approval of us nine hall masters, even the fifth or sixth generation wouldn’t be recognized.”
“Therefore.”
Jun Changxiao swept his hand, directly pressing him to the ground: “This seat brought you three out today to have you give approval. If anyone dares say they oppose, they’ll receive even crueler torment.”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
The Fifth Hall Master’s head slammed hard into the ground, immediately creating a crater.
“Approve!”
“Approve!”
The Third and Fourth Hall Masters hurriedly expressed their positions!
Their soul entities had already been completely purified by Er Ya. Even now that they had coalesced into human form, they still couldn’t escape control, so naturally didn’t dare show any defiance!
Jun Changxiao lifted the Fifth Hall Master’s bump-covered head: “What about you?”
“I… I approve!”
“…”
The Rose Empress’s mouth fell open.
These were three great hall masters from the ancient hall! Even during the Lingping Empress’s reign, when facing any one of them, she had to speak politely. Yet now before Jun Changxiao, they were like obedient servants!
“Settled.”
Jun Changxiao released the Fifth Hall Master: “With these three going to the Empress City with you, you can legitimately become the fourth generation.”
“…” The Rose Empress gradually calmed down: “Although these three look like hall masters, they don’t have powerful cultivation. They’ll easily be recognized as imposters.”
“True.”
Jun Changxiao looked at the three souls: “Now that you’ve gotten your wish to return to the Soul Clan continent, how can you recover your cultivation in the shortest time?”
“The Bloodline Pool in the ancient hall can help us recover quickly!”
The three hall masters had all found host bodies, but now that they had coalesced substantial physical bodies on their home turf, they could only reach their strongest state by nurturing themselves in the hall’s Bloodline Pool.
No wonder the Third and Fourth Hall Masters had urged Dai Lü and Fang Lingyu to go to the Northern Desolate Region to break the seal.
“Let’s go.”
Jun Changxiao snapped his fingers: “To the ancient hall.”
“Um…” The Rose Empress said rather awkwardly: “The ancient hall has been sealed with various formations.”
After the nine hall masters invaded the Xingyun Continent and fell into slumber after being struck down by the ancient Martial Emperors, she worried they might suddenly return one day and deny her empress status, so she completely sealed the hall.
Ordering subordinates to open the space-time tunnel, though she had invasion intentions, her real purpose was to find the slumbering nine hall masters and eliminate them while they were weak to prevent future troubles.
Jun Changxiao asked: “Can’t get in?”
The Rose Empress shook her head: “Countless formations exist in the hall. If we forcibly break them, we’ll definitely alert the Lingping Empress and Tuoling.”
The Third Hall Master said: “Without the Bloodline Pool’s nurturing, we’ll have difficulty recovering to our peak state.”
“No problem.”
Jun Changxiao said unconcernedly: “Just formations. This seat will break however many there are.”
The Rose Empress frowned: “Those were set up by hundreds of formation masters over decades. If you go break them, the slightest mistake will lead to discovery.”
While speaking, Jun Changxiao had already picked her up: “Ugly woman, remember this—now that we’ve joined forces, you need to trust me at all times, not question me.”
“Jun Changxiao!”
The Rose Empress ground her teeth: “You called me ugly again!”
“Ugly woman, ugly woman.”
“You…”
“Whoosh—”
Jun Changxiao shot into flight, enveloping the three hall masters whose conditions hadn’t recovered with spiritual energy, then sped toward the ancient hall at extreme speed.
“Ugly duckling, yi ya yi ya ah, could you please not turn on the lights.” The off-key singing echoed through the firmament, making the three hall masters’ blood boil and their expressions turn ugly.
The Rose Empress was furious to the extreme. Disregarding everything, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on Jun Changxiao’s shoulder.
“Ahh—”
…
A hundred miles outside the Empress City, an ancient building sat deep in the jungle.
Having been unattended for so long, it was already covered in vines and moss, like wearing a ghillie suit and blending into the surrounding environment.
“Whoosh!”
Jun Changxiao landed at the outermost perimeter.
“As expected, many seal-like formations exist here.”
With just a slight spiritual sense, he discovered at least dozens of formations around the ancient hall. Judging from their emanating auras, their levels seemed quite high.
“Step aside, I’ll break the formations!”
Jun Changxiao said.
The Rose Empress reminded: “These formations are all linked to the Empress City. Once discovered, the Lingping Empress will definitely immediately send people to kill us.”
“Discovered?”
Jun Changxiao shook his head: “Not happening.”
“Such an arrogant fellow!” The Rose Empress rolled her eyes at him, then stepped back with the three hall masters.
“Whoosh!”
Jun Changxiao sat cross-legged. His nearly substantial spiritual sense split into several strands, surging toward the formation barriers existing in the void.
“This guy!”
The Rose Empress covered her forehead: “Can’t he do them one at a time?”
One at a time? That would be too troublesome!
“Whoosh!”
Just then, Jun Changxiao’s spiritual sense had already merged into the nearest formation, then quickly read the intricate formation nodes and lines arranged inside. A 3D projection-like image instantly formed in his mind’s eye.
The Rose Empress thought: “He understands formations too?”
“Buzz!”
Just then, the formation existing in the void manifested.
The Rose Empress’s expression changed slightly: “This is trouble—we’ve been discovered!”
Amid her worry, the manifested formation dissipated like clouds and mist. Her entire being became dumbfounded.
“Sigh.”
Jun Changxiao shook his head: “Too simple.”
“…”
The Rose Empress’s eyes widened enormously, clearly unable to believe that the formations she’d ordered so many formation masters to set up had been broken by him in mere moments!
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Several more formations appeared, then gradually vanished.
Half an hour later, nearly fifty formations around the ancient hall had all been broken!
Jun Changxiao stood up, dusted off his hands: “You three can go in now.”
Rose Empress: “…”
Three hall masters: “…”
This guy not only understood formation arts, he was terrifyingly good at it!
…