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!

…