After giving final instructions regarding the aftermath of the Nether Queen, Lu Jun departed gracefully.
The other party pretended to look reluctant, instructing him that if anything happened, he could summon her by lighting a candle and shining it on a mirror.
"This concubine will certainly come to protect you."
Lu Jun sneered at that, too lazy to respond to such theatrics. He was in a hurry to return to his sister—Lu Mei was surely very worried.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Moments later, he activated the Dark Abyss Space Teleportation. A flicker of silver light flashed, and he quietly appeared not far outside the Ancient Capital. After passing the inspection of the city-guarding mages, he smoothly entered.
When Lu Jun arrived at the inn where they were temporarily staying, the structural damage had long since been repaired by skilled Earth Element Mages specialized in infrastructure.
Even through the room, he could sense that blazing aura. Knocking, he called out, "Sis, I'm back!"
Click! The door opened. His sister's graceful figure appeared and instantly pounced on him, a thudding sound of bodily impact following.
For a moment, the force of Lu Jun's impact pushed him several steps back.
His hands instinctively wrapped around Lu Mei's slender yet voluptuous waist. His stiff expression barely pulled into a smile.
Before Lu Jun could react, both sides of his face were suddenly cupped by a pair of fair, delicate hands. A mature, charming face leaned in directly before him.
Lu Mei carefully looked him up and down, nodding with satisfaction before frowning, "Good, no injuries. But why does your face look so awful? You're in such low spirits. What's wrong, not happy to see your sister?"
"Really?" He froze, then flipped his hand to gather water into a murky Water Mirror. Looking into it, he finally noticed that his expression was dark and cold—he didn't look like a good person at all.
In his spiritual world, the primary soul fragment of Ding Yumian spoke up just in time, her soul transmission slightly weary:
"You've already begun to be affected by the Emperor's Armor."
"The vast sea of negative emotions—rage, resentment, slaughter from the Undead—is subtly invading your subconscious. Sooner or later, it'll replace you with another personality."
"I'm currently helping you cleanse it every moment, but I can't keep doing this forever. You need to quickly advance to High Tier in the Psychic Element so you can touch the subconscious level and suppress these negative feelings. Or…"
Ding Yumian hesitated a bit, shyly saying, "Use positive emotions to counterbalance it—just like right now."
Hearing this, Lu Jun's face turned grave. He didn't expect the ancient Emperor's Armor to have such rapid effects and had clearly underestimated it.
Looking at his concerned sister before him, he chose to tell the truth.
"What—you're saying that ancient Emperor's Armor from before… was you?!"
Even though Lu Mei had her suspicions, the truth still shocked her. She covered her mouth in astonishment.
Then she asked anxiously, "Negative emotional erosion… are you okay?"
"Race against time, raise cultivation—I've got double safeguards too."
Lu Jun kept it brief but didn't notice the thoughtful expression on his sister's face, as if she had some ideas about how to regulate his emotions with positive stimuli.
"Forget it. No matter what, you came back safe, that's what matters. We'll figure the rest out."
Lu Mei said gently. She wasn't the type to fuss and hesitate—her brother's methods were risky, but they needed that power.
Just then, someone arrived at the door. It was a Royal Guard Mage, clearly sent by Han Ji after hearing of Lu Jun's return, inviting him to the Clock Tower Magic Association.
It was probably about post-battle rewards and recognition.
Lu Jun hurriedly bid farewell to Lu Mei and went along happily. Under the guard mage's lead, he arrived at the main hall of the Clock Tower.
The elder Han Ji was already waiting there, with Mo Fan standing nearby, wrapped in bandages.
Seeing Mo Fan, Lu Jun joked, "So, how's that Demon Soul Remnant working out for you?"
"It works alright," Mo Fan replied with a bitter face, then cursed, "But the side effects are brutal! Damn it, I'm never joining something like this again. Whoever wants in can go in my place next time!"
"Hahaha!"
Han Ji laughed heartily, not minding at all. He knew Mo Fan had a strong sense of justice. He was just venting with his mouth—when things really go down, he's always the first to charge forward.
Some people—you don't listen to what they say, you watch what they do.
Once the laughter faded, Han Ji looked at the two high-spirited young men with great satisfaction. He turned to Mo Fan first and said, "I remember you wanted to join the National Team battle, but you still don't have a recommendation ticket, right?"
"Well, I've discussed it with the higher-ups in Ancient Capital. The Magic Association, the Tribunal, and other major forces scraped together three tickets. That's enough to guarantee you a spot as a substitute on the National Team."
"In addition, to prevent retaliation from the Black Vatican and sanctions from the Sacred City, we'll keep your demonization confidential. As for your reputation, we'll only make it public at the right time."
Han Ji's tone was warm as he said, "It's just that the two of you will have to suffer some injustice for now."
"No problem, no problem."
Mo Fan was delighted. The National Team ticket that had always been troubling him was resolved just like that.
"These are just minor matters." Han Ji cleared his throat and said, "As for tangible rewards, if there's anything you want—within the scope of what Ancient Capital can provide—we'll fully support you."
"Really? Then how about seven or eight Star River veins?"
Upon hearing that, Mo Fan's eyes lit up, and he shamelessly asked.
Han Ji's old face stiffened. Embarrassed, he said, "Ancient Capital has no money. We're a relatively backward region in the West, and after this war, we have too many casualties to compensate and reconstruction costs to handle."
"Is that so?" Mo Fan scratched his head, then hesitantly said as he remembered something, "I'd like to have the most revered feather robe in the Ancient Capital Museum's collection, the [Glazed Phoenix Feather Robe]."
"That old relic? No problem."
Han Ji agreed readily. Though the robe carried great significance and was a priceless artifact of history, it was nothing compared to the gratitude owed to someone who had saved them all.
Lu Jun cast a glance at Mo Fan. He had some impression of it—back in ancient times, the Glazed Phoenix Feather Robe was a super-tier, Heaven-level magic equipment. But over the years, during times of war and turmoil, it had become severely damaged, and its magical energy had all but faded.
It was suspected to have a direct connection with the Vermillion Bird and was once worn by its Totem Guardian.
Afterward, Mo Fan joyfully took his reward and rushed off to Mount Hua for secluded cultivation, hoping to restore his magic energy as soon as possible.
Mo Fan's thoughts were simple. Having seen the Ancient Capital use restoration tech to display the robe's splendor in its prime, he decided that one day he would restore it to perfection and gift it to Xin Xia.
Only Han Ji and Lu Jun were left in the grand hall now. They exchanged glances and each muttered to themselves: "Old fox" / "Little fox."
Han Ji hadn't lied—Ancient Capital truly didn't have any money. But he had to consider Lu Jun's contributions in this whole upheaval. He was practically the mastermind behind it all, especially the slaying of a Red Cardinal—his fame and merit were undeniable.
So after some contemplation, Han Ji tentatively asked, "You've also got a National Team ticket now. How about I give you a position as an Honorary Councilor of Ancient Capital?"
Lu Jun was surprised. He didn't expect Han Ji to bring it up himself: "Me? But I'm only Advanced-level in cultivation."
"Of course you can." Han Ji beamed. "You saved the whole city. Don't even mention a councilor's seat—Ancient Capital from now on is your strongest backing."
"Besides, your strength is already near Super-tier. You took out an entire undead legion of Warrior-level creatures on your own. You've earned it."
"But the Honorary Councilor title will also be kept secret until we disclose everything."
Lu Jun nodded with satisfaction. "No problem. Thank you, Elder Han, for the promotion."
For additional chapters
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