Lu Jun shook his head and glanced at her, saying, "Hangzhou was right next to you, yet because you were ignorant of worldly affairs, you brushed past it and nearly ended up dead, even almost dragging the Totem down with you. Truly laughable."
Hearing this, Yu Shishi was overwhelmed with shame. A supreme Monarch-level backer like the Totem Black Snake had been living right next door, repeatedly active and famous across the Nine Provinces.
Yet she herself had been blind to it all, failing to recognize her savior.
She let out a long sigh and said, "I secluded myself in one corner and distrusted humanity, growing narrow-minded and biased. I will correct this in the future."
Lu Jun nodded, then suddenly said, "Your existence, along with that of the Moon Moth Phoenix, has already been exposed. If you stubbornly continue wandering the wilderness alone, disaster will not be far off. We might as well band together for mutual support."
Yu Shishi hesitated for a moment. Thinking of the moth clan that needed a place to breed and settle, she realized that following this fellow practitioner before her was the best choice. Though he called it mutual support, in truth, a senior was extending a helping hand and offering protection.
"Thank you, Lord Lu," she said gratefully, then paused before asking, "What should we do next?"
Seeing this, Lu Jun thought to himself that after some persuasion, he had finally brought the Totem Moon Moth Phoenix under his banner.
"After some time, you can relocate to Vineleaf Town and settle down there."
As he spoke, Lu Jun walked over to the azure giant cocoon on the lake island, gently stroking its smooth surface and saying with emotion, "As for it, it must wait until its karmic ties are resolved, undergo nirvana and rebirth, and return renewed, then you may protect it again."
"Before that, stay here on the lake island to guard it. If anything happens, go consult the Totem Guardian lineage in Hangzhou."
Yu Shishi was at a loss and could only nod in agreement. Just as she was about to ask who the Hangzhou guardian was—
"Here, it's her."
Lu Jun suddenly stopped, turned toward the shadows by the vast lakeshore, and said with a delighted smile, "Long time no see, Sister Tang Yue."
Buzz buzz buzz!
The reflection on the water moved, gliding freely across the crystal-clear lake like a swift swallow before appearing beside Lu Jun. Amid the writhing shadows, a graceful, mature woman stepped out—crimson lips like fire, long wavy hair cascading down, stunningly beautiful beyond words.
Tang Yue's beautiful eyes were gentle as water, autumn waves shimmering as she examined the young man before her. With a teasing tone, she said, "Oh? Conquering national academies, slaying great demons, stepping across nations, so the little boy from back then has become a great hero now."
"So, does little brother still want a hug from big sister?"
Seeing the alluring bearing of the mature beauty, Lu Jun swallowed. Though surrounded by many beauties, Sister Tang Yue was always the one who stirred desire most easily.
Witnessing this scene, Yu Shishi, who had been respectful after seeing Lu Jun decisively slaughter four Super-Tier mages—now wore an increasingly strange expression, her gaze repeatedly darting between the two.
"Ahem, we'll talk about that later."
Noticing Yu Shishi's stare, Lu Jun coughed lightly and shot Sister Tang Yue a glare.
Tang Yue smiled warmly, giving the young man some face, before asking about what had just happened.
Lu Jun then explained the entire sequence—Su Lu, the Rouge Society, the Moon Moth Phoenix…
Tang Yue's expression changed several times as she listened, her mature face turning solemn with a hint of killing intent. "So it was the Asian Dominator. Heh, daring to cause trouble in the Nine Provinces—Lu Jun, you killed them well."
"But…" she added with concern, "Don't publicize this matter. Our Hangzhou Judgment Court will act as if we know nothing. Su Lu wields enormous power—you must conceal this properly."
Then Tang Yue turned around, gazing at Yu Shishi. With a gentle smile, she said wistfully, "I once thought that only the Totem Black Snake of my lineage remained in this world, calling itself the last Totem of the Nine Provinces."
"I never imagined I was blind as well. We were so close, yet unable to meet—what a pity…"
Her tone shifted again, becoming light. "Fortunately, it's not too late now. The two of us should support each other from here on."
Seeing Tang Yue's friendly attitude, Yu Shishi relaxed and quickly replied, "Of course. Please guide me."
The two women chatted together, becoming familiar with each other in no time.
At the end, Yu Shishi turned back and saw Lu Jun standing beside the azure giant cocoon. Remembering something, she asked with confusion, "Lu… Lu Jun, when you said the Moon Moth Phoenix still has unresolved karma, you meant…?"
Lu Jun's gaze drifted as he recounted a past event.
Long ago, the Moon Moth Phoenix had another guardian, named Yan Shi—yes, the mother of Jiang Feng and grandmother of Chen Ying.
Thirty years ago, Yan Shi had been an unparalleled powerhouse with the potential to reach Forbidden Spell, suppressing an entire region of the Nine Provinces. At that time, the White Magic Eagle clan of the Southern Ridges had begun to rise, expanding madly, until they were stopped before an evil god tree known as the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree.
This tree was vast beyond measure—one tree forming an entire forest. The forest sea was like mountains, nurturing countless demon tribes upon it. The two existed in a mutually symbiotic state, with abundant resources.
Thus, the White Magic Eagles set their sights on the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree, intending to eradicate and annex it.
At the time, the human powerhouses led by Yan Shi unanimously believed that they could not allow the White Magic Eagles to invade the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree.
Once the White Magic Eagle kingdom obtained the resources of this "divine tree," it would likely transform into a White Magic Eagle Empire in the future, becoming a grave hidden threat in the south.
If that were to happen, the consequences would be disastrous. Looking at the map, there had never been a demon empire entrenched in the heartland of the Nine Provinces, and precisely at the junction of north and south. China would likely fall into fragmentation.
Therefore, humanity decided to help the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree and defeat the White Magic Eagle clan, allowing the two sides to restrain each other.
Just as victory was within reach, who would have thought that the Moon Moth Phoenix, which stood on humanity's side, would suddenly rebel, launching frenzied attacks on the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree and severely wounding it, nearly causing the Nine Provinces' plan to fail.
The human powerhouses were enraged. Yan Shi had no choice but to painfully summon the Moon Moth Phoenix, and while the Totem had no guard up at all, struck it from behind with a treacherous blow, directly shattering the Moon Moth Phoenix's physical form into nothingness.
At first glance, it all seemed like the Moon Moth Phoenix had brought this upon itself.
Yet what no one knew was that the true face of the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree was ferocious like an evil demon. Its holy exterior and its suppression of spirituality were a fabricated disguise that was extremely deceptive.
It deliberately did not harm humans, instead borrowing human strength to ambush its natural enemy, the White Magic Eagles, while quietly absorbing the flesh and blood from the brutal battle between both sides to grow itself.
If the scheme had succeeded, its nemesis would have been eliminated, and by absorbing the blood and flesh, it would have achieved Emperor level.
Not only humans, even the Totem Moon Moth Phoenix had almost been deceived. Fortunately, at the final critical moment, it sensed something amiss and dealt a devastating blow to the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree, foiling its plot to ascend to Emperor level and destroying hundreds of years of its cultivation.
That tree's cultivation was solidly at the Supreme Monarch level, truly just one step away from becoming an Emperor.
As these words fell, Tang Yue and Yu Shishi sank into deep thought, shock flashing across their faces, mixed with profound sorrow.
Lu Jun directly revealed the truth. At his level, there was no need to explain how he knew it, those around him would naturally fill in the gaps themselves.
Yu Shishi stood stunned and asked haltingly, "Then… what about that demonic evil tree now?"
Hearing this, Lu Jun said with a hint of mockery, "Humans believed the Heavenly Crown Purple Linden Tree was good, so they relocated it to Yantai to recuperate and nurture itself. By now, it seems to have recovered to its peak state."
In an instant, cold sweat poured down Tang Yue's and Yu Shishi's backs. A Supreme Monarch hiding deep within human territory under the guise of harmlessness, if it made even the slightest move, wouldn't it turn the world upside down?!
For additional chapters
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