Why’d you come back?!

If you’re going to leave, then leave! There’s no need for you to feel nostalgic and come back!

I’ve only got a head left now, and I can barely even do anything!

Sister White Dragon said, “She’s coming.”

What, she’s coming?

Soon, a soft click sounded in everyone’s ears as a spatial gate opened right in front of them, a beautiful long leg stepping out of it.

Song Shuhang immediately knew who was coming. It was none other than the Heavenly Emperor.

“Senior Song, Senior Song, Senior Ruler of Shadows left this note for you.” Behind him, Soft Feather’s sweet voice sounded.

It was the voice of the black-skinned Soft Feather.

When she spoke, she startled Song Shuhang. He thought that the Heavenly Emperor had somehow appeared behind him.

The black-skinned Soft Feather was holding up a note as she relayed its contents to Song Shuhang. “Senior Song, Senior Shadow said that he will be leaving the broken Shadow Sanctum with you for the time being, so please keep it safe. He says that he will come back to retrieve it in a few days.”

“In addition, Senior Shadow hopes that you can prepare the sum needed to repair the bracelet in advance. The damage sustained by the bracelet was relatively severe, and it basically needs to be remade, so Senior Shadow said that Senior Song can just wait until after the scholarly faction has rewarded you before paying for Shadow Sanctum’s repairs.”

After saying that, the black-skinned Soft Feather stretched out her hand and waved the note.

Song Shuhang’s mouth opened wide, with the air he took in through his mouth leaking from his neck.

If he still had a body, he would definitely feel so heartbroken that he would’ve had trouble breathing. However, since his heart and body were gone, he could only express his suffering through the leakage of air.

Song Shuhang asked, “How… How much is it going to cost to repair it?”

His instincts told him that he should not ask such a question as the answer would only bring him pain. However, he knew that since he had damaged something that was lent to him, compensation was the most basic courtesy, so he still decided to ask the question in the end.

The black-skinned Soft Feather replied, “Senior Shadow estimates that if the scholarly faction isn’t stingy, then the compensation that they give Senior Song should be enough to cover the repair costs.”

Ah~ My heart!

No, I don’t have a heart now.

Ah~ My flesh!

The black-skinned Soft Feather said, “Senior Song, your complexion is not of the best.”

Song Shuhang looked up at the sky. “Mm-hm, I know, Soft Feather.”

Sixteen smiled and stroked his head.

At the same time…

“Senior Song, I’m here!” The Heavenly Emperor’s figure stepped out of the spatial gate. “Are you surprised to see me?”

My flesh hurts again.

Two different versions of Soft Feather, one after the other, rent his flesh.

They sandwiched him and rent his flesh like a grinder.

Song Shuhang looked at the Heavenly Emperor and asked, “Didn’t you leave earlier?”

“Can’t I come back after leaving?” the Heavenly Emperor said happily. “There are still so many fragments here that I haven’t recovered, so isn’t it normal for me to come back?”

Shuhang could not deny that her words were very logical.

Song Shuhang said sincerely, “Can you come back tomorrow? I think I need a bit of a breather.”

After coming to the scholarly faction, he had been fighting and fighting, all the way until he was left with only his head.

He really could not fight anymore.

He had to recharge, do some good deeds, and gather some luck.

“Senior Song, do you think I am like you? My time is very valuable, and the number of things I have to deal with all the time is as vast as the number of stars in the sky. This is something that you probably can’t process as you only have your head left.” The Heavenly Emperor looked at Song Shuhang, who only had his head left, and smiled happily.

Song Shuhang: “…”

Now, you’re even making fun of me?

Moreover, since you say that your time is very valuable, don’t waste it on me, a little bug that you can kill whenever you want!

“As such, in order to save time, I’ve decided to look for you directly, Senior Song.” The Heavenly Emperor smiled slightly.

Song Shuhang discovered that after the Heavenly Emperor possessed Soft Feather’s ghost spirit, she might have been affected by its owner. The wirings of her brain seem to have changed, and she had developed the habit of jumping from one topic to the other.

Why would she save time by looking for me?

Ah, wait…

She couldn’t possibly be eyeing the Heavenly City Fragments in my Inner World, right?

The Heavenly Emperor said, “Forcefully recovering the fragments is a huge waste of time. Also, that expert of the scholarly faction who uses Buddhist attacks is rather troublesome to deal with. Therefore, I want to trade with the scholarly faction to get what I need instead. And you, Senior Song, can be my middleman.”

“You want to trade with them?” Song Shuhang looked at the Heavenly Emperor with a puzzled expression.

The Heavenly Emperor replied, “Retrieving my things is something that I’ll do eventually. However, in order not to waste time, it is much more convenient to do it through a trade. Senior Song, please help me contact the person in charge of the scholarly faction. Also, it would be best to have that guy who is fighting against my people with buddhist techniques to stop for now. He doesn’t even dare to exert his full strength or use the scholarly faction’s techniques, so it hasn’t been any fun to fight against him. Anyhow, tell them that I have something in my hands that the scholarly faction would absolutely not decline and that I am willing to use it to exchange for my Heavenly City Fragments.”

Sister White Dragon said, “You’ve changed.”

After the Heavenly Emperor resurrected this time, she had changed considerably.

Whether it was her character or how she handled matters, both had changed significantly.

She almost could not recognize this version of the Heavenly Emperor.

“It’s not that I’ve changed, it’s just that I’ve revealed my true self.” The Heavenly Emperor placed her hands behind her and looked at Sister White Dragon. “Fairy Golden Dragon, the Heavenly Emperor in your memory is a facade, a disguised version of myself. Everyone has their own little secrets and so do I, though probably a lot less compared to others. After resurrecting this time, I was finally able to reveal my true self.”

The Heavenly Emperor of the Ancient Heavenly City was merely a front?

Song Shuhang asked, “What are you going to trade with the scholarly faction?”

The Heavenly Emperor said slowly, “Four bodies of the scholarly faction’s Thirteen Tribulation Transcenders which I obtained in the period between the foundation of the Heavenly City and the destruction of the scholarly faction.”

Song Shuhang’s eyes lit up. “Are they alive?”

“They’re dead.” The Heavenly Emperor rolled her eyes.

Song Shuhang said, “Okay… I’ll try to contact a couple of the heads of the scholarly faction and see what they think.”

He knew the significance of the Thirteen Tribulation Transcenders to the scholarly faction.

Even if it was just the body left after their death, the scholarly faction would surely be willing to pay a great price to recover them and bring them back to the world of the golden lotus for a proper burial.

Under normal circumstances, the scholarly faction should be willing to trade away the Heavenly City Fragments for the bodies.

“Also, as an intermediary, you’ll be treated well, Senior Song.” The Heavenly Emperor crossed her arms, highlighting her imperial assets. “As long as the deal goes through, I will reward Senior Song with some treasures.”

“I want a body,” Song Shuhang raised his head and said. “Actually, it would be best if you could just return my steel manifestation to me.”

“Don’t even think about it. That’s my loot, and it’s really handy.” The Heavenly Emperor refused without hesitation.

Song Shuhang: “…”

“If you just want an extension for your head, then I might have something for you,” the Heavenly Emperor said. “Do you know the story of Xingtian?”

Song Shuhang replied, “Are you referring to nipple-eye Xingtian¹?”