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Lu Chen's seclusion spread like wildfire, and soon not only the people of Black Dragon City Imperial Palace knew about it, but the commoners of the Daxia Dynasty were also aware of the matter.

An Emperor who had never entered seclusion suddenly chose to do so, and people's first reaction was to wonder if there was a problem with the Sum Emperor's health.

Of course, even though such thoughts existed, most forces still dared not act rashly, as to date, the Sum Emperor had never been defeated.

Lu Chen's wives and concubines from Black Dragon City Imperial Palace immediately went to Yancheng Imperial Palace to inquire about Lu Chen's condition after learning of his seclusion.

Seeing that Chu Yuqin and the others were unaware of why Lu Chen had entered seclusion, Wu Junwan and the others also began to worry. They suspected that Lu Chen might have been injured during a battle with the invaders, otherwise, why would someone who had never entered seclusion choose to do so now?

Lu Chen was unaware of the situation outside, as he had devoted all his attention to cultivation.

His seclusion lasted for three months, and as Lu Chen did not emerge after that period, the women grew even more concerned.

Of course, not everyone was worried, Chu Yuqin and Yun Xianxian were not so concerned, as both knew that Lu Chen's identity was quite special. In the Cultivation World, it was normal to enter seclusion for decades or even centuries. In their eyes, Lu Chen might have chosen seclusion due to some enlightenment.

This was not necessarily a bad thing; on the contrary, it might be a good thing. Perhaps when Lu Chen emerged from seclusion, his strength would have greatly increased.

Meanwhile,

At the rift in the boundary wall of Tianchen World, a wisp of black qi spread out from the crack where the two worlds collided.

At that moment, an Elder of the Hundred Changes Sect was patrolling the boundary rift with disciples. Upon seeing the black qi emerging from the crack, Li Xinghuai immediately grew alert.

"Everyone, be careful! There's something happening!"

Although it was uncertain what the black qi was, the mass gave a very oppressive feeling, clearly indicating that it was not something benign.

Hearing Li Xinghuai's words, the disciples of the Hundred Changes Sect immediately drew their swords, each fixed their gaze on the mass of black qi.

Li Xinghuai then said to a disciple nearby, "Immediately report what has happened here to Elder Wei."

No sooner had Li Xinghuai finished speaking, before his disciple could respond, the mass of black qi charged towards them.

Li Xinghuai's face turned pale as the black qi approached; he seemed to sense the threat of death. "Not good, everyone scatter!"

Li Xinghuai had a premonition that they must not come into contact with this mass of black qi, otherwise they would certainly die.

However, even though he realized the danger of the black qi, they ultimately couldn't avoid it; the speed of the black qi was too fast, and in an instant, Li Xinghuai and the disciples were enveloped by it.

Following that, the black qi entered their bodies through their seven orifices, and the next moment, their bodies twisted into strange, eerie positions.

...

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

As Lu Chen secluded himself, the center of power in the Daxia Dynasty gradually began to shift towards Lu Changfeng.

Unlike previous emperors of dynasties and their relationship with their Crown Princes, even though Lu Changfeng had taken over the entire Great Sum and possessed supreme authority, he never thought about wresting control of Great Sum from Lu Chen.

He saw himself more as taking on the role of helping Lu Chen manage Great Sum, rather than thinking of himself as the Emperor.

Perhaps it was because of the way they were raised, among Lu Chen's children who also craved power, none sought to contend with Lu Changfeng for power and profit.

The children also got along fairly well with each other. From an early age, they were taught that harmony within the family was of utmost importance. Growing up together, and under the influence of Lu Chen, except for some Princes being rather lascivious, they didn't have many other significant faults.

The Princes' lasciviousness was unavoidable, since Lu Chen himself was amorous. Fortunately, Lu Changfeng, as the Crown Prince, was more focused on state affairs, so the other Princes' lasciviousness wasn't likely to have a major impact on Great Sum.

In that year, many events occurred, especially in Black Dragon County, where the cultivators seemed to have become somewhat restless.

The annual Cultivator Conference saw many powers failing to attend, perhaps because they believed that the Sum Emperor might really have been seriously injured, and Lu Changfeng was just a kid who had no qualification to lead them, or perhaps for other reasons.

As for the cultivators of Black Dragon County, Lu Changfeng also didn't have a good way to deal with them; his father, the Emperor, had not left any instructions when he went into retreat, so he could only deal with the cultivators' issues according to his own thoughts.

Mainly, it was because he was not strong enough, so he couldn't assert himself. Thankfully, Su Hanyan, his aunt, had supported him at the Cultivator Conference; otherwise, it was uncertain whether the conference he presided over could even continue.

Yancheng Imperial Palace, Wind Cloud Palace.

Another day passed, and Mu Zixuan and her numerous companions sat in the Wind Cloud Palace waiting for Lu Chen to emerge from his retreat.

However, it looked like Lu Chen wouldn't come out of retreat today. It had been a year since the women had seen Lu Chen, and they were already missing him dearly. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

At that moment, Wang Qingci sighed and said, "His Majesty probably won't come out of retreat today."

"Ladies, I will take my leave first."

Having said this, Wang Qingci slowly got up and directly left the Wind Cloud Palace.

After Wang Qingci left, Xiao Wenyao and Yelv Nanyan also departed, leaving only Chen Wanrong, Lin Wanyun, and Mu Zixuan in the grand hall.

Chen Wanrong had just returned from the Mysterious Moon Palace, so she wasn't in a hurry to leave.

At the same time.

Inside the underground Wind Cloud Palace.

Lu Chen opened his eyes and immediately felt filthy all over.

This was his first retreat, and also the first time he had gone so long without the touch of a woman since getting married. Thinking of his wives who were eagerly waiting for him, Lu Chen became restless.

He then circulated his spiritual power to sense the level of his Saint-level Puppetry Technique.

As expected of a Saint-grade cultivation technique, he had only managed to cultivate to the second level after one year. However, the second level was sufficient; the puppets he now created could withstand some of his power.

At that moment, Lu Chen took out a puppet created by Yun Xianxian and began to control it with the Puppetry Technique. The puppet possessed the strength of the first level of the Genesis Realm, and its sensory abilities were acceptable.

Satisfied, Lu Chen put away the puppet, stood up from the ground, and then sensed the situation throughout the Imperial Palace.

Feeling that there were three women in the Wind Cloud Palace, Lu Chen's lips curled into a slight smile as he Shadow Shifted and appeared in the Wind Cloud Palace.

Seeing Lu Chen, who now had grown a long beard, Mu Zixuan, Chen Wanrong, and Lin Wanyun were all startled, but then Mu Zixuan quickly reacted, excitedly saying, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, you have finally come out of retreat!"

Smiling, Lu Chen said, "Zixuan, we'll talk about everything later. I'm going to take a bath first."

After saying that, Lu Chen entered the bathroom next to the Wind Cloud Palace, where the maids immediately brought tools to help him deal with his beard and bathe.

When Lu Chen returned to the Wind Cloud Palace, he was back to his original handsome and ethereal appearance.

However, Lu Chen was not wearing a single piece of clothing, and upon seeing Lu Chen's fervent state, the three women's faces blushed slightly.

Lu Chen said with a smile, "My three ladies, it's been a year since we've seen each other, have you missed me?"

Mu Zixuan said without hesitation, "Yes, this concubine has missed Your Majesty every single night."

Lu Chen said, "Oh? I don't think you have missed me enough. Since you missed me so much, why aren't you coming over?"

After Lu Chen said that, there was no more hesitation, and the three ladies joined Lu Chen on the bed in the Wind Cloud Palace.