Chapter 1279: Can You Do Us a Favor? Glory Returns!

"It's not a big deal."

Yuri's sultry eyes fixed on Xu Jingming. "We're having a little contest, and we'd like you to be the judge."

"Contest?"

Xu Jingming raised an eyebrow.

Yuri sat down on the sofa as if it were natural; Lu Yunji's cheeks flushed slightly, yet she still sat upright beside her.

"It was Yuri's idea for a wager—she dragged me here against my will..."

"What kind of wager?" Xu Jingming asked, puzzled.

"We just wanted you to help us decide—who's more charming, me or Sister Lu—and who can make you react faster..."

Yuri leaned forward slightly and whispered softly into Xu Jingming's ear...

At her words, Lu Yunji beside her grew visibly restless.

This was the plan Yuri had described.

But no matter how you looked at it, this excuse was absurd.

"???"

Xu Jingming was equally baffled.

Could two sworn rivals really turn a competition into this?

Yet the next instant, he felt Yuri's soft, supple body press against him.

"Huh—"

Xu Jingming's breath instantly grew heavy.

Normally, he might have politely refused.

But now, the side effects of the demonic qi were affecting him.

"Sister Lu, we agreed..."

Hearing Yuri's voice, Lu Yunji looked shyly at Xu Jingming.

She rose from the sofa and gently tugged at the back of her neck.

The thin strap snapped loose; the elegant evening gown slipped to the floor, revealing a flawless, pale, delicate body.

Beneath her evening gown, she wore nothing at all.

Her slender waist and full bosom formed a seductive contrast.

"Forget it. There are already enough people here—adding a few more won't matter."

Xu Jingming could no longer hold back; the desire from his demonic bloodline erupted fully...

"Here it comes! Finally!"

In midair, the little girl Eva's face lit up with excitement.

Having followed Xu Jingming for so many years, she had become an exceptionally skilled photographer.

She believed this wouldn't be any different...

The next day, noon sunlight streamed through the curtain gaps into the room.

On the large bed, Xu Jingming slowly opened his eyes and turned his head slightly...

"So it ended up like this..."

Xu Jingming let out a quiet breath...

"Mmm..."

A soft moan came from his right; Yuri slowly opened her mesmerizing eyes.

Her long eyelashes cast tiny shadows in the morning light.

Seeing that Xu Jingming was awake, she smiled, her red lips curving gently:

"You're awake early, little brother."

Yuri's voice carried a uniquely alluring charm.

Lu Yunji woke at the sound of their movements, blinking sleepily.

When she realized her current state, she let out a startled cry.

She pulled the covers tightly around herself, leaving only a pair of shy eyes visible.

"Yuri! You... how could you..."

Yuri turned her head toward her "old rival," a flicker of mischief in her eyes:

"What's wrong, Sister Lu? Now you're shy?"

In last night's contest, she had finally won one round...

"Since you've chosen me, some things need to be clarified upfront.

I have other companions.

And my focus going forward will likely remain on cultivation—I won't have much time to spend with you."

"If you can't accept that, consider this never to have happened."

Xu Jingming said seriously.

The second point was what he had hesitated over most.

The system required him to hunt demonic beasts to gain source points.

This meant most of his time ahead would be spent in battle.

"Don't worry—we already thought it through, or we wouldn't have come to you."

Yuri said softly, "Just being able to stay by your side is enough."

"I feel the same."

Lu Yunji's crimson eyes revealed a touch of tenderness.

She knew full well that with Xu Jingming's talent, his breakthrough speed would be astonishingly fast, and he would soon leave her far behind.

Yet she still flew toward him like a moth to flame.

Perhaps emotions, by their very nature, require no reason.

After all, everything that had happened on Black Stone Star had already seared Xu Jingming's figure deep into her mind.

After accepting the two women, Xu Jingming introduced them to Ayemsi and the others in the virtual universe.

The women, having prepared themselves, were naturally not surprised, even welcoming them warmly, and soon they got along harmoniously.

Meanwhile, alongside spending time with them, Xu Jingming also ventured into the Beast Trial Zone to hunt beasts and replenish Source Points.

Two days later, all members of the Noa Sanctuary boarded Niki's starship again, preparing to return to the Noa Sanctuary.

As for the people of the Noa Empire, many still remained at the Lingshu Sanctuary, searching for information related to Dir.

But Xu Jingming had cleaned up too thoroughly; under the Domain of Annihilation, not a single trace could remain.

Even if they wanted to search, they could not find the faintest clue.

The starship traveled through space, arriving at the Noa Sanctuary in merely five days.

At this time, hundreds of star battleships formed a ceremonial line around the third planet where the Noa Sanctuary resided.

Across the entire outer space of the planet, ribbons stretching for kilometers, even tens of kilometers, were suspended everywhere!

They decorated the entire outer space with extreme festivity and splendor.

As their starship passed by, the cannons of the star battleships fired salutes in unison!

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Streams of aurora-like explosive light surged skyward, roaring into the void.

Simultaneously, a massive virtual projection slowly unfolded in the outer space of the planet.

'Welcome the heroes of the Noa Empire back to the Sanctuary!'

The entire holographic projection loomed vast, nearly covering the entire planet.

'Is this welcome ceremony really that extravagant?'

In the cabin, Raymon's bell-like eyes widened in shock, his rugged face filled with disbelief.

Xu Jingming was likewise stunned.

A planet the size of Jupiter had been decorated to look like candy.

Can you imagine what kind of scene that is?

'For tens of millions of years,

the Noa Empire has never achieved such a result in the Sanctuary Exchange Competition; such a grand welcome is only natural.'

At the front of the cabin, the tall and elegant Niki stood proudly, seemingly unsurprised by the spectacle.

Whoosh—

The starship landed smoothly on the Sanctuary Square.

The hatch opened, and Xu Jingming, the greatest contributor of this exchange competition, was arranged to be the first to disembark.

As he stepped off the ship, a deafening roar of cheers surged toward him like a tidal wave.

'Xu Jingming! Xu Jingming! Xu Jingming!'

'Lei Di! Lei Di!'

'...'

The wave of sound rose higher and higher; Xu Jingming even saw people in the crowd flushed red with excitement.

For such scenes, he had seen countless times before, and he remained calm and composed.

He walked forward along the red carpet laid on the ground.

Behind him, Ye Lan, Lu Yunji, and the other competitors also stepped out of the cabin in sequence.

At the end of the red carpet stood a podium, where the high-ranking officials of the Noa Sanctuary stood.

In the very center, a towering figure stood out prominently.

He wore a simple white robe, adorned with no lavish decorations, yet radiating an oppressive majesty.

Standing there, he seemed the very center of the universe, all light naturally drawn toward him.

The ruler of the Noa Empire, the Eternal Peak Divine Being—Noa!