As for a beloved wife, he hasn’t even married yet, and even if he does, there probably won’t be any love. In the marriages of great noble families, only fools would think of romance; it’s far more practical to find a few beautiful concubines to warm his bed.

As for the eldest daughter, there’s not even a trace of her.

But when he heard the words “start over from the beginning,” Charles felt a chill run down his spine, recalling some of the old methods used by immortal cultivators—“body snatching,” “soul devouring”—these terms lingered in his mind and wouldn’t go away. He forced a dry laugh on his face: “Would brother be willing to let me go back first? These matters can be discussed later. Today, my grandfather has come in a rage, and I doubt things will end peacefully. Let me deal with him first. Since you are me, do you really want to see me get flogged?”

—He didn’t want to stay in this damned place for even a moment longer.

Chapter Two: Sun and Moon Refine the Spirit

The “Prince An Charles” across from him let out a “heh,” unable to hold back a smile, shaking his head slightly as he said, “There’s no point playing these little tricks in front of yourself. You, Charles, don’t believe me, and I won’t force you to. In time, the truth will prove my words. Actually, you can rest easy. Though I have reached the Heavenly Rank, I never became emperor, and was gravely injured reversing the past and future. My time is up. Though I know the arts of body snatching, soul devouring, and merging souls, I have the will but not the strength. Now, I leave you four treasures: a spear, a pot, a person, and a cauldron—if you treat them well and use them properly, you may yet have a chance to reverse your fate, avoid the destruction of your family, and protect those you love. The spear is the Overlord Spear, binding the remnant martial wills of ninety-nine Heavenly Rank experts within, which can help you study martial arts; the pot is the Sun and Moon Spirit Refining Pot, containing the true fire of the Two Principles and Seven Marvels, which at its peak can expand three thousand zhang of void, and when combined with the remnants of the Profound Cosmos Heavenly Pearl, its uses are endless; the person—”

Before “Prince An Charles” could finish, his figure dissolved into specks of spiritual light and vanished into thin air.

Charles stared in a daze, then heard the sound of a girl sobbing nearby.

There really was someone else here?

Glancing sideways, Charles caught a flash of amazement in his eyes. In the left corner of this ten-zhang-wide void, there was a girl of about thirteen or fourteen, curled up with her arms around her knees, her delicate face streaked with tears.

Although Charles was only fourteen this year, he was already a veteran among the flowers, having frequented nearly a hundred brothels in Xianyang City. He had seen all the famous beauties, and no matter how stunning, none could truly amaze him. But a girl with such nearly perfect features and such a fresh, pure aura—he couldn’t recall ever seeing one like her.

His gaze flickered, and Charles tentatively asked, “May I ask where you are from, miss? Were you also captured and brought here by that person? Do you know who he really is?”

That “Prince An Charles” seemed unable to hold on any longer, so his soul form dissipated. But Charles didn’t believe he was truly gone; perhaps it was just a trick to make him lower his guard. The methods of ancient cultivators were unpredictable—he had seen them with his own eyes—so he remained highly vigilant.

The girl looked up at Charles through her tears, gazing at him deeply. First there was longing and confusion in her eyes, then hatred and sorrow, and two more teardrops rolled down her cheeks: “You’re a bad person, Lily won’t talk to you.”

And sure enough, she ignored Charles after that, hugging her head and sobbing quietly.

Charles felt awkward and curled his lip. He was puzzled by the girl’s strange expression, but at the moment, what mattered most was escaping this bizarre place.

He could sense his other body now. But being able to sense it was one thing; whether he could move it was another. It was as if there was a membrane between the two bodies. Charles still couldn’t return.

His gaze wandered as he carefully examined this small void. In the very center stood a golden cauldron, nameless and unmarked, with ancient patterns. Beneath it burned a white flame—though there was no wood or charcoal, the fire blazed fiercely. Even when Charles approached within a foot, he felt no heat, but beyond that, the temperature was so intense it nearly melted his fingers. Yet the nameless cauldron sitting atop it was completely unharmed.

This must be the Two Principles and Seven Marvels True Fire that Prince An mentioned. So, he was actually inside that so-called “Sun and Moon Spirit Refining Pot”?

Four zhang to the left of the nameless cauldron and the true fire, a broken spear was stuck in the ground—only the spearhead and half the shaft remained. Just by looking, Charles could tell the blade was incomparably sharp, able to cut hair with a breath. The red tassel behind the blade danced without wind, exuding a mysterious aura. From afar, it seemed a crimson vortex swirled around the broken spear. This must be the so-called Overlord Spear—

Charles didn’t dare approach it. If he got too close, it felt as if something inside the spear would come alive, making his mind reel.

In addition, to the right of the nameless cauldron stood a tall stone stele, nine zhang high, neither gold nor jade, its material unknown. Charles saw that the huge stele was sparsely inscribed with a few lines of text. He glanced at it, and his brows furrowed deeply.