"Very well! Be careful in everything you do." Jun Wuyi agreed readily. He knew the other must have discovered something, and if he was going along, there was certainly a reason.

Third Master Jun was now quite reassured about his nephew. He’d rather hurry back to see how those fellows were doing with their training and then get back to his own sword practice immediately.

A few days prior, Jun Mowu had mysteriously presented Jun Wuyi with a tattered sword manual, whispering that it was a secret text he had stumbled upon by chance. Jun Wuyi had scoffed, refusing to believe a word of it, yet the manual itself was undeniably real. He was instantly captivated; the ruthlessness and subtlety of the sword techniques were unlike anything Jun Wuyi had ever witnessed. Every thrust aimed for the periphery, every move designed to decide life or death. Just gazing at the manual instilled a sense of desperate, inescapable combat, where only one side could walk away!

Absolute Kill, No Return!

One move decides life and death; once the sword is drawn, there is no turning back!

This was one of the ancient martial arts Jun Mowu had practiced in his previous life. After modifications and refinement, he had passed it on to Jun Wuyi. For someone like Jun Wuyi, a seasoned general who had survived countless bloody battles, possessing an innate hot-blooded ruthlessness, this sword style was precisely what suited his nature—a perfect fit!

It was practically custom-made for Jun Wuyi! Consequently, Jun Wuyi had been practicing it obsessively for the past few days.

The uncle and nephew parted ways there.

Jun Mowu found it somewhat strange. The competition for the Profound Core was over, and most of the top experts who had gathered in Tianxiang City had dispersed—seven or eight out of ten were gone. Why was this fellow Ying Boku still lingering? What was he planning?

Young Master Jun was, of course, the one who knew the entire sequence of events best. Ying Boku’s true objective had never been the Profound Core; he was merely searching for a suitable opponent for a true fight. Otherwise, given his cultivation level and the fact that he had obtained the Profound Core first, he would have had every chance to vanish a thousand miles away, an escape that none present could have prevented—even the two King-level Profound Beasts lurking in the shadows would have been powerless to stop him.

So, what was he intending to do today?

Or perhaps, what remained in Tianxiang City that could still capture his interest?! Could there possibly be an expert remaining in Tianxiang City capable of moving him?

When Jun Mo Xie first discovered Ying Boku, he had exhausted every effort to attract Ying Boku’s attention. His underlying plan was simply to extract the method for using the Ninth Rank Crested Profound Core from him. He employed every trick in the book: first, lavish praise to win favor, followed by offering fine wine to forge a bond. His painstaking effort was immense.

But as unexpected changes suddenly erupted, forcing the plan to accelerate prematurely, followed in quick succession by the Heavenly Profound, Earthly Profound, and Supreme Profound revelations, the unfolding events completely exceeded Young Master Jun’s initial projections, leaving him scrambling to cope.

By the time the Profound Core contest concluded and the whirlwind of changes settled, Young Master Jun reviewed his accumulated gains and starkly realized that, provided he could secure the support of the Heavenly Punishment Beast King, the entire contingency plan involving Ying Boku had become entirely obsolete!

This demonstrated that no matter how meticulously designed a plan, it could never outpace the speed of change.

Thus, Young Master Jun felt a sting of injustice: I put in so much effort, crafted such an exquisite scheme, and now, after all that, it’s come to nothing? That simply won’t do! It’s too infuriating!

Already feeling wronged by this turn of events, and fearing that the supreme expert Ying Boku might suddenly bolt—making him impossible to find again—he was utterly surprised to see his figure reappear. A man like Jun Mo Ye, who absolutely refused to suffer a loss, was not about to let this opportunity slip!

The Great Assassin immediately retreated at full speed!

Young Master Jun’s Qinggong was undoubtedly top-tier among his peers, but no matter how hard he pursued, he could not catch up to Ying Boku, the Prairie Eagle God renowned for his speed. This wasn't due to any flaw in the Great Assassin’s movement technique; rather, his Profound Qi cultivation was still slightly lacking. Although he had improved significantly, the level of his Profound Qi was only equivalent to the early stage of Gold Profound. However, Young Master Jun was confident that once he broke through the second layer of his cultivation method, he would possess at least the power equivalent to the Earth Profound level in this world.

But that was all for later. For now, the silhouette of the Prairie Eagle God was lost. The Great Assassin did not give up, however. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Young Master Jun relied on his intuition and the sparse clues left behind, inching his way in the direction where Ying Boku had vanished.

South City Maple Forest!

It was deep autumn; the setting sun cast a lingering glow, and the maple leaves were the color of blood.

A slight autumn wind howled, making the entire maple forest surge and undulate like a sea of crimson waves. Thousands of scarlet leaves, unable to resist the bleak autumn wind, detached and drifted from their branches, resembling countless vivid beads of blood falling from the heavens and earth…

The vast sky was stained with blood!

Before the maple forest stood a solitary figure clad in azure blue, facing the wind. He stood there quietly, yet his entire being seemed to ripple like the surging waves of the vast blue ocean, ceaseless and unending. Set against the blood-red landscape behind him, the combination of the sea of red and the blue shimmering created an extraordinary aura that transformed hostility into serenity.

His hair billowed in the wind, seemingly carrying the deep blue hue of the sky. Countless red leaves circled and descended above his head, yet not a single withered leaf could touch those apparently azure strands. His calm eyes gazed towards the path he had come, devoid of sorrow or joy, devoid of desire, expectation, panic, or fear.

Hai Chenfeng!

For the sake of friendship, Hai Chenfeng had finally arrived.

To meet an overwhelmingly powerful, unknown adversary with his life!

Gazing eastward, toward the distant horizon, lay his homeland, the Azure Sea. There resided his master, the Azure Supreme!

But after this battle, will I ever have a chance to return?

The waves rolled within Hai Chenfeng’s eyes…

With a sudden whoosh, the autumn wind in the sky intensified. A heavy pressure appeared—abruptly, suddenly, fiercely, and tyrannically—crashing down like an overwhelming tide from the void!

Hai Chenfeng’s eyes narrowed. Instantly, the azure Profound Qi surrounding him exploded outwards. His feet rooted themselves to the ground like stone, unmoving and steady as a boulder; yet his hair and robes whipped violently backward in the wind, as if threatening to tear away from his body. In the maple forest behind him, millions of crimson leaves, already fallen or still clinging to branches, were swept away in a scarlet cloud by the vast force of the wind and might, instantly dyeing half the sky red!

The sea of blood and the blue ripples suddenly cleaved apart!

The maple forest was the maple forest, and Hai Chenfeng was Hai Chenfeng; the two were no longer connected.

Hai Chenfeng stood isolated in the expanse of heaven and earth, with nothing around him left to assist him!

The strategic advantage he had painstakingly cultivated, which integrated him seamlessly with the blood-red maple forest, was shattered instantly and completely!

Hai Chenfeng’s expression shifted. His hand went to his sword hilt, and he looked up sharply, facing what was before him… the void!

A formidable enemy!

The approaching person had not yet shown himself, yet his mere aura had effortlessly split the integrated presence Hai Chenfeng had labored to create with the bloody maple sea! This level of power was something Hai Chenfeng had never encountered!

Whoosh!

A figure clad in black shot upward, over ten zhang high. The instant his silhouette appeared ten zhang above the ground, his body flickered once and reappeared silently before Hai Chenfeng. Meanwhile, at the ten-zhang mark, a lingering afterimage remained… Soaring Eagle Passes By!

The newcomer’s long hair hung to his shoulders, every strand perfectly straight. His eyebrows resembled distant mountains, his eyes flashed like lightning, his nose was aquiline, and his lips thin. His face was lean, the entire person resembling an unparalleled divine weapon suspended across the firmament, radiating overwhelming killing intent—like an eagle swooping down to dominate the world! Yet, in the next instant, he seemed as immutable as a mountain range, standing tall against a thousand years of wind and frost!

“Was it you who provoked the Golden Sun Gang?” Hai Chenfeng took a deep breath, his voice slightly hoarse. The intuition of a Heavenly Profound expert told him that the man before him was far beyond his ability to resist!

“You are the helper Jin Fenglie brought? A Heavenly Profound cultivation, not bad, not bad, truly not bad!” The black-robed man swept his gaze over Hai Chenfeng, who immediately felt a searing, needle-like pain across his face! He was inwardly horrified: Profound Qi manifesting forms, illusory swords and void blades! This person had reached such a realm… this was at least a Divine Profound cultivation!

Even with the steadfast temperament of a Heavenly Profound expert, Hai Chenfeng felt an urge to either cry or laugh! He had anticipated this person’s superiority and that he was no match, but he never imagined the gap would be this immense—a level he could barely aspire to look up to!

This person’s strength was likely such that even his master, the Azure Supreme, might not easily claim victory against him!

And among the current generation, those who possessed such power were few and far between. Who could this person be?

The reason he felt like crying and laughing simultaneously was this: if the visitor was such a supreme master, why would he bother pursuing trouble with a mere underground gang? A person of this caliber, if he showed even the slightest hint of recruitment, would have Jin Fenglie weeping and begging to offer his entire fortune to become his disciple. Yet, now, he had rashly made an enemy of him and dragged Hai Chenfeng into it as well!

What kind of mess was this?

The black-robed man chuckled coldly: “Only a middle-stage Heavenly Profound, yet you dared send me a challenge? Ha! Good! Truly audacious.

“Where righteousness dictates, I must go! Even through mountains of blades and seas of fire, I will not falter!” Hai Chenfeng slowly clasped his fists with solemnity. “I apologize for any offense, Senior. Since you have arrived, please grant me your technique!”

“I never show leniency.” The black-clad man let out a strange laugh, his voice bizarre, like an eagle crying in the vast sky: “Past matters are finished for me. My visit to Tianxiang brought me immense benefit and rich rewards; I was already preparing to leave, having no interest in some wretched Golden Sun Gang. But then, I received your challenge. Fate truly plays cruel tricks.”

The black-robed man let out a loud cry to the heavens: “The King of Hell summons a man to die at the third watch; who dares keep him until the fifth?”

“Since the matter is past, Senior, why persist so relentlessly?” Hai Chenfeng sighed and said gravely, “The matter you refer to must be the chaos surrounding the Profound Core the night before last, correct?”

The black-robed man snorted. If he hadn't mentioned it, it would have been fine, but bringing it up immediately made him irritable again. He rolled his eyes and said, “The matter is over, does that mean we can’t fight? Stop the nonsense! Today, I’ll teach you a lesson! Know this: there are some people you cannot afford to provoke. Once you provoke them, you must pay the corresponding price!”