"Damn it. Brother, please stop talking—what you're saying is agonizing. I regret it, it’s not bitter anymore,” Sikong An Ye groaned, clutching his head. He hadn't been injured despite the siege by countless Xuan Beasts, but this one sentence from Duanmu Chaofan nearly caused him internal injury.”

Although they didn’t know how this absurd scene came to be, Jun Wu Yi and the others vaguely understood one thing: a true master must be helping them. But to complete the act, they certainly couldn't betray the person orchestrating this grand play?!

Thus, they cooperated even more wholeheartedly. Duanmu Chaofan wielded his long sword, its silver light flashing, his movements agile. He gave his martial skills their fullest expression, wrestling with the Golden Tiger before him in a chaotic tumble: he aimed to grab the tiger’s tail, but the Golden Tiger adamantly refused to let him. Thus, man and beast engaged in an unending "great battle."

Not far away, Baili Luo Yun’s performance was even more brilliant, fully living up to his "genius" moniker. Astonishingly, he, a mere Yu Xuan realm cultivator, was "contending" with a ninth-level Xuan Beast! Moreover, he attacked and defended seamlessly, showing no sign of being at a disadvantage. He shouted with fervor in the fight, kicking up clouds of dust, even seeming to gain the upper hand.

As for the two Tian Xuan uncles fighting alongside him, they were slightly less fortunate; they had already been reduced to puddles of minced meat by several eighth-level Xuan Beasts.,,

This situation was deeply ironic! Given their strength, these two men should have had ample opportunity to escape. Once they confirmed Baili Luo Yun was dead, they would turn and flee. No matter how much of a genius Baili Luo Yun was, he only possessed Yu Xuan cultivation. Logically, they should be the last ones expected to die. To put it plainly, they were just there to watch the execution.

But unexpectedly, the damned offender, who should have been decapitated a hundred times by the Life-Reaping Steel Blade, stubbornly refused to die. Those two men were already frozen in shock. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by multiple high-level Xuan Beasts. The majestic Baili Luo Yun of the Yu Xuan realm fought his way out, but the Tian Xuan cultivators were utterly rooted to the spot, brutally gnawed alive.”

Until their deaths, the two never understood what was truly happening! They were truly the ghosts of confusion.,,

Screams echoed across the battlefield. Those from the Blood Soul Manor, Wind Snow Silver City, and the various aristocratic families affiliated with the Blood Soul Manor, who had initially planned only to retreat swiftly once the main army collapsed, were now caught in a frenzied encirclement of death. Blood splattered intermittently, broken limbs flew through the air, and people perished every single moment!

Xiong Kai Shan moved with imposing grandeur, sweeping back and forth. Leading the Tiger King, Lion King, and three great Xuan Beasts, relying on their tough hide and iron bones that utterly ignored all incoming attacks, he charged directly into the ranks of the Blood Soul Manor. Attacking with sweeping, vast movements, he barreled straight through, carving a path from one end of the Blood Soul Manor’s formation to the other!

This instantly threw the Blood Soul Manor into utter chaos, splitting them into two sections; then, with another charge, they became four isolated pockets, each fighting for itself. The Xuan Beasts swarmed them, completely surrounding them. The overlapping, desperate screams shook the heavens and the earth.”

And those who should have died according to the original plan—Jun Wu Yi’s contingent—suffered surprisingly light casualties, and none of the principal figures were even injured…

On the mountaintop, the Supreme Venerables and the Divine Xuan experts had nearly popped their eyeballs out! What in the world was going on? This was too absurd! “So that’s it! I finally understand,” Ying Bo Kong muttered, twisting a strand of hair in shock. “You understand?” Bu Kuang Feng tilted his head, puzzled. “Understand what? Hurry up and explain it to this old man!” “Boss Bu, haven’t you seen it yet?” Ying Bo Kong pointed smugly: “It turns out the Absolute Heaven Supreme Lord intends to purge his own Blood Soul Manor, and take a swipe at Wind Snow Silver City while he’s at it. Jue Tian’s meaning is clearly: If I’m not having a good time, neither should you. But I can turn misery into comfort, and suffering into joy—can you? See things more clearly, people.”

Lei Bao Yu and Bu Kuang Feng both spat, recognizing that even a fool could see Li Jue Tian’s current shock. How could he be cleansing the Blood Soul Manor? The Blood Soul Manor was the work of Li Jue Tian’s entire life; in his heart, it was second only to his only son, Li Teng Yun. Li Jue Tian wasn't an idiot; why would he commit self-immolation?

But if this wasn't the reason, then what exactly was happening before them?

Li Teng Yun’s mouth hung open, his face pale, his lips trembling, his expression vacant. He suddenly felt genuine regret, vaguely sensing that half of his legs seemed to have already vanished…”

Li Jue Tian clenched his fists, his inner rage mounting beyond measure.

At this stage, if he still couldn't see he was being manipulated, then he shouldn't live another day. However, there was one thing he couldn't fathom: who possessed such heaven-defying ability to command the King of the Heavenly Punishment Xuan Beasts? Who could orchestrate such a massive farce!

A scream ripped through the field. A Divine Xuan expert from the Blood Soul Manor took three successive blows from Xiong Kai Shan, spitting blood as he retreated. Xiong Kai Shan grinned ferociously and charged forward rapidly. After a few exchanges of bare-knuckle blows, he suddenly launched a flying kick, crossing his legs. The Divine Xuan expert, already heavily injured, had physical resilience far inferior to that of Xiong Kai Shan, the King of Xuan Beasts. With a crack, his leg bone snapped. Xiong Kai Shan’s kick, still carrying momentum, slammed into his waist.

A severed leg, trailing splattering blood, shot into the sky. Simultaneously, the Divine Xuan expert’s body was kicked high into the air. Blood poured from all seven orifices. Xiong Kai Shan’s massive form leaped up, catching the man suspended in mid-air. His fists struck rapidly and relentlessly—bang bang bang bang—over a dozen times against the man’s body. The sounds of bones breaking—kacha, kacha—were as crisp as popping beans.

With a mighty roar, Xiong Kai Shan seized both of the man’s thighs with both hands. With a fierce cry, his chest muscles bunched up, and with a great bellow, he pulled his arms apart in the air, ripping the Divine Xuan expert clean in half. Guts and organs spilled messily onto the ground…

A wave of horrified gasps swept the battlefield! Xiong Kai Shan chuckled twice, landed on the ground covered in blood, and began his slaughter, just like a tiger among sheep.

Li Jue Tian’s body shook, and he involuntarily stepped forward, his mouth slightly open, his expression etched with pain. As he moved, the gaze of the Lord of Heavenly Punishment swept toward him askance. It was obvious that if Li Jue Tian made a move, he would immediately strike as well!

Watching the carnage unfold, hearing the continuous screams, Li Jue Tian felt the urge to concede defeat several times. But he stubbornly restrained himself from making that decision. In fact, his face maintained an air of calm detachment, as if the people bleeding and sacrificing below were not the troops he had built.

The outcome of the battle was sealed from the start, guaranteeing a crushing defeat for the human side, because the disparity in their total strength was simply too immense. To put it in perspective, if the Heavenly Punishment Forest was a well-prepared elite army, then the allied human forces were nothing more than an unprepared and inexperienced rabble!

Originally, if this battle had followed Commander-in-Chief Jun Wu Yi’s strategy, the Heavenly Punishment side would have had to pay a massive price to secure victory. After all, the allied forces included several formidable experts, and their excellent strategic coordination could definitely compensate for deficiencies in raw combat power.

But when internal strife erupted within the allied forces, and commanders refused orders to charge out of their positions… the collapse of the allied forces was an absolute certainty! There was no more hope for chance, and no turning back.

The trap was set, but without subsequent force, the Xuan Beasts that fell in could simply jump out, becoming even fiercer! But if Li Jue Tian were to concede defeat now in an attempt to preserve his strength, it would look rather petty, like a sore loser. As the recognized Second Supreme Venerable on the Xuan Xuan Continent, he couldn't afford to lose face! Furthermore, the Lord of Heavenly Punishment was watching nearby; even if Li Jue Tian wanted to admit defeat, he would need to seek his approval.

But judging by the Lord’s demeanor, seeking his approval was clearly a pipe dream! Absolutely impossible.

So, Li Jue Tian could only pray silently in his heart: Damn it, if we can’t beat them, can’t we run? Once you escape, can the Heavenly Punishment Forest hunt you down to the ends of the earth? What they want right now is just victory!

But since they didn’t run at the beginning, it was too late to try now. He had initially intended to set a trap for Jun Wu Yi, but this turned out to be a genuine case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice jar—and almost losing the jar itself!

The three Beast Kings watched hungrily, and nearly three thousand seven hundred ferocious Xuan Beasts, divided into several small legions, attacked desperately! The seven hundred men of the Blood Soul Manor were now reduced to fewer than two hundred! The forces from Wind Snow Silver City, although stronger and suffering no direct casualties yet, were clearly showing signs of exhaustion.

The three Great Elders, Six, and Nine, along with the Seven Swords of Silver City, formed a small protective circle. The three Divine Xuan experts combined with the Sword Array of the Seven Swords of Silver City meant ten Divine Xuan powerhouses joining forces, protecting Xiao Han and Mu Xue Tong inside. Since Xiao and Mu were not weaklings either, the Xuan Beasts couldn't break through in a short time.

But amidst the vast tide of Xuan Beasts, they could only ensure their own survival! Inside the circle, Xiao Han’s eyes were bloodshot, practically exploding with mania. He kept jumping up and shouting: “Why? Why aren’t these Xuan Beasts attacking Jun Wu Yi? Why is that cripple still alive? I want him dead! I want him dead! At this stage, why isn’t he dead? Jun Wu Yi! Why aren’t you dead yet! Ahhhh…”

Such a scene of tragic warfare, the bizarre phenomena around Jun Wu Yi’s side, and Xiao Han’s rapid shift from gleeful spectator to one besieged and facing imminent death—it seemed Xiao Han’s psyche couldn't handle such extreme swings of ecstasy and despair, leading him to rant incessantly, like…

No outsider could ever fathom the depth of Xiao Han’s desperate yearning for Jun Wu Yi’s death! Jun Wu Yi certainly wanted to kill Xiao Han with one sword stroke, and had wanted to for over a decade!

But hadn’t Xiao Han equally wanted Jun Wu Yi dead? He had wanted it for just as long, even a few months longer than Jun Wu Yi had.,,

The other battle group consisted of the experts dispatched by the various great families. Apart from the strongest few, the early-stage Divine Xuan and high-level Tian Xuan cultivators were struggling to hold on; the rest had already been wiped out!

According to Jun Wu Yi’s deployment, even if this battle were lost, Jun Wu Yi himself would still die, but the dispatched Divine Xuan experts would be guaranteed to survive without a single casualty. Though defeated, they would return safely. Even more than half of the Tian Xuan experts would have lived.

Defeated but preserving their strength—Jun Wu Yi was confident he could achieve that! But these people, intimidated by the coercive threats of Li Jue Tian, chose to side with him. When they poured out with the Blood Soul Manor contingent, their gloating hearts certainly never imagined that this very act of kicking someone when they were down would actually seal their own final chance at life! The more despicable human nature proved to be, the faster they died in this cruel war! Wasn't this also a warning!

This one-sided slaughter was finally drawing to a close. The screams had, at some unknown point, become sparse. The roars sounded like bellows with punctured bellows. Only on Jun Wu Yi’s side did both sides maintain undiminished energy, engaging fiercely, becoming the most intense focal point of the entire scene.

Young Master Jun finally made his appearance, slowly walking up the hillside toward Ying Bo Kong’s location. By now, he had finished all his arrangements, and everything had unfolded smoothly according to the script he designed.

Most of the damned collaborators were dead. Those who shouldn't have died likely wouldn't die now. “I once said that if you want to frame us, then you must be prepared for every house to hold a wake!” Jun Mo Xie walked up slowly, his robes fluttering, his handsome face set in a look of detached cruelty!

In this battle, no one would have imagined that this seemingly somewhat delicate youth, this young boy who appeared to be only at the Yu Xuan level, was the one who single-handedly directed this grand tragicomedy.

He had forcefully turned the side that was meant to be tragic, the side beyond salvation, into the comedic one. And the other side, full of confidence and excitement while setting up traps and preparing to gloat, had met utter tragedy!

Jun Mo Xie was like an unknown master artist of the majestic peaks, hidden behind the curtain, orchestrating the entire situation, calculating not only for himself but also for the enemy, leaving no detail unchecked!

Although he only possessed Yu Xuan cultivation, those involved in his design were all Supreme Venerables, Divine Xuan, and Tian Xuan experts. But what did that matter? What was destined for tragedy would never become comedy! Such actions could truly be called: turning clouds into rain and rain into clouds! Everything was held firmly in his grasp!

Now was the time to inspect the fruits of victory, and the time for his side to celebrate boisterously. How could Jun Mo Xie, the sole grand director of everything, not appear? How could he not savor it?

In despair, one should laugh wildly; in the height of triumph, one should laugh even louder! When laughing, laugh heartily; when triumphant, sing loudly! Life passes quickly, so why worry about too many scruples? Life is short; enjoy it now, get drunk and sing long! When you are down, if you cry, others will despise you, so you must laugh. Even if no one is watching, laugh for yourself! When you are triumphant, if you are reserved, people will still say you are showing off or pretending to be profound! So you must show off! I don’t like pretending, because I want to be awesome! If my heart is joyful, why must I feign a sorrowful face? I find that exhausting! I am triumphant, and I am damn good! Anyone who dares to mock me as a lunatic must first ask themselves if they have achieved what this lunatic has! If not, shut your mouth! Go screw your ancestors eighteen generations of wives' stinky socks with holes in them! I don't care about you! What’s it to me? What does it have to do with me? This is Jun Mo Xie’s life philosophy, now and forever! When triumphant, sing loudly; when defeated, rest; too much sorrow and hatred are fleeting. Drink today’s wine today; tomorrow’s sorrow will wait for tomorrow! Sharp edges easily break?! If someone wants to break me, let them come! As long as they can’t break me, I will cut them down! I must roam the world unchecked, I must laugh at the shifting fortunes, I must follow my own path, I must just… screw everything!