Jun Moxie, however, had no inkling that this was a classic case of overreaching. His relationship with this Venerable Mei was not at all what he imagined; far from a simple disagreement, it was a feud bordering on an irreconcilable, life-and-death conflict—the kind of "deep, abiding hatred" that could entangle them across three lifetimes without letting go.

Currently, Jun Moxie was feeling rather pleased with himself. See? Being handsome certainly had its advantages; this senior master had taken an instant liking to him.

"Last name Jun? First name? Which family? How old?" The words were still forced out through gritted teeth. If anyone else had overheard, they would surely have assumed the elder was matchmaking for the young man.

"This humble one is Jun Moxie, from the Jun family of Tianxiang City. Yes, eighteen years of age, and unmarried. Proficient in poetry and prose, accomplished in the martial and strategic arts. A smattering of skill in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and some study of the various schools of thought," Jun Moxie chuckled, adopting an air of dashing elegance while shamelessly boasting about himself. He had almost added: and fluent in eight foreign languages; but on second thought, he swallowed those words. This was not Earth, after all.

"Jun Moxie... Jun Moxie... Jun Moxie... Jun... Mo... Xie..." Venerable Mei's voice sounded like a groan, yet also like a cry. As he spoke, he drew out each syllable, the sound growing louder and deeper until it echoed through the valleys and ravines, reverberating endlessly like a tidal wave crashing against the mountains.

"Jun... Mo... Xie," ... "Mo... Xie," ... "Xie," ... "Xie," ... "Xie," ... "Xie," ... "Xie." For a moment, the entire sky and forest were saturated with the sound of that name. At this instant, Jun Moxie’s name truly shook the heavens and the earth! And it was a tangible, physical shaking!

"Yes, that is indeed me. I wonder what guidance the senior requires?" Jun Moxie felt a bit bewildered, sensing something was terribly wrong. Damn it, why does this sound more and more like he despises me to the bone? I haven't offended you! I am absolutely certain I have never met this Venerable Mei, this man in black, before! Still, Jun Moxie quietly bolstered his internal power, preparing to instantly retreat into the Hongjun Tower space the moment things turned sour, even if it meant exposing his secret. Bloody hell, this Venerable Mei is too powerful. He took down Jue Tian Zhizun with one hand. My little frame probably couldn't withstand a single slap from him. If Jue Tian Zhizun could survive a slap of that magnitude, it was due to his thick skin, but if one came toward me... my body might remain here, but my head could very well fly back to Tianxiang City for the New Year.

"Guidance?" Venerable Mei repeated the word, suddenly appearing lost. Right, what should he do with him? Slap him dead? Kick him dead? But... wouldn't that be letting him off too easily? Even dying a thousand times wouldn't quench the hatred in his heart! But... what to do? This brat looked too fragile to be beaten to death. Furthermore, no matter what, this boy was his savior. Harming him was possible, but killing him outright... wasn't that a bit much?

"Guidance?" Venerable Mei suddenly snatched him up. They had been separated by a few meters—a distance Jun Dasha felt was relatively safe. But with one sweep of Venerable Mei’s hand, Jun Moxie instantly felt his entire body locked down. A massive suction force pulled him forward, and in the next instant, he was trapped in Venerable Mei’s grasp. Venerable Mei remained entirely shrouded in the black robe, yet strangely, Jun Moxie detected a faint, elegant fragrance—a scent so exquisite he had never encountered anything like it. He couldn't help but close his eyes and take a deep breath before opening them to exclaim, "What a fragrance."

This brat is still trying to take advantage of me even now! In that moment, several thoughts flashed through Venerable Mei’s mind. The most urgent was to strangle this boy immediately! However, holding him in his hand, feeling the abundant Heaven and Earth spiritual energy suffusing his body, Venerable Mei confirmed one thing: the mysterious master capable of advancing Xuan Beasts, the one who stole the Heaven-Punishing Sacred Fruit from the Forest of Heavenly Punishment to refine elixirs, must be connected to the youth before him! Since he could appear in the Forest of Heavenly Punishment concurrently with that master, and possessed the same miraculous Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, the probability was extremely high they were master and disciple! It wasn't that Venerable Mei failed to consider that this boy was the mysterious master; it was just that the methods displayed by the master were too profound, while Jun Dasha’s strength was currently too meager. If they hadn't appeared at the same time and shared that spiritual energy aura, it would have been impossible to connect them!

Venerable Mei turned the situation over and over in his mind. He didn't want to kill him and grant him an easy release, yet he was quite hesitant to jeopardize the bigger objective. The advancement of the King of Heavenly Punishment Beasts was a matter of utmost importance. If he killed this boy, wouldn't it ruin everything? And if things were merely ruined, considering the oppressive aura emanating from the mysterious master, even if Venerable Mei didn't care, what about the other Beast Kings?

"Senior?" Jun Moxie keenly sensed the conflict raging within the mysterious figure and cautiously called out. Before the sound of his voice could fade, he was struck by a stinging, hot slap. His body then felt light as he rocketed upward, the figures on the ground rapidly shrinking below him—he was soaring as if riding clouds and mist, shooting straight into the high heavens. It was Venerable Mei tossing him violently. He was now dozens of feet above the ground and still accelerating like a rocket. Then, Venerable Mei shot up after him. The black robe rapidly expanded in Jun Moxie's vision, followed by a rapid succession of crisp slapping sounds—smack, smack, smack, smack—Venerable Mei was enjoying himself thoroughly, slapping the boy across the face repeatedly in mid-air. I won't kill you, but I will torment you to my heart's content! As long as you don't die, anything goes!

"Damn it! Are you crazy? Why are you hitting me?" Jun Moxie snapped back angrily, shaking his head to retort. Shaking his head was necessary; the situation was against him. Hit by one resounding slap after another, forwards and backwards, he could only shake his head back and forth. It was only due to the tenacious spirit of the great assassin that he could still react; any other person would have been beaten senseless! The wind was high in the sky, causing Jun Moxie's words to come out as mumbled squeaks, but Venerable Mei was not a man to miss such insolence.

Bastard, now that I’ve got you, you still dare to mouth off? I absolutely intend to teach you a lesson! Without uttering a word, biting his lip, the slapping continued relentlessly. Jun Moxie could clearly see the eyes behind the black cloth flashing with excitement, seemingly finding infinite pleasure in beating him! Damn it! He’s a sadist! A wise man avoids immediate conflict. Just you wait, if I ever get the chance, I’ll beat you back! With a thought, the great young master vanished from the high altitude with a "whoosh." This was the profound and unfathomable Yin-Yang Evasion Technique. Had it been anyone else—even Jue Tian Zhizun Li Juetian might not have been able to escape so safely when Venerable Mei’s focus, spirit, and mental energy were completely locked onto him!

Venerable Mei was hitting a passionate stride when his next strike met only air. The impact drew a "pop" from the displaced atmosphere, and he was greatly perplexed. He scanned his surroundings—nothing. It was truly bizarre. How could this brat escape from his grasp? This boy was, at best, only at the Yu Xuan cultivation level. How did he flee? This was truly baffling! Finally confirming that Jun Moxie had indeed fled and vanished, Venerable Mei had vented less than half the anger boiling in his chest. With nowhere left to direct it, he slowly descended, his face etched with frustration and confusion. A single, perplexing question circled in his mind: How on earth did he leave? It was too strange, too bizarre, too inconceivable!

While he was puzzled, Jun Moxie was loudly cursing inside the Hongjun Tower! The great young master was furious! This guy is bullying me too much! Did I offend you? You hit me like this the first time we met! I—I—is my face just that punchable? The moment he saw me, he looked at me with irreconcilable hatred. Did I kill your father? Did I rape your wife? Did I kidnap your child and throw them down a well, or perhaps... what deep, abiding hatred warrants this? And he’s the number one among the Heavenly Punishment Beast Kings! You just wait, old man. When you beg me for help later, I’ll definitely give you what’s coming to you!

Truly inexplicable! Touching his burning cheek, Jun Moxie gritted his teeth. In both his lifetimes, he had never suffered such humiliation—to be slapped today! Although the slapper was a peak-level expert, and ordinary people might even consider it an honor to be slapped by Venerable Mei, Jun Moxie absolutely did not see it that way! So what if your Xuan Gong is a little stronger? Damn it, watch me accelerate my cultivation speed again! I’ll catch up to you, you sadist, as quickly as possible. If I don't beat you until your face blooms with peach blossoms and your backside splits into eight pieces, my name isn't Jun!

At this point, the great battle below had concluded. The ten members of the Snowwind Silver City faction had formed a sword array, carving a bloody path to protect Xiao Han and Mu Xuetong. Though utterly battered and injured, they had successfully broken through, suffering no fatalities, and their injuries weren't even too severe—making them the lightly wounded faction in this engagement. In contrast, two of the three Divine Xuan experts from Blood Soul Villa were dead, with only one escaping, and that one severely wounded. His survival was due to using a self-mutilating secret art, meaning that even if he recovered, his strength would inevitably be significantly diminished, ensuring a fall out of the Divine Xuan realm. As for the remaining participants below the Divine Xuan level, nearly seven hundred of them, not a single soul survived, including the more than ten Heaven Xuan masters. The forces from the various noble families fared little better; only a handful of lucky individuals managed to escape; the rest were completely annihilated. Yet, the faction that suffered the fewest casualties was the weakest contingent, led by Jun Wuyi. Out of over three hundred people, only a little over one hundred died, leaving nearly two hundred in total. Moreover, the leading experts, including Baili Luoyun, a Yu Xuan master, were all completely unharmed! However, they were now utterly exhausted. Dongfang Wenqing and the others leaned on their swords, panting deeply, while the Xuan Beasts before them were equally winded, sticking out their tongues and wagging their tails as they heaved great gasps of air. Even putting on an act required a great deal of stamina!

The first round of the war had officially ended, and the side from the Forest of Heavenly Punishment had won a complete victory! Jun Wuyi frowned, devoid of the joy of surviving a major battle or the satisfaction of escaping the beasts’ deadly siege. His tired tiger eyes gazed upon the group on the slope, filled only with deep worry. He had certainly heard Jun Moxie’s name resonate through the sky just moments ago. It was precisely because of that sound that his concern grew so intense.