Today's burst! The second update is delivered! If I said there would be a burst today, then before midnight, even if I’m worked to death, there will still be four updates delivered!
Inside the Imperial Palace.
His Majesty the Emperor frowned deeply, a faint gloom clouding his stern and dignified face.
He paced slowly, neither rushing nor delaying, for a long time. Suddenly, he let out a long sigh, his eyes somewhat lost, seemingly unable to make a firm decision; it appeared he was troubled by something.
Recently, reports from numerous Xuan Qi masters claiming that the Jun family was backed by a super expert had caused the Emperor to worry day and night, unable to find peace.
“Brother Wen, in your estimation, how much truth is there to this matter?” Even though he had received this astonishing news, and countless people had verified it, the Emperor still harbored some doubts. Frankly speaking, he truly did not wish to believe this matter was real!
“Brother Wen, you must understand, if such a person truly sits behind the Jun family, then the tragedy of ten years ago, and everything associated with it, would not have happened! Jun Wuhui and Jun Wumeng would not have died, Jun Wuyi would not have been crippled, the Jun family’s third generation would not have been reduced to only Jun Moxie as the sole survivor, and Fengxue Silver City would not have dared to commit those acts! Therefore, I believe there must be a hidden trick to this!” The Emperor frowned, “But now, such a person suddenly appears. Don’t you find it extremely strange? Do you think this might just be a gimmick conjured up by the Jun family itself? The goal being to dissuade everyone eyeing the Jun family from making a move? To ensure the Jun family can continue to prosper? At least not perish with the generation of Jun Moxie!”
Mr. Wen’s face had also long lost its usual composure; he sat with a heavy expression, clearly deep in thought.
“Firstly, how could such an unparalleled master suddenly appear in the mortal world, with absolutely no legends about him preceding for decades or even centuries? And such a master clearly could not have emerged in a short period. Secondly, if such an ultimate master truly existed, he should have stepped forward twenty or even ten years ago. Relying on the prestige of such a peerless expert, establishing a powerful family no less significant than Fengxue Silver City or Blood Soul Manor would not have been difficult. But the Jun family did not do this, which is truly baffling.”
“Thirdly, if such a person truly existed, all the tragedies that befell the Jun family would not have occurred. Finally, and most importantly, even if this expert was in seclusion or traveling and completely unaware of the events concerning the Jun family over the last decade or more, he has still taken no action since reappearing in the mortal realm! Such a situation, I believe, is something no one could tolerate. And this expert not only did nothing for ten years but, upon reappearing, only high-profilely killed Li Juetian, while sparing those from Fengxue Silver City, and even the Xiao family. This is too unreasonable. One must recall that among those present during that Silver City expedition was Xiao Buyu, who forced the Dongfang family to swear the oath of humiliation, and Xiao Han, who bears a mortal enmity with Jun Wuyi.”
“The saying ‘every wrong has its perpetrator’ certainly holds weight, but we must consider that Jun Wuyi’s legs are crippled and beyond recovery; how can he personally seek revenge? To rely on him for vengeance is hopeless! But if we deny that saying, then the words and actions of this Lu at that time become even more inexplicable! Therefore, this matter is truly shrouded in heavy doubt.”
The Emperor frowned, pacing back and forth, carefully contemplating and quietly analyzing the situation.
“Your Majesty, from my perspective… the possibility of this matter being true is extremely low,” Mr. Wen said heavily. “Your Majesty, please consider, most of the figures present were influenced by Li Juetian before the mysterious person appeared, showing extreme ill will towards the Jun family. Moreover, many aristocratic families were even involved in the plot to set up Jun Wuyi to die. Under such widespread scrutiny, how could they fake something or put on a bluff! Furthermore, the Beast King of Tianfa and the Protector of the Immortal Palace were present. To attempt a stunt before such ultimate masters… that would undoubtedly be completely impossible.”
“Your Majesty’s doubts are certainly very reasonable. Considering all the above, I believe the only plausible explanation is that the Jun family recently managed, by some unknown means, to win over such an expert. Much like Eagle Bokong, previously the last of the Eight Venerables, who once held sway over the Jun family—only this mysterious person’s power is even more terrifying.”
Mr. Wen spoke grimly, “But whether he existed recently or long ago; this person must be real, that much is beyond doubt!”
“Yes, I was merely clinging to a sliver of hope. Since that hope is now gone, we need to decide now what attitude the court should adopt towards the Jun family…”
The Emperor sighed deeply, a layer of hidden worry appearing between his brows. He stared far into the distance, somewhat absent-minded. Clearly, this ruler of Tianxiang Kingdom had already accepted the existence of that expert; his initial questioning was merely a desire for someone to amplify his faint hope.
“Regarding the Jun family under heaven… Your Majesty hasn't exactly treated them harshly; the relationship right now is likely still harmonious,” Mr. Wen replied. “Considering the Jun family now has such a powerful backer, it might not be a bad thing for Your Majesty and the entire Tianxiang Empire. As long as we maintain the current relationship and continue to win them over… Jun Zhantian is certainly not someone who would be ungrateful or forget old kindnesses.”
“A good thing,” the Emperor gave a wry smile, murmuring lowly, “Jun Zhantian is certainly not someone who… would be ungrateful or forget old kindnesses.”
For some unknown reason, he repeated Mr. Wen’s words, and his tone was peculiar, carrying a chilling undertone.
Mr. Wen looked back at him, but the Emperor’s face was as deep as still water, betraying no hint of joy or sorrow. Even the slight gloominess from before had vanished without a trace. Yet, Mr. Wen felt a profound, heavy sense of oppression.
A gust of autumn wind suddenly blew in through the window, causing a secret memorial on the desk to flutter to the ground, flipping open one page: The battle in Tiannan, Jun Wuyi is safe, the army will return shortly. Only a mysterious powerhouse appeared, looking down upon all, commanding tens of millions who dared not disobey. In the span of a hand, he slew the Heaven-Shattering Supreme Li Juetian, declared himself a man of the Jun family, intimidated Fengxue City, dismantled Blood Soul Manor, and ascended to the void. The Lord of Tianfa dared not challenge him; Thunderstorm and Gale also dared not move… Then followed a lengthy narrative, written in painstaking detail.
Mr. Wen’s gaze froze, settling on a line of text.
“Looking down upon all, commanding tens of millions who dared not disobey. In the span of a hand, he slew the Heaven-Shattering Supreme Li Juetian. Declared himself a man of the Jun family, intimidated Fengxue City, dismantled Blood Soul Manor, and ascended to the void.”
Who could such a master be?
Mr. Wen narrowed his eyes, looked up at the sky, and pondered deeply.
At this moment, only three days had passed since the events in Tiannan, yet a secret memorial had already reached the Emperor’s desk across ten thousand li! Even a swift eagle dispatch would not have been this fast…
Jun Residence.
Old Master Jun Zhantian had kept a low profile since his son and grandson went to war, appearing before no one.
Old Pang rushed in breathlessly, holding a bamboo tube: “Master, a secret report from Tiannan!”
Jun Zhantian’s eyes snapped open, and he stood up abruptly.
“Let me see it.” He snatched it over hurriedly, his arm even trembling slightly. This old man, who had been steadfast his whole life, though outwardly showing no reaction, was holding his breath in his heart.
Only Old Pang knew that during the two months Jun Wuyi and his nephew were campaigning, Jun Zhantian had not slept a single peaceful night.
Scanning the secret report in one go, Jun Zhantian was surprised to find that it contained none of the things he most dreaded. He finally let out a long breath, then began to re-read from the beginning, word by word.
His taut body finally relaxed slowly, and he settled back into his chair.
“Wuyi is safe, Moxie is safe. They will return victorious soon,” Jun Zhantian said calmly, unable to contain his joy. Although he tried to appear indifferent, his eyes and the corners of his mouth were already filled with smiles. “However, Moxie has to accompany his uncle to the Dongfang family once. This is a request from the Three Swords of Dongfang.”
“Master, this is truly tremendous joy!” Old Pang exclaimed happily.
The wrinkles on Jun Zhantian’s smiling face blossomed. “Indeed, it is something worth celebrating. The Dongfang family… they showed great kindness to our Jun family back then! Moxie is a heroic and quick-witted child, one in ten thousand. My old in-laws will surely be very pleased to meet him!”
The old man did not yet know that on the third day after this secret report was sent from Tiannan, the precious grandson he was praising had done something earth-shattering.
At least, for the Jun family, that event was no less than an 8.0 magnitude earthquake or a 9.0 magnitude tsunami!
If the old man knew now, he would certainly grab his wooden cane immediately and break that boy’s legs first!
This was Jun Moxie’s third entry into the Tianfa Forest.
The first time he entered, he took the Heavenly Punishment Sacred Fruit. The second time, he came back in and only exchanged a few words with Xiong Kaishan at the edge of the forest.
And now, returning to Tianfa for the third time.
If judged by the young master’s own feeling, Jun Moxie clearly felt that the Tianfa Forest was the place truly most suited for him!
Here, he felt an intrinsic comfort!
If possible, he didn’t even want to leave!
Only in this domain could he feel true relaxation and ease.
The Young Master sighed inwardly, shooting into the forest like a streak of light. Based on his previous experience, he knew that the kings of the Tianfa Forest would certainly not linger at the edges.
The entire Tianfa Forest covered an immense area. Jun Moxie did not know if their location was in the central region. Although he had previously swept through like a swarm of locusts, collecting many rare medicinal herbs, in terms of the proportion of herbs collected, it was merely a straight line on a map—a straight line leading directly to the mysterious core of Tianfa. At most, it was just a radius on a circle. Although the Young Master had scoured it clean, it was still merely a drop in the ocean.
If one were to speak of a more heavily impacted area, it would be the top-tier medicinal herbs near the center point. Thus, although the Young Master was already one of the very few humans to venture deep into the Tianfa Forest, his understanding of the place was not much greater than others. Finding people in such a vast place was truly difficult. Jun Moxie could only rely on his memory and proceed toward the location where he had last seen them.
As his own cultivation grew, Jun Moxie’s spiritual sense exploration range had also greatly increased. Aided by his powerful divine sense, he quickly located the place where he had last seen Crane Three and Bear Four: Myriad Poison Valley!
The area surrounding Myriad Poison Valley was still desolate and barren. The Young Master did not venture deep; it was no longer necessary. Under the strong perception of his divine sense, he naturally sensed easily that Crane Three and Bear Four were not there, nor was the Snake King, who might have been there.
But the Young Master was in no mood to search for them anymore. Although it was difficult for him to find them, it would be very easy for them to find him!
Jun Moxie suddenly appeared high in the air above the center of the Tianfa Forest, summoning the terrifying might of the Grandmist Pagoda. A heavy pressure radiated from his body, slowly spreading outward with his body as the center.
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