Floating high above, Jun Moxie felt exceptionally lighthearted, almost bursting into song. He hadn't expected things to proceed so smoothly! Little did he know that had it been anyone else, even with the exact same circumstances, success would have been impossible.

The key lay entirely with the Hongjun Tower. The spiritual energy emanating from the Hongjun Tower felt inherently familiar even to the Beast Kings; it created an immediate, overwhelmingly positive first impression. After that, wasn't everything else just a natural progression?

Glancing at the surrounding situation, Jun Moxie intended to quickly pinpoint a direction and depart. He looked around, then suddenly let out an "Eh?" It turned out this location wasn't far from where he had encountered that small beast previously. Almost within sight was the "courtyard wall" formed by that imposing, perfectly straight line of towering trees.

The scenery instantly conjured up Jun Moxie's "pleasant memories" from the last visit. Whoosh! He shot across the ground. Heh heh, if only I could have caught that utterly adorable little thing last time, alive or dead, I'd hug it close and take it back. What fun that would have been! Its flesh was so soft, pinching it felt incredibly satisfying... especially that little butt—truly endless fun, utterly delightful!

It had to be said, Young Master Jun's thoughts were rather wicked. Others, upon seeing a cute little animal, would cherish and nurture it; like how that girl cherished Little Bai Bai. Yet, he completely disregarded such notions.

That little creature last time was supremely cute, and this fellow's appreciation was equally unconventional; all he could think about was snatching it back to pinch its backside whenever he felt like it. A truly malicious streak. The Young Master eagerly entered the small valley, hoping for a long-awaited reunion, his eyes still met with the familiar riot of colors and fragrant air. However, the valley was utterly empty, not a single sound to be heard.

Jun Moxie took a few more steps. The valley remained hushed, only the soft shush of his own footsteps audible. Though vibrant with life, it was silent as a tomb. The valley's scenery, juxtaposed with this profound stillness, created an intensely sharp contrast, making the atmosphere feel utterly bizarre.

Jun Moxie searched around carefully once more but discovered nothing. He stepped into the stone chamber; there lay the black robe that had been exposed to the sun, still spread flat on the ground. Other than that, there was nothing at all.

As for that adorable little beast, it had vanished without a trace.

Still unwilling to give up, Jun Moxie walked out. He unleashed his spiritual sense, probing everywhere, just in case the little fellow had gone out to hunt. Since ascending to the third layer of the Kaitian Zaohua Gong, Jun Moxie’s scope of spiritual perception had grown exponentially—unrecognizably stronger than before. Originally, he could only survey movements within a radius of a few dozen feet; now, it had expanded to hundreds of feet!

The sheer strength of the Young Master’s spiritual sense had already reached the domain of a Supreme-level consciousness. And this was achieved not by relying on the innate field of the Hongjun Tower, but through the power of Jun Moxie’s own nascent Heavenly Profound spiritual strength!

If this were made known, no one would ever believe it. A mere nascent Heavenly Profound expert possessing spiritual power this formidable?

As Jun Moxie allowed his thoughts to expand with the ever-widening reach of his spiritual sense, he meticulously scanned every minute detail of the surroundings, yet he found not the slightest clue—still silence. A silence, like death itself!

How could this be? Although it had been quiet the last time he visited, it felt peaceful; but now, it was a deathly stillness reminiscent of a ghost realm, inevitably stirring suspicion! This place was the core of the Heaven Punishment Forest; even ordinary high-tier Profound Beasts dared not linger here. Could it be that even the peak Ninth-level Profound Beasts, the apex of that hierarchy, avoided this area?

From his previous exchanges with the Six Great Beast Kings, the Young Master had unexpectedly learned that besides those six, the Heaven Punishment Forest housed several other peak Ninth-level Profound Beasts who had merely failed to achieve complete human transformation. This current deathly silence was something that truly shouldn't be happening!

Jun Moxie hardened his resolve and unleashed his spiritual sense to its fullest extent, sending it forth like an invisible arrow piercing deep into the forest.

Just as Jun Moxie exerted maximum effort, extending the radius of his spiritual probing beyond two hundred feet, he detected sounds of Profound Beast activity in the East, West, and North. Only the South remained utterly silent.

It seemed the source of this strange occurrence lay to the South!

Jun Moxie promptly withdrew his probes from the other three directions, narrowing the search area, focusing all his power on the South. He was certain: for such a bizarre state to exist in a place like the Heaven Punishment Forest, there had to be a trick to it!

Suddenly!

His spiritual sense, which had previously met no resistance as it drove southward, seemed to slam into an incredibly viscous barrier. Even with the Young Master's current formidable power, it could not break through forward, nor could it retreat! The sensation was precisely like an insect flying in mid-air, crashing headlong into a spider's web...

Jun Moxie gasped in alarm and frantically tried to recall his sense. At that precise moment, a powerful wave of spiritual sense arrived head-on, violently colliding with his own!

Boom!

Jun Moxie felt his already considerable spiritual sense completely incapable of resisting this sudden, overwhelming force! His mind roared, and instantly he felt dizzy and faint, fine rivulets of blood involuntarily leaking from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. This was only because the Young Master’s physical body had already achieved considerable toughness; had it been his body from just a few days prior, the result of such a spiritual collision—

Jun Moxie's spiritual sense was now at Supreme levels of power, yet against this sudden assault, it was utterly crushed, collapsing instantly! Although the opponent might have been employing a sneak attack, the sheer power of their spiritual sense was undeniable. The entity possessing such consciousness must have a cultivation level far beyond the Supreme realm! This individual's strength, while perhaps not quite matching Venerable Mei, was likely on the same tier of powerhouse.

Could it be that such a hidden expert resided within the Heaven Punishment Forest? The underlying power of this forest was perhaps too immense. Jun Moxie had previously worried about potential disadvantages for the Heaven Punishment side during future conflicts between the major otherworldly regions years from now—this was one major reason he had gone all out to help the Beast Kings break through their bottlenecks and heal their injuries. The Young Master genuinely cherished the simple, peaceful nature of the Beast Kings and naturally sought to enhance their strength for self-preservation.

But if the Heaven Punishment side harbored another concealed superpower, the significance of his assistance to the Beast Kings would be lessened. While his benevolent intentions toward the Beast Kings might remain unchanged, the implication for the future of the entire Heaven Punishment Forest would be entirely different!

Facing such a terrifying, colossal spiritual force, even Jun Moxie’s calm composure cracked, for the assault had not ended. His own consciousness was fully retreating, but the opponent’s spiritual sense relentlessly pursued, intent on annihilating the Young Master!

Jun Moxie’s thoughts raced. Suppressing the agonizing damage to his mind, he desperately harnessed the sliver of clarity remaining within him, forcibly activating the powerful field consciousness of the Hongjun Tower. It surged out like a sharp sword cleaving the firmament, meeting the pursuing spiritual sense head-on.

The spiritual energy from the Hongjun Tower was naturally incomparable to the Young Master's own, a force of extraordinary might. This desperate counterattack easily intercepted the pursuing terrifying spiritual sense, initiating another fierce clash. The opponent's consciousness was quick-witted; in an instant, it judged that the second wave of overwhelming spiritual energy far surpassed its own. Both sides instantly drew back. Jun Moxie’s injured personal consciousness was finally able, with the aid of the Hongjun Tower, to withdraw from that viscous trap and return to his body, escorted slowly back under the protective banner of the Tower's field consciousness.

Meanwhile, far to the South, an extremely tragic, muffled howl suddenly erupted! Clearly, despite the overwhelming power of the Hongjun Tower's decisive counter-strike, and despite this person’s profound cultivation—even surpassing a Supreme expert—and possessing lightning-fast reflexes, they were no match for such an ancient divine artifact. Moreover, having been firmly in the lead and caught completely off guard, even when the two forces clashed again, their retreat was swift upon realizing the disadvantage. Nevertheless, they could not avoid suffering a severe injury.

This howl was extremely low in volume, yet possessed an incredible penetrating power! It vibrated so strongly that the leaves on the nearby trees shook and fell shush, carrying far into the distance.

With his consciousness returned, Jun Moxie’s wildly beating heart finally settled, and the feeling of utter weakness vanished. Vigorously wiping the blood from his lips, Jun Moxie's eyes glared south like a lone wolf on a cold winter night. There was another superpower out there!

And there was a place that even intangible spiritual sense could not penetrate!

What kind of place was that? And who resided within it?

Jun Moxie leaped up, fully deploying his Yin-Yang Escape technique, crossing the distance between them in an instant with his astounding speed of a thousand li per step, vanishing from the spot!

He absolutely had to investigate such a peculiar place. Since he had set his sights on the Heaven Punishment Forest, intending to mold it into his future sanctuary, he could not afford to remain ignorant of such mysterious phenomena and powerful individuals. That person and that location represented a monumental hidden danger!

What appeared before Jun Moxie was a strange, milky-white mist! Calling this mist strange was an understatement. Before rounding this section of the mountain, there had been absolutely no indication of its existence. One couldn't even detect it from above. But as soon as he rounded the bend, it was overwhelming—everywhere his sight reached, there was only this white fog! Boundless, vast, and seemingly without end!

This white fog was truly peculiar. It was unlike common mist, nor was it Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. It was thick as substance; within it, one could not see one’s hand before one’s face. It felt almost solid, yet though appearing soft and immaterial, it was incredibly tough and resilient.

This white fog held another oddity: while spiritual sense could not penetrate it, the physical body could pass through! Jun Moxie tested it, extending his arm into the mist. It slid in smoothly, meeting no resistance, clearly indicating a vast space within!

But when Jun Moxie attempted to use his spiritual sense to pierce the white fog, he encountered that same sticky sensation from before! It was like sinking into thick oil, utterly unable to advance. Against spiritual sense, the fog was extremely tough, like pressing a finger against a balloon—exerting force might cause the balloon to indent slightly, but it would not burst.

This was exactly how Jun Moxie felt now when releasing his consciousness! Truly bizarre and inexplicable. The first time he encountered a place where the physical body could enter, yet spiritual sense was blocked! It seemed the mysteries of the Heaven Punishment Forest were far from exhausted...

Jun Moxie snorted, deciding to meet change with constancy. He immediately activated the Yin-Yang Escape, intending to use the profound art of "Escape" to penetrate within! (To be continued)