There was absolutely no room for doubt, nothing to question: the recent spree of weapon thefts was the handiwork of Jun Moxie. It was patently obvious; only he possessed the skill to earn such a grand moniker as the "Peerless Grand Thief."

Of course, this so-called obviousness was only clear to us! Others remained utterly oblivious.

The Young Master Jun, this supreme 'Divine Thief,' indulged in larceny the moment he found himself idle. With his particular set of talents, what did it matter if the world was at peace under the bright, open sky? If his eyes fell upon something, it was his in an instant—no, scratch that. His capability had long surpassed the mere 'grasping' of a hand. As the Young Master's arcane powers grew, his mental fortitude had already ascended to a far more profound echelon.

Facing those ownerless weapons, a mere thought would immediately whisk them into the Hongjun Pagoda. This technique bordered on the miraculous, an unblemished, traceless transcendence. One could bet that even the Four Great Constables, using the most advanced forensic technology from their past or present lives, would be utterly stumped.

As for what happened after nightfall—transforming the stolen goods within his tent, 'turning base iron into wondrous metal'—that was merely destroying evidence and disguising the loot, hardly worth noting in itself.

Surely, no immortal being would be so bored as to employ the Yin-Yang Evasion and Five Elements Transmutation—such heaven-defying skills—just to pilfer a few ordinary swords and blades, none of which were even superior artifacts crafted from prime materials, but merely common weaponry forged from plain steel...

Thus, in a sense, the extravagance of Young Master Jun Mowu—Young Master Jun—had absolutely ascended to an unprecedented peak of flamboyant wastefulness, unmatched in history!

Over the course of several nights, the Great Young Master, exhausting himself without complaint, channeled the power of Metal to transform all nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces of weaponry he had collected from base iron into wondrous metal, finally birthing a single sword!

It could be said that this was the very first sword Jun Moxie forged with his own hands in this world, and it would also be the last sword he refined using this extreme method! The reason was that his spiritual energy had been drained over three hundred times in just these few days and nights—an extraordinarily massive expenditure!

Later on, the Young Master might still employ the method of turning base iron into wondrous metal to refine swords and forge blades, but he would absolutely not incur the heavy price of draining his spiritual power hundreds of times for every piece...

Such immense depletion was almost unbearable, even for the stoic Jun Mowu Jun. Furthermore, he didn't believe he would have the nerve or the time for such exertions in the future.

As his own strength continued to rise, the enemies he would face in the coming days would only grow stronger; they would no longer be the insignificant minnows of the past. These formidable adversaries would never afford him time for such extensive expenditure. Whenever Jun Mowu needed to draw upon such reserves, he could hide, but his relatives and subordinates might not be so fortunate! Any slight, unintentional oversight could lead to eternal separation.

Every single time, he extracted only the purest essence from the material of the iron artifact!

Jun Moxie pursued a state of perfect extremity!

And this sword was exactly such an entity!

For the birth of this sword, Jun Moxie stole relentlessly, morning and night, all through the day and night, never tiring, never pausing, only to immediately rush back to refining, and then steal again...

This cycle repeated, this frequent utilization of the Metal element, this repeated overdraft followed by repeated replenishment! The spiritual energy within his meridians and Dantian was like a reservoir situated atop a mountain. The upper sluice gate was sealed, and the lower sluice gate was also sealed, keeping the water stagnant. Then, the lower gate suddenly opened completely, and the water in the reservoir rushed downward, emptying instantly...

Then, the moment the reservoir emptied, the upper gate abruptly opened, filling it to capacity in an extremely short time... This process repeated, cycle after cycle, causing the loop to become faster and more practiced each time. Yet, with the impact of the rushing water, the capacity of the reservoir also underwent subtle expansion. Even though each increase was minuscule, the sheer frequency of the occurrences caused the reservoir's capacity to grow ever larger. But no matter how vast it expanded, it could always be replenished in a very short period...

Simply by successfully refining this one sword, Jun Moxie's spiritual energy had advanced considerably, bringing his inherent Profound Art cultivation along for the ride.

By the standards of the Profound Profound Continent, he was now approaching the mid-stage of Heaven Profound. Do not scoff at this minor advancement from the initial stage to the middle stage; in terms of Profound Art mastery, this was a monumental achievement! The Young Master had only just reached the initial stage of Heaven Profound a few days ago, and now, in a mere couple of days, he was rapidly approaching the breakthrough to the middle stage—this rate of progress was something that would utterly shock people! It was absolutely unprecedented in all history; even "legends" weren't that legendary!

Furthermore, the Young Master's command and control over the Metal element had become far more intuitive, one might even say fluidly masterful... Now, the Young Master was no longer confined to simple extraction of material. He was experimenting with controlling the Metal element, attempting to shrink a sword by only half, or even less, merely making it sharper, or stronger... Or perhaps fusing three or four weapons into a single sword, or a single blade—

One must remember that unleashing one's full power at once is relatively easy; however, achieving precise, incremental control requires constant technical finesse. Although the Young Master currently lacked fine-grained control, he was diligently probing the nature of the Metal element, steering it toward becoming a true 'technical skill'...

Yet, the prolonged depletion had left Jun Mowu quite weary. Although the Hongjun Pagoda's spiritual energy helped restore his physical strength, the process always consumed a vast amount of mental and spiritual effort, and the best way to replenish mental fortitude remained sleep. The Young Master's current achievements could not yet replace the need for sleep; without sufficient rest, he was guaranteed to look like a complete wreck...

Therefore—ah, hence—the Young Master naturally received heartfelt, earnest admonitions from his beloved uncle, even being shown an example through direct action...

Jun Moxie felt both annoyed and amused, but now, looking upon this sword, all negative emotions instantly sublimated!

In this moment, in the Young Master's eyes, there was nothing but the sword!

This was the first sword Jun Mowu had refined through the traditional Yan Huang method of "Blood Sacrifice"! Moreover, this sword was forged entirely by his own hand, created out of thin air without the aid of any tools! It was like the sudden birth of his own child! Or like a lifelong companion, reunited after a long separation, destined to remain by his side forever!

"You carry my blood; I am a descendant of Yan Huang. You shall preserve for me an eternal remembrance, accompanying me through this life and for all time."

Jun Mowu gazed at the sword with an unusually tender light. His tone held longing, melancholy, and remembrance; his gaze, in that instant, seemed to pierce through endless time and space, returning to the place he loved so dearly, his resolve unwavering.

"From this day forward, your name shall be the 'Blood of Yan Huang'!" Jun Mowu's voice was heavy, yet his gaze suddenly turned incandescent, as if blood itself were burning! "From now on, in this (other world), accompany me as I command the heavens, dance with the winds and clouds! Establish me as the Evil Sovereign, propagate the name of Yan Huang! Slay all wickedness in the world—one man, one sword, roaming across the land!"

"I will nourish you, satiate you, with the blood of every enemy this world holds! Upon this continent, you, Blood of Yan Huang, shall undoubtedly become an eternal legend!" Jun Mowu's tone was low, solemn, and utterly sincere. It sounded less like a murmur and more like the declaration of a world-shattering oath!

A covenant as enduring as the seas turning to stone and the mountains crumbling!

In the name of Yan Huang!

The long sword rang out with a sharp, resonant chime, like the roar of a dragon or the cry of a tiger!

The Capital City!

The Jun household had been exceptionally lively during this period.

Ever since the expeditionary force departed, Princess Lingmeng visited almost daily, often staying the entire day. After some time, even the Empress herself began to drop by for visits now and then.

Old Master Jun understood precisely why this was happening, but such matters could never be voiced openly. Thus, he simply waved a grand hand. Since Guan Qinghan was not home, he temporarily assigned her courtyard as the quarters for the Empress and Princess Lingmeng.

Whenever the Empress arrived, she would always remain within Guan Qinghan's small courtyard, taking out a jade xiao (vertical flute) and softly playing a melody. Then, she would sit quietly, never stepping outside the courtyard walls, until it was nearly time to leave. At that point, she would play another tune and depart immediately, never lingering.

The sound of the xiao was naturally imbued with sorrow, but the Empress’s flute playing was even more mournful, like weeping and complaining, bringing tears to the eyes of those who heard it and sorrow to their hearts.

The Empress's expression remained placid, even perhaps wooden. Only when playing those two pieces did her features become focused, her demeanor utterly serious. It seemed as if she was pouring her entire spirit, her entire soul, into these two compositions. That placid sadness was enough to make observers feel a shared pang of grief.

Indeed, while the Empress played, a certain look would sometimes appear in her eyes... a desperate tenderness... a sorrow born of helplessness...

Every time the xiao sounded, Ye Guhan, who was recuperating in Jun Mowu's small courtyard, would become exceptionally still.

By now, he could rise and move about, even take a few steps, but his body had suffered too much damage, his vital energy severely depleted. His sword-wielding right arm had been severed at the shoulder. His masterful sword techniques were rendered useless, and his shattered Dantian meant his Heaven Profound cultivation had vanished entirely!

During this recent period, Ye Guhan had become haggard beyond recognition, falling from a Heaven Profound expert to a cripple utterly devoid of Profound Qi—and a complete invalid at that...

This immense reversal had driven the fiercely proud Ye Guhan close to madness! He had devoted himself to Lingmeng; even if his cultivation was lost, even if he became disabled, he held no regrets, no remorse! He only cursed why he hadn't died on the spot, instead remaining with this broken body to bring shame upon the world. His pride could never accept it; he had even desperately begged for death at times!

But the moment the xiao sounded, even the most tempestuous Ye Guhan would immediately become as docile as the best-behaved child, sitting quietly, sharing this time of stillness with the person next door...

[Note to Dear Reader: The current chapter has reached the final page of this book.]