The second chapter update is here! Double points this week, thank you all for your monthly votes! Tomorrow, another big leap forward, the fifteenth of this month!

Jun Moxie’s long-suppressed urge to brutally vent erupted. With a sudden, piercing cry, he shot into the air, a dazzling flash of light streaking across the sky!

Blood of Yan Huang! Drawn!

“No, don’t—spare me!” The huge man suspended in mid-air choked out the words, abruptly severed in two. From the waist down, his lower half dropped with a wet thwack, leaving a gaping hole where his abdomen had been sliced open. Blood streamed down like a colossal, crimson globe. With a whoosh, it fell, dragging his steaming, coiled intestines with it. But midway through the descent, something caught, suspending the gore in the air.

Only the intestines, thin as a serpent, dangled, steaming, from the height. They suddenly stopped just a few zhang above the ground, hanging like a blood-red ribbon lashed to a flagpole!

Even then, the upper half of the man was not yet dead; he still twitched and convulsed, hanging from the pole, crying out. With two sickening pops, his eyeballs were forcibly squeezed from their sockets by the agony, dangling grotesquely on his face.

Blood splattered the ground!

...Whoosh...

Splatters!

The faces of many standing near the front were lightly misted with flecks of blood. Yet, they stood frozen, stunned into immobility, their eyes fixed in terror, their expressions etched with absolute horror.

When had these scholars, who knew nothing but dusty books and rote memorization, ever witnessed such an extreme scene of carnage? These men, who lived by the adage, “Ears heed not the world’s affairs, the heart only reads the sages’ words”—many of whom wouldn't even kill a chicken at home—were now confronted with the most brutal spectacle of human violence, so suddenly appearing before them that even fainting seemed an unattainable luxury.

No one could have possibly imagined it. Moments ago, Jun Moxie had appeared to be merely debating with the three great scholars. Though there was friction, none expected it to escalate to the point of murder!

Without warning, a man was sent soaring, his skull seemingly pinned to the flagpole, before—swish—his lower body vanished. His belly hung out like a bottomless fish tank, all its contents spilling forth.

Jun Moxie, right there in broad daylight, in full view of the masses, had just committed an act of merciless slaughter!

These people had arrived in a surge of righteous indignation, banking on one principle: the law cannot punish the masses!

No matter how powerful or shameless Jun Moxie was, he couldn't possibly kill all of them, right? In fact, they were certain he wouldn't dare act. Faced with their collective denunciation, he would only tuck his tail and flee. Once he fled, the public opinion across the entire Xiang Kingdom would drown his Jun family! One person spitting was enough to drown him!

Even the greatest authority ultimately came from the Emperor! But no ruler could ignore public unrest or the reaction of the populace! Once this uproar reached a delicate tipping point where the court had to react, the Emperor would have two choices: either deploy troops to suppress the crowd or sacrifice the Jun family to appease the people and provide an explanation to the world!

But with so many anti-Jun ministers in court, how could they allow the Emperor to choose the first option? They would only advance under the guise of obeying Heaven's will and the people’s hearts, sacrificing the Jun family.

At that point, the doom of the Jun family would arrive!

But no one anticipated that while their plan and actions were already quite extreme, Jun Moxie’s reaction would be even more so! He neither fled nor dodged. Instead, he stood firm, meeting them head-on, utterly refusing to engage in reasoned debate, moving directly to the most brutal and savage form of intimidation!

Gazing at the scene, which was far more savage and bloody than the slow slicing of Lingchi, thousands felt their hearts pound violently, threatening to leap from their throats. Their vision blurred, and their ears filled with phantom noises.

Everyone shared a powerful, desperate thought: I must leave this place immediately! Whether the Jun family is innocent or brings eternal shame, whether one side wins or loses this fight, no matter what others think or do—this has nothing to do with me. It’s too terrifying! Waaah...

“Hahahaha!” So, you’d rather shatter your body than preserve your purity? Where is your purity now? You are already shattered! But where is the purity you claimed? I don’t see any! Jun Moxie laughed cruelly, poking carelessly at the pool of gore from afar, sneering, “I only see a pile of rotten flesh, but I fail to locate any purity!”

Jun Moxie chuckled, then slowly walked up to a middle-aged scholar standing at the very front. He asked, with startling gentleness, “I did not see his purity. Did you? If you did, please tell me. Will you?”

That middle-aged scholar had been desperately trying to shove his way backward, but his legs felt weak and useless. Though there were few people behind him, he exerted every ounce of strength, yet he couldn't squeeze past, feeling instead as if he had run into the hardest bronze wall. In his terror, Jun Moxie suddenly approached him and asked this question with a façade of gentle kindness.

This soft inquiry struck him like a thunderclap. In his eyes, Jun Moxie’s benevolent face had morphed into that of a demon from hell, complete with horns.

The despairing eyes of the middle-aged scholar stared intensely...

...looking at Jun Moxie... making a gurgling sound, his body went limp like cooked noodles, and he completely lost consciousness.

“Alas,” Jun Moxie sighed, shaking his head regretfully. “How utterly useless. Was my tone not gentle enough?” He walked to another man. “He didn't answer me. Now you take a look.” He pointed. “Is there purity in there? Look closely before you answer me. I am truly curious!”

This man stared blankly at the bloody mess for a moment, his face as pale as a corpse pulled from a coffin. Almost mechanically, he numbly shook his head. Jun Moxie let out a breath of relief. “So you didn’t see it either. I thought I was mistaken.” He paused. “He shouted so loudly, I almost believed him... believed that after shattering his body, he truly had achieved purity. How embarrassing.”

Jun Moxie turned and walked away. Only then did this man recover enough to collapse onto the ground, retching violently until he was practically spitting up his own liver and intestines.

“I asked several people in a row, but regrettably, none of them saw the ‘purity’ that man spoke of. Perhaps you gentlemen should take a look as well?” Jun Moxie strolled leisurely towards the Three Great Scholars. He kicked the unconscious Yan Feng, channeling a surge of spiritual energy into him until Yan Feng slowly revived.

Jun Moxie grabbed all three men, one in each hand, and violently shoved their heads down toward the mass of gore. With the blood just half a foot from their faces, he snarled viciously, “Come! Look closely, my Lords. Find your purity for me! Where is it? I am truly fascinated!”

He laughed cruelly, his voice a dark hiss: “Purity? Hmph hmph! In a moment, I’ll take a look at the purity of you three as well! Damn it all!”

Forcibly held down, their heads inches from the gruesome spectacle, the three felt as if a heavy hammer had struck their minds. Nausea churned in their guts. Above them, the unfortunate man had remarkable staying power; even now, he was not quite dead, emitting desperate moans, some short, some long.

The three felt as if they were in hell! A fierce terror gripped them, desperate to pass out. But at this moment, their nerves were unnervingly taut; they could not faint! Most ridiculously, they couldn't even close their eyes! They could only stare with their eyes stretched to their utmost capacity, witnessing this most brutal scene in the mortal world directly!

“Did you see clearly? Is there purity? If so, tell me quickly, I am genuinely interested!” Jun Moxie’s surprisingly gentle voice rang out again. The three trembled in unison, as if seized by a violent fever.

“Answer me! Because soon, you will join them. I will also have people searching for your purity! Tell me, did you see purity?”

“No... no...” The three were weak, like puddles of sludge slumped on the ground, shaking their heads desperately.

“Then... do you still want purity?” Jun Moxie’s voice was like the smile of a demon.

“No, no...” The three shook their heads violently.

“Excellent. Then, you have two choices. Which one do you select?” Jun Moxie cajoled, his tone soft, pleasant, and patient.

“I choose, I choose, the fir-fir-fir-first one!” The three shouted, vying to speak first. The fear of death had shattered their long-held convictions. What good were benevolence, morality, public integrity, or justice? None of it mattered as much as their own lives! Survival was paramount!

“Very good. Your choice makes me very relieved, very satisfied.” Jun Moxie praised them openly.

“Young Ma-Master Jun, I—I...” Qin Qiushi suddenly raised his head and shouted hoarsely, “I know who the mastermind behind this is! I am willing to tell you!”

It seemed that under the pressure of impending death, this scholar, Qin Qiushi, had decided to 'abandon the dark and turn to the light,' to switch sides and strike back. However, the young man was clever enough to realize that once this matter concluded, Jun Moxie would never let them live anyway. Seeking leniency now, though humiliating, was the most opportune moment!

After today, they might never even get a chance to see Jun Moxie’s face again!

“Spare your lives? I never expected you still had the audacity to bargain with me?” To be honest, Jun Moxie had not considered this. He was never a magnanimous person.

If a person does wrong, they must pay the corresponding price. Even subsequent remediation does not undo the initial mistake. It’s too late!

“The mastermind behind the scenes?” Jun Moxie snorted twice. “Do you think I don't know? I know exactly who the mastermind is, even better than you do. But as for sparing your lives... I will consider it!”

Jun Moxie’s voice was cold as ice. With a wave of his hand and a quick turn, he moved like a whirlwind. No one saw what happened, but when he stopped, three bizarre objects appeared in his hands. They resembled a trumpet, yet they were much thinner than a standard horn.

Though crude, this device was appearing for the first time in this world: a primitive megaphone.

Jun Moxie thrust one into each of their hands and commanded coldly, “Go! Clear the way!”