“Uh, you mentioned cooperation just now?” Jun Mo Xie chuckled: “But I wonder what proposal you have?” He thought to himself, Those Beast Kings from your Heaven's Punishment have already entered into cooperation with me; you don't know that yet, you silly girl! Yes! It’s cooperation!”

Mei Xue Yan’s expression became solemn: “The Heaven’s Punishment Forest needs to enhance its strength to face the imminent fierce clash with the Three Great Sacred Lands to determine supremacy! If we follow the normal rate of improvement, there will absolutely not be enough time.”

“So we must borrow external help to advance!” Mei Xue Yan’s gaze was heavy, looking deeply at Jun Mo Xie: “For example, a pill refined from that kind of… similar substance using the Heaven's Punishment Sacred Fruit!” Moreover, the single pill per person derived from it is simply not enough! We do not possess this medicine, but your Master can refine it! I heard your Master once refined a divine elixir, one dose of which could increase pure power by ten years, with absolutely no side effects. What we need is precisely that kind of thing, although merely ten years of potency would be far too little!”

Jun Mo Xie frowned: “You mean you want a medicinal pill that can enhance your elemental power without conflicting with the elixir refined from the Heaven's Punishment Sacred Fruit, and this pill must quickly elevate the strength of the Ten Great Beast Kings to a new bottleneck, after which they can use the elixir refined from the Heaven’s Punishment Sacred Fruit to attempt another breakthrough and advancement? In other words, it means breaking through two consecutive ultimate bottlenecks and advancing two tiers in the shortest possible time, roughly that is the meaning?”

“Precisely! Smart people speak smart words; that is exactly what I mean!” Mei Xue Yan glanced sideways and said quietly: “But I cannot find your Master, so I had no choice but to seek you out!”

“Miss Mei, I very much want to tell you that your assertion is quite laughable, too fantastical; I believe you should also know that the request you are making will cause us considerable difficulty. Even if my Master possesses divine attainment, I can only tell you that your hopes are destined to be dashed!” Jun Mo Xie frowned: “Judging from the refinement of the Heaven's Punishment Sacred Fruit, refining such a divine elixir requires, firstly, fortuitous circumstances; secondly, a complete set of ingredients, and the medicinal materials involved are all top-tier spiritual herbs; thirdly, it requires ample time; and finally, it demands immense concentration! And even if all four conditions are met, it still depends on Heaven’s will whether the refinement succeeds; the success rate is simply too difficult to control…”

“Furthermore, any medicine that enhances power invariably comes with limitations. Often, after taking one pill for an increase, once the body has adapted to that enhancement, or that stimulation, the second or third pill becomes utterly useless. Otherwise, like the ten-year pill, if it could always work, wouldn't taking one thousand pills continuously grant one ten thousand years of power? So, this is simply impossible! I can only say that your original idea is too impractical!”

“Having said that, you should understand. To advance in a short period, it means refining at least three types of miraculous elixirs within this timeframe! And every single elixir must possess a potent effect of thirty years or more! Moreover, the ingredients required for each type cannot overlap in the slightest—only then can you smoothly reach your next ultimate bottleneck, allowing the main Heaven’s Punishment Sacred Fruit, once consumed, to facilitate an instantaneous breakthrough!”

“This essentially means that for a considerable period moving forward, my Master would have to do nothing else but refine elixirs for you! You present such an exorbitant demand—don’t you think it’s a bit excessive? Do you think my Master is someone who can be commanded?”

“I know this is excessive; I am certainly aware of the stature of your Master, but we truly have no other recourse!” Mei Xue Yan said quietly: “Three years from now—no, only two years and nine months remain—is the Ranking Battle of the Three Sacred Lands and One Fierce Land. Given the current situation, whether facing the Secluded Immortal Palace, the Supreme Golden City, or the Boundless Sea of Blood, the Heaven’s Punishment Forest is certain to lose! But… this is the transcendent status the Heaven’s Punishment Forest has maintained for nine thousand years. If it is lost from my… from my Elder Brother’s hands, the consequences would be unimaginable!”

“The Mysterious Beasts of Jingmen have always been discriminated against on this continent; it is only by virtue of their fierce dominance and immense strength that they have managed to secure a ranking among the Three Sacred Lands and One Fierce Land! If even this reliance is lost, then the Heaven’s Punishment Forest will cease to be the Heaven’s Punishment Forest.” Mei Xue Yan’s expression held a hint of painful self-mockery. But Jun Mo Xie knew that for a powerhouse like Mei Xue Yan, revealing such an expression meant she had reached her absolute limit—a state of utter desperation.

Jun Mo Xie frowned and paced a few steps, his heart churning. Naturally, Jun Mo Xie understood that helping the Heaven’s Punishment Forest this time meant forging an eternal ally. Given the long lifespans of the Mysterious Beasts, not just the Jun Family now, but even the generations following could manipulate affairs on this continent without any restraint! That would truly mean endless prosperity for generations!

The price? Merely a few Divine Elixirs? Although it sounds simple, of the necessary elixirs, only one can be refined currently; the others require the Hongjun Pagoda to advance to the seventh level before refinement is possible! As for the elixir using the Heaven’s Punishment Sacred Fruit, also known as the Thousand Evil Poisons Fruit, as the main ingredient, it can only be refined when he unlocks his sixth layer of cultivation! If his power is insufficient, the only result would be for all the Celestial Treasures and Earthly Spirits to turn to ash!

There are only two years and nine months in total—could he really break through to the sixth layer? Jun Mo Xie had no certainty regarding this point! How difficult the advancement of the Hongjun Pagoda and the cultivation of the Heaven-Creating Creation Technique were, Jun Mo Xie knew clearly. Although in less than a year, he had advanced rapidly and triumphantly to the third layer realm, this current achievement was merely the foundation of the first three layers! The higher he went, the more would be required, even increasing exponentially.

“I also know this places an undue burden on your Master and you. If your Master and you can agree to this cooperation, then in the process of refining the elixirs, whatever medicinal ingredients are needed will be provided entirely by us, the Heaven’s Punishment Forest! Be they from the depths of the sea, snowy mountains, extreme heat, or extreme cold—we will offer our full support!” Mei Xue Yan stood with her hands behind her back: “Moreover, regarding all the requests from your Master and you, whether reasonable or unreasonable, we will agree to them without question! Any request whatsoever!”

Jun Mo Xie’s heart gave a sudden jolt: Any request whatsoever! Jun Mo Xie’s greatest ambition was to establish a base completely his own within the Heaven’s Punishment Forest! To then roam the continent proudly, free from any future worries. Also, the Beast Kings of the Heaven’s Punishment Forest… Jun Mo Xie liked them immensely! Their temperaments suited the taste of Young Master Jun perfectly! Even without benefits, Jun Mo Xie intended to lend a hand, let alone with such immense advantages? This was simply an irresistible temptation…

Jun Mo Xie gritted his teeth, Damn it, no pressure, no progress! Isn’t it just the sixth layer realm of the Hongjun Pagoda? I managed to reach the third layer in just over half a year, so why can’t I advance another three layers in two years? I’ll risk it all! At worst, it just forces this Young Master to cultivate even more desperately! The advancement of my own strength brings equally huge benefits to myself!

“Uh, I personally think there isn't much issue with this matter. However, I still need to consult my Master’s opinion; after all, whether it’s possible or not ultimately depends on his wishes. But don’t worry, I will do my utmost to facilitate this cooperation. As for the other requests,” Jun Mo Xie’s eyes darted around, “it’s not too late to discuss them later; I truly cannot make that commitment. Even if I agreed, Miss Mei wouldn't believe me, would she?”

At this moment, he certainly would not expose his trump card like this. If people knew now that the mysterious black-robed figure, the peerless master, was himself… the consequences would truly be unimaginable! All his enemies would swarm toward him, and even those without enmity would harbor thoughts of eliminating him while he was still nascent. Therefore, this secret could not be revealed to anyone, not even his closest kin, until he became powerful enough to tower over the world!

“I understand this; thank you, Young Master Jun!” Mei Xue Yan’s lips moved slightly as she replied. “However, regarding those so-called Three Great Sacred Lands, where exactly are they? Could Miss Mei enlighten me?” Jun Mo Xie finally found an opportunity to ask this question. This doubt had truly plagued Young Master Jun for a long time.

Among ordinary people, perhaps very few even knew of the existence of realms like the Wind Snow Silver City or the Blood Soul Manor. Those dominating the secular world were merely the few larger aristocratic families. In the hearts of Xuan Practitioners, the Wind Snow Silver City and the Blood Soul Manor were already considered top-tier existences! Before arriving at Tiannan, even Jun Mo Xie believed so. But suddenly learning that there are always higher peaks—suddenly, the existence of the Three Great Sacred Lands and One Fierce Land appeared! The Heaven’s Punishment Forest was undoubtedly known worldwide as a perilous place—that was common knowledge. But what were the Three Great Sacred Lands? It sounded as if these places were on a level even higher than entities like the Wind Snow Silver City.

This was enough to startle Jun Mo Xie. Ever since then, he had wondered if there were even more advanced hidden existences above the Three Great Sacred Lands. If so, what level had these individuals reached? The biggest doubt right now was why there were never any legends about these places.

“The 'Three Sacred Lands and One Fierce Land' originated from nine thousand years ago. At that time, heroes rose everywhere, and the entire Xuan Xuan Continent was in chaos. Of course, in such an environment, powerhouses also emerged endlessly; the times created heroes, and heroes also created the times,” Mei Xue Yan explained with a bitter smile. Mei Xue Yan took a deep breath: “Jun Mo Xie, do you know about the Pillar Mountain?”

[Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the last page of this book]