Yet, the Nine Great Beast Kings were inwardly grumbling: This lad really shouldn't have shown himself at a moment like this.
Their own strength had been greatly diminished, and although the opponent was injured, their high-end fighting power was more than double that of their side! And Jun Mo Xie's current strength was relatively weak; if a fight broke out, he might not even be able to escape, let alone the other Xuan Beasts whose power was too negligible—though numerous, they could hardly form any meaningful combat force...
"You are Jun Mo Xie?" Zhan Mu Bai’s gaze deepened, his emotions unreadable.
"I am. Senior, speak your mind," Jun Mo Xie replied calmly, even as a nameless sense of unease welled up inside him. He already vaguely suspected what words this Holy Emperor was about to deliver. They were likely related to the Dongfang, Duanmu, and Sikong families.
This was precisely why Jun Mo Xie had stepped forward quickly. If those families suffered irreparable harm because of him, it would be something Jun Mo Xie could never accept. And this news was something he urgently needed to know!
Furthermore, by appearing now, he was also declaring his identity to those senior Beast Kings from Tian Fa. Given how lively the scene was, Jun Mo Xie's absence might give the impression of someone who clings to life and fears death.
The Xuan Beasts were creatures of straightforward thinking; if they first formed such an impression, it would be extremely detrimental to the Jun family establishing a footing in the Tian Fa Forest!
Thus, even though Jun Mo Xie preferred not to come out, he had to.
"My surname is Zhan, and I hail from the Hidden Immortal Palace." Zhan Mu Bai’s sharp eyes fixed on Jun Mo Xie’s face, his tone heavy. "Before I came, Sect Master Mo Wu Dao specifically instructed me to relay one message to you..."
He stared steadily into Jun Mo Xie’s eyes, enunciating every word: "The four families—Dongfang, Duanmu, Sikong, and the Wind Snow Silver City—they are finished!"
A fierce shock coursed through Jun Mo Xie, his face instantly paling. He took a deep breath and said lightly, "This junior doesn't quite understand, Senior. What does 'finished' mean? Does it specifically mean the people are finished, or the families are finished?"
As he uttered those words, despite his utmost effort to maintain control, a trace of chilling coldness escaped his accent! A palpable killing intent!
This sudden surge of killing intent made Zhan Mu Bai opposite him momentarily feel a chill, sparking a nameless sense of danger in his heart!
Hearing Jun Mo Xie’s question, he couldn't help but chuckle, his eyes half-closed. "What difference is there between the people being finished and the families being finished! They mean the same thing!"
"Senior must have been in seclusion too long to not understand such a simple matter?" Jun Mo Xie opened his eyes wide, meeting his gaze without flinching, his tone grave and low. "People finished means they are utterly wiped out. But families finished refers only to the decline of their foundation; the people themselves might not all be dead..."
Zhan Mu Bai’s pupils contracted, his expression growing cold, yet he let out a strange laugh. "Such matters are beyond my knowledge, nor do I have any interest in them. If you are curious, why not go out and see for yourself? Understand it firsthand, and everything will become clear!"
In that moment, true apprehension gripped him! Because, as he met Jun Mo Xie’s gaze across the distance, the young man was displaying no weakness whatsoever under his powerful Soul Attack! This realization stoked an immense killing desire within him!
This child is dangerous! I must eliminate him today, even if it costs me my reputation!
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior. I almost forgot that I still have the option to go out."
Jun Mo Xie’s tone held a clear note of mockery.
A flicker of anger crossed Zhan Mu Bai’s calm eyes, but he swiftly suppressed it. He looked at Jun Mo Xie and said lightly, "Besides Sect Master Mo’s message, I have one other thing to tell you personally."
"This junior listens respectfully for Senior’s guidance," Jun Mo Xie replied coldly.
"Chen Chong, killed by your master, was my disciple! My only disciple, the sole inheritor of my mantle for several hundred years. I waited only for my own demise for him to take over my lineage in the mortal realm. But he was utterly destroyed by your master's hand."
A flash of pain crossed Zhan Mu Bai's eyes. "Centuries of bond, like master and apprentice, like father and son, dissolved in a single day! Therefore, I must see your master."
His expression grew desolate; he tilted his head skyward, his eyes reflecting sorrow and bleakness. "But your so-called master is nothing but a complete coward! Hiding away, afraid to show himself. So, if I am to see him, I must ask you to convey something for me as well."
Jun Mo Xie secretly chuckled. His master was purely imaginary; telling him was the same as telling the master. He smiled playfully, "Has Senior searched for my master? When has my master ever feared anyone in this world? He has simply been occupied with other pressing matters lately, which is why he rarely appears. Whatever it is, please state it clearly. I will certainly deliver the message!"
"Good!" Zhan Mu Bai let out a hearty laugh, praising him. "Truly a hero emerging from youth! Heaven and Earth Spirit Lock!~~~"
At that very moment, the heavens and earth suddenly shifted. Zhan Mu Bai's fair fingers shot out, pointing directly at Jun Mo Xie, and a surge of immense power instantly bound him!
The area covered by this power wasn't large; it enveloped Jun Mo Xie’s body almost entirely, perhaps only the size of his physical form. But it was precisely this small scale that demonstrated the power’s extreme precision!
This was a power belonging to a certain Heaven***, one that surpassed the scope of the Heaven and Earth Cage!
This sudden development caught everyone off guard! Jun Mo Xie hadn't expected it, the Beast Kings hadn't expected it, and even the other experts from the Three Great Sacred Lands and the Misty Illusory Mansion were astonished!
Because... this was utterly unbelievable!
Who would have imagined that after a cordial conversation moments before, one side would suddenly turn hostile and attack? Especially when a Holy Emperor launched a sneak attack against a junior—a child whose cultivation was merely at the Venerable level, barely twenty years old!
This transcended mere ignominy; it was utterly shameless!
Yet, this was the reputation of a Holy Emperor, the lifelong honor of the supreme predecessors on the Xuan Xuan Continent!
"Be sure to tell your master! He killed my only disciple, and today I kill his only disciple! Let’s see if he can continue to play the coward?!" Zhan Mu Bai roared, and the right hand that had pointed with only the index finger now spread its remaining four fingers wide, then brought them together as the palm stood upright.
A condensed, piercing palm wind, like an enraged dragon emerging from the sea, carrying the potent aura of destruction and death—
It slammed toward Jun Mo Xie’s chest!
If Jun Mo Xie were still in the Yin-Yang Escape state, not only Zhan Mu Bai but even a hundred or ten thousand more like him could not harm Young Master Jun. But now, this was the moment Jun Mo Xie was utterly powerless, trapped externally while the opponent directly deployed the spatial confinement known as the Heaven and Earth Spirit Lock!
It was similar to Mei Xue Yan’s Heaven and Earth Cage from before; even with Jun Mo Xie's unfathomable divine abilities, if he were forcefully restrained before he could enact the Yin-Yang Escape, he would suffer under Mei Xue Yan.
What Zhan Mu Bai manifested now was the Heaven and Earth Spirit Lock, a level higher than the Heaven and Earth Cage!
The Nine Great Beast Kings roared in unison and charged forward, but it was too late...
As soon as Zhan Mu Bai unleashed that fierce palm wind, an intensely sharp whistle immediately echoed through the Tian Fa Forest. Where the palm wind passed, even the air emitted faint wisps of blue smoke!
This strike possessed enormous power!
And Jun Mo Xie simply could not evade it now.
Because he couldn't even muster the ability to move a finger.
Jun Mo Xie gave a bitter smile inwardly. To think that he, Jun Mo Xie, would die so obscurely? But there was nothing to be done; who could have anticipated that a dignified Holy Emperor would discard all pretense of honor?
He had remained vigilant, never letting down his guard. But when Zhan Mu Bai asked him to relay a message, he had instinctively relaxed slightly. After all, if the message needed relaying through Jun Mo Xie, the speaker wouldn't attack him—how could a dead man relay a message?
But he never imagined that Zhan Mu Bai would strike immediately after delivering the message! The depravity of his scheme was truly appalling!
Just then, a piercing shriek suddenly sounded. Jun Mo Xie felt a soft body throw itself onto him, or rather, onto the Heaven and Earth Spirit Lock that bound him, tightly embracing him just outside its periphery.
A hint of tender green and an intoxicating, delicate fragrance had just reached Jun Mo Xie’s nostrils and eyes before he let out a silent, frantic roar, pouring the newly refined, purest purple spiritual energy into that body with desperate speed!
Because he recognized this person!
The Snake King, Qian Xun!
At this moment, she was the closest. Ever since Jun Mo Xie appeared, she had stood silently by his side, without uttering a word. It was she who now silently threw herself against Jun Mo Xie, shielding him from that fatal blow!
Since returning from Silver City, after Jun Mo Xie announced his betrothal to Mei Xue Yan and the Jun family demonstrated their utmost sincerity, the Snake King Qian Xun had barely spoken a single word to him.
Her entire being seemed submerged in silence; even when among the Beast Kings, she spoke little, a stark contrast to her usual disposition!
Yet, it was she who, at this most dangerous juncture between life and death, silently stepped forward to intercept!
As she landed against Jun Mo Xie, she strained her back backward with all her might, trying to maximize the distance between her chest and Jun Mo Xie’s chest, fearing the residual impact of that terrifying palm force might still harm him...
The next instant, Jun Mo Xie felt the frail body of the Snake King Qian Xun violently tremble before him. A mouthful of blood spurted out, splashing onto his face. Then, an overwhelming, mighty force, undiminished, passed through the back of her soft body, pierced through to her front, projected outward, and struck his chest fiercely!
With a sharp crack, four or five of Jun Mo Xie’s ribs shattered, and his internal organs suffered an unprecedented violent shock. He couldn't help it; his mouth turned sweet, and a mouthful of blood erupted from him with a sickening wah!
Her beautiful hair limply draped across his face before slowly sliding down. The Snake King Qian Xun’s lithe body slowly softened and collapsed. Her crystalline eyes held neither the pain of injury nor the sadness of impending death; she simply gazed silently and calmly at Jun Mo Xie's face.
From start to finish, she uttered not a single word, not a sound, just watched, before finally slowly closing her eyes...
A smile of relief touched the corner of her lips, gentle and utterly peaceful. It seemed she had confirmed that he was safe, and thus, she could depart with peace in her heart...