To watch one's own kin suffer the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, yet remain utterly powerless to intervene; to watch one's descendants be born generation after generation, enjoying moments of romance before finally turning to dust. This cycle repeats, endlessly...

And yet, she could only stand guard over the vast heaven and earth, silently and alone, enduring day after day, year after year... perhaps even lifetime after lifetime...

For a woman of Qiao Ying's captivating beauty, how cruel a fate this was? Yet, she had no choice but to bear it! Because the War Against Heaven demanded her! All living beings required her!

If Qiao Ying had not been present for the War Against Heaven, who knows how many more people would have perished—perhaps it would have already failed once, or even more than once!

To maintain Qiao Ying’s state of mind, she usually spent these long stretches of time alone atop the Heavenly Pillar, dedicated to quiet meditation. In that high, desolate altitude, even ghosts could not reach her. Time stretched on, and she remained isolated from the world. Though she was now an old maid surpassing one thousand years, her spirit remained tranquil, as pure as ever! Alas... this venerable senior of a thousand years possessed less worldly acumen than a novice girl just stepping into society!

Because... the mortal realm existed only as a brief memory of a few short years, and those were her tender years. Ever since maturing, she had only known seclusion for practice, then the War Against Heaven, and then returning to practice again...

This time, when the Heavenly Saint Palace dispatched emissaries to secretly patrol and protect the sacred grounds, for some unknown reason, the usually conflict-averse Qiao Ying unexpectedly volunteered, and her insistence was remarkably resolute!

Prior to this, she had already spent nearly four hundred years alone on the Heavenly Pillar Mountain!

Under duress, and having learned that Qiao Ying’s Keen Eye had progressed with her cultivation to a profound, fully controllable realm, they reluctantly approved her request, dispatching two additional experts to accompany her for safety.

Qiao Ying absolutely could not be harmed!

Upon arriving in ** City, the naive Qiao Ying knew only that she must perform her duty, serving with utmost diligence. Her spiritual sense remained almost constantly tethered to the Saint Emperors of the Three Great Sacred Lands, so the moment any anomaly arose in this region, she rushed over immediately.

She arrived precisely when Jun Mo Xie had finished teasing Bai Qi Feng and stealing Hai Wu Ya’s satchel! Seeing no one physically present, yet witnessing such bizarre occurrences, she instinctively suspected the invisibility tricks of the Alien Races and activated her Keen Eye!

She witnessed the Young Master Jun’s furtive actions clearly!

While the Yin-Yang Evasion was certainly a supreme technique, if executed at a truly profound level, even the Keen Eye would be unable to detect it. However, the Young Master Jun’s current level was still too shallow. Against Qiao Ying’s Keen Eye skill, honed over more than two thousand five hundred years of formidable cultivation, even the "Evil Bar Production" Yin-Yang Passage, which never failed, finally missed its mark!

Qiao Ying grasped the crux of the situation and was just about to speak out, to expose the Young Master Jun’s scheme, when she heard a chilling voice: "Don't make a sound. If you accidentally utter even the slightest noise, this young master will be forced to crush the flower ruthlessly!"

Simultaneously, a chilling Nine Nether Blade materialized against her throat...

As soon as that voice sounded, Qiao Ying instantly knew this person was the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether, the vital threat identified by the Three Great Sacred Lands!

Qiao Ying harbored no doubt about the identity of the person behind her, for only the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether would employ such a rare and unique weapon as the Nine Nether Blade; only he carried that intensely frigid, profound Yin energy that made her profoundly uncomfortable.

And more crucially, given Qiao Ying’s inherent strength, aside from the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether, very few could possibly subdue her—even a sneak attack wouldn't work. Qiao Ying possessed that level of confidence...

And now, she had clearly fallen under the control of this greatest enemy...

This was also due to her extreme lack of martial world experience. Otherwise, even though Qiao Ying’s true power level was no match for the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether—indeed, they were not even in the same league—with over two millennia of pure cultivation, she should never have allowed someone to sneak up behind her undetected, much less be subdued so easily...

It was simply that the actions Jun Mo Xie was orchestrating, coupled with the intense heat and tense atmosphere in the room at the time, had completely captured all her attention, leaving her utterly single-minded...

Furthermore, her fury at the Young Master Jun’s treacherous behavior reached its peak, allowing the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether to subdue her so easily and silently...

"Don't move. Watch closely. Such a rare spectacle is seldom seen in a millennium. If you ruin the show, this young master will be immensely disappointed!"

The Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether stated.

Behind Qiao Ying, where she could not see, a pair of eyes gleamed with intense interest. He praised, "This kid is truly insidious and wicked. This young master simply adores him! Go on, finish off those hypocrites! Why didn't I think of such a brilliant trick myself..."

Just as Jun Mo Xie had guessed, the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether had indeed been following Jun Mo Xie. When this young man suddenly appeared by his side, how could the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether not be suspicious?

He was absolutely determined to dig up Jun Mo Xie’s origins!

Given the formidable power of the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether and the vast gap between him and Jun Mo Xie, he naturally became the only "person" in the world who could track Jun Mo Xie without the Young Master noticing...

So, the Young Master Jun played his cunning tricks upfront, and the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether followed behind him like a shadow, watching with growing delight. He felt this kid’s treachery and ruthlessness suited his own taste perfectly...

He had witnessed numerous instances where Jun Mo Xie vanished inexplicably, then successfully used his supposed 'Ethereal Physique' to turn Zhan Mu Bai and the Illusory Mansion against each other, and then even managed to incite a complete rupture between Hai Wu Ya, He Zhi Qiu, and the Illusory Mansion once more...

All these actions made the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether increasingly fascinated by this young man.

Even when he saw Jun Mo Xie brazenly using his name to intimidate Zhan Mu Bai, the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether had no intention of exposing him, watching the entire spectacle like a grand play, cheering inwardly.

Moreover, when Jun Mo Xie suddenly produced the Nine Nether Blade, the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether finally confirmed one thing: this fellow must be connected to that 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens'!

This finally made the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether understand the source of why this fellow could recognize him and possess such strangely marvelous concealment skills—it all stemmed from that 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens'!

Mentioning that name always gave the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether a slight headache...

I am ranked fourteenth, and you dare to claim the title of first? I am Nine Nether, the subterranean; you are Nine Heavens, the celestial. I am "Young Master," and you are "Lord"—damn it, you are clearly capitalizing on my reputation...

But the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether was helpless, because this name, 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens,' was reportedly "given" by members of the Three Great Sacred Lands... and the fundamental reason was actually for him! To make him aware of the name and seek out trouble with the Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens automatically...

How could the brilliant and mighty Fourteenth Young Master commit such a "low-level" error? Therefore, the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether was absolutely resolved not to! Even if he sought retribution, he would only settle accounts with the people of the Three Great Sacred Lands! They... were the main culprits...

Besides, the Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens had helped him break his seal previously. Regardless of his original intentions, he could be considered a half-benefactor. Moreover, there was an agreement between them...

And this junior currently exploiting his name to cause mayhem... could also be considered the descendant of an old acquaintance...

If for no other reason than today’s classic show, allowing this impersonation was acceptable!

If such grand dramas could occur more often... then impersonating him a few more times wouldn't matter...

What’s more, what this fellow was doing aligned perfectly with his own desires. The more thoroughly the Three Great Sacred Lands split from the Misty Illusory Mansion, the better—ideally, the Three Great Sacred Lands would then fracture amongst themselves, that would be truly exhilarating...

Then he could deal with them one by one at his leisure...

So, how could the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether allow Qiao Ying to ruin such an event?

Naturally, he could not!

Watching Jun Mo Xie cause chaos, leading the Nine Saint Emperors to turn on each other to the point of open battle, Qiao Ying was so frantic she was nearly ready to fight back desperately. At that opportune moment, the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether suddenly released her, smacked his lips twice, and said, "Evil Lord’s might is magnificent... Truly impressive. It seems this kid is quite the actor. This young master barely needs to worry about the rest; I should return to heal my injuries and prepare for the major confrontation, otherwise all this effort by the kid will be wasted..."

Saying this, the Fourteenth Young Master of Nine Nether vanished without a trace! He left behind Qiao Ying, her body nearly rigid, her teeth clenched so hard she nearly shattered them!

Eager to salvage the situation, she hastily left the city to search. By the time she found the location, the fight among the Saint Emperors was already over. As Qiao Ying hesitated over what to do next, she saw the dust-covered, foul-smelling Young Master Jun grumbling his way back...

So, Qiao Ying quietly followed behind him, intending to uncover the mastermind: she absolutely refused to believe that this callow youth could devise such a vicious scheme of incitement all by himself!

Who knew that after following the fellow for a short while, the young man completely disregarded propriety, quickly stripped naked in just a few moves, deliberately flaunted his rigidly upright bare backside, wiggled it a bit, and then plop—jumped into the water...

Qiao Ying had been following close behind him, her eyes wide open for fear of losing him. The Young Master Jun’s lightning-fast nudity was clearly and completely visible to Qiao Ying...

In the thousands of years Qiao Ying had lived, when had she ever witnessed such an extraordinary scene? In an instant, her beautiful face flushed scarlet, her body burned with fever, and she had no choice but to turn her back, cursing him countless times in her mind: Shameless! Lecher! Scoundrel! Despicable...