The people of the Holy Land clamored, demanding that the scum from the Illusionary Manor pay a heavy price. They preferred mutual destruction to swallowing this insult. Compared to this sudden conflict, the news about the Fourteen Youths of the Underworld that Zhan Mubai had revealed was less attention-grabbing at this moment; everyone's focus was entirely on the dispute between the Illusionary Manor and the Holy Land!

Many radical Saints were indignant and immediately prepared to confront those seven individuals from the Ethereal Illusionary Manor! So what if they were from the Illusionary Manor? So what if they had a Saint Emperor? How dare they bully people like this!

Fueled by the uproar, Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu, though they hadn't been at a disadvantage in the previous fight, still felt deeply frustrated, as their lifelong divine weapons had just been lost. Zhan Mubai was boiling with anger, and the three Saint Emperors rallied their forces, ready to depart!

In any case, the matter had already been reported to the high echelon of the Holy Land. How things would proceed from now on would be decided by the higher-ups! The Illusionary Manor had bullied them to the extreme, even using despicable means to take their weapons—it was like someone defecating right on their heads! Did he really value his life so little?

And so, they prepared to march out!

But at the critical juncture, two mysterious figures suddenly appeared and forcibly halted the entire operation. Otherwise, one could imagine that the City of ** would truly be littered with corpses tonight... These people were completely capable of detonating the entire ** City! Making the entire ** City fly into the sky...

When those two mysterious figures went to the Illusionary Manor to demand an explanation, they discovered that Cao Guofeng and the others from the Illusionary Manor had already vanished silently beforehand... They had evacuated the City of ** at the first moment!

They didn't even have time to receive news that the Fourteen Youths of the Underworld were currently in the City of **.

They even abandoned their primary mission for this trip!

And with their departure, the misunderstanding between the Holy Land and the Illusionary Manor was bound to be irresolvable in the short term, and it was even likely to lead to some unwelcome developments...

At this time, Qiao Ying, the only one who knew the inside story, was confronting Jun Moxie in the desolate wilderness! By the time she returned, too much time would have already passed... Moreover, if Jun Moxie didn't return with her, even if she were willing to explain everything, few would likely believe her...

Within Jukui City, the three major Holy Lands temporarily held unified dominion!

Thus, the alliance between these two great powers, which had persisted for a hundred thousand years, had, on the surface, completely shattered!

Another thing that the people of the Three Holy Lands could not tolerate was the increasingly indifferent attitude of the Chen family...

Chen Qingtian, influenced by Chen Chen and coupled with the recent tragic death of his second son, followed by being harshly berated by Zhan Mubai, made it clear that the Three Holy Lands merely viewed his family as a supply station, or perhaps a fat sheep... one whose status was exceedingly low!

This left Chen Qingtian, who had always taken pride in relying on the Holy Land, utterly disheartened. And an event that followed pushed Chen Qingtian to the peak of grief and indignation: Not a single person from the Three Holy Lands attended his own son's funeral!

This truly was intolerable!

How did my son die? Wasn't it because of the collateral damage from the battle between you so-called transcendent experts and immortals? His body was mangled beyond recognition! Now that he is dead, not a single one of you has shown up at the funeral to offer a single word of comfort!

Even if just one Supreme Being had come... it would have been a show of respect.

In the past, if this matter had happened, Chen Qingtian would have understood: the lowest-ranking individuals sent by the Three Holy Lands this time were Saint-level experts! What standing did his son have compared to such beings?... They simply wouldn't take him to heart!

The funeral of a mere youth—wouldn't it be an overreaction to dispatch a Saint for that? In fact, if the Three Holy Lands had truly sent someone, the Chen family would have been overwhelmed with gratitude and uneasy about it!

But the same event, under the current circumstances... carried a vastly different meaning!

Not only did no one attend the funeral, but not a single person came to console him, this pitiful father sending his white hair before his black hair, not even a single word!

Chen Qingtian was utterly disheartened! He even felt a sense of listlessness, a loss of the will to live. He felt that all his years of effort had been a massive, unfunny joke!

And given the patriarch's mood, how could the attitude of everyone in the Chen family be any better? Naturally, they were lukewarm and merely going through the motions...

As a result, the Chen family was preoccupied with the funeral arrangements and naturally had no time to entertain the esteemed figures from the Three Holy Lands... While the experts felt even more depressed and anxious, they were powerless. All they could do was wait for the assassins from the Dongfang family to arrive quickly so they could all leave this place.

They increasingly realized that the mortal world seemed more unfamiliar... What a massive transformation!

That night, the Chen family patriarch, Chen Qingtian, met secretly with his eldest son, Chen Chen, in the study...

The patriarch of a generation having to arrange a secret meeting just to speak with his own son—Chen Qingtian's tenure as patriarch had become somewhat pathetic...

"Chen'er, the Chen family is finished now," Chen Qingtian’s opening words startled Chen Chen! He looked up at his father's grim face, and a deep gloom radiated from Chen Qingtian.

"So, you must leave this place! Chen'er, you are the only hope for Chen Ji... Get far away from this vortex as soon as possible! As long as you remain, our Chen family still has a chance to rise again!" Chen Qingtian spoke with dull, disheartened eyes.

"Father, although our Chen family's situation is difficult, and we still lag behind some super families, ... it hasn't reached the point of annihilation yet, has it?" Chen Chen did not understand.

"It's already over! Ever since the old ancestor Chen Chong perished, our Chen family was declared defunct! For years, under the protection of our Old Ancestor, we lived peacefully; but we were always far weaker than the Zhan family just a city away... We families are merely vassals of the Holy Land; we seem powerful, but the moment the Holy Land abandons us, we become worthless!"

"Now that the Old Ancestor is dead, our Chen family has become bait. Bait to lure the Dongfang family into the trap. Chen'er, you know what the word 'bait' means... Whether the fish takes the hook or not, the bait is merely an ornament. If the fish does bite, the bait is the first thing to be swallowed..."

"I always hoped that this would be an opportunity for the Three Holy Lands to notice us, that even if we were sacrificed as bait, our Chen family might gain some regard from the Holy Land... Now, I realize I was wrong! The Holy Land will never truly see families like ours; even if a hundred such families are sacrificed, as long as it serves the Holy Land's purpose, it is enough. As for these families... they are destined to be sacrificed!"

Chen Qingtian spoke in a low voice, his face ashen.

“So you finally admit that in your heart, you secretly think I’m an old hag!” Cheng Xueyan roared, exerting a sudden force on his finger; Jun Dashao felt his ear was about to come off, tilting his head and shouting, “I didn’t… no, no… how could anyone compare to my Xueyan? Xueyan is so beautiful, so young, so lovely… as flawless as the bright moon in the Ninth Heaven, like the gentle rain bringing life…”

The flattering words gushed from Jun Moxu’s mouth, truly unending like the surging Yangtze River…

But the more he spoke, the more his ear throbbed in pain. Clearly, Mei Xueyan was genuinely angry this time, leaving him sweating profusely with anxiety… Even the Heaven-Forging Creation Technique, no matter how powerful, hadn't reached the stage where severed ears could simply regrow…

Or perhaps, reaching a profound level of cultivation granted such miraculous abilities? Alas, his current awareness hadn't reached that point yet…”

After half an hour of breathless explanation, Mei Xueyan finally released his suffering ear. Her lingering anger still evident, she sat aside with her cheeks puffed out.

Jun Moxie rubbed his nose, shamelessly sitting down next to her. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils, a shameless grin spreading across his face, “Xueyan smells simply divine; even inhaling your scent makes my heart relax and my spirit refresh… hehe…”

“Cut the nonsense and tell me what happened!” she demanded, her face stiff and cold.

“Yes, your husband obeys!” Jun Moxu hurriedly agreed.

“Hmph! Who’s your husband!” Mei Xueyan scolded playfully, a blush creeping onto her face.

Jun Moxie finally breathed a huge sigh of relief! It was finally clearing up after the storm, oh heavens above…”

Jun Dashao felt that what he had just said held no hidden meaning, so why had he suddenly offended her? It seemed this woman's anger truly had no rhyme or reason…”

His mind settled, he began recounting the recent difficulties, revealing everything. When he mentioned Qiao Ying, Jun Moxie chuckled twice, finding that girl far too innocent…

First Release

“You said that woman’s name is Qiao Ying?” Mei Xueyan suddenly interrupted him, her eyes wide.

“My mental state isn’t great today, sigh, there are always a few days every month when the heart feels inexplicably troubled.”