What if it's considered a wasteful act? What if we have no treasures left? If we cannot even handle the immediate peril before us, how could we possibly face the future!

Mei Xueyan retreated as instructed. Just as she moved aside, a chilling, lightning-fast beam descended. Where the razor-sharp edge of the Yanhuang Blood met the outermost layer of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Vein, it was like a red-hot blade slicing through frozen butter!

With a sharp swish, a piece about the length of a palm, situated at the very exterior of the vein, cleanly separated, without resistance or hesitation. It dropped down with a soft plop. Since this was only the outermost section, even being severed so brutally, there was no risk of damaging the Golden Nectar and Jade Liquid within.

Thus, Jun Moxie held no reservations!

Jun Moxie decided to see the task through completely. With a casual wave, he activated the Water element of his Five Elements Exotic Power. The spiritual energy from the Hongjun Pagoda above him instantly condensed, forming a stream of bright azure liquid that descended from the sky.

Simultaneously, Jun Moxie used the Yanhuang Blood to skillfully carve a small hole into the side of the severed piece. The condensed stream of spiritual energy poured in precisely, filling the cavity completely.

It must be understood that although the severed outer piece was only palm-sized, its cross-section spanned a full three zhang. And the small hole he drilled was several chi deep—ample for Jun Moxie’s experiment.

Mei Xueyan watched, eyes wide, as Jun Moxie resolutely waved his hand and shouted coldly, "Chaos Fire! Appear!"

Then, right at the tip of Jun Moxie's finger, a cluster of pitch-black flames burst forth with a pop, flickering silently and gently.

Jun Moxie took a deep breath, exerted massive force, and the Chaos Fire erupted with a boom, the flames surging several zhang high, burning intensely. Immediately, Jun Moxie propelled this black flame of Chaos Fire toward the cross-section with lightning speed!

The cross-section of the Spiritual Vein instantly melted, transforming entirely into a luminous ** paste, which slowly flowed down, sealing the tiny hole bit by bit......

Jun Moxie breathed a sigh of relief. With a thought, the Chaos Flame vanished from his fingertip once more. He reached out and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

How could Jun Moxie not be nervous?

If this experiment succeeded, then the Golden Nectar and Jade Liquid would practically become a treasure he could access at will. Whenever needed, all he would have to do was pierce this sealed spot and release a couple of drops. Then, reseal it using the same method, and everything would be settled!

But if this experiment ultimately failed... then the plan to enhance his strength would have to be shelved for the time being!

Gazing at the half-section of the Spiritual Vein that was now sealed, Jun Moxie inhaled deeply. Another brilliant flash of sword light appeared in the air, cleaving down!

The sword fell!

The stone split!

From the two severed sections, the crystalline paste formed from the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy began to trickle out, drop by drop, before instantly dissipating into ethereal spiritual energy, drifting into the air......

"It worked!" Jun Moxie gasped deeply, rapidly, his eyes gleaming.

"It worked?" Mei Xueyan sounded disbelieving. "Is it really possible? Are you sure? This is no ordinary substance; if there's any error..."

"There are no 'ifs'!" Jun Moxie interrupted, elated. "The reason I didn't use ordinary water just now, but expended energy to transform spiritual energy into water, was precisely to guard against any 'if'! You must understand, even the Golden Nectar and Jade Liquid is just a paste formed from Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, only with a concentration vastly higher than ordinary spiritual fluid, and possessing more subtle transformations... But, no matter how it changes, its fundamental form remains the same! It is still... paste!"

An intensely fervent light shone in Jun Moxie’s eyes as he looked at the massive Heaven and Earth Spiritual Vein before him and slowly stated, "Today's experiment has profound implications! This test demonstrates that our Jun Family will rise from this day forward, and stand eternally unshaken!"

"The spiritual energy inside the Hongjun Pagoda is over a thousand times denser than outside! The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Vein here will develop much faster! The amount of Golden Nectar and Jade Liquid inside will only increase. Even if Jun family descendants span a thousand generations, there will be enough! Once cultivation reaches a certain level, utilizing the power of a single drop of the Golden Nectar and Jade Liquid could rapidly advance them to Saint Emperor or even higher..."

"Yes. As long as you can remain here, the Jun Family will continue to prosper eternally, truly for ages upon ages." Mei Xueyan’s gaze was distant, but she raised a sharp question: "But, can you really? Besides you, who else in the Jun Family can wield your sword to cleave the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Vein, and command the Chaos Black Fire to repair the flaw? Even if someone possessed both abilities, would they possibly possess this Hongjun Pagoda!?"

Jun Moxie froze. After a long silence, he murmured, "Yes... I got carried away with excitement and indeed overlooked this most crucial point. But I... I will remain here for as long as possible, until the day I absolutely must leave!" The implied meaning in Mei Xueyan's gentle words was about the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. In her mind, even the most formidable legendary figures in this world were not immortal. She was merely pointing out this fact very subtly.

But what Jun Moxie was contemplating was something else entirely.

Certainly, in his previous life, he had never believed in gods, ghosts, or everlasting life. But in this life, especially after acquiring the Hongjun Pagoda, he believed! The facts were right before him; how could he not believe!

If his own power reached a stage where this world could no longer contain him, then he would certainly have to depart! He believed that the Nine Nether First Young Master's departure from this continent, while possibly due to boredom, must also have been influenced by the sheer magnitude of his own strength!

Perhaps those ancient legends of ascending to heaven in broad daylight were true, who knew!

Of the two severed sections of the Spiritual Vein, Jun Moxie selected one, then carefully shaved off the palm-sized core piece and handed it to Mei Xueyan: "You keep this piece. If a day comes when I am not by your side and you are injured, scrape off some powder and mix it with water to drink. This piece has a warm luster and already possesses the quality of soft jade; it is a treasure comparable to the Celestial Nectar."

Mei Xueyan agreed, taking the small piece of jade core and placing it preciously and carefully inside her robes.

Seeing her meticulous, careful manner amused Jun Moxie greatly. "You don't need to be so cautious. This is only a temporary measure. We may not be separated at all. Even if we are apart for a day or two, you might not get hurt."

"Nothing in life is absolute... Someone will always get hurt. Existing in this world, especially for those of our powerful echelon who have broken free from the constraints of law, it has always been survival of the fittest, the strong survive and the weak perish... We roll between life and death daily; how could we avoid injury?" Mei Xueyan sighed softly, her mood slightly low, forcing a smile: "The laws of you humans, and the rules of us Xuan Beasts. We have now transcended both..."

"Yes, that is how the world is!" Jun Moxie agreed with deep feeling: "Humans... are truly a strange species! Before humanity existed, everyone followed the law of the jungle: natural selection, survival of the fittest. Predation, while cruel, was the fairest system. But after humanity appeared, they began vying for power and profit. Why fight for power? Ultimately, it is still for dominance, for desire. Under this premise, laws emerged... The original intent of establishing laws was to ensure equality for all and better governance for the state... But once laws are in place, they only restrict the lowest rungs of society, the weak... achieving equality only between the weak and the weak..."

He sighed deeply and continued: "...Conversely, once one achieves a certain status or power, the rules of conduct no longer adhere to basic legal clauses; they revert to that ancient law of the jungle. The strong survive, the weak perish... Take, for instance, the conflict between the original Jun Family and Li Family of Tianxiang Kingdom, or the disputes among the major aristocratic families in the capital. What real effect do the kingdom's laws have? The most crucial factor is simply which of these aristocratic families holds greater influence..."

"As for disputes among powerful figures like those in the Holy Land of Heavenly Punishment, it is purely survival of the fittest taken to a higher degree! In essence, once a person, whether through power or personal strength, reaches a certain realm and position, they transform back into a beast! I truly wonder, then, what was the point of this civilization, this so-called equality, rule of law, struggle for power, bloodshed, and sacrifice... What meaning did it hold? Just to return, in the end, to the law of the jungle?"

Mei Xueyan smiled: "I didn't expect you to be so reflective."

"Reflection perhaps not, but the thoughts are real, and the confusion is genuine. Unfortunately, it seems no one can answer these questions for me!" Jun Moxie gave a bitter smile. "Thinking about these things makes me feel that this human world is actually quite infuriating! Those who truly need equality and fairness do not receive them; yet those who attain them ultimately discard them. Don't you think that's ironic?"

"It's not ironic! Not at all!" Mei Xueyan chuckled. "In truth, there has never been any such thing as fairness in this world. A great sage once said: 'The prince who breaks the law shall be punished the same as the commoner.' But one crucial point was omitted: the so-called laws are all created by someone. Both the one who formulates the rules and the one who enforces them enjoy privileges, large or small! This is the rule! And this rule is identical to the King's Privilege in our Heavenly Punishment Forest."

Mei Xueyan smiled charmingly. "In the Heavenly Punishment Forest, events of the strong preying on the weak happen almost daily, and we Kings never intervene. We let the lower ranks proceed as they will. We only set one rule: that wars involving entire clans are forbidden between clans! Beyond that, we interfere with nothing. But if the Kings themselves have conflicts, clan wars start as soon as they are declared—it’s simply different... Laws are naturally effective, but it depends on who violates them! The Kings of our Heavenly Punishment Forest are naturally unrestrained by the laws they establish themselves."

She glanced playfully at Jun Moxie. "In reality, humans are just another group of Xuan Beasts, a larger Heavenly Punishment Forest, nothing more! It's just that our Xuan Beast Kings' enjoyment of privilege is acknowledged and accepted by all Xuan Beasts; if your strength is inferior, you have no recourse! Moreover, every Xuan Beast, through effort, can reach that status, so there is always hope; whereas your human privileged classes are not openly acknowledged... Or perhaps, they themselves refuse to admit their privileges, constantly playing the role of those who obey the law, only doing so in such a hypocritical and shameless manner..."