The efficacy of that drop of Golden Essence and Jade Fluid was far beyond what these two could withstand, vastly exceeding their limits!

The current situation was undoubtedly extremely perilous; should either one fail to endure this ferocious surge of spiritual power, the other would detonate simultaneously, leaving not even bone fragments behind! As it stood, the four hands of the two individuals formed a circulatory loop for their true qi, within which the immense spiritual energy flowed at breakneck speed, now inseparable…

This was a crisis hanging by a thread!

And at this very moment, the Hongjun Pagoda suddenly erupted in a brilliant, spontaneous radiance, projecting dazzling seven-colored light. Then, an ancient yet magnificent power slowly diffused outward, enveloping the bodies of the two, shielding them…

It seemed, tinged with a distinct reluctance…

This was Jun Moxie’s 'Heart's Eye' ability at work.

He had long ago calculated that if the two of them truly reached the final moment where they could not bear it and were about to explode and die, the Hongjun Pagoda would certainly protect its master, but it would only safeguard him, utterly ignoring whether Mei Xueyan lived or died!

Therefore, the instant he stooped down and sensed potential danger, he had already joined bodies with Mei Xueyan for dual cultivation, weaving their spiritual powers into a single entity!

This way, if the Hongjun Pagoda wished to save him, it would have to save Mei Xueyan as well!

And if it dared not save him… Hmph, would it even dare not to?

This was why Young Master Jun dared to brazenly initiate this advancement process—entirely because he had the formidable backing of the Hongjun Pagoda!

Otherwise… how would Jun Moxie dare to rashly ingest the Golden Essence and Jade Fluid, a substance that could cause an Immortal to explode and die from a single drop? Was he tired of living…?

Naturally, he could not tell Mei Xueyan the complete truth; otherwise, this girl would certainly never permit him to take such a risk. She was unaware of the absolute certainty he held in his own grasp…

The only path was to present her with a fait accompli—advance first, and talk later… deal with the consequences as they came…

Time slipped by, both quickly and slowly, exactly seven days having passed since the annihilation of the entire Chen family.

** City displayed an unusual calm, without wind or waves, still presenting a scene of prosperity. It wasn't entirely true that no one noticed that the once arrogant and overbearing Chen family had somehow vanished without a trace during this period, stirring no ripples. But certainly, no one could have imagined that the true authority figure of ** City, the entire Chen clan, had already surrendered their souls to the netherworld…

Now, the grand residence of the Chen family had long been occupied by Zhan Mubai and the others, who settled in with surprising ease and complete complacency. These individuals had spent hundreds of years living amidst slaughter; for them, killing a few people, so long as it was for the future of the Three Great Sacred Lands, which equated to the future of humanity, the future of the Profound Profound Continent, was entirely just! It was honorable and upright!

What was the significance of killing a few people? Especially when they were merely a vassal family akin to household servants? Killing them was nothing! ⊥⊥⊥First⊥⊥⊥Release⊥

As for taking up residence in the victim's home after the massacre, this was something they were utterly accustomed to. If there was any slight displeasure, it was perhaps only the inconvenience of having no readily available servants to command, forcing them to attend to chores themselves. But for 'reclusive' masters such as they, the luxuries of the mundane world held little appeal anyway.

Of course, not everyone felt such peace of mind; there was one person tormented during this period, and this sole exception was… Qiao Ying.

This Lady Rakshasa of the Keen Eye, possessing profound profound arts and astonishing strength, had lost a full circle in her girth over these seven days!

While others could justify their actions as righteous, eat, drink, and sleep without the slightest psychological burden, Qiao Ying could not…

Beauty Qiao possessed the divine ability of the Keen Eye, and this time, its effect had become even more pronounced. Furthermore, the information it yielded was one hundred percent negative.

Because, the moment Qiao Ying opened her eyes, all she saw was the wailing, accusing, bleeding, and weeping spirits of the entire Chen family… Every night, countless specters darted through the Chen residence, angrily condemning the people of the Sacred Lands.

Zhan Mubai’s room and its vicinity were nearly overflowing with them.

However, their enemy was too formidable. When alive, they were powerless to resist; now as ghosts, they were equally helpless. The potent profound energy and Profound Yang force of a Saint-level expert was the bane of any ghostly entity; proximity meant instant annihilation.

Others could not see them, but that did not mean Qiao Ying could not! Not only could she see them, but she could also hear them! Yet, she possessed no means to counter them. Had she been ruthless, unleashing her own potent Profound Yang force would have utterly obliterated these vengeful souls. But being kind-hearted, how could she do that? Moreover, this entire affair was Zhan Mubai’s fault! Thus, she could only watch helplessly as those countless spirits drifted back and forth, uttering mournful cries…

In truth, if Qiao Ying simply shut off her Keen Eye ability, she would naturally see nothing; but… once one has seen and heard everything before their eyes, who could bear to stop? The more she looked, the colder her heart became, and the colder her heart grew, the more irresistibly she felt compelled to keep looking…

During this time, by unilaterally observing the vengeful spirits, Qiao Ying finally grasped the true reason for the Chen family's demise, which filled her with inexpressible anger toward Zhan Mubai’s actions!

Even if the leading figures of the Chen family had committed heinous crimes, at most, only a handful were truly guilty. Even if the entire clan had to be wiped out as a warning, it should not have involved the ordinary servants and laborers… Yet Zhan Mubai had been so ruthless as to eradicate them all…

Consequently, during this period, Qiao Ying had proposed more than once to subdue Zhan Mubai and punish him severely! A life for a life, a debt paid in blood, to warn the members of the Three Great Sacred Lands against acting so wantonly, disregarding justice! But the two Guardians accompanying her absolutely refused to agree.

After all, Zhan Mubai was a Saint Emperor level expert of the Three Great Sacred Lands, a great contributor to defending the Profound Profound Continent, and a vital fighting force in the Heaven-Seizing War.

To demand a life for the killing of a few mortals… was that not too preposterous? This suggestion seemed absurd!

In her fury, Qiao Ying immediately brought up the Chen family issue and moved to an inn alone.

To be honest, during this time, the personnel from the Three Great Sacred Lands were also finding every day to be like a year: Where were the assassins from the Dongfang Family and those mysterious masters who had caused trouble earlier? Why was there not the slightest movement?

Heck, even if they showed up to cause a ruckus, just letting us know you still exist without being caught… that would be something!

They were anxious, and those lying in wait for Dongfang Wenqing were even more so. They had been stuck in that hidden location for over ten days. Jun Moxie had only shown his face for the first few days; for the last seven, there had been absolutely no news of him. To put it bluntly, he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth—no sight, no body…

And Young Master Jun’s last instruction was a single word: Wait!

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Until which year, which month? This little bastard! What kind of trick is this? When he comes back, wait till I beat his backside to a pulp!”

Don't be fooled by Elder Master Dongfang’s extreme anger and vehement words; he understood the current situation perfectly and absolutely dared not act rashly. Because he was not alone here; his impulsiveness and disregard for his own life were his own affair, but implicating so many people to die with him, especially since the vast majority here were not from the Dongfang Family… This was Elder Master Dongfang’s greatest concern. Thus, no matter how stifled or helpless he felt, he could only continue to wait…

As time flew by, news arrived successively: all the previously confirmed targets, other than this location, had been successfully assassinated.

The assassins affiliated with the Dongfang Family had already returned to the Dongfang Family to report their missions. As for the members of Jun Moxie’s Heaven-Shattering Soul Devourers and those few top assassins, they had all dispersed and gradually infiltrated ** City.

Dongfang Wenqing even knew that these people were definitely inside ** City now; but exactly where they were, he had no idea. However, Elder Master Dongfang found this truly miraculous. Although ** City was not his territory, his intelligence network was usually quite effective. Yet these people entered from all directions, then, like a drop of water melting into the ocean, vanished without a trace instantly—and it wasn't just one or two people! His side was completely clueless… How did they manage this?

Although ** City was not small, it certainly wasn't vast… The people from the Three Great Sacred Lands were constantly sweeping the area with divine sense probes and other methods, yet they hadn't caught a single one? It seemed that this nephew of his had some real talent among his subordinates, and several layers of it at that!

Thinking of that kid Moxie, he couldn't help but wonder what the brat had been doing these past few days? It was driving him crazy!

Currently, it wasn't just Elder Master Dongfang who was anxious; the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master also felt a degree of agitation.

This lunatic had been craning his neck every day, waiting: My injuries have recovered to the level they were when I broke the Heavenly Punishment Seal, fully capable of handling many battles, but why has that 'Lord' sent no word?

Why don't you cause more trouble? You finally managed to shatter the alliance between those two factions; why did you go silent at this critically important juncture? What are you afraid of? Don't you have me behind you?

It was truly frustrating. The great opportunity he had intended to seize, utilizing the momentum provided by this kid to strike a heavy blow against the Three Great Sacred Lands, now seemed destined to end with nothing more than a long sigh.

Another two days passed…

Even the Saint Emperors belonging to the Three Great Sacred Lands were losing their patience.

Deep into the night, the entirety of ** City was quiet. In the study that once belonged to Chen Qingtian of the Chen family, candlelight flickered…

Hai Wuya held a cup of hot tea, frowning, "Are we being played? Could it be that those people are not here at all, and all their actions were just a diversion, and they have already gone elsewhere? And most importantly, the stated purpose of their visit was that damned Chen Qingtian. Now that Chen Qingtian is dead, will they simply pack up and leave?"

"No, absolutely not." Zhan Mubai sat upright. The events of these past few days had changed the benevolent-looking, immortal-featured Saint Emperor somewhat; a faint trace of hostility now subtly veiled his formerly serene countenance. "Since they stirred up such a large disturbance, and came in so brazenly, they will certainly not withdraw empty-handed. Those hidden in the shadows are deeply malicious; their true target was never the Chen family, but us from the very beginning! Now that we are here, how could they possibly withdraw?"

"Brother Zhan speaks correctly! During this period, we have strictly controlled the four city gates, with Saints guarding the concealed areas near the gates every day. While a few people with suspicious behavior have entered, absolutely none of them have been seen leaving!" He Zhi Qiu said grimly, "So, they must still be within this city! We simply don't know where they are hiding. For now, we don't need to do anything; we just need to wait quietly until they can no longer bear the pressure and reveal themselves! We are currently conserving our energy, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out."

He smiled proudly, "Originally, with our current strength, even conserving energy and waiting was unnecessary. We believed no matter what trick they played, it wouldn't affect us, nor would any accident occur. We just needed to wait for the decisive battle. After this battle concludes, we will patiently wait for the Heaven-Seizing War. That will also require patient waiting… It's better to wait now, at least it gives us something to do. It's certainly better than being stuck on the mountain, enduring the passage of time."

Zhan Mubai and Hai Wuya both laughed.

Just then, suddenly! A scream, exquisitely piercing, tore through the pitch-black sky!

In this eerie, pervasive silence, that extremely sharp shriek was like a lightning bolt splitting the deep night, sending chills down everyone’s spine! The despair within the scream, indicative of suffering beyond the limits of life, made one's back crawl with numbness!

Everyone felt a sudden chill run down their spine… What happened?

Moreover, although this horrifying cry was the final lament uttered at the moment of death, the person screaming it was clearly a master! Even one of the foremost masters of this age! Because this scream was clearly audible throughout the entire ** City!

An owner of such profound mastery had certainly reached the level of a Saint-level expert!

But once such a sound was emitted, whether from a chicken or a Saint, there was absolutely no chance of survival remaining!

Zhan Mubai and the other two Saint Emperors simultaneously stood up with a flash, exchanging glances with grave expressions.

"That is Xia Dongting's voice!" Hai Wuya provided a definitive answer, his facial muscles twitching, the pupils of his eyes wide open, shooting out two sharp beams of cold light. The fury in his heart had clearly reached its absolute limit!

Xia Dongting, a master-level expert affiliated with the Dreamlike Blood Sea, whose profound arts were utterly divine, had actually emitted such a death-throes scream!

"Go! Quickly!" Zhan Mubai’s aura instantly surged, and with a "swoosh," he vanished from the study, immediately followed by Hai Wuya and He Zhi Qiu disappearing at the same instant…

In the study, the red candle burned quietly, its flame steady. The departure of the three was so swift that the flame didn't even flicker once…

An extreme bloodbath, heralded by that high-pitched scream, had just drawn the curtain on a merciless massacre!