"The shifting of active and passive roles, of subject and object... Hiss~" Qu Wuhui sucked in a sharp breath, staring wide-eyed at the battle unfolding, his disbelief palpable. "How can this be? How is this possible? Has the devil truly shown himself?" The Seven Fiends Battle Array, locked in a stalemate, surged like tidal waves, cresting higher and higher with the ebb and flow of the celestial ocean. Meanwhile, the seven figures in black, maneuvering within a tight, strangely shaped perimeter, remained as immovable as reefs against the shore!

Or perhaps it was more apt to say they were like an impossibly grand mountain range encircled by an endless sea, yet always maintaining a sharp, unyielding peak that was never fully submerged!

But a closer look revealed that although the Seven Fiends Battle Array commanded over ninety percent of the offensive momentum, seemingly suffocating the opponents and on the verge of drowning the seven-person alliance, the opposing group remained unshakable as Mount Tai! There was no hint of actual danger; moreover, as the Seven Fiends relentlessly attacked, the strikes from the Seven Star Battle Array invariably targeted where the enemy must defend, forcing the Seven Fiends to cut their offensive moves halfway through to retreat and guard themselves... Yet, the opponents never seized the opportunity to counterattack, instead maintaining a purely defensive posture, seemingly intending to drag the fight out indefinitely... This resulted in a bizarre spectacle where both sides attacked each other’s vital points while simultaneously defending, leading to the incredible scenario where the seven long swords and seven great sabers had never once made contact since the battle began.

However, if one followed the entire sequence of events with genuine attention, one would be horrified to realize: the side holding the initiative was absolutely not the fiercely aggressive Seven Fiends Battle Array, resembling raging surf, but those seven figures in black, occupying peculiar positions and forming an uncanny formation!

Or perhaps it should be stated this way: initially, the fierce assault of the Seven Fiends Battle Array did indeed hold the upper hand, but once the opponents' Seven Star Big Dipper Array slowly unfolded, the situation had already leveled; and then, with every subtle shift in the battle's dynamics, the initiative had quietly slipped into the hands of the other side... Yet, they never launched an offensive, only held their ground, creating a fundamental misconception in everyone observing... Consequently, in terms of the outcome, the progression of these three formations remained identical: each one skirted defeat, then turned the tables for victory, perfectly mirroring the others, with no novelty whatsoever!

The Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master chuckled, looking at Jun Moxie. "Hey, Young Master Jun, where in the blazes did you pick up these bizarre formations? This Young Master guesses your mysterious master taught them to you, right?" The moment these words left his mouth, the three Guardians, already reeling from shock, were stunned once again!

"Brother Fourteen, do you know who his master is? Or perhaps, you actually know his master?" Cheng Yinxiao's eyes flickered as he asked calmly.

Jun Moxie's master had always been a colossal enigma! No matter how prodigious one was, one could not achieve such mastery without guidance! Jun Moxie's master must be an earth-shattering figure. Yet, everyone knew this, but racking their brains yielded nothing—someone capable of refining such miraculous elixirs, of training such a miraculous disciple, and now, possibly the true owner of these miraculous formations—who could this great power be?

During this time, the Celestial Sacred Palace had analyzed nearly all master profiles from the last three thousand years, rejecting every single one. The depth of this person's foundation was endless, too profound, so potent that no known figure could match it... Now, hearing the tone of the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master, it sounded as if he had some insight. How could the three not be intensely curious?

The Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master offered a noncommittal smile. "This kid's master... owes me a massive favor, and yet I can't find an opportunity to repay it. How frustrating! Someone capable of frustrating this Young Master—what kind of person do you think he is?" The three Guardians sucked in a collective cold breath: someone whom the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master owed such an irredeemable debt... what sort of entity could they be? Seeing that the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master was speaking evasively, clearly unwilling to elaborate, their curiosity soared.

"Brother Fourteen, this master of the Lord of Evil... how much of your own power do you estimate he possesses? And compared to us?" Qu Wuhui asked with meticulous care.

This question made the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master hesitate, as in that brief encounter, even he hadn't fully grasped the actual level of strength possessed by that 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens, the Master of the Underground Secrets.' But one thing was certain: ~~}Fastest Update!］He was absolutely no weaker than himself!

He pondered for a long time before stating, "He is certainly stronger than any of you. As for comparing with me, that's truly hard to say. That person's power is profound and unfathomable... I genuinely lack the confidence to defeat him! Even in a fight to the death, where neither would yield... I wouldn't be certain I could kill him!" The three Guardians could tell the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master was speaking the absolute truth; these were words from the depths of his heart. But precisely because of this, the Three Great Guardians' expressions turned ghastly!

An existence the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master lacked confidence to overcome... Did that not mean this person's strength might surpass even the Fourteenth Young Master's? Coupled with his alchemy skills and the wondrous formations witnessed today, what manner of supreme expert was this?

This... this... Such a figure exists in the world? How could we have lived over a thousand years and never heard of him?

No wonder Jun Moxie's cultivation advanced with the speed of light—he truly had such a heaven-defying master!

The fact that the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master adamantly refused to disclose the mysterious person's actual name only deepened the enigma surrounding Jun Moxie's master!

Just then, Young Master Jun seized the opportune moment to inquire, "Senior, you know my master? You have met him?"

The Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master snorted coldly. "Met him? More than met him! Your despicable master left me a huge mess of tangled accounts I haven't settled yet! Playing cryptic games, acting mysterious, putting on airs! This Young Master despises him! I scorn association with him! To be frank, encountering your unlucky master was the worst luck this Young Master has ever had! Damn it all, spit..." The Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master spoke with immense resentment, even tinged with a hint of grievance... exactly like a peasant forced to settle a debt by loan sharks... But hearing this, Jun Moxie immediately realized the fellow seemed to have misunderstood... mistaking that 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens' for his master, instead of truly uncovering his own foundation.

It was a beautiful misunderstanding! This was the legendary 'mistake turning out right'!

Through this exchange, Young Master Jun instantly grasped the source of the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master's ire... In truth, since the Fourteenth Young Master had previously tracked Jun Moxie, he was familiar with his elusive movement techniques. Therefore, following the trail logically led him to that inscrutable 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens.'

Furthermore, given Jun Moxie's extremely young age and his own cultivation being beneath the notice of the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master, in the eyes of this great eccentric, that "Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens" was likely on par with, or even slightly superior to, himself—a peerless expert—and certainly not someone of merely "humble" Saint Emperor cultivation!

Thus, he naturally concluded that Young Master Jun was the disciple of that "mysterious high-level master"!

In fact, based on conventional logic, this was the most sound deduction! Generally, observing a thousand or ten thousand people this way, the lineage and sect would be inescapable... But Young Master Jun was a born anomaly, that one in a billion!

Jun Moxie certainly had no intention of explaining away this splendid opportunity... A misunderstanding? Perfect! After all, that 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens' had indeed done the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master a huge favor that day; this was an immense debt of gratitude!

For a proud eccentric as extreme as the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master, owing someone a favor was an incredibly difficult matter... Although if the Fourteenth Young Master were to meet the 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens,' he might very well debate the origin of that "awkward" nickname, even if he owed him a favor; but facing Jun Moxie, he could not. Jun Moxie was a junior... and the disciple of his benefactor, so he couldn't stand by and watch him bullied in front of him. Playing the role of a 'babysitter' was unavoidable, especially since the young man's enemies appeared to be his own... Hence the current situation where the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master was backing Jun Moxie... And even more interestingly, with this layer of misunderstanding, the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master supporting Jun Moxie became an act divorced from personal obligation, making it entirely proper... If he took care of him without personal ties, he wouldn't feel the need to boast about it, but if he didn't, he'd feel uneasy, and he'd lose face when he next encountered the 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens'... So, the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master stepped in today as a vexed 'babysitter.' Of course, if he knew the truth—that Jun Moxie was the so-called 'Number One Lord of the Nine Heavens'—he would undoubtedly beat the lad into a pulp immediately! But alas, he didn't know, and perhaps never would in this lifetime... Of course, if Young Master Jun felt his own power had risen to the same level as the Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master, he might reveal the truth, because at that point, Jun Moxie wouldn't fear being turned into a pulp... The Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master was enduring this obligation with suppressed anger and reluctance... but Jun Moxie was secretly thrilled and utterly secure!

While the two were speaking, the faces of the Three Great Guardians grew progressively grim. The reason was simple: the situation in the field was gradually shifting to a disadvantage for the Sacred Land... The Ninth Netherworld Fourteenth Young Master glanced at Qu Wuhui, and his mood finally improved slightly: Qu Wuhui's face now bore no trace of his earlier smugness; it was as dark as the bottom of a cooking pot!

Swallowing a thousand live earthworms, and having dug each one out himself, oh heavens! Thinking of that wager, Qu Wuhui felt a profound sense of wishing for death and weeping without tears!... Jun Moxie looked toward the center of the fray, his heart rising slightly in tension. The situation remained one where the Seven Fiends Battle Array pressed the attack, while the Seven Star Big Dipper Array, formed by the seven members belonging to the Remnant Heaven Soul Devourers, operated with increasing fluidity and naturalness. Moreover, with every subtle shift and evasion, faint starlight drifted out, and their forms began to take on an increasingly ethereal and illusory quality... Clearly, the decisive blow that would determine victory or defeat, life or death, was imminent!