"Fourteen... today's sudden realization is truly earth-shattering!" Qu Wuhui bowed respectfully toward the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master, sincerely stating, "If the Holy Lands still have a future... it will all be thanks to the words you spoke today, Brother Fourteen! Though we are on opposing sides, this kindness, this favor, this old man will forever engrave in his heart! Even if one day I strike you down, I will still carve Brother Fourteen's name upon the monument of the Heavenly Saint Palace ancestors!" The Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master laughed, finding it both funny and exasperating, "With the three great Holy Lands as you are now, you think you can kill me... Is that possible? Qu Wuhui, stop dreaming! Also, don't sully my esteemed name; carving my name on the ancestral monument, are you thanking me? You are insulting me!" "Whether it's dreaming or not can be discussed later;" Qu Wuhui chuckled, then gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, deciding to go all in, "For the words spoken today by Brother Fourteen, those thousand earthworms... this old man... I'll eat them!" "Oh? So you originally intended to renege on the bet?" The Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master appraised him up and down meaningfully, "As expected of someone from the three great Holy Lands; you actually dare to welch on my wager. What they say about a crooked beam resulting in crooked rafters—today I have truly seen it..." Qu Wuhui's old face flushed red, and he immediately burst into playful curses. At this moment, Qiao Ying and Cheng Yinshao also bowed toward the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master, grateful for his counsel.

The Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master sighed, "I never imagined that my casual words would end up benefiting my opponents..." Everyone chuckled, but the hearts of Qu Wuhui and the other two were extremely heavy: what the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master spoke of was a genuine, existing problem. And the situation had indeed deteriorated to a terrible degree; how could they possibly reverse it now?

The three frowned and pondered for a long time, finding no solution... They all sighed simultaneously... Qu Wuhui listlessly announced, "The third round, the Evil Monarch's side emerges victorious!" Jun Moxie chuckled, watching his seven subordinates return to their formation, then turned and smiled at Qu Wuhui, "Senior Qu, thank you for conceding. That Exquisite Lotus... at least half of it now belongs to this junior!" His words were clearly a reply to what Qu Wuhui had just said. But precisely now, Qu Wuhui had nothing to say; the facts were already established, what more could he utter?

Forcing a defense now would only bring greater humiliation; the reputation of the three great Holy Lands, and indeed the Heavenly Saint Palace itself, had been utterly disgraced today! Out of a total of six rounds, the opponent had already consecutively swept three! To say they had already secured half the wager would be the most conservative estimation!

Qiao Ying pondered deeply for a moment, then suddenly declared, "Jun Moxie, there is no need to continue the battle sequence. In today's contest, our side yields! We, the Holy Lands, admit defeat! We accept the loss and will certainly hand over the wagered Exquisite Lotus on schedule. Let this matter be concluded, how about it?"

Qiao Ying was clearly an astute person, perceptive and sharp. Based on the previous three matches, she had carefully calculated the situation; all signs indicated that the current battle progression was utterly bizarre! If the Holy Lands sent three people, Jun Moxie had a three-person formation waiting; if they sent five, he had an exquisite five-person formation prepared. Send seven, and the same applied!

Although three rounds remained, the confidence of the three Guardians had completely eroded. The strength of Jun Moxie's contingent was simply too anomalous. In any of the three waves of combatants sent out for the first three rounds, the inherent power of the individuals sent by them was clearly inferior to those dispatched by the Holy Lands—in fact, they were lacking by more than a mere margin, whether in profound skills, cultivation base, or state of mind.

Yet, by relying on those three mysterious formations, they managed to turn certain defeat into absolute victory, with the final outcome of every battle being the complete annihilation of the opponent while their own side retreated unscathed!

If one extrapolates from this, the conclusion is not difficult to draw: since Jun Moxie possesses a three-person formation, a five-person formation, and a seven-person formation, would the existence of other multi-person formations be surprising?

Even if the Holy Lands sent ten people, or perhaps twenty, one could assume Jun Moxie would still have corresponding counter-formations, and their power would only grow stronger. The chance of victory for the Holy Lands was slim to the point of near non-existence! Especially the final round, where He Zhiqiu was set to duel Jun Moxie. Judging by the previous match between Hai Wuya and Mei Xueyan, He Zhiqiu stood no chance whatsoever!

Therefore, to continue the fight—wouldn't the experts of the Holy Lands merely be throwing their lives away like moths to a flame? If all six rounds were fought to completion, the likely outcome would be all six rounds lost, all participating members dead, and still having to forfeit the Exquisite Lotus wager! It held absolutely no practical meaning!

That is why Qiao Ying immediately proposed halting the final battle!

Undoubtedly, her decision was correct, and indeed, extremely sagacious. Cheng Yinshao and Qu Wuhui had also noticed this phenomenon. It was just that, constrained by their status, they found it difficult to voice it. For Qiao Ying to bring it up, however, was entirely excusable... because Qiao Ying was a woman, giving her a congenital advantage in this regard... While men surely could not go back on their word, women could... This was fundamentally the inherent privilege of women; even if that woman held an extremely high status, or was an ancient monster over a thousand years old, she was still a woman—no one could dispute that—so she could enjoy this privilege!

Of course, the faces of the two great men seemed to flush slightly in secret... But, a blush... was surely better than dozens of living souls turning into a pool of crimson blood, wasn't it?

"Halt this battle? Concede? Give me the Exquisite Lotus, and we just call it a day?" Jun Moxie froze, utterly stunned. At this moment, his thoughts were not focused on this matter at all.

At this instant, his spirit was wandering elsewhere, contemplating another matter: "Jianghu Enforcers!" When the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master unintentionally uttered these five words, Jun Moxie's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. This was an entirely novel term! He hadn't expected the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master to possess such insight... Or perhaps it was merely an idle remark, but it resonated profoundly with the listener. These five words, hitting Jun Moxie's ears, caused a profound stir.

I have never considered ruling the world, nor do I desire to dominate all living beings, but... I shall be the one who establishes the rules!

If rules are to be established, then enforcers must exist!

Jianghu Enforcers!

This shall be a transcendent force, existing both within and outside the martial world!

Once these rules are successfully established, their status will be even more revered than that of the current three great Holy Lands!

And the prerequisite for all of this is only one thing: first, subdue! Or utterly annihilate! the three great Holy Lands!

As he was lost in these thoughts, Qiao Ying happened to propose terminating the final battle at this very moment. This caused his mind to momentarily fail to process the information; looking at Qiao Ying, he only managed to utter a couple of choked sounds, "...Uh... ah..."

But to outside observers, it appeared as though this rogue was staring at Qiao Ying with shining eyes, momentarily so captivated by her beauty that he was stunned speechless... so much so that he would agree to any demand she made just to appease the beauty... Not only were everyone else taken aback, even Mei Xueyan, witnessing his blatant display of rogue behavior, felt a strong urge to firmly twist his ear several times... What kind of person was he, sputtering "Ah ah, uh uh" at the sight of a beautiful woman? Wasn't that embarrassing!

"Good! Since Young Master Jun has no objections, then this matter is settled. This final battle concludes here!" Qiao Ying stated with an air of irrefutable authority.

But her statement was immediately met with resistance from three different quarters.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean I have no objections? Did I express any opinion just now?" Jun Moxie looked vexed. Even if you are a woman and possess the prerogative of sophistry, you cannot draw conclusions on my behalf so rashly! While you are a woman, you are hardly my woman! "Fight to the death, until neither side yields; the battle is only halfway done, why stop now? Perhaps your Holy Lands might rally in the next three rounds and stage a desperate counterattack!" The Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master was clearly very displeased. Having watched the experts of the three great Holy Lands spill their blood and lie dead, which was a rare spectacle of delight for him, how could he allow it to be canceled so abruptly? Naturally, he would not step aside, even uttering words he himself didn't believe with conviction!

"That's right! We haven't lost yet! The battle is currently only half finished; we still have half our chances, and we might just turn the tide and win. Especially that final duel between me and Jun Moxie—it absolutely cannot be canceled just like this! I object to this proposal!" He Zhiqiu's usually pale face was flushed scarlet, his eyes blazing with an expression of extreme grief and hatred. The previous three consecutive defeats were secondary; the hardest thing to accept was that all fifteen experts dispatched had been sacrificed, killed right before his eyes by the opponent... and not a single person on the opponent's side had died... With the situation having deteriorated this far, how could his heart find balance?

The three great Holy Lands have held fame across the Xuan Xuan Continent for over ten thousand years—when have they ever suffered such a defeat? Now, this 'Evil Monarch' who appeared out of nowhere had actually managed to suppress the three great Holy Lands! If they were to end the battle according to Qiao Ying's suggestion, it would look as though they were utterly terrified of the opponent. How could the proud, arrogant experts of the Holy Lands, who have always looked down on everyone, possibly tolerate this!

And one final, crucial point: the Exquisite Lotus, the treasure regarded as the foundation of the Heavenly Saint Palace, if it were lost like this... If word spread that it was lost by their hands, wouldn't He Zhiqiu and Hai Wuya be shamed to death? Even if they survived today and left, every time they ventured out in the future, they would probably have to tuck their faces into their crotches in shame...

"He Zhiqiu, do you really intend to let all the fighting strength gathered here at the Holy Lands be buried, all turned into a field of corpses, before you are willing to admit defeat?" Qiao Ying stared coldly at He Zhiqiu and demanded fiercely.

He Zhiqiu paused momentarily, then suddenly roared, "Did the Guardians suggest this course of action because they fear losing us? Even if this old man dies here today, this battle will not be surrendered easily!" His body trembled slightly, and he hissed, "That is the Palace's supreme treasure... the Exquisite Lotus! It is absolutely indispensable to the existence of my Heavenly Saint Palace..." "Do you think the three of us are less aware of this than you?" Qu Wuhui replied coldly. "He Zhiqiu, right now you only need to obey orders! You don't need to worry about anything else. It is not your place, as a junior, to make decisions for the Heavenly Saint Palace!" Qu Wuhui’s words were exceedingly harsh, instantly silencing He Zhiqiu.

"Uh, what happens internally between you shouldn't really concern me, but... this... it seems the principal party involved hasn't actually voiced agreement yet, has he?" Jun Moxie felt somewhat frustrated. How could this be... was it over just like this? How could it end so abruptly? How was he supposed to conduct his military training? Where would he find such excellent, especially live-fire, sparring partners—ones he could kill without consequence?