With a flick of his hand, Jiuyou Shishao planted the sword into the ground. The black fire sank into the earth, but immediately burned through the soil layer, continuing to spread its conflagration upwards…”

“It really is capable of burning absolutely anything,”… Jiuyou Shishao sighed, “This young master is utterly astonished…”

Jun Moxie chuckled lightly, offering a humble reply: “A mere parlor trick, I’ve made everyone laugh. Ashamed, truly ashamed.”

The crowd collectively rolled their eyes. Such an inconceivable martial art, and he still dared to call it a parlor trick?

Then what must your true ‘great art’ be? Capable of incinerating the heavens and destroying the world?

That statement wasn't far from the truth. If Jun Moxie possessed sufficient Spiritual Power to sustain it, even burning the heavens with Chaotic Fire, or perhaps the entire world... such a feat was not entirely outside the realm of possibility. It was too bizarre.

“Young Master Jun styles himself the ‘Monarch of Evil,’ and you certainly live up to the ‘Evil’ in your name. This technique is indeed wicked, ruthless, poisonous, and vicious! However…” Cheng Yin Xiao gazed darkly at Jun Moxie, stating coolly, “For today’s events, for slaughtering so many of our Holy Land members, you absolutely must give the three of us an explanation!”

“An explanation? What explanation? What reason do I owe you people?” Jun Moxie laughed in mock surprise. “You Four Great Experts arrived here acting as judges… but did this young master beg you to come? You are masters of the same generation, assuming the role of arbiters, and out of respect for the elders, this young master benevolently turned a blind eye and tacitly agreed. However, surely this arbitration… should possess at least some semblance of fairness and impartiality? Have I stated anything incorrectly on this point?”

“Naturally. Arbitration must be what an arbiter is meant to do! Fairness and impartiality are what we, as adjudicators, always pursue!” Jiuyou Shishao declared with a show of propriety, though his ever-sinister voice hardly aligned with the term ‘proper.’

“Since Senior Fourteenth Young Master says so, this young master will speak plainly. Senior Cheng just demanded an explanation from me? I don’t know what explanation I should give. Instead, I would like to ask Senior Cheng, or perhaps all the seniors of the Heavenly Saint Official…”

Jun Moxie spoke with sorrow and indignation: “Just moments ago, right under the noses of the Four Arbiters, a situation unfolded where everyone ganged up to attack me alone! Moreover, this occurred after the arbiters had already declared the duel concluded! This fact truly leaves me speechless! Does the verdict of an arbitration hold any weight at all? If the result had been announced by Fourteenth Young Master, so be it. But I recall the announcement was made by Senior Qu, was it not? What purpose, precisely, did you esteemed arbitrators serve in this matter?”

Cheng Yin Xiao and the other two fell silent. The facts were laid bare, and given their status, they could not entirely deny the truth against their conscience!

“You brat is spouting nonsense!” Unexpectedly, it was Jiuyou Shishao who interjected to salvage the situation. He spoke sternly: “How did they fail in their duty as arbiters? Didn't they speak up to stop it just now!”

Saying this, he let out a gloating laugh.

Cheng Yin Xiao and the other two, hearing Jiuyou Shishao seemingly side with them, initially wondered why this madman was suddenly benevolent. If he supported their case, it would be far better than them trying to argue their way out of a difficult spot. But upon closer listening, was this really help? It was clearly pouring oil onto the fire, kicking a dog when it was already down!

“This junior misspoke just now. Senior Fourteenth Young Master speaks reasonably. As that group rushed forward, this junior distinctly heard the voices of both seniors issuing a halt… I think they shouted more than once.”

Jun Moxie offered an apology, then pressed on with a look more wronged than Dou E, his voice heavy with conviction: “But this junior simply cannot comprehend: even setting aside the arbitration status of the three seniors, just based on the status and prestige of the Three Guardians within the Holy Land, do they not possess even the bare minimum of deterrent power? Looking at the situation now… the commands of the Three Guardians seem to be treated like mere farts by the people of the Holy Land, completely disregarded! I am truly and deeply astonished. Oh, this junior was perhaps too agitated just now, and meant no disrespect to the three of you seniors… you understand…”

The three of them immediately flushed crimson!

The fact that they, as arbiters, had presided over a situation where the battle ended, and one side immediately launched a group assault against the lone survivor, was an ignominious affair that couldn't be easily explained away anywhere. Especially since the three of them were the most revered figures of the Three Great Holy Lands, yet the subordinates below completely ignored their calls to stop—it was a profound loss of face.

Jun Moxie’s blow struck them to the core, reddening their faces, yet they could only endure it…

The three couldn't help but shoot venomous glares at the surviving Hai Wuya and He Zhi Qiu, their expressions decidedly unfriendly!

Jiuyou Shishao stated coldly: “That talk was not nonsense! Speaking of justification… this young master also demands an explanation! This young master is ostensibly one of the arbiters. As Young Master Jun mentioned, such a reprehensible act of breaking promises and betraying trust occurred right before my eyes. Whether those younger brats treated your words as farts is none of my concern, but this blatant disregard clearly shows they do not hold this young master in any esteem! This incident has severely damaged my reputation! This matter absolutely cannot be let slide! Even if Young Master Jun chooses not to pursue it, this young master still must!”

The faces of the three turned bitter. They had been so focused on dealing with Jun Moxie that they completely forgot about this angle… Now what? This lunatic cannot be dealt with by conventional means, especially since, this time, they were demonstrably in the wrong. Trouble.

Jun Moxie continued: “Yes, yes. Even setting aside the matter of Fourteenth Young Master’s dignity and reputation, there is also the issue of this young master’s very safety! While I understand the Three Guardians demanding an account from me—after all, so many people died”—but at that moment, they were already closing in. If this young master had not defended himself, I probably would have been torn limb from limb in an instant. Must… in your estimation, I should have simply waited passively to be killed?”

The two complementing each other’s arguments, pressing forward relentlessly, turned the faces of the Three Guardians the color of liver!

Jun Moxie curled his lip: “Or perhaps, in the understanding of the Three Guardians, your Holy Land is permitted to strike and bully when losing, but I am forbidden any form of counter-action? You initiate a sneak attack and a group siege, cause deaths, and then demand justice and an explanation from the one who barely survived? This is truly the height of absurdity… Three Guardians, are your Heavenly Saint Palaces truly so incapable of accepting defeat? Seniors, please consider, is this not the truth?”

As he spoke, Jun Moxie spread his hands, and clusters of black flames suddenly leaped up from the ground, slowly coalescing into a ball, then returned to hover around his palms. With a flip of his hand, they vanished…

The words “incapable of accepting defeat,” just spoken by Qu Wuhui while blaming He Zhi Qiu, were now being delivered back to the three of them by Jun Moxie, word for word.

“You brat is spewing rubbish! How are we incapable of accepting defeat!” Cheng Yin Xiao roared in anger.

The Three Great Guardians were furious! Yet, they were powerless, even lacking any convincing retort, because they were fundamentally in the wrong. The mass assault had just concluded; if that wasn't losing, what was it?!

Suffocating with internal frustration, Qu Wuhui glared sharply at Hai Wuya and the other three: “Worthless trash, why are you still lingering? Hurry up and scram!”

“Scram?! Scram? Even if someone is rolling away, they must first provide an explanation to this young master before they are allowed to leave!” Jiuyou Shishao announced loudly. “Until I say you can go, I’d like to see which one dares to scram?”

Cheng Yin Xiao forcibly suppressed his rage, taking a few heavy breaths before managing to say with difficulty: “This matter was indeed our fault. We ask Brother Fourteen to be magnanimous and let this slide. Do not trouble yourselves further over these juniors.”

Their entire large contingent had been slaughtered by the opponent, and not only could they not secure an explanation, but they were instead being forced to apologize to the victor… The sense of suffocation and humiliation Cheng Yin Xiao felt was immeasurable!

If Jun Moxie had truly been at fault, then Cheng Yin Xiao and the other two would sooner risk death fighting Jiuyou Shishao to the end than let Jun Moxie off easily.

But… the initial catalyst for the incident had genuinely come from the Holy Land’s side! And their methods were admittedly a bit sordid—a large group attacking a child not even twenty years old. This was certainly not something easy to speak about favorably!

Unexpectedly, throughout the entire process, not only had the faces of the four of them been lost, but the majority of their forces were wiped out, and in the end, all initiative had been handed over to the enemy. What kind of situation was this!

Even if they themselves had abandoned all pretense of honor, surely they still needed to maintain some facade? Damn it, where was their honor now?

Lost beyond retrieval!

Cheng Yin Xiao and Qu Wuhui gritted their teeth, secretly vowing in their hearts: Once they return to the Holy Land, not a single one of these fellows will be spared! They must be thoroughly dealt with!

“Oh? Since Brother Cheng personally admitted fault, this young master has always been broad-minded. In that case… this time, let’s just let it go,” Jiuyou Shishao declared magnanimously. “Now you can scram!”

A short distance away, Hai Wuya and He Zhi Qiu’s eyes looked ready to spit fire, but under the severe gazes of Qu Wuhui and the other two, they didn’t utter a single word before turning and leaving. Before long, their figures vanished…

Only Qiao Ying remained silent throughout the entire debate, staring blankly at the empty expanse of ground. A full thirty first-rate experts! After paying such a hefty price—losing so much face—the people they had managed to save were all buried here in the blink of an eye!

These personnel represented crucial combat strength for the Battle for Heaven’s Seizing! Losing so many… the impact on that War would surely be monumental, capable of obscuring the entire situation! If no reinforcements arrived, given the Holy Land's current strength, victory in this iteration of the Battle for Heaven’s Seizing was now undoubtedly impossible!

“This matter ends here!” Qu Wuhui decided firmly, stating in a deep voice: “Jun Moxie, you won the wager: the Exquisite Lotus. Do you come with us to retrieve it, or wait for us to send someone to deliver it to the Forest of Heavenly Punishment?”

Jun Moxie frowned. Neither of the choices offered by Qu Wuhui sounded like a good path.