The savings have run dry by today; another all-nighter awaits tonight... In that split second, everyone snapped back from the endless reel of memories, only to find that many were already streaming with tears!

Those present were beings of profound cultivation, having survived for eons. They had long forgotten the sensation of weeping.

Seeing tears spill from their eyes again today, they realized they truly hadn't forgotten how to cry! The gazes directed towards Jun Moxie were also a complex mixture, strangely tinged.

"Esteemed sirs, the path of cultivation has always been arduous, ultimately nothing more than a struggle against oneself. Fighting one's own inertia, battling one's own nature, but most crucially...

battling one's own emotions!" Jun Moxie smiled nonchalantly, "The emotional barrier is notoriously difficult to surmount, always the heart-demon for practitioners! It is the greatest source of devastating setbacks.

Since ancient times, countless heroes have fallen because of it." "It doesn't mean that... because you have experienced the love between man and woman, you must now break through this barrier and sever emotion with a sharp sword.

Emotion, once it has existed, cannot be simply seen through, let alone severed! Any one of you has lived for thousands of years, believing you have grown indifferent to feeling...

but there will always be moments when you recall it subconsciously! The longer you suppress it, the more painful it will be when the memories resurface!

And the heart-demon within cultivation will become increasingly perilous to overcome! Especially during breakthroughs, or when...

undergoing the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, it can prove fatal!" Tears still clung to their faces, yet one by one, they fell into deep contemplation. "A portion of your current cultivation is essentially tempering your heart-demon!

The stronger your power, the stronger your heart-demon will correspondingly become! If you continue down this path, you will never be able to shed your inner demons.

Sooner or later, you will be annihilated, body and soul, under the backlash of your heart-demon!" Jun Moxie stated calmly. "Then...

exactly how should one eliminate the heart-demon?" The first person on the right looked up, tears still glistening in his eyes, "This emotional barrier... how exactly does one pass through it?" This man once shared the deepest affection with his wife.

When she passed, he nearly abandoned his long life to follow her... After all these years, the memory still haunted him.

He looked at Jun Moxie and said mournfully, "If passing the emotional barrier requires erasing her from my heart... then this old man...

would rather choose annihilation!" "How to cross the emotional barrier, each of you has your own method. What suits me may not suit you." Jun Moxie smiled serenely, "But crossing this barrier is definitely not achieved through suppression and forgetting!

Therefore... everyone must allow things to take their natural course!" "Allow things to take their natural course..." A look of bewilderment crossed everyone's face.

"There was once someone who passed the emotional barrier... using tears..." Jun Moxie said deeply, "Legend has it...

until he passed the Thunder Tribulation, tears of longing for his wife still flowed down his face... The depth of this man's devotion...

can only be imagined!" "Passing the emotional barrier with tears?" The crowd found this notion utterly unbelievable at first hearing. But upon careful consideration, it seemed to possess a certain logic.

Yet, where that logic lay, no one could articulate clearly... "Esteemed sirs, I offer you a solemn statement, consider it repayment for your kindness today." Jun Moxie chuckled, "A short while from now, I will need to take something from here, so I ask for your tolerance." "We won't mind.

If you need anything, other than the Exquisite Lotus for which we can only give you one stalk, not the whole lot, take whatever you require!" The crowd responded almost in unison. They thought, what could this brat possibly take?

We already promised him the Exquisite Lotus; there aren't many other good things outside. Even the heavenly treasures grow underground, and he cannot carry them away...

Better to be generous in appearance... "In that case, I sincerely thank you." Jun Moxie smiled cryptically, "Actually, this statement is...

the heart-demon of the emotional barrier—something everyone fears like the plague. But viewed from another angle...

the heart-demon might not necessarily be a hindrance..." Jun Moxie spoke the last sentence with profound implication, after which the others began to ponder deeply. "The heart-demon...

might not be an obstacle but an aid to oneself..." They inhaled sharply, furrowing their brows, seemingly grasping something, yet feeling elusive, tormented by curiosity... "Your emotional barriers are now imminent; I believe that after overcoming this one, each of you will gain your own insights.

I apologize for presumptuously using a secret technique to implant sound and stir up the emotions you have buried for millennia. If I have caused any offense, I ask for the understanding of you seniors." Jun Moxie smiled slightly and spoke slowly.

Jun Moxie's complexion was slightly pale. While the mental energy used to mesmerize so many masters was entirely supported by the Hongjun Tower, he himself bore a considerable strain.

"You are too kind! Young friend Jun, your words have cleared the fog of our predicament and shown us a path.

We are grateful beyond measure, so how could we blame you? Moreover, there was an element of deliberate cooperation on our part.

Otherwise... hehe, reliving millennia of deep feeling today has brought a flood of emotions...

It seems we need to enter immediate seclusion for a few days..." The first person on the right spoke in a gentle voice, clearly showing great gratitude towards Jun Moxie. The others nodded in agreement, their gazes growing significantly softer...

"Thank you all." Jun Moxie said, "Since you seniors need to enter seclusion for contemplation, I will take the Exquisite Lotus then and perhaps stay an extra day or two before departing." "No trouble at all. Stay as long as you like," Gu Han's voice carried a hint of amusement.

"Young friend Jun... there is one thing Old Man wants to discuss with you." "Please, Senior." "Young friend Jun, the Three Great Sacred Lands are hostile towards you.

They brought this upon themselves; it is not for others to blame. If you seek revenge, we will not shield you...

But Young Master Jun, please consider the ten millennia these Sacred Lands have guarded the continent... when you can show mercy, please deliberate carefully..." Gu Han’s expression was heavy, laced with a certain melancholy.

"The enmity between the Sacred Lands and myself... hehe, I have never been a good person.

The blood debts of the past, I must collect." Jun Moxie smiled, "Regardless of whose face you show me, I have never been soft on those who deserve death. I hope you can forgive me on this point." Faced with the plea from someone almost regarded as the world's foremost figure, Jun Moxie yielded not an inch!

Gu Han sighed deeply, dropping the subject. He merely cast a long look at Jun Moxie and said, "Qiao Ying, you take Young Friend Jun to retrieve the Exquisite Lotus.

The rest of us will not accompany you. Pass on my command: if Young Friend Jun requires anything else on this mountain, he may take it; no one shall obstruct him." Then, turning to Jun Moxie, he added, "If Young Friend Jun concludes his business, he may leave at his leisure.

We seniors are eager to enter seclusion; please excuse our lack of ceremony." "Senior, you are too polite." Jun Moxie replied hastily, secretly delighted: Hurry up and enter seclusion, all of you! Once these eight or nine old immortals are cloistered, with your command, no one will be able to stop me.

Then won't all these heavenly materials and earthly treasures be mine for the taking? Otherwise, would this Young Master really need to only give you a single hint?

Would I have gone to the trouble of coaxing out all your emotions and sending you into a mandatory seclusion?... Undoubtedly, this was the true objective behind all the groundwork Jun Moxie had laid!

It was the heavenly materials and earthly treasures on Mount Tiansheng! Only here were there rare spiritual medicines unavailable elsewhere!

One must know that several of these herbs were ingredients Jun Moxie required for his breakthrough elixirs for the sixth, seventh, and eighth layers—herbs he had no clue where to find, seemingly treasures even the former Nine Nether First Young Master failed to gather. This fact proved that no matter how strong one's personal ability, even to the point of being invincible under heaven, it was still less useful than commanding vast power...

A green light was practically shining from Jun Moxie's eyes, threatening to cast the entire mountain in a green hue... Faced with such an abundance of high-quality treasures, Feng, aren't you anxious!

Jun Moxie patiently bid a cordial farewell to the group of elders, chatting and smiling affably. After saying goodbye to the eight or nine reluctant figures and promising several guardians a future meeting...

it was finally over... Jun Moxie let out a long breath, wiped his sweat, and then...

twisting his waist, swinging his hips, and flicking his backside in an ungraceful manner, he exclaimed, "Damn, talking with these old scholars is exhausting! This Young Master almost suffered internal injuries; it nearly cost me my life..." Behind him, Qiao Ying stared in astonishment as the previous humble, composed, and refined young nobleman transformed instantly into a rogue hoodlum, her eyes widening and mouth gaping open...

Pah! He still has the nerve to mock our dual-faced shamelessness?

This brat is clearly a Janus figure—both an angel and a demon! "Where is your Exquisite Lotus?" Jun Moxie asked impatiently.

"Follow me, and you'll see," Qiao Ying shot him a sideways glare, taking a deep breath, turning away from the face that could shift so rapidly, suppressing the urge to spit on him. She led the way.

Jun Moxie chuckled, following behind. It had to be said that having such a beautiful woman ahead of him, swaying with grace and perfectly proportioned, made the walk exceedingly pleasant to behold.

The lingering fragrance wrapped around Jun Moxie's nose, making him feel somewhat intoxicated... To observe and appreciate her fully, Jun Moxie deliberately lagged a few steps behind, admiring the utterly flawless elegance of the woman's back...

He couldn't help but let out a few appreciative clicks and a sigh. Such a stunningly beautiful, peerless woman, yet she has remained a woman for over a year—what a waste of natural beauty!

Jun Moxie sighed to the heavens, Is the Hui Eye really that important? Is this silly girl sacrificing over a thousand years of her life just for that?

She should realize that before her, no one had the Hui Eye, yet they still won the War of Seizing Heaven? Does the sun cease to turn if someone is missing from the world?

Damn it... Qiao Ying, walking ahead, heard Jun Moxie sighing behind her and wondered what worried him.

She asked faintly, "Young Master Jun is so accomplished at such a young age; why the melancholy?" Jun Moxie gazed lustfully at her slender waist and graceful figure, letting out a sigh of apparent agony. "The foreign race is not destroyed, their ambition endures, and the War of Seizing Heaven is imminent; thinking of how the common folk of the continent will be ravaged by the foreign race, I...

I... I truly feel it is a pity..." The last sentence was an honest exclamation of regret from the bottom of his heart: Such a beauty...

what a pity... Qiao Ying, hearing this, immediately revised her opinion of him.

She thought the Lord of Evil had truly been moved by coming to Mount Tiansheng. Her tone softened somewhat, "Why should Young Master Jun worry?

If your forces, combined with the power of the Heavenly Punishment, and our Sacred Lands fight with everything we have, the continent might still have a chance." Jun Moxie sighed distractedly, "It's difficult. To change one's perspective, how easy is that?

Such an act of destroying the qin and burning the crane truly pains me, unless..." "Unless what?" Qiao Ying suddenly felt so overjoyed her heart was about to explode. She had willingly remained chaste for over a thousand years on Mount Tiansheng for the War of Seizing Heaven, maintaining the Hui Eye to counter the foreign race's stealth techniques.

As a woman, this sacrifice was earth-shattering. She had already made the War of Seizing Heaven the sole meaning of her existence.

Now, with the continent weakened, the probability of victory was slim, and she was burning with worry. Hearing the Lord of Evil, who commanded immense power, show signs of relenting, she was ecstatic.

If Jun Moxie, with his current strength, participated in the War of Seizing Heaven, victory would be assured this time! A joy flashed through her mind, and she immediately stopped, "Young Master Jun has conditions?" Suddenly feeling a weight behind her and a rush of warmth, a strong male presence pressed against her body...

Jun Moxie, lost in thought, had only mechanically followed her forward. When she stopped abruptly, he didn't notice and walked right into her, feeling softness and fragrance.

As if guided by an impulse, he let his entire body lean against her... If such a convenience presents itself, why not take it?...

"Ah..." Qiao Ying let out a soft cry. Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, and her delicate jade-like face instantly flushed crimson.

Having arrived at Mount Tiansheng as a child for the Hui Eye, she had never been so close to a man. Now, she felt utterly flustered.

"Ah..." Jun Moxie squinted and cried out in feigned alarm, leaning comfortably against her back, his body seemingly boneless, groaning, "You... you...

why did you stop?" As he spoke, he rubbed his face against her back a couple of times, thinking contentedly, So comfortable... "You...

get off me quickly!" Qiao Ying felt weak all over and froze for a moment. "I...

I can't get up... I don't know why, but suddenly all my bones have gone soft...

You, you... quickly push me off, this...

this is improper?" Jun Moxie groaned in protest, while simultaneously shifting his entire body weight from his feet onto his upper body, effectively "covering" her... Qiao Ying was both shy and angry.

She suddenly summoned a burst of strength and sprang away. Turning back, she saw Jun Moxie leaning forward at an angle exceeding forty-five degrees, suspended in a strange, difficult pose without falling...

"You... shameless..." Before the angry word "shameless" could fully escape, Jun Moxie straightened up calmly, his face displaying lingering shock.

"Mount Tiansheng is indeed a magical place. Just as I reached this spot, my body disobeyed me...

I nearly damaged the young lady's reputation; I am truly guilty... Honestly, this place is so miraculous...

My composure is usually quite good, but just now I was completely overwhelmed by passion and almost dropped my trousers..." "..." Qiao Ying was left speechless with rage. She had met shameless people before, but someone this shameless was unheard of.

In terms of thick skin, this fellow was absolutely unprecedented and unequaled in history! To say such shameless words in front of a young lady!

Qiao Ying stamped her foot, "Jun Moxie! You...

how could you be like this?" "The young lady speaks the truth. I am guilty!" Jun Moxie reviewed his actions with the solemnity of sincere confession, examining himself seriously: "For whatever reason, I shouldn't have leaned onto the young lady.

Although it was the young lady who stopped suddenly, the event happened too quickly, and I wasn't paying attention... but that is no excuse!

Absolutely not! Regardless, today...

I acted like a hooligan... Alas...

I... such a pure person, my body so pristine and untainted...

Waaah..." Qiao Ying nearly fainted. What kind of nonsense was he spouting?

What he said initially was off the mark, but at the end, he sounded as if she had sullied his pure and pristine body? After lecturing himself for a while, Jun Moxie suddenly looked teary-eyed and aggrieved, speaking with a choked voice in indignation, "You!

Restore my innocence!" Qiao Ying swayed slightly, then suddenly snapped back to her senses, erupting in furious anger! "Jun Moxie!

How long do you intend to be completely unreasonable?" "Uh? Um, cough, cough..." Young Master Jun cleared his throat and suddenly became serious, "Miss, aren't we nearly there?

I know the Exquisite Lotus is a treasure of the Sacred Land, but you shouldn't be leading me in circles..." "Who is leading you in circles?" Qiao Ying was nearly beside herself with exasperation. "It's right ahead!

Are you blind?" She pointed forward angrily. How dare he doubt my word!

This is intolerable! Qiao Ying was highly indignant.

Yet, she completely failed to notice that with this continuous string of interruptions from the brat, she had forgotten about the matter of him taking liberties with her just moments ago, for which she had intended to hold him accountable... "Ah~!

It's right ahead!" Jun Moxie cried out with rising and falling intonation, rushing forward, exclaiming in wonder, "Truly beautiful!" Just ahead, shrouded in a misty spiritual fog, a pool only a few dozen feet square appeared. The water was clear and emerald, so transparent that the naked eye could perceive a faint glow, as if a sacred halo enveloped the pool.

Approaching closer, one saw that the entire pool was densely covered with countless whitish, glowing objects. At the very center of the pool floated seven or eight tiny leaves; these leaves were colorless.

If one didn't look carefully, they would be completely invisible. A thin, transparent, colorless vine-like structure supported the leaves, keeping them floating on the surface; nothing else was present.

"Miss... are you playing games with me?...

Is this the Exquisite Lotus?" Jun Moxie pointed at the few transparent leaves, turning back in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief. "Yes, this is the sacred object of the Sacred Lands," Qiao Ying replied gravely, looking at the few leaves in the pool with infinite adoration.

"The Nine-Turn Exquisite Lotus!" "Damn it!" Jun Moxie trembled with indignant fury. "Just this little bit of junk...

Even if it yields an Exquisite Jade Root, how big could it be? This is clearly messing with people!

I have over a dozen people waiting to eat it..." "Over a dozen people waiting to eat?" Qiao Ying adopted an expression as if she might faint. "Then wait another few thousand years!

The Nine-Turn Exquisite Lotus fruits only once every five hundred years, and one lotus plant yields only one Jade Root." Jun Moxie mimicked an expression of near collapse. His current feeling was an overwhelming urge to beat his head against the ground.

Finally regaining some composure, he asked with a sliver of hope, "Then, how many people can one fruit feed?" "Enough for only one person to consume once." Qiao Ying watched Jun Moxie with the look of someone watching a good show. "Impossible!

This is a root, my heavens! Even if sliced, it should be enough for several mouthfuls at least!

Enough for one person? Are you joking?" "Who's joking?

Do you think a root leaf the size of your finger can produce a foot-long root?" Qiao Ying looked at Jun Moxie as if he were an idiot. "Still thinking of slicing it?

The size of a grain of rice... how would you slice that?" "The size of a grain of rice?" Jun Moxie fell into despair, raging, "Something this tiny, smaller than a mosquito's appendage, what the hell use is it?

It's a disgrace that your Heavenly Sage Palace treasures it! I should just dig up the whole thing..." "You dare!" Qiao Ying jumped, her voice sharpening.

"This is the foundational treasure of the Heavenly Sage Palace! It concerns life and death!

If you dare move an inch, I guarantee that not a single living member of the Jun family in the Heavenly Punishment Forest will survive!" Jun Moxie's previous remark was purely jest; he hadn't intended it seriously. But Qiao Ying's statement struck a nerve, provoking his strongest defiance.

He suddenly turned sharply, his gaze sharp as he looked at Qiao Ying, saying deeply, "You... are threatening me?" "I am stating a fact..."

Qiao Ying started, startled, feeling a sudden chill run through her as his sharp gaze pinned her. Her tone immediately softened. "But the Nine Revolutions Exquisite Lotus is the supreme treasure of the Heavenly Saint Palace. Even if the entire Palace ceased to exist, the Exquisite Lotus cannot be lost! Young Master Jun, knowing what I've said, you should understand the lotus's significance, shouldn't you?"

"That is a better way to put it, but... please remember this: no matter the circumstance, it is always best not to attempt to threaten me! Especially..."

Jun Mo Xie deepened his tone, his voice turning grim. "...by threatening me with my family. I never accept threats, because I will crush any potential harm in its very inception!"

"Even a peerless beauty is no exception! I... have never shown mercy to tender flesh!"

As he spoke these words, Jun Mo Xie's eyes bored deep into Qiao Ying’s own.

A profound sense of absolute danger welled up in Qiao Ying’s heart. Before this junior, whose cultivation was far beneath her own, Qiao Ying suddenly felt a pressure like a mountain bearing down upon her!

She involuntarily recoiled with a start, taking a step back!

(Currently in the North Sea; upon returning, I will compensate everyone with an explosion of content. Thank you for your understanding. Thank you x To be continued. For further developments, more chapters, please support the author and purchase legitimate readings!)