Jun Moxie, being exceptionally astute, grasped the implicit meaning behind the sound of the strings, a certain understanding dawning in his heart.

Indeed, only then did Miao Qingcheng speak: "At that time, I laughed heartily and said that destiny is difficult to change, but there are always variables that bring comfort—the saying goes that success depends on human effort, so the method isn't entirely without possibility. If someone could keenly perceive the very beginning when the flow of fortune slightly disperses, and then, at the cost of millions of living beings, employ a technique to steal the heavens and reverse destiny, forcibly channeling another’s fortune into their own household, then everything could undergo a massive shift. However, while this act seems feasible, it carries an even greater risk: failure means not only the ruin of the family but also eternal damnation and retribution beyond all salvation..."

At this point, he sighed sadly.

"The sixth disciple, Zhankuang, was arguably the most gifted among my eight disciples. If he had focused solely on the path of profound cultivation, his future accomplishments might not have been inferior to my own at this moment."

Miao Qingcheng lamented, "But after that day, he completely went astray!"

"Senior, please do not blame yourself; this is only natural. On that day, you explained this matter in front of the eight disciples. Furthermore, only the Zhan family was facing annihilation, while the other seven families remained safe and sound. Zhankuang would naturally feel discomfort in his heart," Jun Moxie stated. "Is that why he passed down this information? To have the Zhan family defy heaven and change their fate?"

"No!"

Miao Qingcheng shook his head. "Years later, the seven disciples one by one passed away. The rule I set back then prohibited my disciples from cultivating anew through the Saint Infant method. Because while such re-cultivation would yield twice the result with half the effort and speed up progress exponentially, the Heavenly Punishment Thunder Tribulation they would ultimately have to face would be four times greater than in normal circumstances! Sooner or later, their souls were destined to be scattered beyond recovery! It would have been better to choose reincarnation, truly starting anew through rebirth. As long as the true soul remained, they would eventually return, and it would be easier to break through the final barrier! I had embedded a soul imprint within the nascent souls of the seven disciples when they died, ensuring their safe reincarnation. Provided they worked hard enough, they could still roam the world and live freely..."

"But Zhankuang defied my prohibition and chose not to reincarnate and start over!"

Miao Qingcheng continued, "By then, the Nine Nether Young Masters had begun to emerge one after another. Out of respect for my Master's kindness, I strictly ordered the disciples of the Illusory Mansion never to strike down the Nine Nether Young Masters! Expulsion was permissible, but absolutely no killing! That year, the Sixth Young Master of the Nine Nether rampaged through the Jianghu, and the Three Great Sacred Lands declared no one could restrain him. Zhankuang suddenly volunteered to fight!"

"After that battle, the Sixth Young Master of the Nine Nether was gravely wounded and was jointly encircled and killed by the Sacred Lands before he could escape back into the Nine Nether Passage! And Zhankuang vanished without a trace from that moment on! It was rumored that in the decisive battle with the Sixth Young Master of the Nine Nether, Zhankuang’s soul and spirit were utterly annihilated!"

"Although the Sixth Young Master of the Nine Nether possessed the Nine Nether Divine Art and considerable power, Zhankuang had received my true inheritance! Even in defeat, he should never have reached the point of complete soul annihilation. In fact, I deduced that the outcome of that fight was, at most, a fifty-fifty chance, perhaps even leaning slightly in Zhankuang's favor—after all, he was my most favored successor. This result was truly unexpected. I felt profound grief at the time and fasted for three months for Zhankuang, personally going to pay my respects. But upon returning from the memorial rite, I discovered that the strange tome left by my Master was missing!"

"After that incident, I became certain that Zhankuang was not actually dead, but had gone into hiding."

Miao Qingcheng offered a wry smile, "But he didn't know that the final stage of cultivating Profound Qi could only be seen through with my Master's direct, personal guidance—that was the true secret to Shattering the Void! Although Zhankuang's cultivation was already extremely high, he hadn't reached the final step... So, even if he could hide, his life was still drawing short... He could only rely on successive methods of self-dissolution and Saint Infant reincarnation... Speaking of which, Zhankuang... he has truly worked hard over these years..."

"And in the last two millennia, I clearly sensed the fortune of the Miao family shifting, diminishing year by year; meanwhile, the Zhan family's aura was rising, mixed with a pungent scent of blood that was utterly foreign! This greatly contradicted my earlier divination. Zhankuang must have started making his move, influencing fixed destiny with a variable! But I was powerless here; the moment I made a move, the World-Destroying Raging Thunder would completely annihilate the entire Ethereal Illusory Mansion! So, I..."

He chuckled softly. "As long as the Illusory Mansion stands, it matters little whether it is the Zhan family or the Miao family. Although I am the ancestor of the Miao family, I cannot sacrifice the entire Illusory Mansion for the sake of the Miao family! As for informing the current head of the Miao family about this change, that was even more impossible. If I told him, it would immediately trigger a massive war between the two families. Given the strength the Zhan family had accumulated, backed by Zhankuang's reincarnated Saint Infant, the Miao family would certainly not be their match, and this would only accelerate the Miao family's demise, perhaps even the demise of the entire Illusory Mansion—this is what I least wished to see! Therefore, I never intervened, nor did I disclose the change to anyone."

"However, Heaven’s will has long been set... human effort can no longer contend with fixed destiny!"

Miao Qingcheng smiled faintly. "Now, with your disruption, the Zhan family's fortune can be said to have barely one part remaining out of ten! Destruction is imminent... It seems I still miscalculated one step. Heaven's will is like a knife; who dares defy it? This talk of defying heaven to change fate is nothing but a joke, an absolute, thorough joke..."

Jun Moxie stated calmly, "If Heaven's will is thus, then it is thus!"

Miao Qingcheng paused, slowly savoring the words, and couldn't help but laugh. "Well said, well said! 'If Heaven's will is thus, then it is thus!'"

"However, what I speak becomes Heaven's will!"

Jun Moxie raised an eyebrow and gave a wicked smile. "What is Heaven? Why can it not be defied?"

"Arrogant! Truly wicked as well!"

Miao Qingcheng squinted at him for a moment, then let out a casual, uncertain laugh. "Speak then. What is your true purpose in coming to my Illusory Mansion? What exactly do you wish to do?"

"My purpose? It is simple. I just want a few Seven-Colored Sacred Fruits from the Sacred Book Net," Jun Moxie grinned sheepishly, hiding nothing. "If there were an opportunity to transplant a few Seven-Colored Sacred Trees, I would be overjoyed as well."

"Seven-Colored Sacred Fruits..."

Miao Qingcheng frowned. "A few?..." "A hundred or so sets would probably be enough. I'm not usually greedy!" Jun Moxie chuckled.

"A hundred or so sets? Not greedy?..."

Even with Miao Qingcheng's mental fortitude, he couldn't help rolling his eyes. "And you call that not greedy? Are you dreaming, boy?"

Miao Qingcheng truly took Jun Moxie's words as a joke. A hundred or so sets of Seven-Colored Sacred Fruits? It seemed that since the Illusory Mansion was established until now, there might not even be that many in total!

Old Master Miao snorted, then continued, "Just now... that extremely pure aura of living essence? Did that come from you?"

"Aura of living essence?"

Jun Moxie was startled, then realized! So that was it. Because he had just utilized that Tree of Life, this old fellow thousands of feet underground had noticed... Is this guy's nose too keen?

"Indeed! I sensed the scent of the Holy Spirit Tree just now." Miao Qingcheng's eyes fixed on him. "Someone on it must be severely wounded... and you are using the Holy Spirit Tree to heal them, right?"

"Healing is broadly correct! However, what I used was not some Holy Spirit Tree," Jun Moxie replied. "Senior summoned me down, is it because of this matter? What exactly is that Holy Spirit Tree?"

"That Holy Spirit Tree... was a strange little tree my Master somehow acquired from somewhere in those years. Legend has it that it possessed the miraculous power to bring the dead back to life and restore flesh and bone, possessing a particularly unique therapeutic effect on damaged souls! It has many other mysterious functions as well... My Master nurtured it for a full thousand years, yet it refused to grow. Later, we learned that this Holy Spirit Tree could only grow in the purest spiritual energy, completely untainted by any impurities! But... where in this world is such a place? The location where my Master cultivated this tree was already the place with the purest spiritual energy on the entire Profound Profound Continent. Since even my Master could not succeed, it meant this tree could never grow within the boundaries of the Profound Profound Continent! In other words, no matter how miraculous the tree was, it was essentially a useless piece of wood! In a fit of anger, my Master abandoned it atop the Snow Mountain, letting it fend for itself... I haven't seen it for a very long time."

Miao Qingcheng sighed deeply. "Calling you down today serves two purposes. First, I wanted to see that tree; we are old acquaintances, after all... Seeing it is like seeing my Master watering it back then... Second, I suffered some damage to my divine sense during the Heavenly Punishment I endured. I hoped to borrow some of that tree's healing efficacy. Even though the Holy Spirit Tree hasn't fully matured, it might still offer some minor assistance..."

"I see." Jun Moxie pondered for a moment, his expression showing difficulty, and he spoke gently, "I was fortunate enough to discover this tree by chance back then. Then, somehow, this strange little tree inexplicably drilled into my body from the palm of my hand... Now, although I can sense its existence and use some of its power, if I try to take it out, I find myself powerless."

Caution is the watchword for ten thousand years of sailing. Even facing Miao Qingcheng, Jun Moxie was absolutely unwilling to expose the greatest secret: the Hongjun Pagoda! Moreover, it wasn't impossible to treat Miao Qingcheng, but he absolutely could not offer it up to curry favor... Snake King Qian Xun was still relying on that tree to sustain her life. What if Miao Qingcheng needed to keep it for treatment... what would he do? Another point: that 'little tree' seems much larger now, and his Hongjun Pagoda indeed contains a domain with the purest spiritual energy. What if Miao Qingcheng developed avarice? He would have nowhere to weep!

"Such a strange thing occurred?"

Miao Qingcheng gazed at him for a while, finally saying, "No wonder your aptitude is so extraordinary! It turns out the Holy Spirit Tree is playing a role. This matter actually makes sense. If there is still a place in this world with absolutely pure, untainted energy, it can indeed only be within the human body's meridians. The Holy Spirit Tree is using your body as its vessel to continue its vitality, and you, in turn, have gained an aptitude far surpassing ordinary people. Truly complementary..."

"Senior, I truly find it difficult to remove the Holy Spirit Tree. However, if you don't disdain it, allow me to try and treat you, how about it?" Jun Moxie tested the waters. This was an immense good connection! If Miao Qingcheng accepted, Jun Moxie would henceforth have no obstacles within the Illusory Mansion, and perhaps even asking for a hundred or eighty Seven-Colored Sacred Fruit Trees might not be out of the question...

"That will suffice."

Miao Qingcheng looked at him for a moment, then decisively extended a hand and closed his eyes. Jun Moxie stepped forward, grasped his hand, closed his eyes, activated the energy of the Tree of Life, using the power of Wood as a guide, and slowly channeled it from his palm into Miao Qingcheng's hand.

The rest was naturally left for Miao Qingcheng to complete himself!

After a long, long time, Miao Qingcheng exhaled a gentle breath, his expression showing a mixture of relief and joy. "You can let go now. Although the divine soul has not completely recovered, its life force has been restored, and with time, it should return to its former state. The life force of the Holy Spirit Tree is much stronger than before; I suspect you and it have mutually benefited, enhancing each other!"

Saying this, Miao Qingcheng glanced at him with a smile. "Given my status, I cannot accept such a great favor from you for nothing. Thus..."

He pondered for a moment. "I see you are currently at a bottleneck, just one thread away from breakthrough. Let me lend you a hand!"...

(Only two updates today. Recommending a book by the great god 'Yingnian Zaofei,' titled 'The Spring of the Great Tang.' This fellow seems like a super scandalous person; just looking at the title makes one sigh in awe... Today I was even saying, why didn't this guy write 'The Autumn of the Great Tang'? He had to go for the Great Tang's... um... Spring? I don't know what kind of spring it is... Everyone go take a look and find out... X To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next...)