"Mo Wudao, you truly are incorrigible, still so utterly hypocritical! You clearly harbor a deadly hatred for me in your heart, yet your very gaze manages to convey such warmth. Mo Wudao, in all the thousands of years past across the Xuanxuan Continent, among every single hypocrite, you stand unrivaled, without a doubt!"

Mei Xueyan glanced at him coldly, stating plainly.

"Venerable Mei speaks as frankly as ever. Our Four Regions are one, bound by shared destiny, fighting side-by-side against external enemies for so many years. What Venerable Mei just said is truly disheartening," Mo Wudao sighed deeply, "If I may recall the past..."

What kind of person was this? With the Three Great Sacred Lands and the Punishment of Heaven lineage now at such daggers-drawn enmity, how dare he speak of 'Four Regions united' and 'shared destiny'? How could he even bring himself to utter those words?

Mei Xueyan rolled her eyes, ignoring him completely. Against such a shameless, thick-skinned individual, further words were pointless! Saving her breath, she turned to Miao Xiaomiao with a gentle smile. "Little sister, you must be the esteemed Princess Miao Xiaomiao of the Misty Illusory Manor, correct?"

"Yes, greetings to you, Senior Mei."

Miao Xiaomiao paused, quickly offering her respects.

Although Miao Xiaomiao was the little princess of the Misty Illusory Manor, holding a revered status, compared to the woman before her, that status counted for little. Venerable Mei had single-handedly upheld the Heavenly Punishment Forest for centuries. Even if her cultivation base wasn't exceedingly high back then—perhaps even lower than Miao Xiaomiao's own now—it did nothing to diminish her prestige. This was an undisputed legend! An absolute overlord of the current age!

Especially since it had only recently come to light that this overlord was actually a woman; that level of nerve, resolve, and sheer courage was even more worthy of respect and admiration!

"Miss Miao is too polite. If you don't mind, please call me Sister Mei. Calling me 'Senior' makes me sound terribly old," Mei Xueyan said, her smile exceedingly warm and her voice gentle. "It’s all men here, and I see it might be inconvenient for you. How about you come with me for a quiet moment? Ah, and Miss Qiao, you should join us too."

Towards Miao Xiaomiao, the kinship was natural—a future sister—so the affectionate address was fitting. But for Qiao Ying, Mei Xueyan genuinely didn't know how to address her, so she settled for the general 'Miss Qiao.' "Very well!"

Miao Xiaomiao was thrilled, so much so that in that moment, she completely forgot the need to seek permission from the elders beside her and agreed instantly. Firstly, she did feel somewhat uncomfortable where she was. Secondly, Mei Xueyan had always been her idol; she admired this legendary, exceptional woman to the utmost, so she agreed without a second thought.

Qiao Ying nodded as well. Her primary purpose for being there was to find Jun Moxie and examine the Exquisite Lotus that had been transplanted. If necessary, she wouldn't mind offering some guidance, but she certainly didn't want the Exquisite Lotus, which was like her own child, to meet an untimely end. Following Mei Xueyan would naturally be much more convenient than searching for Young Master Jun here.

Miao Zhan didn't mind particularly and nodded too. With so many eyes around, Miao Xiaomiao and Qiao Ying, despite their excellent cultivation, were still women. Following Mei Xueyan was the most appropriate course of action. Since Jun Moxie was almost certainly the great genius Mo, Miao Zhan had no reason to worry about Miao Xiaomiao. Even setting aside Mei Xueyan's status, she would never do anything detrimental to the young princess!

"May I ask who this sister is?" Miao Xiaomiao looked toward Guan Qinghan.

"I am Guan Qinghan."

Guan Qinghan smiled at Miao Xiaomiao, introducing herself softly.

The moment they saw Miao Xiaomiao, a faint, almost imperceptible wave of jealousy surfaced in both Mei Xueyan and Guan Qinghan... Such a beautiful woman, with such noble grace... the very first woman with whom Jun Moxie had shared intimate contact while fully conscious...

But seeing Miao Xiaomiao now—so sweet and lovely, poised and generous, with a hint of captivating vulnerability in her expression that made one instantly protective—that little pang of displeasure vanished entirely. What was done was done; rather than harboring unhappiness, it was better to open their hearts and accept it. Moreover, this Miao Xiaomiao did not seem like someone difficult to get along with...

Miao Xiaomiao sensed a strange look from the two women, feeling quite puzzled herself. Why do they look at me with such a strange and complicated expression?

Yet, she knew that this woman before her was Guan Qinghan—the one for whom the Monarch of Evil once stood alone against global condemnation, facing down the world's slander with a single sword, even risking rivers of blood to protect her!

"Is Jun Moxie upstairs?"

Qiao Ying’s question made Miao Xiaomiao prick up her ears. She wasn't surprised Qiao Ying mentioned the Monarch of Evil's name, but she was genuinely curious what kind of man this person was, who combined the traits of a profligate rogue and a ruthless, iron-blooded overlord.

"Miss Qiao... you wish to see him?"

Mei Xueyan looked at Qiao Ying with a knowing, half-smile. Mei Xueyan had heard Young Master Jun mention the matters between him and Qiao Ying; she knew this Discerning Rakshasa had been thoroughly teased by Jun Moxie several times... Women teased by Young Master Jun usually suffered quite miserably—a truth Mei Xueyan knew firsthand. Therefore, Mei Xueyan's gaze toward Qiao Ying carried an intentional, meaningful undertone...

"I don't want to see him." For some reason, under Mei Xueyan’s probing gaze, Qiao Ying felt a sudden rush of panic and hastily denied it. But then she caught herself. "I just wanted to see the Exquisite Lotus he moved from my place..." Internally, she scolded herself: Why am I panicking? Why panic?

But her heart was undeniably pounding. The feeling was bizarre—like a mistress encountering the main wife in public and being utterly flustered... And there was also an element of shock: Venerable Mei, the title surely derived from her Venerable-level cultivation, yet judging by her current state, she was surely not merely at the Venerable level anymore? Perhaps her strength was comparable to her own... or even surpassed it... Could the title 'Venerable Mei' actually signify Saint Venerable? No, that seemed impossible. If not, how could she have advanced her cultivation so rapidly?

"Oh... please, the two of you follow me this way."

Mei Xueyan and Guan Qinghan led the way, circling to the other side and ascending.

The onlookers watched the four beautiful figures gradually move away and disappear, and couldn't help but sigh. Such an opportunity to see four unparalleled beauties gathered was too delightful to the eye... Once these four departed, they feared they might never again witness such world-stunning beauty in their lifetime...

To call this structure a main hall was perhaps less accurate than calling it a tent! However, this 'tent' was undeniably colossal—not only several times taller than a standard tent but also thousands of times broader! Furthermore, despite its tent-like appearance, it exuded not a shred of shabbiness.

Tables and chairs were arranged meticulously around the perimeter. On the center of every table lay a pristine white tablecloth, upon which rested a vase holding a flower about to bloom—lush green leaves, the flower a pale, serene blue, refreshingly elegant.

But to the assembled crowd, these flowers carried a completely different flavor!

Those who first entered the venue were startled upon seeing the flowers, and once they confirmed that every single table displayed this same bloom, the shock of everyone present could scarcely be described in words!

This was an exceedingly rare miraculous flower on the Xuanxuan Continent! Describing it as a miraculous flower might be better phrased as a miraculous spiritual medicine! A Plain Heart Orchid at its peak bloom, if one were fortunate enough to consume even a single petal, could guarantee the eater immunity to all poisons and evils for an entire year! Though the effect lasted only one year, for martial practitioners constantly living on the edge, it equated to countless extra chances to survive!

Yet, this flower required an extremely long cultivation cycle—a full three years—while its blooming period was incredibly brief, lasting only about three days from opening to fading. Furthermore, preserving the petals was difficult; they required wrapping in warm jade or other rare materials to maintain their efficacy, making them exceptionally precious!

And these flowers here were clearly the return gifts from the Monarch of Evil to those attending the assembly: each table had eight seats! And each Plain Heart Orchid plant bore precisely eight fully opened blossoms—the Monarch of Evil truly was lavish! Any single one of these orchids could fetch at least a thousand taels of gold! Living plants were worth infinitely more! They were essentially priceless! Yet here were thousands of pots, displayed as if they were cabbages, ready for the taking. This sheer extravagance... left one speechless...

The hall was filled with a distant, lingering orchid fragrance that immediately made everyone feel refreshed and invigorated upon entry!

Each table bore a name. One only needed to present one's invitation, and an attendant would guide them to their designated seating area. Due to the sheer number of attendees and the constraints of the venue, only one representative was permitted from each faction congratulating the event, aside from the Sacred Lands...

As for the Fatty, Silver City of Wind and Snow, the Eastern Family, and the Sikong Duanmu clan, none of them were present here. After all, they were all acquaintances of Young Master Jun, and naturally, no one could object to prioritizing close friends. Only Li Youran, having arrived early, remained in the hall. Although the Heavenly Fragrance Empire had extremely deep ties with the Jun family, from a national perspective, it was inconvenient to display its alignment too overtly. Given Li Youran's personality, even though he had resolved his past hostility with Jun Moxie and could be considered aligned with him, he would not openly express it. Maintaining a path that pleased all sides might yield precious intelligence, or perhaps allow him to exchange such findings for Jun Moxie's even deeper friendship! This was Li Youran's ultimate calculation!

As everyone gradually took their seats, marveling at the Monarch of Evil's generosity, they noticed one crucial detail: the arrangements and seating in the hall perfectly corroborated the Monarch of Evil's earlier assertion: treating everyone equally! Aside from being seated slightly closer to the front, the seating arrangements for the Three Great Sacred Lands were no different from any other table—At this moment, the only ones feeling discomfort seemed to be the Three Great Sacred Lands themselves!