"Very well, then let Duan be the one to sample the techniques of this so-called Squad Leader!" Duan Chongfeng's face had already turned ashen.

He recognized Ying Bokong; this man was the last of the former 'Eight Supreme Beings of the Continent.' If a regular mainland person were to speak of being 'old,' perhaps it could be excused, but at his own age of eight or nine hundred years, for this youngster of barely eighty or ninety to presume to call him old was an utter insult!

"Zhang Da Niu! You go. Treat our esteemed guest well, but be sure to be careful. Don't let our Sovereign Lord lose face," Ying Bokong instructed, pointing to a man with a thick, powerful beard.

What happened next was unexpected by all...

To everyone's surprise, this Squad Leader named 'Zhang Da Niu' responded with reluctance: "Old Ying, are you serious? I am a respectable Squad Leader! You want me to deal with this riffraff? How am I supposed to hold my head up in front of the brothers after this?" Duan Chongfeng, hearing this, rolled his eyes so hard he nearly fainted from rage!

Respectable Squad Leader... Does this idiot think being a Squad Leader is some great office?

"Shut your mouth! Shut up! He is a guest!" Ying Bokong erupted in a furious roar, scolding, "How can you be such an imbecile? Sending a fool like you up there is already an honor! You wretched thing, must our Great Captain personally handle trash like this? Are you expecting me, an old man, to waste my energy finding an even greater simpleton to deal with him?"

The entire crowd slumped in disbelief. That speech, it truly has character, utterly classic...

Moreover, this Squad Leader, this 'Zhang Da Niu,' his name was incredibly cheerful and... To think that a Third Level Saint Emperor from the Ascetic Immortal Palace, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands, was being handled by such an 'idiot' was more than sufficient!

They did not know that this Squad Leader's real name was, in fact, Zhang Da Niu!

In truth, every member of the Soul-Devouring Remnant Heavens was composed of the Jun Family's original core troops, soldiers who fought their way up blade by blade on the battlefield, and this man was no exception. Born into severe poverty, his parents barely knew how to read a few characters; how could they conceive of a grand name? They simply called him Zhang Da Niu—a humble name for an easy life, wasn't that right?

"I know I'm not smart; I accept it if you call me an idiot. But I am still a Squad Leader, a position of high standing..." Squad Leader Zhang Da Niu mumbled on, seemingly feeling that this matter was severely beneath his dignity.

"I don't care if you are Zhang Da Niu or Zhang Xiao Niu, hurry up and step out here to die!" Duan Chongfeng was so angry he was about to spit blood...

"Hmm? Zhang Xiao Niu is my younger brother; he didn't join the army; he's home farming. He doesn't know any Profound Arts, so why are you picking a fight with him?" Zhang Da Niu looked at Duan Chongfeng with visible reluctance. "You are also a Third Level Saint Emperor; why is your speech so incoherent? Oh, so you are mid-tier like me—that's acceptable... Tell me, what is your official post?"

"What is my official post?" Duan Chongfeng was so infuriated he spun around. Saint Emperors in the Three Great Sacred Lands were dedicated solely to cultivation; what official post could they possibly have? Who would dare assign a post to a Saint Emperor? They would only offer offerings!

"I am the Fifth Squad Leader of the First Brigade of the Outer Guard Detail of the Evil Monarch's Manor, Zhang Da Niu!" Zhang Da Niu stood tall, looking down at Duan Chongfeng with the gaze of a superior addressing a subordinate. "Under me, I have one Deputy Squad Leader who is a Low-Tier Third Level Saint Emperor, four Second Level Saint Emperors, six First Level Saint Emperors, eight Fourth Level Saints, and nineteen subordinates in total! Including myself, that makes twenty people! Inside, my duty is guarding the Evil Monarch's Manor; outside, my responsibility covers the entire region from Tiannan to Tianxiang!"

Zhang Da Niu beamed with pride as he finished his introduction. "In other words, once this Squad Leader steps outside, I am essentially a Regional Governor!"

He then slanted his eyes toward Duan Chongfeng. "Frankly, I didn't want to come out. Usually, when I encounter trash like you, my subordinates swarm over and handle it. For me to personally act... it's just a bit... a bit..."

Saying this, he frowned, seemingly struggling to recall the right adjective. After pondering hard for a moment, he clapped his hands and declared cheerfully, "Why use a chicken knife to slaughter an ox!"

Why use a chicken knife to slaughter an ox? Is that even a proper idiom?

The crowd burst into suppressed laughter. This Zhang Da Niu, who couldn't even use an idiom correctly, had the nerve to call himself a Regional Governor...

Yet, no one dared to laugh aloud!

This man might lack education, perhaps even be slow-witted, but he possessed the solid cultivation of a Third Level Saint Emperor! If he traveled the world, forget a Regional Governor; perhaps every emperor in existence would weep and beg to flatter him, even appointing him Grand Emperor wouldn't be rare. If someone recognized a Third Level Saint Emperor as their father, who would care who their original father was!

Yet, such a Third Level Mid-Tier Saint Emperor served merely as one of the guard captains in the Evil Monarch's Manor, and there were fourteen such captains! And his subordinates were, at the lowest level, Saints...

This level of power was truly shocking...

This was utterly incredible!

"Get out here and die!" Enraged, Duan Chongfeng shot forward. A white flash streaked by, and he vanished from the hall.

Seeing his opponent had already exited, Zhang Da Niu, feeling his dignity had been compromised, reluctantly strode out. Instantly, the sounds of heavy impacts echoed from outside—the two had clearly begun fighting hand-to-hand.

Everyone present was momentarily stunned!

This turn of events was somewhat unexpected. When Saint Emperor level masters clashed, it was rare for them to immediately resort to brute force. Usually, they would first test each other's auras; once the aura contest determined a victor, the level of superiority was clear. Even in close combat, it was generally restrained, stopping at a mere touch. After all, Saint Emperor experts were not cheap cabbages; if they truly fought to the death and casualties occurred, no faction could afford the loss. Yet, the situation unfolding outside appeared to be a direct, bloody brawl—too explosive, too rare!

Everyone present felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

It wasn't just the members of the Three Great Sacred Lands who were worried about the outcome; others were equally invested in this fight, perhaps with an urgency that wasn't slightly less than that of the Sacred Lands' representatives. (Miserable Love)

Saint Emperor experts were towering figures, objects of awe, to everyone present; there were no exceptions. Battles between masters of this level were spectacles rarely seen in a century, perhaps even a millennium. Having stumbled upon such a rare opportunity today, how could their hearts settle without going out to watch? But if they left, their own backsides were still resting on the banquet chairs provided by their hosts...

Setting aside the fact that they had just received two generous gifts—Su Xinlan's flower, a physical bloom for every person, now securely tucked away in their robes wrapped in Snow Silkworm Silk—was it truly right to slap the face of their host?

This thought immediately crushed the urge to leave and watch the fight. Being seen as disrespectful was one thing, but if it earned the enmity of the Evil Monarch's Manor, how could they fare well? Not watching wouldn't kill them, but offending the Evil Monarch's Manor would certainly spell disaster!

Just then, the tent coverings at the entrance slowly parted to either side. Simultaneously, the doorway rose upwards, instantly granting the guests seated directly facing the entrance a panoramic view of everything on the grand training field. Furthermore, large mirrors, several Zhang wide, reflected the scene from the upper, lower, left, and right sides, ensuring that every detail of the two combatants was clearly visible! No matter where they fought, as long as they remained within the courtyard, everything would be seen clearly!

This ingenious design brought a spark of light to everyone's eyes!

However, Mo Wudao’s expression suddenly darkened!

His mind, deep and calculating, clearly saw further. Their opponents had evidently anticipated this move and even prepared such an exquisite setup in advance. Inferring from this, the high command of the Evil Monarch's Manor must be extremely optimistic about this fight's outcome...

Xi Ruochen’s face also instantly grew grim. He frowned, glancing at Mo Wudao, but remained silent, lost in his own thoughts. Since arriving today, everything had been going extremely contrary to plan!

He had intended to exploit the enemy's flaws to incite popular outrage, hoping the world's heroes would rise up against the Evil Monarch's Manor. Instead, they had been repeatedly countered by the enemy using their own tactics, turning the attacks back upon them. This current 'sparring match' was clearly also part of the opponent's calculation—the future looked bleak!

The current situation was a true dilemma, a point of no return!

If they pressed forward, Xi Ruochen was certain they would face another sharp counterattack, perhaps one even more humiliating than the present situation.

The purpose of the Three Great Sacred Lands' visit was certainly not to openly sever ties with Jun Moxie and initiate full-scale war. Given their recent successive losses, the Three Great Sacred Lands no longer possessed the independent strength to handle the 'Heaven-Seizing War.' To secure victory in that coming conflict, they absolutely needed the combat power of the Jun Clan lineage!

However, the Three Great Sacred Lands were unwilling to simply accept the Evil Monarch's Manor possessing a transcendent status equal to their own. Achieving this goal through force was now unviable; it would only result in further depletion of combat strength, and victory was far from guaranteed. This was why Mo Wudao had repeatedly sought to expose the Evil Monarch's Manor's weaknesses, hoping the heroes of the world would side against them. If this scheme succeeded, even if the Evil Monarch's Manor held the factual power of a super-faction, they would lose the title of a super-faction.

But the present situation was the complete opposite of what the Three Great Sacred Lands had planned. The party now positioned against the world's heroes was not the Evil Monarch's Manor, but the Three Great Sacred Lands themselves.

In this Saint Emperor duel, the Sacred Lands had no winning advantage. If they suffered any loss of fighting strength here, it would only exacerbate an already strained situation!

But to retreat now... how could they reconcile with that? They were currently under the scrutiny of all the world's heroes! To retreat now would be tantamount to the Three Great Sacred Lands being forced to acknowledge the Evil Monarch's Manor's status as a super-faction! Furthermore, it would invisibly damage the existing prestige of the Three Great Sacred Lands. The previous era of 'wherever we commanded, none dared disobey' would vanish completely.

Any subsequent maneuvers would require them to be prepared to accept universal condemnation...

Moreover, Mo Wudao might not easily agree to retreat either... Just last night, Mo Wudao had once again paid respects to his deceased younger brother, Mo Xiaoyao! Although he hadn't spoken a word during the entire ritual, both of them knew what that silence implied!

Xi Ruochen sighed inwardly. If Mo Wudao insisted on going his own way, he truly had no countermeasures left; he was completely at a loss.