"I never wanted to do this either; these people were all old subordinates of yours and Grandpa's, even comrades who have shared life and death. But precisely because of that, we cannot tether the survival of the entire Jun family, such a massive clan, to one faint glimmer of hope. If we aren't ruthless now, perhaps we will be the ones to suffer that ruthlessness later! Third Uncle, there is more than one of them! Do you truly believe that all of them have betrayed the Royal Family to side with the Jun family? That is fundamentally impossible! And if our concealment is exposed, arousing the Royal Family's suspicion, the hundreds of souls within the Jun family, the thousands in the Jun family's fiefdom, and even all the military commanders affiliated with the Jun faction will be implicated! That’s tens of thousands of lives! Where to go from here, I think you, Third Uncle, should understand better than I. Didn't you just tell me the other day about the helplessness of those born into noble families? How is it that when it comes to your own situation, you become so hesitant? You are immediately taking over the life and death authority of the entire Jun family; are you truly going to shrink back now?!" Jun Mo Xie analyzed the stakes with icy calm, a hint of cruelty flickering beneath his expression, his tone finally edged with a measure of grim ferocity.

"If things continue this way, must we conceal everything until the day we die?"

Jun Wu Yi frowned deeply.

"Third Uncle, isn't your vision a bit too limited?! Look at the Sheng Bao Tang now." Jun Mo Xie let out a light, carefree chuckle. "Across the entire world, which Emperor dares to lay a hand on Sheng Bao Tang?"

Jun Wu Yi was utterly shocked!

So this nephew of his harbored ambitions this vast!

"But Sheng Bao Tang—that position was achieved through the efforts of countless generations, and our Jun family..." Jun Wu Yi furrowed his brow deeply.

"The Jun family has me! And you! And Grandpa!" Jun Mo Xie snorted, gently swirling the wine cup in his hand. "The three of us are enough! Our Jun family will become even mightier than Sheng Bao Tang!" Unparalleled confidence radiated from Jun Mo Xie's composed face!

Jun Wu Yi stared blankly at his nephew, suddenly feeling a surge of long-lost heroic spirit well up inside him! He chose to believe his nephew almost blindly, because if that vision came true, then his own... would finally have genuine hope!

"Circumstances are different now, Third Uncle. Your old injury has just healed, and the poison has only just been purged. During this recent period, recovery must be your primary focus; you absolutely must not rashly use your Profound Qi. Although you have now entered the Heavenly Profound Realm, the majority of that attainment came from the medicinal power of the Burning Scripture, not from hard personal cultivation, making the foundation quite unstable. I have already instructed the kitchen on a specific medicinal cuisine recipe prepared just for you. During this time, limited to at least ten days, your Profound Qi must only be nurtured within your Dantian, ensuring all Profound Qi and true essence are gathered for your own use. Only when you reach a state where you can manage its release and retraction at will will it be safe. During this period, you must absolutely not make any rash moves, and you must refrain from excessive joy or anger. When you have nothing else to do, engage only in light movements using pure physical strength, and even those must be restrained. This last point, Third Uncle, I trust you understand!" Jun Mo Xie gave Jun Wu Yi a look laden with deeper meaning. "I believe that after a little over ten days, Third Uncle will discover what kind of surprise his current body holds for him."

"I understand. Ten years have already passed; what is a mere ten days?" Jun Wu Yi nodded heavily.

"Have the three hundred men we sent for training returned yet?" Jun Mo Xie rotated his wine cup, sounding quite casual. Once the physical conditioning of those three hundred guards reached a certain level, Jun Mo Xie began arranging the Death Training: he sent these three hundred men into the Heaven Punishment Forest to hunt low-level Profound Beasts for their Profound Cores and pelts. He strictly stipulated that they must hunt at least ten Profound Beasts of the fifth rank or higher; the higher the rank, the better, and the lower the rank, the greater the quantity needed, naturally.

No return was permitted until the mission was complete!

Before they left, Jun Mo Xie’s parting words were filled with killing intent: "For this trip to the Heaven Punishment Forest, you will be in charge of everything, including your own lives! The predicted mortality rate will exceed fifty percent! This is the beginning of the strong man's path, and the start of the first round of elimination! The consequence of elimination is only one: stepping onto the road to the Yellow Springs!"

Furthermore, this was also a method for Jun Mo Xie to search for spies within the contingent; after the group entered the Heaven Punishment Forest, Elder Jun's army guarded the return path. Anyone returning midway without authorization would be executed immediately, regardless of the reason! Every bird that flew out of the Heaven Punishment Forest was to be ruthlessly shot down! Following that, they would silently kill the individual who sent the signal.

These tasks were carried out by Elder Jun's secret guards; every one of them was an Earth Grade Profound Practitioner, so the result was naturally without suspense.

"From the beginning until now, twenty-seven individuals have revealed traces, or were simply unable to complete the task, and have been confirmed executed by the Jin Department. Up to this point, no further messages have come out." Jun Wu Yi looked visibly exhausted. "I never imagined there were so many hidden operatives among our ordinary Jun family retainers. Do they really think the Jun family can be bullied?!"

Jun Mo Xie lowered his head, calculated briefly, and smiled. "The fact that no messages have been sent out for so long suggests that the cleanup is nearly complete. I can finally feel at ease regarding the remainder; whoever returns successfully is worth cultivating."

Jun Wu Yi nodded slightly, stood up, cast a lingering glance at the wine cup in Jun Mo Xie’s hand, and walked back to his own courtyard.

Jun Mo Xie sat quietly for a moment, then smiled silently and stood up, heading toward his own rear courtyard; the second batch of fine wine should be ready soon—this batch, however, was truly potent liquor.

Suddenly, the capital city seemed to stir in brief chaos before settling down again. A fast horse galloped to the front gates of the Jun Residence. The rider wore the yellow robes of an imperial attendant—clearly a palace servant. Immediately afterward, Elder Jun hurried out, heading toward the direction of the Imperial Palace.

Simultaneously: Imperial physicians rushed to the Li Residence from the palace, seeming extremely urgent.

The father and son of the Dugu family also abandoned everything and sped towards the Imperial Palace on horseback.

In addition, the heads of other major families and high-ranking ministers were also converging toward the direction of the Imperial Palace.

To an outsider, this undoubtedly signaled that a major event had occurred—an event potent enough to shake the entire Tian Xiang Nation.

In reality, a major event had indeed unfolded. The Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, the Chief Minister Li Shang, had suddenly fallen gravely ill at home and lapsed into a coma, his life hanging by a thread. Grand Tutor Li was the foremost civilian official in the Tian Xiang Nation, and his sudden collapse without warning naturally threw the entire court into disarray.

His Majesty the Emperor was furious!

Seated on the Dragon Throne, he hammered the table: "...A perfectly fine civil official, what for did he go practicing that sort of Profound Qi? Now look, he never mastered the Profound Qi, but he has managed to cling to life by a thread!... He has controlled the court for so long, and today, with his sudden fall, the entire apparatus of government is paralyzed! How can this not cause Us heartache? You all, you..." At this point, His Majesty suddenly stopped, pressing a hand to his forehead, sighing weakly.

He only realized upon looking down that His Majesty had committed an utterly foolish act! A super colossal blunder!

The few individuals below him: Elder Jun looked haggard, staring blankly ahead into nothingness, his spirit completely detached, clearly having heard none of it;

Elder Dugu Zong Heng tilted his head, occasionally poking into his nostril with a finger as thick as a carrot, occasionally flicking something away—what kind of attitude was that?...

Elder Tang Wan Li frowned, glancing sideways at Dugu Zong Heng, his lips occasionally moving as he cursed silently in his heart. He frequently had to dodge the boogers flicked his way, looking thoroughly unlucky. Though Elder Tang was arrogant toward the Meng and Li families, toward this 'boss' before him, he dared not voice his anger, only daring to curse inwardly.

Elder Meng stood solemnly, eyes fixed on his nose, nose fixed on his heart, appearing as if he had already entered a meditative state.

Elder Murong Fengyun of the Murong family leaned against a pillar in the hall; there was a glistening streak upon his snow-white beard, apparently dripped from his own mouth.

That old thing from the Song family hung his head deeply, seemingly testing whether his head could fit into his trousers...

His Majesty the Emperor snapped back to reality, wishing he could slap himself twice: You should direct your anger at the court officials, why bother with these old fellows? What difference does it make? Is it any use?! Finally, he waved his hand impatiently: "Go, go, all of you, just go! It's all My fault! I was wrong, why trouble you venerable immortals? Go, go, hurry and leave, all of you go back to sleep! Don't tire yourselves out, old sirs!"

The old gentlemen awoke as if from a dream, quickly offering apologies and thanks before departing. Dugu Zong Heng walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back and kicked Murong Fengyun hard: "Wake up, stop sleeping! We'll sleep when we get home."

Murong Fengyun sputtered weakly, standing up with a sleepy, dazed look, appearing completely at a loss. "Your Majesty, this old minister is guilty. This old minister is ancient (old and frail), actually falling asleep in Your Majesty's Golden Hall. This..."

"All of you, scram! Go home and sell New Year cakes!" The Emperor roared, startling every official awaiting his decree in the side hall into a shudder. The old gentlemen all looked utterly disheveled, scrambling out as if they had wet themselves. Once outside the palace gates, the old faces looked at each other, each letting out a few dry chuckles before parting ways and speeding off.

The palace had already begun echoing with the thunderous rage of His Majesty the Emperor.

"Old rogue Jun! You stop right there!" Jun Zhan Tian had just taken a few steps and was about to mount his horse when he heard someone call him from behind. Turning around, he saw Elder Dugu Zong Heng charging over with a dark expression.

"Are you looking for a beating?" Elder Jun frowned deeply. "Today, you've grown bold enough? Dare to shout at this old man? Have you turned rebel, you old monkey! Huh?"

"Damn it! Who do you think you are? When have I ever paid attention to you?" Dugu Zong Heng snorted through his nostrils, speaking carelessly. "Your grandson, I'm going to teach him a lesson for you! Skin him twice, do you have any objections?!"

"What?! What did you say?!" Jun Zhan Tian, who had been turning to leave, suddenly spun back, his eyes flashing like twin bolts of lightning. "You... want to... teach... my... grandson... a lesson?" As he finished each word, a burst of blue light erupted from his body, and a fierce aura surged forth like a tidal wave. The cloak embroidered with blood-red orchids billowed wildly without wind, flapping loudly.

The old man was clearly genuinely enraged! In the capital, under the current circumstances, very few dared to confront Jun Mo Xie face-to-face and openly; however, the Dugu family had a few individuals who were exceptions, such as Dugu Wudi, Dugu Xiao Yi, and the Dugu Zong Heng before him!

And Dugu Zong Heng was the sort of character who always backed up his words with action.