On the ground, hundreds of thousands of people craned their necks upward, all poised for the final, silent moment as the rain of power descended from Kawen.

But the final moment everyone anticipated arrived, only to yield this result, and it seemed as though every single person heard the sound of their own jaw dropping...

Good heavens! What in the world is going on? What kind of situation is this? Has the heavens lost its mind? This is too strange, too terrifying, too astounding? ... It was like every hospital simultaneously telling a single patient: "You are beyond saving, late-stage cancer, your life could end at any moment, you are truly finished, and no one can save you." But in the next second, all the hospitals overturned their diagnoses, smiling broadly and saying: "Calm down, you must remain calm. That previous diagnosis was a mistake. You are perfectly fine, you will certainly live to be a hundred!" I guarantee that anyone who encountered such a thing, if they weren't scared to death in the first second, would be laughing themselves to death in the next! To play games like this... Yes, it was undeniably a deliberate manipulation, and it was the manipulation of the nerves of hundreds of thousands of masters simultaneously! This scale of action was certainly enormous...

Putting aside what everyone on the ground was thinking for a moment, the Young Master Jun, who had executed this grand gesture while still high in the air, was currently immensely frustrated. How could he not be frustrated! Because the Young Master discovered that the so-called power to control wind and clouds sounded incredibly impressive! But once actually put into practice, it proved utterly useless! No matter how strong, fierce, or mighty the wind became, could it blow a Saint Venerable to death? Even if the cloud layers piled up thickly, could they crush a person with clouds? That was impossible! How embarrassing! Truly, utterly embarrassing!

So, was the power gained this time nothing more than this wind and cloud power—a thing as useless as chicken ribs? This thing, if used to intimidate, seemed absolutely a sharp tactic capable of startling anyone into jumping, even the founder of the Phantom Abode, Miao Qingcheng, would surely be terrified out of his wits if he encountered it suddenly. But it absolutely wouldn't kill anyone, not even an ordinary person...

Young Master Jun was depressed, truly and deeply downcast... The thing the Hongjun Tower brought forth this time was too much of a trick, wasn't it? The Young Master thought resentfully.

It would have been acceptable to give him something useful. Instead, he was given this wind and cloud power that looked incomparably domineering but was actually utterly worthless. It would have been better to be given a set of nail clippers to trim his toenails—that would have been less excessive!

Without another word, Young Master Jun returned. In the newly opened sixth level of the Hongjun Tower, he rummaged high and low, finally having to accept with resignation: other than being able to store items, this sixth level truly contained nothing else...

It seemed all he had was this flashy yet impractical wind and cloud power. Young Master Jun sighed mournfully, lamenting that it was even more useless than chicken ribs, and planted himself down onto the spirit vein. He felt that out of his six advancements so far, this one held the greatest hope but also brought the greatest disappointment!

But gradually, Jun Moxie, who had been looking down, slowly raised his head, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Jun Moxie finally realized a fact and finally grasped a principle. The ultimate convergence between the Heaven-Opening Creation Technique and the Hongjun Tower—the advancement of the cultivation method and the special abilities gained—all these were inextricably linked.

Moreover, they followed a certain pattern, progressing step by step! The first layer of the Heaven-Opening Creation Technique did not grant very great strength; logically, there was no reason for the heaven-defying technique of Yin-Yang Connection to appear. Because the level of the first layer absolutely should not warrant a skill like Yin-Yang Evasion, which even immortals would covet. But Yin-Yang Evasion had genuinely manifested. Why? Because to create heaven and earth, one must first ensure one's own survival! If the practitioner died, everything would cease immediately. But the existence of Yin-Yang Connection basically guaranteed the practitioner's life safety; it was believed that even in the most adverse environments, the practitioner could preserve their life! As long as life was preserved, hope remained!

As for the Chaos Fire and Creation Furnace of the second layer, the reason was simple: to maximize the practitioner's strength, allowing them a faster and greater rate of improvement than others! This was to quickly reach greater heights and lay a solid foundation for the next step.

The Metal Force and Wood Force of the third layer were intended to grant the practitioner two of the Five Elements forces first. Because if the practitioner were given the complete Five Elements forces at that time, they would struggle to digest the abundance, and their strength would not be sufficient to utilize all five elements simultaneously. But the fourth layer contained the complete Five Elements forces. From the fourth layer, one could see that the third layer was entirely preparation for the fourth layer!

However, the greatest use of the Five Elements forces was not for defeating enemies! What are the Five Elements forces? They are the five elements of heaven and earth—encompassing all things: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—mutually dependent, endlessly regenerating, forming a cycle, and simultaneously symbolizing the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys in the human body! The Five Elements forces are fundamentally a type of Creation Force! Obtaining the Five Elements forces was equivalent to possessing the foundational ability for creating heaven and earth!

As for the fifth layer, it bestowed the Chaos Array Decipherment. But this decipherment was not given to the practitioner for defeating enemies. Every array formation contains the principles of heaven and earth; if the practitioner can comprehend these, it means they have taken another step forward in their mastery of creating heaven and earth.

Therefore, in the fifth layer, a region of chaos appeared within the practitioner's Dantian due to the advancement of the technique! It was like a field of uncultivated fertile land, waiting for the practitioner to develop it. And now, at the realm of the sixth layer, heaven and earth have initially formed, and the newly acquired ability is the wind and cloud power. But, the natural powers originating from heaven and earth are not limited to just wind and cloud power... There is also lightning, rain, snow, frost... and so on! These are all abilities necessary for creating heaven and earth! They are also what ordinary people call "Great Divine Abilities." Thus, Jun Moxie finally understood.

This sixth layer, just like the third layer before it, was merely a prelude. The true main event should be in the upcoming seventh layer! If Jun Moxie’s estimate was correct, the seventh layer should completely fill in all the abilities he had previously conceived, all at once!

Thinking of this, Jun Moxie couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation. If he could truly possess the powers he had just envisioned... how immensely powerful would he become?

But the only thing that currently puzzled Jun Moxie was that based on the power displayed so far, the Heaven-Opening Creation Technique was worthy of being called the number one technique of antiquity. However, this was all relative, as there were no cultivators in this world, so Jun Moxie lacked concrete comparison. But he still felt that something was amiss. It seemed the power of the Heaven-Opening Creation Technique should be even stronger!

Heaven and Earth had already formed within his body; in the world of cultivation, this should place him at least at the level of those in the Great Ascension stage. Yet, the power he currently possessed was insufficient, clearly insufficient! No, not just clearly insufficient—it was far, far off! This should absolutely not be the case! What on earth was going on?

After thinking for a long time and failing to find any concrete explanation, Jun Moxie simply stopped thinking about it. With a flash, he exited the Hongjun Tower and entered the outside world.

He saw the ground covered entirely with a dense mass of people, all still looking suspicious and chattering endlessly. Within the Heavenly Punishment Forest, countless beasts—bear herds, crane flocks, monkey troops, wolf packs, tiger prides, leopard litters...—were all huddled together, and the forest was filled with a foul stench. Some weaker Profound Beasts had been frightened into evacuating their bowels and bladders...

Young Master Jun scratched his nose. Judging by the scene, things seemed quite clear: his test was a success, having evidently scared all the people and beasts senseless? ...

However, Young Master Jun had no inclination to explain that this was all just his experiment. With a "swoosh," he entered the Evil Monarch’s Residence.

Outside, after discussing amongst themselves for a very, very, very long time, everyone finally dispersed, riddled with doubts...

Avoiding everyone, Jun Moxie went directly back to the room that originally belonged to him. After this breakthrough, Jun Moxie had also figured things out.

It was still best to let nature take its course. If Miao Xiaomiao was still stuck in a rut, then he might as well let her return to the Phantom Abode to recuperate for a while. Once she truly understood things, he would bring her back. At this critical juncture, he truly had no capacity to be distracted. Besides, in the Misty Phantom Abode, she was, to a certain extent, far safer than being by his side.

However, the moment he entered the doorway here, Jun Moxie couldn't help but freeze. Miao Xiaomiao’s delicate figure stood fixedly by the window, gazing out. A gentle breeze stirred her robes, clearly revealing the exquisite curves beneath her clothing. Her hair fluttered slightly, making her look incredibly fragile and pitiable.

Young Master Jun had been inside for quite some time now and made no effort to conceal his presence, yet Miao Xiaomiao, possessing the cultivation of a Venerable, hadn't noticed at all, remaining frozen in place, lost in thought; her eyes were filled with endless haziness.

"Ahem... ahem..."

Jun Moxie coughed lightly. Standing like this indefinitely wasn't right; he had to use this small trick to break the stalemate!

Miao Xiaomiao’s body gave a strange jolt, and she slowly turned around. Looking at the face before her—very unfamiliar, yet clearly one that should be very familiar—her lips moved a couple of times, a sudden flush swept across her face, but in the end, she said nothing. She just stared at him fixedly.

"Miaomiao..."

Jun Moxie's heart stirred, and he tested the waters by calling out.

Miao Xiaomiao closed her eyes, and two streams of tears slowly slid down her snow-white cheeks: "Who... are you? Are you my Jun Ye?" "Yes! I am Mo Junye! Your Jun Ye!"

Jun Moxie stepped forward, standing right in front of her. They were so close that their breaths mingled. "I am Mo Junye, but I am also Jun Moxie. I will never hide that fact!" Jun Moxie looked deeply into her eyes: "Must you really insist on drawing such a clear line between us?"

When Miao Xiaomiao finally spoke, Jun Moxie felt a touch of surprise. Because from this single sentence, he could tell that Miao Xiaomiao’s state of mind had clearly undergone a subtle, gradual transformation.