First update of the day! Li Youran had always been a dangerously talented individual, but Jun Moxie was confident he had absolute control over him! This was simply because, with Jun Moxie's current strength, any scheme conceived against him would amount to nothing more than a joke.
Li Youran’s eyes flashed, and after deep and careful consideration, he finally shook his head.
“The Li family of the capital, whether in or out of court, is now completely under your dominion! And your standing in the Tianxiang Kingdom is essentially second only to the sovereign, perhaps even higher!”
Jun Moxie stated seriously, “In this mortal world, besides the Imperial Throne, you have essentially obtained everything. Do you truly have no higher aspirations?”
“No! That’s not what I mean. Third Young Master, our paths are fundamentally different!”
Li Youran managed a bitter smile, stood up, and walked to the window. After a long pause, he slowly continued, “Third Young Master, we have known each other since youth. I understand what you aim to achieve and what you desire. But you do not understand what I want; perhaps you never truly have.”
“Then what exactly do you want?”
Jun Moxie frowned; Li Youran’s words were truly beyond his expectations.
“What I desire is nothing more than a certain feeling! Nothing more than that.”
Li Youran’s slender eyebrows lifted. Suddenly, he reached out, pointing towards the vast landscape outside the window: “Third Young Master, look at this Xuanxuan Continent, how immense it is! In this world, there must be countless capable and extraordinary individuals just like you!”
He let out a soft sigh, laughing self-mockingly, “Back when we were rivals, a single Tianxuan master possessed enough power to turn the tide of the world! At that time, we knew that the Supreme Divine Profound realm was the pinnacle of this human world, an existence mere mortals could only look up to! Thinking back now, it’s utterly laughable. Never mind that you have achieved wonders where Tianxuan strength is beneath notice—even for someone like me, or Young Master Tang, a mere Tianxuan rank is hardly worth our attention!”
“Above Divine Profound is Supreme, and above Supreme there are further ranks: then come Venerable, Sage, Sage Emperor, and now we even have the Saint Venerable powerhouses!”
Li Youran stood steadily by the window, his posture upright yet carrying an indefinable air of desolation.
“Who knows what exists above the Saint Venerable? This is likely a path without end.”
Li Youran smiled bitterly, “Third Young Master, my aptitude isn’t poor, but I certainly can’t be called a true genius. If I had committed myself to the Xuan Palace, perhaps in this lifetime I might reach the Venerable or Sage tiers; but, how much of my life would that demand?”
“Even achieving Supreme, Venerable, or Sage cultivation, what then? There are still so many Sage Emperors above! Any one of them could easily erase me!”
Li Youran chuckled, “No matter how high one’s cultivation, within this heaven and earth, one dares not claim to be invincible! We are merely ordinary passersby in this world! Such continuous cultivation, slowly grinding away until old age claims us—how dreadfully dull that is?”
How dreadfully dull?
Jun Moxie’s eyes widened upon hearing this assessment.
The glory of becoming an unparalleled powerhouse—such an endeavor was considered ‘how dreadfully dull’ by Li Youran?
“Here, in the court, though I am not the ruler, every thought I harbor can be smoothly implemented. Every ambition I hold can be realized one by one! Though I am second to one person, I truly stand above tens of thousands! Wherever I go, the only sounds I hear are flattery and obsequiousness. Perhaps you find that repulsive, but I grasp that this is the essence of power! What I, Li Youran, pursue is this very sensation of towering above all sentient beings! ‘I would rather exert authority among common folk than tread on thin ice among the powerful!’”
Li Youran spoke leisurely.
Jun Moxie was speechless. This sounded exactly like the saying, ‘better to be the head of chickens than the tail of phoenixes!’ He didn't know whether to call him unambitious or simply content with mediocrity…
“But have you ever considered that if you continue this way, without advancing your Profound Arts cultivation, your lifespan will be at most a hundred or so years? Don’t you wish… to live longer?”
Jun Moxie frowned.
Li Youran smiled casually, “A lifetime of one hundred or so years is quite sufficient for a person. If one lives too long, it might not necessarily be a good thing for the nation, the family, or for oneself! Third Young Master, for my dream, playing the game of schemes for a few decades as a powerful minister is enough. Nothing can be played endlessly. Do you expect me to plot for several centuries or millennia? Then I wouldn't be a powerful minister; I’d be an ancient monster controlling the government!”
Jun Moxie was utterly silenced. He never imagined that someone as astute as Li Youran possessed such a lack of grand ambition!
“And taking a step back, a person like me will never be a good man. There are some things you, Third Young Master Jun, might hesitate to do, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t.” Li Youran offered a bitter smile. “I am accustomed to using any means necessary to achieve my goals, and after this habit sets in, I feel exhaustion. So, let me enjoy the feeling of power for a few years, and then I can dissipate without regret.”
“Even those as close as father and son, brothers, or spouses can still scheme against each other, fighting until death. These matters might seem ridiculous to outsiders, and tragic to those involved, but they are necessities. To achieve a goal, even sacrificing the woman one loves—that is the essence of me, Li Youran. I truly hold no lingering attachments.”
“This world is truly uninteresting!”
Li Youran concluded, “Other than the brief thrill upon watching someone fall into a trap I’ve laid, and the magnificent taste of power that commands immediate obedience, I have no other hopes. Although I realize that this exhilaration, this touch of magnificence, I might soon become accustomed to through over-indulgence, even weary of it, perhaps even disgusted by it—that will be my final remaining ideal!”
Li Youran departed, waving his hand without disturbing a single cloud.
There was a sentiment Li Youran did not state explicitly, but which he had implied clearly enough.
In the court, even with his low cultivation, he could still command the winds and rain.
But in the Jianghu, his intellect and cunning were not as readily applicable. Furthermore, Li Youran was not someone who tolerated being beneath another. If he were to serve under Jun Moxie, Li Youran’s pride would never feel comfortable…
Thus, Li Youran refused.
And Jun Moxie, the Young Master Jun, remained seated where he was. Watching Li Youran walk away slowly, Jun Moxie felt as if a chapter belonging to his own past was closing with Li Youran’s departure.
That chapter, though marked by his own weakness, would never be forgotten. Now that he possessed great strength, those days were gone forever.
From this day forward, he was the Sovereign of Evil!
Nothing could ever be approached with the mindset of that era again.
Li Youran’s words today were effectively a reminder to him to forget that time so he could truly begin!
What Li Youran said today was genuinely candid, perhaps to the extreme! But it was also profoundly sorrowful, sorrowful to the absolute limit. In his entire life, he had likely never been as honest as he was today; that is why he felt so light after speaking, departed so easily, and his steps were even light and quick.
Because he knew Jun Moxie was someone absolutely trustworthy!
Even though their paths diverged!
Though they began as enemies, and Li Youran was hardly a virtuous man, he was someone who understood the currents of the age.
Li Youran was ruthless yet possessed refined elegance—he was a true schemer!
But from this day forward, he and Jun Moxie would belong to different realms. Perhaps their paths would intersect, but conflict would never arise between them again!
Every person’s life path is marked by different encounters, and everyone possesses a different way of living that they choose. Jun Moxie finally understood this truth today.
What Li Youran pursued, perhaps in his eyes, was insignificant, something unworthy of notice, lacking any grand ideal. But his own ‘lofty’ pursuits might not appear so grand in Li Youran’s eyes either.
In Li Youran’s words: even if you become a god, so what?
A frog gazing at the sky from the bottom of a well knows nothing of the vastness of the Heavenly River, but to that frog, that small patch of sky might very well be the most ideal and wonderful world!
Jun Moxie let out a long sigh, a sense of loneliness settling in his heart.
Our paths are different!
Li Youran’s statement held undeniable truth…
After a poetic lament, Jun Moxie flashed, entering the inner space of the Hongjun Pagoda to concentrate on studying his pill formulas.
The Marrow Cleansing Pills required for the two unfortunates, Tian Can and Di Que, could now be refined; combined with the Flame Bone Pill, they would allow these two children of tragic backgrounds to finally break free from their congenital limitations.
As for Fatty Tang’s Slimming Pill, it still required further experimentation. The difficulty in refining this unconventional and tailor-made elixir was surprisingly the greatest among all the pills he currently knew—logical in retrospect, yet unexpected in practice…
And now, the War for Heaven Seizing was imminent. If he wanted brilliant results in that war without depleting his own strength, Jun Moxie felt the need to concoct a batch of elixirs to boost his subordinates’ capabilities.
Beyond that, as a precaution, he needed to refine another batch of miraculous healing elixirs. Facing such a perilous impending battlefield, it might not be possible for everyone to retreat unscathed as before; even if they did retreat whole, sustaining internal or external injuries, or severe depletion of profound energy and stamina, would be unavoidable. Thus, the Red and Blue Pills were essential…
Truly, there were countless matters to attend to.
Young Master Jun had to plunge back into frantic work…
After a chaotic blur of activity, when Young Master Jun finally emerged from the Hongjun Pagoda, it was already late into the night.
The entire Evil Monarch’s Residence was silent. Despite the glorious fanfare surrounding its establishment, the effort required was immense. These past few days, everyone was utterly exhausted, and now that matters had finally reached a temporary conclusion, they could rest properly.
Young Master Jun sat awkwardly on a chair, hugging his knees. Recalling the tumultuous experiences of the past year, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Thinking of the many beautiful companions surrounding him, it felt utterly dreamlike.
Unconsciously, the ethereal and refined figure of Mei Xueyan floated into his mind. A warm smile curved Jun Moxie’s lips. Xueyan… she was truly the one who understood his heart best. She was the most reliable support, the confidante who gave him the deepest resonance.
Recalling how he had nearly continuously brought women home recently, yet he hadn't properly communicated with Mei Xueyan, his nominal primary wife… Jun Moxie felt a pang of guilt.
With nothing pressing now, perhaps he should go and have a heart-to-heart talk with Xueyan, or maybe even…