The second update. Seeing everyone else settle down, she almost instinctively followed suit, yet her eyes were vacant, as if everything had ceased to exist for her…

Gu Han took a deep breath, his whole body glowing, the unusual colors of his Xuan Qi lighting up sequentially, starting from black, then red, then green… *……” only to finally flash through dozens of different hues, including jade and colorless, before he abruptly spat out a thick, black clot of blood with a soft poof.

Then, the damaged, festering skin all over his body, that half of his frame already charred black, began to peel away piece by piece. Beneath the sloughing scars, fresh, tender new flesh was revealed.

For an injury this severe, an ordinary person would have died countless times over, yet he had recovered completely in such a short span. At least outwardly, he appeared no longer in grave danger.

The injuries were gone, but his appearance was…

Before, Old Man Gu had collaborated with Jun Moxie to fight Zhan Lunghui near the volcano, pouring every ounce of his accumulated power into the offensive, which meant his own defenses had dropped to their absolute lowest. Clothes burning away was one thing, but even his hair and eyebrows had suffered damage. Earlier, his soot-covered, wretched appearance had been bad enough, but now that his body had healed, the smooth, pale skin was certainly nice, but being completely exposed was rather… awkward.

Young Master Jun felt a secret delight. When he had first seen this elder, he exuded the aura of an immortal, possessing a dignified bearing—truly the supreme elegance of an otherworldly master. And now? Here he was, looking equally disheveled. In a flash of thought, Jun Moxie retrieved an outer robe and offered it over.

Gu Han took it instinctively, then suddenly realized the situation. His old face flushed, and he hastily threw the robe on. Though his injuries were healed, his appearance was quite unsightly, not much different from his previous state while fighting Zhan Lunghui. While emergencies demanded expediency and a true man shouldn't fuss over minor details, there were ladies present…

The people of the Heavenly Saint Palace understood this perfectly well, but unlike Young Master Jun, they didn't carry a portable world from which they could produce clothing at a moment’s notice. If they offered clothes, they would have to strip themselves, and those garments were already riddled with holes.

“Zhan Kuang! The culprit responsible for all the disaster before us is Zhan Kuang!” Gu Han suddenly exhaled, gritting his teeth. “Zhan Kuang is the progenitor of the Zhan Family among the Eight Great Families of the Misty Illusion Manor, and also one of the eight disciples of the Manor’s first master, Miao Qingcheng—the sole survivor to this day!*……”

Jun Moxie nodded. “En, and what is the ultimate source?”

Gu Han snorted, his expression darkening slightly. “It all springs from greed. For ten thousand years, since the Misty Illusion Manor was founded, it has been inextricably linked to the Three Great Holy Lands! Back then, the First Young Ancestor sealed Mount Tianzhu and divided the continent into two domains. To ensure the seal’s eternal support, he established a formation within the ancestral shrines of the Three Great Holy Lands: the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array; this was designed to absorb the spiritual energy of the entire world to form the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand, which would then be used to maintain the array’s perpetual, natural operation—continuously generating the power to seal Mount Tianzhu, enduring endlessly, ensuring the foreign races could never easily set foot on the Profound Profound Continent for all eternity!”

“The Nine Illusions Flowing Sand… Nirvana Nest Array*…” Jun Moxie murmured the words once: “So that’s how it is*…”

“And the reason the Misty Illusion Manor could even form was thanks to the Nine Illusions Divine Pearl inherited from the First Young Ancestor. That, too, was an esoteric formation encompassing heaven and earth; shifting the cosmos within a mustard seed, moving the sun and moon within a square inch! This is what shaped the Misty Illusion Manor! But for the Manor to continue existing, a certain amount of Nine Illusions Flowing Sand must be poured into the array's core every thousand years. Any interruption means the collapse of the entire Misty Illusion Manor realm.*……”

Gu Han sighed deeply. “And today’s calamity began precisely because of this.”

At this point, Jun Moxie finally understood everything completely.

“If the array core of the Illusion Manor cannot receive the supply of Nine Illusions Flowing Sand, the Manor’s life source, the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree, will wither and die in a short time; if the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree dies… the entire Illusion Manor, along with every living being inside, will turn to dust!”

Gu Han stated gravely, “Back then, the First of the Nine Hells was wary that the Three Great Holy Lands might develop wicked intentions and deliberately annihilate the lineage of the Misty Illusion Manor. Therefore, although the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array was set within the Holy Lands’ territory due to the Mount Tianzhu seal, the necessary maintenance and operation of the formation must be handled by personnel from the Illusion Manor.”

He looked up at Jun Moxie, sensing his confusion. “The First of the Nine Hells once transmitted a unique Profound Art, but it was later altered and eventually distributed in portions to his four disciples, each receiving a set of the profound art that yielded slightly different effects. Among them, the divine art passed down through the lineage of Senior Miao Qingcheng of the Illusion Manor was the only one capable of truly driving the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array! Furthermore, only those who had reached the Saint Venerable cultivation level or above could activate it.”

Jun Moxie nodded silently; this was truly the optimal arrangement for mutual cooperation and interdependence.

“And this Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array, besides possessing the efficacy to maintain the seal on Mount Tianzhu, also holds immense power. Experts below the Grand Saint Venerable level simply cannot enter! Even a Saint Venerable expert, once inside, would find that whatever astonishing divine arts they possess would be reduced to less than one thousandth of their original strength the moment they entered! Equivalent to that of an ordinary person!”

“And with the strength of an ordinary person, the amount of Nine Illusions Flowing Sand they could bring out each time was just enough for a thousand years’ need—perhaps a little more, but certainly not much more.”

Jun Moxie drew a deep breath and was suddenly filled with sincere reverence for the First of the Nine Hells. This arrogant, unparalleled madman of ancient and modern times had planned for his disciples and grandchildren with extreme thoroughness; such a design was undoubtedly near perfect.

It simultaneously suppressed the potential tyrannical ambition of the Three Great Holy Lands, while also cutting off any possibility of the Illusion Manor trying to isolate itself, thus allowing them to coexist peacefully for an enduring age.

No wonder the Three Great Holy Lands had stood for ten millennia without falling; the true reason lay in this Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array!

“Every thousand years, the Illusion Manor would specifically come to ensure the smooth operation of the Nirvana Nest Array while collecting the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand to sustain the Manor’s own operations; this went unchanged for ten thousand years, with never an incident. And due to this reliance on each other, the Three Great Holy Lands reached an unspoken understanding with the Illusion Manor. Every time the Illusion Manor arrived, they would bring two sets of Seven-Colored Sacred Fruits, and in return, the Holy Lands would offer two Exquisite Lotuses. Whether called an exchange or a gesture of goodwill, ten thousand years passed by without a hitch…”

Gu Han stated heavily, “Just a few days ago, that Zhan Lunghui, the reincarnated mortal body of Zhan Kuang, suddenly came to Heavenly Saint Mountain to see me. He claimed that with the War of Seizing Heaven imminent, and wishing not to disturb the Holy Lands’ concentration on preparing for that war, he had come specifically to maintain the great array and, incidentally, to collect this millennium’s supply of Nine Illusions Flowing Sand.”

Jun Moxie raised an eyebrow, a look of doubt crossing his face.

Gu Han gave a wry smile. “You don’t need to doubt. The thousand-year mark had truly not arrived. Zhan Lunghui’s visit was indeed sudden. However, after Mount Tianzhu experienced a collapse once eight thousand years ago, it greatly impacted the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array. In recent years, the seal on Mount Tianzhu has shown intermittent signs of loosening. Now, with the War of Seizing Heaven approaching, and the current strength of our Three Great Holy Lands being weak, we have no confidence of certain victory—it is entirely possible we might be annihilated in this battle.”

“Zhan Lunghui’s offer to help maintain the array at this time gave us some comfort: that even if all of us in the Holy Lands perished in this battle, the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array could continue functioning, sustaining itself for at least another thousand years. Should the foreign races manage to invade the Profound Profound, only the extremely powerful experts would be able to enter the Profound Profound lands. Moreover, we trusted that the Illusion Manor would not stand by while their lifeline was held by outsiders. For a considerable time, even if the Three Great Holy Lands waned, the Misty Illusion Manor would proactively station guards here…” “So, after deliberation, the elders and I agreed to Zhan Lunghui’s request. At that time, we didn't know he was the Zhan Kuang of old! Although he displayed the strength of a Fourth-level Saint Venerable, we didn't pay it much mind.”

Gu Han laughed bitterly. “Our strength might not be supreme, but we were confident we could more than handle a Fourth-level Saint Venerable. Even if he truly intended foul play, we believed we could stop him in time! But who could have foreseen….”

At this, Gu Han’s face flushed crimson, and he coughed violently, his face turning bright red, his eyes nearly splitting with fury: “Who could have foreseen that this Zhan Lunghui… would actually… actually be Zhan Kuang, the progenitor of the Zhan Family of the Illusion Manor!”

“Zhan Kuang, driven by madness, relied on his strength which had long surpassed the Saint Venerable, transcended the Saint Lord, and was nearly reaching the Saint level. The influence of the Nine Illusions Great Array on him was negligible! He forcibly collected a massive amount of Nine Illusions Flowing Sand from the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array! He swept away the entire accumulation from the past ten thousand years in one go! Not a single speck was left behind!”

As he spoke, everyone in the Heavenly Saint Palace fiercely clenched their fists, faces etched with grief and indignation.

Gu Han paused, his gaze seemingly solidifying. “The Nine Illusions Flowing Sand that Zhan Kuang took could supply the Misty Illusion Manor for at least a million years! Zhan Kuang truly lives up to his reputation as Fourth Master Miao’s most cherished disciple; his foresight is profound. Heh, this move truly ensures eternal peace!”

“But after he took all the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand, the Nirvana Nest Array immediately ceased to function! It was impossible to gather the required amount for the array to run within a day or two!” Gu Han grimaced. “Without the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand… what else could it be called but the Nine Illusions Flowing Sand Nirvana Nest Array?”

“The moment Zhan Kuang emerged, Mount Tianzhu began to show signs of imminent collapse! I knew instantly that something was wrong, so I asked Zhan Kuang: ‘What exactly did you do inside?’ ” Gu Han’s face twitched. “At that time, Zhan Kuang argued that after this reinforcement, the seal on Mount Tianzhu would be even stronger following this shockwave!”

Jun Moxie rolled his eyes. This Zhan Kuang was truly something else; to possess such shamelessness was itself a form of mastery…