"I vaguely sensed something was amiss, yet I couldn't pinpoint what exactly. However, due to the limitations of our cultivation methods, every foray into that Nine Illusions Quicksand Grand Array demanded a heavy toll on the strength of our Three Great Sacred Lands. To confirm the situation, I disregarded everything else. Seeing large stones begin to fall from Sky Pillar Mountain, I plunged in regardless to investigate. Only then did I discover..." Inside the Nine Illusions Quicksand Array, the quicksand was utterly gone! The formation had completely ceased operation, and once the array stopped, it signaled the end of the seal on Sky Pillar Mountain..."

Gu Han's eyes reddened as he spoke, tears threatening to fall.

For an elder who had lived for countless years, such an emotional display spoke volumes of the extreme turmoil raging within him! This was undoubtedly the ultimate collapse of a lifelong conviction!

Jun Mo Xie sighed inwardly, realizing that was why Gu Han’s performance this time seemed somewhat lacking, not as profoundly powerful as when he had visited previously. It was because he had already expended so much of his vital energy within the Nine Illusions Quicksand Array.

"I immediately emerged and furiously demanded of Zhan Kuang: Where has all the Nine Illusions Quicksand gone?" Gu Han's gaze turned terrifyingly fierce. "And at that moment, Zhan Kuang was still scrambling everywhere on the Heavenly Saint Mountain, stripping spiritual herbs! The man's insatiable greed is truly appalling!"

Jun Mo Xie was momentarily speechless. You commit such a massive transgression and don't flee immediately, but instead continue to profit? That's too... arrogant, isn't it? Little did he know, Zhan Kuang didn't not want to leave; in fact, he desired it more than anyone. But at that critical juncture, he had stumbled upon the Immortal Soul Grass planted on Heavenly Saint Mountain! His divine soul was naturally more robust than his physical body, leading to an incomplete fusion. This Immortal Soul Grass, however, was a rare treasure of heaven and earth capable of rectifying this fundamental flaw!

If he could continuously consume the Immortal Soul Grass for one month, twice daily, taking three stalks each time, he could fully restore all his battle prowess from his peak period without any adverse side effects.

Therefore, Zhan Kuang was helpless at that moment.

He could have vanished without a trace with a simple farewell, impossible for anyone to find, and even if discovered later, they could do nothing to him. But those Immortal Soul Grasses made him linger.

Moreover, Zhan Kuang clearly understood that with Sky Pillar Mountain looking as it did, it was likely to collapse soon. The Three Great Sacred Lands and the Heavenly Saint Palace were seemingly doomed; if it crashed down, all those Immortal Soul Grasses would be lost. Missing this opportunity meant his hope of recovering his strength might be delayed indefinitely.

Thus, Zhan Kuang was incredibly conflicted, facing a painful choice.

As he frantically gathered the Immortal Soul Grass, Gu Han suddenly appeared to hold him accountable. Naturally, Zhan Kuang refused to relinquish the Nine Illusions Quicksand he had already obtained. Consequently, their words clashed, and conflict ignited.

Precisely at that moment, Sky Pillar Mountain abruptly collapsed!

Gu Han was naturally furious, seemingly on the verge of madness. And Zhan Kuang, obstructed by Gu Han, had only collected half the required amount of Immortal Soul Grass, failing to complete his goal—he was also incandescent with rage!

The two sides fought fiercely. Experts from the Heavenly Saint Palace gradually joined the fray, and beneath the crumbling Sky Pillar Mountain, a fierce battle erupted.

But as the fighting continued, volcanoes suddenly began to erupt one after another.

This truly was when misfortune never comes alone!

Both sides comprised the apex powerhouses of the age. They fought while retreating, pursuing relentlessly. The experts from the Three Great Sacred Lands desperately sought to detain Zhan Lun Hui and reclaim the Nine Illusions Quicksand. Initially, Zhan Lun Hui hadn't given them a second thought. Furthermore, he was wary that perhaps a few of these experts might resort to self-detonation specifically targeting him—though his current body was powerful, he might still sustain injuries.

So, he engaged them in a protracted struggle, unwilling to extinguish the faint hope held by the hearts of the Heavenly Saint Palace members entirely. Coupled with the continuous eruption of new volcanoes around them, even the mightiest experts could not ignore such natural might. Through this pattern of fighting and fleeing, just as Zhan Lun Hui felt he could finally slip away and no longer fear the threat of self-detonation, Young Master Jun made his brilliant entrance—and upon arrival, he presented the most shocking gift, a surprise that unfolded from the opening scene right to the finale!

From this perspective, both sides were extraordinarily unlucky!

"I still cannot understand why Zhan Lun Hui acted so absolutely this time! Taking all the Nine Illusions Quicksand in one go! We in the Sacred Lands have never once obstructed the Phantom Mansion when they came to collect the Nine Illusions Quicksand; there was never any difficulty! Every visitor was always an honored guest of the Heavenly Saint Palace! Could it be that the thousand years of stability were simply too brief? They could just take it when they came next time; why resort to such a devastating final plan?" an elder stroked his beard, completely baffled.

"That question is simple. It is because Zhan Lun Hui wants the Zhan Family to monopolize the Phantom Mansion; if the Nine Illusions Quicksand remained, the Zhan Family could not establish a complete monopoly! He is directly cutting off the Miao Family's hope. As long as all the Nine Illusions Quicksand is in his hands, then if the Miao Family and the other major clans within the Phantom Mansion want it to continue operating, they must bow to the Zhan Family," Jun Mo Xie said lightly. "Zhan Lun Hui wants only absolute control of the Ethereal Phantom Mansion! Nothing else!"

"But once the Nine Illusions Quicksand is gone, the Nirvana Array cannot function. With the collapse of Sky Pillar Mountain, all the members of the foreign race can pour across the border, bringing disaster upon the common people of the entire Xuan Xuan Continent! Zhan Kuang was a supreme master, holding a venerable seniority rarely matched; does he truly value the overlord status of one Phantom Mansion above the lives of all living beings on the continent??" the elder roared angrily. "This bastard is simply devoid of humanity!"

"Precisely because Zhan Kuang is a supreme master, an unparalleled expert! The common people of the world have always been nothing more than a swarm of ants in his eyes! And why would he care about the life or death of a swarm of ants? The safety of the continent is less than a puff of wind in Zhan Kuang's view! Or perhaps less than that!" Gu Han roared low in fury.

Jun Mo Xie finally understood the entire sequence of events, but he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Just for this Nine Illusions Quicksand, Zhan Lun Hui had exposed the entire continent to the jaws of the foreign race!

It was worse than being worse than a beast!

Such an act—what was the difference between that and being a traitorous collaborator?

Immediately, Jun Mo Xie recalled another question: "You say Zhan Lun Hui took the Nine Illusions Quicksand, but we all witnessed the battle just now. Zhan Lun Hui was practically stripped bare, and he even fell into a volcano. Throughout the entire fight, we never saw any trace of the Nine Illusions Quicksand? Enough for a million years' use—that should be a considerable amount, right?"

Gu Han gave a bitter smile. "This is the peculiar nature of the Nine Illusions Quicksand. Before being collected, it appears as individual, transparent grains of sand—each containing its own universe and being extremely heavy; a single grain weighs several pounds. But once taken out, it becomes weightless and resides within the spirit soul. If the person holding it dies, then besides himself, no one else can ever produce this Nine Illusions Quicksand!"

"I see," Jun Mo Xie nodded silently. "It appears then that Zhan Lun Hui did not die! The Nine Illusions Quicksand is still in his possession. This matter is somewhat troublesome."

"Zhan Lun Hui is not dead?!" Although everyone saw Zhan Lun Hui leap out of the volcano, they held onto a sliver of hope: having been subjected to the lava's incineration, how could survival be possible?

This was human instinct, hoping for the best first. And if Zhan Lun Hui was alive... the consequences would be far more disastrous than anyone anticipated!

"His body is dead, but his soul has not vanished," Jun Mo Xie nodded faintly.

"Doesn't that make it even more troublesome?" Everyone present was an expert and naturally grasped the complexities. If Zhan Lun Hui transitioned from tangible form to intangible, and if he were allowed to grow unchecked, it would inevitably lead to another wave of bloodshed across the continent!

In an instant, everyone's hearts felt as heavy as if lead had been poured into them.

"Let's set this issue aside for now. The immediate priority is the war against the foreign race. I want to know: what fighting strength remains in the Three Great Sacred Lands?" Jun Mo Xie rubbed his brow and asked somberly. As he asked this, even he felt a knot of worry in his own heart, bordering on disbelief.

Judging by the situation... Jun Mo Xie would consider it a blessing if the Three Great Sacred Lands could scrape together six thousand men for the Hawk-Bear allied army.

"The living are fewer than three thousand!" Gu Han closed his eyes, tilting his face toward the sky, and suddenly burst into tears. "But those capable of fighting will absolutely not exceed one thousand! The foundation of our ancestors spanning ten thousand years, the splendid rivers and mountains of the Xuan Xuan Continent, are about to be buried in our hands! I... am guilty!"

"What?! Damn it!" Young Master Jun directly swore in shock. He had already braced himself for the worst-case scenario, but he never imagined things would deteriorate to this degree!

A fighting force of no more than a thousand... what could they possibly accomplish?

Facing the entire host of the foreign race, this meager force wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder!

This was absolutely not like the previous Battle of Heaven's Seizing! That was merely a decisive battle among the top leaders; victory or defeat settled everything. This time, however, it required a comprehensive defense!

Gu Han closed his eyes and said heavily, "Sect Master Jun, this time... the salvation of all living beings rests entirely upon the Evil Monarch's Mansion and the Heavenly Punishment Forest!"

Jun Mo Xie suddenly felt his entire head swell, and he asked meekly, "Then... in your estimation, how many people are in the foreign race?"

"The conditions on Sky Pillar Mountain are extremely harsh due to the abnormal, severe weather—it is not a place where normal life can thrive. The number of the foreign race should not be very large," Gu Han mused.

Jun Mo Xie felt a slight sense of relief. "Then, how many will there be?"

He thought, As long as it's not too many, that's good. If they swarm over like a plague of locusts, my mere tens of thousands of men will be useless.

"At most... only a few million..." Gu Han lowered his head, unable to bear looking at Jun Mo Xie's expression.

"I..." Jun Mo Xie was struck dumbfounded—his mouth formed an "O" shape. After a long moment, he managed to utter the next word: "...Damn!"

Suddenly leaping up in exasperation, he cursed loudly, "Blast it! Aren't you screwing me over? I swear! Several million isn't considered a large number? What counts as a large number?! Huh?! If it's not a large number, then why didn't your Three Great Sacred Lands fight them to the death? Damn it! You expect my few thousand men to fight several million? Do you really think I'm a god..."

Jun Mo Xie was truly driven to desperation: "Do you take me for an idiot?!"