Gu Han spoke calmly, "What Lord Jun has just said is exactly what I intended to say! If anyone from the Holy Lands acts similarly again, then—" he paused, "—do not wait for Lord Jun to act; I will personally strike them down! Everyone who has come to this place is a hero of the Continent. Those who profane heroes die!"

When these two finished speaking, the entire assembly fell instantly silent, an absolute, deathly stillness!

Just as they had stated, the people of the Three Holy Lands had been prepared for this war for ten thousand years and were accustomed to it. But if someone from the land rushed here, it truly meant they were knowingly walking to their deaths, simply to contribute what little they could to the Continent!

Such people were the most worthy of respect!

Then, Jun Mo Xie graciously smoothed his expression into a fawning smile and ushered Chu Qi Hun, the great assassin, inside. He even led him directly into the tents beside the Beast Kings. He then arranged for the Crane King and others to "stand guard for Chu Qi Hun, allowing him to focus on quietly improving his strength."

Seeing Jun Mo Xie present numerous mystical elixirs aimed at boosting his power, Chu Qi Hun’s expression immediately shifted. "Jun Mo Xie, what is the meaning of this? Do you also believe my strength is insufficient? Not qualified to stand on this battlefield?" Jun Mo Xie smiled faintly, "Someone who habitually bludgeons others with grand principles would likely say upon presenting you medicine, 'I give you these pills not for Chu Qi Hun himself, but solely so that the Assassin Supreme can more effectively and more frequently slaughter those foreign mongrels.' I wonder if you would receive that explanation better! However, Jun Mo Xie is always Jun Mo Xie—he was so before, he is so now, and he will be so in the future... Back then, when I offered you elixirs, Old Chu, you weren't this verbose!"

He looked deeply at Chu Qi Hun and said plainly, "Has the Chu Qi Hun of today ceased to be the Chu Qi Hun of that day?" Chu Qi Hun was momentarily stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Good—a fine 'Jun Mo Xie is always Jun Mo Xie!' You truly live up to the Assassin King recognized by Chu Qi Hun! Just hearing those words brings me immense satisfaction! Since Jun Mo Xie is still Jun Mo Xie, then naturally Chu Qi Hun is still the Chu Qi Hun of the past! In any case, whatever I owe you, I’ll just owe a little more. I accept these elixirs. Improving my strength is fine; at the very least, I can kill a few more foreign mongrels!" With no further discussion, he took the elixirs and swallowed them down in one gulp.

Moments later, lightning flashed and thunder roared down...

In the afternoon, the sky was overcast and gloomy.

Jun Mo Xie, Gu Han, Mei Xue Yan, Mo Wu Dao, and seven or eight other key figures were drinking tea in a tent. Although the atmosphere was slightly subdued, it remained harmonious.

It was at this very moment...

A sudden, piercing cry of a crane echoed from the distant heavens, shaking the nine layers of the sky. Judging by the sound, it was the alarm call issued simultaneously by all ten Profound Cranes! Immediately following, the nearby Profound Cranes responsible for vigilance also let out long, synchronous calls! Enemy attack?!

The cries still echoed when Jun Mo Xie and the others had already appeared outside, gazing intently toward the south. The south, however, was utterly peaceful, showing no sign of abnormality whatsoever. Everyone felt a surge of surprise and began to speculate. Had some colossal new development occurred? The Heavenly Punishment Profound Cranes would never make a joke of an alarm call, yet the scene before them was perfectly calm. Just then, Gu Han, Jun Mo Xie, and Mei Xue Yan—the three foremost experts—all frowned simultaneously. Their individual strengths far surpassed the others, and they all vaguely sensed that deep in the northern regions, bursts of roaring sounds were arising, punctuated occasionally by violent explosions.

"Someone is fighting about two thousand li to the northeast! And the battle is incredibly fierce; it must involve peak-level experts!" Jun Mo Xie’s face darkened. His spiritual sense range far exceeded that of ordinary Xuan practitioners, and his hearing was the best; he was the first to faintly catch the piercing whistles coming from the northeast.

"Northeast? How could it be that direction!" Gu Han and Mei Xue Yan were both startled. They naturally did not doubt Jun Mo Xie’s judgment, but that direction was deep inland on the Continent. At this critical juncture, when all the Continent's top experts were gathered here or converging toward this location, even the most urgent personal grievances should be set aside. How could someone be engaging in self-slaughter, and furthermore, causing such a massive commotion while fighting?

As everyone puzzled over this, the ground suddenly vibrated again from the distant location. Everyone felt the ground beneath their feet tremble ever so slightly. This caused every person present to turn pale. Although the tremor was extremely faint, the epicenter was thousands of li away. It forced them to consider: if the shock was felt at such a distance, how devastating must the battle site itself be!?

"Which master in this world has not yet arrived?" Gu Han mused, looking thoughtfully toward the northeast. "If we here can sense it, then the strength of the two combatants must be terrifying. Could the power capable of inciting such earth-shattering might be that of Saints?" Everyone present was a top expert of the era and understood clearly: those capable of causing such intense repercussions in a battle happening a thousand li away could not be ordinary individuals! While the fact that three people here had superior cultivation played a role, each of the two fighting might not be inferior to the top three present! Perhaps even superior! If two people of Gu Han’s current caliber were fighting at the same distance, their sounds might not even reach this place!

Suddenly, Jun Mo Xie’s expression changed, and he said, "Not good... they are getting closer! The battlefield of those two is rapidly approaching us!" Everyone’s face changed drastically! With war looming and disaster imminent, these two, judging by the power they displayed, were undoubtedly the most supreme experts on the Xuan Xuan Continent. If they could be added to the current war effort, wouldn't they be a tremendous asset? Conversely, given their capabilities, if they were enemies, the negative impact would surely be profound and long-lasting!

"Appeal to their righteousness! Hopefully, we can bring them into our ranks; that would add two great helping hands!" Mo Wu Dao offered a soft suggestion, though his voice held a deep uncertainty. A battle between individuals possessing such power—can it truly be stopped by merely voicing principles? If even one combatant displays a shred of arrogance, this peak battle could never conclude!

At that moment, a Profound Crane flew in with a loud whistle, instantly transforming above them into a muscular man nearly two meters tall, drenched in sweat. He landed with a thud and loudly reported, "Big Sister... Brother-in-law: two peerless masters are fighting while moving in the northeast direction, heading this way!"

"We know," Mei Xue Yan acknowledged. The big man grinned honestly, the message delivered. He sprang up, transforming again into a snow-white crane, and vanished into the sky. He did not even pause to catch his breath before rushing back to his assigned post to continue monitoring developments closely.

The rumbling sounds grew nearer, and the intensity of the ongoing battle showed no sign of diminishing; instead, it surged like a tidal wave, seemingly capable of shattering every mountain range in its path! They were advancing straight toward this location! Everyone’s faces grew increasingly grim. Judging by the sheer momentum, the cultivation of either combatant in that fight far exceeded that of most people currently present!

"Old Gu, in your memory, are there truly masters of such terrifying strength existing in this world? And two of them at that!" Mei Xue Yan asked. As she spoke, everyone focused their gaze on Gu Han’s face. How could beings possessing such earth-shattering power be nobodies? Especially two of them! Yet, racking their brains, they found absolutely no recollection of such figures.

"There are, there are," Gu Han replied with a wry smile. "But to my knowledge, there is only one, at most!"

"One? Who is that person?" everyone asked simultaneously.

Just then, a razor-sharp, piercing shriek suddenly erupted from the northeast, soaring straight into the sky. Several white clouds drifting overhead were visibly shredded at an alarming rate, dissolving into nothingness. Everyone gasped, drawing in a sharp breath—could such destructive power truly be the work of mortal hands?!

Immediately following, three strange drumbeats echoed faintly. Everyone felt as if their hearts had been struck three times by a ten-thousand-pound iron hammer; their complexions instantly turned ugly, and they let out gasps of shock! This was clearly the sound of musical instruments! But what kind of instrument could achieve such astonishing effects?

Before everyone could recover, three more strange zither notes rang out continuously, Zheng, Zheng, Zheng. This was followed by a single, clear, long note—as if a celestial being was blowing with all their might on a transverse flute! The entire world seemed to be forcefully split in half by this peculiar flute tone!

As these sounds manifested in succession, several people instantly grasped the identity of the newcomers, their faces changing dramatically as they cried out, "Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master! It really is him!"

Gu Han sighed, saying, "Correct. The only person I could think of just now... was the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master!"

Everyone’s expressions turned horrified, especially those who had shouted out moments before. These individuals had participated in the campaign to encircle and suppress the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master hundreds of years prior. Upon hearing that bizarre music suddenly erupt—and hearing what sounded like several instruments mingling—they were immediately reminded of this terrifying demonic figure! Such strange music, such peculiar power; and the divine implement capable of playing several instruments simultaneously—besides the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master's unique divine weapon, the Divine Melody, there was nothing else in the world that could achieve it! But wasn't the Divine Melody preserved in the Misty Illusory Mansion? When did this demon retrieve it? Everyone knew clearly that the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master without the Divine Melody and the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master in possession of the Divine Melody were absolutely two different entities! With the Divine Melody in hand, the Ninth Nether Fourteenth Young Master was truly an enemy capable of fighting ten thousand men!