"Very well... these words were spoken by the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou. As he uttered them, he remained still, unruffled, and subtly retracted his Jiuyou True Qi.
Jun Moxie stared back in astonishment.
'Did you not sense it at all? That miraculous flame has already left a brief brand within my Jiuyou True Qi,' the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou smiled faintly. 'That brand is extremely shallow; it will probably only permit me to use it once—that is the only time!'
Jun Moxie let out a breath and declared carelessly, 'You should be content with just one use. Do you even know what that fire is?'
'I had been doubting all along whether such a divine flame could truly be controlled by mortal power. Now I am finally certain: although this flame resides within you and is subject to your command, it is separate from you—at least, it is not something you generated, am I right?' The Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou cast him a knowing glance, his smile enigmatic. 'Jun Moxie, you certainly possess more than one secret about you.'
'What is this? You haven't even seen the stronger ones yet!' Jun Moxie snorted. He was not surprised in the least that the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou had perceived this. If he hadn't realized it by now, that would have been truly strange!
'You are that 'First Master of Jiuxiao' who rescued me from being trapped back then, aren't you?' The Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou tilted his head back to look at the sky, asking the question with an air of casual indifference.
'Uh...' Jun Moxie tilted his head and smiled, 'And where does this presumption come from? What reason supports this judgment of yours?'
'No reason!' The Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou fell silent. 'It is merely a feeling. In truth, this feeling has existed for a long time, but you were too weak before, so I could not be certain. Now that you possess the qualifications to threaten me, that feeling has become distinct and clear!'
'Correct! I am,' Jun Moxie raised an eyebrow. 'The First Master of Jiuxiao!'
'You boy are truly arrogant! Do you realize that the name you casually picked that day has violated the greatest taboo of my Jiuyou Clan!' The Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou stated flatly. 'Just for those five words—'First Master of Jiuxiao'—a battle of life and death between us is inevitable!'
'After this great battle concludes, as long as I live and you live, I will certainly fight you!' A sharp glint flashed in Jun Moxie's eyes as he slowly continued, 'I have long wished to witness firsthand exactly how powerful the so-called unrivaled secret techniques of the Jiuyou Clan are!'
'In this war, the person with the highest chance of survival, including myself, is undoubtedly you. I trust you will have the opportunity to challenge me,' the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou said faintly. 'In fact, I am equally eager to uncover just how many secrets you are hiding, and what the true power of those concealed secrets amounts to!'
Jun Moxie fell silent for a moment, retorting sharply, 'I also believe you will have that chance, but the secrets I hold, even the Young Masters of Jiuyou might not be able to withstand!'
Having spoken, neither of them spoke again, both standing with their hands clasped behind their backs, their eyes fixed on the area where the alien race was gathered.
Regardless of how they might eventually clash, that was a matter for later. The immediate priority was to survive this war. Secondly, it was to ultimately win this war.
Under the precise detection of their super-long-range spiritual senses, they simultaneously sensed that those people had begun to stir.
A banner, crimson as blood, had been planted in the ground before them.
Evidently, they were about to make their move!
The next moment—a piercing, utterly mournful horn blast suddenly sounded with extreme sharpness!
From the side of the alien race, the designated horn blowers in every unit that had not yet moved simultaneously raised their horns to the sky and blew!
The sound of over ten thousand horns blaring in unison shook the heavens!
An army numbering over seven to eight hundred thousand roared together: 'Divine Sun! Might!'
A million people sent off their champions!
Legend held that warriors sent off in such a manner, even if they unfortunately perished, would not have their souls extinguished; they would return to the Divine Sun Clan’s Jingri Shrine, eternally receiving the incense offerings of the Divine Sun Clan members, their souls immortal for a thousand ages!
This was the most grand send-off ceremony for an expedition in the history of the Divine Sun Clan!
Now, this ritual was sounding again, this time for the ten-thousand-strong Death Squad of the Holy Emperor!
The instant the horns began their frantic blare, the hundreds of thousands of frenziedly advancing alien warriors on the front lines suddenly retreated with the speed of a receding tide. The battlefield, which had just moments before been filled with the thunder of war cries, suddenly fell into a deathly silence in an extremely short period!
Within that silence, beneath the heavy solemnity, there was an undertone of chilling, dense pressure!
This truly was the calm before the storm!
Everyone understood—since the alien race had staged such a massive display, the ensuing attack would inevitably be unprecedentedly formidable! If... if they managed to break through their powerful charge, the defense line built by the Xuan Xuan Continent Allied Forces might truly collapse in an instant!
A single, dissenting voice broke the silence first!
Gu Han, the foremost figure of the Holy Land, roared with eyes blazing with fury: 'Holy Land!!!!'
Mo Wudao, Xi Ruochen, and Hu Yan Aobo simultaneously stepped forward with force. The accumulated blood beneath their feet suddenly splashed up due to the intense exertion. They raised their arms and shouted: 'Holy Land!!'
'Ten Thousand Years of Glory! Today is the Millennium! Today is Eternity!' Gu Han’s face was fiercely resolute. He roared as if trying to tear through the endless firmament with his voice alone!
'Ten Thousand Years of Glory! Today is the Millennium! Today is Eternity!' A total of seven thousand Holy Land experts shouted with all their might. At this moment, the expression of every single person became solemn, stern, and sacred!
These people were not in peak condition; on the contrary, nearly all of them were severely wounded. At this moment, they were consuming the Heaven-Reversing Pills that Jun Moxie had previously provided. Over the past few days, Jun Moxie had worked day and night, either refining pills or forging swords, and had finally managed to meet the basic requirements for the Heaven-Reversing Pills. This was the utmost effort he could muster now!
But it was precisely this gesture that earned him the respect of everyone belonging to the Holy Land!
Because the efficacy of a single Heaven-Reversing Pill possessed heaven-defying power!
One heaven-defying pill per person, seven thousand in total, gifted to their former enemies—if the positions were reversed, the people of the Holy Land did not believe they could have mustered such magnanimity or spirit!
There was no need for reminders, nor for any commanding officer.
Everyone understood that this moment, this precise instant, had arrived—the critical juncture!
This was the time that demanded them to burst forth their lives into the most brilliant fireworks, using their most splendid, most dazzling lives to safeguard the peace of the entire continent!
Unhesitatingly!
Ten Thousand Years of Glory, Millennium of Eternity—it was all contained in this single day!
Led by the three Holy Land Sect Masters, the seven thousand people reorganized themselves into three columns, maintaining the original organizational structure of the Hidden World Immortal Palace, the Dream Sea of Blood, and the Supreme Golden City! They moved in perfect order, without any confusion.
They marched forward step by step, without the slightest hesitation beneath their feet, their eyes filled only with unshakeable determination!
Ten thousand years of glory, ten thousand years of merits and demerits, ten thousand years of everything!
All would be fixed at this moment!
Success or failure fades in a moment; history will judge their merits across a thousand years!
The three formations advanced like three silent torrents!
The back of every person was ramrod straight!
In this final moment of their lives, their faces were filled with pride!
The pride belonging to the Holy Land would surely endure forever!
'Salute!' Mei Xueyan let out a piercing long cry that shook the entire sky.
Wherever they passed, all the Heavenly Punishment Warriors suddenly raised their hands, paying the highest respect to these former adversaries!
'The people of the Three Great Holy Lands, those scum... those individuals, have always been the group I loathed the most! Because they have always taken it upon themselves to be the guardians of the Xuan Xuan Continent, allowing no other force to interfere, eliminating any entity that might potentially become their enemy—whether they were already enemies, about to become enemies, or might become enemies—without exception!'
High in the sky, the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou sighed mournfully, his tone desolate. 'Before this, I never imagined that such a damned organization would one day earn the admiration of me, the Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou!'
'Indeed! For the sake of their so-called ideals, they have been despicable, they have been vulgar, and they have committed countless mistakes,' Jun Moxie sighed slowly. 'But at this moment, they are still great, and they are still glorious! In this moment, they still deserve our heartfelt respect! Furthermore, their sacrifice today, regardless of how much enmity existed between us before, is now entirely wiped clean! Not only will I respect them, but I will respect them forever!'
The Fourteenth Young Master of Jiuyou sighed.
'Strong winds test the strength of the grass, and true heroes emerge in troubled times!' Jun Moxie suddenly shouted from high above the sky, 'Hear me, people of the Holy Land! All grievances between us are settled here and now! I, Jun Moxie, in my capacity as the Sovereign of the Evil Monarch’s Mansion, promise you that I will definitely slay Zhan Kuang! I will avenge you!'
As he spoke the last few words, Jun Moxie's voice became exceptionally impassioned.
He knew that resisting the alien race was solely the mission of the Three Great Holy Lands!
The alien race, although their enemy, had never truly been their sworn foe.
The greatest enemy of the Three Great Holy Lands was Zhan Kuang—and only Zhan Kuang!
To die without ever having the chance to kill Zhan Kuang and avenge this deep hatred was undoubtedly the eternal regret in the hearts of everyone in the Three Great Holy Lands!
Today, right now, as they resolutely and generously marched to their deaths, Jun Moxie disregarded everything to give this absolutely difficult promise!
Zhan Kuang, with a Semi-Saint cultivation and an undying body—how could he be so easily killed?
But Jun Moxie still promised! Because Jun Moxie asked his own conscience: he absolutely could not allow these warriors to step onto the road to the underworld harboring such regret!
Even though they were willing!
'Thank you!' Mo Wudao looked up, gazing deeply at Jun Moxie, and silently cupped his hands in a bow.
All seven thousand-plus people simultaneously cupped their hands toward the sky in salute.
Then, they walked out with their heads held high!
Jun Moxie's spirit surged, and he suddenly waved his hand. Three enormous battle flags dropped from the sky, unfurling dramatically in the strong wind halfway up. On each great flag, four large golden characters shone brilliantly!
'Hidden World Immortal Palace'
'Dream Sea of Blood'
'Supreme Golden City'"