The battle finally concluded, and on my way back, I truly felt how awkward it was to bring this up... Cough, cough... Jun Moxie adopted an expression of feigned shame: "My skin, after all, is still a bit too thin. If you hadn't pressed me today, I honestly don't know when I would have managed to tell you. That's just how I am; I get easily embarrassed..."

Qiao Ying suddenly felt her insides churning into a tight knot.

A feeling of amusement, irritation, and a touch of sadness, or perhaps wistfulness, welled up spontaneously... All these extremely complex emotions surged forth simultaneously. This chaotic sensation was truly difficult to describe...

Even amidst her overwhelming busy schedule, she couldn't help but cast a disdainful glance at that fellow Jun Moxie. Given the thickness of his hide, the very peaks of Mount Tianzhu would likely bow in deference, yet he could still put on a show of "I am so ashamed," saying his skin was too thin... That statement was the greatest joke under the heavens! Was there anyone in this world whose skin was thicker than his?

She wouldn't believe it even if they cut off her head!

"Since you cannot bring yourself to speak of it, then perhaps it is best not to speak of it at all! For today's matter, my Lord Prefect, please consider it as though it never happened. Qiao Ying has her own means of survival and does not require the Prefect to trouble himself or force the issue!" Gritting her teeth, Qiao Ying, flushed with shame and anger, threw out the retort and swept away in a flutter of fragrant breeze.

Walking away, the beautiful Qiao—her face flushed—muttered under her breath, unsure if it was from shyness or sheer fury: "Still that damned scoundrel from back then!"

Yet, what truly annoyed her was... this fellow still seemed so reluctant, as if he were the one who had suffered some tremendous loss: "...Hmph!"

However, following such a melodramatic outburst, the mountain-like sorrow that had weighed down Qiao Ying’s heart had, without anyone noticing, dissipated considerably.

"Hey, Miss Qiao. You can’t just decide that this matter never happened... As someone entrusted with a request, I absolutely must fulfill the dying wish of your esteemed master. Even if it means climbing mountains of blades or plunging into seas of fire... You can't leave me in a position of disloyalty, can you? ...Ah, what I really mean is, actually..." Behind her, Jun Moxie's rather anxious voice relentlessly drilled into her ears.

It was clear to hear that Young Master Jun was quite insistent on this matter: "Miss Qiao... Uh, Little Ying... That... before you rush off, let's discuss how we can fulfill Elder Gu Han’s dying wish—exactly what method, or what ritual, or what posture..."

The first half of that man's speech was the height of sanctimonious pretense, seizing the highest moral ground. Unfortunately, what followed immediately revealed his true colors—all the appropriate, inappropriate, sayable, and unsayable things tumbled right out!

"Discuss with your dead head! You despicable, shameless, vile, and low-life scoundrel! Who cares about your ritual or your posture..." Qiao Ying’s voice drifted back from afar, laced with insurmountable embarrassment, gradually fading until it was barely audible...

Clearly, Young Miss Qiao had already fled a long distance. As she fled, she cursed, wishing she could bite him to pieces to relieve her anger. Fulfilling my master's dying wish means climbing mountains of blades and plunging into seas of fire? This shameless rogue! Jun Moxie plopped back into his chair. Heavens, he had finally dealt with that, it was truly exhausting! But upon reflection, his imagination immediately began to run wild: Ah, Miss Qiao's last words were, "Who cares about what method or what posture..." Hmmm, that phrase holds a deep meaning... Does it imply that the method of taking by force is also acceptable? And as for the posture, anything goes?

Lost in thought, Young Master Jun narrowed his eyes, revealing a wolfish grin...

In truth, the words spoken by Miss Qiao were just born of anger; she barely knew what she was saying. But Jun Weng, ignoring all propriety and decorum, completely disregarded her and left.

In the following days, the continent remained calm and uneventful.

It seemed War Maniac had vanished completely; the grisly incidents involving desiccated corpses never recurred. As for the Misty Illusionary Manor, they remained silent, issuing not a single piece of information.

This crisis of alien invasion, triggered by the sudden collapse of Mount Tianzhu, arrived swiftly and departed just as quickly—lasting only a little over two months in total. This ultimate worry that had plagued the top powerhouses of the Profound Profound Continent was utterly removed. Although the Profound Profound Continent had paid an unprecedentedly heavy price—the strength level of its entire cohort of Xuan cultivators had declined by several tiers—all the cultivators on the continent began the process of recuperation. The bold and vigorous cultivators once seen everywhere were now hard to find!

As for the populace beyond the cultivators, especially the common folk, they had remained virtually outside the scope of this upheaval, suffering almost no significant impact. With the dust settled from the war, everything seemed to return to normal.

The Lord of Evil, Jun Moxie, however, became even more elusive during this period, seen in public only sporadically.

His figure could still be glimpsed every evening. In the evenings, Young Master Jun would seek out Guan Qinghan, Dugu Xiaoyi, or Miao Xiaomiao, perhaps sharing a large communal sleep, or sometimes engaging in solitary practice—ah, and casually teasing the ladies with witty banter during meals...

But during the day, the Young Master completely vanished. He remained immersed in cultivation within the Grandmist Tower. Out of the twelve hours each day, nearly eight were dedicated entirely to practice.

It was not just him; Mei Xueyan was in the same state. Every day, she followed Jun Moxie into the Grandmist Tower to train, pouring all her effort into elevating her cultivation realm.

Now, in this Heaven's Punishment Region, and indeed the entire world of the Profound Profound Continent, these two possessed the strongest individual strength. If War Maniac were to reappear, they would undoubtedly be the absolute main force to confront him!

They absolutely could not afford to relax!

Although the strength of these two was already formidable—Jun Moxie having forced his way into the Semi-Saint tier—there was still a considerable gap between them and War Maniac, that veteran ultimate powerhouse. Especially since the current War Maniac was an otherworldly being who was nearly impossible to kill, his unique ability added considerable difficulty to this war.

In addition to redoubling his efforts in training, Jun Moxie devoted a large amount of his energy to alchemy. The heavenly materials and earthly treasures within the Grandmist Tower were piled up like mountains, inexhaustible; no matter how lavishly he consumed them, they could never be depleted. Whether it was due to familiarity breeding proficiency, Young Master Jun’s current alchemy skills were becoming increasingly adept...

As for Mei Xueyan, she focused single-mindedly on her cultivation, concentrating on mastering the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth to advance her own power level.

Unlike Jun Moxie, his inherent cultivation and the realm of the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth were perfectly aligned. Even his state of mind could be adjusted in tandem. His state of mind, the realm of his soul, the depth of his profound energy, the progress of the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth, and the realm of the Grandmist Tower... all these factors were achieving synchronous integration, spontaneously melding into one!

Once these elements truly fused perfectly, it would signify that Jun Moxie was once again on the verge of a breakthrough, touching the edge of the eighth layer of the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth, poised to break through at any moment.

This was Jun Moxie's unique characteristic, something others could only envy!

Moreover, the Five Elements force, the Wind and Cloud force, and the Lightning force within Young Master Jun’s body—these natural divine powers—had all reached perfect equilibrium. The only thing currently lacking was the force of Yin and Yang.

The current Jun Moxie was in a delicate state of Yang excess and Yin suppression.

Once he could adjust to a state of Yin-Yang balance, the eighth layer of the Grandmist Tower would immediately open, and he would formally step into the eighth stage of the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth. However, Jun Moxie vaguely sensed that he absolutely could not rush this aspect. If his power was not sufficient and he tried to advance prematurely, the outcome would likely be disastrous. A slight imbalance—a fading of Yin into Yang, or the regret of a soaring dragon—and things would become truly serious.

Therefore, Jun Moxie was currently in the Grandmist Tower, refining his strength and state of mind as much as possible. All the power belonging to him, whether profound arts or divine techniques, all his abilities were being compressed one by one, merged together, and then mastered further before finally being integrated into a single whole.

But at that final moment of fusion, there were always imperfections; the process resisted becoming smooth and natural...

Young Master Jun continued his arduous struggle...

Mei Xueyan, meanwhile, was devoted entirely to breaking through the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth.

She differed greatly from Jun Moxie: her inherent state of mind and her cultivation realm far surpassed the current level of her Creation Art of Heaven and Earth attainment.

The profound energy Mei Xueyan currently possessed had skyrocketed to the Saint Sovereign Fourth Level after returning to Heaven's Punishment following the war, due to Jun Moxie constantly refining elixirs which she, naturally, was the first to consume. Her cultivation realm via the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth, however, had only just broken through the third layer.

This was undeniably a very clear flaw, akin to having both Heaven and Earth existing simultaneously within one's body—the disparity was simply too vast.

Therefore, Mei Xueyan needed to focus more effort on the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth, elevating her own cultivation realm as quickly as possible. With her formidable Saint Sovereign Fourth Level power, if she lacked a corresponding state of mind to govern it, she was highly susceptible to deviation and entering demonic deviation. Furthermore, she did not have the self-regulating restraint of the Grandmist Tower like Jun Moxie did. To perfectly manage Saint Sovereign Fourth Level power, she required at least the fifth stage of the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth to match and control it normally, thus allowing her to utilize it fully.

Jun Moxie, protected by the Grandmist Tower, could perfectly compensate for his defects, but in doing so, it absorbed nearly half of the power Jun Moxie gathered. Consequently, although Jun Moxie had reached the peak of the seventh layer of the Creation Art of Heaven and Earth, nearly fifty percent of his actual power could not be unleashed.

This point was entirely different from Mei Xueyan's situation.

In summary, both individuals were cultivating day and night, striving to unleash the maximum potential of their abilities as soon as possible...

The spiritual energy within the Grandmist Tower flowed in and out daily like tsunamis, pouring into their bodies like a hundred rivers converging on the sea, and then automatically drawing massive energy from the outside world to replenish the Grandmist Tower.

The activity of the Grandmist Tower caused a massive funnel-shaped phenomenon in the sky above the Heaven's Punishment Forest, hundreds of thousands of miles wide at the top, narrowing as it descended, causing the spiritual energy of the entire continent to converge from all directions...

(Heard that fellow Wu Shanyunyu's Xuan Tian Evil Sovereign has entered the mobile phone reading library... Envy, jealousy, and resentment...)