And yet, he had been "completely closing his eyes" just now, and through those closed eyes, he had witnessed so many things. Jun Moxie offered a bitter smile.

When he finally opened his eyes to survey his surroundings, he was abruptly startled.

Standing silently around him were eight figures, resembling mere shadows. Jun Moxie focused his gaze and gasped in shock!

These eight individuals before him were the preceding eight masters of the Hongjun Pagoda!

"Congratulations, Junior Brother, on successfully achieving the Creation of Heaven and Earth!" The eight spoke in unison, each using a different language—some Jun Moxie had never encountered—yet he understood every word perfectly.

"Junior Brother? Are you addressing me?" Jun Moxie asked, puzzled. "If there are senior and junior brothers, who, then, is Master?"

"Junior Brother will know who Master is in due course." All eight smiled kindly. "Junior Brother required less than two years to successfully create heaven and earth, and to cultivate the Creation of Heaven and Fortune to the Eighth Layer realm. Your progress is so breathtakingly fast that we are truly left in the dust. Junior Brother possesses extraordinary talent and deep fortune; your future achievements will undoubtedly surpass our own. You are undoubtedly the best candidate to become Master’s successor. We, your elder brothers, offer our heartfelt congratulations in advance."

Though these words were steeped in praise, they were factual. Jun Moxie reflected that while these eight had also succeeded in establishing their own universes, they had taken significantly longer. The longest among them had required nearly ten thousand years! The fastest had still taken ninety-nine years, almost a full century!

Having reached the Eighth Layer of the Hongjun Pagoda in under two years, even though he was still a considerable distance from truly completing the genesis of heaven and earth, the certainty that he would finish this monumental task faster than any predecessor was undeniable.

Jun Moxie accepted this gracefully, nodding lightly. "This little brother merely benefited from a small measure of luck. I hope my senior brothers will guide me."

The eight roared with laughter. This young man was certainly arrogant, retaining such spirit even in their presence. But then again, all members of their sect were like this—those bearing the great divine might and power to forge worlds could not afford to lack character!

Jun Moxie now understood that the figures present were merely projections of residual spiritual intent. Their true forms were likely located in some distant nexus of space-time, untold light-years away...

"This meeting concludes today. We shall meet again. We wish Junior Brother to take utmost care; there will come a day when we reunite in Master's Ling Tian Palace." The eight bowed in unison.

"Ling Tian Palace? Where might that be?" Jun Moxie asked, thoroughly bewildered.

The other eight burst into laughter and chanted in a resonant chorus: "To name Ling Tian, to aspire to Ling Tian, with a heart for Ling Tian, to command Ling Tian!"

With that, the eight figures vanished simultaneously.

Jun Moxie felt dazed, completely unable to decipher the meaning of those lines. While he was deep in thought, pondering the mystery, a sudden dizziness swept through his mind, and a passage of text abruptly materialized within it.

The text was the incantation for the Eighth Layer of the Hongjun Pagoda.

"Ninety-nine returning to one, Wind and Thunder combine their might: Heaven and Earth within the heart, Forge the Cosmos: Yin and Yang obey the command: Six Paths await forging: Merit stretches across eternity, I become the genesis: Soul transforms ninefold—unending life cycle..."

Jun Moxie’s keen spirit comprehended it instantly. With a slight smile, he felt that the universe, the cosmos, and the chaos were all utterly transparent, nothing more than mere trivialities... He then drifted out.

He knew he was fundamentally changed.

Although the Creation of Heaven and Fortune technique had formally ascended to the Eighth Layer, Jun Moxie had gained no tangible, external power this time, for there was no longer any power in the heavens and earth left to be allocated to him!

Now, he could command all the natural forces of the universe!

Without exception, every single one!

Jun Moxie slowly opened his eyes.

Miao Qingcheng and Zhan Kuang, who should have been before him, had completely disappeared.

Jun Moxie smiled faintly, feeling no urgency whatsoever. He casually extended his divine sense to search, and instantly, the entire continent unfolded within his mind! He immediately pinpointed the location: Zhan Kuang and Miao Qingcheng, these two peerless experts, were engaged in a death match in the most desolate area near the Tianzhu Mountains!

Jun Moxie snorted softly, shifted his body infinitesimally, and in the blink of an eye, crossed countless mountains and rivers, arriving directly above their battlefield! As he arrived, Miao Qingcheng had just shattered Zhan Kuang with another blow!

During the time Jun Moxie had been in deep meditation, three years had passed in this world! A full three years!

Initially, Miao Qingcheng had stayed close, guarding him. Later, seeing he remained utterly motionless, enveloped by an extraordinarily mysterious and potent aura that even her utmost divine sense could not penetrate, she knew with certainty that nothing in this world could harm him. Relieved, she had devoted herself entirely to dealing with Zhan Kuang!

Over these three years, Zhan Kuang had been exploded and reformed by Miao Qingcheng tens of thousands of times. The master and disciple had fought relentlessly up to this moment. After all, these two were old monsters who required neither sleep nor sustenance...

Though Zhan Kuang possessed an immortal and indestructible body, he was being driven to utter misery by Miao Qingcheng. Even immortality offers little comfort when one is perpetually pummeled. And Miao Qingcheng, whose strength had increased after resolving the lightning tribulation crisis, was nevertheless struggling, despite holding the absolute advantage.

It was difficult not to feel vexed when facing a persistent pest that simply could not be annihilated.

Beyond the frustration of being unable to utterly destroy this little bug, she dared not relax even for an instant!

Because if she let her guard down, Zhan Kuang would seize the opportunity to devour vital essence, enhancing his own power. If he managed to boost his strength significantly, combined with his indestructible physique, Miao Qingcheng would be the one facing utter ruin!

So, how could Miao Qingcheng allow it?

Master and disciple had battled for three years, almost without a break. Both, who had mentally prepared for a protracted war, now felt profound weariness. Genuine exhaustion!

In the first year or so, Zhan Kuang had still intended to use Miao Qingcheng as a means to hone his cultivation, but now, even that pretense was gone. Miao Qingcheng was simply too strong, impossibly so. Zhan Kuang conceded that even if he absorbed every living being on the Xuanxuan Continent, he might still not defeat his master. Zhan Kuang now had only one desire: to end this drawn-out war quickly. Whether he died, or Miao Qingcheng died, he didn't care!

But here lay the problem: the strange power of the Nine Illusory Sands, this strange artifact of heaven and earth, prevented even Zhan Kuang from taking his own life. He had attempted suicide more than once, only to reform instantly; he simply could not die...

It turned out that possessing an immortal and indestructible body could also be a terrible misfortune.

Miao Qingcheng was vexed; Zhan Kuang was even more wretched...

It was precisely then that Jun Moxie appeared...

Young Master Jun had made his commanding return!

The air rippled, and above the site of their battle, Jun Moxie materialized serenely. His eyes regarded Zhan Kuang—the opponent who had previously caused him such immense trouble—with neither joy nor anger, and suddenly, the foe seemed utterly fragile!

"Jun Moxie! You broke through?" Miao Qingcheng exclaimed in delight.

"Indeed, Elder Miao. You have labored hard these past few days," Jun Moxie stated calmly. "From this point on, leave this wretched thing to me!"

Miao Qingcheng’s eyes widened, and after a long moment, she gave a wry smile. "Dan Tian? Since you entered seclusion, the two of us have been fighting non-stop for three full years!"

"Three years?" Jun Moxie was startled. He had assumed barely three days had passed during his meditation. To think it had been three years...

This was... a bit too fast?

"Jun Moxie, so what if it's three years?" Zhan Kuang glared at Jun Moxie, then suddenly burst into wild laughter. "Your progress may be swift, but with your cultivation, even three hundred years wouldn't make you my match!"

"Whether that is true or not, a single test will tell!" Jun Moxie sneered, and his body plummeted from the clouds.

Zhan Kuang only saw a blur; Jun Moxie’s fist was already before him. He hastily dodged, but with a dull bang, Jun Moxie's knee strike landed squarely on his lower abdomen, right on his Dantian!

Zhan Kuang roared in muffled pain as his body shot backward like a meteor, torso and legs still leaning forward—like a cannonball leaving the muzzle!

Jun Moxie pursued like a shadow, delivering a fierce kick to his chin. The blow landed with a sharp crack, causing Zhan Kuang’s body to flip backward end-over-end, and immediately, Jun Moxie’s torrential assault descended upon him!

Zhan Kuang tried to defend in all directions, but he simply could not match the opponent's speed. He could guard the top but not the bottom, momentarily stunned into confusion. After a long pause, he recalled: Why am I dodging? Why am I blocking? I am inherently immortal; what does his speed matter?

With that thought, disregarding Jun Moxie’s attacks, he launched a full-force counter-assault.

Jun Moxie coldly sneered and delivered a sharp, ringing slap across Zhan Kuang’s face, vaporizing half his head into smoke. "Did you think I couldn't kill you now? I am merely collecting some interest! Dying is not so easily achieved!" Jun Moxie fiercely kicked Zhan Kuang skyward, ascending after him, and roared mid-air: "Zhan Kuang, today you shall learn what it means for death to be the most difficult thing to attain throughout eternity!"

Zhan Kuang’s head, which had fragmented into smoke, reformed in an instant, and he grinned savagely. "Jun Moxie, if you possess the skill, this seat does not mind sampling the taste of death! However, if you fail to kill me, I will make everyone in your entire Xiejun Manor taste what it means to truly die!"

Jun Moxie let out a long cry and shouted, "You will see!" He suddenly reached out, and as his hand extended, it transformed into a dense, rich purple, solidifying almost immediately into a jade-like color. By the time it reached Zhan Kuang’s shoulder, it had morphed into a swath of purple mist.

The purple mist flashed, and Zhan Kuang felt a violent tremor deep within his soul, accompanied by an intrusive sense of absolute annihilation flooding his mind.

This dense purple seemed to be his inherent nemesis, compelling him to instinctively recoil.

But it was too late!

Jun Moxie let out a cold laugh, and with a whoosh, Zhan Kuang’s arm was cleaved off by his palm-blade. Before the severed limb could dissipate into dust, Jun Moxie snatched it, immediately activating the power of the Eighth Layer of the Creation of Heaven and Fortune!