The very instant Jun Moxie’s spiritual sense connected with the Hongjun Pagoda, just as the pagoda began to ascend, the two small ears of the creature nestled in Jun Moxie’s arms suddenly snapped upright! A tiny head immediately lifted, and those large, adorable eyes now held an expression of intense solemnity mixed with indescribable, baffling delight!

The nine individuals sat huddled in Jun Moxie’s small courtyard. Dugu Xiaoyi, using the excuse of caring for Xiao Bai Bai, had forcibly taken a seat right beside Jun Moxie. Jun Wuyi, the elder, sat serenely in his wheelchair, deliberately abstaining from the juniors’ gathering, yet watching the proceedings with a seemingly intentional, yet casual, gaze.

The seven Dugu brothers had previously puffed out their chests and engaged in bravado, mostly for their sister’s benefit, reluctant to lose face after the severe setback their youngest member had suffered at Jun Moxie’s hands. If those seven rowdies truly disregarded everything and attacked Jun Moxie, dealing with them would be no simple task. However, with Third Master Jun Wuyi seated nearby, the seven brothers instantly became models of docile obedience, heads down, eyes lowered—seven perfectly behaved children.

To consider that these were the direct descendants of Old Master Dugu Zongheng and General Dugu Wudi, two notoriously stubborn men—and the former had suffered greatly at Young Master Jun’s hands—and yet they were so subdued today. This was the classic case of “a man’s reputation casting a long shadow”!

Whether in childhood, hearing tales from their grandfather, father, or uncle, or later when they joined the military themselves, the legends of the Three Heroes of the Jun Family were intimately known and recited flawlessly by the seven Dugu brothers.

White-Clad Marshal Jun Wuhui, Iron-Blooded War God Jun Wumeng, and Blood-Clad General Jun Wuyi! The formidable prestige of these three, and the legendary deeds associated with them, circulated widely within the military ranks, long establishing them as myths among the Tianxiang soldiers. In the words of Old Master Dugu, what right did that old fellow Jun Zhantian have to such outstanding sons? Only I could have such good progeny…

Their father and uncle, the three Dugu brothers—men known for their unyielding nature—were most averse to hearing anyone claim superiority over them. Yet, whenever these three brothers were mentioned, they were rendered speechless…

Never mind that Jun Wuyi appeared currently quiet and composed, his every movement graceful, measured, and elegant; they knew that if Jun Wuyi were to fly into a rage, the sheer madness of it would be no less than that of his two elder brothers!

When Jun Wuhui and Jun Wumeng met their mysterious end in defeat, Jun Wuyi took up his sword and led a vengeful expedition. He completely discarded his former style of cautious planning and deliberate maneuvering, instead commanding his army to sweep across fifteen hundred li in ten days, achieving ten decisive victories, unstoppable, crushing and destroying nine cities of the Yutang Empire! He slaughtered the twenty legions of the Yutang forces like slicing vegetables, leading every charge from the front—it was in that campaign that the name Blood-Clad General became known throughout the world!

Only after penetrating three hundred li deep into Yutang territory was the advance finally halted by his nemesis, the renowned Yutang general Zhao Jianhun, leading his troops into a desperate, world-altering melee. Zhao Jianhun suffered three consecutive defeats, yet even in loss, he showed no discouragement; the tide of battle, however, was turning against him. Yet, at the final, decisive moment, Jun Wuyi was suddenly attacked by a mysterious expert, following his two elder brothers down the same path—a great general, left crippled to this day!

But that single campaign was universally acclaimed as having displayed the might of the Tianxiang Empire! A relentless, surging advance by tens of thousands of iron troops, driving directly into enemy soil! Such an unprecedented feat of deep penetration, securing ten swift victories, had already become legend!

Though Jun Wuyi was forced to step away from the army due to his injuries, the name Blood-Clad General was equally enshrined as a military icon. Indeed, the legend only grew hotter, with everyone recounting that battle, unable to suppress their spirited enthusiasm and surging bloodlust!

When the seven Dugu brothers accompanied Dugu Xiaoyi, they had been given a solemn, emphatic warning by Dugu Wudi: Never, ever! Under any circumstances, provoke Jun Wuyi!

If in the Tianxiang Empire, the only clan daring to openly oppose the Jun Family was the Dugu Clan, and if Dugu Wudi possessed the audacity to give Young Master Jun Moxie a sound thrashing or even strike him dead, then the Jun Family likewise possessed one person bold enough to target the Dugu Clan! That person was Jun Wuyi!

If Jun Wuyi were to lose control, and single-handedly slice the seven descendants of the Dugu Clan into pieces, even Dugu Wudi would not consider it a surprise. Given Jun Wuyi’s past temperament, he was entirely capable of doing such a thing, and certainly possessed the nerve to follow through!

In the minds of the heroes charging forward, the seven brothers held Jun Wuyi as an idol. They might dare to show off in front of Jun Moxie, but before Jun Wuyi, they became more docile than mere children.

However, that being said, Third Master Jun was not actually paying them much heed at this moment. The Third Master had spent recent years cultivating inner peace, and his demeanor was far beyond what it once was. To eliminate all seven Dugu brothers in one go? Jun Wuyi might genuinely not do such a thing now. But just because Third Master Jun wouldn’t do it did not mean no one else could or would dare!

Third Master Jun’s true focus was fixed on his precious nephew, Jun Moxie. The more the Third Master learned about his nephew, the more mysterious he found the young man to be. He had grown accustomed to the Young Master’s ruthless methods of dealing with foes, ending lives with a mere flick of his fingers.

To be honest, judging by the strength Jun Moxie had displayed previously, if a true fight were to erupt, the seven Dugu brothers would likely meet their end on the spot in moments; no one would escape alive. Based on the Third Master’s understanding of his own nephew, if the Dugu brothers truly failed to see sense, Young Master Jun would genuinely dare to act—if that happened, the situation would escalate catastrophically! Thus, Third Master Jun remained seated there, observing the movements from a distance, ready to intervene should any accident arise from ten thousand li away!

But quite obviously, the catastrophe Third Master Jun feared was destined not to materialize!

Because—because—Young Master Jun’s current state was highly unconventional. Forget his Third Uncle or the Dugu siblings; he was almost oblivious to his own presence. The reason was simple: he was in a state both precarious and extraordinary!

Earlier, in an attempt to verify his judgment, he forcefully stimulated the Hongjun Pagoda with his divine sense. Within his spiritual realm, the pagoda, provoked, ascended and spun at high velocity. The spiritual energy surging forth from it was incessant, showing no sign of abating, but rather increasing in intensity. Eventually, it transformed into streams of fiercely brilliant white light—Jun Moxie never anticipated such a turn of events. He instantly felt every meridian in his body become saturated to the point of bursting, bulging as if ready to split, under threat of instantaneous explosion from this surging spiritual tide. Greatly alarmed, he forgot his surroundings entirely, pouring all his concentration into operating the Heaven and Earth Creation Technique, channeling and absorbing the spiritual energy that had just flooded his meridians.

For a time, within Jun Moxie’s spiritual consciousness, he could even hear the sharp, whooshing sounds of the spiritual energy traversing his channels. What filled him with the deepest horror was that the moment his divine sense pierced into the Hongjun Pagoda, it suddenly fused with the artifact, becoming inseparable—he could not withdraw it!

The small leopard let out a cry of wild joy, wrapping its four small paws tightly around Jun Moxie, pressing its muzzle and belly against him. It closed its eyes, absorbing the surging, overwhelming Heaven and Earth spiritual energy within Jun Moxie’s body with an expression of profound satisfaction.

Truly worthy of being called a good person! He gave me so much pure spiritual energy! A good person! I’m never leaving you again!

The little beast’s inner thoughts!

All of this transpired internally within Jun Moxie. Apart from Young Master Jun himself, and the inarticulate small leopard, there were no significant external manifestations. To an outsider observing, Jun Moxie still wore that inscrutable, profound smile, sitting quietly, completely betraying none of the turmoil within.

However, "no significant manifestation" did not mean absolutely none. The very moment the Hongjun Pagoda soared up, Dugu Xiaoyi, situated closest to Jun Moxie and obsessively monitoring his every move, was the first to sense that something was profoundly amiss. Almost simultaneously, the seven Dugu brothers also detected the anomaly.

At this juncture, Dugu Xiaoyi and her seven brothers experienced the exact same sensation: although Jun Moxie was clearly seated right before them, he felt as distant as a thousand li away. Though physically present, the person before them seemed like a phantom, ethereal and unreal, like a mere wisp of air—objectively there, yet utterly untouchable. For a moment, all eight felt as if they were dreaming.

This strange sensation was profoundly esoteric. It was like the bright moon high in the night sky—seemingly within reach, yet infinitely distant, impossible to grasp.

Simultaneously, Jun Wuyi, seated far away, abruptly raised his eyebrows, two beams of sharp light shooting from his tiger eyes. He stared at Jun Moxie with disbelief. As a master of the Tianxuan Realm, he too clearly felt an incredibly powerful force slowly emanating from Jun Moxie’s body, gradually spilling out into the surrounding world.

The scorching sun and autumn winds overhead seemed to pause entirely at that moment. The scattered spiritual energy in the heavens and earth, like a spiritual storm, surged forward relentlessly from all directions towards this spot, forming a vortex above the Jun residence—invisible to the naked eye, yet substantial—pressing down heavily.

There was not a breath of wind in the sky, but in Jun Moxie’s small courtyard within the Jun Estate, the surrounding flowers and trees suddenly bent uniformly away from the center, rustling audibly. And the Niwan Gong (mud pellet palace) above Jun Moxie’s head was the epicenter of this entire storm! Though the spiritual energy in the air was invisible to everyone, it pressed down slowly, massively, and with orderly grandeur! Amidst the silence of all things, it seemed every soul present heard a faint whooshing sound, as if something was rotating at an unprecedented speed—a speed no one had ever witnessed or even heard described!

Knowing something was critically wrong, and that the current events were absolutely not for outsiders to witness, Third Master Jun made an instant decision. He slammed his hands onto the arms of his wheelchair, and his body shot upward like a great bird, arriving mid-air above the eight Dugu siblings. Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang—eight lightning-fast strikes landed, knocking the eight siblings unconscious simultaneously. How could the Dugu eight possibly stand against a Tianxuan master? They fell instantly, without so much as a slight reaction.

Third Master Jun then swiftly maneuvered his feet, stacking the eight bodies one atop the other, placing Dugu Xiaoyi on top. He took a deep, forceful breath, and a burst of blue light scattered entirely from his body—clearly having gathered the full power of his life’s cultivation. With one outstretched hand, he lifted the combined weight of the eight siblings, nearly two thousand nine hundred jin, with a grunt of effort, and strode away, rapidly fleeing Jun Moxie’s small courtyard with the stack of bodies in tow.