The Battle of Heaven Mending Pavilion

The Divine Vine, the pavilion's Sacrificial Spirit, announced the day of his impending death. He also instructed the pavilion master to stage a performance with the War Goddess of Deer-Chasing Academy.

After returning to the academy, the War Goddess told its leaders that Deer-Chasing Academy would receive a great opportunity. She wanted to take several elders to reinforce Heaven Mending Pavilion. The academy agreed without a second thought. Above all, those old fellows wanted to befriend Jun Moxiao and Hao Tian, two unparalleled prodigies.

The War Goddess brought four Array-King elders, who hid within Heaven Mending Pavilion. Upon receiving Huo Ling'er's message, the Fire Emperor personally set out with several Array-Kings! Xiao Tian also brought two Array-Kings from his family.

That day, the War Goddess led several of her sisters in a mock sparring match with Heaven Mending Pavilion's disciples. She secretly sent out a treasure artifact to probe the Divine Vine's condition. Afterward, the artifact flew into the clouds high above and reached a humanoid creature. It showed that the Divine Vine's vitality was weak. This was all part of the performance the Divine Vine had arranged beforehand: he had deliberately asked the War Goddess to do this to lure the enemy deep into their trap.

The Divine Vine was a Sneaky One too! He played that lure-the-enemy-in trick like a master.

The humanoid creature in the clouds burst into laughter. "The Divine Vine can't hold out much longer."

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi, those two Venerable Beasts, had already been waiting for a long time. There were also four Venerable Realm half-blood creatures from Xiling Beast Mountain and Primordial Divine Mountain, along with two human Venerables. That was quite a formidable force!

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow cried out, "Old Vine! You've certainly kept me waiting!"

Beside the sparrow, Qiongqi declared that Old Vine would undoubtedly die today.

"He's lived since ancient times, and he's injured too. It's time he fell. I refuse to believe he can recover."

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow said, "Shall we test him?"

"I'll give it a try."

A three-eyed humanoid creature took the lead, descending directly into the air above Heaven Mending Pavilion and laughing as it challenged the Divine Vine.

"Old friend, I've come to see you."

The Divine Vine swiftly extended a long vine into the sky and wrapped it around the three-eyed humanoid creature, pretending to be terribly weak. "Even if I fall, I'll still take you with me."

Then the Divine Vine pretended to struggle against the three-eyed creature for a while before finally killing it.

In the distance, the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow grew excited upon seeing how weak the Divine Vine looked.

"Three-Eyes was a late-stage Venerable. Old Vine fought it for so long; his oil must be running dry and his lamp going out. Prepare to attack."

The Fierce Beasts and great clans lurking around Heaven Mending Pavilion received word of the Divine Vine's weakness and launched their attacks.

Battle erupted at once. The Fire Emperor came to Old Vine. "I've come to lend you a hand, honored Sacrificial Spirit."

The Divine Vine said, "Thank you, Fire Emperor. We must act quickly. Young Xiaoxiao asked us to collect as much precious blood and as many bodies of Venerable Beasts as possible. I survived entirely thanks to the supreme treasure he bestowed upon me."

The Fire Emperor said, "Ling'er mentioned it. That little fellow is a monstrous genius who opened thirteen Cave Heavens. Such a thing never happened even in ancient times. I wonder what mighty being nurtured such a prodigy."

Old Vine said, "Enough, they're here. It's time for us to act."

Watching more than ten thousand attackers charge toward them, Jun Moxiao gave his instructions. "Hao Tian, get ready to collect the Fierce Beast bodies. We're going to strike it rich! Pavilion Master and elders, handle those Array-Kings. Leave the trash below the Formation Arrangement Realm to us. Senior brothers and sisters, get ready. I'm bringing out my big move."

The enemies charged into the square by the mountain gate, howling wildly. There must have been several thousand in this wave.

The next instant, Jun Moxiao flashed into the center of the square and unleashed his divine ability, I Am the Sovereign.

Thousands of enemies below the Formation Arrangement Realm instantly froze. Empowered by the Great Void Divine Armor, Jun Moxiao swiftly attacked them one after another. Most were grievously wounded with a single strike.

As he fought, Jun Moxiao said, "Hao Tian, Senior Sister, stop staring! Finish them off!"

Only then did everyone snap out of their daze. They unleashed killing moves, slaying the enemies outright.

Heaven Mending Pavilion's elders and the enemies outside were stunned as well. Both sides stopped fighting. This was even more incredible than a deity's power!

The elders of Heaven Mending Pavilion burst into laughter and engaged the invading experts, keeping them from interfering with Jun Moxiao.

Three minutes later, all the thousands of weaklings below the Formation Arrangement Realm lay on the ground.

Wielding Ghost Master's Broken Sword, Shi Hao finished off the wounded as he shouted, "Xiaoxiao! You're incredible! Our hands have gone numb from killing, yet you're knocking them down faster by yourself than hundreds of us can finish them!"

Xiao Tian cried out excitedly, "Junior Brother, we're nothing but trash compared to you!"

Jun Moxiao said, "Hurry and collect the Fierce Beast bodies. More enemies are coming in. Get ready, everyone."

Seeing their talented young clansmen harvested like chives in mere moments, the enemy Array-Kings bared their teeth and roared in fury, "Brat, I'll destroy your body and soul!"

The pavilion master shouted, "You think you can touch him? Do you take us old fellows for decorations?"

Jun Moxiao told Shi Hao, "Hao Tian, keep fighting. I'm going to the senior Sacrificial Spirit. I've spotted a little thief. Oh, right! Hao Tian, stop using Ghost Master's Broken Sword. Use my kitchen knife instead. It'll make killing enemies much more satisfying."

Jun Moxiao checked his divine kitchen knife and saw that it had upgraded to the Void Dao Realm. He quickly took it out and gave it to Shi Hao.

Shi Hao accepted the kitchen knife and said excitedly, "Xiaoxiao, this is a kitchen knife? What a powerful aura!"

Jun Moxiao said, "Stop gawking. Drip some blood onto it to claim ownership, then go kill the enemies."

Jun Moxiao flashed over to Old Vine and discovered Yu Feng, one of the Rain Clan's geniuses, preparing to attack the Divine Vine with a God-Slaying Needle! This fellow was truly vicious. The Sacrificial Spirit and the Fire Emperor were still fighting those Venerables in the sky. But Old Vine was now at the Divine Flame Realm mid-stage, and the Fire Emperor was probably at the Divine Flame Realm initial stage, so there should not be much trouble.

Jun Moxiao snatched the God-Slaying Needle away and slapped Yu Feng. Yu Feng spun several times through the air before crashing to the ground with a thud. His head swam with questions. Who am I? Where am I? What just happened? Who hit me? Ow! Why am I lying on the ground? My face hurts!

Jun Moxiao greeted him. "Are you Yu Feng?"

Yu Feng said, "I am. Why did you hit me?"

Jun Moxiao said, "Then I've got the right person. I'll take you to see someone."

With that, Jun Moxiao broke his arms and legs, giving him a taste of what cruelty meant.

Carrying Yu Feng outside, Jun Moxiao saw someone laughing loudly as he swung a kitchen knife left and right. Wherever he passed, souls were sent to their deaths. He had even killed several Array-Kings. That fellow was Shi Hao.

The enemies were dumbfounded, and so were Heaven Mending Pavilion's experts. This fellow had killed several Array-Kings with a kitchen knife. It was unbelievable.

Shi Hao himself was dumbfounded too. When had he become so powerful? He could not believe it. After cutting down one Array-King, he thought he was dreaming. Only after cutting down another did he believe it was real. This kitchen knife was an extraordinary divine weapon!

And so everyone saw a laughing god of slaughter wielding a kitchen knife.

The enemy leader immediately cried, "Retreat!"

Seeing the enemy about to beat a retreat, Jun Moxiao told Shi Hao, "Hao Tian! They're pulling back. Let's harvest another wave."

Heaven Mending Pavilion's elders immediately tangled with the enemy Array-Kings. Jun Moxiao charged into the crowd of weaklings and unleashed I Am the Ruler Divine Ability again, harvesting another wave. Meanwhile, Shi Hao worked with the elders to cut down the last few enemy Array-Kings with his kitchen knife.

More than ten thousand enemies had come. In the end, only a scattered few hundred weaklings escaped.

At that moment, the Sacrificial Spirit's deep voice rang out. "All powerful invaders have been exterminated."

Heaven Mending Pavilion had won a resounding victory, and everyone rejoiced. The invading force had been wiped out, save for a scattering of lesser soldiers outside who had long since fled.

That night, Heaven Mending Pavilion held a victory feast. Its leaders gathered in the small courtyard, and even Old Vine took the form of an elderly man to sample Shi Hao's cooking! The pavilion's disciples gathered in the square to enjoy the food.

The pavilion master asked Shi Hao, "Hao Tian! Where did that kitchen knife of yours come from? It can even cut down Array-Kings."

Shi Hao said, "Xiaoxiao gave it to me. I don't know either."

Old Vine declared, "It must at least be a divine weapon above the True God level."

Jun Moxiao explained, "Actually, it's just a Void Dao Realm Kitchen Knife."

Everyone exclaimed, "Void Dao Realm?"

Shi Hao asked, "Xiaoxiao! Where did you get it?"

Jun Moxiao said, "Willow Deity gave it to me. I hadn't used it. From now on, you can have it. It's great for cutting meat. Once you're stronger, you can find some divine materials to upgrade it. Maybe it'll even become a Supreme weapon."

In any case, he could let Willow Deity take the blame for everything.

Everyone exclaimed, "You're that extravagantly generous?"

Jun Moxiao asked Old Vine, "Senior Sacrificial Spirit, how many Venerable Realm Fierce Beast bodies and how much precious blood did you collect?"

Old Vine waved the gourd in his hand, revealing six Venerable Fierce Beasts, including the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi, along with six large jars of precious blood.

Jun Moxiao exclaimed, "So much! I'll just take the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow and Qiongqi's bodies, plus two jars of blood. Leave the rest as cultivation resources for Heaven Mending Pavilion's senior brothers and sisters."

After a moment's thought, Jun Moxiao told Old Vine, "Senior Sacrificial Spirit! You must nurture more experts from now on. Heaven Mending Pavilion is so large, yet it doesn't have a single Venerable Realm expert. That won't do. The Desolate Region Calamity is coming. You'll need to hide the pavilion well."

Old Vine said that he knew many formations and could conceal Heaven Mending Pavilion. Previously, he had been dying and lacked the strength, but now he had resolved to work hard to nurture several experts.

Jun Moxiao continued, "When Heaven Mending Pavilion recruits disciples in the future, it must assess their character and verify their backgrounds! Many enemies in this battle had infiltrated the pavilion beforehand. That Rain Clan genius Yu Feng, whom I crippled over there, was about to attack you with a God-Slaying Needle!"

Pavilion Master Yun Fei said, "We turned defeat into victory in this calamity entirely thanks to you, Xiaoxiao. Everyone in Heaven Mending Pavilion will engrave this kindness upon their hearts and never forget it."

Jun Moxiao said, "There's no need to be so polite, Pavilion Master. In this man-eating world, Heaven Mending Pavilion is something of a sanctuary. There are no struggles for power or profit here, no scheming against one another, and the elders are noble people. I wouldn't want such a sanctuary destroyed."

Jun Moxiao told the Fire Emperor, "Senior Fire Emperor, Hao Tian and I will be leaving Heaven Mending Pavilion to return to Stone Village. Hao Tian needs to undergo his final baptism. When the time comes, you can have the Vermilion Bird Sacrificial Spirit bring several senior sisters to Stone Village to rebuild their Cave Heavens. That Vermilion Bird met Hao Tian at Stone Village before. Hao Tian even called the bird Little Red! But everyone must keep my affairs secret, or the experts behind us will come looking for trouble with you."

Everyone swore on the spot to guard this secret with their lives.

The Fire Emperor said, "To think that the dignified Fire Kingdom Sacrificial Spirit was called Little Red by Bear Child."

Jun Moxiao said, "He has a real knack for names. He even named that Venerable Beast Zhu Yan Furball!"

The pavilion master asked, "Is that the little monkey beside Shi Qingfeng?"

Shi Hao said, "That's right! Patriarch Mu Yan recognized Furball earlier. Furball became so small because of severe injuries."

Everyone was speechless. Carrying a Venerable Beast around with him-he truly lived up to the name Bear Child.

Jun Moxiao told Shi Hao, "Hao Tian! Teach Sister Bai, Senior Fire Emperor, and the others a few advanced Fierce Beast treasure techniques. Teach them the Taotie Precious Technique, Bi'an Precious Technique, Bifang Precious Technique, and Golden Roc Precious Technique. Though I don't know whether you already have these techniques, Senior Fire Emperor?"

Everyone said they did not. Even many great sects lacked such treasure techniques!

Jun Moxiao suggested to Shi Hao that Shi Qingfeng remain at Heaven Mending Pavilion to study and broaden his horizons.

Shi Hao also felt that Qingfeng was timid and somewhat weak-willed. It was time to let him grow independently. Otherwise, Shi Hao would have no way to protect him once he went to the Upper Realm.

After Shi Hao explained this to Qingfeng, Qingfeng agreed to stay and continue studying diligently. Heaven Mending Pavilion's elders also took good care of him. Jun Moxiao left Qingfeng some resources and encouraged him to work hard at cultivation.

News of Heaven Mending Pavilion turning defeat into victory spread throughout the Desolate Region. The clans, great sects, Fierce Beasts, and others who attacked the pavilion had been almost completely wiped out. Only a scattering of weaklings had escaped.

The forces that participated in the attack trembled, terrified that Heaven Mending Pavilion would retaliate! They never imagined the Divine Vine could play the lure-the-enemy-in trick so masterfully. Now they were filled with regret.

Heaven Mending Pavilion did not retaliate, however. Pavilion Master Yun Fei said that after such devastating losses, the enemies were surely frightened too. The main issue was that there were too many enemies. Unless they killed them all, but that was unrealistic.

Jun Moxiao left six advanced Fierce Beast treasure techniques and a large jar of Spring of Life water for Heaven Mending Pavilion. He asked the pavilion master to look after Shi Qingfeng, then returned to Stone Village with Shi Hao, Baldy, and Big Red. Baldy had chosen to accompany them because he wanted to see what kind of place could nurture peerless prodigies like Jun Moxiao and Shi Hao.

Passing the Rain Clan's medicinal fields at Fallen Phoenix Slope, the two casually took the spirit herbs and an Eight Treasure Chicken. Then they knocked the crippled Yu Feng unconscious and dumped him in the Rain Clan's medicinal fields.

The moment Furball saw spirit herbs, Furball became an outright bandit.

Shi Hao said, "I wanted to kill him outright. Those sealed Rain Clan cultivators attacked me back in the Hundred Broken Mountains as if I'd murdered their fathers! They bared their teeth and went for the kill with every move."

Jun Moxiao said, "Aren't we giving him a chance to turn over a new leaf? What can we do? We're good people! Besides, isn't this a way to disgust the Rain Clan and Shi Yi? If they heal Yu Feng and he does evil again, you can vent your anger on him once more."

Shi Hao laughed. "That's a good idea. We'll infuriate them to death."

Jun Moxiao checked the system to see what rewards he had received for the battle at Heaven Mending Pavilion.

System: "Checked in at the battle of Heaven Mending Pavilion. Strength increased to the peak of the Spirit Transformation Realm. Reward: Red Lotus Karmic Flame from the Great Wilderness World (replica). (This flame burns karma, karmic force, and sins. It can cleanse all sins from a person's body or become a flame of slaughter that burns everything.) Reward: twenty Enlightenment Tea leaves and one jar of Divine Soul Liquid."

Jun Moxiao said, "Meng Die! This Red Lotus Karmic Flame is extremely destructive. Can I control it? And Divine Soul Liquid? Is it the kind from the world of Walking Alone?"

Meng Die said, "Don't worry, Master. Once you refine the Red Lotus Karmic Flame, you can control it however you wish. It will be entirely at your command! The Divine Soul Liquid is a supreme treasure from the Five-Element Jianmu World. Don't underestimate it. That is a high-level great world too. This treasure can help people with damaged souls."

Jun Moxiao closed his eyes and followed Meng Die's instructions. Once he refined the flame, he immediately felt refreshed in body and mind. He had killed many enemies during the battle at Heaven Mending Pavilion, leaving him tainted with a bloody aura. After the flame burned through him, all that sinful force vanished.

Seeing flames rise from his body, Shi Hao and the others immediately shouted, "Xiaoxiao! What's wrong? You're on fire!"

Yet the flame had no destructive effect. It actually felt quite comfortable.

Jun Moxiao opened his eyes and said calmly, "It's fine! It's actually a good thing. I'll explain when we get back to Stone Village! Big Red, speed up. Once we're back, I'll teach you the Vermilion Bird Treasure Technique."

Hearing this, Big Red immediately cried, "All right! Big brothers, sit tight. I'm speeding up!"