Yingge glanced at the white-feather message his brother had casually conjured. A faint envy stirred in his heart—when would he be able to do the same? Still, he composed himself and studied the message seriously.
"Brother, I recognize this ugly woman. She's the one who tried to kill us in the secret realm."
"Oh? Her face was blurred in this recording, yet you still recognized her?" Bai Jue Zhūnzhǔ asked with a smile.
"Of course I did. Xiao Zhuzi almost got her, but her senior brother struck first. I saw her being swallowed by that black mist with my own eyes… though I never imagined…"
Seeing the concern in Bai Jue's expression, Yingge fluttered his wings and added quickly, "Xiao Zhuzi kept me in her arms the whole time. I was perfectly safe, not even a single feather got touched by those insects. As for the other beastkin companions who escaped the realm, I have no idea."
"You don't need to worry about that. The beastkin who entered the secret realm have begun internal investigations. But as you've seen, the cultivation world is already entering a state of full-scale mobilization. The demon race can't remain untouched either. You need to step up your efforts too."
"Yes, Brother. I will do my best."
Nether Realms
Du Yanran and Zheng Da had been drifting in the same stretch of sea for three months. They had calculated the estimated time of the spatial rift's appearance, but nothing had come of it. Zheng Da handed Du Yanran the final pack of energy bars and spoke cautiously.
"We should return. It's been three months. We have no food or fresh water left. Soon we'll dehydrate…"
"I know."
Though tired, Du Yanran's face still held its brilliance. She understood that if they stayed any longer, she would have to draw from the reserves inside the magnolia pendant. She had no intention of letting this man learn about her secrets. Just as she was plotting how to get rid of this burden, a faint fissure appeared at the exact spot where she had calculated the rift might emerge.
The crack steadily widened. One mile away, winds whipped into spiraling currents, making the entire sea begin to tremble as waves started to churn.
Du Yanran's eyes lit up. Timing her movement perfectly, she stepped onto her flying sword and darted into the spatial fissure with full momentum, leaving Zheng Da behind in the rocking boat, stunned. A massive wave surged up right after, engulfing both him and the boat in an instant.
But stepping into the rift was not as smooth as Du Yanran had imagined. Despite her meticulous preparations and the Vajra Protection Talisman on her body, the spatial turbulence tore through her defenses like they were made of paper. It wasn't long before they were completely destroyed.
Clenching her teeth, she tried to retreat into the space within the magnolia pendant, but she couldn't. Left with no choice, she activated the pendant's protective barrier. This time, it held for longer, but not by much. Soon it began to thin, then flicker, as if it could collapse at any moment.
Desperate, she retrieved her stash of spirit stones and poured spiritual energy into the barrier, hoping to last just a little longer. But with a sharp crack, the barrier shattered, and a long fissure split across the magnolia pendant. Dragged by the chaotic forces of the rift, Du Yanran coughed blood and blacked out, her body swallowed by the darkness.
Heavenly Sword Sect – Advancement Hall
The so-called Advancement Hall was actually an independent mountain. From its peak to its base, it was covered in tiered cultivation caves, each tailored to provide the spiritual energy required for breakthroughs ranging from Nascent Soul to Unity stage. However, entry was restricted to those with enough sect contribution points or those who had rendered exceptional service, since a superior-grade spirit vein had been buried beneath the entire mountain.
Jian Dan inserted her jade token into the slot at the cave entrance. With a soft click, the door opened. Once she entered, the token automatically returned to her hand, and the door closed behind her.
The cultivation cave wasn't large about thirty square meters, split into two connected chambers. The inner chamber, slightly smaller, held the heart of the spirit vein beneath a meditation cushion. Thick spiritual energy billowed around it. The outer room was larger, suitable for refining pills or crafting tools using the geothermal fire beneath the mountain.
Jian Dan held Yue Liang in her arms, gently stroking the little beast's increasingly glossy yellow-and-black fur. She spoke softly.
"Yue Liang, you've suffered a lot in Yunling City."
Yue Liang blinked up at her with shiny black eyes and shook her head. "It was because my cultivation isn't high enough. I'm grateful for Zhēnrén's rescue. Next time, I'll be more careful."
"You don't have to tread so carefully. No matter how cautious you are, if someone wants to target us, you won't be able to avoid it. In the end, it all comes down to strength. I didn't get the chance to strike back on the spot this time."
"That's why we're lying low for now, and more importantly, advancing our cultivation. I plan to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."
"I checked your condition. Most of your internal injuries are already healed. This is a good chance for you to advance to Rank Four. What do you say? Some grudges are best settled by our own hands."
"Yes. I won't be a burden to Zhēnrén."
Jian Dan set up a spirit-gathering formation for Yue Liang and handed her a porcelain vial of mid-grade spirit spring water to help with her breakthrough. Once Yue Liang drank the spirit water and settled into the array, slipping into sleep and beginning her cultivation, Jian Dan turned and entered the inner chamber.
She sat cross-legged on the spirit-gathering cushion. The moment she did, an abundance of spiritual energy surged around her, and every pore in her body opened to absorb it. She let herself immerse in the sea of energy. The Primordial Chaos Art began to circulate. Within her dantian, the Yin-Yang Taiji Disk spun steadily, while the Mò Xī Sword embedded within it greedily devoured the incoming energy. Its silver blade shimmered more brightly, its aura sharper than before.
Thirty days later, Jian Dan had smoothly advanced to the late Golden Core stage. But she did not stop there. She continued cultivating, channeling spiritual energy to refine the Mò Xī Sword, while the rest strengthened her meridians. At the same time, the Ice-Skin Jade-Bone Demon Body Art tempered her muscles and membranes. Her cultivation steadily climbed toward peak Golden Core.