Zi Qing Zhēnzūn stood suspended in the air. With just a single glance, she could tell that the spiritual beast named Yue Liang hadn't lied—she truly belonged to the Heavenly Sword Sect, and her master served in the sect's Enforcement Hall.
Truly, Jian Dan had remarkable foresight.
If Yue Liang had been any ordinary spiritual beast, Zi Qing Zhēnzūn would have acted immediately to restrain her. But this one carried a protective jade token bestowed by Jian Li of the Heavenly Sword Sect, which made the situation far more delicate.
After all, Jian Li was the most promising successor in the eyes of Tian Hong Zhēnzūn, widely recognized as the strongest sword cultivator of their generation. Even the thunderous sword intent still lingering in the sect's rear mountain spoke to the fact that Jian Li had already stepped into the Void Refinement stage.
"I never asked you for compensation, did I? You came to assist us at our invitation and helped expose a hidden threat. That alone deserves recognition." She nodded at Xiao Yong, then tore open a spatial rift and left with the imprisoned Chang Ping Zūnzhǔ. Before vanishing, she instructed him:
"Take Yue Liang to the Treasure Pavilion and let her choose a gift as our token of gratitude. Have Lu Xuanyuan accompany her for a few days. Once you're done with your tasks, take a team and investigate the Chang Clan thoroughly. We must avoid such incidents in the future."
"Yes, as Zi Qing Zhēnzūn commands."
Once she had gone, Yue Liang patted her small chest with one paw, then packed away all her belongings. She turned to Xiao Yong Zūnzhǔ and said politely: "May I trouble you to escort me to Xiao Lu? I'll stay with him for a few days."
What could Xiao Yong Zūnzhǔ say? This little one had been borrowed from her rightful master, and now she had helped the Purple Sky Sect uncover an even deeper hidden threat. The sect had lost nothing, but she had sacrificed a protective jade token from none other than Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ of the Heavenly Sword Sect—those tokens were not easily obtained.
"I'll take you to the Treasure Pavilion first. Then we'll head to Xuanyuan. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good. I'll follow your lead," Yue Liang answered obediently.
Shan Zhenjūn had once said that rewards should be claimed quickly. Only when they're in your own pocket do they truly belong to you—let them linger, and the opportunity might drift away.
If Jian Dan could hear Yue Liang's thoughts, she would surely nod and say, "Now that's a child worth teaching."
The Purple Sky Sect's Treasure Pavilion sat in the middle of a lake atop a mountain peak. As the pavilion slowly rose from the lake's surface, Yue Liang stared in awe, too amazed to even blink.
A floating tower ship lay moored at the lake's center. Xiao Yong Zūnzhǔ brought Yue Liang to its entrance, set her down before the doors, and gently patted her head.
"This is your thank-you gift from the sect. Make the most of it. Once you've chosen, the item will be delivered to you. Go on inside."
Yue Liang swished her tail and nodded. She stepped through the open door, and the world instantly shifted around her.
She now stood amidst a sea of blooming violet magnolias. Each blossom held a glowing orb at its center, gently rotating in the air. Inside every orb was a sealed treasure, clearly visible, though their exact effects remained a mystery.
This made things a bit tricky for Yue Liang. How was she supposed to choose? She rubbed her eyes with her paw, trying to see more clearly. She was determined to pick the very best item as a gift for Shan Zhenjūn—a token of gratitude. She even reached up to touch the collar around her neck as she thought.
Eventually, she darted about among the magnolias, then shut her eyes and randomly grabbed one of the glowing orbs. The moment it landed in her paw, she was transported out.
When her eyes opened, she saw Xiao Yong Zūnzhǔ sitting by the lakeside, sipping tea. The lake was perfectly still, like a mirror, reflecting Yue Liang's small, adorable form.
She stole a glance at her treasure—it was a white pill bottle. Likely, it contained some sort of medicinal pills.
"Let's go."
Xiao Yong Zūnzhǔ rose and began walking back toward Zixiao Peak. Yue Liang trotted along at his side, her steps unusually quick. She hadn't seen Xiao Lu in a while and wondered if his cultivation had improved. She fully intended to supervise him properly.
Mortal Realm
Du Yanran had to rest in bed for three months before her external injuries finally healed. Her torn meridians, however, would take far longer to recover.
The white magnolia pendant that had shielded her from the spatial rift was now cracked. The farmland inside its internal space had been completely destroyed, and every spirit plant had been consumed to power the pendant's defensive shield. Even the cleansing spring that had once purified the sediment in her spirit had dwindled to just a third of its original capacity, causing her great heartache.
Once she managed to coax the truth out of the hunter, A-Hu—that this was indeed the cultivation world—she finally relaxed.
She had gambled everything on this, and it had paid off. Now, her next step was to restore her health, repair her meridians, and then join a sect. She remembered that several of the great sects would soon be holding public recruitment events.
The simple-minded A-Hu, since glimpsing Du Yanran's true face, had practically placed her on a pedestal. He obeyed her every word, doing everything she asked in the hope that she might stay.
Du Yanran saw all of this but did not object. Given her uncertain status, it made sense to temporarily stay with the hunter. Once she was fully healed, she could repay the favor. After all, wandering out now would only put a target on her back.
At worst, she would give A-Hu some money when she left as compensation. So, with a clear conscience, Du Yanran began issuing orders and cast aside all distractions, focusing entirely on using the remaining spring water to slowly restore her meridians.
Demon Abyss
At the outskirts of the Demon Abyss, the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Palace had waited three days for Mo Su Zhenjūn, only to realize something had gone wrong.
His deputy, Ma Rong, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, immediately led a team of black-robed guards along the tracking compass's guidance. When they reached the cliffside, they dispelled the illusion formation surrounding the area and discovered several corpses of black-armored beetles. Ma Rong sent a flying sword message to the sect at once.
Meanwhile, Mo Su Zhenjūn had just stabilized his cultivation at mid-stage Nascent Soul. He opened his eyes, found nothing unusual around him, and calmly closed them again to resume cultivation.
Jian Dan, however, was much more cautious. She activated a high-grade protective array before sitting down inside it to meditate.
As for Mó Yuè Zhǎn, he had vanished like a fish returning to the ocean. No one knew where he had drifted off to. Still, Jian Dan could feel their bond and knew he was recovering rapidly, so she allowed him to continue cultivating on his own without summoning him back.
She focused on refining the pure demonic qi absorbed into her meridians and merging it into the sea of demonic energy in her dantian. With each integration, her Golden Core transformed further.
Ten long years passed in this way—silent meditation and body tempering. Eventually, Jian Dan's demonic core completed its transformation. The special force she had developed through body cultivation also strengthened, just slightly—but even a thread of improvement made her Ice-Skin Jade-Bone Demon Body Art break through to the Bone Refinement stage.
One day, as usual, Jian Dan drew an ordinary spirit sword and practiced a full set of the "Falling Blossoms Sword Technique". This technique, part of the Primordial Chaos Art, was a wood-elemental sword form based on the concept of endless rebirth and cyclical flow. The sword intent unfolded in waves, resembling a storm of blossoming flowers that ultimately faded like autumn leaves.
Recently, Jian Dan discovered that combining the special force with sword forms and body refinement techniques led to results twice as effective with half the effort.
After finishing her sword practice, she resumed her meditative posture and began absorbing demonic qi. Unconsciously, her breathing fell into rhythm, and the qi surged into her body like a tidal wave.
In that moment, the miniature Jian Dan inside her dantian—the Yuányīng—opened its eyes and frowned.