Jian Dan had always disliked being tested, especially by someone like the so-called Little Palace Mistress of the Heavenly Demon Palace. She wasn't naïve—she knew perfectly well that this girl had come for her. Mó Sù hadn't stopped it, which was as good as silent approval. If she let this slide, once she entered the Heavenly Demon Palace, she'd be seen as someone who could be pushed around.
So, the moment her challenger provoked her, Jian Dan acted without hesitation. Even if the other girl was merely a peak Golden Core cultivator, she didn't hold back.
Miao Yunrong never expected she'd run into such a hard wall. The alluring and composed Jian Dan had first silenced her, then unleashed a killing aura so suffocating it felt like she'd been plunged into icy water. The pressure made her entire body go stiff, and even her divine sense faltered under the assault.
Jian Dan smiled as she spoke, her crimson lips barely parting.
"Little Palace Mistress, you must be mistaken. Mó Sù and I merely went through a trial together. I'm heading to the Heavenly Demon Palace only to fulfill my late master's final wish. I have no intentions toward your Senior Brother."
She even winked as she said it, then rose and turned toward Mó Sù.
"Fellow Daoist Mó Sù, you should really explain things properly to the Little Palace Mistress. Once we arrive, don't let this cause trouble for me. And be more gentle with girls. She came all this way just to find you, after all. That takes courage."
As she spoke, she strolled casually over to Miao Yunrong. The oppressive aura had faded, but the other girl still looked pale and frozen in place, unable to take even a step back.
"Relax, Little Palace Mistress. Your Senior Brother isn't my type. No need to be jealous without cause."
She gave Miao Yunrong a playful, forgiving glance, as though indulging her childish jealousy. From a Divine Transformation cultivator, that almost looked gracious. But only Miao Yunrong knew just how clear and sharp the killing intent in Jian Dan's eyes truly was.
Jian Dan sent a soundless message to Mó Sù. "This time I'll let it go for the sake of my master. There won't be a next."
With that, she turned gracefully and returned to her cave dwelling to rest.
Only after Jian Dan left did Miao Yunrong finally stumble, supported by her anxious attendant. Ma Rong also shifted his stance, letting out a quiet breath.
This was the power of a Divine Transformation cultivator. She hadn't even released her spiritual pressure, and yet, just her killing aura alone had left the Little Palace Mistress shaken. Even he had only caught the edge of it, yet it had left him deeply uncomfortable.
"Senior Brother, are you just going to stand there while some outsider bullies me?"
Miao Yunrong's voice trembled with frustration. Her once-bright expression had crumpled into a pout, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. Any other man would have felt the urge to comfort her on the spot.
But Mó Sù merely glanced sideways and sipped his spirit tea.
"She's a Divine Transformation cultivator. Do you think you can talk down to someone like that?"
"My father is the Palace Master of the Heavenly Demon Palace!"
She puffed up defiantly, throwing her family name into the mix.
"She's the new master of Mó Yuè Zhǎn. Her master was Mó Mèi Zhūnzhǔ."
That shut her up completely. After all, in terms of backing, she had clearly lost this round.
"Arrange for the Little Palace Mistress to rest. We'll reach Huanle City in two days. Stay alert once we're there."
"Yes, Sir."
With that, Ma Rong escorted the unwilling Miao Yunrong away from the mountain peak.
Meanwhile, Jian Dan had been listening to most of their exchange through a silver-armored bug clinging to the hem of Miao Yunrong's dress. She hadn't heard anything useful, so she let the insect continue its silent watch. Once they entered the Heavenly Demon Palace, she might need the girl's help. Keeping track of her movements was only practical.
Assured that she would be undisturbed for the next two days, Jian Dan vanished into her personal space.
As soon as she arrived, Cotton Candy floated over and turned into fluffy white clouds, drifting happily through the realm, completely absorbed in play.
Jian Dan had hurried in because she sensed that two of the eggs in her spirit beast chamber had finally hatched.
She'd felt the new presences ever since being ejected from the trial realm in the Demon Abyss and regaining connection with her personal space. But at the time, she had to face tribulation, was surrounded by watchful cultivators, and Mó Sù had been nearby. There hadn't been a suitable moment.
Her earlier confrontation with Miao Yunrong had been more than just a show of strength. It had served multiple purposes—establishing her stance that she came to fulfill her master's wish, not to entangle herself with the Heavenly Demon Palace, and making it clear she wasn't someone to provoke lightly.
She reached the spirit beast chamber and opened the door. Instantly, she saw two thick-bodied serpents coiled in the nest she had prepared. The spirit stones she had laid around them had already been drained and reduced to useless fragments.
The emerald-green serpent lifted its head, flicked its tongue, then nudged the other one—a deep black snake—who lazily raised its head in turn. The two slowly slithered out and circled around Jian Dan, seemingly trying to confirm if she was their master.
Amused, Jian Dan allowed her Yuányīng to respond. The Yin-Yang Tai Chi disk in her dantian turned slightly, converting her demonic energy into gentle spiritual energy.
The change in her aura briefly confused the snakes. But the familiar spiritual signature soon settled them. They nuzzled up to her feet in recognition.
Smiling, Jian Dan brought them outside her bamboo house. She conjured a mid-grade spirit spring orb, dropped the two snakes into it for a wash, then released them again.
She retrieved her contract formation disk, and everything went smoothly. The master-servant bond was established.
"Greetings, Master."
The black and green snakes coiled around her arms, their voices echoing in her mind.
"That bathwater was delicious, Master. Can we drink it again?" asked the black one.
"Master, we don't have names yet!" added the green.
"One at a time," Jian Dan chuckled. "Let's start with names."
She pointed to the black serpent first.
"You'll be called Mo Ran. You take after your father, a king cobra."
Then she turned to the green one and thought for a moment.
"And you'll be Jade. You must take after your mother. I don't know how your father managed to find love—same species, sure, but not the same tribe. It's a rare match."
"Thank you for the names, Master. We like them very much."
"Though you hatched here, the outside world isn't peaceful. Until your cultivation reaches Tier Four, you'll stay here."
"We're fine with that. This place is perfect for cultivation. Thank you, Master."
"So you've already inherited your bloodline legacy?"
"When we hatched, our bloodlines awakened and passed on a portion of the legacy. It's not complete, probably because our bloodline isn't pure enough."
This time it was Jade who answered. They were both already at the peak of Tier One. Without some form of inheritance, there was no way they could have progressed so quickly.
"So it's a bloodline legacy," Jian Dan mused. "Seems your father wasn't simple. He really forced me to take you both back with him in the nether realm."
That father was none other than the mutated king cobra from Luoxia Mountain in her homeland, the one who had guarded the Cleansing Spirit Fruits.