With a loud crack, like shattering glass, the place struck by Jian Dan's punch fractured into shards. From behind the broken veil, a figure finally appeared.
At the same time, Mo Su crushed the insect trapped within the demon qi cage using a single clenched fist. He had planned to use the creature as bait to track its master, but Jian Dan's strike had directly forced out a Divine Soul stage cultivator. Left with no other choice, Mo Su abandoned his trap and turned to face the emerging threat.
"Hmph."
Hovering midair, the Divine Soul cultivator regarded the two newly advanced Divine Transformation stage cultivators with contempt, clearly unimpressed.
"You've got guts, attacking me like that."
Her full figure and sickly sweet voice, clearly forced for effect, made Jian Dan shudder. She twisted her own slender waist mockingly, then put on a startled expression and said,
"Forgive me, Zhēnzūn. I thought you were one of that vile woman's lackeys. I didn't realize I was disturbing an Exalted One."
"Still, hiding in the shadows without interfering or speaking up... It makes you look like the one pulling the strings."
Jian Dan flashed away just in time to avoid a sharp earthen spike where she'd been standing. The Divine Soul cultivator's already plump face contorted into a ferocious grimace. She too was near exhaustion. Even so, her overwhelming pressure spread through the air like a crashing tide, causing weaker cultivators below to bleed from their orifices or die on the spot.
Although Miao Yunrong was protected by the Demon Shadow Umbrella, she too was struggling, blood trickling from the corner of her lips.
Seeing this, the opponent finally smiled with satisfaction.
"I've never liked this body anyway. You may as well offer yours instead."
In the blink of an eye, the Divine Transformation cultivator's body was reduced to ashes. Her Yuányīng did not even manage to escape. A black armored beetle the size of a woman's fist burst from her skull, its translucent wings flaring as it darted straight toward Jian Dan.
Jian Dan was caught off guard by its speed. Though unaffected by the pressure, she quickly stepped aside and weaved through the air to avoid the attack. But the black beetle had locked onto her, and within three breaths, it was already aiming for her spiritual platform.
Miao Yunrong cried out from the side, "Jūnshàng!"
At the same time, Mo Su, having shaken off the Divine Soul's pressure, struck with the Cold Moon Blade. A blade arc laced with demonic energy flew straight at the beetle's head.
Everything happened too fast. Mo Su's strike tore open the barrier above the Jun Pavilion, and though the blade's strength had waned, it still carved a deep scar into the street below. The lingering blade qi did not disperse for a long time.
In that crucial moment, it was the ornament on Jian Dan's forehead that bought her a second's reprieve. After all, it contained a stored blow from a Mahayana cultivator. The black beetle, sensing mortal danger as it approached, hesitated just long enough for Jian Dan to act.
A great Manjushahua flame bloomed in her pale palm, trapping the beetle at its center. It flailed its wings wildly, struggling to break free.
Meanwhile, the shattered barrier over Jun Pavilion had attracted a crowd of cultivators. Some came to watch, some to scavenge, some purely out of curiosity. Spies from various factions were also quickly closing in.
Jian Dan recalled the Mó Yuè Zhǎn to her dantian with a flick of her wrist, then beckoned toward Miao Yunrong and the others, drawing the Demon Shadow Umbrella back to her side. Turning to Mo Su, she said,
"Jūnshàng, the aftermath is yours. I'll take the little palace mistress and leave first."
With a dramatic snap of her fingers, two pure white unicorn pegasi appeared, pulling a radiant golden carriage. Their snowy wings flapped once, and they descended in front of the group. Jian Dan boarded first, waving to Miao Yunrong, who looked pale as a sheet.
"Let's go."
Feeling numerous divine senses probing in their direction, Jian Dan formed a hand seal and erected a protective barrier. Once Miao Yunrong was safely aboard, she closed the door with a sweep of her hand. The pegasi soared upward, departing from the wrecked Jun Pavilion grounds.
Watching them flee like someone with their back on fire, Mo Su knew the mess would be his to clean up. He turned and noticed the Golden Core sword cultivator who had fought the beetle alone was still there.
Cao Chenfeng stared after the departing demon cultivator with a sense of strange familiarity. But the overwhelming Divine Transformation pressure and the pure demonic aura had quickly made him dismiss that fleeting thought. Noticing Mo Su's gaze, he turned and bowed.
"Cao Chenfeng of the Heavenly Sword Sect greets Mo Su Jūnshàng."
Mo Su studied the sharp lines of the young man's face and finally remembered. They had once crossed paths while hunting an evil cultivator in Luoxia Village, in the mortal world.
"You tracked the black beetle here?"
"Yes. I had intended to follow the trail to its master."
"You've had a rough time of it."
There was a flicker of amusement in Mo Su's eyes. A dignified sword cultivator turned into someone else's cauldron—that would surely damage the reputation of the Heavenly Sword Sect if word got out.
Cao Chenfeng caught the implication, and his face darkened. Not wanting to engage in further banter, he respectfully bowed again.
"Jūnshàng, I was captured while tailing a group of abducted cultivators. That Divine Transformation cultivator had twenty of them. They were split into two groups. One was sent here. The other... I do not know."
"Seems they thought you were valuable and brought you to Jun Pavilion."
Cao Chenfeng said no more. After briefly explaining the situation, he turned and made his way toward the rear courtyard of Jun Pavilion, hoping the other captives were still alive.
Mo Su rose into the air. With a sweep of his divine sense, he blocked the probing minds of idle onlookers. He retrieved a black pearl from his storage ring, infused it with demon qi, and released a crimson-blooded azure dragon.
Now nearly fully materialized, the beast was obsidian black, its blood-colored eyes now replaced with deep black ones. It let out a roar, coiled into the sky above Jun Pavilion, and sealed the torn barrier.
Mo Su's gaze turned cold. In his right hand, he formed a ball of refined demonic energy and hurled it into the damaged pavilion, careful to avoid Cao Chenfeng's position.
The entire street shook from the impact, yet no cultivators below Divine Transformation dared approach.
Meanwhile, Jian Dan's departure had become the center of attention.
As her golden carriage soared through the sky, prying eyes and probing senses followed. Jian Dan snorted coldly, releasing her Divine Transformation pressure. Then she spread her Divine Soul stage spiritual sense across the entire city of Huanle, startling several Divine Soul cultivators.
However, her divine sense vanished as quickly as it appeared, serving its purpose without allowing other high-level cultivators to pinpoint her location. Those lurking in the shadows immediately withdrew, choosing not to act.
Miao Yunrong, closely observing Jian Dan's expression, saw her cold snort, the slight narrowing of her eyes, then the release of her pressure. Though Jian Dan took care not to affect those within the carriage, Miao Yunrong still found herself unconsciously sitting straighter, only relaxing after the pressure had withdrawn.
Jian Dan snapped her fingers again. The golden carriage, without pausing at any inn, continued flying straight toward the outskirts of the city.
===
Until now it seem Jūnshàng is the title for Divine Transformation stage Demon Cultivator