Jian Dan was blasted off her feet, landing hard on the ground. Her hair stood on end, her face was blackened with soot, and wisps of smoke rose from her robes. At least her clothes were intact—only her pride had taken a serious hit.
The silver-armored beetles hovered nearby, clearly distressed by their failure to protect their master, but too afraid to act recklessly.
Wiping the soot from her face, Jian Dan looked up at the clear, cloudless sky and couldn't help muttering through gritted teeth:
"So even telling the truth gets me struck by lightning!"
A flash of purple lightning streaked across the sky in open warning.
"Hah! Junior Sister, shut your mouth before you get struck again!" Mo Yi laughed.
Mo Zhang Zūnzhě gave a pointed cough and turned to Mo Qi. "Help Mo Yue up."
But Jian Dan had already checked herself with spiritual sense. Internally, she wasn't nearly as battered as she looked. In fact, the bolt of purple lightning had cleared out the finer meridians in her arms, completing the bone refinement stage there. All things considered, it wasn't a bad outcome.
She stood up without assistance, cast a cleansing spell over herself, and restored her usual charming appearance.
Mo Su and Mo Yi both looked like they wanted to laugh but didn't dare. They stood silently until Jian Dan finished fixing herself, then quickly straightened their faces.
Naturally, all the commotion had drawn the attention of the other Heavenly Demon Palace cultivators aboard the flying vessel. But one commanding shout from Mo Zhang Zūnzhě—"It's nothing. Disperse!"—scared off any prying eyes.
Well, almost all.
A few still lingered, stealing glances toward the main chamber, curiosity barely concealed.
"Zūnzhě, you asked me that question on purpose, didn't you? I'm sure the senior cultivators in every sect have guessed the same thing, but no one wants to be the one to say it aloud."
Jian Dan knew she'd walked right into it, but she had to voice her frustration anyway. Better than being used as someone else's pawn.
Mo Zhang's eyes flickered with a faint smile, though his face remained composed.
"Those who know nothing have no fear."
"Zūnzhě, you got the saying wrong. It's 'those who are ignorant have no fear.'" This time, Jian Dan actually rolled her eyes. Everyone present understood well enough that her guess had been spot-on. The heavens wouldn't have responded with a lightning strike otherwise.
Once everyone was seated again, Mo Zhang continued the previous topic and began assigning their next tasks.
"If what Mo Yue said is true, then there's one likely explanation. High-level cultivators are choosing to remain behind and fulfill their duty. If that's the case, this war will be far more difficult than we anticipated."
Everyone's expression turned grim.
"And the first to face this threat will be our demon cultivator sects. If the insect race breaches the territory we've been assigned to defend, our sect will be condemned across the entire continent."
Mo Zhang looked around at the serious faces and continued.
"We cannot allow the insect race to break this line. Your mission will be even more dangerous than before."
Mo Qi and the others nodded. Then Mo Su raised a practical concern.
"Zūnzhě, if the Ming Valley turns out to be exactly what we fear, we may end up in direct confrontation with the insect race."
"We're not weak," Mo Yi added, "but unpredictable factors could arise. I suggest we bring in additional manpower."
Mo Qi said nothing, but nodded in agreement.
"Palace Master Mo Lie has already arranged a second wave of reinforcements. They will arrive in three days. You can either pick from the current roster or choose from the incoming group. Discuss it among yourselves."
The four looked at one another, then all turned to Jian Dan.
She sighed inwardly. "So they were tossing the decision to me now? Of course they were. And how could I refuse? I was the reason we were all trapped in this mess together."
After a moment of thought, she looked up.
"Zūnzhě, I suggest we don't pick from either group. One, pulling someone last-minute will cause suspicion. Two, it could disrupt the current team's synergy."
"A careful analysis. What do you propose instead?"
"Zūnzhě, select five members from the Black Robe Guard and form a nine-person team to work with us."
Mo Zhang chuckled inwardly. "So she wanted to make it my problem? Not shy at all."
"And the rest of you?"
"We agree."
"Understood. I'll assign a squad from the 'Mo' unit of the Black Robe Guard. Who you keep or rotate is your decision."
"Thank you, Zūnzhě."
They all bowed in unison.
"Now that the manpower issue is settled, tell me your battle plan."
This time, Mo Qi stepped forward and explained the entire strategy they had laid out, based on maps and predictions.
Mo Zhang recorded everything with a jade slip, offering small adjustments and suggestions as necessary.
A day later, the four finally left the main chamber. Jian Dan stayed behind briefly. Once the others had exited the cabin, she called out:
"Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, if you have no other business, would you join me for a drink? I've prepared a little something."
"Hah! If you're inviting, how could we say no? Let's go."
Mo Yi answered cheerfully, and the others followed him into Jian Dan's private quarters on the ship.
Since she was hosting, she had made proper preparations. With a wave of her hand, the black obsidian chairs and meditation cushions vanished. In their place, she summoned a thousand-year-old blood jade table and stools. She laid out trays of Yan fruit, vitality fruit, and fire seeds. For drinks, she offered spirit-brewed wines: purple jujube and purple rice wine.
"Senior Brother, try my purple rice wine. Senior Sister, let's sample this fruit wine together. See if my brewing is any good."
"Gladly."
The four clinked crystal wine cups. Once the first sip was down, Jian Dan spoke.
"Senior Brothers, Senior Sister. I took on the Ming Valley reconnaissance mission because my position in Heavenly Demon Palace is... complicated. I haven't worked with any of the peak disciples before, and I didn't know if my teammates would be people I could truly trust to watch my back."
"Mm, that's fair," Mo Yi acknowledged.
Jian Dan smiled slightly.
"So I chose this mission. Fewer people to coordinate with, and I could earn some contribution points. I plan to ascend eventually, after all. But this mission seems a bit thornier than I expected."
"Alright, you're not the only one with ambition," Mo Qi interrupted. "I didn't choose this task just because you were leading it. I'm in late Divine Transformation. I hope to reach Divine Soul from this."
"Cultivation is defying the heavens," Mo Yi said. "But we still follow the laws of the world. I feel like this mission is my chance to advance. Besides, I trust your abilities."
"Same here," Mo Su added.
Jian Dan chuckled softly and raised her cup again.
"Then let me thank all of you. May we have a victorious campaign."
"We'll drink to that."
Their cups met in the center, a toast that would one day echo through the entire demon path. It was the moment when the infamous 'Four Executioners of the Heavenly Demon Path' first stood united.