Jian Dan cursed inwardly. "Who jinxed it?!" But the sword in her hand was already poised for battle.
The black blade shadow collided with the defensive barrier. The violent impact sent waves surging across the sea.
The force of the attack slowed the convergence of the protective dome, and as the second blade shadow fell upon the exact same spot, the formation's closing speed dropped again.
"Senior Brother Jian Xu, he's trying to break the entire barrier!"
"Yes. He's striking at a very precise spot—a crucial joint in the whole defense system."
"Let us Zūnzhǔs work together to disperse or weaken the attack. That way, we can fully activate the defensive formation."
Xiao Yong Zūnzhǔ took a sip of his spirit wine and proposed the plan.
"That might be our only option. Fellow Daoyou, it's time to show your trump cards. No more holding back!"
Qian Wanguan was the first to respond. The other sect leaders all nodded. They only needed to buy time. Surely the senior experts of Cloud Sea Sect would intervene. So, their counterattacks remained measured but effective.
Jian Dan and Jian Xu struck first. Before the attack even landed, two streaks of sword light burst from the still-open barrier, colliding with the incoming blade shadow and slightly altering its course.
Seeing the attack disrupted, the other Zūnzhǔs followed up with their own assaults. Waves of energy bombarded the blade shadow.
From Purple Cloud Sect, Xiao Yong and Xiao Meng joined forces to cast a spell imprint radiating a violet glow that followed closely behind the Heavenly Sword Sect's attacks.
The lead cultivator from the Yin-Yang Gate channeled power into his Yin-Yang Disk, creating a rain of dual energies that descended after Zixiao's strike.
From the Loose Cultivator Alliance, Qian Wanguan's abacus beads clattered as he launched soundwave attacks that followed.
The Alchemy Sect hurled explosive pellets. The Formation Sect launched offensive formation plates. The Talisman Sect used attack talismans. The Artifact Sect Zūnzhǔ, ever bold, directly flung a disposable magic weapon that exploded on impact with great force.
In the end, the combined might of all sects ground down the second blade shadow until it dissipated.
"Hmph. I underestimated you."
A low, mocking male voice echoed in the air, followed by the third blade shadow descending even faster than before.
The Zūnzhǔs all turned grim. The speaker was clearly a Mahayana Zhēnzūn. Even with all of them combined, surviving such an opponent wasn't guaranteed.
"Junior Sister, don't take it head-on. Know your limits."
Jian Xu stood nearby and gave a timely warning.
Jian Dan nodded and replied, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate. As long as we have no regrets."
With that, she raised her other hand, drawing a second sword. This was the first time the twin Mò Xī Jiàn blades were revealed in public. Even during her sneak attack against a Unity cultivator before, she had hidden them away after landing the strike.
Jian Xu glanced at Jian Dan, now wielding the twin blades, and couldn't help but shake his head. Is this what she meant by 'knowing your limits'? She looked ready to fight to the death. But he didn't have time to dwell on it. The ferocity ingrained in every sword cultivator surged forth. No way he could let his Junior Sister outshine him now.
Jian Dan had already communicated with the Mò Xī Jiàn. Since their opponent was a evil cultivator, what he feared most was righteous energy—something she had in abundance. Jian Xu's Light Sword was also a natural bane. Their only disadvantage was in cultivation level.
"If you can bear to burn your Merit Light, and I coordinate with you, we might just injure him."
Jian Dan rolled her eyes internally. "And you couldn't say that earlier? Why talk about hesitation now? We're not the type to just stand there and get hit."
The Mò Xī Jiàn said nothing, which she took as agreement.
All of this happened in the span of three breaths.
Jian Xu struck first. "Xuang Guang Slash!"
Thousands of sword lights formed a wave, surging toward the descending blade shadow at the edge of the barrier. But they were devoured by black resentment, failing to slow its fall.
Jian Dan knew this was the gap in strength.
She leapt forward. Her left hand launched a golden attack laced with shining particles. Her right followed with a streak of cyan sword energy. The second strike crashed into the first, amplifying its force. The merged sword beam sliced past the edge of the black blade shadow and shot into the sky.
A low grunt echoed.
Then came a furious roar: "A few ants dare wound me?!"
A giant black hand descended from the heavens, reaching for Jian Dan and Jian Xu. The oppressive pressure made both of them frown.
Boom!
The falling hand was repelled by a punch from above. The pressure vanished, and the people below finally breathed again.
"You traitor! How dare you bring chaos to Cloud Sea Sect? Looks like Master should've finished you off back then!"
Another solemn voice rang out. Fist and palm collided midair. The enemy was forced away from Cloud Sea Sect skies. The barrier closed completely. A shimmer of blue light flickered, signaling the defense formation had fully activated.
Only then did Jian Dan and Jian Xu land back on the ship, immediately surrounded by Heavenly Sword Sect disciples.
"Zūnzhǔs, are you unharmed?"
"We're fine. Just drained some spiritual power."
Jian Dan waved a hand, answering in Jian Xu's stead.
"Keep assisting Cloud Sea Sect in clearing out enemies. Maintain teams of ten. Leave one team on the ship at all times. The cleanup phase is when enemies tend to lash out in desperation. Stay sharp."
"Yes, Zūnzhǔ!"
Heavenly Sword Sect disciples moved with discipline. The other sects—Purple Sky, Loose Cultivators, Yin-Yang, Alchemy, and others—also began post-battle tasks.
Jian Dan and Jian Xu meditated on deck to recover spiritual power, monitoring the battlefield.
"Junior Sister, you really dared to charge in like that."
"Senior Brother, I was confident. Cloud Sea Sect still has a Mahayana Zhēnzūn. They wouldn't stand by and watch. That's the only reason I dared attack."
"What if they waited until you were defeated to make a move?"
Jian Xu frowned.
"Then Cloud Sea Sect would lose face. Besides, we from Heavenly Sword Sect also have a Mahayana Zhēnzūn."
Jian Dan's tone turned serious. "Has there still been no sign of Jian Yu?"
"No."
A flicker of hatred flashed in Jian Xu's curved eyes. He hoped she wouldn't do something reckless.
"We should have acted sooner. Now we're in a reactive position."
Jian Dan said with some regret.
"No rush. Once we return to the sect, we'll check her soul lamp."
They then took turns standing guard as the other recovered.
With both Zūnzhǔs present, the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples felt grounded and moved quickly. Within two hours, everyone had returned to the ship to rest.
Jian Dan, her spirit stones plentiful, used top-grade ones to replenish her energy and recovered faster than Jian Xu. She was the first to reopen her protective shield and stand on deck again.
At some point, the fighting outside the barrier had ended. Yun Yun Zhēnzūn had already returned to the sect to stabilize the situation. The other, previously unseen, Zhēnzūn had just returned too—but went straight to Yunhai's forbidden grounds.
"Greetings to the two Zūnzhǔs of Heavenly Sword Sect. Yun Yun Zhēnzūn invites you both to come speak."
Han Pengfei, face solemn, personally came to the ship to deliver the message.
Jian Xu and Jian Dan exchanged glances, unsure what this was about. Jian Dan stepped forward.
"Young Master Wushuang, wait a moment. Let me give a few instructions first. I'll go with you."
"Yes."
Han Pengfei bowed again and stepped back.
"Siyuan, you're in charge of the ship. If anything changes, I'll find a way to send word. Get everyone safely back to Heavenly Sword Sect."
"Zūnzhǔs..."
Wu Siyuan looked worried.
"Don't worry. We're not that easy to defeat."