Jian Feng was jolted awake by Bai Bai. Even after waking, his head spun for a long while, his sea of consciousness clearly having taken a heavy blow. Fortunately, the Enforcement Hall's defensive gear had done its job, blocking the brunt of the attack and preventing his sea of consciousness from collapsing entirely.
He closed his eyes and steadied himself before opening them again—only to meet Bai Bai's tear-filled, bean-black eyes. Letting out a slow breath, he murmured, "Bai Bai, do not worry. I am fine, I just need to rest for a while."
Bai Bai nodded obediently and quietly lay against Jian Feng's chest.
Jian Feng glanced around and realized he was buried right at the collapsed end of a tunnel. He could still move his upper body, but his lower half was completely trapped.
He tried to circulate his spiritual power, only to discover his internal injuries were severe. Thankfully, the storage ring on his finger was intact. He retrieved a top-grade healing pill, the Great Restoration Pill, and swallowed it without hesitation. He still had no idea how his fellow sect members were faring—he needed to recover as soon as possible.
Once the pill entered his body, it dissolved into a warm current, nourishing his five viscera while repairing damaged organs and mending the fine cracks in his meridians.
On the other side, Mo Su's condition was comparatively better. He had not taken serious physical injuries—partly thanks to his cultivation, partly due to the protection of his defensive spirit treasure. But to withstand the mental assault, he had burned through all his demonic energy in an instant.
At present, Mo Su was gripping a top-grade spirit stone to replenish himself. But misfortune struck again: his Pure Yin Physique suddenly flared, icy cold energy seeping from his body, freezing his meridians and halting the flow of his demonic energy entirely. His complexion grew even paler.
And as if heaven wanted to pile on his troubles, the pangolin beast they had fought earlier—and which had fled—was now moving in Jian Feng's direction.
The underground was deathly silent. Aboveground, however, was a different story. The tremors had drawn the attention of many cultivators, some heading toward the two mountain ranges, others keeping their distance in suspicion that an evil cultivator's Blood Pool Cavern had emerged. Even so, word spread quickly.
Heavenly Sword Sect – Law Enforcement Hall
Jian Dan returned to the sect and had not even stepped into her own cave dwelling before Jian Sheng summoned her to the Enforcement Hall. His reason: with the Zūnshàng's return delayed, the hall had accumulated a mountain of work.
Jian Dan inwardly rolled her eyes. She had returned only five days later than planned, and that only because plans could never keep up with unexpected events—who could have guessed she would run into a blood sac on Putuo Mountain?
Still, late was late, and she accepted the blame. Without protest, she began reviewing jade slips.
While away, she had kept Jian Wu and Qi Hua by her side, maintaining constant contact with the Enforcement Hall. Urgent matters had been handled promptly, and the hall's operations had not faltered.
As she read, Jian Dan instructed Qi Hua, "Make copies of the Tranquil Heart Scripture I brought back from the Buddhist Sect and place one in every inner and outer sect library. Also, collect the disciples' assignments—class will be in a few days, and I want to review their work."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
Qi Hua accepted the tasks and left, only to nearly bump into Jian Sheng at the doorway. Jian Sheng gave her a small nod before slipping past her into the hall.
"Zūnshàng, urgent news from the Chonglin Mountain Range. The Tracking Hall's team investigating the spiritual vein encountered danger and sent out the An Division's distress signal."
Jian Dan's brow furrowed. She looked up at him. "When did this happen? Has anyone been sent to assist them?"
"This morning. The disturbance underground was intense. Heavenly Demon Palace cultivators were involved, and one of their squads was also affected. When the distress signal went out, the Tianyue squad—on their way to Kaiyang City—immediately diverted to the scene."
She exhaled softly, relieved at least some help was already on the way. "Post an An Division mission. Send a Unity stage cultivator to hold the line. If this really involves a spirit stone mine, it will not be easily resolved."
Jian Sheng opened his mouth to remind her, but she had already caught the unspoken thought."Zūnshàng, according to the last report from Tracking Hall's team, they did indeed find a top-grade spirit stone vein. The vein's direction and scale are still unknown."
Jian Dan released a heavier breath, hoping this would not spiral into the worst-case scenario.
"Could it be," Jian Sheng said carefully, "that both sides have already clashed underground over the mine, and that's why—"
"Let's hope not. At this time, neither sect can afford chaos. First, find out exactly what happened. Keep trying to contact the Tracking Hall team. Even if one person responds, I can judge the situation from that."
"Yes, understood."
As Jian Sheng hurried off, Jian Dan rubbed her brow, feeling as if another strand of white hair had sprouted. She pulled out a transmission talisman, beginning her daily routine.
"Senior Brother Jian Li, when will you emerge from seclusion? There's a new development today—the top-grade spirit stone vein the Fu Family discovered has turned into a rather tangled situation—"
"If you send him one more talisman, Junior Sister, his cave dwelling will be buried under them."
The familiar voice came from the doorway—it was Jian Xu Zūnshàng.
"Senior Brother Jian Xu, you're out of seclusion?" Jian Dan's eyes lit up.
"Yes. I just ran into Jian Sheng and have already taken the An Division mission. I came to let you know—do you have anything else for me?"
"You've returned just in time. Here's a jade slip detailing the incident so far. You can read it on the way. The key now is to reach the site quickly and confirm what has happened."
"Got it."
Jian Xu took the jade slip and immediately left for the Chonglin Mountain Range.
Heavenly Demon Palace
Mo Lie, the palace master, had also received word—but nothing about the top-grade vein. His last message said Mo Su's group had discovered a blood sac in the Chimei Mountains and had given chase.
Mo Lie ordered a nearby guard, "Send for Mo Yi. Have him lead a squad of Black Robe Guards to the Chimei Mountains to investigate."
"Yes, Palace Master."
Tianyue Squad
The Tianyue Squad had already reached Kaiyang City and were preparing to head to the Heavenly Sword Sect's station when their captain's black waist token trembled. Looking up, he saw the An Division's distress signal in the sky.
His brow tightened. "Move!"
They left the city at once. Less than a quarter hour into their journey toward the Chonglin Mountain Range, the ground shook violently, spiritual energy roiling so strongly that it could be felt even outside Kaiyang City.
The captain tore open the void itself, bringing his team directly above the mountain range.
Arriving at the same time was Mo Yi with his squad of Black Robe Guards.
After a brief exchange of respectful bows, the two groups split to search for their comrades.
Jian Feng led his men to intercept several opportunistic cultivators at the perimeter, while Yue Liang circled the area before returning to him. Through sound transmission, she reported, "I found fragments of an evil cultivator's divine sense nearby. The earlier battle was likely tied to them."
Jian Feng understood immediately and relayed the news to the Tianyue captain.
"Captain, we found a member of the Tracking Hall team."
The voice came from one of the War Hall cultivators. Jian Feng and the captain vanished in an instant, reappearing at the scene.
The one they found was Xiao Jiu—the weakest in the team—but his companions had shielded him and pushed him out of the attack's center. Buried only shallowly, he was the first to be found.
After being fed a pill, Xiao Jiu awoke and immediately recounted everything that had happened.