Heavenly Sword Sect, Law Enforcement Hall
Jian Dan handled the pile of pending matters in the Law Enforcement Hall at the fastest possible speed. Just as she finished, Jian Sheng appeared in the grand hall and reported the latest message:
"Zūnshàng, the Tianyue Squad has already reached the Chonglin Mountains. They found a cultivator from the Tracking Hall and sent word back. The situation is a bit complicated. The cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Palace were chasing a blood sac when they encountered our Tracking Hall team. This is the report, please take a look."
Jian Dan quickly received the jade slip and let out a faint breath. "As long as they didn't start a major fight over the vein, there's room to talk."
"Yes. At the very least, it's not the worst-case scenario we feared."
"Good. Keep following up, and bring me the latest updates at once."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
Jian Sheng also looked relieved as he left the grand hall of the Hall of Enforcement.
Halfway down the road, Jian Sheng suddenly remembered that Jian Lu Zūnshàng had promised him that once she returned, she would let him go to the Advancement Hall for cultivation. But once this incident broke out, she seemed to have completely forgotten about it.
Shaking his head, Jian Sheng headed toward the Communications Division, dragged Wei Zhengrong out, and brought him along to see the Zūnshàng.
Heavenly Demon Palace, Tianmo Peak
Palace Master Mo Lie was briefly surprised when he received Mo Yi's transmission, then his expression broke into a smile. This was exactly what he needed—like a pillow arriving when he was sleepy.
In the past century, because of the battle at Ming Valley, the Heavenly Demon Palace had taken the lead on the frontlines, consuming enormous sect resources. Although they had trained a group of high-level demon cultivators, their large-scale operations still required a constant flow of spirit stones. If they could get a share of this supreme-grade spirit stone vein, it would be an enormous boon to the Heavenly Demon Palace.
From Mo Yi's assessment, the vein seemed to run straight through the mountains, spanning both the Chonglin and Chimei ranges. That meant at least half of it lay within their own territory.
Mo Lie, gripping the jade slip, began considering whether to cooperate with the Heavenly Sword Sect. In the current climate, two top-tier sects could not afford to openly clash.
The other side had already sent a Unity realm sword cultivator to hold the line, which meant they likely had more information than the Heavenly Demon Palace. They should respond with someone of equal standing.
With that in mind, Mo Lie took the jade slip and made his way to the peak where the Black Robe Guard was stationed, seeking out their leader, Mo Zhang Zūnshàng.
Border between the Chonglin Mountains and the Chimei Mountains
Heavenly Sword Sect and Heavenly Demon Palace cultivators had been searching for a full day but still couldn't find Jian Feng or Mo Su. Worry began to grow—if something had happened to them, they had to report to Jian Xu Zūnshàng immediately.
"Could they have run into that pangolin beast?"
A disciple from the Tracking Hall asked aloud. Mo Yi, standing nearby, said in a low voice: "Mo Su Zūnzhǔ can handle that pangolin beast. It's unlikely he'd be caught in a prolonged battle. If there truly had been a fight, either one of them would have caused enough disturbance for us to notice by now."
Jian Xu Zūnshàng floated in the air, scanning both mountain ranges with his divine sense. He was checking the direction of the vein's extension and also searching for any trace of the two missing cultivators.
He seemed to notice something. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the pangolin beast that was burrowing away from the Chonglin Mountains.
"If they ran into you, we'll know soon enough."
Locked in place by an overwhelming divine sense, the pangolin beast was dragged into the air before it could curl up defensively. It could only stare blankly at the gathered cultivators.
Mo Yi stepped forward, cupped his hands toward Jian Xu Zūnshàng, then asked the pangolin beast directly: "Have you seen my sect members?"
Realizing what he meant, the beast pointed its claw downward.
So it really had seen them. The cultivators exchanged glances. Jian Xu said coldly: "Take us to them. If you fail, you'll be my snack with wine."
The pangolin beast nodded furiously, promising to lead them straight there.
Jian Xu sent it back to the ground. The moment it landed, it grew larger and began burrowing toward the spot it had left earlier.
The Tracking Hall captain and Mo Yi followed closely. Soon, they discovered a layer of absolute spirit-repelling stone just above the vein, evenly spread across its length—no wonder the vein had remained hidden for so long.
When they reached the underground river, they saw only an active defensive array and a small white creature hiding within.
The little beast, Bai Bai, peeked out, spotted the Heavenly Sword Sect cultivators, and immediately squeezed through a narrow crack in the stone, sprinting toward the Tracking Hall captain.
Mo Yi's divine sense naturally caught this movement. The captain calmly explained: "This is Jian Feng's spirit pet."
He crouched down, scooped Bai Bai into his palm, and straightened. The little creature immediately began gesturing, trying to convey the situation.
Taking advantage of everyone's focus on Bai Bai, the pangolin beast shrank and slipped into a stone crevice, fleeing quickly. Better to escape than risk becoming someone's snack.
Mo Yi noted its departure with the corner of his eye, then returned his attention to Bai Bai and the still-active defensive array.
Although they didn't fully understand Bai Bai's gestures, they confirmed that the people they sought were inside the array. Perhaps they were healing and couldn't be disturbed, so they sent messages to the other cultivators outside, stating that the targets had been found. They then sat cross-legged to guard them.
They waited like this for three days.
During this time, Jian Xu Zūnshàng mapped the newly exposed supreme-grade spirit stone vein, caused by the recent tremor, and sent it back to the sect.
Mo Zhang Zūnshàng of the Heavenly Demon Palace also arrived at the Chimei Mountains and met with Jian Xu Zūnshàng.
Clad in a flowing black robe, Mo Zhang Zūnshàng radiated authority, his presence commanding attention.
"Jian Xu Daoyou, it has been a long time. I never thought we'd meet again here."
Jian Xu's brows lifted slightly, his voice warm. "Indeed, it has been a long time—about a century. I just emerged from seclusion and immediately received this mission to handle the matter of the vein."
Jian Xu went straight to the point, and Mo Zhang replied just as frankly: "Same here. The Palace Master sent me here at short notice. What stance does the Heavenly Sword Sect take?"
"I've surveyed the vein. Our two sects should each claim half. The sect's position is to use the mountain range as the boundary and mine separately."
As he spoke, Jian Xu handed the mapped vein diagram to Mo Zhang.
Scanning the jade slip with his divine sense, Mo Zhang saw that the other side had clearly come prepared. While Jian Xu's statement was courteous, the vein extended a bit more into the Heavenly Sword Sect's side.
Looking down at the mountains, Mo Zhang noticed the tremors had blurred the natural boundary line. He considered pressing for more territory, but just as he was about to speak, a small commotion broke out in the distance.
Both Zūnshàng extended their divine sense and immediately stood.
The Tracking Hall captain and Mo Yi looked bewildered, unsure what expressions to wear as they followed Mo Su Zūnzhǔ—who was carrying an unconscious Jian Feng.
What stunned everyone most was that Jian Feng's long black hair had turned completely silver.