"Bai Jue, what are you doing? Bringing this bunch of juniors to tear apart my cave residence?"
The seductive voice of the Nine-Tailed Beast King drifted from within the cave. Bai Jue stepped forward helplessly to report.
"Reporting to the Beast Lord, the Heavenly Sword Sect's Jian Lu Zūnshàng has come for a visit."
At that moment, the Nine-Tails was lounging lazily on her soft couch, a jade-faced spider plucking the strings of a zither at her side. Hearing Bai Jue's report, her violet eyes shifted and she finally spoke.
"Let them in."
Bai Jue turned back to the crowd of little beasts gathered outside.
"The Beast Lord is meeting a guest. Disperse, don't crowd around here."
With a rustle, the small beast cultivators withdrew from the entrance. A few bold ones lingered nearby, hiding behind trees and rocks, peeking out as if they wouldn't be noticed.
Bai Jue sighed. Without even turning around, he flicked his sleeve, sending the little troublemakers back to their respective territories.
This time Jian Dan had brought no one else along inside. The others were left waiting outside the Nine-Tails' cave; only she followed Bai Jue in.
"Heavenly Sword Sect's Jian Lu greets the Nine-Tailed Beast King."
"Oh? Not bad. In less than fifty short years, you've already stepped into the Unity stage."
The Nine-Tails' violet eyes shimmered like rippling water. She smiled alluringly at Jian Dan.
"Just luck. I stumbled upon some opportunities and managed to break through in one go. I've made the Beast Lord laugh at me."
The Nine-Tails hid her smile behind a veil of purple gauze, her voice like honey.
"Tell me. What brings you here today?"
"One month from now, the Heavenly Sword Sect will hold the Sect Master's succession ceremony. I have come to deliver an invitation and request your presence."
Jian Dan presented the sect's violet sword-engraved invitation. Bai Jue stepped forward to receive it and passed it to the Nine-Tails.
The Beast Lord glanced over the invitation and nodded slightly.
"Congratulations to the Heavenly Sword Sect for continuing its unbroken legacy."
She then turned her head, looking wistfully at Bai Jue, though her words were directed at Jian Dan.
"Your sect's leadership has a successor to take over. Pity me, sitting on the Beast Lord's throne all these years with no one to share the burden. For millennia, I've yet to find a single heir."
Jian Dan lowered her head with a faint smile, then offered softly.
"No need to worry, Beast Lord. I think Patriarch Bai Jue would make an excellent choice."
"Tch! I've told him so many times, but this brat refuses to agree."
The Nine-Tails slapped the small jade table beside her and aired her grievances to Jian Dan about Bai Jue's stubbornness.
Bai Jue rubbed at his temple, bowing in respect.
"My cultivation is insufficient and my abilities lacking. I cannot shoulder such a heavy responsibility. I ask the Beast Lord's understanding."
"Hmph! I understand you, but who will understand me?"
The Nine-Tails pouted, then suddenly said to Bai Jue, "I see Jian Lu advanced quite swiftly. Why don't you learn from her?"
Jian Dan's smile remained as she replied.
"If Patriarch Bai Jue has time, he is welcome to return to the Heavenly Sword Sect with me. I believe my contribution points should be enough to grant him a place in our Advancement Hall. When he emerges, he should be able to reach the eighth rank."
The Nine-Tails' violet gaze flickered. This time she looked straight at Jian Dan.
"A gift like that must come with a request. Speak."
"Nothing can be hidden from the Beast Lord. This time, it is indeed about the matter of the evil cultivator."
Hearing this, the Nine-Tails leaned back on her couch and waved the jade-faced spider away before speaking unhurriedly.
"I do not know where the evil cultivator Hai Yan is hiding."
"Last time, the Beast Lord warned him that if he set foot in the demon race's territory again, you would personally hunt him down. Recently, with all these self-detonating cultivators, only the demon race has remained unscathed. It seems your warning had an effect."
"A thousand years ago, when he was captured and brought back to Cloud Sea Sect, I played a part in that as well. He surely keeps a wary eye on me."
The Nine-Tails explained lazily.
Jian Dan knew well that persuading this Beast Lord would not be easy, and it would never be done in one attempt. She did not press, but said with a smile,
"The Beast Lord's might is unmatched. One word from you is enough to make the enemy falter."
"Don't flatter me. I truly don't know where he is. Why would I shelter such a vile man? I'd rather see him struck down to ease my own hatred."
"I believe that. But if we could at least determine the general area where he is hiding, would the Beast Lord be willing to help pinpoint the exact location?"
"Heh. And that's why I say human cultivators should deal with their own."
She had not outright refused this time, her tone carrying a hint of meaning.
Jian Dan didn't chase the point. Instead, she recounted the recent attack on the Dao-Demon alliance, the cooperation between the insect race and the evil cultivator, and concluded,
"We must remove this pest before the insect race launches its large-scale offensive. Otherwise, we will be caught between enemies on both sides."
Finally, she added,
"The blood sac the Beast Lord destroyed last time must have been near the demon race's forbidden grounds, yes?"
She did not elaborate further. The Nine-Tails would understand her implication.
The Beast Lord's hand paused as she toyed with her jade pendant.
"I cannot even guarantee I'd escape unscathed from the insect race, yet you ask me to exhaust myself to kill an evil cultivator who has nothing to do with the beast race."
Her response was not unexpected. Strictly speaking, the evil cultivator originated from Cloud Sea Sect, making him a human matter with no direct link to the demon race.
"Beast Lord, when the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain whole?"
The cave fell silent. Bai Jue stood quietly to the side, knowing this was not his place to speak.
"Bai Jue, arrange lodging for them tonight. Send them out of the barrier tomorrow."
"Yes, Beast Lord."
He turned to Jian Dan and gestured politely.
"Jian Lu Zūnshàng, this way please."
Jian Dan did not press the matter further. The Beast Lord's lack of a second refusal meant there was still a chance. She bowed and followed Bai Jue out.
"The Beast Lord has her own considerations," Bai Jue said mildly, offering an explanation.
"I know. The beast race has only one Beast Lord, slightly weaker than the Dao and Demon factions. Every decision must be weighed carefully. Before coming, Tian Yun Zhēnzūn also told me I could make the request, but however the Beast Lord chooses, I must not interfere."
Bai Jue understood. Top-tier sects like the Heavenly Sword Sect would never stoop to coercion. He sighed inwardly. Jian Lu's words had struck true—if there were two Beast Lords in the demon race, things would be different.
Outside, the others saw their Zūnshàng emerge from the cave and hurried to meet her.
"Jian Lu Zūnshàng, would you care to stay at the White Crane clan's territory for now?"
"Of course. Thank you for the trouble."
Bai Jue led the group to his clan's lands.
His people had already prepared, clearing a cliffside cave residence for the guests to rest in.
"Bai Jue, there's no need for so many. I'll share a cave with Liu Li, and the others can take one. No need for excessive arrangements."
Bai Jue understood—the Heavenly Sword Sect cultivators did not wish to be separated, which would help avoid unnecessary trouble. Not every beast cultivator in the clan was friendly toward humans. He nodded and let Jian Dan choose two caves herself.
Jin Liuli quickly set up their temporary residence. Jian Dan changed into her formal Zūnshàng robes, then went alone to pay a visit to Patriarch Bai Jue.
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My 2 project already finished the book vetting and it can be found on my profile: The Villainess isStealing the Male Lead's Script! and The Cube Queen's Apocalypse Feast
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Jing Shu has seen the end of the world, and it's literally a storm of epic proportions, and she's been given the ultimate do-over: a ten-year rewind. Thrown back in time to just two months before everything goes to hell, she has one mission: to make her apocalypse as comfortable as possible.
Forget just surviving. While others are scrambling for canned beans, Jing Shu is building a fortified sanctuary, raising soon-to-be-extinct poultry for gourmet meals, and cultivating a garden of forgotten veggies. Armed with a mysterious evolving rubik cube that grants her a private pocket dimension and a magical spirit spring water, she's set to ride out the disaster in style.
But what's the point of living like a queen if you can't enjoy a little revenge? The apocalypse is about to get a serious upgrade in style, and Jing Shu can't wait for her enemies to see what they're missing. Let them hear the sizzle of her steak and smell the aroma of her barbecue. Their despair is just the seasoning she needs.
In a world where humanity itself is changing, mutating into powerful "New Humans" fused with the chaos, Jing Shu is ready to evolve right along with them. She's got her cube, her spring, and a plan. The storm is coming, and she has a front-row seat.