A little blade spirit sat on the hilt of the blood-red blade, dressed in scarlet, its delicate face carrying a wicked charm. Strange runes spread across its cheeks, and its crimson eyes fixed on the female cultivator blocking its path. Its lips parted slightly.
"You hold two ancient weapons. I admit I cannot shake you off. What do you want?"
Jian Dan raised her brows slightly at its words. She knew the blade spirit referred to the Mò Xī Jiàn and the Mó Yuè Zhǎn. Onlookers, however, believed it meant Jian Dan's twin swords. Either way, it did not lessen their envy toward her.
Jian Dan did not reply. She stepped aside, revealing Yun Yun Zhēnzūn.
"Leave the crystal coffin behind and seal yourself!"
Yun Yun spoke with unquestionable force.
The blade spirit's brows shot up.
"Hmph! Such arrogance. Ask her if anyone in this world has the ability to seal me?"
Jian Dan remained silent. A moment ago, the spirit of the Mò Xī Jiàn had already transmitted its voice into her mind.
"This creature has been brimming with evil energy since the moment it was forged. Unless you ascend to the God Realm, you cannot destroy it. Sealing it is possible, but you would have to sacrifice your accumulated merit. At most, you could suppress it for a thousand years. This is only because your merit is deep enough. After a millennium, it will surely find a way to break free. How you proceed is your decision."
"I understand."
Jian Dan smiled gently at the blade spirit.
"Look at me again, carefully."
The blade spirit instinctively glanced at her once more. A red light flashed within its pupils.
"Hmph! You would truly pay that price?"
Jian Dan answered calmly, her voice full of composure.
"What is there to hesitate over? If I can seal you, perhaps Heaven will bestow even greater merit."
The scarlet-robed spirit bristled. It had been perched lazily on the hilt, but now stood upright, anger rising.
"Even if you sacrifice it, you can only seal me for a thousand years!"
Jian Dan tilted her head and gave a sly smile that carried a deadly weight.
"My Lingyun Continent has endured until today. Do you think there will be no one else worthy of carrying merit? If you cannot be suppressed for a thousand years, then a hundred years. If not by one person, then by ten, or a hundred. You can be sealed forever."
"You!"
The blade spirit faltered at her words. At that moment, Master Jue Song of the Buddhist Sect also spoke.
"Amitabha. The Arhat Hall of my Buddhist Sect can serve as a place to subdue such evil."
The blade spirit did not fear being surrounded. With effort, it could always attempt escape. Yet the woman before it gave it pause. Its master had just perished, leaving it unable to sustain a long battle. If this female cultivator truly intended to waste away her own merit against it, then she could indeed suppress it. The spirit clenched its teeth.
"What do you demand?"
"Leave the crystal coffin and seal yourself for one thousand years."
The blade spirit fumed, smoke practically rising from its ears. At that instant, however, the voice of the Mò Xī Jiàn's spirit echoed in its mind.
"Hongyi, do as my master says. Otherwise, she will surely burn her merit to seal you. And once she loses that merit, she will ensure you are bound forever. She is not one to forgive. After a thousand years of self-sealing, my master and I will have long since ascended. Who would still bother with you then? Finding a new master won't be impossible."
The crimson eyes of the Miao Dao spirit flickered. At last, it growled.
"Very well! Heaven as my witness, Miao Dao shall seal itself for a thousand years. After a thousand years, we shall rely on our own strength once more!"
As the words fell, the spirit dissolved into the blood-red blade. All its evil aura vanished, and the weapon plummeted straight into the sea.
Among the crowd, some cultivators' eyes gleamed with desire. This was an ancient weapon. Had they not just seen how a single clash from it shattered a Mahayana cultivator's artifact? Yet with so many Zhēnzūn present, none dared make a move. They only marked the location of its fall in secret.
As the evil blade sank, the crystal coffin lost its support and began to drop as well. Jian Dan, being the closest, withdrew her swords, swept out her hand, and opened the coffin. The figure inside was revealed.
"Young Master!"
A disciple of Cloud Sea Sect, who had come alongside Yu Tu Zūnshàng and Han Pengfei, cried out.
Jian Dan's eyes flickered with surprise when she saw the man within.
The cultivator lying unconscious inside the crystal coffin was the very one who, in her past life, had blocked Du Yanran and struck at her, leading to her death. She had never expected to meet him again in this life, in such a way.
Before Jian Dan could act, Yue Liang was quicker. The little beast's five claws slashed viciously at the man. At the same time, a streak of sword light shot in from the side, aiming straight for Yue Liang.
"How bold!" Jian Dan thought coldly. The Obsidian Bracelet had long been prepared. Wrapped in violet radiance, her fist smashed directly into the incoming sword light.
The strike split the sword light in two, scattering it into nothingness. Yue Liang's claws tore into the man's body. With five streaks of white light flashing, a trace of black smoke rose from him.
All this took place within three breaths. Only the attacker and Jian Dan had reacted in time.
"Jian Lu Xiaoyou, please show mercy."
Yun Yun was forced to speak out.
By then, Yue Liang had already flashed from Jian Dan's shoulder into the coffin. Its small claws pressed firmly against the man's dantian, awaiting only Jian Dan's command to destroy it.
Only then did Jian Dan turn slowly, cupping her hands politely toward Yun Yun Zhēnzūn. Her gaze shifted to the man standing behind Han Pengfei, the one who had just attacked.
The man's eyes wavered, but he did not retreat. His gaze lingered stubbornly on the coffin and flickered when it met Yue Liang.
"Yun Yun Zhēnzūn, what is the meaning of this?" Tian Zhou Zhēnzūn asked coolly.
Everyone present could see it. Jian Lu intended to cut the weeds and pull up the roots. Why would the people of Cloud Sea Sect stop her?
The one who had acted stepped forward from behind Han Pengfei, bowing first to Tian Zhou Zhēnzūn and Jian Dan before speaking.
"Please do not be angered, seniors. This man is the Young Master of my Yin family. He disappeared during training a hundred years ago. We never imagined he had fallen into the hands of evil cultivators."
Jian Dan turned to Tian Zhou Zhēnzūn.
When he nodded, she finally gave the order.
"Yue Liang, return."
Yue Liang vanished in a blink, reappearing on her shoulder and curling its tail around her neck.
"Zhēnzūn, there remains an evil remnant soul inside this man."
"You did not erase it just now?" Jian Dan asked sharply, her voice transmitted only to Yue Liang.
"I destroyed one third. The remnant soul is fused deeply with his Primordial Soul. To wipe it out entirely would damage his own soul."
"And if I kill him outright?"
"That is possible. But the Cloud Sea Sect clearly intends to protect him."
At that moment, a member of the Yin family rushed to the coffin, cradling the unconscious young master and attempting to rouse him.
Jian Dan's expression remained indifferent as she relayed Yue Liang's words to Tian Zhou Zhēnzūn. How it was handled was no longer her concern.
The crowd remained silent, all waiting. When a Zhēnzūn spoke, there was no room for others to interfere.
Finally, the young man stirred. His eyes were full of confusion as he looked at the one holding him. His voice rasped.
"Uncle Yin…"
"Young Master, what happened to you? You have been gone for a hundred years. If not for your soul lamp still burning, we would have thought you dead."
The young man, Yin Zhengchuan, rubbed his head and looked around, seeing the countless cultivators surrounding him.
When his gaze swept across Jian Dan's face, she locked eyes with him. A streak of blue light flashed across her pupils.
"I… together with my friend… we were exploring an ancient estate. A brown vine dragged me underground… after that, I remember nothing."
Yin Zhengchuan clutched his forehead, speaking in fragments, as though struggling to recall.
The Mahayana cultivator addressed as Uncle Yin then turned his eyes toward Yue Liang.