"Mo Yue doesn't care about these things at all. Why would she fight over them? If it was a chance to ascend, that's when she'd step in."
Mo Yi spoke up in her defense.
"That's only because the four of us are close, and we share the bond of fighting together in the Nether Valley. Everyone else only knows that I have a family behind me, you have the Black-Robed Guards, and Mo Su has Palace Master Mo Lie. On the surface, Mo Yue's the only one without any backing."
Mo Qi spoke calmly.
Mo Su, who'd been quietly sipping tea nearby, lifted his eyes to glance at them but didn't deny it.
"Who says Mo Yue has no backing? Mo Yan Zhēnzūn is the greatest backing she could ever ask for!"
Mo Yi shouted without hesitation.
Mo Qi laughed softly, then said, "Come on now, when have you ever seen Mo Yue use Mo Yan Zhēnzūn's name? She's always relied on herself."
This time, both Mo Yi and Mo Su nodded in agreement.
"After Mo Yue came back, Ancestor Mo Yan summoned her. He arranged for her to spend some time with the Black Robed Guards to raise their combat power. After that, she'll come to me, help reorganize the sect, and clean up the peaks."
Mo Su didn't hide anything, openly revealing Mo Yan's instructions.
"Sounds like a heavy burden. I bet Mo Yue agreed on the surface but was definitely unhappy about it inside."
Mo Yi rubbed his chin, then glanced at Mo Qi. She nodded, clearly sharing the same thought.
The Mo Yue Zūnshàng they were talking about was, at that very moment, welcoming Bai Jue and his companions into her cave. Three days had passed since the succession ceremony. Several large-scale trade fairs, auctions, and resource exchanges had already been held.
Bai Jue had exchanged for the resources he needed and secured a few trades with the Pill, Talisman, and Formation sects on behalf of the beast clan. His mission was basically complete. Right after, he received an urgent summons from the Nine Tailed Beast Lord.
One purple-tailed message after another had come in, each more frantic than the last. Bai Jue could already guess that when he returned to the beast clan, a mountain of problems would be waiting for him. All he could do was come to fetch Xiao Yue and prepare to set out immediately.
This time, Spider Woman and Cang Yu came along. When they saw Mo Yue sitting under a peach blossom tree, Bai Jue's eyes flickered for a moment.
As for Spider Woman and Cang Yu, "stunning" was the only word that came to mind. Their respect for Mo Yue deepened, born from instinctive admiration toward a true powerhouse.
"Greetings, Mo Yue Zūnshàng!"
"Sit."
Jian Dan waved her hand, gesturing for Bai Jue to sit. Spider Woman and Cang Yu didn't dare and instead stood quietly behind him.
"Zūnshàng, I'm here to take Xiao Yue with us when we leave."
Bai Jue stated his purpose directly.
Jian Dan only sighed softly before speaking. "It's not that I'm trying to hold him back. He seems to be advancing. Moving him now wouldn't be wise."
With that, she lifted the restrictions around Xiao Yue's cave. Bai Jue froze for a moment, then released his spiritual sense. Spider Woman and Cang Yu also turned their attention to the special cave.
Inside, the little wolf cub was gathering power. Each breath matched the laws of heaven and earth. The runes beneath him glowed faintly, channeling pure energy into his small body.
Once the three confirmed Xiao Yue was safe and truly advancing, Bai Jue frowned slightly and turned to Jian Dan.
"Zūnshàng, how long has Xiao Yue been like this?"
"Ever since the day we returned from the succession ceremony. He was drowsy, so I let him rest in his cave. By the next day, he didn't wake up, and then he slipped into this slow advancement. I don't understand beast cultivation, so I didn't dare force him awake. I could only wait for you to come. Do you have a way to move him safely?"
"This was unexpected. Moving him now really isn't possible."
Bai Jue wasn't worried about Xiao Yue's safety though. With Yingge's presence, both Mo Yue and Jian Lu had shown remarkable patience with the young ones.
"Zūnshàng, I'll contact Clan Leader Lang Xiao. We'll decide whether Xiao Yue should remain here to finish advancing, or if Lang Xiao should come himself. Either way, I'll have to trouble you to look after him a little longer."
Bai Jue's sincerity was evident. Jian Dan didn't make things difficult and simply nodded her agreement. He then sent out a white-feathered message slip.
"In that case, I won't disturb your peace, Mo Yue Zūnshàng. Once I have word, I'll return to Mo Yan Peak."
"Good."
After Bai Jue and his group left, Jian Dan returned to her cave, set down restrictions, and entered her private space. She changed back into Jian Lu's appearance. Cotton Candy, who had been floating overhead, finally dropped down and shook itself, shrinking into a fluffy little ball. It whined in a childish voice.
"Zūnshàng, not being able to talk to you is torture."
Jian Dan scooped the little cloud into her palm, stroked it gently, and chuckled. "You've already formed a contract with me. You can speak to me through the contract seal anytime."
"Oh no, Cotton Candy's so dumb, how could I forget that?"
Its self-blame made her laugh.
"Hehe, today's only about finishing the trade with the Beast Taming Sect. I'll still be staying in the Heavenly Demon Palace for a while. You'll have plenty of chances to keep pretending."
"Mhm! Cotton Candy understands!"
Once everything was in order, Jian Dan let Cotton Candy carry her away. They vanished from the cave, reappearing at the temporary quarters of the Beast Taming Sect.
Her figure materialized outside just as Sect Elder Shou Feng, who'd been waiting impatiently, sensed her presence. He opened the restriction and immediately bowed. "Greetings, Jian Lu Zūnshàng. Please, come inside."
Jian Dan nodded and stepped in. Shou Min soon arrived as well. The moment she saw Jian Dan, she paused before hurrying forward to salute.
Taking the main seat, Jian Dan went straight to business. "I received Meng Congjian's message. I'm here today to hand over the blood insect you requested."
She waved her sleeve, releasing a chaotic space cage. Inside was a blood insect in a feigned-death state, the very one she had extracted from Yao Bin. The stronger specimen she had captured from a member of the Kong family was far too dangerous, and she didn't intend to trade that one.
The moment the blood insect appeared, both Shou Feng and Shou Min fixed their gazes on it. This was, after all, what they'd traded a top-grade spiritual vein and one hundred spirit beasts for.
Just then, someone knocked against the Beast-Taming Sect's restriction. Shou Feng frowned, ready to ignore it, but Jian Dan spoke up. "I sent for Meng Congjian. Let him in."
"Yes."
Meng Congjian, having received the summon from Jian Lu Zūnshàng, arrived in high spirits.
"Greetings, Jian Lu Zūnshàng!"
He bowed deeply, face brimming with joy, then stood respectfully at the side.
"Congjian, bring out the array plates I refined."
Without hesitation, Meng Congjian retrieved two array plates from his storage ring, specially designed to trap the blood insect.
Jian Dan placed the space cage into the smaller black array plate. Once the runes lit up and sealed the cage within, she handed the plate to Shou Feng. "The other plate works in tandem with this one. I trust Congjian has already explained how to use them. The blood insect is yours now. Once you leave the Heavenly Demon Palace, return to your sect quickly. We don't know if more of its kind are still roaming the cultivation world."
"Yes, I understand," Shou Feng replied seriously.
Shou Min, however, couldn't hide a flicker of disdain in her eyes. She lowered her gaze before anyone noticed. Anyone but Jian Dan, who gave her a faint, knowing smile.
"The top-grade spiritual vein goes directly to Congjian. He'll deliver it back. As for the spirit beasts, I'll collect them later."
"Understood."
Shou Feng quickly produced a jade box containing the sealed spiritual vein and handed it to Meng Congjian.
Overjoyed, Meng Congjian checked it carefully, then stored it away with a broad grin.