A flicker of blue light danced in Jian Dan's hand, immediately drawing the attention of the two men present.
"Du Yanran isn't dead. She merely shed her shell, like a cicada."
"How can Zūnshàng be so sure?"
"Because I left a mark directly on her Primordial Soul."
That mark had been planted long ago, back in the Lower Realm during Jian Dan's final meeting with Du Yanran. At the time, she had gifted Du Yanran a bottle of the perfume named Azure. The instant Du Yanran sprayed it, that faint blue light had slipped quietly into her sea of consciousness.
Later, in the depths of Shennongjia, Jian Dan disguised herself as a mysterious expert and gravely wounded Du Yanran. While Du Yanran's soul was in turmoil, the blue light fused completely into her sea of consciousness.
Even earlier, in Huanle City, Jian Dan had used the Eye of the Dream Beast to plant a seed of heart-demon in Du Yanran. The blue light further anchored that connection. After a hundred years, it had become one with Du Yanran's Primordial Soul.
Unless one day Du Yanran's cultivation surpassed Jian Dan's and she was willing to sever and abandon her marked soul, or unless she faced total soul annihilation, she would never escape that tracking mark—so long as Jian Dan wished to find her.
Both Jian Li and Wei Zhengrong sighed inwardly. This woman—now revered as Zūnshàng—truly planned ahead with frightening precision.
"Ahem, if that's the case, Junior Sister, why not kill her outright and be done with it?"
"I wanted to. You think I didn't try? I was stopped, back in the Lower Realm."
Jian Dan's voice was casual, unconcerned.
"Senior Brother, you should know, there are some people in this world blessed by fate, impossible to kill outright. Since I couldn't strike directly, I had to take another route: grind away her luck piece by piece. When she ceases to be Heaven's special exception, that's when I'll finish her."
"Then, Zūnshàng, what do you need Zhengrong to do?"
"If Du Yanran dared to pull this off, she must have planned thoroughly. I believe she'll attempt to seize the body of a gifted child and enter a sect to cultivate anew."
"Why do you think so?"
That was the question Jian Li himself wanted to ask. Du Yanran had already reached Divine Transformation. Forcing her to start over would take time.
"Because of me. She doesn't have the ability to seize a Mahayana Ancestor's body, and even if she took a Divine Transformation cultivator, I'd still crush her beneath my heel. If that's the case, why wouldn't she choose a child, bide her time until I ascend, and only then rise again? She's playing the long game."
Wei Zhengrong lit a silent candle for Du Yanran in his heart. Of all the enemies she could have made, she chose Jian Lu Zūnshàng. Now, she would spend her life under constant suppression.
"Junior Sister, what did she do to offend you so badly?" Jian Li couldn't resist voicing the question that everyone else had been dying to ask.
"She severed my path to immortality. Between her and me, it's death without end."
That was enough. No one dared question it further. Du Yanran's fate was sealed.
"She's cunning. She won't risk revealing herself yet, but she'll be somewhere near the place where she shed her shell." Jian Dan's slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the jade table as she analyzed Du Yanran's current position.
"Which major sect is closest to that area?"
"Alchemy Sect."
Upon hearing Wei Zhengrong's reply, Jian Dan already understood Du Yanran's plan. Trying to rejoin Alchemy Sect? Not without her permission.
"Zhengrong, with her Divine Transformation soul seizing a mortal child, the body will likely collapse under the strain. She'll have to seal away part of her Primordial Soul, which means I can't pinpoint her exact location for now.
But I predict this: when Alchemy Sect begins recruiting disciples, place eyes there. Watch for any child with a fire spiritual root, or a dual fire-wood spiritual root.
Afterward, if that disciple doesn't blend in, rises too quickly, or displays rare talent in alchemy, report to me. I'll take it from there."
"Yes, Zūnshàng. I'll remember your instructions."
"No need to overextend resources. Just keep a casual watch. She won't dare make a move anytime soon."
Jian Dan smiled, tossing Wei Zhengrong a storage ring. Then she turned to Jian Li with a soft laugh.
"Senior Brother, this is my personal matter. Since I'm using the sect's intelligence network, consider this my payment."
"Fine. Think of it as you buying intel with spirit stones. Zhengrong, take it."
Wei Zhengrong had been hesitant, as he was willing to help Zūnshàng without compensation, but Jian Lu had spoken. Breaking Law Enforcement Hall's rules was out of the question, so he accepted the ring.
"Then I'll take my leave to seek Tian Zhen Zhēnzūn and see if he has any valuable techniques to share."
"Go ahead."
After Jian Dan left, Jian Lu went to the rear mountain while Wei Zhengrong returned to the Intelligence Hall to carry out her orders.
Meanwhile, Du Yanran's actions were unfolding exactly as Jian Dan had predicted.
At that moment, Du Yanran's Primordial Soul rested inside a Soul-Containing Stone, hanging from the neck of a five-year-old girl—a child she had painstakingly selected for her rare fire spiritual root.
Having confirmed the girl's potential, she carefully laid out her next steps. She knew full well that someone powerful wanted her dead, and her resources were running dry after years on the run. Her magnolia pendant, containing most of her wealth, had been snatched and destroyed right before her eyes by Jian Dan. Even now, the memory burned in her chest like poison.
Once, Du Yanran had been the one standing high above all. But ever since her rebirth, she had underestimated Jian Dan, and that mistake had left her with nothing.
Now, all she could do was gamble everything. She gifted the Soul-Containing Stone to the little girl, Tutu, and used her divine sense to plant instructions. At the moment Du Yanran's soul left her body, Tutu would play nearby with her friends, making it easier for Du Yanran to enter the stone.
Once she was inside, Tutu buried the stone as instructed and went on as if nothing had happened. When Yin Yang Gate disciples investigated the area for traces of soul possession, they found nothing.
Later, when sects began recruiting, Tutu tested as a pure fire spiritual root. Yet, under Du Yanran's subtle guidance, she deliberately avoided joining Alchemy Sect.
Du Yanran knew that if she rose within Alchemy Sect again, Jian Dan would surely notice and see through her reincarnation. Instead of risking exposure, she opted for a safer path: entering a second-rate sect. With her talent, she would still climb to the summit one day. This time, Jian Dan would be in the light, and she would lurk in the shadows, biding her time for another chance at ascension.
Sometimes, your deadliest enemy knows you better than anyone. Now, it was a contest to see whose methods would prevail.
Tutu joined the Flowing Flame Sect under the name Du Yunfei. Through sect testing, she had officially begun cultivation, drawing spiritual energy into her body. Beside her, Du Yanran watched with predatory patience, waiting for the perfect moment to seize her new vessel.
Back at Heavenly Sword Sect's Rear Mountain Forbidden Grounds
All four Zhēnzūn were present that day, rehearsing a battle formation. Jian Li arrived swiftly.
"Jian Li, what's so urgent?"
"I greet the honored Zhēnzūn."
After bowing respectfully, Jian Li repeated Jian Dan's message to the elders, leaving out only the detail that Jian Dan had once fought in Ming Valley under the name Mo Yue.
"Tch. That Sword Execution girl. She can't enter herself, so she's pushing us to go explore."
Tian Shou Zhēnzūn's curled mustache twitched as he spoke sharply.
"My disciple, you've become her mouthpiece."
Tian Hong looked at his student with a knowing gaze.
"Yes, Master. I understand. But Junior Sister Jian Lu never acts without reason, nor does she speak idly. If she went out of her way to warn us, then this trial realm within the Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm is something you will likely face in the future."