Bai Jue landed gracefully and cupped his hands.
"Many thanks, Jian Lu Daoyou, for letting me use your sect's Advancement Hall. Only because of that could I break through to the eighth rank in one stroke."
While speaking, he also noticed Jian Dan's cultivation had already reached late Unity. Suddenly, even his own breakthrough didn't feel all that impressive.
"Jian Lu Daoyou, with cultivation speed like yours, forget my beast clan, even the human race can't hold a candle to you."
He couldn't help sighing in admiration.
"I just stumbled into some opportunities, that's all. Pure luck."
Jian Dan gave a vague laugh to brush the topic aside. What was she supposed to say, that it was a gift from the Heavenly Dao? And why would the Heavenly Dao favor her and not someone else? She'd never expose her own secrets.
"This is my congratulatory gift. Use it to stabilize your cultivation. We might be traveling together."
With a flick of her round fan, a white porcelain bottle appeared. Inside was top-grade spirit spring water from her space.
Bai Jue accepted it naturally, tucked it into his sleeve, and left the tribulation ground alongside her, heading to Jian Dan's Tianyue Peak.
Once they were seated, he finally asked about her intentions.
"I just received an invitation from the Heavenly Demon Palace. A month from now, they'll hold the succession ceremony. Palace Master Mo Lie is abdicating. I'd guess your beast clan will get an invitation too."
"So what Jian Lu Daoyou means is, you want me to use this month to consolidate my cultivation, then travel with the Heavenly Sword Sect's group to the Heavenly Demon Palace, and meet up with my beast clan's delegation there."
"Exactly. That way, nothing's delayed. And my spirit beast Yue Liang recently escorted the second wave of our people to settle in the beast clan's territory. She should've arrived by now. She can travel with your clan's squad, then rendezvous with me at the Heavenly Demon Palace."
Bai Jue digested the information. Clearly, during his seclusion, plenty had changed in the cultivation world.
Jian Dan didn't rush him. She took out a jade slip from her storage ring and handed it to him.
"Bai Jue Daoyou, this records all the major events that happened while you were in seclusion. Take a careful look."
"Many thanks, Jian Lu Daoyou. This is exactly what I need. Your proposal sounds good. But I don't know if the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord will agree."
"That's simple. Just send a message. I'll also explain things to Yue Liang."
"Then I owe you again."
"Lü Se, escort Bai Jue Daoyou to the Guest Hall."
"Yes."
Lü Se accepted the order and led him away.
Meanwhile, the ones both of them were thinking about, the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord and Yue Liang, had already met.
Yue Liang had escorted her clan to the beast clan's territory. By coincidence, the one guarding the barrier this time was none other than Cang Yu, the loudmouthed hawk from Jian Dan's last visit.
She lightly touched the barrier with her pinky finger. Three breaths later, Cang Yu's grating voice rang out.
"Who goes there? Bold enough to trespass on beast clan land?"
Yue Liang narrowed her eyes but stayed silent. Only when he revealed his form did she finally speak.
"I'm Yue Liang of the Raccoon Beast Clan. By order of the Ancestor, I've escorted the second group of our people back to the beast clan."
Her petite figure stood in sharp contrast to Cang Yu's tall frame, forcing him to lower his gaze to look at her. Not that he dared underestimate her in the slightest.
The aura of a seventh-rank beast radiated from her. And that was only because she'd deliberately suppressed it.
Zūnshàng had taught her well: when you arrive somewhere new, stay low-key. After all, there's always someone stronger. Only when you stand at the very peak of a world do you earn the right to be arrogant.
"So it's Senior Yue Liang. I've already received your Ancestor's orders. Please, follow me."
"Thank you."
The raccoons behind her finally relaxed. With Yue Liang leading, entering the beast clan's land had gone smoother than they'd dared hope.
Cang Yu didn't screech around this time. He led them straight toward a bamboo forest.
Along the way, they crossed paths with some beasts out for food or play. All of them sensed Yue Liang's aura and didn't dare approach, only trailing from afar to watch. When they saw over a hundred raccoons vanish into the bamboo grove, they turned back to spread the news.
Once Cang Yu had escorted them, he hurried to report to the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord.
Yue Liang touched the barrier of the raccoon clan's bamboo grove. Moments later, Ancestor Xing Chen appeared. He opened the barrier with a smile. "Welcome home, everyone. Yue Liang, you've worked hard. Come with me."
"Greetings, Ancestor!"
They all bowed before excitedly entering the grove, looking everywhere at their new home.
Yue Liang was the last inside. She cast a glance at the beasts still spying from the shadows, snorted through her nose, then flickered out of sight. The barrier fell shut behind her.
The first group of raccoons had already heard the commotion and rushed out to greet their kin, making for a lively reunion.
Ancestor Xing Chen led Yue Liang to the largest bamboo house. Once seated, they finally had a proper talk.
"Yue Liang, you've advanced again. You're a great beast now. Congratulations."
Seeing her mighty presence, he couldn't hide his joy. Who would've thought the raccoon that had once been on her last breath would reach such heights?
"Zūnshàng watches me closely, won't let me slack off. I wouldn't dare get lazy." She scratched her ear and grinned.
Ancestor Xing Chen stroked his whitening beard with a chuckle. "Zūnshàng only wants the best for you. You should keep cultivating diligently."
"Yes, Ancestor. Since you've returned, is everything going smoothly for our clan? You sent me messages, but I still worried. Since the second group was coming, and I'd just left seclusion, I asked Zūnshàng for leave to come myself."
"All is well. You don't need to worry. Zūnshàng has already paved the way for us, so we faced little resistance and blended into the beast clan smoothly. Of course, we'll still need to build more connections, and that won't happen overnight."
"I understand. For the beast clan to fully accept us raccoons, it'll take time. We won't harm other beasts, but we won't drop our guard either." Her bright eyes sparkled, easing his concerns.
"You've grown up, Yue Liang." The Ancestor felt proud.
The next few days were busy as the raccoons settled in. By the third day, everyone was settled. Yue Liang inspected every corner of the territory, then produced three formation plates she'd specially exchanged from the Operations Hall before leaving.
"Ancestor, these three plates are high-grade attack and defense formations. Place one where the clan's resources are stored, to protect them. Use the other two to prepare an escape route for the clan. They'll buy us time if needed."
Her tone was solemn, and he understood the weight of her words. He accepted the plates and stored them away before saying, "Yue Liang, it's been three days. Today, you'll come with me to meet the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord."
"Alright."
Together, they made their way to the Nine-Tail's cave. Before they even arrived, the Nine-Tail had already heard from Cai Yan.
As always, the Nine-Tail was sprawled lazily on a soft couch, watching Zi Die dance while the Spider-Woman played the zither, sipping happily at the fine wine Jian Dan had given her.
When Ancestor Xing Chen arrived with Yue Liang, no guards stopped them. The pair walked straight inside.
"Xing Chen of the Raccoon Clan brings a junior to pay respects to the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord."