"It looks like everyone's safe, and there's even time to flush out the spy. Guess all that rushing wasn't for nothing." Jian Dan's voice carried over, and the tense expressions of the crowd eased a little.
Xiao Yue trotted at Jian Dan's side. The moment he saw the others, his body shrank, transforming into a little wolf pup. He gave a light hop and landed straight into Jian Dan's arms.
Suddenly, a sword light slashed toward Jian Dan with lightning speed. The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples reacted first, their life-bound swords already drawn as they attacked the one who'd struck.
The rest were a heartbeat slower, but when they saw that the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples were targeting Pang Hongliang, Xiao Yong barked out, "Seal off the exits!"
The cultivators here were all battle-hardened experts. In an instant, they paired up and blocked every path of retreat.
Disciples of the Purple Sky Sect guarded one direction, the Yin Yang Gate cultivators held another, the Weapon Sect disciples sealed the third, while Hou San and the Bai sisters blocked the last.
The Heavenly Sword Sect's strike clashed against a protective barrier, stopping everyone's attacks cold.
"Pang Hongliang!"
The Cloud Sea Sect cultivator's face was cold and rigid. His sword strike had carried his full strength, aiming to gravely injure Jian Dan and the pup in her arms.
A sharp ding rang out as two sword lights clashed, sending dust billowing in all directions. The collision forced everyone nearby to retreat several steps before steadying themselves.
The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples looked grim. If Pang Hongliang could still mobilize spiritual energy, then the truth was obvious.
But Pang Hongliang himself was stunned. Jian Lu could actually mobilize spiritual energy too.
"Tsk. Why'd you reveal yourself so soon? You should've kept hiding." Jian Dan held her Mò Xī Jiàn with a lazy smile.
"Junior Sister, he left a mark earlier, and Hou San caught him. He even tried to frame Hou San, but none of us believed him," Jian Jing quickly explained, unwilling to let Hou San be wronged.
"Fairy Lu, before you arrived, he was riling everyone up to drive me and the Bai sisters away!" Hou San shouted, seizing the chance to air his grievance.
"You thought you were clever, huh? Seeing me let Hou San lead the way, you assumed we weren't familiar with this place."
Pang Hongliang ignored Jian Dan's words and instead demanded, "Why can you mobilize spiritual energy?"
"Who said I'm using spiritual energy?"
"Impossible, they promised me!"
"Go on, guess again."
With that, Jian Dan lost interest in explaining. She charged forward with Xiao Yue, sword flashing. Xiao Yue's claws struck in the gaps between Pang Hongliang's swings, adding relentless pressure. The others fell back to avoid getting caught in the storm of blades.
The two figures blurred across the battlefield, sword lights colliding again and again. Each clash expanded the shockwaves, pushing the encirclement farther back.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more shaken Pang Hongliang became. In a split-second distraction, a sword light pierced into his body. He tried to teleport away, but Xiao Yue's claws raked his back, holding him in place for just one breath. That was enough. He was sent flying, crashing heavily into the ground.
"W-wait! I was forced! Please, hear me out!"
Pang Hongliang's face was pale. Realizing he was outmatched, he begged for his life.
But Jian Dan wasn't about to give him a chance to turn things around. She stepped forward, her Obsidian Bracelet already glowing. She sheathed her sword, and just as Pang Hongliang let out a breath of relief, her strike blasted into his dantian.
"No!!!"
His scream echoed as everyone watched his once-strong body wither. In seconds, he went from a robust cultivator to a frail old man. Finally, his unwilling form collapsed and crumbled into dust.
The encirclement closed in again. Jian Jing and the Bai sisters rushed to Jian Dan's side.
"Junior Sister, are you alright? Did you get hurt? What took you so long to get here?"
"I'm fine. I used the Xianwang's command jade slip to send Tan Song sibling away. They shouldn't be able to bother us for a while. On the way, I ran into some ambushers, so that delayed me a bit."
Her words were brief, skipping over the real dangers, but everyone understood well enough.
"Hou San, Bai sisters, I'm sorry you had to endure that!" Jian Dan said with a bow.
"Not at all. We were only stalling for time on Jian Mao Zunshàng's orders."
The truth was, Jian Jun had already suspected Pang Hongliang during the earlier chaos. When the black-whip electric eel struck, Pang Hongliang had been the last one out, and his expression had flickered oddly. But there'd been no evidence, and he'd been careful not to slip.
Later, during their rest, Pang Hongliang had been the first to ask if Jian Dan had drawn the electric eel. That confirmed Jian Jun's suspicion. Her instincts told her that Tan Songjia's group was close behind.
Meanwhile, after splitting from Jian Dan, Hou San had accidentally noticed Pang Hongliang's suspicious move. He quickly reported it to Jian Mao. Compared to Jian Jun, Hou San and the Bai sisters trusted Jian Mao's group more.
Jian Mao and Jian Jun laid a plan, sending Hou San to loop them around and set the trap.
Pang Hongliang thought his secret had been exposed by Hou San and tried to frame him instead, hoping to create infighting among the Lingyun Continent cultivators. If they turned on each other, he'd seize the chance to strike.
It was a clever plan, but he hadn't accounted for Jian Dan. With her in the mix, he was doomed.
"Good thing Junior Sister was here," Jian Jun said with rare relief. "We knew if he dared to act this boldly, he'd have a backup plan. We just didn't expect him to already be able to use spiritual energy."
"I'm sick of being trapped in this place," Jian Chun muttered bitterly.
"Since Junior Sister's here now, let's not waste more time. We should get moving," Jian Jun said calmly. At least one hidden danger was gone, and their movements would be safer for it.
No one disagreed. Once again, Hou San took the lead, and they charged toward the outer perimeter.