While the Cheng Zu's Squad waited anxiously, Su Chui and Xiong Yan were struggling with their choice. Those rare forging materials were just too tempting.
Jian Dan, on the other hand, was turning things over in her mind. If she hadn't brought Xiao Yue with her, chances were none of them would've made it back. That would've meant Su Chui probably would've returned to Leyuan Continent with the Cheng Zu's Squad, and as a disciple of the Artifact Sect, his inheritance would've gone with him.
In Jian Dan's view, inheritance meant passing something on, but only in a limited space. It didn't mean spreading the craft widely or perfecting it. Every art grew only when it was shared, refined, and built upon. That was how it improved and reached new heights. So she fully supported the exchange.
Besides, it was another continent altogether. They probably wouldn't meet again in this lifetime unless everyone ascended to the Immortal Realm, and even then, it was unlikely. More importantly, once they ascended, the forging arts of the Immortal Realm would be far more advanced, and the little inheritance Su Chui carried wouldn't mean much at all.
So when Su Chui asked for her opinion, that was exactly what she told him.
Her words struck a chord with the group. Jian Jun even chuckled and said, "Junior Sister, you've got a unique way of looking at things, always breaking out of the mold."
"Senior Sister, you're too kind," she replied.
Because of what Jian Dan said, Su Chui finally made up his mind. Together with Xiong Yan, he prepared for three days before going back to meet the Cheng Zu's Squad.
Two days earlier, when Cheng Song still hadn't seen the cultivators of Lingyun Continent, he figured they must've refused. He couldn't push it, and both he and his brother knew the truth. If they tried to force things, they might not even be able to win.
So Cheng Song told his men to start packing. Cheng Zu still wasn't willing to give up, though, and insisted they wait another day. Cheng Song had always listened to his brother, so he grudgingly stayed patient.
"Boss, Boss, they're here!" The guard outside rushed in with the report, and the Cheng brothers both lit up, hurrying out of the cave to welcome them.
This time, Su Chui and Xiong Yan were accompanied by Jian Jun and Jian Mao. They weren't just there to make sure the trade went smoothly. Once the Cheng Zu Squad left, they planned to take over the place. After all, the return path lay within Greenfield Lake, so staying close by was safer.
"Boss Cheng Zu, greetings. I wonder if the materials I marked last time are ready?" Su Chui cupped his hands politely.
"Of course. Everything's ready." Cheng Zu broke into a grin and handed him a storage ring, signaling him to check.
After Su Chui and Xiong Yan examined it carefully and found no issues, they each pulled out a few jade slips and passed them to Cheng Zu.
"Boss Cheng Zu, since we hadn't expected to trade forging inheritances, and divine sense is restricted here, it took us three days of effort to record them. Please, take a look."
Cheng Zu's eyes curved with satisfaction as he accepted the slips. He handed them to the squad's only female cultivator, who immediately spread out her divine sense and examined them one by one. After about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, she finished a first pass, nodded in confirmation, and quietly stepped back.
"Thank you, Su Daoyou. On behalf of Leyuan Continent, I truly appreciate your generosity."
Both Cheng Zu and Cheng Song bowed sincerely. They knew very well who'd profited most in this exchange.
"You're too polite."
Cheng Zu then retrieved another jade slip from his own ring and passed it to Jian Jun.
"This one was recently circulated from the inner regions. It came from the Tan Song family's shop. Any lower-realm cultivator who went there to trade resources got one. I had my people copy it. You should take a look, it contains important news."
It was his way of returning the favor.
"Thank you, Boss Cheng Zu."
Jian Jun accepted it with no hesitation. She already had a guess, so she took it with ease.
"My friends, we'll be leaving this world tomorrow. Until we meet again."
"Until we meet again!"
Sure enough, the next day when Hou San came back, the place had already been abandoned. The others quickly moved in to occupy it, setting up camp to wait patiently.
As for the jade slip Cheng Zu had given them, it ended up in Jian Dan's hands. After reading through the information, her brows furrowed for a long time before she finally told everyone what it contained.
"This jade slip has information on the insect race. Their origins, traits, varieties, known weaknesses, and ways to kill them. Most importantly, it says the Immortal Realm is already at war with them!"
"What? Even the Immortal Realm has fallen victim to the insect scourge?"
"Yes, and these insects are at least a tier above the ones that invaded our Lingyun Continent. They're cunning too. Since they couldn't breach the Immortal Realm, they sent a swarm down to the lower realms, planning to strike from both sides.
The Immortal Realm can't directly interfere with the cultivation continents, so after part of their defenses collapsed, they created transmission channels and pulled cultivators from every realm into this one. The fallen immortals who came with us were tasked to tell us about the insects and prepare us.
The reason the news took this long to spread probably ties back to that jade slip I tossed to the Tan Song siblings. You all know where that came from. That fallen immortal was clearly sent to pass down the order. No one knows why he died in that place."
When she finished, Jian Dan gripped the slip tightly. She strung together every event that had happened since they entered this world and realized, once again, that she was the variable, the key difference.
In her last life, she hadn't been here. Without her, Xiao Yue wouldn't have come, and without Xiao Yue, Hou San's squad never would've set their sights on them. Maybe his squad would still exist, and Hou San would never have joined Lingyun Continent's team.
They never would've ended up hiding in that cave. The Xianwang's command slip never would've reached the Tan Song family, and there wouldn't be any warnings spreading so widely now.