"Cheng Zu also mentioned that the immortals deeper inside seem to have changed their attitude. At the very least, they're not as overbearing as before. They even asked where the cultivators exchanging resources came from, whether any insects had been spotted in our continent, and looked like they wanted to offer some convenience."
Jian Mao sat beside Jian Jun and added a few details.
"Heh, with that kind of behavior, I doubt many continents' cultivators could stomach them," Jian Jing cut in with a smirk.
"Exactly. Everyone's probably afraid those immortals will start scheming something else, so they definitely won't tell the truth."
"Cheng Zu said that to remind us to be careful ourselves," Jian Jun concluded.
"Senior Sister Jian Jun, does the Tan Song family know about the insect invasion on our continent?" Jian Dan turned to ask.
"I haven't mentioned it. When we entered the spatial rift, it wasn't that serious. We only found black beetle larvae, and I heard the rest from you later. As for whether others said anything, I really don't know." Jian Jun didn't hide anything.
"Junior Sister, do you have something in mind?"
"To fight the insects, we can't count on the immortals. Their cultivation is at most Dixian or Tianxian. If we recklessly ask for help, we might find it easy to invite them in but impossible to send them away. Still, we can at least let them know about what's happening in our continent." Jian Dan thought it over before speaking.
Everyone was a little unsettled. To them, Dixian and Tianxian were untouchable existences, yet in her eyes they weren't much at all. Her tone really sounded bold.
But the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples knew she wasn't exaggerating. Her Purple Palace had already opened, meaning she was certain to ascend. Since she could already stand firm here, after ascending she wouldn't be weak either.
"Junior Sister has a point, but how do we pass the message?"
Sending people now wasn't realistic. Everyone wanted to return, and nobody was willing to head into the inner region again.
Jian Dan understood their thoughts and immediately told Hou San, "We're at the outer edge, so there must be squads nearby. Go find one with a decent reputation. I'll record a jade slip and have them deliver it when they enter the inner region."
Hou San nodded. That wasn't hard, and with a little payment it'd be no problem.
"If we want someone to run errands, we should give them benefits. Just tell them we won't be staying here long. Once we leave, they can take over this place." Jian Jun suggested without hesitation. They couldn't take the place with them anyway.
Hou San agreed right away. "I'll ask around in the next couple of days."
With that settled, Jian Dan shared another piece of good news. "When Xiao Yue followed us to trade with the Cheng brothers, he sensed it. Our return path is inside that Greenfield Lake."
Everyone was excited. That was huge news. Now that they had a location, all that was left was to wait for the right time.
All eyes turned toward Xiao Yue lying beside Jian Dan. The wolf felt the weight of their stares, lifted his head warily, looked around, then realized it was Jian Lu's companions. He lazily lowered his head again and sprawled back down.
Hou San and the Bai sisters were thrilled too. Finally, they could leave this place. They'd been waiting for so long. Though nervous, they had Fairy Lu's promise, which gave them peace of mind.
In the days that followed, nobody went out much. Everyone quietly prepared. The remaining cultivators of the Purple Sky Sect, Yin Yang Gate, and Artifact Sect gathered their resources, deciding what to keep and what to turn over to their sects.
Hou San went out several times, and after five days he returned with someone familiar. It was Ming Yuan, the very one from whom the Purple Sky Sect's purple belt had been found.
"Greetings, Fairy Lu."
"Sit. I assume Hou San's told you. Are you willing?"
"We've been staying on the outer edge for a while and were just about to head inside to exchange some resources. We can conveniently take a message for your squad." Ming Yuan answered politely.
"Good." Jian Dan didn't waste words. She handed him a jade slip she'd already prepared.
Ming Yuan accepted it, pupils shrinking slightly when he saw the seal on it.
This time Jian Dan wanted to test something. The slip's contents weren't hidden, just an account of Lingyun Continent's situation, their current plight, and their strategy.
The seal, though, was made with the Jian family's unique handprint, and branded with the clan emblem of the Wheel of Fate.
Hadn't the Tan Song siblings insisted on leaving their family's mark? Well, this was her reply. She couldn't wipe them out, but she could make them uncomfortable.
"Captain Ming Yuan, please hand this jade slip to Tan Songjia and tell her it's on behalf of Lingyun Continent's Jun Qingfeng."
The words made Ming Yuan freeze. He felt like Hou San had tricked him. Who among the outsiders hadn't heard of Lingyun Continent? But it was too late to refuse now.
"Don't worry. You're only responsible for delivering the jade slip. They won't make things hard for you. When you return, you can take over this place." Jian Dan smiled sweetly while leaving no room for refusal.
What else could Ming Yuan do? He tucked the slip into his storage ring, cupped his fists, and left.
Of course, later he grumbled at Hou San, who just brushed him off with a few careless words. The task was done, and that was all that mattered.
Ten days later, on a midnight when the skies weren't so gloomy, Xiao Yue suddenly let out a long howl, startling everyone awake.