The group of four arrived behind the main hall of Heavenly Sword Peak, standing before the Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm. Because they'd been notified in advance, no one stopped them along the way and they reached the entrance smoothly.
In front of them, the massive black cube rotated slowly on its own. Cultivators entered one after another, and from time to time someone was thrown out violently. They'd only watched for a moment before at least five high level experts were ejected in succession.
All three were stunned. Anyone could tell this was an Immortal artifact, at the very least the type used to suppress a sect's foundation.
"This is our Heavenly Sword Sect's Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm. It's where cultivators temper themselves. From Qi Refining to Mahayana, as long as you've got enough sect contribution points, you can enter for training. And this Immortal artifact was forged by Jian Lu Zhēnzūn."
Jian Jun explained with a light smile.
The three exchanged a look, and their impression of Fairy Lu instantly rose even higher. They were completely certain they'd made the right choice. There was nothing more to say. They were definitely holding onto this thick golden thigh, no matter what.
Since they'd already passed the first test, they were full of confidence. Once they stepped onto the designated spot, a powerful suction wrapped around them and pulled them smoothly into their individual trial realms.
On the other side, Jian Wan was flicked back to Tiandu Peak with a casual wave from Jian Dan. She was furious. She genuinely meant well. She didn't want people who looked questionable using Jian Lu Zhēnzūn's name to act recklessly.
But after getting sent away, she knew she'd overstepped. That place wasn't her cave dwelling. And her relationship with Jian Lu Zhēnzūn was delicate and nowhere near close enough that she could interfere with her affairs.
She returned to her cave, set a restriction, and planned to stay out of sight for a while. That simple flick of the hand had forced her to feel the difference in strength painfully clearly. In the past, she might've been able to compete with Jian Lu Zhēnzūn, but now she wouldn't even be given a chance to lift a hand.
The Ancestor of the Qi family already received word from the disciples guarding the peak and knew Jian Wan had suffered humiliation. He only curved his lips into a cold smile and ordered people to keep an eye on things. He didn't bother with it further.
The most important task now was sending the jade slip containing information about the insect clan back to the family. The sect had already allowed it, and news was already spreading throughout the seven affiliated cities of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Lingyun Continent trembled once again, but this time it was good news. Everyone hated the insect clan to the bone, but they also understood the principle of know yourself and know your enemy. So they began spreading the contents of the jade slips on their own initiative.
Never underestimate the speed of information in the cultivation world. It wasn't any slower than modern networks. While Jian Dan secluded herself to stabilize her cultivation, every human, beast, and demon across Lingyun Continent learned about the contents.
Heavenly Demon Palace also received the information Jian Dan sent back under Mo Yue's name. The report was even more detailed, accompanied by a star map and a list of resources Mo Yue had obtained. At the end, she stated she wouldn't return to Heavenly Demon Palace for the moment and that they could relay messages to her if needed.
Mo Su was baffled. When he reported it to Mo Yan Zhēnzūn, the response was simple. He said he'd assigned Mo Yue a different mission and told him not to worry.
But he understood perfectly. After he went to confront Tian Yun and revealed Mo Yue's identity, she likely couldn't extract herself for a while.
Still, he didn't leave empty handed. At the price of a top grade spirit vein, he'd been allowed into the Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm to train. He'd experienced the destruction of Lingyun Continent. The carnage was so horrifying he still didn't want to think about it.
After returning to Heavenly Demon Palace, he entered brief seclusion. Once he organized everything, he told Mo Xuan, Mo Yao, and the other Zhēnzūn his experience inside the Rubik's Cube Realm.
"Senior Brother Mo Yan, are you sure you didn't fall into an illusion?"
Mo Xuan asked, unable to believe such an unbelievable event.
"No. Heavenly Sword Sect's Rubik's Cube Realm isn't ordinary. When it was completed, it summoned an artifact tribulation. Once it survived the thunder tribulation, the artifact spirit was born."
Mo Yan said quietly.
Tian Yun had already told him the cube's origin and he believed there was no need for deception. They were among the strongest cultivators on the continent. And now that they had a common enemy, there was no reason to cling to old grudges.
"If what Senior Brother Mo Yan said is real, and we take it as something that'll happen in the future, then preparing early means we won't repeat the same tragedy."
Mo Yao said as he held the message jade slip.
"Exactly. The task I had Mo Yue help Mo Su with was part of our preparation."
Mo Su took out the storage ring with infinite space, feeling emotional. He'd chosen to trust Mo Yue, and the return she'd given him was beyond measure. Just that star map alone made everything worth it.
And truthfully, Jian Dan had her own reasons. She'd stayed in Heavenly Demon Palace before. Regardless of how Mo Lie treated her, she'd never truly suffered. She gained a lot of benefits there and even made several trustworthy friends.
After her identity was exposed, Mo Yan didn't hunt her down or force her into a desperate corner. Instead, he gave her authority to adjust the palace's deployments and even allowed her to keep using the name Mo Yue within Heavenly Demon Palace. Mo Yan surely had his own motives, but there was no denying it was a win win decision.
And since the war of Lingyun Continent was inevitable, Jian Dan believed it was necessary to unite every possible force against their common enemy. The storage ring she gave Heavenly Demon Palace was something she'd personally taken from Tiger Subjugation Squad and from Tan Song Territory. Of course she had the right to distribute it.
Both sides had different starting points and goals, but the result was worth celebrating.