Thanks to the jade slips and resources Jian Dan sent back, combined with her earlier adjustments to the Heavenly Demon Palace's coordination with the Black Robe Guards, all the holes in their defenses had been patched. The overall strength of the sect's defensive network rose to an entirely new level.
Over the last hundred years, the Heavenly Demon Palace had also recruited a new batch of disciples from the mortal world. They trained them carefully, and now they were finally seeing results. The strongest had already reached the Golden Core stage, while the weakest were at late Qi Refining or early Foundation Establishment. It wasn't much, but at least the Heavenly Demon Palace finally had successors to rely on.
After Mo Su formed a dual cultivation bond with Jian Feng, his realm surged rapidly. Not only did he recover the strength he'd previously lost, he even broke through to early Unity. He didn't lose anything at all and instead gained both.
Mo Yi and Mo Qi visited the Black Robe Guards often to spar. Their cultivation also soared to the Unity stage, placing them among the sect's high level cultivators. Yet after a hundred years without a single message from Mo Yue, both were anxious.
When Mo Su finally told them Mo Yue was safe but needed to keep carrying out missions, they were confused. How could it be mission after mission? Sure, the capable get more work, but you can't just shear the same sheep forever.
Mo Su could only spread his hands helplessly. He even complained about the situation to Jian Feng.
At that time, Jian Feng had already stepped into early Void Refinement. When he received the message, Jian Dan had just survived the Mahayana thunder tribulation and was stabilizing her realm.
He couldn't exactly tell Mo Su the truth. Mo Yue had already reached Mahayana and gone into seclusion, and there was no chance she'd return anytime soon. That wonderful feeling of holding a secret while everyone else stayed oblivious, he enjoyed it quite a bit.
So he only replied vaguely, saying perhaps Mo Yue was in the middle of a breakthrough, and never mentioned it again.
Purple Sky Sect
After Xiao Rong and Xiao Yong returned with the only three surviving cultivators of the Purple Sky Sect, they discovered the Sect Master's seat had already changed hands. Now the sect was guarded by two Zhēnzūn, Zi Qing and Zi Huan.
Both finally relaxed. After all, only the two of them had survived from the team that entered the spatial rift together.
Xiao Yong was a good speaker. In front of the two Zhēnzūn and the new Sect Master Xiao Zi, he told the complete truth of what had happened inside the rift.
They'd been ambushed by the Human Face Demon Tree, and the entire team became emergency food reserves. They'd almost all died. In the end, only five survived, and even then it was because cultivators from Heavenly Sword Sect rescued them.
Later, while searching for the first group that had gone inside, they had no choice but to move deeper. When the Black Whip Thunder Eels rioted, they saved the trapped cultivators, yet every single disciple who had entered with them fell.
"My abilities and Xiao Rong's strength were limited, and our divine sense and spiritual power were heavily restricted there. We couldn't save everyone. We only brought three back. We're ashamed. But at least the trip wasn't wasted. We collected some resources."
Xiao Rong looked solemn and guilty as she presented the prepared storage rings.
"The cultivators of Heavenly Sword Sect worked hard to restore the vitality the Human Face Demon Tree stole from us. They exchanged precious items to get these black pearls, and thanks to that, we survived. They spent resources, and we can't let them shoulder everything alone."
Zi Qing and Zi Huan both noticed the pearls on their bodies, faintly radiating vitality. They checked the storage rings. The items inside were messy in type, but some clearly weren't from Lingyun Continent.
"You worked hard. You returned with your comrades and so many resources. You've done great service for the sect. Leave the rest to us. Go and rest, and don't leave any hidden injuries."
Zi Huan accepted the rings and sent the five into seclusion.
"Junior Brother, I read the jade slip. It contains information about the threat of the insect race. It even mentions the Immortal Realm is fighting them."
Zi Qing frowned and handed the jade slip over.
Zi Huan scanned it with his divine sense, let out a long sigh, and said quietly, "Senior Sister, Xiao Yong returned at the right time. We need to start preparing. The sword above our heads is about to fall."
Silence shrouded Purple Sky Hall.
Artifact Sect
Su Chui and Xiong Yan received a hero's welcome upon returning. The rare and precious forging materials they brought back, especially the Purple Star Sand, shocked everyone. The Patriarch of Artifact Sect, Qi Hong Zūnshàng, took most of the Purple Star Sand and directly accepted Su Chui as his personal disciple.
Even if it was because of the Purple Star Sand, Su Chui was thrilled. Qi Hong Zūnshàng was one of the top artifact refiners in Lingyun Continent. Under his guidance, Su Chui's refining skills would definitely soar.
The jade slip containing information about the insect race was taken extremely seriously. Having experienced the Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm, Qi Hong Zūnshàng absolutely refused to watch his teacher die and his sect fall.
He issued a command, ordering the entire sect to study the jade slip and refine artifact weapons specifically designed to counter the insect race. They needed to prepare fully for the disaster to come.
Yin Yang Gate
The only surviving Dao couple of Yin Yang Gate reported everything truthfully upon returning. They handed over all the resources and jade slips to the Sect Master, then went into seclusion.
The worst was Cloud Sea Sect. Not a single person returned alive. The only one who had survived betrayed them for the Tan Song family and was later killed. Everyone who returned from the trial deliberately avoided mentioning this. No one sent Cloud Sea Sect any information.
Of course, Cloud Sea Sect had its own intelligence network. They learned that someone had survived and brought back vital information from the secret realm inside the spatial rift. They immediately began gathering intel and piecing together most of what happened in the Immortal Realm. Eventually, Cloud Sea Sect's Zhēnzūn Yun Yun still sent a message via flying sword to Tian Yun, hoping to obtain firsthand information.