When Cotton Candy called out, Jian Dan reluctantly drew back the power she was using to evolve time and space. The violent shifting of the realm finally came to an abrupt halt.
Cotton Candy patted her small chest in relief. Everything living in the space, no matter how big or small, was huddled together trembling with fear, clinging to one another for warmth and safety.
Jian Dan pushed open the bamboo tower door. With a sweep of divine sense, she pressed her fingers to her forehead. Clearly, all this chaos was her fault. With one wave of her hand, the disordered realm quickly stabilized. Unexpectedly, that single act deepened her control over spatial power.
"Master, you're amazing! I still haven't mastered the Five Element Sword Techniques!"
"There's no rush, that isn't something you learn overnight. Take your time. Ask me whenever you hit something you don't understand."
"Okay!"
Cotton Candy nodded vigorously. Her Master never held back knowledge. Ask and you'd always receive an answer, request and you'd always gain support.
"Zhēnzūn, Mao Dou's in danger. The enemy's strong, and I can't hold on!"
Suddenly, Yue Liang's voice came through the equality contract seal.
Jian Dan's brows tightened, and she pulled Cotton Candy out of the space. The cave dwelling was calm and quiet, except for a single willow branch planted in the ground.
"Liu Chuan, someone dared to lay a hand on my disciple."
Her voice was ice cold. With one gesture, the cave formation opened, and Liu Chuan automatically entwined around her wrist.
Outside the cave, Ting Feng was tending spirit plants. When he saw Zhēnzūn emerge he stared in shock. She said she would stabilize her cultivation and had only been in seclusion for a year.
"Greetings, Zhēnzūn!"
"I need to leave immediately. We'll talk when I'm back."
Her voice still lingered in the air when she vanished from sight.
Lü Se, who felt Zhēnzūn's emergence, rushed over only to find empty space. He only saw Ting Feng bowing deeply.
"Ting Feng, what about Zhēnzūn?"
"Zhēnzūn left hurriedly. It looked urgent."
Ting Feng was just as confused, but he could feel her anger, though he didn't know the reason.
"Then we'll wait until she returns."
Lü Se could only sigh helplessly.
Jian Dan left the Sect grounds. With a slight release of divine sense, she tore space open and disappeared above the Heavenly Sword Sect. An instant later she stepped out of the void above the Chonglin Mountain Range, the outermost region under the Heavenly Sword Sect, bordering the Heavenly Demon Palace. Mao Dou must've sensed her return and rushed back toward the Sect.
Spreading the divine sense of a late Mahayana cultivator, she immediately spotted Mao Dou fleeing in desperation, chased by a female cultivator Jian Dan recognized.
Yue Liang was injured too, but she stubbornly carried Mao Dou while instant-shifting through the forest, dodging the whip attacks behind them.
Mao Dou knew he was dragging her down. When the enemy got close, he activated the offensive force sealed inside the life-saving Purple Jade Talisman his Master prepared for him. A gray sword light, Chaos Heaven and Earth, shot straight at their pursuer.
Their opponent seemed prepared and didn't take the strike head on. She already experienced the power of that sword before and wasted a substitute puppet because of it. She thought Yue Liang had nothing left and intended to end the battle quickly. She never expected another life-saving talisman. She didn't realize every previous strike had come from the same talisman.
The sword strike toppled trees and split the mountain, and thunderous collapses echoed nonstop. Beasts and cultivators training in the region trembled at the devastating sword aura. Even Wang Ping, who was chasing them, turned pale.
Who the hell was this little Nascent Soul's Master? Did they not care about spirit stones when crafting talismans? She never expected such a hard bone, and missing her chance once gave the other side a window to escape. Worse, a high-rank spirit beast was guarding them from the shadows. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
When Wang Ping first encountered Mao Dou and discovered he possessed a natural Sword Bone, she wanted to dig it out. Sword Bones nurtured by human cultivators were priceless. She didn't expect her attack to be blocked by a defensive talisman, and that spirit raccoon beast lunged at her right after.
The raccoon beast was incredibly fast, and it almost damaged her primordial soul. She hadn't suffered such humiliation in years. Not only did she want that Sword Bone now, she wanted to skin that raccoon beast alive and refine its primordial soul into her Ghost Banner.
Sadly, two consecutive talisman strikes made her hesitate. If a Master could send out life-saving talismans like candy, they'd definitely sense any activation. If they arrived, she had no absolute guarantee she could escape unharmed.
Taking advantage of her hesitation, Yue Liang instant-shifted again, widening the distance. Both girl and beast looked terrible. They both knew they were down to the last strike. If they used it before reaching the nearest city, their cultivation road might end here forever.
Hidden high in the air, Jian Dan watched everything clearly. Through the contract seal, she ordered Yue Liang:
"Yue Liang, stop running toward the city. Pretend you're out of power and fall to the ground. My domain is already open."
Her black eyes lit up. In the next instant, she pulled Mao Dou into a narrow valley and collapsed as if drained, pretending to pass out.
"Lady Yue Liang!"
Mao Dou landed hard on jagged stone, but he didn't feel a thing. He rolled immediately, lifted her into his arms and set her behind a boulder. Then he stood in front of her gripping his golden Life-bound Sword, determination lighting his eyes. He'd never let that evil cultivator succeed.
One attack remained. He planned to let her believe the talismans were spent, lure her close, then draw her focus to the sword and unleash the final strike.
Wang Ping watched the little Nascent Soul fall, the spirit beast limp with exhaustion. Her chance finally came. Without that beast, they couldn't possibly dodge her strike.
With a snap of her wrist, the long whip lashed out like a venomous serpent, aiming straight at Mao Dou's dantian. Her other hand stretched forward to seize his Life-bound Sword.