"What happened?"
Jian Dan asked quietly. When she treated Jian Jun's injuries, she hadn't entered her sea of consciousness. That place was the most sensitive and fragile part of any cultivator, and no one would ever allow others to probe it unless absolutely necessary.
"I don't know the exact time. Maybe when I was gravely wounded, she slipped the chance to plant a seed inside my sea of consciousness. Back then, in that corner of the Immortal Realm, I was so badly injured I couldn't even use my divine sense, so I didn't notice it.
Later, after your treatment restored my meridians and I returned to Lingyun Continent, I sensed the seed. The moment I noticed it, it tried to destroy my sea of consciousness. But before even a single breath passed, the seed vanished.
After returning, I asked Tian Yun Zhēnzūn to examine me, and he also sensed the power of the seed. That's why he didn't let me enter seclusion immediately. Instead, he told me to suppress my cultivation until the seed's power completely dissipated, then break through. He was worried they'd left more traps."
He said everything in one breath, stared at Jian Dan, then added quietly,
"Tan Songjia was killed by you, Senior Sister."
Otherwise, it wouldn't be such a coincidence.
"Mm. Good thing I killed her before I fell through that passage. If not, you'd never escape her control in this lifetime unless you refused to ascend and stayed in the lower realm forever."
Jian Dan turned her round fan slowly between her fingers and spoke with a calm, indifferent tone.
"I thought Tan Songjia was so devoted to you, yet she used such a disgusting trick. She even pretended to care and refused to treat you, acting noble and righteous. Hypocrite."
When he heard that, Jian Jun's mouth twitched. He took a breath and steered the conversation back.
"Senior Sister, do you know what that seed was?"
"I do."
Jian Dan's ancestor, Ancestor Jian Xi, had a Dao companion named Wu Dao. He planted the same kind of seed in her sea of consciousness. A cultivator with higher cultivation could control the weaker one, and they could even sense each other. In the end, Ancestor Jian Xi cultivated desperately and ascended before him. Then, with the help of her father, she finally removed the seed.
After hearing that explanation, Jian Jun tightened her grip around her folding fan. Tan Songjia, that woman was truly hateful.
"No matter what, Senior Sister acted in time and saved me from disaster. Otherwise, like you said, I'd never accept it."
"We're from the same Sect. No need to be polite."
She waved her hand casually.
Back then, she used an Immortal Realm sealing jade slip to frighten Tan Songjia and her brother. She really thought Tan Songjia gave up on her and had even been confused about it. Now she understood. That woman left a backup plan.
After Jian Jun ascended, Tan Songjia would instantly know her location and might even control her and use her.
As for why those two eventually attacked and tried to use their fellow disciples against her, the reason was most likely the information jade slip bearing the Jian Clan crest that she entrusted someone to deliver.
It made her passive and even injured her, but it also indirectly proved the Jian Clan still existed in the Immortal Realm and wasn't weak. Otherwise they wouldn't silence her.
Of course, all of this could only be confirmed after ascension. There was no need to tell her.
"Now that all my doubts are settled, I can finally enter seclusion with peace of mind. I'll come find you for a spar once I'm out."
She stood and clasped her hands in farewell. Jian Li also rose and left with her.
After sending them off, Jian Dan hugged Yue Liang and returned to her cave residence, immediately contacting the spirits of Mò Xī Jiàn and Mó Yuè Zhǎn.
"That Xiao Meng is useless now. I'm worried he'll use the Sect as a springboard and cause consequences we can't predict. Can you two devour him?"
There was no point wasting time, she asked directly.
The spirits of Mó Yuè Zhǎn and Mò Xī Jiàn appeared, sitting casually atop their weapons. The spirit of Mó Yuè Zhǎn, beautiful and seductive, lifted her brows and smiled before speaking through divine sense,
"That's easy. If we swallow him, the two of us will grow stronger. We might even develop real bodies and be able to act independently."
"Tch. It's not that easy for weapon spirits to form physical bodies." Mò Xī's spirit poured cold water on the idea.
"So you're saying there's no benefit?"
Little Mo Yue puffed her cheeks.
"That's not it. Devouring a similar weapon spirit is beneficial, but if he's stronger than us, he'll swallow us instead. There's risk. We must be cautious." Mò Xī's spirit spoke calmly.
"If both of you attack together, what are the odds?"
"As long as you can trap him and keep him from returning to his original form, the Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm, then both of us together shouldn't have a problem."
"Fine. I'll figure out a way. Be ready at any time."
"Alright."
Both spirits answered at once.
"That spirit has some origin. Are you sure about this?"
Liu Chuan spoke up.
"Yes. He strayed from his original purpose and got greedy. I'm just cutting losses."
Jian Dan replied without hesitation.
Liu Chuan accepted her decision. That realm was already basically an Immortal Artifact. If he insisted on acting stupid and provoked someone as ruthless as Jian Dan, only one side would survive.
"You've felt it, right? The spiritual energy on Lingyun Continent has surged again."
She stated it, not asked.
"Yeah. Look at the cultivation speed of everyone around you. It's way faster than a hundred years ago, especially your three disciples."
"The stronger the energy gets, the more anxious the high-level cultivators become. We both know what this means. Heaven's laws are trying to save themselves and using this method to raise strength that can resist the insect clan."
This time, he didn't argue. He knew she was right.
"You've already done everything you can. The rest isn't something you can shoulder alone. It'll take the effort of every living being on this continent.
If you want a few peaceful days to teach your disciples properly, the first thing you need to do is hand over your position as Hall Master of the War Hall."
The heavy atmosphere broke instantly.
"You're right, Chuan. First thing, I'm throwing that token away. Who should I pass it to? Jian Ning? Jian Wu?"
She started listing names like she was eliminating candidates one by one.
Meanwhile, Jian Li, following Jian Jun's signal, had already joined Jian Chong and begun preparing for her Mahayana ceremony.