Qian Wanguan took a single stride and returned to the Loose Cultivator Alliance's flying ship.
"Qian Zhūnzhǔ!"
The cultivators outside immediately bowed in greeting upon seeing him return.
Wearing a solemn expression, Qian Wanguan acknowledged each greeting with a dignified nod, then retreated to his personal quarters without a word.
Once inside, he activated the restrictions on the room and finally let out a long sigh of relief. He felt as though he'd just brushed past the gates of the underworld.
How had he let greed cloud his judgment so badly? What had possessed him to approach that ship?
That Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ from the Heavenly Sword Sect looked delicate and gentle, but her strength was terrifying.
Qian Wanguan would wager everything in his storage ring that her sword had been a warning shot meant to restrain him.
Fortunately, he'd had the good sense not to provoke her further. He had no doubt that if they had exchanged blows, he would've lost—no question about it. Cowardly or not, he had to admit the truth.
There was a reason the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Heavenly Demon Palace were considered the two most formidable sects on Lingyun Continent—one representing the pinnacle of Dao, the other of Demon.
Sword cultivators routinely punched above their realm, and now he had witnessed it firsthand. He was convinced. Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ was not someone to antagonize. She was someone to befriend, or at least avoid offending.
He began to regret his earlier response. In hindsight, his words had amounted to a polite refusal of her invitation to traverse the Black Wind Hollow together.
Jian Dan, meanwhile, hadn't realized that one sword strike had already caused Qian Wanguan to start scheming how to win her favor. Still, that was a pretty decent outcome.
Above Heifeng Ravine
"Retrieve all battle resources. Then move in teams through the Hollow. Be wary of any that slipped through the net."
"Yes, Zhūnzhǔ."
The cultivators from the Heavenly Sword Sect disembarked again. They collected the corpse of the black-armored insect Jian Dan had slain and then moved in pairs through the winding paths of the hollow.
They moved swiftly and silently, taking care to collect spiritual herbs and rare plants growing in the area.
No more black-armored insects appeared, and the group of a hundred passed through the Black Wind Hollow without incident.
Once back aboard the ship, Jian Dan finally withdrew her spatial domain and summoned Liu Chuan back. The Heifeng Ravine seemed to return to its former quiet state.
The vessel resumed its course toward the Cloud Sea Sect. Wu Siyuan presented all the spoils of the recent battle to Jian Dan for inspection.
She scanned through them with her divine sense, her brows suddenly furrowing. With a wave of her hand, numerous floating Wind-Fixing Pearls appeared mid-air.
"These were all collected from Heifeng Ravine?"
Wu Siyuan wasn't sure why Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ had summoned all the Wind-Fixing Pearls, but he answered respectfully, "These were all gathered from the storage rings of the slain cultivators during the battlefield cleanup. They're all over a thousand years old. Some were also plucked from the green lanterns in the Ravine."
"Break a few of them open, Siyuan."
Noticing something amiss, Wu Siyuan picked up one of the pearls closest to him. A flash of golden light from a metal-element blade sliced it in two.
From inside, a black-armored insect larva shot toward his forehead like lightning.
"Hmph. So that's where you were hiding!"
A golden spell burst forth, instantly grinding the larva to dust.
"If these are representative of the whole batch, they're all compromised. I'll seal them for now. As for the rest, if there are no issues, distribute them according to each person's contribution."
"Understood, Zhūnzhǔ. I'll also ask everyone to report where they obtained their Wind-Fixing Pearls and give you a summary."
"Good."
Wu Siyuan's reaction was quick. If the pearls from the Heifeng Ravine were contaminated, then it was highly likely that many already in circulation were also affected.
He left Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ's quarters and immediately sent a voice transmission to all Heavenly Sword Sect disciples who had taken part in the battle, informing them of the issue and instructing them to examine their Wind-Fixing Pearls.
Everyone responded swiftly and did indeed find over a dozen problematic pearls.
All findings were reported to Elder Wu. After consolidating the information, he discovered a clear pattern and returned to report.
"Siyuan, does this mean the pearls from Heifeng Ravine are compromised?"
"Zhūnzhǔ is wise. The pearls harvested directly from the Hollow are all problematic. The ones taken from parasitized cultivators, however, are not."
"We'll need to determine how long these things have been lurking here in order to pinpoint when the compromised pearls started spreading."
"My thoughts exactly. However, the Ravine has already been cleared..."
"No need to worry. We left a few alive on purpose. I've already contacted the 'Punishment' division of the Law Enforcement Hall. They'll send people to take over. Everyone else can focus on preparing for the tournament."
"Yes!"
Wu Siyuan departed.
Jian Dan gently fanned herself with her silk fan, pulling out the storage ring she had taken from the black-armored insect leader. That was the only thing she'd collected for herself.
Sweeping her divine sense through the ring, she found a pleasant surprise—a Wind-Fixing Pearl over ten thousand years old, as large as a child's fist. It emitted a deep green glow and was clearly a rare treasure.
She kept that one. The thousand-year-old pearls had already been verified to be clean, so she stored them as well. They could make decent gifts for younger cultivators. After all, she had technically reached Ancestor level. It was only right to have a few presentable gifts on hand.
"I'm convinced. You have some kind of chaos magnet. Trouble follows you wherever you go."
Liu Chuan wasn't about to hold back with the sarcasm.
Jian Dan paused and gave it some serious thought. He had a point.
From the Demon Abyss to the Ming Valley, to being tossed into the Di Ling Empire by a spatial rift, and now this sect mission. She'd hoped to cleanse her past disgrace, only to uncover a deeply hidden insect nest.
And now that wasn't even over, and the Wind-Fixing Pearls had turned out to be a whole new mess. One thing after another, and she had somehow played a pivotal role in all of it.
"Ah well, Heaven has its plans. All I can do is roll with the punches."
Just as she sighed, Bian Qikang arrived with a report.
"Zhūnzhǔ, the Law Enforcement Hall has arrived."
"That was fast. Let them in."
This time, leading the team from the Punishment division of the Law Enforcement Hall was Jian Po Zhūnzhǔ. She arrived with five others at Jian Dan's cabin.
It was Jian Dan's first time meeting someone from the Punishment division. The six of them wore black robes embroidered with hidden patterns, layered with sheer black cloaks. Hanging from their waists were the signature dark jade tokens of the Law Enforcement Hall.
"Greetings, Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ!"
"Thank you for coming on such short notice. Here's a jade slip detailing everything that happened in the Heifeng Ravine, along with our most recent discoveries. I asked for you specifically because we've uncovered some disturbing clues."
Jian Dan tossed the jade slip to Jian Po, then flicked her sleeve. Ten cultivators appeared sprawled across the floor—survivors from the black-armored insect leader's nest.
Before they could even grasp what was happening, Jian Po used a storage spell to sweep them all away.
"Take your time interrogating them. Don't let the Punishment division's reputation go to waste."
"Naturally. Once someone enters our Punishment division, they'll spill everything they know. No exceptions."
Jian Po smiled sweetly, her charm undeniable. She had a delicate oval face, phoenix-shaped eyes, and soft red lips that curled upward. Her form-fitting black robes emphasized her graceful figure, but none of the five cultivators behind her spared her a glance.
Clearly, anyone who could earn a seat in the Heavenly Sword Sect's Law Enforcement Hall—especially as a female cultivator—was no pushover.
"Good. These are the battle spoils from the Heifeng Ravine. I've already divided a share among the hundred sect members who fought. The rest is to be handed over to the sect."
A high-grade storage ring floated toward Jian Po, propelled by Jian Dan's spiritual energy. Jian Po received it promptly, bowed in thanks, and then left with her group. No doubt, they'd be busy for a while.
Jian Dan had just poured herself a cup of floral tea when Bian Qikang returned with another message.
"Reporting, Zhūnzhǔ. The Loose Cultivator Alliance's ship is following behind us."