Jian Dan closed her eyes for the briefest moment and immediately understood what was happening. The Vajra Bodhi Seed she had entrusted to Tian Yun Zhēnzūn was clashing with the damaged Ten Thousand Souls Banner, consuming the malicious energy and resentment clinging to it. Her own golden light of merit was flowing steadily into the seed, carried along like water by her spiritual power.
Far away in the restricted grounds of the rear mountain, Tian Yun Zhēnzūn also sensed that something was wrong. Someone was trying to recall the damaged Ten Thousand Souls Banner. From the urgency in the summons, this banner must be of great importance to them.
Tian Yun Zhēnzūn released the overwhelming pressure of a Mahayana cultivator, steadying the trembling banner amid the roaring flames. The Vajra Bodhi Seed, which was busily consuming the banner's evil aura, gave a faint shudder. Its radiance dimmed for an instant before flaring brightly once more.
The golden light of merit blazing from the seed swelled, crushing the malignant aura on the banner. Tian Yun Zhēnzūn poured even more spiritual power into the flames, making them burn hotter, scorching the banner's surface. Wails rose from within the banner as plumes of black smoke spilled out, only to be purified instantly by the golden light beside it.
On the plaza before the Hall of Enforcement, Jian Dan landed lightly after stepping out from the grand hall. She turned to Jian Li, who had followed her out. "Senior Brother, guard me. Someone is trying to recall the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. I am going to assist Zhēnzūn in destroying it." Her voice was clenched with fury.
"Then today, even if I have to burn away all my merit, I will see that cursed flag destroyed," she added under her breath.
Without another word, Jian Dan sat cross-legged on the ground. From her storage bracelet she took out two jade boxes that sealed spiritual veins. Opening them, she grasped one spiritual vein in each hand, closed her eyes, and began drawing in spiritual power to replenish the torrent she was spending.
Her actions quickly drew the attention of patrol cultivators on Law Enforcement Peak, who hurried toward the plaza.
Jian Li Zūnzhǔ immediately understood that Jian Lu was going all out to aid Zhēnzūn. He turned to the two cultivators nearby. "Jian Sheng, take my hall master token and activate Law Enforcement Peak's mountain-guarding array. Jian Ning, clear all unrelated people from the area. No one is to approach the plaza. I will guard Jian Lu."
"Yes!" The two disappeared instantly to carry out his orders.
In less than a moment, the golden light of the protective barrier rose, enveloping Law Enforcement Peak from top to bottom.
High-ranking cultivators on the inner nine peaks, sensing the disturbance, stood suspended in the air over their own peaks, watching Law Enforcement Peak closely.
In the plaza's center, Jian Dan sat with eyes closed, cursing the evil cultivator's ancestors in her heart as she absorbed vast amounts of spiritual power to sustain her efforts.
The spiritual energy from the two veins flowed from her hands into her meridians, then converged in the yin-yang Taiji diagram within her dantian. The diagram spun wildly, condensing the power before splitting it into two streams. One returned to her meridians, the other shot straight into her sea of consciousness, hastening the fusion of the magnolia immortal artifact with her Purple Palace.
A day and a night passed. The spiritual veins were nearly exhausted, and the golden light of merit around Jian Dan had thinned to almost nothing. Jian Li had already begun stacking supreme-grade spirit stones beside her. If her spiritual power supply broke now, everything would be wasted. If Jian Dan faltered, the banner might yet be recalled.
Deep underground, the Mahayana-stage evil cultivator was also in a bind. The aura of resentment around him had thinned noticeably. He had not expected anyone to possess such heavy merit. The Ten Thousand Souls Banner's evil aura was almost completely consumed. If this continued, even if he managed to recall it, it would be nothing but a useless husk.
Gritting his teeth, he severed his connection to the banner.
Tian Yun Zhēnzūn had been waiting for this moment. In an instant, the spiritual flames reduced the damaged Ten Thousand Souls Banner to ash. The Vajra Bodhi Seed, having fulfilled its mission, also dissolved into golden dust and drifted away.
In the plaza, Jian Dan's eyes snapped open. She let out a long cry, gripped the Mò Xī Jiàn, and appeared high above Law Enforcement Peak. As the mountain-guarding array opened, a streak of gray sword light shot into the sky.
"Chaos Reigns—Sever!"
Her sword strike tore toward the heavens. In the depths below, the evil cultivator's sea of consciousness trembled violently. Blood seeped from his crimson eyes—she had wounded his sea of consciousness! "Heavenly Sword Sect!!" he roared.
That strike had been possible because the magnolia immortal artifact and her Purple Palace had completely fused. The unified Purple Palace expanded, mapping every tree, blade of grass, mountain, and river within its domain into her sea of consciousness. From this moment, the immortal artifact and her Primordial Soul were one, impossible to take from her.
The completed Purple Palace also elevated her spiritual sense beyond even the Peak stage of Mahayana, pushing it directly to the level of an Earth Immortal. She sensed a trace of the evil cultivator's intent and cut it down without hesitation.
Jian Dan never missed a chance to weaken her enemy. The soaring sword light drew the gaze of the entire sect.
A purple bolt of lightning split the sky in two. One branch struck the rear mountain, obliterating even the last traces of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner's ashes within Tian Yun Zhēnzūn's cave.
The other branch pierced straight into Jian Dan's sea of consciousness, halting the expansion of her Purple Palace and fixing her spiritual sense firmly at the Mahayana peak stage.
The strike left her head spinning. She drifted back down to the plaza. The next moment, Heavenly's Dao sent down golden light of merit—half of it onto Jian Dan, heavier than what she had spent earlier.
The other half fell upon Tian Yun Zhēnzūn, while even Jian Xu in the distance received some, and Jian Li was brushed by a few strands as well.
It was Heaven's reward to those who had helped destroy the evil artifact.
Jian Dan steadied herself and let the golden light merge into her body, easing the tightness in her meridians from the immense spiritual power drain.
A muffled thunder rumbled overhead. Dark clouds gathered rapidly above her, heavy with tribulation lightning.
Jian Dan turned toward Jian Li with an awkward but courteous smile. "Uh, Senior Brother… I think I might be about to face my Unity-stage lightning tribulation."
Jian Li could only marvel at Jian Lu's speed of advancement and quickly led her toward Enforcement Peak's tribulation grounds.
Jian Xu arrived at that moment and called out, "I'll guard Jian Lu. You needn't worry."
The three figures vanished. The high-ranking cultivators watching from the nine inner peaks returned to their own mountains. The sect would soon have another Unity-stage cultivator—a joyous occasion.
Those with more curious thoughts tried to follow to watch the tribulation but were stopped by Enforcement Peak's people. A single glance from Tian Yun Zhēnzūn sent the more stubborn ones slinking quietly back to their caves.
At the tribulation grounds, Jian Dan bowed to the two men. "My thanks, Senior Brothers."
She then found a wide, open spot, sat cross-legged, and waited for the lightning to fall. She had experience with tribulations. This time, it would be the eighth and ninth bolts of Unity-stage lightning.
Jian Li and Jian Xu quickly moved beyond the strike range. They had no wish to be caught by mistake.
Suddenly, Jian Dan's expression shifted. She glanced up at the tribulation clouds, her face going stiff. She shouted toward the two men. "Senior Brothers, your tribulations have come too! Separate, quickly!"
Only then did Jian Li and Jian Xu realize they had also been locked onto by tribulation lightning. They had thought earlier it was merely the effect of standing too close to Jian Lu.
They split apart at once, fleeing in different directions. At that moment, the first wave of nine bolts crashed down upon Jian Dan.