Jian Dan sipped the newly brewed peach blossom wine, breathing in the floral fragrance. Occasionally, she'd summon a flutter of peach blossoms to rain around her, her mood growing more and more delightful.
Cotton Candy came by daily to show off its progress in transformation. Though the results were still lacking, Jian Dan always offered encouragement. One mustn't dampen someone's enthusiasm.
Since the day Mo Ran decided to accompany Jian Dan, he had remained at her side without leaving so much as a step. Jian Dan could only sigh helplessly and took out a fist-sized demon crystal from her storage ring, handing it over for Mo Ran to refine first.
Sensing the powerful energy within the demon crystal, Mo Ran curled around it and went off to cultivate nearby, still staying within a short distance of Jian Dan.
Jian Dan let herself remain in a pleasantly tipsy state, deliberately refraining from using spells to dispel the effects of the wine. She leaned back in the breeze, fully relaxed.
As she closed her eyes to rest, her divine soul separated from her body. It was more solid than before due to her cultivation. It drifted through the magnolia space.
Sometimes it glided past the bamboo hut, sometimes across the grasslands, until it finally stopped within a mountain range.
Her soul slowly attached itself to a peach blossom tree. From the tree's perspective, she gazed down at herself—peaceful and serene, as if lost in a sweet dream.
Mo Ran seemed to sense something. He rose from Jian Dan's feet and began to wander around the peach tree in circles.
Jian Dan's soul curved into a playful smile, detached from the peach tree, and attached itself to a butterfly. Flitting from one blossom to another, she paused only at the most beautiful flowers.
Eventually, she took the form of a willow seed, drifting along with the down floating through a canyon, where she gently settled into the earth and took root.
Thus began a long cycle of growth.
As a seed, Jian Dan sank into the soil, sprouted, and grew her first two tender leaves, followed by more and more foliage.
Each leaf basked in sunlight, braving wind and rain. The veins within them became increasingly defined. The trunk of the willow grew thick and sturdy.
Through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the tree matured. Its rings marked the passing years, a testament to its strength.
On windy days, down from the willow floated once again, each tuft carrying a new seed that scattered across the mountains. Each one took root, sprouted, and began the cycle anew. On and on, endlessly.
After undergoing all this, Jian Dan's soul emerged once again from the willow, returning to spirit form. Birds and insects perched upon her scattered in alarm, and in the blink of an eye, she was back in her body.
When she opened her eyes, she was still beneath the peach tree. Mo Ran, curled at her feet, lifted his head to glance at Jian Dan, then returned his focus to the demon crystal.
"Quite the perceptive one."
After this soul separation within the spatial realm, Jian Dan's understanding of the Divine Soul stage deepened further. She had even begun to touch the threshold of the Law of Time.
Gaining much from the experience, Jian Dan didn't rush to cultivate more. Instead, she contentedly drank her wine and enjoyed the rare peace within the space.
Elsewhere, Mo Su cultivated an ice-based technique inside his personal training chamber. He had long been intentionally suppressing his own cultivation.
The goal was to strengthen his foundation. More importantly, his Pure Yin Physique, though compatible with his technique, made him colder—both physically and in temperament.
Before he came here, Palace Master Mo Lie had suggested pairing him with a female cultivator possessing a Pure Yang Physique. Dual cultivation with such a partner would yield double the results with half the effort.
However, while female cultivators with Pure Yin Physiques were relatively easy to find, those with Pure Yang were exceptionally rare.
Miao Yunrong, who had been forcibly implanted with a Faux Yang Physique, was already crippled. No matter how convincing the appearance, a fake would never become real.
That matter had been shelved due to the turmoil in the Ming Valley. Even Mo Su hadn't expected his cultivation to progress so quickly during his time there. Each full moon, when the Yin energy peaked, became a torment for him.
During those times, he had to continuously circulate his technique to suppress the Pure Yin energy inside him. Mo Yue, who seemed particularly attuned to his condition, had likely noticed.
Every time he tried to rest, she'd look at him with that knowing smile. Several times he'd wanted to ask her outright, but in the end, he didn't.
Asking would mean admitting to weakness, a taboo among cultivators. Fortunately, the others always left him space during those times, as if by silent agreement. It eased his embarrassment, at least.
After circulating his cultivation method for one full cycle to calm his aura, Mo Su stood, opened the formation, and prepared to greet his visitor—none other than Shengsi Kuangjun.
This guy had practically become a regular at the Heavenly Demon Palace's base. Ever since hearing something from Mo Yi, he had been eager to meet Mo Yue in person and learn from her face-to-face.
Mo Yi had cursed himself for speaking recklessly. Now constantly harassed by Shengsi Kuangjun, he'd gone into seclusion and dumped the responsibility onto Mo Su.
Out of the group, Mo Su was the quietest and most sharp-tongued. They figured he could handle it. Mo Su, however, never took the visitor seriously. If he came, fine. He'd offer tea and wine. If he left, so be it. No one would try to stop him.
This made Shengsi Kuangjun feel awkward about showing up every day, especially since he still had to lead his team in hunting insects. In the end, they settled on a visit once every seven days.
Today was the seventh day.
As Mo Su removed the tea leaves, someone triggered the formation disk.
Without even looking up, Mo Su waved a hand and opened the entrance.
"Fellow cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Palace, please send reinforcements to the frontlines immediately. The insect race seems to have gathered a major force. They're preparing to storm our current barrier."
Shengsi Kuangjun's expression was uncharacteristically grim. There was nothing more painful than watching your sect ask for reinforcements.
To take land only to lose it, and then face retaliation—it was humiliating. In such a case, he decisively requested support.
Mo Su responded with crisp efficiency. He put away the teacup and flicked out two bursts of demonic energy, which struck the mobile peaks belonging to Mo Yue and Mo Yi.
He then sent a transmission to all cultivators stationed at the Heavenly Demon Palace's base:
"All Heavenly Demon Palace cultivators, assemble immediately. We march to support the frontlines."
The cultivators at the base gathered swiftly and in complete order.
Outside the space, Jian Dan sensed the shift in energy. She flicked her sleeve, withdrawing Mo Ran into it, and stepped out.
A sweep of her divine sense told her what had happened. The situation in the Nether Valley had changed. With a single stride, she arrived at Mo Su's side. Mo Yi appeared on the other flank at the same moment.
The group gave only a nod to Shengsi Kuangjun before leading their squads out of the base, heading toward the battlefield with haste.
While moving, they transmitted messages via divine sense.
"It's only been half a month. How did they manage to push back so quickly? Senior Brother, you weren't in seclusion. Do you know what happened?"
"If you ask me, it's because they weren't capable enough. The insect race found a weakness and exploited it," Mo Yi replied bluntly, as always.
"No idea. We'll know once we get there," said Mo Su in his usual succinct tone.
When they arrived with the cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Palace, the scene was chaos. The battlefield was a mess. Wounded cultivators lay everywhere. Screams of pain filled the air.
Jian Dan frowned deeply at the sight. There was no discipline or order to their side. The insect race, however, moved in coordinated air-ground strikes. Black-armored insect larvae were ready at any moment to breach cultivators' sea of consciousness and parasitize their minds.
"All Heavenly Demon Palace cultivators, hear my command. Form up! Divine Transformation cultivators will each lead a group. Break through the enemy's assault lines first!"
"Yes!"
With the command, ten teams of ten fanned out across the battlefield in a nine-palace formation. One group held the center, ready to reinforce any direction.
Jian Dan's Mó Yuè Zhǎn had already transformed into a myriad of slashes. The first to fall were the black-armored larvae darting through the sky.
"Crescent Bloom!"
As Mó Yuè Zhǎn whirled through the air, black insect corpses rained to the ground.