The flying boat had traveled for five full days before it finally left the Heavenly Sword Sect's territory. Jian Dan had been comfortably wrapped up inside Cotton Candy's clouds, meditating, but at this point she had no choice but to release a thread of divine sense to keep watch.
Inside the sect's borders, no small fry dared make a move. Outside those borders though, it was a different story, so she stayed on guard.
"Master, don't worry! Cotton Candy's watching the surroundings. If there's any movement, I'll let you know right away!"
Cotton Candy's soft, syrupy voice chimed in Jian Dan's ear.
"Good, thank you, Cotton Candy."
She remained hidden among the clouds, her presence undetected.
Another three days passed. Near sunset, a sixth-rank Winged Tiger suddenly blocked the path of the Heavenly Sword Sect's flying boat and began clawing at the barrier.
The people aboard didn't even activate the shield. Jian Dan calmly stood atop the clouds, sensing Bai Jue release a hint of her great beastly aura.
The Winged Tiger, cautious just a moment ago, instantly bristled in terror. Its fur stood on end, and then it plummeted straight down like a stone, crashing from the sky.
The flying boat pressed forward as if it had never been obstructed at all.
Jian Dan gazed at the fallen beast with a sly smile. Then she gave a command.
"Cotton Candy, let's go take a look at this little tiger."
The Winged Tiger, badly shaken from the fall, lay motionless, pretending to be dead. Only when it sensed the flying boat had gone far did it scramble up, shaking out its wings. Just as it lifted a paw to scratch its ear, it froze.
A graceful female cultivator stood before it, holding a round fan, smiling as though amused.
The beast locked up instantly. Around it lay snapped trees and crushed shrubs. The air was unnervingly still, and though the pressure wasn't spoken, the Winged Tiger had no doubt this woman could send it back to its beast ancestor with just a glance.
"Who sent you to spy on that flying boat?"
Jian Dan's clear voice cut through the silence. She was now standing only five steps away.
"No one sent me! That boat entered my territory, so I just thought I'd demand some pills, maybe a benefit or two. I didn't expect there to be a great beast aboard."
The Winged Tiger carefully lowered its paw before speaking.
"You're lying. That boat clearly carried Heavenly Sword Sect's insignia. As the leading sect, you still dared attack? You've got an agenda. How long have you been lying in wait here?"
"No, really! I usually roost around here. I only saw the boat and thought—"
Before it could finish, a blazing whip of fire coiled around its neck and tightened. Sparks flared, landing on its brown wings. In an instant, feathers turned to ash, leaving only two bloody stumps.
"Spare me, senior! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
The moment its wings were crippled, the Winged Tiger knew it had run into a wall. There was no bluffing past this woman. If it didn't speak, it would die here. It had cultivated to this point with great effort—how could it let its life end in vain?
But right then, a red arrow streaked through the air, aimed at its skull. It was so fast the beast couldn't react, crushed beneath a pressure that pinned its body in place. Even if its wings hadn't been ruined, dodging was impossible.
This was exactly the moment Jian Dan had been waiting for. The instant the arrow appeared, she locked onto its origin. With a flash, she shot forward. Cotton Candy, following her orders, wrapped the Winged Tiger up and whisked it away from the attack, vanishing with the beast in tow.
At the same time, Jian Dan extended her sword fingers, sweeping out with a tide of water-element sword force toward the hidden attacker.
A sharp crash rang out as a defense was shattered, and a figure appeared before her. A quick scan with divine sense, and she realized it was someone she knew.
This was one of the Unity stage cultivators who had ambushed the Heavenly Demon Palace's group last time, someone she'd fought against before.
The man was just as startled. He'd only used the Winged Tiger to probe Heavenly Sword Sect's strength. After their failed attack last time, he'd been lurking in the shadows. When Bi Shu had left the sect's territory, they'd tried to strike.
But Heavenly Sword Sect had responded with a Mahayana Zhēnzūn. The strike had been swift, precise, and merciless. Their leader hadn't even had time to react, dragging a companion in front to take the blow. That poor bastard had been obliterated on the spot. Even their leader had been injured, still suffering from that brutal thunder-element sword qi raging through his meridians.
That battle had taught them Heavenly Sword Sect wasn't a tree ants could shake. If they kept pressing, they'd only be throwing lives away. So they'd pulled back all their spies.
This time, with the sect distracted by the Heavenly Demon Palace's succession ceremony, they dared not act rashly, only using the Winged Tiger as a scout.
But the beast had failed, exposed itself, and even drawn out Jian Dan.
If Jian Dan had known their reasoning, she'd have sneered. Ants trying to topple a tree—so what if they learned Heavenly Sword Sect's movements? They'd only be exposing themselves. If it were her, she'd have stayed hidden until the critical moment, not revealed herself too soon.
Now the Unity cultivator regretted everything. In just a single clash, he realized she was already late-stage Unity. He'd never been her match before, and now he had zero chance.
Desperate, he loosed two more arrows and crushed a directional teleportation talisman. Fleeing was his only option.
Jian Dan shattered the arrows with a punch. Seeing he meant to run, she instantly drew Mò Xī No.2, sweeping it sideways in Autumn Water Slash, aiming to cut him down and disrupt his teleportation.
A scream tore through the air, but in the blink of an eye, the man vanished, leaving only a pool of blood behind.
Jian Dan narrowed her eyes and let out a cold snort. Escape once, maybe. But twice? Not a chance. If so, then her Dao title, Jian Lu, would be meaningless.
The Unity cultivator reappeared in a grand hall. His body had been cleaved clean in half by Autumn Water Slash, his dantian split apart. He collapsed in a pool of blood.
Somehow, his upper body still clung to life, crawling a meter across the floor to beg for help. But before he could finish, a small soul banner suddenly sucked his Primordial Soul away.
A female cultivator in purple robes appeared, her presence reeking of demonic energy. She pocketed all of his belongings, then flicked out a fireball that reduced his remains to ash.
"Useless trash. You found nothing, and you dare ask for help? Better you serve as food for my little banner."
Silver-bell laughter rang through the empty hall, chilling the spines of everyone who rushed over. They bowed their heads low, not daring to ask a single question.
"Find out who killed He Wu."
"Yes, miss!"
At this moment, Jian Dan had already returned with the half-crippled Winged Tiger, catching up with the Heavenly Sword Sect's flying boat while staying hidden. She perched on Cotton Candy, interrogating the beast.
"Now, can you speak properly?"
She toyed with her fan, smiling as she asked.
"Spare me, senior! I, Hu Yi, will tell you everything!"