"Please, come in."
The Palace Master of Heavenly Demon Palace, Mo Lie, knew Jian Dan's temperament all too well. She never showed up without a reason. The moment he heard she requested an audience, his eyelid started twitching—rarely a good omen.
As he instructed the guards to bring her in, he quickly sent a transmission talisman to Mo Zhang, urging him to come to the main hall at once.
"Mo Yue greets the Palace Master."
Mo Lie's eyelid twitched again. He quickly gestured for Jian Dan to rise and offered her a seat.
The four attendants behind her stood quietly and obediently, while Gong Yi, serving as a bodyguard, remained by the side.
"Palace Master, has the battle in the Ming Valley not been progressing smoothly?"
Jian Dan gently waved her round fan, settling in as if she intended to chat for a while. Beside her, Ying Fei quickly brought out a plate of peach blossom pastries, a pot of peach blossom wine, and a white jade cup.
Mo Lie's lips twitched, but he could only reply vaguely, "Indeed, things haven't gone smoothly. That's why we had to summon you all back in such a hurry, without even giving you time to rest properly."
"Ying Fei, don't be stingy now. Serve the Palace Master as well. He works day and night, he should rest properly too."
"Yes, Zhūnzhǔ. Forgive this subordinate's negligence."
Ying Fei quickly brought a matching tea set to Mo Lie.
"Palace Master, give it a try. My attendants prepared these themselves. I transplanted the peach trees from the Hua family. The flavor is good—I especially like the peach blossom wine."
As Jian Dan spoke, she took a sip of wine. Just as she set her cup down, Mo Zhang entered the hall.
"I could smell the wine from afar. What is it? Even stirred my wine cravings."
"Mo Yue greets Mo Zang Zhūnzhǔ."
"So it's you, Mo Yue!"
After exchanging greetings, Jian Dan smoothly returned to the topic at hand.
"Palace Master, I'm ready to depart at any time. However, this time, I'd like the sect to make an exception and allow me to carry attack talismans crafted by our Mahayana Zhēnzhūn."
Mo Lie froze for a moment, then said, "I understand your mission is challenging. Distributing one talisman per person should be acceptable."
"No. Aside from the minimum number required to defend the sect, I want the rest."
Mo Zhang glanced at Jian Dan. This was as bold a request as they came.
"Do you even know how many Mahayana Zhēnzhūn we have in the Heavenly Demon Palace?"
"No idea."
"Do you know how much it costs to create a single Mahayana-grade attack talisman?"
"No idea."
"Do you understand how powerful a single strike from a Mahayana Zhēnzhūn is?"
"Enough to annihilate a sect."
"Then how could I possibly hand over all of them to you?"
"Because our Heavenly Demon Palace cannot afford to lose this battle in the Ming Valley. We must win, and win decisively. Only then can we cement our reputation as the top sect of the demonic path, surpassing even the Heavenly Sword Sect one day."
The main hall fell silent. Mo Lie closed his eyes in contemplation. Mo Zhang swirled the wine in his cup, thoughtful.
Jian Dan took another sip of wine, then pulled a jade slip from her storage ring. She handed it to Ying Fei and signaled her to pass it to Mo Lie.
"Palace Master, I understand there's much to consider, but every matter has its priorities. This is an analysis I prepared today with Mo Su and the others. You can use it for reference, or present it to the Zhēnzhūn for review. The final decision lies with you, but this time, we must thoroughly investigate the Ming Valley."
She rose, clasped her hands respectfully to the two of them, then calmly left the Heavenly Demon Peak's grand hall with her attendants.
"This Mo Yue always gives me a headache."
Mo Lie rubbed his brow. Despite his words, he wasn't truly angry. Mo Yue's arguments were grounded in reality.
"Mo Zhang, how did the others react to the information you spread?"
"The major sects and established cultivation families took it seriously. Jian Li of the Heavenly Sword Sect even sent me a flying sword letter, saying they're willing to support our Heavenly Demon Palace if needed."
Mo Lie nodded. "What about the Loose Cultivator Alliance?"
"Their reactions were mixed. Some supported us, others claimed we were exaggerating. I didn't argue with them, just offered guidance. When things unfold, they'll understand soon enough."
"Good. Take a look at the analysis from those juniors."
Mo Lie passed the jade slip to Mo Zhang. After skimming it with his divine sense, Mo Zhang nodded.
"Solid analysis, based on evidence with reasonable speculation. Nothing groundless, all tied to current battlefield conditions."
"And your thoughts?"
"Two points. First, present the jade slip to Mo Yan Zhēnzhūn for final approval. Second, we don't have to give all the talismans to Mo Yue alone. Let Mo Su, Mo Yi, and Mo Qi each hold one. That way, the risks you worry about won't happen."
"Ugh, I let Mo Yue talk me in circles again. I'll go see Master right now."
Mo Lie left the hall with the jade slip. Mo Zhang stayed behind, sipping the peach blossom wine Jian Dan left behind. It tasted soft and sweet, but its kick came later. Even more surprisingly, it was brimming with spiritual energy—just like Mo Yue herself, both in personality and conduct.
This time, the Tang family had truly suffered. They lost a Zhēnzhūn and an immortal artifact—an utter loss. Mo Yue had cleverly redirected their fury toward the Jian clan.
The intel Mo Zhang leaked had left the higher-ups of the Tang family on edge. They wanted to settle things with Mo Yue, but the battle challenge and life-death duel notices had already been sent. No one dared accept them.
Anyone who looked into Mo Yue's battle record was bound to hesitate. She was a real killer—once in the Divine Transformation stage, she had slain a mid-stage Divine Soul cultivator. Even though other cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Palace had assisted, it was her who delivered the final blow.
As for the recent battle where she killed Tang Jian, only the Black Robe Guards knew the full story. None of the participating cultivators reported the truth to the Tang family. Their answer was suspiciously uniform: "Peak Lord Tang led from the front, died in battle against the enemy, and is an example to us all."
The Tang family couldn't accept that. Sure, it praised their own, but they knew Tang Jian was never one to charge into battle.
Back at Mo Ying Peak, Jian Dan summoned Gong Yi again.
"Is everything ready?"
"All preparations are complete."
"I asked you to draft a candidate list for the next peak lord. Is it done?"
"Please review it, Zhūnzhǔ."
Gong Yi handed over a jade slip and asked, "Zhūnzhǔ, isn't it a bit early to confirm a successor?"
"It's not early at all. I'm already in the Void Refinement stage. Even carrying a title is inconvenient now. Haven't you noticed? Since I returned, aside from Mo Qi, no other peak lord has visited."
"They must know you're busy and don't dare to disturb you lightly."
"You said it yourself—they don't dare. Our cultivation realms are no longer the same. The challenges we face differ too. They can't communicate with me on the same level anymore, so naturally, they won't come."
"Understood."
"Let the next peak lord be decided between that Miao clan junior and Ying Luo."
"I'll finalize the jade slip and submit it to the sect leader."
"Good. Once you're done, you're dismissed. We depart tomorrow."
"Yes, I'll notify the others to make final preparations."
Jian Dan did not resume cultivating in the following days. She knew her advancement had come too quickly, thanks to a series of fortunate events. Unless another opportunity arose, she would likely remain in the Void Refinement stage for some time.
As the sun rose in the east, she stood facing the morning glow when Mo Lie's transmission talisman arrived.
"Mo Yan Zhēnzhūn has approved your request. You will be granted the attack talismans. Today, you return to the Ming Valley battlefield."
===
Can you believe it? We've already reached chapter 300! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ
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