Mo Ran and Jade exchanged a glance, then followed the Purple Butterfly into the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord's cave. The moment they saw Yue Liang, both immediately understood what was going on.
"Mo Ran (Jade) pay respects to the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord!"
Mo Ran, standing tall in his black robe, and Jade, slightly smaller in her emerald attire, both bowed in unison.
"Yue Liang, what are you doing here? Where's Zūnshàng?" Jade's voice carried her usual charm, but she'd matured a little. She couldn't help but ask first when she saw Yue Liang.
Mo Ran, however, remained calm, raising a hand slightly to stop her.
Jade realized her lapse immediately and fell silent, standing behind her brother.
"Beast Lord, may I ask if there's any particular reason you summoned my sister and me?" Mo Ran asked respectfully.
"It's Yue Liang who's looking for you," the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord replied, tapping Yue Liang with her fan.
Yue Liang wagged her tail, then transformed into a ten-year-old girl dressed in yellow. Her black eyes stared at Mo Ran as she said,
"I feel something's wrong with the contract mark linking me to Zūnshàng."
She didn't bother hiding her concern.
Mo Ran glanced at the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord ahead and at the calm-faced Bai Jue beside her before speaking.
"Jade and I feel the same. There's nothing actually wrong, but contacting Zūnshàng is a bit difficult. Since we don't know what's happening with him, we shouldn't act recklessly."
The Nine-Tailed Beast Lord's violet eyes twitched before she grinned mischievously.
"Jian Lu is lucky and strong, she'll be fine. Why not take this chance to dissolve the contract?" Her voice dripped with temptation.
"By Jian Lu's side, you're just spirit pets. But in my beast clan, you could be clan leaders commanding a whole region." As she spoke, she even unleashed a subtle charm technique, leaving Yue Liang, Mo Ran, and Jade momentarily dazed.
Bai Jue, standing to the side, twitched at the corner of his mouth. Even his handsome face betrayed his reaction. The Nine-Tailed Beast Lord was really trying to steal Jian Lu's pets while their master wasn't around.
Yue Liang's black eyes flickered a few times before returning to normal. She stomped her little feet and said,
"When Zūnshàng comes back, I'll tell her you tried to steal from her!"
A roar of a young dragon echoed as Mo Ran used his still-developing draconic aura to break the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord's charm.
Jade, with the Vajra Bodhi beads on her wrist, also regained her clarity.
Though Mo Ran and Jade were annoyed, they stayed silent. Yue Liang was their leader, and her words carried their voice.
"Tch, she's weaker than me, so what?" The Nine-Tailed Beast Lord pouted slightly at failing but kept her pride intact.
"We'll see," Yue Liang stuck out her tongue, then, together with Mo Ran and Jade, respectfully bowed to the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord before leaving the cave. She only spoke words, taking no other action.
Bai Jue shook his head but followed them.
"Yue Liang, Beast Lord was just joking, nothing more," he said.
Yue Liang, now back in her raccoon form, stood on Mo Ran's shoulder as they walked toward the clan territory.
"Bai Jue Zūnshàng, we're not upset. We know the Beast Lord was just suggesting. But no matter what, we won't leave Zūnshàng," Yue Liang said firmly.
"We won't either," Mo Ran and Jade added, bowing respectfully.
They had followed Jian Dan all the way from the Nether Realm into the Cultivation Realm. Even if Yue Liang betrayed Zūnshàng, they wouldn't leave. Their cultivation paths had been paved by Zūnshàng, and they didn't know how they could ever repay her.
Seeing their resolve, Bai Jue realized there was no chance of keeping them behind. "Good. What are your plans now?"
"We'll return to the Heavenly Sword Sect. Zūnshàng is on a mission, so we'll go back to guard her residence," Yue Liang explained. Before departing, she'd received orders to stay at Tianyue Peak. Now that her clan was safe, she could return to the sect without worry.
"In that case, I won't keep you. The beast clan always welcomes you!"
"Thank you, Zūnshàng!"
They thanked him and set off toward the Heavenly Sword Sect.
On the way, Yue Liang received a transmission from Wei Zhengrong, informing her that Zūnshàng had entered a spatial rift. Since no soul lamp was left behind, he asked her to check the situation.
Finally, Yue Liang could breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone else was fine, and their contract marks were stable, which meant Zūnshàng was safe too.
After confirming, they continued their journey back to the sect without worry.
Heavenly Demon Palace
Before Bi Shu and her group returned, the black-robed guards of the Intelligence Division received news: someone from the Heavenly Sword Sect had re-entered Purple Sky's spatial rift, which had now closed. Any subsequent sect cultivators arriving were too late.
Seeing Jian Lu's name on the list, Mo Yan Zhēnzūn knew she wouldn't return soon. Most tasks given to Mo Yue were already handled, and the rest could be wrapped up by Mo Zhang and Mo Su. He didn't say more.
When Mo Zhang asked about Mo Yue's whereabouts, Mo Yan Zhēnzūn simply replied,
"I gave Mo Yue a solo mission. She won't return for a while. Don't send messages to her."
Mo Zhang hesitated. The mission required her to act, but the Zhēnzūn didn't say more. He quietly left the back mountain forbidden area.
Meanwhile, when Wolf Moon Howl and the Fire Wolf Clan finished dividing territory and went to Heavenly Demon Palace to fetch Xiao Yue, they were told both Xiao Yue and Mo Yue Zūnshàng had left and hadn't returned.
Now Lang Xiao was frustrated. He went to ask Mo Su, the palace master, about his disciple.
Mo Su raised an eyebrow and said, "Senior Sister Mo Yue asked before, and you said you weren't taking Xiao Yue temporarily. She got attached and went with her on a mission. No return date yet, just wait."
Lang Xiao couldn't even vent his anger—he'd been at fault. He had the chance but didn't, so he had no right to demand Mo Yue return Xiao Yue.
"Don't worry. Senior Sister Mo Yue likes Xiao Yue and won't let him get hurt. Maybe he'll even advance in cultivation this time," Mo Su added casually, seeing Lang Xiao's sour face.
Lang Xiao had no choice but to return to the beast clan. Once back, he asked the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord about Xiao Yue, making her roll her eyes.
"I'm a beast cultivator, not a fortune teller. How would I know Xiao Yue's fate? Weren't you too busy snatching territory to care? Now you suddenly remember your son?"
Lang Xiao was scolded into silence.
Bai Jue, however, knew that Xiao Yue had most likely been taken into the spatial rift by Jian Lu. He wouldn't tell Lang Xiao, or the guy would have thrown a fit. For now, it was better to keep quiet.
"Alright, Mo Yue is the top cultivator below Mahayana in the Lingyun Continent. If she can protect Xiao Yue, anyone can. Just wait for news. And if anything happened to Xiao Yue, you'd feel it, right?"
After the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord's words, Lang Xiao finally relaxed. Xiao Yue shared the same lineage, and he hadn't sensed anything unusual lately, so he returned reluctantly.
"Xiao Yue and Jian Lu entered the spatial rift. Keep this from Lang Xiao," the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord instructed Bai Jue.
"Yes, Beast Lord. Don't worry, he won't know," Bai Jue replied.
At this moment, Xiao Yue was assisting Jian Dan, eliminating the small squads that had ambushed them.