Only now did Jian Dan fully relax, though the blood dripping from her left hand reminded her that she had pushed herself to the limit. If not for Cotton Candy supporting her from behind, she might have collapsed on the spot.
Jian Li strode over with long, urgent steps. He wasn't in much better shape than she was, but still asked,
"Junior Sister Jian Lu, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Senior Brother. Just drained of spiritual energy."
Jian Dan brushed her storage bracelet and pulled out a Hui Ling Pill, tossing it into her mouth. A warm flow surged through her as her spiritual energy began to recover.
She had truly gone all out this time, nearly resorting to the life-saving talisman left by her Ancestor. Still, she had pulled through—and she could feel it. Once she returned and secluded herself for a bit, as long as her spiritual energy held steady, she was confident she would reach peak Void Refinement.
Jian Li also tossed a pill into his mouth. Both of them urgently needed to restore their strength—there were still cultivators outside eyeing them like wolves. Neither of them intended to stumble and fall at this point.
Jian Li seemed to sense what Jian Dan was thinking. He sat cross-legged in the ruins and said,
"Don't worry. I already sent an emergency signal with my Ink Jade. Reinforcements will come."
"Phew!"
Jian Dan exhaled deeply. She first tended to her left hand, circulating her spiritual energy through it to stop the bleeding.
The wound was still rather gruesome. She pulled out an upgraded version of Huayan Balm—Baihua Balm—and gently applied it to the torn skin.
The gash began to close, slowly but surely, until all that was left were faint reddish marks. A few more applications and there would be no trace left at all.
"Senior Brother, was that enough of a fight for you?"
As she tended to her wound, Jian Dan glanced over and asked with a half-smile.
Jian Li's spiritual energy was slowly recovering. Hearing her question, he actually smiled—a rare sight.
"Yeah. It's been a long time since I've been able to let loose like that."
"I should be able to break through to peak Void Refinement after this."
Jian Dan spoke with clear confidence.
"My bottleneck is showing some cracks too. Today's battle wasn't for nothing."
They didn't make the others wait long. Once their spiritual energy recovered to about seventy percent, Jian Li stood up and used a Dust Cleansing Technique to tidy himself. Instantly, he regained his cold, sharp presence.
Jian Dan also stood. She carefully collected every drop of her blood that had fallen.
A cultivator's blood or hair was a favorite tool of evil cultivators, easily exploited for dark rituals. She wouldn't make that kind of rookie mistake.
Once they had cleaned up, the two of them rose into the air. Jian Dan opened her palm and began to retract her spatial domain.
The transparent, magnolia-shaped field that had bloomed in battle now began to shrink and fold inward, until it returned to her hand as a tightly curled bud. She closed her fist. The domain vanished.
Peng Wang was the first to step forward, smiling broadly. Behind him, Peng Xilai—the City Lord—and Peng Min looked at Jian Dan and Jian Li with newfound reverence. It was the gaze reserved for those truly powerful.
"Thank you both for helping Yunling City. I, Peng Wang, am deeply grateful. If you ever need anything, Yunling City is open to you."
His booming voice rang through the air. No one dared to contradict him.
"I promised to help you stretch my limbs a bit. I wasn't going to stand by and watch."
Jian Dan responded with a bright, casual smile, as if she and Jian Li hadn't just killed a Unity-level cultivator, but merely gone for a light workout.
Peng Wang was about to continue praising them, but the Shi family's Ancestor rushed forward, cutting him off.
"Jian Lu Daoyou, I must trouble you. My junior made a mistake and accidentally struck your domain. He's been invaded by foreign flame."
The Shi Ancestor had no choice but to thicken his skin and lie through his teeth. Shi Jie had clearly overreached, provoking a tiger with no fangs to speak of. He'd learned his lesson the hard way.
Jian Dan didn't argue. She simply glanced at the wilted-looking Shi Jie and beckoned with one hand. A strand of Verdant Flame wrapped around his dantian pulled away, then returned to her palm.
"It's alright now. The field was in defense mode, and Shi Jie must have struck it by accident in the chaos. It retaliated automatically, reflecting his own attack back at him."
Jian Dan smoothly followed the Shi Ancestor's lead, covering for his fabricated excuse.
The Shi Ancestor's dignity remained intact, and his impression of Jian Dan rose considerably. She clearly knew how to talk. He immediately handed over a formal invitation, welcoming her to visit the Shi family anytime. Jian Dan accepted it with another cheerful smile.
The tension dissolved. The city's upper echelon chatted amiably while the lower-ranked cultivators rushed to clean the battlefield, trying to restore Yunling City to normal as quickly as possible.
Peng Xilai was relieved to see that the Jia Ancestor had been eliminated. He cupped his fists toward Jian Dan and Jian Li before heading off to handle the aftermath.
Of the four major families, only three remained. Jia family's shops and territories were now up for grabs. The remaining clans would be maneuvering behind the scenes to divide the spoils. After paying their respects, they sensibly withdrew. The two cultivators clearly needed to rest after such a taxing battle.
Jian Dan and Jian Li were invited once more into the City Lord's estate. This time, they were brought straight to the discussion hall. Once seated, Jian Dan spoke first:
"Senior Brother, you summoned me in a hurry. I figured this matter wouldn't take too long, so I didn't make any formal arrangements or inform anyone. I left Yue Liang behind at Yunyin Peak. Now that things here are done, I'll return right away."
Jian Li understood exactly who she meant by "anyone." He also knew this temporary mission had been a bit of a stretch for her. He replied,
"There's nothing else to handle here. You can leave now. I'll return to the Heavenly Sword Sect soon as well. Who knows how things are faring at the sect."
Peng Wang Zhūnzhǔ looked slightly awkward. Yunling City had clearly been at fault for not detecting the threat earlier. He wouldn't dare keep them any longer, but he still said what he had to say:
"The city's defensive formation is still active, though only at minimal power. Some of the Jia remnants escaped. No idea what gutter they're hiding in.
I've already sent Peng Xilai to investigate. While you wait, I'll prepare the City Lord's private teleportation array. You can leave once everything is in place. Does that work for you?"
Jian Li and Jian Dan exchanged a glance. Jian Dan smiled.
"Thank you, Peng Zhūnzhǔ. We'll gladly make use of your array."
After offering their thanks, the two left without ceremony, returning to Jian Li's temporary residence.
Jian Dan immediately activated the protective formation, placing down two array disks that surrounded both of them.
Jian Li sat at a round table, bringing out his own set of amethyst tea cups. He brewed a pot of top-grade Qiongjiang tea, poured a cup for Jian Dan, then drank one himself. He looked at her, signaling that she could speak freely.
Jian Dan smiled. She reached up and lifted Cotton Candy from her head, giving the little creature a gentle rub.
"Alright, it's safe now. Show me what you got."
"Yes, Master!"
Cotton Candy's childish voice piped up. It grew to the size of a washbasin and began to tremble rhythmically. Before long, the round table was completely piled with treasures.
Storage pouches, storage rings, storage bracelets, spatial jade boxes, and high-grade storage talismans. Jian Dan's eyes lit up. She scooped up Cotton Candy and gave it a kiss.
"You're amazing, Cotton Candy! Did you loot Jia family's treasury?"
"You said it yourself, Master—we couldn't come out of this at a loss. While you were fighting, the domain happened to cover Jia Manor. So I took a little tour inside."