In a dark cave, Wei Yunqing finally opened her eyes after lying unconscious on the ground for an unknown length of time. Her face was pale, and the blood around her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose had dried completely. She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand. For a fleeting moment, her expression turned feral, only to return to its usual calm the next instant.
Wei Yunqing took out the pills she had collected earlier from her storage pouch. She sniffed them briefly under her nose before tossing them into her mouth and then sat cross-legged to meditate and recover.
In the struggle for her body, she had neither won nor lost. At the crucial moment, the spirit within the Crimson Bracelet intervened, trapping the invading soul and allowing her to regain control of her body.
However, after successive battles, the Crimson Bracelet was too depleted to expel the intruding soul from her sea of consciousness. It could only temporarily imprison it.
Wei Yunqing was no fool. She had realized that the soul attempting to possess her belonged to an evil cultivator. For that reason, she dared not devour the glowing soul fragment.
During her earlier confrontation with the invader, she had bitten it twice in a reflexive reaction, and even now she felt slightly off-balance. But now was not the time to dwell on that. She needed to repair the damage to her soul first and then leave as quickly as possible.
A seductive voice whispered in her mind.
"Little girl, don't be so stubborn. If our souls merge, you will become far stronger. Destroying the Wei Yun Xi you despise would be effortless. I have methods to make your desires come true, and no one would suspect a thing. Don't you want to crush your rival under your feet?"
For a moment, Wei Yunqing's resolve wavered. She did want to kill Wei Yun Xi. But in the next instant, the Crimson Bracelet on her wrist flared with heat, yanking her focus back.
Startled, she immediately blocked out the voice of the evil soul and began circulating her cultivation technique, absorbing the medicinal power of the pills.
Meanwhile, deep within the mountain, Wei Chenyin and her companions, having entered the hidden miniature city, came face to face with the Buddhist cultivators from Yunmen Temple. What began as a verbal confrontation quickly escalated into combat.
Wei Chenyin's group of four confronted eight Golden Core-level Buddhist cultivators from Yunmen Temple.
Cao Yi reacted swiftly, tossing four formation plates into position. The Buddhists countered by forming a Heavenly Gang Dharma Wheel Formation.
The lead Yunmen Temple cultivator shouted,
"Your Western cultivators speak one way but act another. To secretly harm our disciples over treasures in this secret realm is intolerable. Today, you must give us an explanation!"
Zhang Lingrui bristled first and swung a sword energy at the speaking cultivator.
"Nonsense! Who harmed you secretly? What does it have to do with us? Do you have proof? You immediately judge us by words alone, yet your Yunmen Temple has no shame!
The Baohua Secret Realm appeared on our territory. It was generous of us to let you explore it. And yet, you falsely accuse us. The Eastern domains never invited cultivators from other domains to your secret realm. You are shameless opportunists!"
The Buddhist monk, momentarily speechless, chanted a Buddhist phrase and intensified his attack, attempting to break the formation trapping them.
Two female cultivators from Huaxian Gate, hiding nearby, exchanged surprised glances. They had not expected Yunmen Temple's Buddhists to act so unscrupulously, using superior numbers to overwhelm the smaller force.
Elsewhere in the secret realm, similar skirmishes broke out. Most involved Western domain cultivators clashing with those from the other four domains, and casualties began to mount after tempers flared.
On the third floating island, Yun Xi, accompanied by two senior figures, arrived at another battle scene. The duel involved two Nascent Soul cultivators, so destructive that the surrounding ruins attested to the intensity.
One of them was a male cultivator from Huaxian Gate, dressed in pristine white robes, engaged in combat with a Yuányīng Zhēnjūn of Haoran Sect. Yun Xi froze on the spot; as a Golden Core, she had no way to intervene.
At that moment, Zi Yan transmitted a message:
"Master, the exotic fire I want to devour is on that white-robed cultivator."
Yun Xi's expression shifted. She turned her gaze toward the white-robed male, whose weapon was a white jade folding fan. He carried a gentlemanly air, but his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation level presented a challenge.
The female Nascent Soul cultivator from Haoran Sect manipulated her green silk, sometimes soft as a snake, sometimes rigid as steel, blocking the Huaxian Gate cultivator's attacks.
Due to Yun Xi and the two senior figures' arrival, both fighters halted their attacks, stepping onto the only two intact stones, turning to face them.
Yun Xi stepped forward and cupped her hands. "Martial Uncle, I am Feng Xiyun of the Artifact Refining Peak."
Yu Su glanced at Yun Xi and nodded, recognizing her disciple.
Han Lian and Yun Chen also introduced themselves, informing them of the evil cultivator causing havoc.
The two senior figures exchanged a glance, furrowed their brows, and flashed before the three.
Yu Su Zhēnjūn looked at Yun Xi.
"Show me Li Chang's corpse."
"Yes!"
Yun Xi nodded and waved her sleeve, revealing Li Chang's corpse.
The Nascent Soul female cultivator scanned it with her divine sense and nodded.
"It is indeed Li Chang. He has been on the wanted list in our Western domain but remained hidden. It seems he disguised himself and infiltrated via the loose cultivator alliance."
The Huaxian Gate male cultivator, examining the ice-encased Soul Nurturing Stone, spoke after hearing her words:
"If your information is accurate, my fight with this Daoyou was meaningless, possibly exploited by an evil cultivator."
He returned the ice block to Han Lian Zhēnjūn.
Yun Xi then turned to her sect's Nascent Soul Zhēnjūn.
"I am Yu Su of Haoran Sect."
Yu Su Zhēnjūn cupped hands to introduce himself.
"I am likewise of Huaxian Gate," the male Nascent Soul cultivator followed.
After introductions, Yun Chen Fózǐ spoke: "Amidabha! Yi Ran Daoyou, Yu Su Daoyou, what caused your conflict?"
Yi Ran replied first: "Shortly after being transported here, I heard fighting. I saw a Huaxian Gate Nascent Soul Junior Brother battling a Western Xianmo Sect Nascent Soul female cultivator.
I assumed they were fighting over the local treasures and did not intervene. But as I was turning to leave, the Xianmo Sect female exploded her Yuányīng, dragging my Junior Brother with her.
Though I intervened in time, I could not save my Junior Brother's Yuányīng. Yu Su Daoyou thought we Huaxian Gate two against one destroyed the Xianmo cultivator, which led to our conflict."
Yu Su Zhēnjūn frowned.
"I only saw you act behind them."
Yi Ran offered an awkward smile.
"I just arrived. The power of a Nascent Soul explosion is clear to all. If not desperate, why use a mutually destructive move? I sensed something amiss and attempted to stop it, but Yu Su Daoyou misunderstood."
Yun Xi noticed Yu Su's frown, realizing he did not accept Yi Ran Zhēnjūn's explanation.