In a swamp thick with poisonous gas, Wei Yunqing finally found an opportunity to "coincidentally encounter" Wei Chenyin and her group. She gripped her spirit sword tightly, and upon seeing the disciples of Haoran Sect, immediately stepped forward:
"I am Wei Yunqing from Spirit Beast Peak. It is truly wonderful to meet all of you here, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters."
Wei Chenyin and the others only glanced at Wei Yunqing lightly, showing no particular warmth.
Naturally, they all knew of Wei Yunqing. Especially when gathering to explore the Baohua Mountain secret realm, she had made quite a scene. In the final moments, she successfully formed her Core, becoming the direct disciple of Zuo Qiu Zhēnjūn. Even without deliberately investigating, they were aware of these events.
Zhi Jing Zhēnrén's bright eyes shifted, and she pursed her lips with a smile:
"Who is Wei Yunxi to you?"
Wei Yunqing's face immediately lit up with delight as she cupped her hands:
"Yun Xi is my younger sister. Senior Daoyou, do you know Yun Xi?"
"We have met once before."
Liu Haotian looked at the charming Wei Yunqing in front of him, nodding faintly. Lu Wangyou also cast a casual glance, his expression indifferent. This gave Wei Yunqing the sensation of punching cotton.
At this moment, Wei Chenyin was quietly transmitting to Liu Haotian: "Liu Daoyou, these sisters have always been at odds."
She did not want to say more. After all, the others were direct disciples of Haoran Sect, and knowing Wei Yunqing's selfish and self-centered nature, she worried that they might intervene on Yun Xi's behalf. If Wei Yunqing got trapped, Yun Xi would bear the blame. Preemptive caution was necessary.
Liu Haotian barely nodded and then spoke:
"Wei Daoyou, if you wish to join our team to explore the secret realm, you must swear by the Heavenly Dao that during this period you will not attack us or harm your teammates. Otherwise, we will not accept you."
Hearing this, Wei Yunqing looked to Wei Chenyin. Compared to the others, she trusted her family more.
Wei Chenyin did not waste words. She tossed the jade slip with the message to Wei Yunqing and said coldly:
"Evil cultivators have infiltrated the secret realm to cause chaos. You should be prepared."
After reading the jade slip, Wei Yunqing's expression changed. She clenched her teeth: "Ancestor, who sent this message? Is it accurate?"
Wei Chenyin's expression remained calm:
"It was sent by disciples of Haoran Sect. The information is absolutely accurate. Otherwise, we would not have formed a team."
She did not mention Wei Yunxi at all.
The three from Cao Yi and the three from Liu Haotian also tacitly avoided mentioning Yun Xi. Those from Yunmen Temple were even less likely to speak.
The two female cultivators from Huaxian Gate exchanged glances but said nothing. They could sense that the Haoran Sect disciples had a subtle aversion toward their direct disciple.
Wei Yunqing, meanwhile, was still stunned by the message and had not noticed the silent exchange between the Huaxian Gate sisters. She confirmed once again that the soul trapped in her sea of consciousness by the crimson hand-chain artifact was indeed the evil spirit. She had become the target of the evil cultivator.
Her heart filled with terror. Instinctively, she reinforced two more seals deep within her sea of consciousness. The trapped evil spirit seemed to fall into slumber, unmoved and unconcerned by the extra seals.
At that moment, the ground beneath everyone began to writhe. Moments later, a fist-sized water beetle crawled from the mud. Wei Yunqing's face immediately changed as she hovered into the air.
The others quickly rose as well, putting distance between themselves and the swamp. In the next breath, countless water beetles emerged, clustering together like building blocks into a pillar aimed at the hovering cultivators.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi was unaware that Wei Yunqing had already encountered Wei Chenyin. She was guarding Yun Chen and Han Lian's bodies, constantly replacing the high-grade spirit stones in her array formation.
Once Yun Chen's soul entered the giant bamboo, his protective barrier dissipated. Yun Xi replaced it with her fourth-grade array formation, shielding their bodies.
Since Yun Chen had been taken into the bamboo by Zhu Sheng, the bamboo's attacks grew more frenzied. Roots emerged from the ground, wrapping around the array shield, attempting to destroy it. The dual assault rapidly increased consumption. To prevent the array from being destroyed, Yun Xi had to continually replace the spirit stones.
"Master, do you think Yun Chen Fózǐ will succeed?"
Dian Dian asked anxiously.
After replacing a high-grade spirit stone, Yun Xi replied:
"I don't know. I hope they succeed. But Zhu Sheng will be despondent for a long time afterward."
"Master, has Zhu Sheng's grandfather already been devoured by the evil spirit?"
"He probably has, otherwise this bamboo forest would not have become a trap for Nascent Soul cultivators."
Dian Dian scratched its black ears and asked:
"Master, did the evil cultivators use the Soul-Devouring Bamboo to lure the Nascent Soul cultivators' spirits to find suitable hosts for the evil spirit?"
"That is my speculation. Seizing a Nascent Soul cultivator is extremely difficult. If it goes wrong, they would destroy the Yuányīng, dying along with the evil spirit.
But if the cultivator willingly offers their body, it is a different matter. As long as the body remains intact, their soul lamp will not extinguish. That is the perfect opportunity… wait!"
Yun Xi suddenly realized something and immediately looked at Han Lian Zhēnjūn and Yun Chen Fózǐ. Two gray light spheres were trying to penetrate their sea of consciousness at the brow. One was blocked by Han Lian's blue ice lotus, the other by Yun Chen Fózǐ's golden lotus.
Without hesitation, Yun Xi summoned Zi Yan from the spatial pocket, splitting her into two, directing each toward the gray evil souls.
Zi Yan, like a cat sensing fish, expanded to her full form, enveloping the two gray spheres. Yun Xi then heard two horrific screams, which lasted five breaths before fading.
Zi Yan staggered back into Yun Xi's palm and was returned to the spatial pocket.
Dian Dian jumped:
"Master, where did those two evil spirits come from?"
It had been guarding the bodies of the two Zhēnjūn, but had not noticed when the evil spirits entered.
Yun Xi watched the ice and golden lotuses disappear and said:
"Remember Zhao Sinan's Soul Nurturing Stone?"
"But Han Lian Zhēnjūn had frozen it, right?"
"Yes, but now Han Lian's soul is separated from her body. The seal has weakened, and after so long, the evil spirit broke free, waiting to claim a ready body. It did not appear before because Yun Chen Fózǐ was present. His Buddhist cultivation specializes in countering evil cultivators.
Now, Yun Chen Fózǐ has entered the Soul-Devouring Bamboo for Han Lian Zhēnjūn, following my advice. That gave them an opportunity. That was too close. If they had succeeded in seizing the bodies, I would have been the first target."
"These evil cultivators are truly despicable. Fortunately, Master reacted quickly!"
Dian Dian said with lingering fear.
At that moment, a green light sphere shot out of the Soul-Devouring Bamboo, shaking above Han Lian and Yun Chen. Two white spheres flew toward their bodies, and two breaths later, both opened their eyes.