At this moment, Wei Yunqing, after consuming the Barrier-Breaking Pill, raised her cultivation to the mid-stage of Golden Core. The sensation of her power surging was exquisite. She glanced at the remaining two pills in the bottle, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately could not resist and took another. Her cultivation then advanced to the late stage of Golden Core. Returning to her sect, she could stand on equal footing with Yun Xi.
Wei Yunqing closed her eyes and began meditating again. This time, refining the Barrier-Breaking Pill took longer. Because of her greed, she had not ventured deep into the desert. She missed encountering Yun Xi, but at least she preserved her life.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi, traversing the desert, came across Wei Chenyin and her group. More than a dozen of them were being pursued by three giant sand worms the same color as the desert sand.
The group split into three teams, fleeing in different directions to separate the sand worms and deal with them one by one.
Yun Xi hovered in the air, observing their combat strength, ready to intervene if necessary.
This was the first time these cultivators had faced giant sand worms. Their attacks were awkward and constrained. The sand worms moved as if part of the desert, gliding through the sand like fish in water.
The worms' jaws were lined with three layers of sharp teeth. Seeing them made one's scalp tingle. They occasionally spat a transparent liquid to immobilize their prey.
Yun Xi focused her attention on Wei Chenyin's five-person group.
Lin Keyang slammed both fists into the sand, trying to solidify it and slow the worm. But the worm's saliva reached first.
"Keyang! Watch out!"
Zhang Lingrui's brow furrowed. He swung a sword light in the opposite hand, colliding with the worm's teeth with a sharp metallic clash.
The worm, enraged, twisted and burrowed into the sand, lifting Lin Keyang into the air. Its gaping maw, filled with jagged teeth, aimed to swallow him.
Zi Jing immediately whipped out her purple long whip, wrapping it around Lin Keyang's waist to pull him back.
Lin Keyang remained calm, offering no resistance. He punched repeatedly at the worm's gaping mouth, huge pale yellow fist shadows landing inside, attempting to destroy the worm's interior to kill it.
Unfortunately, the worm was cunning. As the first shadow landed, it quickly closed its jaws, avoiding the following attacks.
After pulling Lin Keyang back, Zi Jing frowned: "This worm is tough. Its body is soft and impervious to weapons. Its mouth is the only opening, but it only opens when devouring prey. We cannot throw ourselves in there, can we?"
Cao Yi had already thrown nine formation disks around the worm, using various elemental attacks to find a way to kill it.
Yun Xi noticed the exhaustion on their faces. Clearly, they had not rested since entering the desert.
Lin Keyang calmly suggested: "Give me all your defensive talismans. I'll find a chance to enter the worm's belly and blow it apart. I refuse to believe it will survive!"
"No!"
"No!"
Two voices sounded simultaneously—Wei Chenyin and Zhang Lingrui—both opposing his reckless plan.
"Master, how long do you plan to watch? Our time is limited."
Xiao Xian reminded timely.
Yun Xi flashed before them, her tone calm: "Cao Yi, recall your formations."
The five were startled by Yun Xi's sudden appearance. Seeing her robes, the four from Haoran Sect exhaled in relief.
They noticed her immense aura, clearly surpassing them in cultivation.
Cao Yi, uncertain of Yun Xi's intent, still recalled his disks. With each disk lost, he would have fewer defenses, and he needed to survive until the secret realm closed.
As the formations vanished, the worm twisted its fleshy body and burrowed again, erupting from the ground beneath them, opening its tooth-filled mouth to swallow them.
Yun Xi spun her Nine Nether Dragon Umbrella. A black dragon, as large as the worm, shot from the umbrella, roaring as it wrapped around the sand worm.
The worm's previously invulnerable flesh was shredded by the dragon's scales, releasing streams of pale yellow liquid.
The worm silently wailed, trying to burrow into the sand to escape. Yun Xi allowed no chance. With a gentle swing of the Nine Nether Sword, she performed a vertical strike, splitting the writhing sand worm in two, ending it.
The group peered inside the worm, noticing its interior lined with sharp teeth. Anyone swallowed would have died instantly. They wiped cold sweat from their brows.
Zhang Lingrui glared at Lin Keyang, thinking his recklessness was extreme.
Wei Chenyin stepped forward: "Thank you, Martial Uncle, for your assistance."
Yun Xi waved her hand: "I am Feng Xiyun of the Refining Art Peak. I luckily condense my Yuányīng in this secret realm. Soon, I will be transported to a Nascent Soul cultivation training ground. You should be careful; there are evil cultivators in the secret realm."
She tossed Wei Chenyin a jade slip: "This has the latest information. Spread it to fellow disciples or other sect cultivators if you encounter them. I have little time, so I cannot explain further."
With that, Yun Xi vanished.
Wei Chenyin gripped the jade slip tightly, suppressing the shock. If she guessed correctly, the Nascent Soul male cultivator from before had been Yun Xi in disguise. His explanation was a subtle hint.
Yun Xi's mother's surname was Feng, and reversing Xi Yun spells Yun Xi. She realized this instantly.
"Elder Wei, what does the jade slip say?" Cao Yi asked.
Wei Chenyin finally collected herself, read the information, and confirmed there was nothing confidential. She handed it to Cao Yi, then, with Lin Keyang and Zhang Lingrui, began clearing the sand worm remains.
Cao Yi passed the slip to Zi Jing Zhēnrén, who had joined Haoran Sect's team during the sand worm encounter. Information sharing was necessary.
Zi Jing's expression darkened after reading. Evil cultivators were brazen, taking over other cultivators in the secret realm. Dao cultivators who brought the evil souls were even more detestable, betraying Weiyu Realm. Truly despicable.
"I will spread this information to others."
"Good. The more who know, the fewer opportunities for evil cultivators." Cao Yi nodded.
Zi Jing then sent the information through a communication jade slip.
The five regrouped and moved in a different direction. They had to defend against evil cultivators, explore the secret realm, and continue their training.
Guided by Xiao Xian, Yun Xi reached the edge of the desert, retrieved a superior spiritual vein from the desert marching ant colony, and was immediately swallowed by a black hole again.