"Impossible! He is a Divine Transformation cultivator!" The woman in red cried out, her eyes wide with fury.
But Yun Xi remained calm, her voice steady. "Then try contacting him. See if he answers you."
"Hmph! You think to stall me? I won't fall for that." Her form dissolved into gray smoke, scattering into nothing before the four of them.
Xun Kun turned his head. "How's it going on your end? Do you need our support?"
Yun Xi's clone nodded. "I do."
The moment she spoke, her projection dispersed.
The three exchanged glances, then vanished from the spot.
Meanwhile, the Evil Flower, seeking to return to its true body, touched the violet sea of fire. The instant it did, it shrieked in agony. When it caught sight of Yun Xi, its cry grew sharper. In panic it twisted back into smoke, surging toward her.
Above Yun Xi's head floated the Nine Nether Dragon Umbrella, shielding her completely. Twice the gray smoke tried to ram through, only to fail. Its form began to fade, and in desperation it howled:
"Even if I die, I'll drag you all with me!"
With that it dissolved into nothing, leaving only silence before Yun Xi. Her heart skipped. A moment later, her unease was confirmed: every massive, corrupted beast besieging the valley turned and charged toward where she stood.
The three companions who had just rejoined Yun Xi drew in sharp breaths at the sight of the blazing violet fire sea. Yun Chen and Han Lian exchanged a look. They knew immediately—the strange flame that had vanished before had finally fallen into Feng Xiyun's hands.
But there was no time for reflection. The horde of corrupted beasts was already thundering toward them.
Yun Xi muttered bitterly to herself, "Unlucky," then flung a signal firework skyward—the emergency flare of Haoran Sect. The Evil Flower truly intended to drag them down with it, summoning every corrupted beast within the secret realm. Under such circumstances, asking for aid was no shame.
Her act clearly reminded the others as well. Each of them belonged to the foremost sects of their domains. There was no reason to resist alone. They too sent their sect's rescue signals streaking into the sky.
Yun Chen Fózǐ released a golden lotus. Han Lian sent up a blue ice lotus. Xun Kun's was a black, hollow mask. Each symbol was distinctive, marking their sects at a glance.
Inside the valley, every Yuányīng Zhēnjūn saw the flares. The Buddhist cultivators of Yunmen Temple reacted first. After notifying Xian Yao, they were already leaving the valley.
Next was Kunmo Sect. Their Zhēnjūn had long thought Xun Kun reckless, but seeing the beasts' frenzied counterattack, they realized he must have found the source of corruption.
Jihan Gate followed, seizing the opening as a chance to break free.
Haoran Sect had already been persuaded by Yu Su to prepare for retreat. Now, seeing Feng Xiyun's flare, they quickly notified Shi Jun and prepared to withdraw.
Xian Yao and Xian Xu too realized there was no point holding the valley any longer, and ordered all Zhēnjūn to leave.
On the other side, Yun Xi had already thrown out a formation disk, pulling herself and the other three into the protective barrier. This was not the time to show off.
Han Lian frowned. "That Evil Flower has real power. To corrupt so many massive beasts… wiping it out won't be easy. Thank heavens for the strange flame. Without it, we couldn't even get close, much less survive."
Yun Xi focused wholly on channeling her spiritual energy into the flame and could not answer. Yun Chen Fózǐ spoke instead:
"Amitabha. Right now, the strange flame draws on Feng Daoyou's strength. He cannot spare himself to battle beasts. We must guard her and hold on until the Evil Flower is utterly destroyed.If she stops now, such a chance will never come again."
Xun Kun nodded. "Then we fight. Those beasts hounded us before, and now we can finally strike back.But that flower won't burn away quickly. We need a way to speed the flame's work."
At this, Yun Xi asked, "Xun Kun Zhēnjūn, do you have an idea?"
He thought a moment, then said, "Evil cultivators fear Buddhist arts, for they restrain corruption. Next best are those with thunder or light spiritual roots. I wonder if this time any with variant roots entered the secret realm."
At his words, Han Lian glanced toward Yun Chen and Yun Xi. One was Buddhist, the other carried a thunder root. Both could suppress evil.
Yun Xi felt a headache coming on. She had already revealed a hint of her thunder root when they destroyed the Soul-Devouring Bamboo. But now, with her energy feeding the strange flame, she could not also strike with thunder techniques.
Xun Kun, noticing Han Lian's glance, assumed she was looking at Yun Chen. The monk folded his hands. "Amitabha. I have not yet recovered from the last battle. Once my strength returns, I will lend Feng Daoyou my aid."
Han Lian added truthfully, "Light techniques would harm the Evil Flower most, but none of us here are have light spiritual root."
Just then the barrier shuddered. A massive black panther crashed against it, snarling.
The panther's frenzied assault devoured the formation's spiritual stones at alarming speed. Another corrupted beast arrived, clawing madly at the barrier as though to tear them apart.
Before Yun Xi could speak, Han Lian waved her sleeve, replacing the spent stones with a batch of top-grade ones. Xun Kun's brow furrowed deeply. The situation was grim.
Yun Xi's mind raced. The words of Han Lian and Xun Kun sparked something within her. A thought flared. She reached for it—grasped it.
Her eyes closed as memory rose. She saw again the old Wu clan crone, handing her the beast skin booklet inscribed with strange sigils.
Her eyes snapped open. "I have a way."
The three turned toward her.
Yun Xi raised her hand, sketching a symbol with the barest trace of spiritual energy. The moment it formed, it shone with a soft white glow, bathing all four of them in sacred radiance.
Xun Kun reacted first. "A light-element seal?"
Demon cultivators trained in dark energy. Though Heaven still permitted their path, their techniques were domineering and fraught with danger. A light seal naturally restrained such power. Even as the symbol coalesced, he could sense it.
Yun Xi nodded. "When I was transported into the strange forest, I found this sigil carved into the wall of a ruined tribe. It was what kept the beasts that went mad at night from entering. I copied it down."
The truth—that she had an entire beast skin tome filled with such inscriptions—was a secret she would never reveal. This explanation was simple, plausible, and impossible for them to verify.
She flicked her sleeve, sending the glowing seal through the barrier. It landed upon the black panther.
At once, the beast shrieked, collapsing to the ground. White smoke rose from its body as its eyes cleared, regaining their natural black.