After hearing Yun Xi's account, both Hao Hui and Hao Qing could not help but sigh. The little girl truly had misfortune clinging to her, yet blessings and calamities always came intertwined. Even so, it was a miracle she survived.
Sensing several divine senses sweep across the soundproof barrier, Hao Qing said, "Let's return. They're waiting."
Hao Hui nodded, then sneered. "They've set their sights on Yun Xi."
That wasn't a guess, but a certainty. Hao Qing replied calmly, "Yes. Huaxian Gate's Hua Yu looks like Wei girl stole his disciple's limelight."
Yun Xi remained quiet, listening obediently at the side. Her impression of Huaxian Gate worsened again, and the three of them strolled back from the skies toward the temporary spell-formed residence.
At this moment, Yun Xi still hadn't fully withdrawn her aura, but her Nascent Soul cultivation was solid and undeniable. After her battle with Li Chang, she had forcefully raised her realm to Divine Transformation, and her meridians and dantian had expanded to twice the size of a normal Nascent Soul cultivator. With the Heavenly Dao's gift of spiritual rain, her cultivation had reached the very peak of the Nascent Soul early stage.
The moment they entered the residence, nearly every gaze fell upon Yun Xi. Ming Hong Zūnzhě smiled warmly and said, "Congratulations, Wei Xiaoyou, on advancing to the Nascent Soul realm. Since no outsiders are here, you may drop the disguise."
Yun Xi glanced at Hao Hui and Hao Qing. When they both gave slight nods, she raised a hand to her face. The Glazed Jade Mask turned transparent, revealing her true appearance.
She turned in place and changed into her own azure dark-patterned robe, then bowed respectfully."Wei Yunxi, disciple of Lingxue Peak under Yu Ling Zhenjūn of Haoran Sect, greets all seniors present."
Most of the Zūnzhě in the room remained composed. The ones truly startled were Yun Chen, Han Lian, and Xun Kun. They had spent so long with her inside the secret realm, yet none of them had seen through her disguise.
Yun Xi smiled at the three, dimples appearing on her cheeks. "Please don't take offense. I didn't mean to deceive. Certain matters placed me as the target of many and of evil cultivators. If I hadn't hidden my identity, I would have missed this trial entirely."
Her words not only explained to those three but also to the cultivators of the other domains why she had concealed herself.
The sects of the Western Domain had long heard rumors of the Yixian Gate inheritance, and they already knew Yun Xi had obtained it. They weren't surprised. Only the Medicine King Valley cultivators of the Central Domain seemed stirred.
Before Ming Hong Zūnzhě could respond, Yun Xi pulled a memory jade from her waist and pushed it forward. "Ming Hong Zūnzhě , I've already recounted the events of the secret realm to my sect's seniors. This memory jade records what occurred after I entered. It can serve as evidence."
Hua Yu Zūnzhě suddenly cut in. "Wei Xiaoyou, carrying a memory jade with you—did you already know what would happen in the secret realm and prepare in advance?"
Yun Xi met his eyes with a calm smile. "Respectfully, no. Ever since receiving the Yixian Gate inheritance, many have aimed at me. There are always cultivators willing to risk everything for shortcuts. I am far from standing at the peak of the Weiyu World. This was merely a precaution. Should something happen, at least my sect would know who to hold accountable."
Her expression clearly said, "someone is always scheming against me." Even Han Lian couldn't help but curl her lips in amusement.
Hua Yu only nodded faintly. Whether he believed her, only he knew.
The memory jade indeed recorded from the moment Yun Xi entered, though she had carefully trimmed what she wanted hidden. She revealed what was necessary and left the rest unsaid.
As for why she had been transported into the inner realm to battle Li Chang—her explanation was simple: she possessed a flame that suppressed his.
She hadn't wanted to reveal her strange fire, but if she gave no reasonable cause, Huaxian Gate's Zūnzhě would never stop pestering her.
Sure enough, after watching, Hua Yu Zūnzhě frowned. "The Mystic Thunder Violet Flame belonged to my sect's disciple."
Yun Xi shook her head. "No. It should be said half belonged to him, half to me. He sensed that the strange fire I nurtured shared the same origin, so he tried to seize it. He sent his flame into my body, hoping his half would devour mine using me as the battlefield.
But his strength fell short, and in the end, he was consumed by his own fire. Yun Chen Fózǐ and Han Lian Daoyou were by my side at the time. I hadn't even advanced to Nascent Soul yet."
Her tone was measured, unyielding yet not arrogant. The memory jade projection had made the truth plain. For Hua Yu to deliberately bring it up was nothing but vexing.
"Hmph! My descendant perished because of you. You must pay the price!"
A cold voice pierced the hall. A streak of cyan light shot straight toward Yun Xi's face, but Hao Hui and Hao Qing blocked it together. Both looked grim. Was this Huaxian Gate treating Haoran Sect as if it had no one?
In the next instant, a black-robed figure appeared inside the residence, eyes sharp enough to flay Yun Xi alive.
Just as Ming Hong Zūnzhě prepared to smooth things over, the Divine Transformation cultivator actually launched a soul attack at Yun Xi.
The moment the man appeared, Yun Xi had been on guard. Although it wasn't she who directly slew Hua Yiran, she had ended up with the Mystic Thunder Violet Flame. There was no way his elders would let it go.
The man's goal was obvious: cripple her sea of consciousness, turn her into a useless husk, and steal the flame.
Unfortunately, Yun Xi's divine sense was not weaker than his. After advancing to Nascent Soul, her body could withstand divine sense comparable to the late Divine Transformation stage. On top of that, she cultivated the Soul Refining Art. At full release, her soul force was no less than any other Divine Transformation cultivator present.
Before his attack even reached her, Yun Xi's divine sense intercepted it. Her mind power coiled into vine-like tendrils, wrapped around his consciousness, and counterattacked toward his sea of consciousness.
Though invisible, the clash made every Divine Transformation Zūnzhě present aware.
Ming Hong Zūnzhě formed a sword seal and snapped coldly at Hua Yu. "Is Huaxian Gate truly bullying the weak, looking down on us of the Western Domain? If you don't stop him, don't blame me for striking!"
Hua Yu spoke with false sincerity. "Ming Hong Zūnzhě, please don't be offended. Hua Bai's junior fell in the secret realm. He lost his composure."
His mouth said one thing, yet he made no move to intervene. Just as Ming Hong Zūnzhě lost patience and prepared to act, the situation shifted.
A streak of violet flame erupted from Yun Xi's dantian, twining around Hua Bai's divine sense before charging straight into his sea of consciousness.
Startled, Hua Bai severed his own mind force at once, retreating from the Mystic Thunder Violet Flame. His face turned ashen.
Yun Xi drew back her divine sense smoothly and regarded him with calm eyes. "Zūnzhě, you've mistaken your vengeance. As Yi Ran's elder, you ought to know the true cause of his death."
Hua Bai's voice was cold as frost. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"