"Yu Ling Zūnzhě's analysis is correct. Because of this, the investigation of the Law Enforcement Hall has hit a bottleneck. With no progress, the matter has not been made public."
Hall Master Geng explained softly.
Leng Ruohan flickered out of the dungeon and went straight to the secluded retreat of the Divine Transformation Ancestors at the back mountain. The first one he met was Hao Hui Zūnzhě.
Hao Hui Zūnzhě was fishing by a lake. His eyelids twitched suddenly, and at once a thin layer of frost spread across the water's surface. Putting away his fishing rod, he did not look back as he spoke.
"Why are you not guarding Yun Xi? What brings you to me?"
Leng Ruohan clasped his hands.
"Ancestor, Yun Xi has already awakened. I brought her back to Lingxue Peak to heal. I came today because of Zuo Qiu."
Hao Hui waved his hand. "You are already in Divine Transformation. You may call me Senior Brother. Each time you call me Ancestor, it makes me sound ancient. Your junior brother knew how to speak better than you."
Yu Ling's lips twitched. He immediately said, "Yes, Senior Brother Hao Hui. Do you know of Zuo Qiu's matter?"
"I know. He's doing quite well. For a tiny seed of jealousy, he threw himself down the path of evil."
At the mention, anger flashed across Hao Hui's face. A dignified Divine Transformation elder of the sect, and yet he chose to wallow among evil cultivators. What was that man thinking?
"Senior Brother, even the Law Enforcement Hall has been infiltrated. This is not a small matter."
"The old fellows of the back mountain are all aware. They understand the seriousness of this problem. The 'Umbral Rain' has already been activated to begin a thorough investigation. For now, you should stay with your disciple."
The moment Leng Ruohan heard those words, his expression grew solemn. The "Umbral Rain" was the sect's hidden blade. They obeyed neither the Sect Master nor any single Divine Transformation elder. Only when three or more Divine Transformation Zūnzhě summoned them together would they act.
No one knew how many members there were in the Umbral Rain, nor their cultivation levels. Their methods of selection changed with every generation. This secret order was founded by the sect's first Patriarch and had been passed down since then. It was the sect's final defensive measure from within.
Since its creation, the Umbral Rain had only been mobilized a handful of times. Each time, they dissolved the crisis with terrifying speed. The fact that they had been summoned now showed that Zuo Qiu's betrayal had crossed the sect's bottom line.
"Senior Brother, I understand. If there is need, you may seek me at Lingxue Peak anytime. No one knows Zuo Qiu better than I do. Even if he changes his body, I will still recognize him."
Hao Hui nodded. Indeed, it is always your enemies who know you best.
"This time the sect will give you an explanation. It has already been confirmed that when you underwent Divine Transformation, the one who tampered with the formations on Lingxue Peak was Zuo Qiu. Moreover, the array he used against you was of an evil nature, most likely acquired from the evil cultivators."
Leng Ruohan was not surprised in the slightest. He said coldly,
"So it is as expected. He had long colluded with the evil cultivators, waiting only for the right opportunity. His Divine Transformation before me must also have been part of that plan."
But Hao Hui shook his head.
"Zuo Qiu's relationship with the evil cultivators is still uncertain. It may be a cooperation born of mutual need, or simply mutual exploitation. Zuo Qiu sought to eliminate you, while the evil cultivators sought to disrupt the sect and plant more of their pawns. However, Zuo Qiu's early breakthrough to Divine Transformation was likely not part of the original plan.
Strangely enough, his advance to Divine Transformation was aided by a Dao Comprehension Fruit. That fruit was provided by his personal disciple, Wei Yunqing, who happens to be Wei Yunxi's elder sister.
And the reason he was connected to Wei Yunqing in the first place was because of the late Wei Family Ancestor, Wei Nanfeng. Coincidentally, before his death Wei Nanfeng had met Zuo Qiu and even intended to introduce his favored junior, Wei Yunqing, to him. But his sudden death left the matter unfinished.
Later, when word spread from Dan Peak that Wei Yunqing had cultivated a fifth-rank spirit plant, Zuo Qiu was drawn in. In exchange for taking her as a personal disciple, he obtained the Dao Comprehension Fruit and broke through to Divine Transformation in one step."
Leng Ruohan was no fool. His eyes flashed coldly as he pieced it all together.
"All of these matters revolve around the Wei sisters. Gains and losses, and with each shift the situation changes."
Hao Hui chuckled.
"Indeed. Some things you might as well ask Yun Xi directly. The Umbral Rain will likely seek her out as well. I am warning you in advance, so you do not clash with them out of ignorance."
"Understood, Senior Brother."
Yu Ling clasped his hands in farewell. With a flash of light, he vanished from the back mountain.
At that very moment, halfway up Lingxue Peak, beside the field of Snowbell Flowers, Yun Xi was locked in a staring contest with a charming young girl. The girl wore the robe of a Divine Transformation Zūnzhě of Haoran Sect. Though shorter than Yun Xi by nearly a head, she glared up with beautiful eyes, scrutinizing Yun Xi from head to toe.
After surviving her Nascent Soul lightning tribulation, Yun Xi had fixed her height at one meter seventy-eight. She felt it was just right for the cultivation world. Not too petite, yet never lacking in presence. With her tall, slender frame, any style of robe suited her, which she found quite satisfying.
Now, despite being weaker in cultivation than the girl before her, she could still look down slightly while meeting her gaze. Once the girl had looked enough, Yun Xi respectfully clasped her hands.
"Wei Yunxi greets Zūnzhě. I do not know what instructions you might have."
The girl's lips curved in a coquettish smile.
"I am Hao Yi. I am both a fellow disciple and a close friend of Yu Ling's master. I only just came out of seclusion and heard that Yu Ling encountered trouble during his Divine Transformation. It was you, his disciple, who fought desperately to seize a chance for him. Naturally, I grew curious and came to take a look."
Yun Xi once again offered a respectful salute. "Greetings, Hao Yi Zūnzhě."
"Come, sit with me for a chat."
Hao Yi smiled warmly.
"Yes, Zūnzhě."
What else could Yun Xi say? The woman looked young, but the aura rolling off her was stronger even than Hao Hui Zūnzhě's. Yun Xi guessed her cultivation was at least late Divine Transformation.
So she obediently sat at the jade table in the courtyard, took out the spirit tea her master had given her, and with graceful movements brewed a pot. She pushed a white jade cup toward Zūnzhě Hao Yi.
Hao Yi accepted it without hesitation, took a sip, and said,
"Tell me, how did you manage to break the binding formation on Lingxue Peak?"
Yun Xi nodded and recounted the process. As for the origin of the Boundary-Breaking Cone, she spoke truthfully as well. Many had witnessed it at the time, so it was no secret.
"May I see this Boundary-Breaking Cone?"
"Of course."
With a flick of her divine sense, Yun Xi summoned the cone from her storage ring and handed it over.
Hao Yi swept it with her divine sense and immediately discerned the truth.
"This cone can only be used two more times before it is completely spent."
Yun Xi nodded. "Yes. The realm spirit told me the same."
"Yu Ling's Divine Transformation required a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. How did you manage to provide it?"
Hao Yi pressed further.
Yun Xi's brow twitched ever so slightly, but she replied,
"Zūnzhě, that was a harvest I obtained in the secret realm. I captured an entire supreme-grade spiritual vein. With that, I could supply my master to complete his Divine Transformation."
"And how did you transport an entire spiritual vein to your master's side?" Hao Yi asked again.
===
暗 (Àn): Dark, hidden, secret.
夜 (Yè): Night.
玄 (Xuán): Profound, mysterious, deep, abstruse; also can mean black or dark.
雨 (Yǔ): Rain.
"暗夜玄雨" I translate it into Umbral Rain.
Umbral means "of or pertaining to shadows or darkness," perfectly capturing "暗夜" (Dark Night).
Rain directly translates "雨", but in this context, it evokes the idea of an unavoidable, pervasive, and numerous force that strikes from the sky (an unseen place) and leaves no trace.