The day Yun Xi shattered the sealing formation with the Boundary-Breaking Cone, everyone present had witnessed it. But the moment she rushed into the heart of the Divine Transformation lightning tribulation, no one's divine sense could penetrate the storm.
Especially after Yun Xi endured two bolts of Divine Transformation lightning head-on, all eyes had been drawn to her, and no one noticed the exact moment she sent the spirit vein to Ye Ling's side.
Yun Xi had no intention of exposing the Xianling Grass. Although Xiao Xian never said it outright, she could clearly tell the little spirit came from an extraordinary origin, very likely from the Upper Realm. That was already a certainty. Yet she could not explain its existence. She could hardly tell Hao Yi Zūnzhě she had gotten it from some mystical chat group. That would raise more questions, lead to more exposure, and drag out explanations that could not be given.
Hao Yi noticed Yun Xi's hesitation, but only kept smiling.
"Not convenient to say?"
Yun Xi rose, cupped her fists respectfully, and said, "Replying to Zūnzhě, it involves this junior's fortuitous encounter. It is indeed inconvenient to explain."
"Fair enough. Since you do not wish to say, this one won't press.
But I am curious. Why did you dare rush into a Divine Transformation tribulation? Even your master, at his cultivation, might have perished beneath that lightning.
And from what I know, Ye Ling had only taught you for three days. Forgive me, but I find it hard to believe such a shallow bond between master and disciple could drive you to such lengths."
Yun Xi lifted her head, meeting Hao Yi Zūnzhě's gaze without arrogance, yet without fear.
"Replying to Zūnzhě, although Master only instructed me for three days, he had already fulfilled a master's responsibility. He passed down an ice-element cultivation method, gave me a home on Lingxue Peak, and prepared cultivation resources sufficient for me to reach the Nascent Soul stage. Most importantly, he shielded me.
For a disciple with three spiritual roots to be accepted under such a master is already the greatest fortune of my life. When Master was in danger, how could I possibly stand by and do nothing?"
Here she paused briefly, then added,
"This junior least wishes for anything to happen to Master. If Master failed the tribulation, I would forever be suppressed by my elder sister of the same bloodline. That is something I cannot accept. I too have the heart to fight, to not bow beneath another."
Hao Yi's smile deepened, eyes narrowing.
"Yet was it worth it? Your injuries are not light. Hao Hui told me even your foundation has been damaged. Your future path of cultivation may be cut off."
Yun Xi's voice was steady.
"What is there to weigh about worth or not worth? Since I chose, I knew there would be a price. As long as that price is within what I can bear, it is acceptable.
Now, Master has succeeded in his Divine Transformation, while Zuo Qiu has been 'forced' into seclusion. My good sister has lost her support. Though I am gravely injured, I yet live, and Master worries for my wounds.
I am only twenty-one years old. Even if I never reach Divine Transformation in this lifetime, I still enjoy a thousand years of longevity. And who can truly say what the future holds? Perhaps one day, I too may break through."
She truly thought this way. From the moment she learned she might have to seek the remnants of the Genesis Azure Lotus to repair her dantian, she had already made the worst preparations. As long as her master had not ascended, she could walk sideways in the sect without fear.
Even should Ye Ling Zūnzhě ascend in the future, she could return to the Wei clan and raise a new generation of disciples. There would always be heirs to carry her will.
But before that day came, she would beg her master to strike and cut off Wei Yunqing's path to immortality. As long as she lived, she would never allow Wei Yunqing to ascend to the Spirit Realm.
Did they think she had no idea how her sister gloated during her two years of unconsciousness? That smugness would not last much longer. Zuo Qiu and Wei Yunqing were only bound by mutual interest. Now that Zuo Qiu had entered the Law Enforcement Hall, it would not be long before Wei Yunqing's status as his personal disciple became hollow. When that happened, Yun Xi was eager to see the look on her face.
Of course, she admitted she had selfish motives. Yet she also knew full well it was her doing that word spread of Wei Yunqing cultivating a fifth-rank spirit plant. At first, she only wanted her sister to suffer a setback. She had not expected it would draw Zuo Qiu's attention, leading him to Divine Transformation first, and giving him the chance to tamper with Ye Ling's tribulation.
That made Yun Xi even more determined. In that moment, she had rushed into the lightning storm without hesitation. No matter what, she would ensure her master succeeded.
Hao Yi listened to her quietly. Then her smile widened, setting down her jade cup.
"You little girl, your heart is clear. You are indeed fine material for the Dao.
But since you entered the sect, you have continuously suppressed Wei Yunqing, whether deliberately or not. Has your relationship as sisters truly become this irreconcilable?"
Yun Xi nearly rolled her eyes. Irreconcilable was putting it mildly. It was enmity of life and death. Wei Yunqing was the so-called daughter of destiny chosen when the heavens had gone blind. She herself was the variable. If she did not resist, she would only ever be the stepping stone beneath her sister's feet.
So she answered bluntly,
"Replying to Zūnzhě, Wei Yunqing and I have never been on good terms since childhood. After my birth mother's death, she and her mother treated me as a thorn in the flesh, wishing nothing more than to be rid of me.
My selfish father even stole away the cultivation resources my mother left behind. The three of them were more like a family together, while I survived only thanks to my maternal relatives who helped me preserve what little my mother had left.
Later, when Haoran Sect came recruiting, because my aptitude was poor, they tried to confine me in the clan. If not for my success in drawing qi into my body before them, and the sect giving our family three extra slots, I would never have had the chance to enter cultivation at all."
Yun Xi had no notion of hiding family shame. She wished every cultivator in the Wei Yu Realm knew.
Hao Yi's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. No wonder her divinations had foretold that Haoran Sect would lose its variable, leading her to send a message to Yu Feng to cast a wide net in Kunyu City. It seemed the true variable was here.
Yun Xi noticed that shift in Hao Yi's gaze, a trace of assessment in her eyes. She did not mind.
Hao Yi suddenly shifted topics.
"I heard you gave Wei Nanfeng a portion of Rejuvenation Elixir that restored his youth. I wonder if you might prepare one for this Zūnzhě as well?"
At this, the corner of Yun Xi's mouth twitched. Still, she answered calmly,
"Zūnzhě, this junior is gravely injured and cannot currently circulate spiritual power. I fear I cannot refine the Rejuvenation Elixir. However, I can present the formula to you. I only ask that it not be leaked, for my clan relies on it to earn spirit stones."
She then drew brush and ink from her storage ring and began writing the formula in front of Hao Yi Zūnzhě.
Yun Xi had anticipated this matter would surface eventually, so she had long prepared. The Yixian Gate's inheritance was not something to waste.
Medicine and poison were never separate. Add one herb, and a medicine became a toxin. Remove one, and a poison turned into a cure. The Rejuvenation Elixir she gave the Wei clan was genuine, but its effect would never match the unparalleled Flower Face Elixir she had once concocted for Wei Nan Feng.
The excuse was ready-made. The elixir for Ancestor Wei had used herbs from the Yixian Gate's original records, unmatched in effect. But now, within the Wei Yu Realm, several of those plants could only be replaced with substitutes. Naturally, the effect was diminished.
After finishing, she handed the slip over with a smile.
"Hao Yi Zūnzhě, if you can obtain the original herbs listed here, then the elixir you refine will indeed have the best effect."
Hao Yi glanced over the formula, then laughed softly.
"With just one additional ingredient, this prescription could also refine a poison known as 'Huayan.'"
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So it was this person who roped her. Disgusting shit.