Yun Xi realized that even Ancestors had their moments of levity. They too had once been brash and youthful, not always lofty figures sitting beyond reach.
For the most mysterious existence in Haoran Sect, Yun Xi would be lying if she said she felt no curiosity. To be able to walk the cultivation world under another identity sounded intriguing in itself. She asked seriously, "Ancestor, if this junior wishes to join, do I need to undergo a test? Are there specific requirements? I am still injured and unable to fight."
Ancestor Hao Yi smiled and replied,
"Your first test was combing through the overlooked records of the past five hundred years. The answer you submitted satisfied me, which is why I let you remain in the Hive. I even intend for you to eventually take over the role of 'Hive Queen.'
If Weiyu Realm is to avoid falling into the traps laid by the evil cultivators, we must seize the initiative. Since you joined the sect, your sharp perception has, time and again, exposed their schemes whether by intention or not. So your second test is to become the sect's eyes and ears. Do you have the confidence?"
"Yes!"
Yun Xi answered with conviction, though inwardly she felt Ancestor Hao Yi was dangling a carrot before her nose, making her pull the millstone willingly and believe it to be a trial. But what could she do? She wanted to join Umbral Rain, and the Ancestor's tricks were deep, ever-changing.
Seeing Yun Xi's flickering gaze, Ancestor Hao Yi grew even more pleased, as though seeing a worthy successor. She laughed lightly. "Pass the trial, and you may inherit the codename 'Umbral Night.' I have high hopes for you, so work hard."
"Yes. This junior will not fail Ancestor's expectations. I will strive to pass the trial quickly and inherit the codename."
Those words were spoken with complete sincerity.
Soon after, Yun Xi returned to the Hive wearing the face of "Yu Ling Zūnzhě."
Only once Yun Xi was gone did Ancestor Hao Yi's smile vanish. Her expression turned solemn. She raised her hand and keyed a command into her identity jade slip. From her storage bangle she drew out a stick of world-connecting incense. Using her spiritual power, she lit it. As the thin white smoke drifted straight into the sky, she swiftly traced a sequence of coded signs. Once the incense had nearly burned out, she snuffed it and put away the one-third remaining.
Her face had paled. Tossing a pill into her mouth, she muttered, "I wonder if Senior Brother will receive it."
She then sat cross-legged, refining the medicinal power.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi returned to the Hive only to find her chamber overflowing with jade slips, piled high with just a narrow path to the jade desk. Her brows furrowed instantly.
At that moment, the Hive's mechanism stirred again. More jade slips poured into the room, burying her completely.
After much struggling, Yun Xi crawled out from the pile. She tapped her waist pendant, the hive-shaped token, summoning another Yuányīng Zhēnjūn. Her expression frosty, she asked,"What is the meaning of this?"
Since she wore the face of "Yu Ling Zūnzhě," and her tone perfectly matched as well, the Zhēnjūn treated her with due respect, bowing slightly before replying, "Zūnzhě, these jade slips are messages that passed the first-round screening. They need their key points extracted. Ancestor Hao Yi specifically ordered them delivered directly to you. Every three days from the hour of Xu (7–9pm) to the hour of Hai (9–11pm), screened messages will be transmitted into your chamber.
Today's delivery came suddenly, so they were sent immediately. Please review them quickly, otherwise in three days the accumulation will be far worse."
Yun Xi felt as though a flock of crows had flown over her head. Ancestor Hao Yi was truly a woman of decisive action, no wonder she was the stabilizing pillar of Haoran Sect. With no choice but to accept, Yun Xi nodded grimly, split her divine sense into countless threads, and began combing through the sea of messages.
Elsewhere, Wei Yunqing's fortune had taken a turn after entering the secret realm. First she subdued a wisp of strange fire, the "Heart flame," within a volcano. Leaving the crater, she stumbled into a hidden teleportation array, which transported her into an underground herb garden.
Though the garden was warded, her artifact broke the formation. She dug up every single spirit herb. Yet when she harvested the last stalk, she felt a surge of rejection. Hastily she stowed the herb into her crimson bracelet, only to be forcibly transported again in the next instant.
But instead of being cast out of the secret realm, she found herself hovering above a vast ocean.
Wei Yunqing was dumbstruck. Unable to confirm her location, she floated in the air before finally picking a direction and flying on instinct.
Her sudden disappearance caused the trackers outside the secret realm to lose her trail completely. Their faces turned grim as they reported the development back to Haoran Sect.
This message too arrived at the Hive. Yun Xi, eyes narrowing, plucked it from the pile and reviewed Wei Yunqing's movements repeatedly. Nothing suspicious stood out.
Still, the fact that Wei Yunqing vanished within a sealed secret realm struck Yun Xi as though the heavens themselves were showering her with resources, force-feeding her experience. Yun Xi assumed Wei Yunqing had been trapped inside, not realizing she had been hurled all the way to the Eastern Domain.
Wei Yunqing drifted across the ocean for three years before finally setting foot on land again. She was so overwhelmed she nearly wept. During those three years she had been relentlessly hunted by sea beasts. Her nerves never relaxed. Although she gained many beast cores and corpses, her consumption far outstripped her harvest.
In the beginning, when she faced beasts she could not defeat, she instinctively hid inside her crimson bracelet. But the artifact could not turn invisible, and once it sank into the sea it drew even more monsters, forcing her into cycle after cycle of pursuit.
Eventually she learned. Clutching her sword, she fought when she could, fled when she must. In the process she stabilized her Golden Core late-stage cultivation. Yet she still lacked the forward-driving conviction of a true cultivator, advancing only by necessity rather than will.
Once she reached land, Wei Yunqing discovered she was in the Eastern Domain. The greatest sect here was Yunmen Temple, and Buddhist cultivators dominated the region. Some shaved their heads and entered the temple, others kept their hair while cultivating the Dharma. Most monks in the East, however, avoided women, rendering Wei Yunqing's beauty useless.
But being in the East came with one great advantage. The malevolent soul within Wei Yunqing's sea of consciousness finally fell silent.
Buddhist techniques suppressed such evil spirits strongly. Buddhist cultivators also possessed a keen sensitivity to corruption, never letting even the faintest trace escape pursuit. For Wei Yunqing, this was a tremendous relief. She now understood she had found a way to deal with the lurking soul. Without hesitation, she approached Yunmen Temple herself.
After the Baohua Mountain secret realm journey, Yun Chen Fózǐ had not entered seclusion again. He believed his heart toward the Dharma had faltered. Master Yun Yi cast him into Yunmen Temple, assigning him the duty of a humble sweeper monk.