Wei Yunxi struggled to calm the surging blood and qi. A sweep of her divine sense told her that fissures had reopened along her meridians. She said to Yu Ling Zūnzhě:
"Master, that evil soul's Yuányīng self-detonated and tore through my Wind and Snow Domain. I was, I was hit by the backlash."
Fresh blood welled at the corner of her lips as soon as she finished. She could only just manage to stand, her voice thin.
Yu Ling's cold expression grew even colder. His gaze slid across Hao Song Zhēnjūn, whose face immediately tightened. He bowed at once.
"Yu Ling Zūnzhě, I mishandled the matter and am willing to accept punishment."
Yu Ling's austere face showed little, but he nodded.
"You will handle the remaining matters. I will first take Yunxi back for treatment. Xun Kun Xiaoyou, come with me to Lingxue Peak."
"Yes."
Both answered quickly.
Yu Ling then swept up the unsteady Wei Yunxi and Xun Kun Zhēnjūn and left the Law Enforcement Hall.
Only after they left did Hao Song straighten and wipe a non-existent sweat from his brow. He could tell Yu Ling Zūnzhě was not pleased that Wei Yunxi was hurt. He had been careless, never expecting that even with three Nascent Souls present, the evil soul would self-detonate without regard for anything, clearly intent on dragging all three down with it.
Three streaks of escape light landed before the hall. As figures appeared, voices followed at once:
"Junior Brother Hao Song, what happened?"
"Junior Brother Hao Song, I have sealed Law Enforcement Peak and the nearby peaks. The dungeon is temporarily closed."
"Junior Brother Hao Song, do we need to summon all disciples of Law Enforcement Peak back?"
The three Yuányīng Zhēnjūn speaking were the chiefs of the First, Second, and Third Halls, each responsible for a branch of affairs. Their duties overlapped but did not duplicate. The three arrived together because the shock just now was so great they feared evil cultivators again, so they reacted instantly.
Hao Song looked at the damaged great hall, sighed, and said:
"Just now, Junior Sister Wei Yunxi of Lingxue Peak helped me interrogate an evil cultivator. The other side self-detonated his Yuányīng, trying to take the three of us with him. Fortunately, Junior Sister reacted quickly and trapped the self-detonating Junior Sister inside her region, but she herself was gravely injured and has been taken back to Lingxue Peak by Yu Ling Zūnzhě.
The dragon's roar you heard was Junior Sister's natal treasure protecting its master. If she had not remained conscious, the ones injured now would be me and that Kunmo Sect Xun Kun Daoyou."
He could not help showing a hint of envy. A treasure that protects its master of its own accord must have birthed a spirit. At the very least it was a spirit-grade artifact. In battle, the gap between a treasure with an awakened spirit and an ordinary treasure shows at once. No wonder cultivators chase high-grade treasures so madly.
The three hall masters exchanged glances, surprise flashing and vanishing. A Yuányīng self-detonation was no small matter. Had the evil cultivator succeeded, Law Enforcement Hall would be rubble, and Law Enforcement Peak might have been flattened.
Do not underestimate the power of a Yuányīng self-detonation. If a late Nascent Soul cultivator went all out and blew up the Yuányīng, even a Divine Transformation cultivator would be injured, to say nothing of those at the same realm.
All three secretly rejoiced that disaster had been averted. Under Hao Song's lead, they began clearing the wreckage. Zhou Lingchuan was sent at this time to Law Enforcement Peak to learn what had happened and to assist Hao Song Zhēnjūn in the follow-up.
Within a short time the Law Enforcement Hall issued a sect-wide notice, informing disciples of what had occurred so they would not panic. Once everyone learned it was evil cultivators again, tempers only burned hotter.
"Ptui. Evil cultivators, a bunch of gutter rats. Every so often they jump out to remind us they still exist."
"Right, and using this trick of self-detonating a Yuányīng, impossible to guard against. If they had succeeded, we would all be in trouble. Good thing Wei Zhēnjūn acted in time."
A Foundation Establishment disciple spoke with lingering fear.
A Yuányīng self-detonation would be annihilation to someone at his level, impossible to outrun.
"The Five Region Grand Tournament is almost here. I heard Wei Zhēnjūn signed up early. Are the evil cultivators trying to erase the sect's most promising cultivator?"
Someone immediately began speculating on their motive.
"Senior Brother Cen, you might be right. Wei Zhēnjūn fought three Nascent Souls and withdrew whole, she is certainly on their list."
"Tsk, your news is already old. I heard Wei Zhēnjūn only cut down one Nascent Soul evil cultivator, but she did cause the very loving loose-cultivator couple 'Bao Jun and Xun Yue' to turn on each other."
"Is that true?"
"True. First-hand news, updated yesterday by Senior 'Know-it-all'."
The gossip lovers whipped out jade slips to prove their sources.
Another disciple said at once, "Wei Zhēnjūn has already been granted a dao name by Yu Ling Zūnzhě. We should call her Ran Xi Zhēnjūn from now on. Did you not get the sect message?"
"I know that one. Elder Han at the disciples' hall passed it along."
"Do you think Ran Xi Zhēnjūn can take disciples now?"
"Eh? I wouldn't have thought of that if you hadn't said it."
"It is mainly that Ran Xi Zhēnjūn is too young, a Nascent Soul under fifty. If one could become Ran Xi Zhēnjūn's disciple..."
With the crisis over, their topic drifted off course.
Back on Lingxue Peak, Yu Ling Zūnzhě first used his own ice spiritual power to suppress the rampaging backlash in Wei Yunxi, then had her take a Xiao Huan Dan. Only then did he say:
"Yunxi, go treat your injuries first. I will discuss the rest with Xun Kun."
Wei Yunxi's face had color again, if only a little. She forced herself to speak to Xun Kun:
"My apologies for alarming you, Daoyou."
Xun Kun bowed at once.
"Wei Daoyou need not apologize. Neither of us wished this. I should be thanking you for acting in time, otherwise I would be the one injured. Go heal. We can speak of everything else when you recover."
Wei Yunxi managed a nod, and her master waved her back to her courtyard.
Only after confirming she had begun meditating to repair her internal wounds did Yu Ling turn to Xun Kun.
"Yunxi invited you to Haoran Sect privately because she did not want the matter of evil cultivators infiltrating Kunmo Sect exposed too early. We did not expect them to take such a risky move, seeking to injure or kill you within Haoran Sect. Only that girl Yunxi was wary enough. Had they succeeded, friction between Haoran Sect and Kunmo Sect, and between me and Lin Lang Zūnzhě, would have been hard to avoid."
Xun Kun replied immediately:
"Zūnzhě worries too much. The fault lies with the evil cultivators. Had Wei Daoyou not caught Xin Qiujian, Kunmo Sect might have suffered even worse. I am deeply grateful."
Yu Ling was satisfied with his stance and pushed a piece of recording jade toward him.
"Yunxi handed this to me upon returning. It contains the entire process of her encounter with the possessed Xin Qiujian. Now that the evil soul has self-detonated, the trail is cut.
However, we have already traced his movements in the Western Region. You can cross-reference them with his tracks in the Southern Region, which should help you follow the vine to the gourd."
Xun Kun thanked him, took the recording jade and stored it in his ring. After a brief pause, he said:
"Yu Ling Zūnzhě, I would like to take Xin Qiujian's body back to the sect. I plan to return to the Southern Region tomorrow."