Xiao He said helplessly, "I escaped to the Northern Region with help from Haoran Sect."
Hearing the word "escaped," Yunxi smiled. "What is it? Have the evil cultivators abandoned you?"
Xiao He shook his head. "No. Huaxian Gate in the Central Region has gone mad. Every evil cultivator who entered the Central Region is being hunted down by them. Disciples of Huaxian Gate's Xianyu Hall seize any evil cultivator they find, and if there is resistance, they kill on the spot. They would rather kill by mistake than let one slip, and they are cleansing the Central Region on a wide scale.
Someone like me, already on a kill list as a fallen evil cultivator, would never be spared. To save my life I could only flee. The evil cultivators who used to contact me have been killed or captured. I had no choice but to seek help from Haoran Sect. Only then did I make it safely to the Northern Region by flying boat."
Yunxi laughed coldly. "The evil cultivators thought their plan to lift the sealed evil souls during the Five Region Grand Tournament could not fail, so they moved many forces to the Central Region. In the end, the plan did not succeed."
Xiao He glanced at Ran Xi and swallowed. "In the end it was Ran Xi Zūnzhě who was decisive. To shatter the evil cultivators' perfect plan, you even sacrificed your immortal artifact. If it were me, I would not have had that resolve."
He meant it. The blast of an immortal artifact's self-destruction was visible to anyone in the Central Region who was not blind.
He could still picture the Nascent Soul evil cultivator shaking with rage. When the plan failed, that one tried to flee, only to be blocked a breath later by two Nascent Soul cultivators from Huaxian Gate's Xianyu Hall.
As for himself, a small fry, he crushed a teleportation talisman and ran. Fortunately, the two chose to besiege the Nascent Soul evil cultivator, or perhaps they did not bother with a nobody like him. In any case, he escaped, used Haoran Sect's emergency line, and was put aboard a flying boat to the Northern Region, avoiding disaster.
Yunxi only smiled at Xiao He's words, offering no explanation. If she had not acted, she would have been led by the nose by the Heavenly Dao. Resistance had been her only path to live.
"How did you make contact with the evil cultivators after you reached the Northern Region?"
"They contacted me."
"That female cultivator from just now, have you seen her before?" Yunxi meant the face of Hao Miaoling that she had mimicked with the Glazed Jade Mask.
Xiao He nodded. "Once. She came to me, posturing from above as if she were my superior. With that level of cultivation, she actually dared to order me around. But I noticed something on her."
"What did you notice?"
"The black token you showed me before. Only, the patterns on the token in Hao Miaoling's hand were completely different from the one you showed me."
At the words "black token," Yunxi looked up at once. "Conjure it for me."
Xiao He nodded and used spiritual power to sketch the token he had seen.
After a look, Yunxi's eyes flickered. She now had three black tokens in hand.
One was the one she snatched from Xiao He when she infiltrated the Su clan's secret realm to rescue Xiao Lei. Another was from Liu Yan in Kunyucheng. The last had been taken from Ye Chengbi in Medicine King Valley. All three had identical material, the only difference lay in their engraved patterns.
Yunxi was sure the black tokens had a special purpose. She simply lacked clues for now. That did not stop her from collecting them. She asked seriously, "Are you certain Hao Miaoling is tied to the evil cultivators? She has become a personal disciple under Han Xiao Zūnzhě and is Han Lian's junior sister."
Xiao He blinked, surprised at the background, then nodded. "I am sure. She used the restriction in my sea of consciousness to force me to appear."
"If she can trigger the restriction the evil cultivators planted in your sea of consciousness, she is definitely connected to them. Which also suggests her true cultivation is higher than mid Foundation Establishment."
Yunxi rubbed her fingers thoughtfully.
"Should I lure her out so you can seize the token?" Xiao He probed.
"No. Your task now is deep cover. Best if you can get into the core of the evil cultivator ranks. Only then will you gain truly useful information. But your cultivation is still too low. You need to form a Yuányīng as soon as possible."
She flicked a vial of genetic enhancement potion to Xiao He.
He caught it by reflex and looked up.
"This potion will fully stimulate your potential. It will help with your breakthrough and advancement. Take it somewhere safe. At the very least, it should push you to late Golden Core."
"Many thanks for the gift, Ran Xi Zūnzhě." Xiao He put the potion away and added, "Zūnzhě, the evil cultivators are also eyeing your breakthrough potion."
"I know. That Hao Miaoling has been trying to get close to me, even using her master's name to pressure Han Lian to buy a breakthrough potion from me. It seems that is her mission."
"But Hao Miaoling never mentioned it when speaking to me. She only asked why the Central Region operation failed, then told me to await orders."
"Naturally. If the matter succeeds, the credit is hers. She will not let you share in it. Do as she says. Before long, your handler will likely be replaced."
Yunxi's tone held meaning.
Xiao He swallowed. He seemed to grasp her point, and simply changed the topic. "Zūnzhě, how is Xiao Lei?"
Yunxi remembered she had left Xiao Lei at Lingxue Peak, but she did not feel the least bit guilty."Xiao Lei is well. She is cultivating at Lingxue Peak. She should form her Golden Core before long. Her identity is awkward, as you know, so she must remain at Lingxue Peak for now and cannot leave the sect to train."
Xiao He understood that Yunxi was giving him a step down. Haoran Sect would not let his sister leave the sect, and he did not want her to risk running into evil cultivators anyway. If they learned she lived, both she and he would be in danger. The sect was safest. He nodded. "Please be at ease, Zūnzhě. I understand. This is already very good."
"In that case, I have nothing more to add. Since we are both in the Northern Region, if the evil cultivators do anything unusual, send me word."
"Yes."
Xiao He bowed. When he looked up, she was already gone.
The next day, Han Lian triggered the barrier of Yunxi's courtyard. Yunxi invited her in. "Han Lian, has Jihan Gate decided?"
Han Lian sighed. "Yes. The sect still wishes to purchase your formula for the forced breakthrough potion. Name your price."
Yunxi smiled. "No rush. Have your master read the formula first. If she still insists on buying it after that, I will sell it to Jihan Gate for the price of one mid-grade ice spiritual vein."
She handed over a jade slip with the formula recorded inside.
"This… is not proper." Han Lian did not take it at once. With a cultivator's memory, one sweep of divine sense meant one would not forget. It looked like she would be taking advantage of Yunxi.
"No matter. Do as I say."