Hao Qing did not deny it but simply replied, "Yu Ling asked me to check in with you. I am not clear about the specifics."
Lin Lang kept her gaze fixed on Xun Kun's soul flame, watching until it completely stabilized. Only then did she store the soul lamp back into her storage bracelet. Borrowing Hao Qing's communication jade slip, she inquired about Ran Xi's soul lamp.
Yu Ling responded quickly. After a brief exchange confirming that their disciples' conditions had temporarily stabilized, they severed the connection.
Hao Qing put away the jade slip and said, "Disciples of Huaxian Gate have also entered the Qinghua Mountain Range. They must have something to track the Shanhe Scroll. Should we consider forming a team with them?"
Lin Lang's face was serious, her dissatisfaction with Huaxian Gate evident. "The Shanhe Scroll incident already happened once. Why didn't Huaxian Gate take precautions, allowing the same thing to occur twice? This time we don't have that many Nascent Soul disciples to sacrifice."
Though her disciple had been lucky to escape the Shanhe Scroll alive, the Kunmo Sect disciples who participated in the Five Region Grand Tournament had been decimated, with less than a tenth surviving. Huaxian Gate had offered compensation, but no amount of compensation could compare to the loss of talented disciples. Evil cultivators' actions only worsened matters, yet the elders had swallowed their anger for the sake of the bigger picture. Still, resentment toward Huaxian Gate was festering.
Hao Qing's tone deepened. "When one holds the highest position for too long, they cling desperately to it, but they chose the wrong path. They knew something was wrong with the Shanhe Scroll yet stayed silent, harming us and their own disciples. In the end, the ones who benefit most are the evil cultivators.
We should not dwell on this now. The priority is retrieving the Shanhe Scroll. Our main concern has always been the Long Ya sealed within, has it not?"
Lin Lang nodded. "You are right. I will hold Huaxian Gate accountable after Xun Kun returns safely."
The Kunmo Sect then teamed up with members of Haoran Sect and Mingjian Gate to find Huaxian Gate's Xian Yao and Xian Feng.
At that moment, the red fox guarding the Shanhe Scroll remained unaware of the approaching danger. Black mist occasionally leaked from where it had buried the scroll, yet the creature paid it no mind.
A month later, when the red fox sensed something amiss, its eyes had already turned crimson. Worse, as its periods of unconsciousness lengthened, its cultivation surged, reaching the fifth rank.
Within just two days, the temporary alliance of Kunmo Sect, Mingjian Gate, and Haoran Sect found Xian Yao and Xian Feng. Their meeting was awkward.
Xian Yao and Xian Feng greeted the six elders with respectful bows. After exchanging courtesies, Lin Lang spoke bluntly. "Since you have entered the Qinghua Mountain Range, you must know the Shanhe Scroll is here. Have you discovered anything since entering the inner range?"
Xian Yao cupped her fists. "We entered the Qinghua Mountain Range shortly after receiving word from our sect. The compass used to track the Shanhe Scroll intermittently pointed the way. But after entering the inner range, it stopped working. We cannot confirm if we are searching in the right direction."
Xian Feng added, "Perhaps our approach alerted the evil cultivators, who severed our connection to the scroll."
Hao Qing asked, "Can we examine the compass that tracks the Shanhe Scroll?"
"Of course."
Without hesitation, Xian Yao handed over the tracking compass.
Lin Lang and Zhu Ye took turns studying it. They rotated it, observing the pointer, but there was no response. They then passed it to the other elders.
The seasoned Divine Transformation cultivators quickly reached a conclusion: the Shanhe Scroll was indeed in the inner range of the Qinghua Mountain Range. However, for unknown reasons, the scroll had blocked its aura, rendering the compass useless.
Hao Hui spoke coldly, "There are two possibilities. First, the scroll has been temporarily sealed by evil cultivators, preventing tracking. Second, Long Ya may be breaking through its seal, forcing the scroll to exhaust its power to restrain it, making even Huaxian Gate's exclusive compass useless."
Lin Lang picked up the thread. "According to Xian Yao, the compass worked when they first arrived. That proves the evil cultivators' temporary seal has failed. If the scroll is expending immense power to restrain Long Ya, enough that the compass no longer works, that is a grave sign."
Ming Hong was even more blunt. "If the scroll exhausts itself, Long Ya will definitely break free. That would be catastrophic.
Evil cultivators have surely infiltrated the Qinghua Mountain Range. This has become a race to find the scroll first."
Zhu Ye added, "The evil cultivators' seal on the Shanhe Scroll has failed. They cannot use it to locate the scroll before us. But if the scroll continues to deplete itself, Long Ya will break its seal, and then they will undoubtedly reach it first."
Ming Xian waved his hand decisively. "Enough speculation. We should split up and search. The inner range isn't that vast. We'll turn over every inch if we have to. I refuse to believe we can't find it."
"Agreed. We'll search in pairs and signal if we discover anything."
Lin Lang, being action-oriented, wasted no more time.
Ming Hong looked at Xian Yao and Xian Feng. "This is no longer just Huaxian Gate's responsibility. Even if Long Ya was heavily injured by Ran Xi's self-destructing immortal artifact, it remains an ancient evil weapon. You cannot control it. If you find the scroll, inform us immediately."
"Yes, we understand," the two disciples said, shame burning their cheeks. They were Huaxian Gate disciples, and now they bore the consequences of their sect's misguided decisions.
Eight beams of light vanished from the area. Soon after, a Divine Transformation evil cultivator appeared, holding a black arrowhead in his palm. It spun slowly, pointing in every direction, as if uncertain.
"What is this? Did they split up? Have they found something, or are they casting a wide net?"
His eyes darkened. Choosing a direction at random, he followed, coincidentally heading toward where Xian Yao and Xian Feng were searching.
Five days later, Xian Yao and Xian Feng encountered the frenzied, corrupted red fox, now a fifth-rank beast. They clashed immediately.
Xian Yao's brows furrowed tightly. "Senior Brother, this fox is... wrong."
Xian Feng blocked the creature's claw with a jade brush. "It reeks of demonic energy. Its eyes aren't right either. It seems controlled."
"Should we notify the elders of Mingjian Gate?"
"Let's subdue this corrupted fox first. We need to confirm whether it came into contact with the Shanhe Scroll."
"Alright!"
Sword and jade brush in hand, the two attacked in unison, their clash with the fox drawing massive attention.
The disturbance drew the evil cultivator tailing them closer. His sinister gaze swept over Xian Yao and Xian Feng. Pulling out an invisibility talisman, he crept forward silently.
Though battling fiercely, Xian Feng remained alert. A sudden wave of dread surged in his chest. He roared, "Junior Sister, retreat!"
A heartbeat later, the battlefield exploded, a massive blast leaving a crater a hundred meters wide.
Moments later, multiple streaks of light shot toward the explosion's source.