The four had expected a rough welcome upon their return, but they had not expected to be delivered by the Ten Hall Yama straight into an evil cultivators' den. Fortunately they were no pushovers. With both cultivation and spirit sense advanced, their reactions were razor sharp.
The instant Yunxi was engulfed by evil miasma, Zi Yan surged out of her dantian. While shielding its master, it burst among the enemy like fireworks. Purple embers streaked into the bodies of the evil cultivators, and wails erupted all around. Yunxi was already sweeping out with the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff, reaping lives in arcs of force.
Han Lian summoned the ice lotus as a shell, a crystalline sword in hand. With one move, Thousand-Mile Freeze, she sealed nearby evil cultivators together with their own miasma in glittering ice. Her follow-up cut seemed light as a feather, but a storm of sword shadows lanced through the frozen foes, snuffing them out.
Golden Buddha light radiated from Yun Chen Fózǐ, dispersing the swarming miasma. He intoned a Buddha name. A colossal golden palm print slammed down from his hand and turned the charging evil cultivators into pulp.
Shrouded in demon fire that warded off the corruption, Xun Kun gripped his twin-headed sword. With a flick, the black blade spun into the clustered enemy. The double edges carved a spiraling path, harvesting bodies as it whirled.
After Yunxi swept down a swath with the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff, she released her divine sense. Her brows knit at once. She had been here. This was the back mountain of Huaxian Gate. During the Five Region Grand Tournament they had stayed on the guest peak outside, but the eighty-one peaks of Huaxian Gate were unmistakable.
When Han Lian finished clearing the foes around her, she too realized their return point in the Weiyu Realm was Huaxian Gate's back mountain. The sect grounds had become an evil stronghold. From the direction of Huaxian Gate's main peak, spatial ripples pulsed. Moments later, waves of evil cultivators streamed from the rear hall and shot away from the sect as streaks of light.
Yun Chen Fózǐ flashed to Yunxi's side and intoned, "Ran Xi, the Ghost Realm passage connects straight to Huaxian Gate's back mountain. Those deliberately released ferocious spirits have indeed been sent to the Weiyu Realm. This is dire."
Having cut down the enemies hemming her in, Han Lian appeared beside them. "Ran Xi, Yun Chen, there are spatial waves at the main peak. That must be the Huaxian Gate passage to the upper realm, but now it is being used by evil cultivators to send forces down. We must sever it."
Xun Kun arrived last, his tone grim. "The Central Region is almost entirely a battlefield. The other four regions have closed from four sides to pen the fighting inside the Central Region, slowing the takeover of the Weiyu Realm. What comes next depends on us."
Yunxi bit down and said, "The Ten Hall Yama did us a favor, in a way. By sending us into the heart of their base, we have no need to hold back."
She turned to the others. "Han Lian, you destroy the main peak passage to the upper realm. We cannot allow an endless stream to pour down. Bai Feng will support you. After the passage is destroyed, leave Bai Feng to guard it. Do not let them rebuild."
She released Bai Feng from the Misty Snow Domain. The massive bear appeared before them, then shook its head in annoyance as the realm suppressed its strength.
With a toe-tap Han Lian vaulted onto Bai Feng's back. "I will cut the reinforcements first, then rendezvous with you."
"Han Lian, send a message to the Northern Region. Tell them to hold the line. I will trap every evil cultivator inside the Central Region," Yunxi called to her retreating figure.
Han Lian flashed an OK hand sign and vanished.
Yunxi turned to Xun Kun and Yun Chen Fózǐ. "First we erase the Divine Transformation evil cultivators gathered here. Then help guard me while I activate the shield."
"Understood."
Both answered at once and transmitted news to their sects that they had entered the enemy base. They urged their own Ancestors to hold fast.
Ten Divine Transformation evil cultivators who had been recuperating on Huaxian Gate's back mountain surged in to surround the trio.
The three exchanged a look and split the work. Each set about slaughtering three. The last one, holding back as a commander, saw his comrades felled in a single exchange. Realizing disaster, he dissolved into black smoke and fled.
They did not give chase. Instead they rose into the sky together. Purple, gold, and black streaks pierced the roiling cloud cover. With a light sweep of sleeves, they parted the gloom. A spray of golden sunshine fell upon the rear mountain of Huaxian Gate.
Yunxi took the Hong Energy Shield out of her space. She set the protection range, then inverted the control so that evil cultivators could not escape the battlefield. She hurled the metal sphere downward. A transparent dome bloomed and expanded, slowly covering the entire field.
Watching the Hong energy blocks drain like water pained her. Before, the shield's coverage had been small, so consumption was manageable. Even so, she had traded with Star Trek twice to replenish stock. Now, just by opening the shield, a whole crate of Hong blocks was gone.
"Amitabha. Ran Xi, do not dwell on the cost. You have enclosed the entire Central Region. Evil cultivators cannot leave, but neither can the Weiyu Realm's righteous cultivators. We must evacuate them quickly," Yun Chen Fózǐ said.
"Right. Guard me. I will send them out."
Yunxi thread-wove her divine sense. In five breaths it spanned the entire Central Region. Her voice followed. "I am Ran Xi of Haoran Sect. I am removing you from the battlefield. Do not resist."
Her words boomed in the ears of righteous cultivators locked in combat. Each felt a lock settle on them. In the next instant they vanished from the field, not even time for a cry.
As Yunxi removed most righteous cultivators from the Central Region, Huaxian Gate's main peak collapsed. Bai Feng's enraged bellow rolled over the mountains and echoed across Huaxian Gate.
"I will support Han Lian," Yun Chen Fózǐ said, flashing away.
Xun Kun stayed, glancing to Yunxi. "Ran Xi, are they all out?"
"I evacuated everyone who had not been corrupted. The rest..."
She shook her head. Xun Kun understood and drew a deep breath. "We are still a step late."
"You and I split up and clear another wave. I need to shrink the shield. If I keep burning energy like this, I will not last long."
"Agreed. But someone must stay and guard the artifact so the evil cultivators cannot destroy it." His gaze lifted to the metal sphere hanging in the air. After what happened on Azure Star, he suspected Yunxi's artifact was no ordinary tool.
Yunxi knew his concern was valid, but they were only four, and she could not release avatars for fear of Heavenly Dao suppression. She sent her divine sense into her space and released the Snow Wolf King and his mate.