Wei Yunqing's reason snapped back into place. She reflexively tried to grab Yunxi's hand, only to find she could not move at all. Aside from her mouth, her entire body was bound by an unseen force.
She could only rush to speak before Yunxi's fingers fully tightened. "Wei Yunxi, what are you doing? I have not offended you. You cannot kill a Divine Transformation cultivator within the sect."
Yunxi's hand slowly tightened. She missed none of Wei Yunqing's micro expressions or changes in her eyes and smiled. "Wei Yunqing, are you clear-headed now? Do you understand your position? Do you remember the fact that you were inferior to me in everything?"
Wei Yunqing's face flushed red bit by bit. She wanted to resist but had no ability to do so. She clearly understood she was no match for Wei Yunxi. Not in the past, not now, and in the future...
Just as the thought formed, scenes from her Heart Demon Trial flashed through her mind. She seized on the final frame, and hope flared in her eyes. Perhaps in the future she would have a chance to surpass Wei Yunxi.
Sensing the change in her gaze, Yunxi turned her divine sense into a needle and stabbed into Wei Yunqing's sea of consciousness. This time she even gave it a twist. Cold sweat beaded on Wei Yunqing as her eyes went unfocused.
"Wei Yunqing, what you saw exists only in your fantasies. It will never become reality. You will never surpass me."
Yunxi's words echoed through Wei Yunqing's sea of consciousness. Blood burst from Wei Yunqing's nose and mouth, and she fainted outright without Yunxi needing to tighten her hand.
"Tsk, so easily frightened."
Switching hands, Yunxi lifted Wei Yunqing by the collar and muttered to herself.
"Ran Xi, she is at least a Divine Transformation cultivator now." Ancestor Hao Yi sent a helpless voice transmission.
"Rest easy, Ancestor. I only warned her. During her tribulation the ones above slipped in smuggled extras."
After a brief explanation, Yunxi carried Wei Yunqing off Tribulation Peak, tossed her back into her cave, and released a tiny Flying Mist Butterfly from her space to monitor Wei Yunqing.
If Wei Yunqing left, Yunxi needed to know at once. She could not keep her divine sense covering all of Haoran Sect at all times, so the little Flying Mist Butterfly would have to work hard.
Lately she had sensed the energy fluctuations of the butterflies in her space. They seemed on the verge of breaking through to fourth rank. This was the result of the Flying Mist Butterflies pushing themselves relentlessly.
Yunxi flashed back to Lingxue Peak and resumed arranging her game board. Outwardly calm, her mind spun at full speed as she speculated on what the false Heavenly Dao had smuggled into Wei Yunqing's tribulation.
Was it letting Wei Yunqing know the fate written for her in the book? Or showing her the future of Weiyu Realm? Or using Wei Yunqing's hand to achieve some goal? Whatever it was, it would not be anything good.
Suddenly Yunxi realized that Wei Yunqing might be a breakthrough. When Yunxi crossed into the cultivation world, the novel had not yet finished serialization, but from what she did know, Wei Yunqing and Sheng Yuhong were absolutely the male and female leads. Which meant that either they would fly up smoothly before the great war between righteous and evil, or they would become leading figures resisting the evil cultivators.
But based on Yunxi's understanding of Wei Yunqing and Sheng Yuhong, neither was the selfless type. Even if Sheng Yuhong had not encountered possession by an upper realm cultivator, he would not act without expecting returns. That was why they became Dao companions. Any obstacle on their path to ascension would be cleared away one by one.
The Sheng Yuhong who might have been possessed needed to return to Spirit Realm. Wei Yunqing wanted to become a top existence in Weiyu Realm, then ascend smoothly. The fate of Weiyu Realm would not affect their decisions.
From that angle, the two were qualified cultivators. But to Wei Yunxi, they were her enemies. She had not killed them only because her transmigration had rewritten the original body's fate.
This round of smuggled extras from the false Heavenly Dao was unexpected, which was why she stepped in by force. She succeeded, at least proving that the true Heavenly Dao stood with them, frankly speaking, stood with Weiyu Realm.
Knowing that was enough. The rest was how to rewrite the fate of the entire Weiyu Realm and prevent the evil god's body from breaking the seal.
Having sorted her thoughts, Yunxi focused on the board. She waited for Wei Yunqing's move.
Three full days later, Wei Yunqing finally stirred awake. She blinked in confusion, and the next instant the ugly memories surged back. Her teeth ground audibly as she forced herself to sit up and pinched a Dust Cleansing Art.
The dull ache in her head told her clearly that her sea of consciousness had been attacked, and only Wei Yunxi would have done it. She snarled in fury, "Wei Yunxi, you and I are irreconcilable."
She then sat cross-legged and ran her cultivation art. She needed to stabilize her realm quickly and then leave the sect to seek her own fortunes.
Even though her Heart Demon Trial had been disrupted, she still saw some scenes. Fortunes that should have been hers were taken by Wei Yunxi. The one who should have stood at the summit was her, not Wei Yunxi.
Those fortunes were meant for her. Somehow they all ended up in Wei Yunxi's hands. She would never accept that Wei Yunxi was stronger. Once she obtained her natal treasure, she would defeat Wei Yunxi for certain.
Twenty years later
After stabilizing her realm, Wei Yunqing finally ended seclusion. She first replaced her identity jade token, then selected a remote mountain as her own peak, planning to accept a few personal disciples.
Before that she made a trip to the Wei clan in Haoran City, only to learn that Wei Lingyue and Du Ruolan had both passed away. One could not break through. The other had been bedridden for years. In the end both died of old age.
Wei Lingtao spoke with a semblance of respect. "Your mother wanted to see you one last time. She went to Haoran Sect several times, but you were either in seclusion or out training and always missed each other. I ordered the clan to bury your father and mother together. It fulfills your mother's wish. Do not grieve too much."
Wei Yunqing only frowned. She did not feel much sorrow. With her cultivation path, her parents could not accompany her indefinitely. She still asked, "Did Wei Yunxi come back when Father died? Did she try to extend his life? My mother has nothing to do with her, but Father is her blood relative. She could not have ignored his life and death, could she?"
Hearing this, Wei Lingtao lifted his eyes to glance at her, inwardly full of scorn. Ran Xi had at least returned to visit her father and the clan elders, and every time she gave the clan cultivation resources in return.
But this one, every time she came back, she strutted and plucked resources. Now she wanted to fault Ran Xi. Where did she get the face.
Perhaps sensing Wei Lingtao's displeasure, Wei Yunqing's eyes flashed and she released pressure. The very next breath, a greater force flipped her from her seat and pinned her to the floor with an even heavier pressure. She could not rise.