The moon reappeared in the night sky, bathing the mountain hollow below in silver light. Exposed bones littered the ground, and over a hundred bodies lay strewn across the clearing.
Yunxi waved her sleeve, putting away the Soul-Sealing Mirror. Her divine sense swept over the scene, quickly locating two "corpses" whose chests still faintly rose and fell. She used spiritual energy to lift them onto Cao Yi's flying boat and then descended onto it herself.
Cao Yi and his companions cupped their hands respectfully. "Greetings, Ran Xi Zūnzhě!"
Yunxi waved her hand dismissively. "No need for such formality. I didn't expect to meet you here. Have you completed arranging the formation in this area?"
Cao Yi nodded. "Yes. This was the final formation in the Mortal Realm. We were preparing to return to the Cultivation Realm when we found this one under attack. We came to investigate and unexpectedly uncovered quite the situation."
Zhang Lingrui added, "That female cultivator calling herself Ming Ya was possessed by Li Chang, the former City Lord of Shuangshan City. Who would have thought he used a cultivator training in the Mortal Realm as a vessel to hide here? No wonder he vanished without a trace after fleeing."
Yunxi hadn't expected such coincidence either. She had come to the Mortal Realm to meet Xiao He, but before they had exchanged more than a few words, chaos erupted nearby. The long-silent Soul-Sealing Mirror finally gave a response, guiding her here.
She instructed Xiao He to stay clear and followed the mirror's guidance to this hollow, arriving just in time to stop Cao Yi from slaughtering the evil spirits with the formation. These spirits needed to be dragged back to the Underworld to face punishment, not destroyed outright.
However, seeing the critically injured Zhou Langchen and Zuo Die'er left her at a loss for words. Both Zuo Die'er and Ming Ya had loved Zhou Langchen deeply, even following him to the Mortal Realm to help him endure his so-called "emotional tribulation." Instead, the three had stumbled into a trap set by hiding evil cultivators.
From what Yunxi saw, Ming Ya was possessed, Zhou Langchen and Zuo Die'er were gravely wounded, and what had transpired in between remained a mystery.
She resigned herself to feeding each of them a high-grade healing pill. Threads of spiritual power flowed from her fingertips, entering their bodies as she carefully examined their conditions. She did not neglect their dantians or seas of consciousness. After a thorough inspection, she withdrew her divine sense with a sigh.
Lin Keyang asked, "Their condition is bad, isn't it?"
"Zuo Die'er has lost the ability to cultivate. She destroyed her own dantian. Zhou Langchen's sea of consciousness shows signs of a possession attempt, but he barely triumphed, devouring the intruding soul. Still, his meridians suffered devastating injuries. He'll need at least ten years of nurturing to recover."
She then discreetly took out Li Li from her space, using the spirit beast pouch to conceal its appearance.
Li Li's black, grape-like eyes scanned both victims before sending a mental message. "Zūnzhě, their souls are still intact, but they've endured severe shocks. Their spirits are unstable."
"I understand. I'll tell them. Thank you."
With that, Yunxi sent Li Li back into her space.
Moments later, Zhou Langchen opened his eyes. Still disoriented, he instinctively gripped his natal sword and shielded the unconscious Zuo Die'er behind him. He cautiously looked at the four figures before him.
Among them, he recognized only Yunxi. She appeared exactly as she had the first time they met, though her cultivation level was completely indiscernible. He spoke hoarsely, "Wei Daoyou, was it you who saved us?"
Yunxi nodded. "This Lord came to the Mortal Realm for business. I happened to find my peers hunting evil spirits and discovered you two in this pit of corpses. Ming Ya—"
Zhou Langchen gritted his teeth. "She was possessed by an evil cultivator. She lured us here, hoping other spirits could seize us. My master left a mark in my sea of consciousness, which allowed me to counterattack and kill the intruder. But Die'er…"
He fell silent, turning to look at Zuo Die'er, just as her eyes slowly opened.
"Brother Zhou…"
Her voice was faint. Zhou Langchen quickly helped her sit up.
She looked at him and coughed softly. "Don't worry. I wasn't possessed. I destroyed my own dantian. Even if they succeeded, my body would be useless to them."
"You…" Zhou Langchen choked on his words, unable to continue.
Cao Yi and the others watched with intrigue, sensing that far more had occurred than what they were hearing.
Yunxi looked at Zuo Die'er. "Do you regret following Zhou Langchen to the Mortal Realm? If you hadn't come, you would still be your family's treasured junior and continue your cultivation. Now you've severed your immortal path with your own hands, and Zhou Langchen won't pause his own journey for you. Was it worth it?"
Zhou Langchen pursed his lips awkwardly, unable to speak. He couldn't promise to abandon his path for her, nor could he find words to comfort her sacrifice.
Zuo Die'er's eyes reddened. She bit her lip and whispered, "Wei Daoyou, please take me back to the Cultivation Realm. I'll explain everything to my family."
Yunxi nodded, then had them recount their encounter with the evil cultivators.
It was pure misfortune. They had unknowingly wandered into a lair where evil cultivators bred spirits and ghosts. The hollow itself was a mass grave, far from any settlements, which was why no one had suspected anything.
Zuo Die'er and Ming Ya, their memories and cultivation unsealed, sensed danger and tried to return to report it, but they were ambushed. Ming Ya was possessed, then lured Zhou Langchen and Zuo Die'er into a trap. A desperate fight ensued, and Ming Ya was sent to sabotage the formation, which ultimately brought Cao Yi and his team.
Once Yunxi understood the details, she tore open space itself, sending Zhou Langchen back to Mingjian Gate and Zuo Die'er back to her clan. Whether they would meet again was not her concern.
Because of this discovery of evil cultivators in the Mortal Realm, all regions tightened their control over it. Nascent Soul cultivators were dispatched specifically to root out their breeding grounds.
Soon Yunxi received encouraging news. The Soul-Sealing Mirrors of Xun Kun, Han Lian, and Yun Chen all activated in turn, capturing spirits who had escaped the Underworld. The group finally felt some relief.
Five years later, no trace of evil cultivators could be found in the Mortal Realm. Just as vigilance began to wane, a strange phenomenon erupted over Yunxiao Sea in the far west of the Weiyu Realm. It seemed the ruins of a mighty cultivator's estate were about to surface. At the same time, Wei Yunqing revealed herself, proclaiming that she had unsealed the estate, giving others a chance to seek its treasures.
Yunxi rushed to Yunxiao Sea as soon as she received word, sweeping Wei Yunqing off her pedestal mid-celebration and dragging her aboard her flying boat.