In the narrow tunnel, both sides clashed in an instant. Blasts of force collided, and chunks of stone tumbled down from the shaking walls.
Sheng Yuhong snorted coldly. "You dare abduct disciples of Haoran Sect? Then leave your life behind."
With that, he charged forward, sword in hand. The three Foundation Establishment disciples followed closely, each wielding their own weapon. Their attacks landed squarely on the serpent's three heads, provoking its fury.
Long Daoyu stood stunned. He hadn't expected their team to be this unlucky, running straight into the culprit behind the abductions. Unlike Sheng Yuhong and the others, he didn't have the strength to fight it head-on, so he quickly slapped three defensive talismans on himself and retreated to the side. Taking advantage of the chaos, he flung offensive talismans toward the serpent to provide support.
Sheng Yuhong had already cultivated sword qi. Each swing of his blade carried sharp, focused energy that struck the central head. The other two disciples each engaged one of the remaining heads. Spells burst forth one after another, making the rocky tunnel even more unstable as debris rained down.
The tight quarters made movement difficult, and the three-headed snake had buried its vulnerable seven-inch point within the stone walls, never exposing it. This prevented them from targeting its weakness, forcing them to concentrate on its eyes instead.
While the fight raged on, Du Yuling's group of three followed the tunnels and arrived at the underground chamber where Wei Yunxi and the others were being held.
Back in the chamber, when tremors began and debris started falling, everyone had already put away their snake eggs. Weapons in hand, they turned to the only exit, alert and tense.
To prevent their escape, the three-headed snake had set up a barrier at the entrance. Since their cultivation levels couldn't match the serpent's, their earlier attempts to break it had only drawn the snake's fury. That time, Mu Ningzhu and the others were beaten severely, leaving them with no choice but to remain quiet.
Now, it was clear the serpent had been attacked. Sensing that their chance had come, everyone readied themselves.
"Yunxi, do you think it's Martial Uncle Sheng and the others?" Qin Tongshuang whispered, having regained her composure.
Wei Yunxi nodded. "Judging from the tremors, it likely is. They might already be fighting. Let's wait a little longer to be sure."
But the shaking only grew stronger. Mu Ningzhu grit her teeth. "We can't wait anymore. Everyone, attack the barrier. Let's break out first."
At her command, all their attacks slammed into the barrier.
The sound of crashing resonated through the cavern. Spells of various colors exploded against the shimmering shield, echoing their rising desperation.
The collision of forces made the underground chamber shake violently. The whole space seemed ready to collapse, but no one stopped. They knew the only alternative was being buried alive.
At that moment, Du Yuling and her companions arrived, drawn by the noise. Seeing the sparks flaring on the barrier, she turned and said, "Target the barrier."
"Yes!"
As Foundation Establishment cultivators, their attacks were far stronger than those inside. With the chamber already half-collapsed, their combined assault finally shattered the barrier. The disciples of Haoran Sect were at last reunited.
"Junior Sister Du!"
"Senior Sister Mu, it's really you!"
"Yes, it's us. Where's Senior Brother Sheng? Did you come to rescue us?" Mu Ningzhu stepped forward, sword in hand.
Du Yuling quickly replied, "We accepted a mission to find the missing disciples. Senior Brother Sheng Yuhong is leading the team. We split up after entering the tunnels. He should be fighting the beast that captured you."
Mu Ningzhu responded, "Then we'll send the Qi Refining disciples out first, and go help Senior Brother Sheng."
Among the rescued group, she was the only one at Foundation Establishment stage—Wei Yunxi wasn't counted—so she couldn't abandon them all just yet.
"Agreed. Have them use Tunneling Talismans to leave." Du Yuling was decisive. These Qi Refining disciples would be of no help in the fight, and it was safer for them to escape.
Mu Ningzhu gave a few quick instructions to Qin Tongshuang and the others, then turned and followed Du Yuling back the way they came.
Qin Tongshuang and the others understood the urgency. Staying behind would only be a burden, so each of them used a Tunneling Talisman and vanished.
Wei Yunxi did the same, except she didn't escape the cave. Instead, she tunneled deeper underground.
She had no idea how far she went, only that eventually, she fell into a hollow chamber far beneath the surface.
The moment she arrived, she sensed thick spiritual energy around her. Releasing her spiritual sense, she was shocked to discover that the space was filled with spirit stones.
"We're rich! We're rich!"
Wei Yunxi exclaimed excitedly, even pinching her own cheek to see if she was dreaming.
The pain proved it was real. After scanning the surroundings with her spiritual sense, the first thing she did was retrieve a third-rank formation plate and activate it. Then she carefully took the Xianling Grass out from her spatial storage.
The Xianling Grass stretched its leaves and let out a contented sigh. "You found a spiritual vein this fast, little master?"
"This really is a spiritual vein?"
"Of course!"
"What grade?"
"Mid-grade. Enough for you to reach Golden Core."
The leaves of the Xianling Grass quivered as it replied.
"Then you focus on absorbing spiritual energy. I'll dig out some spirit stones for myself."
Wei Yunxi still felt like it was too good to be true, but her hands moved fast.
"Alright, just place me over the vein," the Xianling Grass replied via spiritual transmission.
"Got it."
Wei Yunxi had grown more cautious. She placed the Xianling Grass beside her, then took out a shovel and began digging.
The first spirit stones she unearthed were all lower-grade. Their spiritual energy was weak, but there were many of them.
As she dug, she tossed the stones into the storage pouch at her waist. When it was full, she moved part of the load into her spatial storage using her spiritual sense.
The more she dug, the more excited she became. Before long, some mid-grade spirit stones began to appear among the lower-grade ones.
"Xiao Xian, I've started hitting mid-grade stones."
"Then we should be good. I'll increase my absorption rate a bit."
The Xianling Grass had been holding back to avoid draining the spiritual vein too quickly, fearing Wei Yunxi wouldn't get anything if it sucked the energy dry. So it had kept its intake to a minimum.
Wei Yunxi, looking at the growing number of mid-grade stones embedded in the cave walls, wiped her mouth and reluctantly put away the shovel.
"I've gathered at least a thousand mid-grade spirit stones. That should last me for a while. Go ahead and absorb freely."
The Xianling Grass gave a happy tremble. The green light on its leaves grew even brighter. As it absorbed, the entire hollow chamber began to tremble again.
Wei Yunxi frowned. "Are they really fighting their way down here already?"
After a pause, the Xianling Grass replied, "There's a concealed formation tied to this spiritual vein. Now that I've drained the spirit energy, the formation is shutting down. Want to check it out?"
Wei Yunxi immediately released her mid-Foundation Establishment spiritual sense and swept the area. Sure enough, on the wall with the fewest spirit stones, she sensed something strange.
With a loud crash, a massive slab of rock fell from the ceiling, landing right at her feet. That erased any hesitation she had. She bolted toward the suspicious section of the wall.
The moment her figure slipped into the wall, the chamber she had just mined collapsed completely.
At the same time, the three-headed snake in battle grew even more frenzied, lashing out with wild abandon at Sheng Yuhong's group.
===
Hey there! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
If you've been following my translations for a while—or even if you just stumbled across one of the novels I work on—you might've noticed that I sometimes drop a link in the comment section of certain chapters. That link usually leads to my personal glossary, where I explain some of the more complex terms and concepts related to cultivation.
But I realized something recently… maybe some of you are reading through the app, not the web version, and copying links there can be a hassle (´･ᴗ･ ` )
So! I decided to upload the glossary directly to my Webnovel account. You can now find it right on my profile, titled:
🌸 The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond 🌸
This way, it's easier for you to access, and I can keep updating it whenever I come across new terms, concepts, or explanations I feel are worth sharing. Whether you're new to cultivation novels or just want to deepen your understanding, I hope this helps enhance your reading experience. (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ
I highly recommend adding it to your library and giving it a read—even if you're already a seasoned xianxia reader. Why? Because the handbook includes everything from foundational terms you've probably seen a hundred times, to deeper insights and uncommon concepts you might not have explored yet. It's also a great refresher if you ever feel confused by a term mid-chapter.
The content is a mix of information I've gathered from various sources and my own interpretations after reading way too many cultivation webnovels (∠｀ω´) 📚
For example:
-I wrote an entire section called "The Evolution of Cultivation and the Diversification of Paths", where I explore how cultivation branches beyond just "martial" or "spiritual" types. I also touch on 法修 (Fǎxiū) as spell-based cultivators, 剑修 (Jiànxiū) for weapon users, 音悦修 (Yīnyuè Xiū) for sound cultivation, 道修 (Dàoxiū) for Path-focused cultivators, and 魔修 (Móxiū) for demonic ones. Plus, side paths like talisman masters, beast tamers, and more.
-You'll find discussions on Five Spiritual Roots (五灵根, Wǔ Líng Gēn) and how they're viewed differently in different novels—some say it's the worst, others say it's the best.
-I also dive into Heavenly Tribulations, how they vary depending on the cultivator's path, and what that means for progression.
Basically, I try to "make it make sense" by piecing together bits of knowledge scattered across tons of novels. I've rarely seen any story explain all of this in a consistent and logical order, so I figured... why not try myself?
That said, everything in the handbook reflects my personal understanding, even if I reference or quote from other sources. I try to keep things neutral, general, and easy to understand—especially since different authors interpret terms in very different ways.
You'll also find clarifications for common misconceptions, like:
-Dual Cultivation isn't always about sex—it actually has two forms: one intimate (yes, that one), and one non-intimate focused purely on energy exchange.
-Terms like human furnace or cauldron (炉鼎, lú dǐng)
-Concepts like Takeover or Soul Piercing (common transmigration tropes), which I cover in Chapter 23: Spirit/Soul/God (神, Shén) & Divine Sense
-The Hierarchy of Worlds, the difference between practitioners vs. cultivators, Martial Arts vs. Cultivation, and other common worldbuilding tropes like sects, clans, realms, and more.
All in all, this version is way more comprehensive and accessible than the old comment-linked glossary, so I really recommend you check it out! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧