Because Wei Yunxi outwardly displayed only early Foundation Establishment cultivation, her journey became much smoother. She had originally been teleported to the outer region, so after traveling for two days, she finally encountered some fellow disciples—though they were currently under siege.
The ones being attacked, as it turned out, were none other than Sheng Yuhong's group of seven. In a way, their current predicament was indirectly caused by both Wei Yunxi and Long Daoyu.
After slaying the three-headed serpent that day, Sheng Yuhong's party found nothing of value in its lair. Disappointed, they left the burrow dug by the two-headed snake and quickly retreated from the battle site. However, they were soon targeted by a team of Foundation Establishment cultivators on their own trial.
That team assumed Sheng Yuhong's group had obtained some sort of treasure from the serpent's territory and began to tail them, intending to kill and loot.
After discovering they were being followed, Sheng Yuhong secretly contacted Mu Ningzhu and Du Yuling, deciding to bait the pursuers into a trap. Both sides were at Foundation Establishment, so the outcome was uncertain anyway.
A few days later, Sheng Yuhong found an opportunity and used a swarm of tiger-head wasps to lure their enemies out. A skirmish broke out, and his group managed to slay three of them, forging a deadly grudge. The surviving enemies fled, only to return later with reinforcements for revenge.
Although calling it revenge was just a cover. Their real goal was, of course, to kill and plunder.
This time, it was Sheng Yuhong's party that fell into a trap. Thankfully, he wasn't a useless figurehead and led the group in a firm resistance.
Wei Yunxi, hidden far away under the concealment of a Breath-Suppressing Talisman, extended her divine sense to observe from the shadows. She didn't move to help—this was her first time witnessing a group fight in the cultivation world since her Foundation Establishment. She wanted to gauge the situation first.
On the battlefield, things were heating up fast. Sheng Yuhong grew increasingly irritated by the endless harassment. He unleashed a move called Fire Dragon Slash to temporarily force the enemies back, then shouted,
"Form the array!"
The moment his voice fell, the other side realized something was wrong and tried to retreat, but they were a step too slow. Six of them were caught within the sword formation, forced to defend themselves against a hail of incoming sword attacks.
"Feixu! What are you waiting for?!"
Someone trapped inside shouted. Clearly, Feixu had been their hidden trump card.
Wei Yunxi clearly saw a figure emerge behind Sheng Yuhong's group and fire off a spell, launching seven golden swords at their backs, aiming to disrupt their formation.
Without hesitation, Wei Yunxi struck.
Activating Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind, her figure blurred into seven afterimages. In a flash, she intercepted the attack, shielding Sheng Yuhong's group from the rear strike. Her voice rang out.
"Senior Brothers and Sisters, stay focused on the enemy. I'll handle this one!"
Feixu, the ambusher, assumed Wei Yunxi had been planted as a hidden ace by Sheng Yuhong and cursed his bad luck. With no choice, he intensified his assault.
This was Wei Yunxi's first battle against a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Thankfully, it was one-on-one. She released her divine sense and stayed hyper-aware, using the agility of Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind to dodge and counterattack.
With the hidden enemy now occupied, Sheng Yuhong's group could go all out. The six others synchronized their energy and fully controlled the sword formation. Waves of swordlight rained down with increasing ferocity, overwhelming the trapped cultivators.
They all noticed that the young Junior Sister holding the rear line was newly advanced to Foundation Establishment. They worried she wouldn't last long. If she fell, they would be flanked again and forced to split their attention. So none of them needed to be told—they poured every last bit of spiritual power into a final offensive.
"Shred them!"
With Sheng Yuhong's shout, the swordlight inside the formation surged like a storm, slicing through the six enemies trapped within.
Wei Yunxi heard the command clearly. She stepped forward, cutting off Feixu's escape route just as he turned to flee.
"Move!"
Feixu's eyes were wide with panic. He hurled a barrage of golden swords while trying to sprint past her.
Wei Yunxi quickly fell back, tossing out a handful of talismans to block the attack. She had no intention of risking her life.
That brief delay was all it took.
Sheng Yuhong's swordlight streaked through the air and cleanly took Feixu's head. The battle was over.
Sheng Yuhong sheathed his sword and looked toward Wei Yunxi's youthful face.
"Thank you, Junior Sister, for stepping in when you did."
Truthfully, even if Wei Yunxi hadn't intervened, Sheng Yuhong could have handled the ambusher himself. But doing so would have given the trapped enemies a chance to escape, leading to more trouble. So his gratitude was sincere.
Wei Yunxi returned the gesture with a respectful bow.
"Senior Brother Sheng is too polite. As fellow disciples of the same sect, it was my duty to help. Besides, I only escaped from the three-headed serpent thanks to your assistance. I, Wei Yunxi, am deeply grateful."
Sheng Yuhong finally realized this young girl was the Junior Sister Long Daoyu had mentioned—the one who had left clues after being captured by the three-headed serpent.
Mu Ningzhu, having sheathed her sword, came over with delight in her eyes.
"Junior Sister Wei, you've reached Foundation Establishment?"
Wei Yunxi turned to her and smiled.
"Yes. I got lucky. Right before the tunnel collapsed, I activated a teleportation talisman and escaped. But I ended up in the nest of a Red-Beaked Falcon. While hiding there, I found an old storage pouch. Inside was a Foundation Establishment Pill. I was overjoyed at my luck.
"But the falcon came back—it was a third-rank beast. With no time to think, I swallowed the pill and forcibly broke through. Then I used the lightning tribulation to scare it off. That's how I made it out alive."
Her tone was mixed with lingering fear, but not all of it was true. She really had been teleported into the falcon's nest, but there had been no tribulation or scaring it off. Still, stories of fortune wrapped in danger tended to sound more believable—and less likely to provoke jealousy.
Mu Ningzhu gasped.
"Yunxi, that was reckless! What if the Red-Beaked Falcon attacked you right after your tribulation?"
Wei Yunxi scratched her head.
"Senior Sister, I didn't really think it through. I just didn't want to waste the Foundation Establishment Pill, and I definitely wasn't going to let that falcon get it. I had to take the risk. And hey, I made it."
Mu Ningzhu still looked disapproving, but Sheng Yuhong spoke up.
"This was Wei Yunxi's fated opportunity. If she had hesitated, we'd be the ones surrounded and fighting for our lives. Fortunately, she has a strong Dao heart and dares to act when it counts. That courage let her save us all."
Wei Yunxi just grinned and didn't say more.
The ambusher's storage pouch became her spoils. The rest of the loot was divided among the remaining seven, but Wei Yunxi didn't join in.
They found a safe clearing and set up a formation to rest. Only then did Wei Yunxi finally ask about Qin Tongshuang.
"She fled in a different direction than I did. I wonder how she's doing."
Mu Ningzhu smiled.
"I'll send a message talisman and check."
Wei Yunxi slapped her forehead.
"Oh right. I forgot I could do that. I'll send one myself."
She still wasn't used to how cultivators communicated.
A short while later, she received a reply. Qin Tongshuang had already linked up with Long Daoyu and was heading toward the exit of the Baohua Mountains.
Wei Yunxi finally relaxed.
Just then, a pillar of light shot into the sky from deep within the Baohua Mountains, piercing the clouds. It instantly drew everyone's attention.