The moment the anomaly appeared above the Baohua Mountains, countless streaks of light shot toward the mountain depths. It was likely that cultivators from across the entire western region saw the pillar of light.
Even the group resting within the array, led by Shen Yuhong, turned toward the direction of the phenomenon. Their expressions varied.
Du Yuling was the first to speak.
"Senior Brother Sheng, could that be the birth of a rare treasure?"
Yunxi also turned her gaze toward Shen Yuhong. This was her first time witnessing something like this firsthand. She had read about similar events in travel notes stored in the Treasure Pavilion, and she believed a heavenly omen could only mean something significant had occurred.
Shen Yuhong frowned deeply.
"I'm not sure. But the Zhēnjūn within Baohua City have surely gone to investigate. We'll report to the sect first and wait for orders."
He figured the sect's Divine Transformation elders were already on their way.
Yunxi fully agreed. This situation was clearly out of the ordinary. Even Yuányīng Zhēnjūn had been mobilized. For low-level cultivators like them, who were still at the Foundation Establishment stage, it was best to stay out of the way or risk dying without knowing how.
After all, the inner region of the Baohua Mountains was home to fifth-rank beast cultivators, equivalent to Divine Transformation experts among the human race. That alone made them some of the most powerful beings in the Weiyu Realm.
Mu Ningzhu added,
"Senior Brother Sheng, since this anomaly is bound to attract a flood of cultivators, we should regroup all disciples of Haoran Sect to avoid being used as stepping stones."
Her concern stemmed from the presence of Qin Tongshuang and Zhang Yan, who were only at the Qi Refining stage. If anything happened to them, it would be terrible. She had brought them here and didn't want her teammates to be harmed.
Shen Yuhong had already sent a flying sword transmission. He then swept his hand and collected the formation disk, speaking to the group.
"We'll leave the Baohua Mountains first. Let's regroup with our sectmates."
"Yes, Senior Brother Sheng."
All six responded in unison, quickening their pace. As they moved out, they passed several groups of cultivators rushing in the opposite direction, drawn by the sight of the omen.
Before nightfall, the eight of them, under Shen Yuhong's protection, finally reached the edge of the Baohua Mountains.
Yunxi's sharp eyes spotted Qin Tongshuang and Long Daoyu. The two were huddled together, whispering, likely discussing the phenomenon that had occurred deeper in the mountains.
"Hey, it's Martial Uncle Sheng! And Junior Sister Wei!"
The moment Long Daoyu. looked up, he spotted Yúnxī's group. But his eyes immediately landed on his idol, Shen Yuhong.
Qin Tongshuang also noticed Mu Ningzhu and Wei Yunxi. She quickly waved to them.
"Martial Uncle Mu, Yunxi, over here!"
The two teams reunited smoothly. All of the Haoran Sect's Qi Refining disciples were now gathered at the mountain's entrance. Upon seeing Shen Yuhong, they immediately gathered around.
Shen Yuhong raised a hand to quiet everyone, then said,
"Fellow disciples, the current situation within the Baohua Mountains is unclear. Your cultivation is too low. Do not enter the mountain carelessly. Return to the sect's stronghold in Baohua City for now."
"Yes, Martial Uncle Sheng."
"Confirm with each other whether all who entered the mountain have returned. If anyone is still missing, send them a transmission talisman. Make sure they aren't acting recklessly and getting caught up in someone else's scheme. The Baohua Mountains will likely be in chaos for a while, and troublemakers will be lurking in the shadows."
Everyone nodded. After confirming who was still unaccounted for, those who hadn't returned were contacted. Once replies came in, the group of disciples followed Shen Yuhong back to Baohua City.
At that moment, Long Daoyu stared at Yúnxī in shock.
"Martial Uncle Wei, it's only been seven days since we parted, and you've already reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"
Qin Tongshuang's eyes sparkled as she looked at Yunxi, clearly eager to hear what had happened since they separated.
Yúnxī smiled.
"Just call me Yunxi. I don't dare accept being called Martial Uncle. I only got lucky, that's all."
She even raised her pinky to make a small gesture.
Long Daoyu immediately grinned.
"Yunxi, tell us the details?"
The other Qi Refining disciples perked up their ears, eager to eavesdrop. Walking didn't stop them from enjoying a juicy tale.
Yúnxī sighed before beginning.
"When the cavern collapsed that day, I panicked. I crushed a non-directional teleportation talisman while fleeing, and it sent me straight into a red-beaked falcon's nest..."
She had a knack for storytelling. Her account was full of twists and turns, with life-threatening danger and narrow escapes. In the end, she only survived thanks to Senior Brother Shen Yuhong's timely rescue. That was how she'd made it out of the Baohua Mountains safely.
Of course, she said nothing about assisting fellow Foundation Establishment disciples in battle. She understood the importance of subtlety. Those walking ahead, including Shen Yuhong, were quite pleased with her discretion.
After hearing the story, Long Daoyu exclaimed,
"See? That's what I call luck. Deciding to enter the Baohua Mountains with me was clearly the right call. You've only been gone a short while, and now you're at Foundation Establishment. A blessing in disguise."
Yúnxī nodded quickly.
"Exactly. Looks like I really do need to venture out of the sect more often."
Qin Tongshuang laughed.
"That's great news. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, we can form a team to take on missions."
She hadn't broken through yet but had already claimed her future team spot. Long Daoyu chimed in too.
"Count me in! Don't forget about me!"
With that, the conversation shifted back to the heavenly omen above the Baohua Mountains.
By the time they returned to the Haoran Sect's stronghold, the sky had turned completely dark. Yet Baohua City remained brightly lit, and the pillar of light piercing the heavens had grown even more intense. Streaks of high-level cultivators continued to fly toward the depths of the mountains.
After the initial excitement faded, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. So much had happened in one day that their emotions were in turmoil. But they all knew to activate isolation formations and process things on their own.
Inside her room, Yunxi not only activated the formation but also pulled out her third-rank formation disk and set it to maximum defense. Then she brought out all her spoils from the Baohua Mountains. She wasn't in the right state of mind to cultivate, so she might as well take inventory.
She had three storage pouches: one from each of the Loose Cultivators who tried to kill her, one from a Foundation Establishment cultivator she helped eliminate for a fellow disciple, and one storage ring found in the triple-headed serpent's den. Altogether, it was quite the harvest.
Yúnxī chuckled to herself, then began sorting through the items one by one.
Just the three storage pouches alone held nearly ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones—far more than she had expected. It turned out both Loose Cultivators had been saving up for Foundation Establishment pills, and the Foundation Establishment cultivator had been stockpiling spirit stones to buy a Core Formation pill. They carried their entire fortune with them. In the end, it all went to Yunxi.
"Tsk, tsk. No wonder they say 'a horse grows fat on night grass, a man grows rich on windfalls.' Now I understand why people in the cultivation world kill for treasure."
After a sigh, she shoved all the spirit stones into her own pouch and continued organizing the rest: artifacts, talismans, and pills each in their own pile, with unfamiliar items set aside.
Once everything was sorted, she decided to sell off everything except the spirit stones. Most of the gear had likely been stolen by Loose Cultivators, and if she used something that someone else recognized, it would only invite trouble.
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(真君, Zhēnjūn) is the formal title for Nascent Soul (Yuányīng) cultivator