The roar shook the battlefield.
For a moment, every cultivator froze. It was a sonic attack from a beast, and that brief pause gave the struggling monsters an opportunity to counterattack.
A Jīndān Zhēnrén from Baohua City flashed into the sky above the battlefield. With a cold snort, they dispersed the Jungle Tiger's sonic technique, then raised their horsetail whisk and launched into combat with the third-rank beast.
Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, Yunxi was one of the few unaffected by the roar. That gave her a vital clue.
While grappling with the Five-Colored Python, she condensed her divine sense into a needle and drove it straight into the python's head, intending to shred its consciousness.
It worked.
The snake's coils loosened. Its head tilted, and it collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Yunxi reacted swiftly, storing the giant python into her storage pouch. This was her trophy, after all.
However, just as she was about to move, a sharp pain flared at her ankle. A small green snake, no thicker than her thumb, had sunk its fangs into her.
Her limbs tingled with numbness. Without hesitation, she swallowed two antidote pills, then stabbed a shard of ice into the offending snake, pinning it in place.
"You dare sneak attack me?"
Furious, Yunxi brought her staff down and smashed the snake into pulp.
As the antidote took effect, the numbness faded from her body—but now she was surrounded again by snakes.
She planted her staff firmly into the ground. With a wave of her hand over her pouch, she scattered hundreds of attack talismans like falling petals. The sky lit up as she activated the defensive ward in her white jade magnolia hairpin and downed a top-grade replenishment pill to restore her depleted spiritual power.
Booming explosions rocked the battlefield for several breaths in a row, drowning out the scattered blasts elsewhere. From afar, Sheng Yuhong watched, jaw tight.
"Does she have no regard for her own life?"
Frowning deeply, Sheng Yuhong charged through the air toward Yunxi. As the blasts faded, he dived down to pull her out.
At that same moment, Yunxi swept her divine sense over the battlefield to collect her winnings before anyone else could. She caught a glimpse of someone approaching rapidly.
It was Sheng Yuhong.
Without hesitation, she swung her Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff at him. She would never admit it aloud, but she meant to. He hadn't tried to steal her spiritual root or dig out her Golden Core yet, but something about him still grated on her.
And what better opportunity than a chaotic battlefield?
She had her excuse ready too—thought it was a flying beast.
Sheng Yuhong was caught off guard. Instinctively, he activated a protective shield. Purple lightning arced from Yunxi's staff, crawling across his barrier. It held for only two breaths before it shattered.
But that gave him enough time to dodge.
Yunxi narrowed her eyes. Pity. Still, she quickly plastered on an innocent expression and called out, "Senior Brother Sheng? I thought you were a flying beast!"
Sheng Yuhong looked at her, dirt-smeared and disheveled, and his lip twitched.
"Junior Sister Wei, you're surrounded by snakes. Come with me."
Yunxi didn't protest. She nodded sheepishly.
"Senior Brother Sheng, I advanced to Foundation Establishment so quickly I haven't learned sword flight yet."
That part was true. Since her breakthrough, she'd only managed one shaky escape on her sword—from the red-beaked falcon nest.
Sheng Yuhong pursed his lips, then disappeared from view. In the next instant, he reappeared at her side, grabbed her by the back of her collar, and lifted her onto his sword.
Yunxi didn't struggle this time. Embarrassing as it was, she had just broken through, after all.
As they flew back toward the protective formation, she didn't waste time. Talisman in hand, she hurled a fresh volley of attacks into the beast horde below.
By the time Sheng Yuhong tossed her back into the formation, she'd already used up half the second-rank talismans in her pouch.
The moment she touched down, Qin Tongshuang and Long Daoyu ran up.
"Martial Uncle Wei, that was amazing!" Long Daoyu said admiringly.
Qin Tongshuang, however, frowned.
"Yunxi, you were reckless. Charging into a horde of monsters on your own? If not for Martial Uncle Sheng, you would've been snake food."
Yunxi scratched her nose. She wanted to say she had things under control, that she wasn't some fragile fledgling. But friends were just worried, so she gave a sheepish grin.
"It wasn't on purpose. That Five-Colored Python launched me straight into the horde with its tail."
Long Daoyu chimed in, "Well, you did smash its tail first."
"It was a fight to the death. If I'd held back, I'd be lunch by now. Besides, I killed that Five-Colored Python. Its skin is perfect for refining a battle robe. Totally worth it."
She was content. Her first time on the battlefield, and she'd come back in one piece. No missing limbs. Even if the return had been a little embarrassing, it was a worthwhile experience.
They hadn't chatted long when a piercing cry echoed from deep in the Baohua Mountains. Every beast on the battlefield suddenly froze, then began retreating in an orderly wave back toward the mountains.
Even their dead were carried away.
The Jīndān Zhēnrén who had fought the third-rank Jungle Tiger flew back to the city. The remaining cultivators outside the walls also retreated behind the formation.
This time, it was Yunxi's turn to greet Mu Ningzhu and her team.
Mu Ningzhu had already swallowed a recovery pill. She was still pale, clearly drained, but otherwise unscathed. In just half an hour, there had been casualties on the human side.
Fortunately, with Sheng Yuhong watching over them, the Haoran Sect had no deaths, only some serious injuries.
Sheng Yuhong was the last to return. Once he confirmed that all the Haoran disciples were accounted for, he raised his voice.
"Everyone, go rest. The beasts withdrew on their own, which likely means the negotiations have progressed. Hold out a little longer."
"Yes, Senior Brother (Martial Uncle) Sheng."
The group responded in unison, then returned to their quarters. Hua Zhēnrén remained behind, still guarding the north gate.
Back in her room, Yunxi activated the isolation formation, then collapsed onto her bed.
Dian Dian crawled out from her robes, sniffed at her face, and relaxed once it confirmed she was only exhausted.
During the battle, Dian Dian had not dared show its head. The pressure from the surrounding cultivators and beasts was overwhelming. Too timid by nature, it had quietly monitored Yunxi's condition through their contract.
After all, Yunxi was only ten years old.
She fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes, sleeping for two full hours. When she awoke, the sky outside was still dark.
With a stretch and a yawn, she mumbled, "Dian Dian, what time is it?"
"It's the yin hour, Master. Between three and five in the morning. You looked tired, so I didn't wake you."
Yunxi sat up and rotated her sore limbs, then began training in the basic body technique. The interstellar physical cultivation method involved specific movements to temper the body. Yunxi thought it was somewhat similar to yoga, though not quite the same.
The moment she assumed the first stance, a sharp ache shot through her muscles.
She immediately guided her spiritual power to the sore areas, only to find faint traces of starry light merging into her bones.