Yu Qingcheng's eyes lit up. She recognized Yunxi at once, especially with that conspicuous outfit. She quickly called out,
"Junior Sister Wei, call your master now! They're evil cultivators!"
The four black-robed cultivators immediately sensed the concealed formation the moment Yunxi appeared. Unsure of the cultivation level hidden within, they hesitated. But after exchanging glances, they didn't retreat. Instead, they cautiously turned their blades toward Yunxi, testing the situation.
Mu Ningzhu's heart clenched. This was bad. These evil cultivators weren't falling for it. Little Shimei was in danger.
Yunxi felt a flicker of frustration. She hadn't expected them to be so bold. Since they weren't going to back down, she'd just kill them. She took two steps forward and, without warning, unleashed the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
She didn't dare underestimate evil cultivators. If they had even a second to fight back, it would be her life on the line.
The four were caught completely off guard. The instant that Nascent Soul pressure filled the air, they knew they were done for. But it was already too late. A high-level cultivator's suppression over low-level ones was absolute. The four dropped to their knees, crushed to the ground.
Yunxi's voice rang out sharp and cold.
"What are you waiting for? Or do you want my master to act personally?"
Although Yunxi had aimed her pressure away from Yu Qingcheng and Liu Haotian, they were still affected. But the threat to their lives pushed them to their limits. Both turned, and without hesitation, drove their swords straight into the dantian of the kneeling evil cultivators.
Yunxi leapt forward with the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff and smashed one of the evil cultivator's skulls. The blood sprayed in all directions, making her wrinkle her nose, though this time she didn't vomit.
At that moment, Mu Ningzhu shot out from the formation. Seeing the evil cultivators pinned in place, she immediately formed hand seals. A spear of wood shot forward, aiming for the last one's dantian.
But a red light flashed from the evil cultivator's body, blocking the blow. In the next breath, he crushed the teleportation talisman in his hand and vanished on the spot.
Yu Qingcheng and Liu Haotian had exhausted their spiritual energy. Both collapsed, gasping for breath.
Quick on her feet, Yunxi swiftly looted the three dead evil cultivators' storage items, then threw out three fireballs to incinerate their corpses. Only after the remains were reduced to ash did she turn to Mu Ningzhu.
Mu Ningzhu walked over and asked, "Junior Sister Wei, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just drained my spiritual energy."
Yunxi mumbled, her voice vague.
"Go back into the array and meditate. I'll speak with the others."
"Yes, Senior Sister."
Yunxi obediently returned to the array.
Qin Tongshuang rushed up. "Yunxi, that was incredible!"
Yunxi gave a shaky laugh, then collapsed to the ground and said, "I was terrified just now! I was afraid they'd strike me before I could even speak. If that happened, I would've been exposed!"
She even patted her chest in lingering fear. It had been a close call. Her adrenaline had kept her calm in the moment, but now her legs were starting to feel weak and her heart was pounding.
Qin Tongshuang smiled and gently said, "Sit and recover. Leave the rest to Senior Sister Mu."
Yunxi nodded and sat cross-legged, entering meditation.
A short while later, Mu Ningzhu brought Yu Qingcheng and Liu Haotian into the array. The two of them quietly settled in a corner to rest and heal, making no attempt to interfere with the group.
Yunxi had already changed out of her borrowed robe and returned the loaned artifacts. She then sent a voice transmission to Mu Ningzhu.
"Senior Sister, what's their story?"
Mu Ningzhu sighed. "They were on their way back to Baihua Tower when the evil cultivators targeted them. Their group of four was both good-looking and decently strong, so the evil cultivators wanted to capture them as cauldrons. They fought back desperately, but two of them were taken. These two fled all the way to Wanyuo Forest, where they ran into us."
Yunxi rubbed her chin. "Judging from their earlier words, Yu Daoyou seems to know who those evil cultivators were."
Mu Ningzhu nodded, then pointed upward.
"You guessed right. They came down from above."
"Tch. So brazen? No major figures keeping them in check?"
"Everyone wants evil cultivators dead, but the ones they send to Weiyu Realm won't be stronger than Nascent Soul. Any higher and our side's powerhouses would notice.
Foundation Establishment evil cultivators are inconspicuous and still capable. They also face less suppression in this realm. They used to be very arrogant—until the sects banded together and wiped them out. Since then, they've kept a lower profile and move in secret.
This encounter was likely a coincidence. You took out three of them using your artifact. That should scare them off for now, but to be safe, we should still return to the sect as soon as possible."
"I understand, Senior Sister. What about those two?"
"Once we're out of Wanyuo Forest, we'll reach Wanyuo City. We'll part ways there. The city has Golden Core cultivators stationed inside. The evil cultivators won't dare act rashly. What they do after that is their business. My priority is getting you all back safely."
"Got it."
Yunxi felt they had done more than enough for Yu Qingcheng and Liu Haotian. They weren't close, and those two had higher cultivation than them. They should be able to handle things from here.
Then Yunxi quietly sent another voice transmission.
"Senior Sister, I've got the three storage pouches from the evil cultivators. They're our spoils of war. Want to split them?"
This time, Mu Ningzhu didn't refuse. They had taken a huge risk, so some gain was well-deserved. She silently agreed to let Yunxi take the largest share—after all, she had contributed the most and faced the most danger.
The others had no objections. Zhang Yan even said he hadn't contributed and didn't want a share, but Yunxi stopped him. She understood the importance of fair distribution, especially to maintain trust. It was also a subtle bribe, a way to encourage them to keep quiet about the high-grade artifact she'd used.
Thankfully, all three had upright hearts and didn't show any greed. After dividing the spirit stones from the storage pouches, they burned the rest of the items and returned to meditation. This time, Mu Ningzhu took the night watch.
Perhaps it was due to the lingering pressure of that fleeting Nascent Soul aura, but the entire forest remained eerily quiet all night. At first light, Mu Ningzhu urged everyone to get moving.
Yu Qingcheng looked at her injured Senior Brother, who was still struggling with the demonic qi in his body, and had no choice but to follow the group. In his condition, she couldn't travel alone.
Maybe her bad luck had run its course. After joining Yunxi's group, no other accidents occurred. Three days later, they safely exited Wanyuo Forest. Yu Qingcheng finally exhaled, relieved that no enemies had pursued them.
Mu Ningzhu relaxed as well. She had been worried that the evil cultivators would track them down, dragging the whole group into trouble.
After entering Wanyuo City, Yu Qingcheng took the initiative to bid farewell.
"Yu Qingcheng thanks you all for saving our lives. Without your help, we would've died back there. Baihua Tower will remember this favor. If you ever need anything, feel free to seek me out."
She handed over her transmission talismans—one for each of them. Beside her, Liu Haotian's face had started to turn black from the demonic poison, but he still forced himself to offer his own talisman before leaving with Yu Qingcheng's support.