Early the next morning, Yun Xi left with the female cultivator Pan Yuan and made their way toward the mountain hollow where the Flying Mist Butterfly eggs were stored.
Before they departed the temporary cave-dwelling, Yun Xi calmly pierced Pan Yuan's dantian with an ice needle right in front of her and issued a cold warning.
"If you don't want your dantian destroyed, play your part well. Otherwise, I promise you'll die long before I do."
Pan Yuan swallowed hard and nodded quickly. "I understand."
"Good. Let's go."
After leaving the cave, Pan Yuan pressed her sword against Yun Xi's back. With no resistance along the way, they arrived at the designated hollow.
Once they reached the agreed spot, Pan Yuan called out loudly, "Senior, I've brought the person you asked for. Please give me the butterfly eggs as promised."
The next instant, a black-robed cultivator appeared before them.
The moment Yun Xi got a clear look at him, her heart confirmed her suspicion. This was indeed the work of a evil cultivator. The man in front of her—a Golden Core stage male cultivator—was the same one who had escaped from Wanruo Forest four years ago.
Apparently, the man recognized her as well. Though four years had passed, Yun Xi had only grown taller. Her face hadn't changed much.
Yun Xi narrowed her eyes. "So it's you. You should know I have a master. You'd better let me go, or my shifu will make sure you regret it."
The man burst into laughter. "Your master isn't here today, isn't? Don't be so arrogant."
"My master may not have come, but if you hurt me, they'll find you."
Yun Xi's voice remained firm.
"Heh, I wouldn't dream of killing you. You're far too useful for that."
Xue Ao licked his lips, his tone suggestive.
If it hadn't been for his failed attempt to capture disciples of Baihua Pavilion, he wouldn't have taken so long to form his Golden Core. Now that the one responsible had landed right in front of him, there was no way he'd pass up the chance for revenge.
Pan Yuan had already withdrawn her sword. She looked nervously at Xue Ao. "Senior, I brought her. Where are the eggs?"
Xue Ao tossed her a small box and continued, voice honeyed with temptation. "Well done. I'll give you two butterfly eggs. If you can bring more female cultivators, you'll earn better and rarer ones."
"I… I understand!"
Pan Yuan checked the eggs and, confirming they were real, stuffed the box into her storage pouch and turned to flee.
Yun Xi didn't activate the ice needle right away. She waited. Waited until Pan Yuan was outside the evil cultivator's spiritual sense range—then, without hesitation, she triggered it.
Pan Yuan had thought Yun Xi could do nothing once she was out of range from a Foundation Establishment cultivator's divine sense. She planned to find a safe place and force out the ice needle. Maybe she still had a shot at surviving.
But the moment she returned to her previous temporary cave, before she could act, the ice needle shattered her dantian. She blacked out from the pain.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi was being dragged deeper into the hollow by the evil cultivator. Dian Dian hid inside Yun Xi's Ruyi Boots, barely daring to breathe for fear of being discovered. It had its own task to complete.
The Flying Mist Butterfly had returned to its nest and was equally unwilling to lose the chance to reclaim its eggs. It suppressed all signs of its presence, curling up to resemble an ornamental butterfly trinket.
Because the Flying Mist Butterfly's cultivation was on par with Xue Ao's, and it had deliberately concealed its aura, he failed to detect anything. Moreover, this particular Stage Three Flying Mist Butterfly was pearl-colored, not the usual misty red. That alone was enough to fool him.
They walked for nearly two full hours before Xue Ao rudely threw Yun Xi to the ground.
She rolled up immediately and took stock of her surroundings, just as Xue Ao dropped a blood-red restriction around them. It was clear they weren't alone.
Yun Xi frowned. She could sense a presence far stronger than Xue Ao's.
Seeing her alert expression, Xue Ao sneered. "Don't waste your energy. Even if the Sealing Pill in your body has worn off, you can't leave this place.
Looks like you've been diligent these past four years—you're already at mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Impressive."
A greedy glint flickered in his eyes.
Yun Xi had already released her divine sense in secret. She locked on to the positions of three other Foundation Establishment evil cultivators. She also discovered a location where female cultivators were being held. That area was riddled with restrictions.
While slowly backing away, she cautiously extended her divine sense, trying to pinpoint the hidden, more powerful evil cultivator.
Xue Ao had no intention of wasting more time. With a flash, he appeared before Yun Xi, clamped a hand around her throat, and sneered.
"You're not exactly my type, but at least your yuan yin is still intact. You'll do nicely to help me break through to mid-stage Golden Core."
Yun Xi's gaze turned icy. He intended to use her as a furnace ding.
Just then, a voice echoed in Xue Ao's mind. "Xue Ao, don't touch this one. She has other uses."
A flicker of anger crossed Xue Ao's face. He snorted. "Relax, I know what I'm doing. I won't kill her. Her backer's a Yuányīng Zhēnjūn."
"I'm warning you, Xue Ao—don't touch her."
Before the voice could finish, Yun Xi acted. She triggered the Mystic Frost Needle to pierce Xue Ao's sea of consciousness. Still gripped by the throat, she pressed a lightning sphere directly into his dantian.
Worried he had more tricks, she shoved him back with a palm strike. Then she activated Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind, leaving a shadow clone standing dazed in place while her true body darted toward the other three Foundation Establishment evil cultivators.
In a flash, she unleashed three Soul Piercers, obliterating their divine consciousnesses.
Unfortunately, her shadow clone shattered a moment later. She coughed up blood, quickly swallowed a Spirit-Replenishing Pill, and sent the Stage Three Flying Mist Butterfly off with a wave.
"Go find your eggs. I have people to save."
The butterfly's wings trembled. In the blink of an eye, it vanished.
But in just that instant, a shadow had already appeared in front of Yun Xi.
"Hmph. I didn't expect you to be so capable. You really killed Xue Ao."
A wave of pressure from a late-stage Golden Core cultivator swept toward her.
Yun Xi's divine sense was stronger than his, so she wasn't suppressed—but in terms of cultivation level, she was still just at the peak of late Foundation Establishment. There was a full realm's difference.
Wiping the blood from her lips, she raised her Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff and charged forward.
The evil cultivator paused, clearly surprised she wasn't affected by his pressure. Then a strange smile curled his lips.
"So one of the little fish we caught turned out to be a shark. Let's see what you're really made of."
He drew a curved saber wreathed in gray energy and clashed head-on with her staff.
The moment they connected, purple lightning crackled from the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff, spreading to the blade and dissipating some of the gray mist.
"You're a thunder spiritual root cultivator!"
The evil cultivator's expression shifted. He finally took her seriously. This girl couldn't be allowed to live.
Yun Xi retrieved her staff, staggering back three steps. The opponent's cultivation was clearly above hers. She was struggling. Her palms were already torn—this was the first time since training in body-tempering techniques that her skin had actually been broken.
Steadying her turbulent spiritual power, Yun Xi gripped the staff with both hands and launched another strike.
She didn't notice the blood from her hands flowing along the staff toward the cluster of seven stars. The last star—Yaoguang—began to flicker.
Yun Xi channeled more and more lightning spiritual power into the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff, lifted it high, and brought it down with full force.
"Hmph. Overestimating yourself!"