Wei Yunqing's face turned dark. She had a creeping feeling that ever since she met Wei Yunxi, her luck had taken a nosedive. Last time, their airship had been ambushed mid-flight and crashed on the outskirts of the Baohua Mountain Range, nearly costing her life. And now? The ship was acting up again, for who knows what reason.
A crowd of cultivators had gathered on the deck, all wearing the same expressions of confusion and growing concern.
A female cultivator at the Golden Core mid-stage, who was stationed aboard as the commanding guardian of the vessel, stepped forward and offered the group a polite cupped-fist salute before speaking.
"Daoyou, I am the ship guardian Zhēnrén of Tianlin Airship Company. We've just received word from headquarters: a nearby vessel has come under attack by a spirit beast, and I've been ordered to assist in the rescue. Because of this, our ship must halt its journey here.
There is a nearby city where you can transfer to another airship from a different company. Tianlin Airship Company will compensate you by refunding double your fare. I ask for your understanding."
Some of the cultivators who had been on the verge of grumbling immediately shut their mouths when they heard about the double refund. The ship had only traveled a quarter of the route so far, so getting twice their fare back meant they hadn't spent a single spirit stone—in fact, they were making a profit.
One by one, they collected their compensation and disembarked without complaint.
Wei Yunqing took her refund as well, planning to head for the nearest city beyond Yandang Mountain and transfer to another airship. She couldn't afford any more delays—she had to return to the sect.
What she didn't know was that just on the other side of two nearby peaks, a group of evil cultivators was tracking a strange, purple-colored spirit flame. And the direction that flame was fleeing in? The very spot where the airship had just landed.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi received a message from her Flying Mist Butterfly. It informed her that Wei Yunqing's airship had inexplicably landed in Yandang Mountain. The butterfly—now a third-rank Flying Mist Butterfly—had been trailing the evil cultivators, and relayed that they had forced the Mystic Thunder Violet Flame into the open and were currently attempting to capture it.
Yun Xi paused mid-step, a sly smile creeping across her face.
So someone was trying to create the perfect opportunity for Wei Yunqing to intercept her good fortune? Seemed like whoever was behind this felt bad that she had stripped Yunqing's spatial treasure clean, and now wanted to even the scales.
"Hmph. Let's see who ends up with that flame in the end."
With a flick of her wrist, Yun Xi summoned the Yunxia Flying Boat and embedded a high-grade spirit stone into the formation core. The ship surged forward at full speed. She activated the defensive wards, then sat cross-legged inside to meditate and recover her spiritual power.
By the time her state returned to its peak, she had changed into a plain black robe. She also deliberately altered her appearance and suppressed her outward cultivation level to the late Foundation Establishment stage. For her weapon, she selected a humble, nondescript spirit sword.
The Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff was her primary weapon, but she couldn't risk using it. That would raise too many suspicions—especially from Wei Yunqing. Ice-element spells were also off-limits; Yunqing knew that she had apprenticed under Yu Ling Zhēnjūn, and ice was that Zhēnjūn's specialty.
She had to erase every trace that might link her to her true identity. Even if she ended up clashing directly with Wei Yunqing, she couldn't leave any clues behind.
With her disguise in place, she arrived at the edge of the Yandang Mountain Range. Retracting the Yunxia Flying Boat, she leapt forward and entered the mountain, following the evil cultivators' trail as directed by the Flying Mist Butterfly.
By the time Yun Xi reached the battlefield, the evil cultivators had already clashed with other cultivators. The Mystic Thunder Violet Flame floated quietly at the center of the chaos, seemingly trapped within an invisible formation.
Wei Yunqing had already pushed aside her earlier frustrations. Sword in hand, she fought her way through the fray, all the while keeping a close eye on the drifting spirit flame. She believed her luck had turned again. If she could form a contract with the flame, she would surely be accepted as a disciple by Yu Huo Zhēnjūn.
Yun Xi noticed the ambition in Wei Yunqing's eyes but felt a quiet sense of relief. As long as the flame hadn't fallen into Yunqing's hands yet, it was still fair game. She needed to act fast, though—she had spotted a flying sword message talisman on her way here. That meant higher-level cultivators could arrive at any moment.
"Dian Dian," she whispered, "take the fourth-rank formation disk underground and position it right beneath the flame. When I release the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it'll suppress everyone temporarily. Use that chance to activate the formation and trap the flame."
Dian Dian nodded its tiny head solemnly. "Dian Dian understands."
With its personal storage pouch strapped tightly to its back, the Xunzong Mouse darted underground.
Yun Xi spread her divine sense across the battlefield, waiting.
When Dian Dian sent back a mental pulse indicating it had reached position, Yun Xi suddenly unleashed the full might of her Nascent Soul aura. All the combatants—cultivators and evil cultivators alike—were forced to the ground by the overwhelming pressure.
At that exact moment, Dian Dian activated the formation.
"An ambush!" someone shouted.
Realizing something was wrong, one cultivator swung his sword wildly in all directions as Yun Xi withdrew her aura.
Wei Yunqing, relying on her personal spatial treasure, made a reckless dash toward the spirit flame. Her plan was to scoop up both the flame and the formation disk in one go, then deal with them later once she got back.
Just as her hand touched the edge of the formation, a bolt of violet lightning shot out and struck the back of her hand. She grunted and reflexively pulled away.
In the next instant, she saw a black-robed female cultivator rush straight into the formation. Before Wei Yunqing could react, both the formation and the spirit flame vanished.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
Then, a terrifying aura descended from the sky, flattening everyone to the ground as a figure appeared in midair.
A male cultivator hovered above them, his spiritual sense sweeping every inch of the battlefield.
"Where is the spirit flame?" he asked coldly.
A male cultivator responded at once. "Zhēnjūn, a Nascent Soul cultivator arrived just before you. They used a formation disk to control the flame. Then both the formation and the flame disappeared."
The Nascent Soul cultivator narrowed his eyes. "Who was the last person near the flame?"
All eyes turned to Wei Yunqing. Spiritual sense could not be faked.
Wei Yunqing's face burned with fury. She forced herself to speak.
"Senior, this junior is a registered disciple of Yu Huo Zhēnjūn of Haoran Sect. Just now, a female cultivator in black robes rushed into the formation. After that, both the flame and the formation vanished. I wasn't the last one to touch it."
The male cultivator studied her for a moment before speaking.
"If you're a disciple of Yu Huo, then I'll give you a ride."
With a flick of his sleeve, he summoned a spatial vortex and swept Wei Yunqing away. Then, before leaving, he executed the ten evil cultivators still on the field.
Only after the Zhēnjūn left did the remaining cultivators dare to move again. Grumbling curses under their breath, they scattered—though a few lingered far off in the distance, unwilling to give up just yet. They wanted to confirm whether the flame had truly vanished.
At that moment, Yun Xi was collapsed inside the wooden plaque space. Her face was twisted in pain, her skin coated in a layer of faintly glowing violet flame. The fire licked at her like it was burning her alive.
Dian Dian paced anxiously nearby, hopping in agitation, but too afraid to approach the flames.
The situation had turned dangerous in an instant. Just as Dian Dian sensed the suction force begin to pull, Yun Xi had acted first—striking at Wei Yunqing and attempting to absorb the formation disk, Dian Dian, and the spirit flame into her spatial domain all at once.
But something unexpected happened.
The spirit flame broke free of the formation and tried to flee. Yun Xi blocked it. The flame then dove straight into her body.
She had felt her blood boil away in a single breath. Another aura had surged from deep within. Holding onto the last shred of clarity, she dragged Dian Dian and the formation disk into the safety of her spatial refuge.