Yun Xi and the others vanished immediately, following close behind. This was a distress signal from the Haoran Sect—naturally, they couldn't sit by and do nothing.
Before the flare in the sky had even faded, the four of them arrived at the scene. What they saw was a group of Haoran Sect disciples in the Foundation Establishment stage under siege by three Golden Core cultivators.
Nine Foundation Establishment disciples had formed a defensive formation to resist the attack, but the disparity in power was too great. Two of them had already collapsed, and the formation was starting to fall apart. One of the Golden Core cultivators swept his sleeve, releasing a gold-element spell that easily shattered the formation. The remaining seven disciples were blown off their feet and were on the brink of death.
Cao Yi was the first to act, tossing out a formation disk that shielded the Haoran Sect disciples. Zhang Lingrui, Lin Keyang, and Yun Xi flashed forward, each engaging one of the Golden Core enemies.
To prevent the enemy's escape, Cao Yi circled the perimeter, pretending to support his companions. In truth, he was laying down a trap formation. The disciples who had been rescued looked visibly relieved, the fear of death momentarily lifted.
"Look, those four are all top-ten Golden Core cultivators from the sect's grand competition!"
"Phew! Finally some luck on our side. I thought we were done for."
The rescued Foundation Establishment disciples exchanged hushed words before quickly sitting down to meditate and heal. A fight between Golden Core cultivators was beyond their ability to interfere with.
Zhang Lingrui hadn't drawn his sword in quite some time. A single strike of swordlight sent his opponent crashing to the ground. The golden-element swordlight was razor sharp—his enemy didn't even have time for his soul to escape. The storage pouch was easily claimed.
Yun Xi also wanted to end things quickly. Her divine sense controlled the Mystic Frost Needle, and while her opponent was distracted blocking her Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff, the needle pierced his sea of consciousness and dantian. The male Golden Core cultivator's storage ring fell into Yun Xi's hands without resistance.
The Golden Core cultivator fighting Lin Keyang realized things had gone south—his two companions had been slain in mere moments. Knowing he'd kicked a steel plate, he crushed a jade talisman in an attempt to flee.
Lin Keyang frowned and threw a punch. A yellow earthen shadow shot out, smashing a crater into the spot where the enemy had just been, but the cultivator had already vanished.
However, the very next instant, a muffled crash rang out. A figure fell from the sky—it was the same Golden Core cultivator who had tried to escape.
Cao Yi formed a seal with one hand, activating the trap formation and pinning the man in place. Only then did he wave away the protective formation disk and stroll over slowly.
The nine Foundation Establishment disciples immediately stood and bowed respectfully.
"Many thanks, Martial Uncles, for saving our lives."
Yun Xi swept her divine sense across them and recognized two familiar faces—Hua Xuanzi and Senior Brother Zhao, with whom she had once teamed up. Both had now reached Foundation Establishment, their cultivation stabilized at the early stage.
The two also recognized Yun Xi and stepped forward with a cupped-fist salute.
"Martial Uncle Wei, thank the heavens you saw our distress signal."
Yun Xi tossed each of them a bottle of healing pills, a gesture of care for her juniors in the sect. Both thanked her gratefully.
The other three did the same, checking on everyone's injuries before asking the most crucial question.
"Why were Golden Core cultivators pursuing you?"
A Foundation Establishment cultivator at the late stage stepped forward to reply.
"Martial Uncles, we discovered a hidden treasure in Yuxing City. That's why we were being hunted."
Zhang Lingrui's interest was piqued at once.
"A hidden treasure? What kind of treasure? Tell us everything."
"Yes, Martial Uncle."
The leading disciple began to explain the situation in detail.
It started after the grand sect competition. Once they had absorbed the gains from the event, they decided to leave the sect for some training. Coincidentally, they all accepted the same sect mission—to mine Mystic Mirror Ore near Yuxing City.
Since their goal was the same, the nine of them rented a micro-spaceship from the mission hall and headed for Yuxing City. The spaceship bore the Haoran Sect's insignia, so no one dared to rob them. The journey was smooth.
Upon arriving in Yuxing City, they planned to rest for a day before heading to the Yuxing River outside the city to dig for ore on the riverbed.
The group split up to buy water-repelling pearls and excavation tools, all of which were available in Yuxing City. Hua Xuanzi and Zhao Jinmu, old teammates, stuck together.
While buying mining supplies, they stumbled upon what was being sold as junk—a treasure map carved on a simple jade slip. Zhao Jinmu recognized the emblem on it and bought it on a whim.
That jade slip would bring disaster upon them.
Zhao Jinmu stepped forward, ran a hand over his storage pouch, and pulled out a piece of beast hide. Spreading it open for everyone to see, he said:
"This beast hide was taken from a cultivator who tried to ambush me. It's my spoils of war. Though it's boldly labeled 'Treasure Map,' the place names and terrain on it don't exist anywhere in the Weiyu Realm. I once thought it was fake—or perhaps the treasure wasn't even in this realm."
"But once we reached Yuxing City, while shopping with Hua Shimei, I saw a jade slip also labeled 'Treasure Map.' It was tossed in a pile of refuse like junk. Still, I noticed a familiar mark in the bottom right corner of the jade slip, the same symbol as on the beast hide."
Zhao Jinmu pointed to the top right of the beast hide. There was a symbol—three ripples supporting a tiny star. It looked casually drawn, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly a three-dimensional etching.
After confirming all four cultivators had seen it, he continued:
"Because of the matching symbol, I bought the jade slip and asked the shopkeeper about its origin. The shopkeeper laughed and said someone else had tried their luck before, thinking it might be real. But not long after, they returned it, saying the location it described didn't exist. He warned me not to take it seriously either."
Yun Xi's eyes gleamed with insight.
"Nephew Zhao, after you returned, did you put the beast hide and the jade slip together? And after that, they merged, revealing a true treasure map? The map pointed to a location inside Yuxing City. While you were investigating, someone noticed—and that's when the pursuit began?"
Hua Xuanzi nodded.
"Martial Uncle Wei guessed correctly. That very night, Senior Brother Zhao placed the two items together, and the beast hide absorbed the jade slip. The map on the hide transformed. After examining it, we confirmed that the treasure's location was within Yuxing City."
"So the next day, we didn't go to the Yuxing River. Senior Brother Zhao reported this to our team leader, Senior Brother Lin Sheng. Everyone agreed we should try to find the treasure first. If the map proved real, we'd claim the opportunity. If we were outmatched, we'd report it to the sect."
Lin Sheng stepped forward at that point.
"Junior Sister Hua is telling the truth. The decision was unanimous. Unfortunately, while searching for the treasure's entrance in the city, we drew the attention of those cultivators."