Lin Sheng was clearly frustrated. A rare opportunity was right in front of them, yet they had no power to seize it. Any cultivator in his shoes would feel the sting.
Zhao Jinmu sighed and continued explaining.
"Once we came to an agreement, we split into two groups to search for the entrance within the city. Eventually, we found a suspicious location in the mortal district of Yuxing City, but we couldn't get inside. Just as we were trying to figure out how to enter, these people showed up, trying to snatch the treasure map from my hands.
Senior Brother Lin Sheng knew we wouldn't be able to hold onto the map, so he prepared to leave Yuxing City and return to the sect to report it. We wanted the higher-ups to handle it.
But those people wouldn't give up. They wanted the treasure map, and they wanted us dead too. Once we left Yuxing City, they became even more brazen. We had no choice but to release our distress signal. Luckily, the four Martial Uncles were nearby."
The others nodded in agreement, once again feeling grateful for their luck. Running into a Golden Core elder from the sect was rare enough. They had encountered four at once. Without them, it would have been impossible to handle the three Golden Core enemies chasing them. The difference in strength was just too great.
After explaining everything, the nine of them left the matter in the hands of the four Martial Uncles and focused on healing.
Cao Yi gathered the three and gestured for their opinions.
Zhang Lingrui leaned against a tree trunk with arms crossed and said, "This is meat brought straight to our mouths. No reason not to eat it. Whatever the opportunity is, we'll only know once we see it."
Lin Keyang agreed. "Exactly. Let's go check it out first. It's a form of training too. Besides, it was disciples of Haoran Sect who discovered it. We can't let others swoop in and take it."
Yun Xi also agreed to take a look, though she reminded them, "I don't mind going, but spiritual stones don't just fall from the sky. It might be an opportunity, but it could also be a trap. Best we stay cautious."
The other three's eyes flashed at her words. They were reminded of the evil cultivators in Xiaohe City. Last they saw, Xiao He was still missing. It was entirely possible this was all a trap laid by evil cultivators.
Cao Yi's expression grew stern.
"What Junior Sister Wei said is right. We should pursue opportunity, but not recklessly. First, let's question this Daoyou and see if we can get anything useful."
The four turned toward the Golden Core man trapped in the formation. He no longer looked anxious. It seemed he had accepted his fate and was now sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Just as Cao Yi opened the formation, the man suddenly snapped his eyes open. A red glint flashed in his pupils—caught immediately by Yun Xi's sharp spiritual sense.
She shouted, "Senior Brother, he's going to self-destruct!"
Even as she warned them, she activated her Riding the Wind and shot toward Cao Yi, grabbing his wrist and dragging him back with her.
Cao Yi responded quickly. He trusted Yun Xi's judgment without hesitation. Instead of releasing the trapping formation, he immediately switched to a killing array and allowed Yun Xi to pull him back.
Zhang Lingrui and Lin Keyang were just as fast. They moved in perfect sync, shielding the Foundation Establishment disciples. One launched a punch, the other swung his sword. Fist shadows and sword light wove together, dissipating the power of the Golden Core self-detonation and preventing it from harming the juniors.
A thunderous boom echoed through the forest. The array that had trapped the last Golden Core enemy was utterly destroyed by the explosion. The surrounding ten li were left in shambles.
The green bamboo hairpin in Yun Xi's hair shimmered faintly, absorbing most of the blast's force. Cao Yi, standing beside her, also benefited from the protection and avoided injury.
With a wave of his sleeve, Cao Yi scattered the lingering smoke, then flashed over to regroup with Yun Xi and the others.
Lin Sheng and the other eight were drenched in cold sweat. They had reacted too slowly. Without the four Martial Uncles, they would already be nothing but ashes.
Zhang Lingrui and Lin Keyang sheathed their weapons, both feeling their qi and blood surging. Thankfully, they had retreated early and avoided the blast center. Though they were injured, it wasn't serious.
"You two alright?" Yun Xi asked.
"Thanks to your warning, we backed off quickly and protected them. What about you and Senior Brother Cao?"
"We're fine," she replied calmly.
Off to the side, Cao Yi released his spiritual sense and summoned back the ruined formation disk. His brows were tightly furrowed.
"Good thing Junior Sister Wei warned us. I hadn't dismissed the trap formation yet. If I had, these Foundation Establishment disciples would've been heavily injured."
Zhang Lingrui clicked his tongue.
"That guy was ruthless. He'd rather self-destruct than let us question him. There's definitely something fishy going on."
Yun Xi rubbed her chin and asked, "Was it because Senior Brother Zhang and I acted too quickly? Maybe he thought he had no way out and chose to blow himself up."
Zhang Lingrui immediately shook his head.
"No way. Anyone who's reached the Golden Core stage wouldn't choose to self-destruct unless there was truly no other option."
Yun Xi shrugged. "Then we've lost the trail. We don't know who they were working for, or how they locked onto Lin Sheng's group. It'll be even harder to find the truth now."
Cao Yi, however, remained unfazed. "Doesn't matter. As long as they're after the treasure map, they'll show up again. What we need to worry about is whether we're strong enough to face them."
Zhang Lingrui said decisively, "Let's head to Yuxing City first."
Lin Keyang glanced at the still-shaken Foundation Establishment disciples. "What about them?"
Cao Yi looked at the nine with a hint of hesitation. The map was in their hands, and they had discovered the entrance. But in reality, they didn't have the strength to keep it.
Zhao Jinmu exchanged a look with Hua Xuanzi. They had already made their decision. Opportunities were precious, but staying alive mattered more.
Zhao Jinmu stepped forward and said, "Martial Uncles, this situation is beyond what we can handle. We'll hand the treasure map over to the four Zhēnrén and give up on this opportunity."
Yun Xi smiled faintly at his decisiveness. Zhao Jinmu was still the same as ever—knowing when to act and when to let go. Besides, as Golden Core cultivators, there was no way they'd take something from their juniors for free.
Lin Sheng and the others had no objections. They were just tagging along for a chance at fortune. If the original discoverer was stepping back, they had even less reason to oppose.
The four Martial Uncles each tossed a storage pouch to Zhao Jinmu. Each contained different items. Yun Xi's pouch held talismans, a few pills, and some spirit stones—the most practical currency.
Cao Yi stepped forward to speak on behalf of the group.
"Nephew Zhao, even if you can't claim this opportunity now, we as your elders can't take your things without offering something in return. Take these. Once we confirm the treasure map's authenticity, we'll provide additional cultivation resources as appropriate. Does that sound fair?"
Zhao Jinmu nodded right away.
"No objections, Martial Uncle."
He placed the items into his own storage pouch, then respectfully handed over the treasure map with both hands. He also explained how they had deduced that the treasure's location was within Yuxing City.
Cao Yi accepted the map. After a brief discussion, the four of them took the nine disciples and set off toward Yuxing City.
Hua Xuanzi leaned closer to Yun Xi and asked in a low voice, "Martial Uncle Wei, why are we going back to Yuxing City?"
"To let the ones stalking you know the treasure map has changed hands. So they'll stop targeting you. And we'll escort you to the teleportation array while we're at it."