Cao Yi and the others had already understood Yun Xi's intention. It was time to reveal their identity as disciples of the Haoran Sect.
The four of them strode openly into the City Lord's Manor, fully dressed in their sect's robes. After all, if anything were to happen to them, the Haoran Sect would know exactly whom to hold accountable. With that in mind, the other three tacitly changed into elder robes.
As the personal disciple, Yun Xi held the highest status. She naturally stood at the front, while the other three positioned themselves around her like a protective formation.
With a wave of his sleeve, Cao Yi retrieved the formation plate, and the four of them exited the courtyard.
The Golden Core stage cultivator guarding outside paused when he saw their robes. He had assumed the robe change was just an excuse, a polite way to refuse the City Lord's invitation. He never expected they would actually change into official sect attire.
"Honored guests, please follow me."
The male cultivator gestured for them to proceed.
Yun Xi offered a faint smile and stepped forward first, followed closely by the other three.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the four were seated in the reception hall of the City Lord's Manor. Each had a cup of spiritual tea placed beside them, but none of them touched it. They waited quietly for their host to arrive.
A short while later, a tall and robust, yet strikingly beautiful woman entered and took the seat of honor. With a cheerful tone, she said, "Apologies for keeping you waiting."
The four immediately rose and offered a respectful salute.
"We greet the City Lord."
Mo Yuwan's eyes swept across them. She instantly saw through their cautious posturing. With a wave of her sleeve, she motioned for them to sit and said with a smile curling on her lips:
"I happen to have some old ties with Yu Huo Zhēnjūn of your Haoran Sect. How is he doing these days?"
Yun Xi stepped forward respectfully.
"Thank you for your concern, City Lord. Martial Uncle Yu Huo is well, though he is currently occupied with pill refinement and unable to leave the sect."
Mo Yuwan asked casually, "You call Yu Huo your Martial Uncle. Who is your master?"
"I am Wei Yun Xi, disciple of Ling Xuefeng's Yu Ling Zhēnjūn."
"I recall he was in seclusion, preparing for Divine Transformation. A distant fire cannot warm nearby frost."
Her words were layered with meaning.
The four disciples tensed. They understood perfectly. This Zhēnjūn was using diplomacy before pressure. Quietly, each of them began to prepare.
Yun Xi kept her composure well. With a steady smile, she replied, "Even if one does not consider the disciple, one must still respect the master. Though my master is in seclusion now, one day he will emerge. When that time comes, he will have stepped into Divine Transformation, and he will know exactly where to find his disciples."
Mo Yuwan chuckled. "You're so certain your master will ascend to Divine Transformation?"
Yun Xi met her gaze, unwavering. "Of course. My master never enters a battle unprepared."
"Fine. You've convinced me. Let's talk about the treasure hidden in Yuxing City."
Her bluntness took Yun Xi by surprise. She paused before responding.
"City Lord, we possess the other half of the treasure map. If Haoran Sect disciples hadn't come to Yuxing City on this mission, the two halves would never have been reunited. So, the treasure's reappearance owes half its credit to our sect."
Mo Yuwan nodded. "Understood. Go on."
"Since we contributed half the effort, shouldn't Haoran Sect disciples be qualified to enter and claim a share of the treasure?"
"You've got quite the appetite, little one. Do you even know what this treasure is?"
"It likely pertains to medical cultivation. Beyond that, I'm not sure."
Mo Yuwan, who had been lounging against her chair in a relaxed manner, suddenly straightened up, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"You've obtained the key."
Yun Xi cursed herself inwardly for speaking too fast. She'd accidentally revealed a critical card and was now trying to play dumb in silence.
But Mo Yuwan only laughed louder.
"Haha! Heaven itself favors me! I may yet step into Divine Transformation!"
The look she gave Yun Xi and her companions had completely changed. Yet after a moment, she returned to her former languid posture.
"No need to worry that I'll try to take the key by force. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Once the map is transformed into a key, only the one who performed the transformation can control it. If I killed you to seize it, the underground palace would self-destruct. Nothing would remain. Cooperation is our only option."
Yun Xi immediately latched onto several crucial terms: cannot be taken by force, key control, underground palace, self-destruction.
Piecing them together, she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to flip the heavens with her middle finger.
This opportunity had clearly been tailor-made for Wei Yunqing. If she hadn't acted first, then sooner or later, this treasure would have landed in Yunqing's hands. Likely right after she formed her Golden Core, the beast hide scroll would have come to her.
Yun Xi took a deep breath, her resolve to seize this opportunity burning even stronger. Dian Dian nestled in her arms also sent her a voice transmission.
"Master, we can't back down. We have to snatch it! Dian Dian will definitely help!"
"I know. Let me figure out where this opportunity came from. Just listen carefully."
After mentally informing Dian Dian, Yun Xi bowed and asked respectfully, "Zhēnjūn, may I ask about the origin of this treasure?"
Mo Yuwan smiled and said, "If I tell you about the treasure's origin, you'll have to show me the key."
Yun Xi bit her lip. After a moment of weighing her options, she decided to gamble. She hadn't sensed any malice from Zhēnjūn, so she answered seriously with a single word: "Alright."
Only then did Mo Yuwan begin.
"The original site of Yuxing City belonged to a declining cultivation sect known as the Yixian Gate. All their cultivators pursued the Path through healing. It's said that the Medicine King Valley in the Central Domain was founded by their descendants.
No one knows what calamity befell them, but one night, all the disciples vanished. The entire sect sank underground and disappeared without a trace.
The Mo Yu clan were once their exclusive bodyguards, accompanying their healers on journeys and offering protection. My clan specializes in body refinement. Our strength lies in physical cultivation, and the advancement potions we use were custom-made by disciples of the Yixian Gate.
But after the Yixian Gate vanished, the Mo Yu clan declined as well. I am currently the strongest body cultivator in the clan. Our cultivation path is different from typical body cultivators. We cannot reference other manuals or methods. We've had to rely on those remaining potions to advance. Many in our clan have already switched to different cultivation paths."
She let out a long sigh. Mo Yuwan didn't want the inheritance to die out in her generation. That was why she remained in Yuxing City, awaiting the destined one's arrival.
"Before the sect's downfall, the Yixian Gate's Sect Master entrusted a jade slip to the Mo Yu clan's patriarch. He instructed that when someone fated returned to the Yixian Gate with the other half of the token, it would mark the sect's return to the world.
When that time came, all the sect's treasures and collections would belong to the fated person. The Mo Yu clan's only duty was to protect them. Our advancement potions would once again be crafted by the sect's successors."
As Mo Yu Zhēnjūn finished her tale, silence settled over the reception hall. The four cultivators sat in deep contemplation.
If her story was true, the kind of treasure left behind by an entire sect would certainly draw countless powerful cultivators. Yun Xi suddenly felt that the four of them might be in over their heads.
Mo Yuwan broke the silence.
"I've told you everything. Now, I want to see the key."
Yun Xi hesitated briefly before retrieving the key from her storage and pushing it forward with her spiritual energy.
Mo Yuwan grabbed the purple jade token at once. Her joy could no longer be described with mere happiness. It was sheer ecstasy.
"Hahaha! It's the Ziji! The Ziji Jade Key!"