"Yes, Martial Uncle!"
Yun Xi didn't delay. She tossed the Ziji Jade Key into the air.
The Ziji Jade Key floated midair as if it had a will of its own. Suspended in the sky, it projected a translucent image above, which rapidly expanded to fill half the sky above Yuxing City.
Yun Xi glanced up at the projection and spoke to the others around her.
"Everyone, what you're seeing is likely the long-lost Yixian Gate. You'd best memorize the layout. It might prove useful once we're inside."
She didn't need to say more—everyone, including the cultivators within Yuxing City, had already released their divine sense. Some were already flying toward them.
The projection lingered for six full breaths before fading. Then the jade key slowly sank into the ground. Yun Xi could clearly sense it embedding itself into a stone stele beneath the earth, slotting perfectly into three grooves on the stele's surface.
With a crisp click, the ground began to tremble. The vibrations quickly intensified, growing more violent by the second. Cracks split the earth, and the ground collapsed in massive swaths, spreading outward at alarming speed.
Yun Xi, Mo Yuwan, Yu Feng Zhenjun, and the others had already taken to the skies. More and more cultivators were gathering around them, keeping a respectful distance. After all, they had seen how Mo Yuwan had ruthlessly dealt with the ambushers earlier.
The rumbling grew louder, like a slumbering beast rousing from deep sleep. Before their eyes, half of Yuxing City caved in, revealing the ruins of an ancient sect buried beneath the surface.
Three ancient seal-script characters—"Yixian Gate"—were etched into a stone wall. As the sect emerged into the world once more, rich spiritual energy poured out in waves, drawing even more cultivators to the scene.
The entire emergence of Yixian Gate took a full quarter-hour. Fortunately, Yuxing City was a cultivator stronghold, so no one had been hurt. The moment the tremors began, the city's cultivators had taken to the skies. From above, they watched half the city sink into the earth, replaced by an ancient immortal sect.
Yun Xi was the first to descend in front of Yixian Gate's main gate. But before she could act, a figure darted past her and dashed through the entrance. Mo Yuwan and Yu Feng Zhenjun didn't try to stop them. They simply descended beside Yun Xi, standing protectively on either side.
The gathered cultivators watched from a distance. Seeing someone rush in made them restless. But a few among them were cautious, waiting to observe whether anything dangerous would happen before making a move.
Sure enough, danger struck in the very next instant.
The Nascent Soul cultivator who had rushed in screamed in agony. A blackish-green smoke began seeping from his skin, and in the blink of an eye, his body started dissolving, eaten away by some corrosive force.
The cultivator promptly abandoned his physical body. His tiny Yuányīng clutched its life-bound treasure and attempted to flee. But the moment it crossed the stone gate, a sharp wind blade sliced it clean in two. The soul vanished completely, and his treasure dropped into Yu Feng Zhenjun's hand.
Mo Yuwan spoke coldly.
"If you're so eager to return to the cycle of reincarnation, then by all means, charge ahead."
That sudden turn of events made the other cultivators freeze mid-flight. None dared move forward. No one wanted to lose their life before they even found a treasure.
Only then did Yun Xi step forward. She bowed deeply toward the sect gate and said, "This junior is here to accept the trial."
As she finished, she flicked out a wisp of flame. It looked like ordinary fire, but it was actually the disguised form of Zi Yan.
The strange fire passed through the gate like it was breaching an invisible barrier—and in that same moment, it pulled its master in with it.
Yun Xi reacted swiftly. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed out two red cords. They wrapped around the wrists of Mo Yuwan, Yu Feng Zhenjun, Cao Yi, Zhang Lingrui, and Lin Keyang, pulling all five safely through the gate behind her.
As Yun Xi passed through the barrier, she vanished without a trace. The five others remained where they landed inside, pausing long enough to confirm that they weren't met with the same fate as the previous Nascent Soul cultivator. Only then did they split up, vanishing in different directions to explore the vast grounds of Yixian Gate.
The cultivators still outside took this as a positive sign. More rushed forward, this time a dozen at once.
They didn't even make it past the entrance.
In the next breath, all twelve died on the spot, repeating the fate of the first victim.
"What's going on? Why could they enter, but not us?"
"Are you blind? That Golden Core girl brought them in. That's why they were fine."
"What are you saying? Is she someone important from Yixian Gate?"
"She said she came to accept the trial."
"What trial?"
"Probably a test to inherit the Yixian legacy."
"Then what do we do? Just watch? That entire sect's worth of treasures is sitting right there!"
No one was willing to let go of such a colossal opportunity.
Someone shouted in frustration, "If we can't get in, no one should! Destroy it!"
They raised their sword and sent a slash at the entrance.
Unfortunately, the next moment, the sword light bounced back, slicing its owner in half. The surrounding cultivators immediately backed off.
High above the clouds, Hao Hui Zūnzhě watched the scene unfold. A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Interesting. It actually acknowledged the little girl as its master."
Back below, a few cultivators were already suggesting alternatives.
"If we can't enter and we can't break the barrier, then let's find someone who can. I refuse to believe there's no way in with the opportunity right in front of us."
Their idea caught on quickly. Soon, countless message talismans and flying sword letters were shooting across the sky, sent out in all directions in search of powerful experts to help break the barrier.
Hao Hui Zūnzhě rubbed his fingertips, contemplating whether to intercept the messages. But just then, glowing words appeared on the stone wall at the entrance of Yixian Gate:
"Three days from now, Yixian Gate will fully open. All who are fated may obtain the legacy."
Someone spotted the words and shouted, "Look! In three days we can all go in!"
"Seriously?"
"It's right there on the stone wall. See for yourself!"
"It's real. There's writing."
Seeing the chaotic scene below, Hao Hui Zūnzhě gave up on intercepting anything. These people were probably hoping no one else came to Yuxing City so they wouldn't have to split the treasures further.
Meanwhile, in Medicine King Valley, Central Region
A small boy sprinted into the deepest part of Medicine King Valley and spoke urgently to the woman guarding the medicine hut.
"Auntie, news just came—Yixian Gate has emerged!"
The woman called Auntie shot up. "Gancao, are you serious?"
Gancao nodded rapidly. "Yes! I wouldn't dare lie about something like this. The information came from our spy in Yuxing City. In three days, Yixian Gate will open to all cultivators. If the Valley Master leaves now, he'll make it in time."
"I understand. You may go."
Just as the woman lifted her hand to trigger the formation, the bamboo door behind her opened.
A cold, graceful female cultivator stepped out. Her voice was frosty.
"Aunt Ran, make preparations. We're leaving for Yuxing City in the west."
"Yes, Young Valley Master. What about the Valley Master and the elders?"
Ye Yirui gently brushed her fingers across the jade token at her waist.
"I'll handle it."