Yun Xi released her divine sense, then retracted it just as quickly. It felt like her heart was bleeding. A hundred cultivators who had entered the Yixian Gate were now swarming across the land like a plague of locusts, stripping everything of value in sight. Even the bamboo huts where Yixian Gate disciples once lived were being taken apart. More cultivators were surging toward the underground palace.
Meanwhile, Mo Yuwan had already found the medicinal garden and was attacking its protective barrier, determined to claim the high-grade spiritual herbs within.
A cool-tempered female Nascent Soul cultivator had somehow slipped into the Scripture Pavilion. The moment Yun Xi's divine sense swept past, the woman immediately looked in her direction with alarming precision and accelerated the pace at which she was copying the texts.
Yun Xi felt powerless. These two were beyond her current ability to deal with. Pressing her lips together, she disappeared into her spatial realm with Dian Dian in tow.
She remembered that back in Shuangshan City, Ethereal Grace had once mentioned the idea of merging an independent space into her own token-bound realm. Unfortunately, that plan had to be abandoned when a powerful figure arrived unexpectedly.
Now, the underground palace was clearly an independently sealed space, and as the successor of the Yixian Gate, Yun Xi had a bold idea. If she could absorb the entire Yixian Gate into her spatial realm, it would solve many problems in one stroke. Eager to verify this possibility, she rushed into the wooden token's space, intending to consult the senior once more.
The wooden token's space was just as she had left it. The moment Yun Xi entered, the screen lit up: "Fleeting Cloud" logged in.
Yun Xi wasted no time and privately messaged Ethereal Grace: "Senior, I've found the ruins of a sect. Is it possible to merge it into my token space?"
Ethereal Grace seemed unoccupied and replied quickly: "A whole sect ruin? You're quite the dreamer."
"I was lucky. I've been recognized as the sect's successor, which allowed me access."
Ethereal Grace seemed intrigued and replied with just four words: "Get to the point."
Yun Xi swiftly outlined the situation with concise clarity, then waited for guidance.
Ethereal Grace responded: "Little Cloud, your luck's not bad. The Ziji Jade Key in your hand can take you to any corner of the underground palace. Go now to the stele it's bound to. Imprint it with your divine sense, then absorb it into your token space. Once you do, the two spaces will begin to merge.
As for how long the fusion will take, even I can't say. Until it completes, you won't be able to enter that space again. So make sure you're safe during this time. Don't get yourself killed."
Yun Xi replied with a simple "Understood," then exited the chat group. She tucked Dian Dian into her arms with one hand and stowed the Xianling Grass into her storage bracelet with the other before stepping out of the space.
She had made up her mind to gamble. In just one more day, the protective barrier over the ruins would vanish. The Yixian Gate would be stripped bare. It wasn't that she was unwilling to share the sect's legacy. The truth was, her alchemy skills were still underdeveloped. To fully learn everything the Yixian Gate had to offer would take time.
She could promise to preserve and pass on their teachings, but those other cultivators—here only for fortune and opportunity—might not do the same. Most of them were only interested in acquiring a unique skill to boost their standing or secure more cultivation resources.
She didn't fault them for that. But she had already promised Sect Master Bai that she would carry on the legacy of the Yixian Gate, and failing to uphold her word went against her principles.
Besides, Yun Xi had her own small ambition: expanding her spatial realm. That was why she was willing to take the risk.
The moment she exited the space, she used the Ziji Jade Key to teleport herself directly to the stele. She then deployed a fourth-grade formation disk, surrounding herself and the stele in a protective barrier.
There was a hollow at the center of the stele, a perfect fit for the jade key. She waved her hand and returned the Ziji Jade Key to its place. Her divine sense wrapped around the stele, and she began imprinting her mark.
But the stele resisted. It refused to accept her imprint.
Yun Xi took a deep breath, calming herself, and tried again—this time amplifying her divine sense from the Golden Core level to Nascent Soul strength.
Dian Dian couldn't help her directly, so it stayed alert and watched the surroundings.
Half a day passed. The stele still resisted her. Yun Xi frowned and pushed harder, elevating her divine sense again, this time to Divine Transformation intensity.
As she continued, her skin began to bead with blood. It was a backlash from using divine sense that exceeded her physical limits.
Dian Dian grew frantic, circling her over and over. Suddenly, it stopped, sniffed the air in a specific direction, and its black beady eyes widened. Ignoring what Yun Xi was doing, it immediately issued a warning: "Master, evil cultivators are headed this way. Their target is either you—or that stele!"
Yun Xi opened her eyes. Of course things wouldn't go smoothly. She would have to retrieve the items from the medicinal garden and the Scripture Pavilion now.
Staring at the black stele in front of her, Yun Xi spoke with calm resolve: "A thousand years ago, the disciples of the Yixian Gate chose death over surrender. They perished with the evil cultivators rather than give up the sect, or let even one vial of Yinxi Grass escape into the world. I may not have the strength to preserve the sect, but I will leave behind the Ziji Jade Key. I hope you can protect this underground palace. Let it sink into the earth forever if you must, but don't let the evil cultivators claim it."
She was about to withdraw her divine sense. There was no time to waste. Even if she had to smuggle items out via her space, she would take what mattered most.
The moment Yun Xi began to pull back, the stele suddenly accepted her imprint. It recognized her as its master.
The corner of her mouth twitched. This stele really was stubborn—waiting until the very last moment to give in?
Still, she didn't dwell on it. Without hesitation, Yun Xi drew the stele into her wooden token space.
As the stele—still embedded with the Ziji Jade Key—vanished, the entire underground palace shuddered violently. Yun Xi immediately unleashed her Divine Transformation-level divine sense and expelled every cultivator inside.
Then she grabbed Dian Dian and vanished as well.
The change was so sudden that most of the cultivators barely had time to react before they were thrown out. They landed still frozen in whatever they'd been doing—some mid-fight, others attacking formations, a few still searching for a way out. Over a hundred cultivators were suddenly crammed onto an intact patch of ground. The sheer number of them forced the latecomers heading toward the palace to halt in confusion.
"Look! The Yixian Gate is sinking!"
"Is it closing off?"
"I thought a successor had already been chosen! Why shut it down?"
"Maybe it only opens for certain people."
"What now?"
"Find her! The Yixian Gate's successor. She's the only one who knows what's going on!"
"Where is she?"
Yun Xi didn't even need to release her divine sense. She could hear their blatant discussions loud and clear. Her brows knitted.
The next instant, Yu Feng Zhēnjūn appeared beside her, grabbed her wrist, and said, "Come with me."
Just as Yu Feng whisked Yun Xi into the sky, a black-robed cultivator intercepted them. His face was completely hidden under his hood, and his voice was hoarse and chilling: "You think you can just take the inheritance and run? If you've eaten the meat, at least leave us some broth."
Yu Feng swept his sleeve, sending out a fierce blade of wind—but the black-robed figure dispelled it effortlessly.