Chapter 058

Chapter 58: Delivering Charcoal in the Snow

At this moment, Senior Brother Zhao’s battle against Li and Zhang had grown fierce. Though he fought one against two, he showed no sign of weakness. Each swing of his sword was precise and cunning, fending off their combined attacks with ease.

On the other side, Hua Xuan Zi faced off against a male cultivator of the same level, moving gracefully. Because she’d barely used any spiritual energy earlier, her attacks were swift and unpredictable. Occasionally, she’d toss out a talisman to distract her opponent, steadily gaining the advantage.

Senior Brother Qian, however, was struggling. Having been injured in a surprise attack earlier, he faced a cultivator a layer stronger. When another blade sliced across his back, he couldn’t help but groan in pain, calling desperately to Hua Xuan Zi: “Senior Sister Hua, please help block him for two breaths—I need to take a healing pill!”

Without hesitation, Hua Xuan Zi shifted swiftly toward Junior Brother Qian, determined not to let him fall. If he died, all the pressure would fall on her and Senior Brother Zhao; fighting four against two would surely spell their defeat.

At this time, Hua Xuan Zi didn’t spare a thought for the Wei siblings. She assumed they’d already fled, and honestly couldn’t blame them. After all, preserving one’s own life was wise, and their low cultivation wouldn’t be of much help anyway.

Just as Hua Xuan Zi was within two steps of Senior Brother Qian, Yun Xi swiftly formed hand seals, casting a Thunderstrike without holding back. The Qi Refining ninth-layer attack blasted the dagger from Senior Brother Qian’s grip and scorched his left hand black as coal.

“Aaaah!”

Senior Brother Qian’s agonized cry momentarily froze everyone’s movements. From the corner of her eye, Hua Xuan Zi saw the dagger he’d held and instantly realized his injury had been a trick, a ploy to stab her when her guard was down.

If it hadn’t been for that timely attack, she might’ve already fallen victim to his betrayal.

“Despicable!” Hua Xuan Zi spun around swiftly, ending Junior Brother Qian’s life with a decisive thrust, then calmly collecting his storage pouch.

Only then did Yun Xi speak to Zong Hao: “Brother Zong Hao, it’s our turn.”

“I’ve been waiting for this!” Zong Hao replied instantly. Having seen the treacherous act unfold, he’d already guessed Senior Brother Qian’s betrayal. No wonder Li had placed the marker so smoothly—Qian had secretly covered for him.

Now that the true sides had become clear, Yun Xi chose her moment carefully, ensuring her aid was given at precisely the right time.

As they surged forward, Yun Xi immediately tossed out her third-grade array disc, activating a trapping formation. She had no intention of letting anyone who’d plotted against her escape.

Zong Hao closely followed his sister’s lead, and together they quickly dispatched the cultivator who had been fighting Qian, before turning their focus toward assisting Hua Xuan Zi.

Grateful, Hua Xuan Zi called out immediately: “Junior Sister Yun Xi, Junior Brother Wei—I, Hua Xuan Zi, owe you both my life. If we survive, I promise I’ll repay your kindness!”

“Senior Sister,” Yun Xi answered calmly, accepting the vow, “Let’s first deal with this person, then support Senior Brother Zhao. He’s still fighting two at once—we need to watch out in case they grow desperate.”

“Agreed!”

The battle quickly shifted to three against one. Hua Xuan Zi attacked head-on, Yun Xi frequently unleashed her Gold Arrow, Fireball, and Thunderstrike spells to disrupt the enemy, and Zong Hao skillfully took advantage of openings to land finishing blows.

Finally, their opponent fell unwillingly, pierced through the heart by Hua Xuan Zi’s sword.

Hua Xuan Zi flicked her blade, neatly tossing the enemy’s storage pouch to Zong Hao before handing Yun Xi the pouch she’d collected from Senior Brother Qian.

“Senior Sister, this is—” Yun Xi began.

“Take it,” Hua Xuan Zi said firmly. “You earned it.”

“Then thank you, Senior Sister.” Yun Xi smiled warmly.

“Quickly, let’s help Senior Brother Zhao!”

With Yun Xi leading, the three rushed to where Senior Brother Zhao fought within the trapping array. With Hua Xuan Zi joining him, the tide turned in an instant.

Junior Sister Zhang saw defeat approaching, her hateful eyes fixed upon the Wei siblings as she spat venomously: “You two ruined everything!”

Without hesitation, she drew a second-grade talisman from her robes, flinging it at them.

Yun Xi’s pupils constricted sharply, but she quickly controlled the formation, isolating Zhang and her explosive talisman in a separate space. With a thunderous boom, the isolated space shook violently.

Yun Xi grimaced at the pulverized spirit stones in her array disc, swiftly replacing them with nine more. If this mission didn’t yield good returns, she’d definitely lose big.

Zong Hao rushed anxiously toward her, asking: “Yun Xi, are you alright?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. She’s the one with a problem now. Come on, let’s take her pouch.”

Opening the sealed space, Yun Xi quickly collected their spoils.

Unaffected by the commotion, Hua Xuan Zi and Senior Brother Zhao finished their fight, mercilessly cutting down their opponent, ignoring his pleas and gathering his storage pouch.

With that, the battle finally ended, and Yun Xi manipulated the formation to allow both sides to meet safely.

Both Hua Xuan Zi and Senior Brother Zhao looked relieved, bowing sincerely: “Many thanks to you both for your timely aid—without it, we’d surely have fallen to their schemes.”

Yun Xi returned their gesture respectfully: “Senior Sister Hua, you’re too polite. I trusted your character from the start. The blame lies entirely with their greed, desiring resources without lifting a finger.”

Hua Xuan Zi sighed deeply: “It was our poor judgment. We invited you to join a mission, but you ended up rescuing us instead.”

Senior Brother Zhao finally spoke: “Xuan Zi, don’t blame yourself. After this mission, I planned to suggest we stop teaming up with them anyway. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to support juniors, but their greed was evident. I’d noticed signs during our last missions, but since you hadn’t realized, I didn’t want to say too much. After all, you’re the one who brought them along.”

Hua Xuan Zi glared at him in irritation: “Then why didn’t you speak up sooner? Do you think I can’t tell right from wrong? It was just a temporary team anyway—we owed them nothing. If not for them begging me, I wouldn’t have wasted my time. After this mission, I’ll finally have enough spirit stones to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill and begin my seclusion to break through.”

Senior Brother Zhao shrugged helplessly, only murmuring, “Plans can never keep up with changes.”

Suddenly, the formation trembled again. Alert, the four turned sharply toward the outside, taking a collective breath in shock.

“It’s that second-grade Sand Gerbil!”

“How did we attract it?”

Zong Hao spoke grimly: “Earlier, to distract them and save you, Junior Sister Yun Xi burned the golden sand grass near their den, alerting it.”

The second-grade Sand Gerbil, with power equal to early Foundation Establishment, led its offspring to fiercely attack the formation, clearly recognizing its enemies inside.

Senior Brother Zhao frowned urgently: “Junior Sister Wei, how long can your formation hold?”

“As long as I have enough spirit stones, indefinitely. But if the commotion continues, other demon beasts will come. We’re close to the inner mountains—if a third-grade beast arrives, my formation won’t hold.”

Senior Brother Zhao pondered briefly before suggesting: “Junior Sister Wei, can you use the formation to partition space? We can lure the gerbils in groups, killing them bit by bit, and then use the formation to finally wear down the second-grade beast!”