Chapter 075

Chapter 75: Seeking Information

Treasure Blossom Range was the second-largest mountain range in the western part of Lofty Cosmos Realm, a famous destination for countless cultivators seeking to temper themselves each year. Hence, the major sects all had their outposts here.

These outposts served two purposes. One was to assist disciples who encountered danger. The other was to allow disciples a safe place to deposit their spoils immediately after leaving Treasure Blossom Range.

Naturally, the sects didn’t simply take their disciples’ hard-earned gains for free. They paid either spirit stones or sect contribution points in return, effectively protecting their disciples. After all, robbery and murder for treasures were quite common in the cultivation world.

Since Yun Xi had accepted the mission to find her fellow disciples, she planned to check in at the Grand Righteous Sect outpost first. Afterward, she’d decide whether to join other disciples or enter alone.

Honestly, this was Yun Xi’s first time undertaking such a far-off mission, and she didn’t feel confident at all.

Although she had plenty of secrets and knew it would be safer to venture into Treasure Blossom Range alone, when the moment finally came, a sense of anxiety crept into her heart. After careful thought, she decided to first visit the sect’s outpost.

The Grand Righteous Sect outpost was essentially a store, selling pills, talismans, magical tools, and arrays. Any disciple from the Grand Righteous Sect could replenish their equipment here or sell their acquired resources. Most importantly, they could use their disciple token to buy on credit once—this greatly assisted disciples who were short on spirit stones.

“Senior Uncle, disciple Wei Yun Xi has accepted a sect mission and has come to join the other disciples.” After introducing herself, Yun Xi handed her disciple token to the Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator examined the token, handed it back, and asked plainly, “What mission have you accepted?”

“Junior niece accepted the mission to find our missing fellow disciples within Treasure Blossom Range,” Yun Xi answered respectfully.

After checking his storage bag’s jade slip, the Foundation Establishment cultivator replied, “You’re only at Qi Refining ninth layer—you can’t accept this mission.”

Surprised, Yun Xi responded, “Ah? Junior didn’t see any cultivation limit when accepting the mission. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to pick it, let alone travel here overnight.”

The cultivator double-checked and then explained, “Your mission’s difficulty has been upgraded. It’s now an inner sect mission reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators. You must’ve accepted it before the change occurred, so you weren’t informed.”

Feeling somewhat lost, Yun Xi asked, “Senior Uncle, what should I do now? Is my trip wasted?”

Seeing it was clearly her first outside mission, the Foundation Establishment cultivator casually waved his hand, saying, “You didn’t cause this issue, so simply explain when you return to the sect. Since you’re here to gain experience anyway, you can pick up some tasks from me, like gathering spirit plants or hunting demon beasts. But I recommend you team up with fellow disciples before entering Treasure Blossom Range.”

Scratching her head, Yun Xi said, “Then this junior niece will follow Senior Uncle’s advice. I’ll prepare today and see if any disciples plan to enter tomorrow, so we can journey together.”

The Foundation Establishment cultivator tossed Yun Xi a jade key and let her find an empty room in the courtyard to rest. He then resumed sorting his spirit plants.

Entering the courtyard, Yun Xi saw fellow disciples in Grand Righteous Sect robes. Some hurried away, others clustered together whispering, and several, exuding an aura of blood and wounds, hastened to rooms to recuperate.

Scanning the courtyard, Yun Xi approached a group of disciples whose conversation she found intriguing. Seeing her approach, they paused their chatter, casting questioning looks her way.

“Several Senior Uncles,” Yun Xi cautiously greeted, “this junior niece is an Outer Sect disciple and would like to inquire about the disciples missing in Treasure Blossom Range.”

A female Foundation Establishment cultivator glanced at Yun Xi and asked, “What specifically do you wish to know?”

“Junior niece initially accepted the mission to find our missing disciples, but now the difficulty has increased beyond my abilities. Still, among the missing is a friend of mine, and I’m worried about her.”

“Who is your friend?” the female cultivator asked.

“Qin Tong Shuang.”

At hearing the name, the female cultivator’s expression softened, “So you’re Xiao Shuang’s friend—no wonder you took the mission. She and her group vanished in the outskirts of Treasure Blossom Range. Shortly before disappearing, they sent a distress talisman to this outpost. Sect disciples who went searching found no sign of Qin Tong Shuang’s team and ended up disappearing themselves. More disciples sent afterward also vanished, thus raising the mission’s difficulty.”

She paused, then continued, “We’re waiting for Senior Brother Sheng to arrive, after which we’ll investigate further. But with your cultivation, you’d better not get involved, or we’ll just have another person to rescue.”

Yun Xi nodded obediently, thanked her, and found an empty room to rest. However, she had already resolved to join them. Also, the mention of “Senior Brother Sheng” sparked a troubling suspicion. She couldn’t confirm it yet, so she decided to wait until Senior Brother Sheng arrived.

Meanwhile, she needed to seize every moment to craft talismans. Now that she had successfully reached Foundation Establishment, she could create second-tier talismans, her greatest safeguard.

Fortunately, blank talisman paper and demon beast blood were readily available at the sect’s store, with discounts for disciples. She quickly stocked up on supplies and began diligently crafting talismans, paying close attention to the movements of the Foundation Establishment disciples.

Five days passed until Senior Brother Sheng finally arrived. Sure enough, it was Sheng Yu Hong, the male lead. Compared to the ruthless male cultivator Yun Xi remembered from the illusion, this Sheng Yu Hong seemed younger and less mature, but already possessed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. A true pride of the Grand Righteous Sect, he was swiftly surrounded by disciples.

Determined to better understand him, Yun Xi joined the crowd, feigning admiration while discreetly listening to their conversations.

“Senior Brother Sheng, was your journey smooth?” one disciple asked eagerly.

“It went quite smoothly,” Sheng Yu Hong replied modestly, “though I was delayed a bit by killing a demonic cultivator on the way. Apologies for keeping everyone waiting.”

“Senior Brother Sheng is truly admirable—never forgetting to vanquish evil even while traveling,” another disciple praised.

“You flatter me, Junior Brother,” Sheng Yu Hong humbly replied, though the slight smile on his lips betrayed his satisfaction.

Yun Xi observed his youthful face, recalling the ruthless man she’d seen in her vision. Clearly, she wasn’t yet strong enough to confront him directly. Staying cautious and hidden was still the safest choice.

Just then, Sheng Yu Hong sensed an intense gaze and immediately turned toward its source.