Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Advancing to Second Rank

Mu Ning Zhu waved her hand and released the Hao Ran Sect’s distress fireworks. A firework rimmed with purple exploded in the sky.

Zhou Lang Chen followed right after and sent a distress signal as well. A sharp sword appeared above Twin Mountain City.

Every cultivator who had survived by sheer luck released their own distress signals, and some even sent message talismans.

City Lord Li wanted to stop them, but it was already too late.

The tribulation clouds had dispersed, but no spirit rain fell, which meant Dian Dian’s Tribulation Transcendence was not over yet.

In Yun Xi’s sea of consciousness, there was only Dian Dian’s faint whimpering, and the sound was growing weaker and weaker. Yun Xi felt anxious, and she could only call out through their contract mark, saying, “Dian Dian, the Thunder Tribulation is over. Wake up already, or you’ll have taken those bolts for nothing. You made a great contribution breaking that evil formation, and you even saved so many cultivators. You’ll definitely earn merit. To thank you, they’ll surely bring you lots of good stuff. If you don’t wake up, those good things will end up benefiting your master – me.”

Yun Xi kept dangling bait. Anyway, she just had to trick Dian Dian awake first.

Dian Dian’s mind was hazy, and it wanted nothing more than to keep sleeping. But a voice kept chattering by its ear, prodding and provoking it nonstop. In the end, it muttered in annoyance, “Stop yelling. Let me sleep a little longer.”

When Yun Xi got a response, she finally let out a breath. At least Dian Dian’s consciousness was still there. She immediately threatened, “Dian Dian, your wings have hardened now, huh? You dare talk back to me?”

Dian Dian jolted. It realized that was its master’s voice, and its soul snapped back into place. Then it twitched the tail that had been snapped by the tribulation lightning. The very next second, spirit rain fell from the sky.

Only when she saw the spirit rain did Yun Xi finally relax. Beside her, Qin Tong Shuang spoke up, “Dian Dian made it through.”

“Yeah,” Yun Xi said. “If it really got struck out of existence, I’d definitely regret making it undergo Tribulation Transcendence in that situation.”

That was Yun Xi’s true thought. In her eyes, all things had spirit, and especially a bonded spirit beast like Dian Dian. She already counted it among her companions. Besides, Dian Dian was incredibly useful.

The moment the spirit rain landed on its body, Dian Dian knew it had survived that terrifying Thunder Tribulation. It immediately started absorbing the spirit rain granted by the Heavenly Dao like crazy, repairing its body that had been blasted full of holes by the tribulation lightning.

As the spirit rain worked within it, all the charred fur on Dian Dian’s body fell away, and new white fur grew in. Its tail, which had been blasted into three sections, regrew as well. Even its bones became stronger and stronger, and they even gave off a faint, pearly glow.

When the last golden speck sank into Dian Dian’s brow, its body shuddered. Then a massive flood of information poured into its mind. It had awakened its bloodline inheritance, and it was about to fall into deep sleep.

But before it drifted off, Dian Dian did not forget to tell Yun Xi, “Master, Dian Dian’s Tribulation Transcendence succeeded, and I even opened my bloodline inheritance. I’m going to sleep for a while. Don’t worry.”

Yun Xi’s eyes lit up. This was a good thing. She said at once, “Rest easy and accept the inheritance. While you’re at it, stabilize your cultivation. I’ll handle the rest.”

In truth, Dian Dian did not need her to say it. It understood how important a bloodline inheritance was, so the moment it got her reply, it fell asleep.

Yun Xi had been waiting right there. Once she confirmed Dian Dian was asleep, she immediately scooped it up from the ground and stuffed it into her arms.

Mu Ning Zhu, who had been following beside Yun Xi the whole time, finally let out a breath of relief. Still, she said quietly, “Let’s go regroup with the other cultivators. City Lord Li took his son back to the City Lord’s Mansion. I don’t know what he plans to do next. We should be more careful.”

Yun Xi nodded. She had seen the distress signals exploding across the sky just now. She figured this matter could not be settled cleanly.

After thinking for a moment, Yun Xi said, “Senior Sister Mu, I think it’s best if we don’t get involved in what comes next. We should explain what happened here, then leave as soon as we can. Getting tangled up with evil cultivators is never a good thing.”

Mu Ning Zhu understood what Yun Xi meant. This time, they escaped that evil formation thanks to her junior sister’s spirit beast. The attention was already on them. If Li Cang Yuan had someone behind him, and their plan had failed, then those people would definitely keep an eye on Yun Xi.

So Mu Ning Zhu nodded at once and said, “I understand. Once the Golden Core elders from the Hao Ran Sect arrive, we’ll leave.”

“Yes,” Yun Xi answered.

After the two of them entered the group of cultivators, people came up to thank Yun Xi. Mu Ning Zhu handled all of that, while Yun Xi simply waved her hands modestly and said it had been a coincidence, that her spirit beast just happened to advance at that moment.

Zhou Lang Chen, Zuo Die Er, and Ming Ya also came over to thank her. They had been teleported away together, so they were more familiar than the others and exchanged a few extra words.

Yun Xi kept a smile on her face until her dimples felt stiff. She accepted Zi Jing’s thanks, and the two sides exchanged message talismans. Before leaving, Zi Jing even invited Yun Xi to visit the Joyous Union Sect.

“Yun Xi, you’re still too young and don’t understand the pleasures between men and women,” Zi Jing said. “Yin and yang harmonizing is what follows the rules of the Heavenly Dao. When you cultivate to the Golden Core Stage, I’ll introduce you to a few junior brothers with good talent, looks, and character. I guarantee your cultivation will go even smoother.”

Yun Xi’s mouth twitched. Were female cultivators in the Cultivation World all this unreserved? She was only ten, and they still did not let her off.

Mu Ning Zhu’s face turned dark. But her cultivation was lower than Zi Jing’s, so she could only force a smile and speak through clenched teeth. “Fellow Daoist Zi Jing’s kindness is appreciated by Junior Sister Wei.”

Zi Jing gave a charming smile, then swayed away as she turned to leave.

Only after Zi Jing had gone far did Mu Ning Zhu turn back to Yun Xi and say, “Junior Sister Wei, just take what Fellow Daoist Zi Jing said as something to hear and forget. Don’t take it to heart. There are three thousand paths to the Great Dao, and everyone seeks something different. I can’t say her words are wrong, but your dao heart hasn’t been established yet, so it’s best not to listen to only one side and believe it all.

“And the cultivators of the Joyous Union Sect are all keen on forming partners and dual cultivating. Their disciples have countless ties with the disciples of the major sects and great families. It’s precisely because of those ties that, even though their martial strength is not high, they have always held a steady place among the great sects.”

Yun Xi understood in an instant. It was about expanding connections through intimate ties and finding powerful backers. If one backer was unreliable, find a few more. If something really happened, those disciples would not just watch their sect decline.

Right then, a sharp sword arrived in an instant and landed at the gate of the City Lord’s Mansion. Zhou Lang Chen immediately went up to greet the newcomer, saluting respectfully. “Martial Uncle, you’ve come.”

The man wore a white robe, with only a single jade pendant at his waist. His brows were sharp, his eyes bright, and his figure was tall and straight like a pine. After returning the greeting, he swept his spiritual sense across the scene and frowned. “Lang Chen, why are you in such a sorry state? What happened that forced you to send a distress signal?”

Zhou Lang Chen explained the cause and effect as briefly as he could, then sent a voice transmission to share his guess with his Martial Uncle.

Shi Jun’s brows rose, and he gave a cold laugh. “Colluding with evil cultivators? How stupid!”

Then he ordered, “Lang Chen, compile the list of disciples who fell because of that evil formation. This lord will demand an explanation from City Lord Li.”

“Yes, Martial Uncle,” Zhou Lang Chen replied.

With a Nascent Soul True Lord present, everyone finally had some confidence, even if this True Lord did not belong to their own sect or family.

The second wave to arrive was the Hao Ran Sect’s elders, and Sheng Yu Hong was among them.