Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Fallen into the Mortal Realm

Yun Xi had no wish to quarrel with mere mortals, so she flicked her sleeve and gently sent them into an empty room. Then she and Xia You chose a random spot to sit down and meditate.

Though Yun Xi had earlier relied on formations and her lightning spiritual root to defeat the Golden Core demonic cultivator, her own losses had been severe. Especially troubling was her injured arm, where traces of evil qi had infiltrated her meridians.

During their escape, she’d had no chance to cleanse the evil qi. Now, finally having a moment’s respite, Yun Xi decided to remove this threat immediately, unwilling to let it become a hidden danger in her cultivation.

Fortunately, lightning spiritual qi was the bane of evil qi. Clutching a mid-grade spirit stone, Yun Xi circulated the Foundation Establishment stage of her Peerless Sword Lightning Manual, allowing lightning qi to flow thoroughly through every branch of her meridians.

In the process, Yun Xi expelled numerous threads of grayish evil qi from her body. Each strand made her more wary. She realized just how sinister the evil qi was—had she not possessed a lightning spiritual root, the demonic cultivator’s scheme might have succeeded. Once her meridians became tainted, her righteous path of cultivation would stall, leaving her no choice but to turn toward wicked arts.

When she finally finished cleansing herself, Yun Xi propped her chin in thought. Perhaps that late-stage Golden Core demonic cultivator had precisely this plan in mind—assuming that even if Yun Xi escaped, his subtle sabotage would ultimately ruin this promising righteous disciple.

The demonic cultivator was ignorant, however, that although Yun Xi’s cultivation was low, her divine consciousness surpassed his own. Bolstered by both her powerful spiritual sense and lightning qi, she rapidly purged the evil influence.

Still cautious, Yun Xi resolved to thoroughly cleanse herself again during her Golden Core breakthrough, intending to use the might of her heavenly tribulation lightning to eradicate any hidden remnants of evil qi. Later, during that perilous breakthrough, enduring pain so intense it felt as though she might shatter, Yun Xi indeed discovered and destroyed a subtle wisp of evil qi clinging to her bones, completely negating the demonic cultivator’s lingering scheme.

By sunrise, Yun Xi had fully restored herself to peak condition, aided by spirit stones. The wound on her arm had faded to merely a faint red mark. Satisfied, she dispelled her isolating formation and reunited with Xia You.

“Fellow Daoist Xia, how’s your recovery?”

“Thanks for your concern, Fellow Daoist Wei. I’m in good condition. Unfortunately, the spiritual qi here is too thin, forcing me to rely solely on spirit stones. Thankfully, we retrieved our storage bags from the demonic cultivators and split their stash, or I might have burdened you even more.” As Xia You spoke, she remembered something and quickly took out two high-grade spirit stones, handing them to Yun Xi. “Fellow Daoist Wei, I found these among the demonic cultivators’ belongings. Here are the two high-grade stones for my share of the teleportation array. There’s still one left—I promise to return it after returning to my clan.”

Yun Xi didn’t refuse the gesture and accepted the two stones. With that, the two cultivators left the dilapidated courtyard behind.

Without needing words, both women moved toward a populated town, planning to purchase a map and determine their exact location before planning their next move.

One wore an elegant blue robe, the other, green; both were striking beauties. As they reached the foot of a mountain, five burly men suddenly stepped forward, blocking their path. Eyes wide with greedy desire, one of them wiped his drool away and said, “Young mistresses, where are you headed? Would you like us elder brothers to escort and protect you?”

Xia You’s expression turned ice-cold; she immediately considered killing the impudent mortals. But Yun Xi quickly transmitted a message to stop her: [Fellow Daoist Xia, mortals to us are like Qi Refining cultivators to a Divine Transformation venerable. Let’s avoid creating unnecessary sins that might disturb our path of cultivation. Since they wish to protect us, why not let them serve us as free attendants?]

Xia You considered this and found Yun Xi’s logic sound. Using spiritual energy here meant exhausting spirit stones afterward. So, with a delicate smile, she asked, “And how exactly do you plan to protect us sisters?”

The leader of the men boldly announced, “Both younger sisters are very wise! Follow us up the mountain, and our boss will surely grant you the honor of being his ladies!”

“All right then, please lead the way,” Yun Xi replied, smiling so sweetly that dimples appeared on her cheeks.

It was the first time these five bandits had encountered such cooperative beauties. Eagerly, one led ahead, two guarded Yun Xi and Xia You on either side, and the last two followed behind, ensuring they wouldn’t suddenly flee.

Two hours later, the five men bitterly regretted their decision. They hadn’t captured delicate beauties—they had invited living calamities.

In a single exchange, their Mountain Stronghold Chief had his martial arts crippled, legs shattered, and was tossed helplessly into a wolf pit. The bandits stood frozen in terror, afraid they’d be next.

“Esteemed madams, we were blind and didn’t recognize true immortals. Please spare our lives—we swear we’ll never cross you again,” pleaded the stronghold’s strategist, falling immediately to his knees.

Yun Xi, seated majestically on a tiger-skin throne, reveled in her newfound heroine persona, her grin dazzling.

Beside her, Xia You’s lips twitched subtly, marveling at Yun Xi’s childlike amusement. Just moments ago, Yun Xi had counseled mercy, yet she’d swiftly crippled their chief. True, she hadn’t struck him dead directly—but everyone knew what fate awaited in the wolf pit.

Yet Yun Xi had her reasons. Dian Dian had smelled faint traces of evil qi on the chief, confirming Yun Xi’s suspicion. After investigating with her divine sense, she’d uncovered a secret pit filled with corpses. Clearly, the chief’s power relied on a vile demonic cultivation technique. Without intervention, he might have grown dangerously strong hidden among mortals.

Once satisfied, Yun Xi commanded cheerfully, “You, free all the captured commoners. Give each ten taels of silver as compensation. Then you bandits shall escort us sisters to the nearest town—as our servants.”

The strategist’s heart ached bitterly. Still, he bowed obediently. Their lives were in these women’s hands; there was no alternative.

Xia You added coldly, “If any of you try disguising yourselves as villagers to escape, I’ll kill two for every one discovered. Consider carefully if your lives matter more.”

“This humble servant dares not!” the strategist hurriedly vowed.

Half a day later, all the innocent villagers had been freed. Given silver, they bowed gratefully to Yun Xi and Xia You, hurrying away. Meanwhile, the strategist’s heart nearly bled dry as he gazed upon the now nearly empty storeroom, two-thirds of their wealth gone in a blink.

Enjoying his anguished expression, Yun Xi wickedly ordered, “You have tonight to prepare the most luxurious carriage possible. We depart tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, mistress!”

The next morning, Yun Xi and Xia You boarded the extravagantly decorated carriage. As they left the mountain stronghold, Xia You murmured quietly:

“There’s no need for this place to exist any longer.”