Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Expanding Connections

“There’s a stick of soul incense inside. If there’s an emergency, you can light it. We will naturally receive it.”

“Alright, then I’ll accept it.” Yun Xi smiled slightly and stored the wooden box in her storage ring.

After confirming there were no souls that had slipped through the net, Black and White Impermanence turned and entered the black hole. The moment their figures disappeared, the black hole also closed.

The four of them felt like the air around them wasn’t so gloomy anymore. Liu Hao Tian suggested, “This place is safe now. Let’s rest here for one night before leaving.”

Xia You sighed and said, “Since we’re doing a good deed, we should finish it. Let’s gather up those bones first.”

Yun Xi nodded in agreement. “Right. It won’t take that much time.”

Yu Qing Cheng was even more direct. “Those bones are out in the open. Just looking at them gives me chills. How are we supposed to cultivate? Let’s bury them first.”

The four of them were cultivators. With a few casual hand seals, they gathered the bones into one place. Xia You used an earth-element spell to bury them all. But after doing that, Peach Blossom Spring Village felt even emptier, with no trace of human presence.

Liu Hao Tian said, “It probably won’t be long before someone notices something strange here.”

“That’s fine too. The source of evil has already been destroyed. I believe it won’t be long before new families move in, and this place will regain its former liveliness.”

After that, the four of them rested for one night in an empty room at the village chief’s home. Mainly, they tried absorbing the soul power inside the low-grade soul stones. After one night of cultivation, the three of them all tasted the benefits of cultivating with soul stones.

Yu Qing Cheng praised, “Yun Xi, you really have good judgment. Last night I refined the soul power in one low-grade soul stone, and I instantly felt clear-headed and refreshed. Even running my cultivation method felt smoother.”

Xia You followed up, “Me too. The heavy feeling in my body from when we were in the Soul-Gathering Mirror space is gone.”

Liu Hao Tian’s change was even more obvious. “I’ve already grasped the chance to break through to Golden Core.”

At once, the other two focused their gazes on Liu Hao Tian. Yu Qing Cheng asked with concern, “Senior Brother Liu, can you still suppress it? If you can’t, then find a safe place to break through. We’ll protect you.”

Liu Hao Tian waved a hand. “It’s fine. I can still suppress it. It’s just that after absorbing soul stones, I have a feeling the breakthrough will go more smoothly.”

Yun Xi immediately cupped her hands and said, “Congratulations, Fellow Cultivator Liu. It looks like your advancement to Golden Core is close at hand.”

“This is all thanks to Master Wei,” Liu Hao Tian replied at once.

Yu Qing Cheng said with a smile, “Let’s stop thanking each other back and forth. Since Senior Brother Liu can suppress it, we should return to the Cultivation World as soon as possible. It’s better to break through after we’re back, at least where the spiritual energy is more abundant.”

“Junior Sister Yu is right. I’ll do my best to wait until we return to the Cultivation World before I break through.”

Even so, Liu Hao Tian still reminded them, “Everyone, it’s best not to spread word about us obtaining soul stones today.”

With a blink of her phoenix eyes, Yu Qing Cheng understood what her senior brother meant. She followed his words and said, “Senior Brother is right to remind us. This is an opportunity that belongs only to us. Being able to build a connection with the Underworld’s ghost envoys was also thanks to Master Wei. I won’t let anyone know I have good things in my hands.”

Xia You also smiled and promised, “I contributed the least. Being able to get good things already means you all took care of me. I’ll keep my storage pouch tight and absolutely won’t talk.”

Yun Xi knew the three of them were promising her. She smiled and nodded, letting the matter pass, and then the four of them left Peach Blossom Spring Village.

Half an hour after the four left, a black shadow sneaked into Peach Blossom Spring Village. Looking at the empty village, the newcomer cursed, “Damn it, what rotten luck! The evil artifact was just about to be fully nurtured. Who the hell dared to ruin my good thing!”

The black shadow searched around but found no useful clues. In the end, they could only leave in annoyance.

After leaving Peach Blossom Spring Village, Yun Xi and the others went to the next human city, Jin Yun City. Previously, while traveling, they had almost always spent nights in the wilderness, and staying at inns was rare. Now that they had arrived in a big city, Yu Qing Cheng suggested they rest properly for two days, and everyone agreed.

Entering Jin Yun City required an entrance fee. The four of them paid copper coins, then went to the largest inn in Jin Yun City, “Yun Lai Inn.”

Because the four spent generously, the shopkeeper welcomed them warmly. He arranged for them to stay in a small courtyard with hot springs, and even sent them Jin Yun City’s local food. The service was thoughtful and attentive.

The four took turns soaking in the hot springs, then returned to their own rooms to rest.

Even though Yun Xi had advanced to Golden Core, the mortal world still wasn’t a good place for cultivation. So she decided to sleep beautifully first. Before she went to sleep, she still muttered to herself, wondering how the relationship between the female lead and male lead was progressing.

As for the two people on her mind, Wei Yun Qing and Sheng Yu Hong, they hadn’t grown closer day by day like in a novel. After Sheng Yu Hong discovered that Yun Qing acted weak in front of him and smeared Wei Yun Xi, he began to slowly distance himself from her. As the sect leader’s eldest disciple, if he wanted to distance himself from someone, he had endless excuses.

After Sheng Yu Hong stopped going to Pill Peak, Wei Yun Qing almost never saw him anymore. Later, she tried taking on a few missions to “accidentally” run into Sheng Yu Hong, but none of it worked. It made her restless and irritable, and she wasn’t as diligent in cultivation as usual.

After Ye Shao Hua noticed Yun Qing’s abnormality, he specifically went to talk with her and reminded her that she was only a registered disciple under the Peak Master right now. If her performance was poor, she could be brushed aside at any time, and there were plenty of disciples with good talent and hardworking cultivation.

Only then did Wei Yun Qing refocus on cultivation. Not long after, she learned that Yun Xi had taken a sect mission and left, and she guessed Yun Xi had gone back to the clan.

And after this return, the clan would likely value Wei Yun Xi even more, since she had taken a Nascent Soul True Lord as her master. For the clan, that was a huge support.

Wei Yun Qing could already imagine her position in the clan after that. She felt unwilling to accept it, so she also planned to return to the clan once, preferably before Wei Yun Xi, so she would have time to lay out her plans.

After deciding to return to the clan, she went to find Wei Zong Hao and invited him to travel with her, but Zong Hao refused gently. “Little Sister Yun Qing, recently, under Master Dan Yang’s guidance, I’ve made a breakthrough in alchemy. It’s not convenient for me to leave the sect for now. If you’re not in a rush, you can wait for me half a month.”

When Yun Qing heard she would have to wait that long, she became unhappy and immediately asked, “Brother Zong Hao, can’t you accompany me home first?”

Zong Hao rolled his eyes inside, then replied, “Master Dan Yang is calling me. I’m going back to the alchemy hut.”

With that, he turned and left, leaving Yun Qing where she stood, muttering to herself. In the end, she could only choose to return to the clan alone. She knew her own strength. After making preparations, she went to Hao Ran City and boarded a flying ship back to Kun Yu City.

Wei Yun Qing’s trip wasn’t peaceful either. When the flying ship passed through the Bao Hua Mountain Range, it was attacked by a flock of red-beaked falcons. The Golden Core cultivator guarding the ship immediately leaped out and fought the leader, a Third Rank red-beaked falcon.

The guards and cultivators on the ship all took out their weapons and began attacking the Second Rank red-beaked falcons. A battle erupted in the air.

Wei Yun Qing’s luck was bad. She was swept by the wing of the Third Rank red-beaked falcon and fell off the flying ship. Although she avoided being surrounded and attacked, she was stranded in the Bao Hua Mountain Range.