When Bing Li heard Yunxi's voice transmission, she almost failed to keep her expression in check. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, a brief flicker of shock crossing her face, but she didn't send another message to ask for clarification because someone had already voiced a challenge.
You Zisang cast a cold, piercing look at Yunxi and said, "Ran Xi Daoyou, Yiwan is barely clinging to life and could fall at any moment. How are you going to question her soul in such a state?"
Yunxi brushed her sleeve lightly, her movements calm and deliberate, and replied, "You Zisang Daoyou, just bring Xia Yiwan here. I will question her soul in front of everyone. With several Zhēnzūn watching the process, I don't have the ability to fake anything."
You Zisang's tone stayed icy, her gaze unwavering. "Will your soul questioning technique harm Yiwan's soul further?"
"It won't, and it can even wake her up from her stupor," she answered firmly.
Seeing how confident she sounded, Chen Yebai Zhēnzūn stroked his long beard and said, "Zisang, if that's the case, then bring Yiwan here. This matter has to be settled one way or another for the sake of the sect."
You Zisang frowned, her hesitation clear. Even though she felt there's something off about Ran Xi's so-called soul questioning, she eventually nodded and raised her hand to send out a message talisman, which vanished in a streak of light.
What followed was a period of waiting for Xia Yiwan's arrival. The great hall fell into a deathly silence, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken tension, as if the earlier back and forth between Yunxi and Yixian Gate had never happened.
One ke (fifteen minutes) later, two figures appeared outside the hall, their silhouettes lengthening on the stone floor. Along with them came a thick, metallic scent of blood. Everyone inside frowned, already guessing from the heavy aroma that something had gone wrong.
As the two figures hurried into the hall, Bing Li sent another voice transmission to Yunxi.
"Ran Xi, the Ice Soul Frost Cicada inside Xia Yiwan has been crushed. The evil soul I was monitoring was crushed too."
Yunxi narrowed her eyes, her gaze fixed on the entrance. "They're silencing her."
"Definitely. Her soul has been shattered. How are you supposed to question her soul now? You couldn't even soul search her anymore with that level of damage."
She looked at the two people walking in, the corners of her eyes lifting slightly in a cold smile. "It's fine. The real targets have all arrived."
Liang Xiao and Huo Chongshan stepped into the hall with unsteady, flickering auras. The bloody smell came straight from them, their robes stained and torn, clearly showing they were injured.
After the two saluted the seniors present, Liang Xiao spoke first, his voice gravelly. "Ancestor, while I was treating Xia Yiwan, we were suddenly attacked. That person's target was Yiwan. They were skilled in assassination and caught me off guard. Chongshan arrived later to help. The attacker didn't linger and fled immediately once the goal was met, but..."
"But what?" You Zisang pressed, a bad feeling rising in her chest as she stepped forward.
Liang Xiao's face turned ugly, his expression one of deep regret. "Yiwan's soul was shattered."
Huo Chongshan also spoke with a grim expression, his head bowed. "This disciple received Martial Uncle You Zisang's message and went to bring Xia Yiwan to the peak hall. When I arrived, I found a black-robed cultivator attacking Elder Liang.
"Elder Liang told me to protect Yiwan while he faced the intruder alone. Even with two against one, the other side chose to flee into the shadows. We didn't dare leave Yiwan, fearing it's a diversion, so we sent messages to the sect to track the black-robed cultivator while we escorted Yiwan here.
But I discovered that Xia Yiwan's soul had already been shattered during the struggle. I don't know when the black-robed cultivator made their move. This's our failure. We gave the enemy an opening."
Only then did Elder Liang wave his sleeve, releasing Xia Yiwan along with the cold jade bed she rested upon. A trace of guilt flashed across his face. You Zisang had already flashed to her disciple's side, grabbing her limp wrist to assess just how bad the situation was.
Yunxi swept the scene with her divine sense and took everything in, observing the subtle shifts in the room. She sighed softly. "What a shame. I just said I would question her soul, and a mysterious cultivator immediately destroyed Xia Yiwan's soul. That's a little too coincidental for my liking."
Everyone present was a Mahayana Zhēnzūn. Of course they could see what was likely going on. No one brought it into the open, though. What were they supposed to say? That Yixian Gate was full of holes, that any cultivator could sneak in and kill a direct disciple right under an elder's nose? No one wanted to hear that truth aloud.
Hao Ran was much more direct. He looked at Chen Yebai and said, "Yebai, there's probably an evil cultivator hiding inside Yixian Gate."
Chen Yebai didn't deny it. His expression was grim as he frowned at the body on the jade bed. "Yiwan's soul is gone. Now there's no one left to prove that the Yinxi medicine came from Yixian Gate."
Hearing that, Yunxi stood up from her seat. "Zhēnzūn, Ran Xi has a way to question her soul."
As soon as she said that, everyone looked at her again. They clearly thought she was being fanciful in the face of such a tragedy. Her soul had been crushed. How could anyone question it?
Hao Ran spoke up at the right moment to maintain her credibility. "Ran Xi, don't spout nonsense."
She nodded solemnly, her face a mask of focus. "I wouldn't dare act arrogantly in front of the Zhēnzūn. To question a soul, you first have to gather it back. When Xia Yiwan's soul was crushed, Elder Liang Xiao and Huo Chongshan were both present. Traces of her soul power should still linger on them. I'll try to gather it back together, then question her soul."
Yuan Shuang Zhēnzūn narrowed her eyes. "This Lord feels like your method sounds a bit too mystical for reality."
Yunxi looked at Yuan Shuang and said, "Zhēnzūn, I obtained this method from the Ten Halls of Lord Yama in the underworld during my earlier travels. I haven't used it before, but I believe Lord Yama wouldn't bother deceiving a loose cultivator like me."
By now, You Zisang had withdrawn her hand from Xia Yiwan's wrist. Confusion flashed through her eyes, but her brows knitted even tighter. She looked up at Chen Yebai and said, "Ancestor, let Ran Xi Daoyou try. I don't want Yiwan to die without knowing why."
Chen Yebai nodded and looked at Liang Xiao and Huo Chongshan. "You two were the only ones present at the scene. Cooperate with Ran Xi Xiaoyou. Maybe we'll expose the traitor within the sect."
The two of them exchanged glances, then cupped their hands together. "Yes, Ancestor."
With permission granted, Yunxi stepped forward to the bed. Using spiritual power as a guide, she drew a defensive inscription in the air with her fingers and flicked it beneath the jade bed holding her. After the inscription flashed with light, it enveloped her in a protective sphere.
Yunxi smiled faintly at Liang Xiao and Huo Chongshan. Once again using spiritual power as a guide, she drew talismans with both hands. This time, they're sealing inscriptions that glowed with a sharp radiance. As the two instinctively retreated a step, she slapped the inscriptions into their bodies before they could react.
Liang Xiao said in a low voice, his expression tightening, "Ran Xi Daoyou, what does this mean? Why're you sealing my spiritual power?"
Huo Chongshan didn't speak, but he also looked at her with clear hostility in his eyes.
Yunxi stayed calm and made things up without batting an eye. "Don't panic. This's just to prevent you from unconsciously circulating your techniques and dispersing what little soul power Xia Yiwan has left in the air. It won't take long. A quarter of an hour at most."
She pressed her lips into a smile. "This's Yixian Gate, with five Ancestors present. Ran Xi wouldn't dare harm either of you."
Only then did she step up to Xia Yiwan and flick a ball of warm wood spiritual power into her body.
A warm surge of wood element energy awakened her soul light. Knowing the agreed moment with the two Zhēnzūn had arrived, her soul quickly returned to its place, the light steadying. She slowly opened her eyes.
When You Zisang saw her disciple open her eyes, a flash of joy crossed her gaze, and the confusion in her heart only deepened further.
Yunxi finally withdrew the continuous flow of wood spiritual power and said to Xia Yiwan, "Yiwan, you're back at Yixian Gate now. All the Zhēnzūn are here. You can say everything you saw."