Xian Feng did not speak up to smooth things over. As a disciple of Huaxian Gate, he could neither say the Ancestors' decisions were wrong nor deny Xian Yao's words. If they had not harbored selfish intentions, perhaps this war would not have erupted from Huaxian Gate, and the sect would not have suffered such devastating losses.
With Ancestors lost to closed-door life-and-death seclusion and fallen Zūnzhě, Huaxian Gate had lost at least two-thirds of its top-tier strength. Xian Feng and Xian Yao had only recently advanced to early Divine Transformation, and Hua Yu Zūnzhě also possessed only early Divine Transformation strength. The combined cultivation of the three was enough to sustain a medium-sized sect, but restoring Huaxian Gate to its former position as the leading sect of the Central Region would be difficult.
After Xian Yao's emotions calmed, Hua Yu finally spoke.
"The Ancestors have already paid the price for their choices. We won't judge whether they were right or wrong. What we must do now is preserve Huaxian Gate's current strength and slowly rebuild. After all, Huaxian Gate wasn't established as the leading sect from the start."
Xian Feng nodded. "Zūnzhě is right. We will do everything in our power."
Xian Yao only gave a silent nod.
Hua Yu continued, "You both once fought side by side with Ran Xi, Yun Chen, Xun Kun, and Han Lian. Now that they have returned and reversed the tide of battle, their cultivation has also advanced. From what I can sense, they've broken through to the Out-of-Body stage and are ready to ascend to the Upper Realm. If you have time, you should ask them about the situation above."
Hua Yu assumed that the four had fortuitous encounters, broke through the Out-of-Body stage, and ascended, only to suppress their cultivation and return to Weiyu Realm for this righteous versus demonic war. This was also the general speculation among cultivators.
Xian Yao nodded in agreement. She, too, wanted to know about the Upper Realm.
At that time, Ran Xi was at the encampment, discussing reclaiming the Hong Barrier with Hao Yan. She soon received transmission messages from her three companions, and the four regrouped.
As soon as they met, Han Lian, Xun Kun, and Yun Chen spoke almost in unison:
"Huaxian Gate's Shanhe Scroll is gone!"
Yunxi gave a helpless nod. "I know."
Han Lian's expression was cold. "Shall we head to the Qinghua Mountain Range? At least we should try searching. If it hasn't fallen into the hands of the evil cultivators, then it isn't a complete disaster."
But Yunxi shook her head. "It's hard to say. To draw the righteous cultivators' attention, they sent so many Divine Transformation evil cultivators down here. It would be easy for one or two to slip away to search for the Shanhe Scroll without attracting notice."
"Amitabha. Ran Xi's reasoning is sound. Still, we should go, if only to ease our minds. If even the four of us cannot find it, then we can be certain it's in the hands of the evil cultivators."
Xun Kun nodded. "Yun Chen is right. If that's the case, we'll have to adjust our strategy."
Yunxi agreed, though she suspected they were wasting their efforts. Some things were beyond their power to stop.
After settling on a plan, the four prepared to return to their respective sects. Yunxi reminded them,"All cultivators from the regions should enter the battlefield quickly to clean up the aftermath. My Hong Barrier is heavily drained. The evil cultivators won't sit still and die; they're constantly attacking the shield."
This was one of her reasons for meeting the others. She needed to reclaim the Hong Barrier before returning to her sect.
"Understood. The Southern Region is ready. We've rested for two days and can fight again."
"Amitabha. The Buddhist cultivators of the Eastern Region are ready as well."
"Don't worry. The Northern Region cultivators want to return quickly. None of us wish to linger in the Central Region. Contracting the battle lines is inevitable. With the four of us here, it won't take long."
The four separated once again. Over the next three days, the five regions' cultivators joined forces to shrink the battle lines swiftly, allowing Yunxi to reclaim her Hong Barrier at the perfect moment.
Then, without alerting anyone, the four visited the Qinghua Mountain Range. As expected, they searched the entire range, even disturbing a fifth-rank beast, yet found no trace of the Shanhe Scroll. Helpless, they returned to camp.
The trapped evil cultivators, wary of Ran Xi and her companions, could only endure a passive beating. Earlier, one Divine Transformation evil cultivator had tried to self-destruct to shatter the formation and buy time for his comrades to escape. Xun Kun crushed his body with a single hand, not even sparing his soul, thoroughly intimidating their enemies and stamping out their arrogance.
But once the evil cultivators were driven back into Huaxian Gate's territory, the cultivators from other regions became far less aggressive. Resentment toward Huaxian Gate lingered. Now that most of the Central Region's land had been reclaimed, slowing down wouldn't draw complaints.
Hua Yu grew anxious and urged Xian Yao and Xian Feng to visit Ran Xi. He knew Ran Xi would not delay if she were asked directly.
Ran Xi had been preparing to return to her sect with the Snow Wolf King pair, who had followed her ever since she reclaimed the Hong Barrier.
The two majestic Snow Wolf Kings drew every gaze as soon as they stepped into Haoran Sect's domain. Cultivators whispered in awe, marveling that Ran Xi Zūnzhě truly possessed both unmatched strength and luck to command such high-rank beasts. Jealousy glimmered in their eyes.
Hao Yan was also intrigued by Yunxi's new companions. When she learned that Xue Li and Xue Ying hailed from the Misty Snow Domain, she couldn't help but remark on Ran Xi's fortune.
Ran Xi had not formed contracts with the wolves. She couldn't store them in her space or spirit beast bags, as fifth-rank beasts had their pride. For now, they followed her freely, roaming the camp. She allowed them to wander but asked that they inform her if they wished to leave.
After one circuit of the camp and countless hungry stares, Xue Li and Xue Ying retreated into Yunxi's cultivation abode, refusing to go out again. The gazes from those human cultivators were unsettling.
Thus, when Xian Yao and Xian Feng arrived, they saw two pure-white Snow Wolf Kings. Even the usually calm Xian Feng stole a few glances.
Seeing Ran Xi in person left them feeling as if they were worlds apart. The difference in their levels was now undeniable.
"Xian Yao of Huaxian Gate pays respects to Ran Xi Zūnzhě."
"Xian Feng of Huaxian Gate pays respects to Ran Xi Zūnzhě."
Both cupped their hands respectfully.
"There's no need for such formality. What brings you two here today?"
Xian Yao and Xian Feng exchanged glances. In the end, Xian Feng spoke, laying out Huaxian Gate's awkward predicament and their hope for Ran Xi Zūnzhě's support.
Yunxi listened and nodded knowingly. She understood it wasn't the cultivators of other regions to blame. There had to be an outlet for their grief and anger. This war had not been without sacrifice. If not for the timely return of the four, the death toll would have been much higher.
"I understand. I'll speak with the other four regions. But since you're here, I'd like to hear the full story of how the Shanhe Scroll was lost, and about that teleportation array leading to the Upper Realm."