Han Lian was not surprised by Bai Feng's report. Since the evil cultivators had failed to achieve their goal, they would not give up. This passage could not be allowed to remain. A simple seal would not suffice.
She sent a voice transmission to Bai Feng. "Bai Feng, hold on for one more night. We will move tomorrow. Do not let the evil cultivators approach. Even the damaged array foundation must not fall into their hands."
"Bai Feng understands." He agreed crisply. After guarding for so many days, one more night would not matter.
After finishing with her spirit beast, Han Lian contacted Yunxi.
"Ran Xi, the evil cultivators are not giving up. It looks like they are trying to repair the teleportation passage. I have already ordered Bai Feng to guard the shattered array foundation and keep the trapped evil cultivators away. We have to find a way to remove this hidden danger. Otherwise, even if we retake Huaxian Gate tomorrow, Hua Yu and the others still will not be able to hold it."
Han Lian was not boasting. To seize Weiyu Realm, the evil cultivators from the Upper Realm had skirted the edge of planar suppression and sent down Divine Transformation experts. That abrupt giant hand from before had even reached the Out-of-Body stage.
By rights, any one of the four of them could have crushed such opponents. But to remain in Weiyu Realm, they had voluntarily suppressed their cultivation, which left them somewhat constrained.
Fortunately, working together, the four had pushed the enemy back. Even so, the battered Huaxian Gate could not possibly go head-on against an Out-of-Body evil cultivator from the Upper Realm. In the end, it still fell to them to solve this.
Yunxi felt a headache coming on. She had planned to reclaim Huaxian Gate tomorrow and return to her sect first. Now a new problem had appeared. Plans never keep up with changes.
"Han Lian, can we find an array master to help and destroy that passage completely?"
It seemed to Yunxi the most direct route.
Han Lian considered it and found Ran Xi's suggestion effective, so she replied, "I will ask Yun Chen. A Buddhist demon-subduing array should work best against evil cultivators."
"Good. I will wait for your reply."
After they cut the transmission for the moment, Yunxi reflexively drew a sigil with spiritual power to suppress her cultivation and layered it onto her robe, merging it with the previous runes. Only then did she stop.
The last time the four of them joined forces to repel the giant hand, they had nearly failed to keep their cultivation suppressed. Layering suppression sigils onto their robes had become second nature. Yunxi worried they might not be able to remain in Weiyu Realm for a full hundred years.
Meanwhile, Xian Feng and Xian Yao rushed back to Huaxian Gate's encampment. Upon meeting Hua Yu Zūnzhě, Xian Yao first waved a hand and dropped an isolation array, then asked bluntly,
"Zūnzhě, did you know that the body of the Evil God is sealed in Weiyu Realm?"
Hua Yu froze, clearly stunned. He asked on instinct, "Is that true? Who told you? Is the information reliable?"
Xian Yao and Xian Feng exchanged a glance and felt a little better. Then Xian Feng recounted their meeting with Ran Xi and the source of the news.
Hua Yu fell silent for a long time. So that was it. Because the Evil God's body was sealed in Weiyu Realm, the evil cultivators had never let it go.
Most likely, the Ancestors who knew some of the inside story believed they could not contend with the Evil God. They had selfishly left the sect a way out. Unfortunately, the evil cultivators from the Upper Realm had exploited it, creating a disaster.
"Hua Yu Zūnzhě, what should we do now?"
Xian Feng sighed inwardly, but still asked.
Hua Yu lowered his gaze and pondered for a while before answering, "Since you have already asked Ran Xi Zūnzhě, she will not stand by and watch. When this matter is settled, we will contract our mountain gates and focus on cultivating our disciples well.
You two must also train diligently and strive to ascend as soon as possible. Huaxian Gate in the Spirit Realm should accept you."
Xian Yao was far less optimistic. The cross-realm teleportation array connecting the two sects had already become a conduit for the evil cultivators to send reinforcements. Something must also have happened to Huaxian Gate in the Upper Realm.
But this was not the time to say so. There was no need to sap morale further. Let everyone keep what they knew in their hearts.
At Yunmen Temple's encampment, Yun Chen had already received Han Lian's transmission. He was considering which Buddhist grand array could destroy this exclusive passage. With no immediate answer, he went to consult his master, Yun Yi.
Although Yun Chen's cultivation now surpassed Yun Yi's, Yun Chen admitted he was lacking in experience and accumulation. When he encountered a hard problem, his first thought was still Yun Yi.
After listening, Master Yun Yi rolled the prayer beads in his hand and thought carefully. After a while, he opened his eyes and spoke slowly.
"Yunmen Temple has an array called the 'Heavenly Gang Big Dipper Demon-Execution Grand Array.' It uses the power of seven to correspond with the Big Dipper in the sky, drawing on stellar might to execute evil. It should accomplish what you described.
"However, the formation requires a certain level of cultivation. The minimum is the Out-of-Body stage. In Weiyu Realm, the peak is only late Divine Transformation, so the array has long been shelved."
"Amitabha. Master, that array should be able to destroy the passage to the Upper Realm completely. But we are short three people to complete the seven."
Yun Chen frowned.
Then he thought of Han Lian's spirit beast, Bai Feng. That one might barely count as a participant. That left two more. He had already begun weighing candidates.
"Yun Chen, our Yunmen Temple is willing to contribute. If we gather the strength of our Buddhist cultivators, we can barely sustain one formation node. You need only find one more."
Naturally, Yun Yi would support his own disciple. This was a chance to accumulate merit. He would not retreat.
"Amitabha. Many thanks for Master's guidance. This disciple will confer with Ran Xi and the other two."
Yun Chen answered respectfully, then flashed out of the Eastern Region encampment and went straight to Ran Xi's cultivation abode.
At that moment, Yunxi was receiving guests, Ye Yirui and Ye Yuchen from Medicine King Valley.
They had only come to visit once the fighting eased. Yunxi was pleasantly surprised to see them. Ye Yuchen truly lived up to being an "Innate Dao Body." In just over ten years, he had broken through to mid Nascent Soul, even surpassing his elder sister Ye Yirui.
"Ye Yirui, Ye Yuchen pay respects to Ran Xi Zūnzhě."
"No need to be so formal. Sit and talk."
Yunxi lifted them with a gentle wave and smiled for them to sit.
Ye Yuchen first cupped his hands to thank Ran Xi for repairing his dantian so he could cultivate again. Then the conversation turned to Medicine King Valley.
Ye Yirui's gaze grew solemn. "To be frank, once the Central Region became the battlefield between righteous and evil, Medicine King Valley was ambushed by a Divine Transformation evil cultivator. To preserve the inheritance, Ancestor Ye transmitted the younger disciples out ahead of time. He perished together with the intruder."
Ran Xi could only sigh at that. There was little more to say. In this war, the sects and clans of the Central Region had suffered the worst losses. For a force like Medicine King Valley to preserve some living strength was already quite good.