Yunxi understood what Ran Yi meant and could only say helplessly, "At the time we did not have the luxury to make elaborate preparations, and the Upper Realm evil cultivators kept trying to reconnect the passage Huaxian Gate had left.
We all believed that channel was the most stable one. Although a Huaxian Gate Zūnzhě's self-detonation severed it for a while, the spatial node remained intact, so the evil cultivators linked it again in the end. They were never going to abandon a carved-open route.
To destroy it completely, Master Yun Yi of Yunmen Temple contributed this formation. He stated that the minimum cultivation to activate it is Out-of-Body.
But in Weiyu Realm, anyone who breaks through to Out-of-Body ascends to the Spirit Realm, which is why the array had been shelved. He produced it only because the four of us had reached that stage and could take the shot.
Time was short. We barely assembled personnel for the seven Beidou star nodes, and when the Upper Realm evil cultivators tried to reconnect, we activated a simplified grand array.
To crush both spatial nodes in one stroke, we forcibly reversed the formation to amplify its destructive power. Fortunately, we succeeded."
Ran Yang and Ran Rui listened, rapt. During the war the three of them had been sent to the Qinghua Mountain Range to search for the Shanhe Scroll. None of them had wanted to go, but Ancestor Hao Yi had named them personally, and they had to obey.
Hearing Yunxi describe the battle, Ran Rui still felt regret. In his mind, his natal sword drew too seldom.
Ran Yi cared more for the formation. After Yunxi's explanation, he spoke in a tone that said your luck was good, "You escaped backlash for three reasons. First, you were running a simplified array. Second, the seven serving as array nodes cooperated flawlessly. Third, the rest must be chalked up to the Dao of Heaven lending a hand. Otherwise, when you reversed the array, the seven node holders would have been either maimed or dead."
Yunxi smiled in realization. She felt the third point was key. That passage linked Weiling Realm and Weiyu Realm. Boring holes through the inter-realm barrier to smuggle forces was hardly something to please the Dao of Heaven.
What they did aligned with Heaven's intent, which was why matters went so smoothly.
Speaking of which, ever since she stepped on Wei Yunqing and kept wrecking her opportunities and support, then climbed to the peak of Weiyu Realm, that feeling of being suppressed had not shown its face for a long time.
Yunxi decided to find time to pay her dear elder sister a visit. After great winds and waves, she would not stumble in a back alley.
Back to the present, Yunxi smiled. "That proves I still have a little luck on my side."
Ran Yi nodded. "Indeed. May I take this array back for deeper study?"
"Of course. I am handing it to you so you can master it. In the near future, we may need to arrange a complete Heavenly Gang Big Dipper Demon-Execution Grand Array."
At that, Ran Yang, Ran Rui, and Ran Yi all fixed their eyes on Yunxi. They knew she would not say that for no reason.
This time Yunxi transmitted directly to the three of them the news that the Evil God's body was sealed in Weiyu Realm.
Their expressions changed, but all three held steady. After a moment's lowered-eyes thought, they strung cause and effect together.
Ran Yi drew a deep breath. "Senior Sister Ran Xi, leave the array to me. I will analyze and decompose it as fast as I can, and try to bring out its full utility."
"Good. I trust you. For now, do not spread what I told you. Otherwise the evil cultivators may exploit it. We just won a battle. Everyone needs a sound mindset."
"We understand."
Half an hour later, the three left Lingxue Peak.
The next day, Yunxi sent a message to Wei Zonghao and Wei Chenyin, asking them to bring Feng Jiaqing to see her.
The three were delighted to receive it. Though they already knew Ran Xi was safely back, they had not wanted to disturb her and so had not visited on their own. After the summons, they hurried to Lingxue Peak at once.
Since she was meeting her own blood kin, Yunxi relaxed. She received them in the little flower garden on the summit.
Wei Zonghao was now a fourth-grade alchemist, his pill arts already surpassing the old. Yu Huo intended to pass him the peak lord's seat, a plan delayed only by the war in the Central Region.
During that war, Wei Zonghao had helped refine the pills supplied to the higher-ranked disciples sent to the front by Haoran Sect, gaining a wealth of experience. He had even attempted some restorative medicinal agents, which won praise once they were sent to the Central Region.
When his pill arts hit a bottleneck, he turned his focus to pharmaceutics. Yu Huo took interest as well, though he was only at the entry level. Without Yunxi's guidance, the two studied by trial and error and still found good results.
Yunxi's expectations for Wei Zonghao were high. "Zonghao, Medicine King Valley was badly battered in the war and chose to join Haoran Sect because I inherited the legacy of Yixian Gate.
After they pass the assessment, I want to fold them into Dan Peak. You can study pharmaceutics together. When I have time, I will tutor you specifically. Pharmaceutics must be passed on. I promised this to the seniors of Yixian Gate."
"Understood," Wei Zonghao said crisply, accepting the storage pouch Yunxi handed over.
Wei Chenyin listened with a smile and did not interrupt. When they finished, she spoke about the Wei clan's conduct during the Central Region war.
Because of Yunxi, the Wei clan enjoyed Haoran Sect's protection. Haoran Sect sent reinforcements to the Central Region three times. Every Wei clansman who had reached Golden Core signed up. For the clan's long-term development, Wei Chenyin did not allow all Golden Core cultivators to go, but selected the strongest from each branch to support the front.
Some casualties were inevitable, but those who returned alive made gains in cultivation. After that, she did not restrict participation, but she did equip them with life-saving items in hopes they would come back breathing.
Yunxi approved. Flowers raised in a greenhouse do not become great timber, especially in a cultivation world where strength rules. Stronger foes loom. To live on, one must keep growing.
As usual, Yunxi gave Wei Chenyin a storage pouch and said with a smile, "A portion is to reward those clan disciples who fought in the righteous versus evil war, to push their realms a step higher. The rest is for the juniors, so they can build steadily."
"Good. I will see to it."
After the exchange, Wei Zonghao and Wei Chenyin took their leave, leaving the space to Feng Jiaqing.
Looking at Yunxi as she was now, Feng Jiaqing could not hide his admiration, nor the respect he himself had not noticed.
"Ran Xi, thanks to you, the entire Feng clan has relocated to Haoran City and gained a foothold here. During this war, our main task was supplying spirit stones.
But Yong and Qin formed a team and, as loose cultivators, joined the war."