Yunxi nodded. "Ancestor, do you know exactly which part of the Evil God's body is sealed in Yunxiao Sea? What could make them scheme so relentlessly?"
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn said nothing. He simply pointed at his chest.
This time it was Yunxi's turn to widen her eyes. She blurted out,"The heart? The Evil God's heart?"
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn inclined his head.
At the side, Hao Yi looked surprised as well, but she asked, "Is the Evil God's body only missing that heart, with all other parts already returned?"
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn shook his head. "I do not know. Since the righteous versus evil war ignited in the Weiling Realm, news from the evil cultivators has been hard to come by. But to my knowledge, at least half of the body has been unsealed. Otherwise they would not have had the ability to construct a passage from the Wuwang Ruins."
Yunxi exhaled, a shade relieved. The answer matched her own judgment. The Weiyu Realm had been invaded without restraint precisely because it guarded the most crucial piece of the Evil God's body, the heart.
Now that the entire realm had returned to the Weiling Realm, guarding the seal fell to the great powers of the Spirit Realm. They finally had a moment to breathe. Even so, Yunxi knew it was only temporary. A seal would be undone sooner or later. She could not help a soft sigh.
Watching the quick play of expressions on Yunxi's face and hearing that elder-like sigh, Hao Ran Zhēnzūn chuckled. "Ran Xi, what are you sighing for?"
"Ancestor, this junior thinks the seal will be broken sooner or later. A full-scale righteous versus evil war seems inevitable."
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn asked, "Why do you say that?"
Yunxi touched the storage bracelet at her wrist. "In my view, there is a reason the Evil God became a god. Perhaps the Evil God is the aggregate of the Three Thousand Worlds' negative forces. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is yin, there is yang. Neither side can dominate forever.
Besides, the Evil God's followers are not few, and many are even more fanatical. Evil-cultivation methods advance faster.
Take the evil cultivator I just hauled back who turned to the ghost path. He had been at the Out-of-Body stage. I destroyed his body and half his soul. He replenished himself by devouring wicked souls and ferocious ghosts from the Eighteen Hells, then resumed cultivating and reached the Nascent Soul stage. That alone shows how tempting their methods are—"
"Stop, stop, stop. The more you talk, the more it sounds like you are praising the Evil God."
Hao Yi looked at Yunxi helplessly.
Yunxi shook her head, solemn. "Ancestor, I intend to ascend to the Immortal Realm and step onto the divine path. I would never take the evil way. I am simply viewing the matter from an ordinary cultivator's perspective. Not everyone can resist temptation. Otherwise the Evil God would not have so many followers."
Hao Yi glanced into Yunxi's clear eyes, then let out the breath she had been holding and lowered her gaze, turning over Yunxi's words in her mind.
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn spoke. "Ran Xi is not wrong. That is indeed one reason evil cultivators can never be eradicated. Once we step onto the path of cultivation, we stand outside the cycle of reincarnation. Who willingly dies halfway? Not every cultivator can face death calmly. Many are trapped at bottlenecks.
Some choose to foster descendants. Some are eager to take disciples. Some seek every method to extend life, all for a sliver of breakthrough. Yet there are those whose dao hearts are unstable. They step onto the evil path. They may break through, but their future narrows.
As you said, there is a reason the Evil God became a god. Yet there is only this one god, and even he was sealed in such a manner. The cause of that ancient war is beyond verification, but it must have been a most tragic battle.
Now the evil cultivators wish to reconstitute the body and welcome the Evil God's return. But the body's completeness does not guarantee the god-mind's completeness. What comes after is hard to say. If Yunxi is right, then there is only one answer left for us: battle."
Yunxi nodded again and again. The breadth of a Mahayana Zhēnzūn's insight truly differed.
Hao Yi agreed with a nod, then shifted the topic. "Ran Xi, since you are back, help take Hao Ran Senior Brother's pulse. He was injured on the Ancient Battlefield. That is why he looks so old. I almost failed to recognize him."
Yunxi nodded at once and looked to Hao Ran Zhēnzūn.
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn said casually, "It is nothing. I simply need a period of seclusion to recuperate."
Even so, he extended his wrist.
Yunxi's spiritual power turned to threads and slipped into Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's meridians. A quarter-hour later, she withdrew them.
"Ran Xi, how is Senior Brother's injury?" Hao Yi asked.
Yunxi glanced at Hao Ran Zhēnzūn. Seeing he did not stop her, she answered, "Ancestor is quite heavily injured. There are signs of a wisp of evil qi having entered the body. Fortunately, his cultivation is deep. He has temporarily sealed the evil qi within and should be able to force it out without great trouble.
But the evil qi has damaged Ancestor's vitality. Add to that the hidden wounds in the meridians, and that he worked the seal at Yunxiao Sea before fully healing, overdrawing some of his origin. That is why he appears aged."
With each sentence, Hao Yi's face darkened further. At last she shot Hao Ran a glare and continued,"Ran Xi, is there a way to help him recover?"
"There is. Ancestor must enter seclusion for a time. First, force that wisp of evil qi out of the body. Then take the medicinal solution I refined, 'Su Sheng', to replenish origin vitality. The hidden meridian wounds can be repaired gradually. During recovery, Ancestor must not fight again, or it will undo all efforts."
Only then did Hao Yi nod in satisfaction. She turned to Hao Ran. "Senior Brother, did you hear Ran Xi? The sect is already on track. Go into seclusion at once. Expel the evil qi first. As for the spirit herbs to refine 'Su Sheng', I will find a way—"
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn waved a hand. "No need. I was injured representing the Loose Cultivator Alliance on the Ancient Battlefield. The alliance will supply the healing pills I require. Have Ran Xi draft a list. The alliance will send the needed spirit herbs. When they arrive, I must trouble Ran Xi to do the refining."
"Yes. This junior will help Ancestor return to peak."
For the next ten years, Ran Xi remained within the sect. When she was not refining medicine, she familiarized herself with Void Refinement–stage arts and calmly cultivated her three-path techniques, mastering their corresponding offensive methods.
Beyond spell arts, sword arts, and body arts, she picked up talisman crafting and alchemy again, both of which had stalled. She had been too busy eliminating evil cultivators, and Wei Yunqing's occasional meddling had left her little time to hone these skills.
Now, time was finally hers. The outside world was stable, and spiritual energy abundant. She resumed everything, often consulting Cao Yi on formations and beginning to learn how to engrave formation plates. Every day felt full. From time to time she had to suppress her cultivation. More than once she nearly broke through to Unity.
One day, while Yunxi was inscribing a formation plate, a message talisman flashed before her eyes. Hao Yi's anxious voice spilled out. "Ran Xi, come to Hao Ran Senior Brother's cave at once. Something went wrong during his healing!"
There was a crisp crack. The formation plate in Yunxi's hand split cleanly in two. In the next breath, her figure vanished, leaving only the shattered plate clattering to the floor.