This time, Yunxi's tribulation crossing could not be called merely smooth. It was exceptionally smooth. She guessed this was due to her previous suppression of her cultivation. After breaking through, her cultivation surged forward, only stopping at the peak of the early Unity stage under her tight restraint.
As the spiritual rain fell, countless specks of golden merit light descended as well. Yunxi felt that the merit this time was no less than what she received during her last tribulation. She suspected the reason lay in the "World Ascension Plan" she had proposed, which barely counted as saving this small realm, so the heavenly feedback was generous.
The cultivators observing her tribulation all received some benefits, especially Yu Ling Zūnzhě, who shared her Ice Spiritual Root attribute. He had already sensed an opportunity to break through to the Out-of-Body stage but chose to suppress it for now.
Sect Master Yu Geng had also touched the threshold of the Divine Transformation stage. His grin was impossible to hide. Although he had not been able to take Ran Xi as a disciple, he still profited as her Martial Uncle.
After completing this tribulation that was all thunder but little rain, Yunxi had only enough time to change out of her destroyed robe before sending Yu Ling a quick message and flashing away toward Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's cave residence.
Sect Master Yu Geng's outstretched hand paused mid-air, but seeing Ran Xi vanish in the direction of Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's cave, he quickly withdrew it.
Yu Ling, his face calm, announced, "Ran Xi has gone to see Hao Ran Zhēnzūn on urgent business. Everyone may disperse."
Then, he too flashed back to the Hive, planning to finish pending matters before going into seclusion to break through to the Out-of-Body stage. He did not want to fall too far behind.
Hao Hui and Hao Qing seemed to sense that Hao Ran Zhēnzūn had important matters but did not pry. They also returned to their own cave residences. The spiritual rain they had absorbed earlier had yet to be fully refined, and they could not afford to waste it.
Every moment counted now. They might have been excused from the first ten-year expedition to the Ancient Battlefield, but the ones after that would be unavoidable.
When Yunxi arrived at Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's cave, she found him speaking with Hao Yi. Though Hao Ran's face was pale, his spirit seemed strong.
Sitting cross-legged on a nearby cushion, Yunxi asked, "Ancestor Hao Ran, how are you feeling now?"
Hao Ran stroked his short beard. "I feel excellent, better than I have in years. After being tempered by the foreign flame, all the evil energy in my body has been purged. The next step is to remove the seal on my dantian."
Yunxi nodded. "Good. I will summon Zi Yan back now."
She had not summoned Zi Yan during her tribulation, fearing hidden evil energy might retaliate. She had instructed Zi Yan to attack if anything unusual happened. Since Hao Ran Zhēnzūn said all was well, she was ready to recall it.
But Hao Ran Zhēnzūn raised a hand. "Ran Xi, do not rush to summon your foreign flame back. After I unseal my dantian, I would like you to control the flame to scour it once."
Yunxi froze, her amber eyes widening. "Zhēnzūn, your dantian is your foundation. If something were to go wrong…"
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn waved dismissively. "It is fine. I am simply cautious after being bitten once. I fear some evil energy might have seeped in during the sealing. I trust you to help cleanse it."
Yunxi's mouth twitched. He trusted her, but she did not quite trust herself. This was the dantian of a Mahayana Zhēnzūn. If something went wrong, how would she compensate? She had yet to cultivate a second seven-colored lotus.
Hao Yi voiced his own concern. "Senior Brother, the dantian is the root of cultivation. It is not that I doubt Ran Xi's abilities, but what if evil energy has indeed infiltrated your dantian, and the Mystic Thunder Violet Flame mistakes it for a battlefield?"
Yunxi understood Hao Yi's worry. If there was any remaining evil energy, Zi Yan would not spare it, and Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's dantian would suffer.
Yet Hao Ran Zhēnzūn seemed carefree, waving his hand. "If it comes to that, it is fate. But I will never allow a evil cultivator to control my body."
Seeing Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's firm resolve, Yunxi realized his mind was made up. She nodded. "Ancestor Hao Ran, unseal your dantian now. Let spiritual energy flood your meridians. Zi Yan is linked to me; if it senses danger, it will warn me. I will send you instructions, and you only need to follow them."
"Good." Hao Ran Zhēnzūn agreed crisply and immediately broke the seal on his dantian, letting its spiritual energy surge through his meridians.
Both Hao Yi and Ran Xi watched intently, ready to act at a moment's notice.
Fortunately, Zi Yan remained silent, lying dormant within Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's meridians, giving Yunxi no warning signals.
A quarter of an hour later, Hao Ran Zhēnzūn opened his eyes and nodded to Yunxi, signaling he had detected nothing amiss.
Yunxi rubbed her fingers together. "Ancestor Hao Ran, I will now let Zi Yan enter your dantian. Are you ready?"
Hao Yi turned to her. "Ran Xi, did you sense something?"
Yunxi shook her head. "No. I simply feel uneasy. I believe Ancestor Hao Ran feels the same, which is why he insisted Zi Yan enter his dantian."
A cultivator's instincts were not to be underestimated, especially one who had reached the Mahayana stage. Hao Ran Zhēnzūn could faintly sense the Dao; perhaps this was a warning from the heavens.
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn stroked his beard. "Yes, I trust my instincts. Ran Xi, proceed."
As soon as he spoke, Zi Yan flashed into Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's dantian.
Upon entering, Zi Yan spread itself into a fine, wing-thin net lining the dantian walls, then rapidly heated up. It quickly forced out a wisp of evil energy.
Zi Yan trembled with excitement, then began a fresh round of purification. Hao Ran Zhēnzūn cooperated, guiding his Nascent Soul through Zi Yan's fiery net and out of the dantian.
The three present heard a shriek, then silence returned. The unease in Yunxi's heart disappeared.
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn had suffered greatly. Though his dantian had been broadened considerably under Zi Yan's scorching, the pain was beyond what most cultivators could endure. His trembling body made that obvious.
An hour later, Zi Yan burped contentedly, then drifted out of Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's body and returned to Yunxi, curling up to sleep.
Hao Ran Zhēnzūn took a deep breath and, with shaking hands, poured a vial of medicine into his mouth. It was Su Sheng, refined by Yunxi herself. With the abundant resources of the Spirit Realm, she had crafted the original, purest version, its effects even greater than before.
Sure enough, after taking it, Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's complexion visibly improved.
Beside him, Hao Yi let out a heavy sigh of relief. His Senior Brother was the cornerstone of Hao Ran Sect; no mistakes were allowed.
Yunxi sensed that Hao Ran Zhēnzūn's aura had completely stabilized. She said to Hao Yi, "Ancestor Hao Ran's crisis is over. I will return to my cave. If anything arises, send me a message."
Hao Yi nodded repeatedly. "Alright. Thank you for your hard work, Ran Xi! Go consolidate your cultivation. I will stay with Senior Brother Hao Ran."