Bao Gu’s tears welled up in her eyes, and she choked out two words: “He’s gone…”
Yu Mi exclaimed urgently, “What are you joking about? Gone? Even if our master couldn’t defeat a mid to late stage expert in the Transformation Stage, who could possibly stop him from retreating?”
Bao Gu lowered her head and said, “He fought to the death with the head of the Sima family.”
Yu Mi shouted angrily, “Fought to the death? Our master would never do something so foolish! Would the head of the Sima family really be willing to perish together with our master? Stop talking nonsense! Bao Gu, if you keep spouting this, do you believe I won’t hit you?”
Bao Gu remained silent, keeping her head down.
She understood that her senior sister was unwilling to accept that their master was gone.
Seeing Zi Tianjun return, Yu Mi, both angry and anxious, looked at him and called out, “Grandmaster.”
She asked, “What about my master…”
Zi Tianjun replied, “As soon as you all retreated, the protective formation of Lingyun Peak was shattered by the Transformation Stage treasure cauldron wielded by the head of the Sima family. The cauldron destroyed the peak of Lingyun, exposing the Xuantian Jade Mansion buried by our ancestor. To protect the treasures left by our ancestor from falling into the hands of the four major forces, the Xuantian Sect had no choice but to fight to the death at all costs.”
When Yu Mi heard the words “fight to the death,” she felt a chill run through her body, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Zi Tianjun continued, “Now, apart from the younger generation of disciples who retreated with you, only you, Martial Uncle Feng, and Elder Niu remain. Your Martial Uncle Chen… the large serpent outside is your Martial Uncle Chen.”
Yu Mi felt a coldness in her limbs, her entire body chilled, and she was momentarily stunned.
Bao Gu called out, “Senior sister… senior sister… don’t be sad, don’t… be careful not to hurt yourself…”
She understood that kind of pain; seeing her senior sister like this made her feel hurt too.
Yu Mi regained her composure, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m fine!”
After saying that, she bowed to Zi Tianjun and turned to leave the wooden house.
Bao Gu hurriedly followed Yu Mi outside, saying, “Senior sister, if you’re feeling bad, just cry it out; don’t hold it in.”
The disciples practicing in the courtyard saw Yu Mi come out and rushed to her side, calling out, “Senior Sister Yu Mi—” Among the younger generation, Yu Mi was the most powerful, having reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm in just five years.
During the sect’s great calamity, she had risked her life to rescue them from the flames of war, earning their gratitude and admiration.
Yu Mi looked up at the familiar faces surrounding her and noticed many were missing.
Many of her peers, who had practiced together outside the Transmission Hall, sparred, and competed for rankings and rewards, were nowhere to be seen…
Bao Gu had never seen Yu Mi like this.
The disciples surrounding Yu Mi were frightened by her appearance.
Yu Mi, who clearly cultivated fire attribute techniques due to her fire spirit root, now exuded a terrifying aura of ice, as if she had emerged from hell.
She stood motionless, her eyes fierce, resembling a vengeful spirit from purgatory.
Inside the wooden house, Zi Tianjun sensed something.
He stood up and walked to the door, shouting in a deep voice, “Yu Mi!”
His powerful voice was like a thunderclap!
Yu Mi suddenly turned, her cold gaze fixed on Zi Tianjun, her entire being radiating a strong killing intent!
Zi Tianjun shouted again, “Yu Mi!”
His voice rolled like thunder, crashing into Yu Mi, causing her to tremble.
She spat out a mouthful of blood, her right knee buckling as she knelt on the ground.
Bao Gu quickly crouched down to support her senior sister, her face pale with fear as she called out, “Grandmaster…”
Zi Tianjun sighed heavily and said, “It’s fine now; help her to rest.”
Bao Gu helped Yu Mi into her wooden house, took out a gourd of fourth-grade monkey wine, and handed it to Yu Mi, worriedly calling out, “Senior sister…”
Yu Mi took the gourd of monkey wine and tilted her head back, drinking it down in large gulps.
She finished the entire gourd in one go, her eyes turning red, and her thoughts drifting away.
She would always remember the countless hardships she faced when she arrived in Cloud City, wanting to join a cultivation sect, only to be kicked off the high platform by someone from the Taiyin Sect.
She would always remember her master bringing her into the Xuantian Sect, teaching her techniques, and giving her precious spiritual herbs and the Lihuo Sword.
She would always remember those who practiced with her, sparred, fought, and competed for rankings and resources.
She would always remember a senior brother who had a conflict with her and was severely punished by Elder Feng of the Punishment Hall.
Not long after, when she encountered danger outside and sent a distress signal, that senior brother rushed to her aid, helping her despite being injured, and ultimately died at the gate of the Xuantian Sect due to his wounds…
“Bao Gu, do you have any more wine?”
Bao Gu handed Yu Mi another gourd.
Yu Mi took a big swig, then her body softened as she leaned her head on Bao Gu’s shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She choked out, “Bao Gu, you haven’t practiced in the Transmission Hall, you haven’t learned sword techniques, alchemy, or artifact forging with these senior brothers. You don’t know what it means to have a bond with your fellow disciples…”
She smiled through her tears and said, “You know, Martial Uncle Zhu has a true disciple who often blew up the furnace during alchemy class. Every time we sat far away from her, waiting for her to blow up the furnace and create fireworks, but every time she successfully made an elixir, she would share it with us…”
“There was a senior brother during the monthly exam. I played dirty against him, and after the competition, he came looking for trouble, and we ended up fighting. Elder Feng punished him for instigating a private fight. Not long after, I encountered people from the Taiyin Sect and was severely injured. When I sent out a distress signal, it was that senior brother who came to save me. He didn’t abandon me; instead, he protected me for a whole day and night. Eventually, we escaped to the sect’s entrance, but he died at the gate of the Xuantian Sect due to his injuries…”
“Bao Gu, you always say I saved you, you always say the Xuantian Sect is your home, but do you know? It was the Xuantian Sect that saved me, it was my master and the fellow disciples of the Xuantian Sect who saved me. Without the Xuantian Sect, there would be no me today…”
Yu Mi leaned on Bao Gu’s shoulder, clutching her clothes, and cried out in sorrow.
The Xuantian Sect was poor, so everyone fought fiercely for cultivation resources.
The sect was so impoverished that even fighting over resources yielded little.
Coupled with the deep enmity with the Taiyin Sect, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, she often accompanied her senior brothers to confront the disciples of the Taiyin Sect for resources.
On the path of cultivation, every step was shadowed by these senior brothers…
In just one day, how many of those who practiced and fought alongside her were left?
Yu Mi’s heart ached as if it were bleeding.
Bao Gu tightly embraced Yu Mi.
She hadn’t expected Yu Mi to be in such pain.
In the past, she always thought her senior sister’s heart was cold, always keeping others at a distance, never close to anyone.
She never imagined her senior sister would care so much about the lives and deaths of their fellow disciples.
She suddenly realized that her senior sister had risked her life to protect her not because of the treasures she carried, but because she was her junior sister, weaker and less powerful.
Bao Gu didn’t know how to comfort Yu Mi.
She saw Feng Menglong peeking his head through the door, calling out, “Senior Brother Feng,” while sensing that many fellow disciples had gathered outside.
She quickly gestured for Feng Menglong and the others to leave.
Feng Menglong lightly coughed, stepped into the room, and sat cross-legged beside Yu Mi, saying, “Senior Sister Yu Mi…” with a look that seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, as if to say, “Oh, senior sister, you can cry too?”
Yu Mi grumbled, “Get lost!”
She sat up, forcefully sniffed, wiped her tears away, and glared fiercely at Feng Menglong.
Feng Menglong flashed a bright smile, then jumped up and ran outside, saying, “See? I told you that as long as I sat down without needing to coax the senior sister, it would be fine. Who do you think I am? Feng Menglong can cure all kinds of discomfort.”
Yu Mi’s face, already flushed from the wine, turned even redder.
A surge of spiritual power wrapped around the fourth-grade monkey wine in her hand and hurled it at Feng Menglong outside.
Cheers erupted as the disciples jumped up to grab the gourd of fourth-grade monkey wine, creating a lively scene, while Zi Tianjun seemed to ignore it all.
Bao Gu couldn’t find a handkerchief, so she used her sleeve to wipe away the wet tear stains on Yu Mi’s face.
Yu Mi turned her face away, feeling embarrassed.
After Feng Menglong and the others made such a commotion, she no longer felt as miserable and was too embarrassed to cry.
She sighed heavily and said, “Set up a barrier to isolate my aura; I need to sleep for a while.”
Bao Gu quickly got up to set up the barrier for her senior sister and even spread out the tiger skin bed that she had already put away.
Yu Mi sat down on the tiger skin bed, sighed deeply, and looked at Bao Gu with her wine-laden eyes.
Bao Gu pressed Yu Mi down onto the tiger skin bed, pulled over a tiger skin to cover her, and said, “If you’re drunk, just sleep; otherwise, you’ll embarrass yourself.”
Yu Mi gently closed her eyes and said, “I’m not drunk. Thank you. I’m fine; I just found it hard to accept the news all at once.”
She made an excuse for her embarrassing behavior.
Bao Gu responded with an “mm,” sitting beside Yu Mi without arguing.
Yu Mi fell silent, secretly circulating her energy to dispel the alcohol in her system, but after downing an entire gourd of fourth-grade monkey wine, the alcohol and its spiritual energy spread through her meridians, and instead of dispelling the alcohol, she fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing Yu Mi asleep, Bao Gu muttered, “Still saying you’re not drunk!”
She sat beside Yu Mi for a while, and when she noticed Yu Mi was sleeping soundly and sensed something was off, she got up to find Zi Tianjun.
In Zi Tianjun’s wooden house, she saw him and cupped her fists in greeting, saying, “Greetings, Grandmaster.”
Zi Tianjun nodded slightly and said to Bao Gu, “Have a seat. Are you here to ask about your senior sister’s condition just now?”
Bao Gu replied with an “mm,” saying, “Senior sister’s appearance just now was a bit frightening, and Grandmaster, why did you shout twice and cause her to spit blood?”
She said with a puzzled expression, “Also, senior sister spat blood, but her complexion doesn’t seem to indicate internal injury.”
Zi Tianjun looked at Bao Gu, pondering in silence.
Bao Gu asked, “Grandmaster, is there something wrong with senior sister?”
Zi Tianjun shook his head and then nodded, finally sighing, “There is indeed something wrong, but to say there is no issue is also true.”
Bao Gu was confused.
Zi Tianjun stood up and paced the room, pondering for a while before saying, “She is indeed not seriously injured; her reaction just now was due to suddenly hearing the bad news, causing her emotions to spiral out of control, almost leading her to go berserk. For cultivators, the most taboo thing is an unstable mind. Not to mention your senior sister, even Senior Nanshan lost his mind for a long time under great sorrow.”
Bao Gu blinked and asked, “Is this what it looks like to go berserk? No wonder people in the cultivation world say going berserk is terrifying.”
She recalled how her senior sister had looked just now, as if possessed by a vengeful spirit seeking revenge on the four major forces, and couldn’t help but feel a wave of fear.
Thankfully, her Grandmaster’s loud shouts had awakened her senior sister.
Zi Tianjun said, “So, it’s fine if you take your time with your cultivation; you must maintain your Dao heart and true heart, and face any situation calmly.”
Bao Gu muttered softly, “You say it’s fine to take your time with cultivation, but you keep a close watch on my training?”
Hearing this, Zi Tianjun shot a fierce glare at Bao Gu and said in a deep voice, “Get out and practice!”
Bao Gu was startled and scrambled out of Zi Tianjun’s room, cursing herself, “Why did I speak out?”
She didn’t want to practice; she wanted to stay by her senior sister’s side.
Bao Gu rushed back to her own door, wanting to return to Yu Mi’s side, but she knew that if she did, her Grandmaster, who always kept an eye on her training, would scold her.
Gritting her teeth, she compromised and squatted at her own wooden house door to practice.
Zi Tianjun sighed heavily!
He didn’t tell Bao Gu that although Yu Mi had nearly gone berserk due to her sorrow and anger, the usual cultivator’s berserk state would not resemble Yu Mi’s earlier appearance.
The aura and momentum surrounding Yu Mi were not something that could be formed from killing countless people; it was the accumulated killing intent and malice built up over many years.
Over the years, he had heard of Yu Mi’s daring and bold actions, but he had not found anything wrong with it.
In the cultivation world, who hasn’t taken a few lives?
It’s either you kill me or I kill you; who hasn’t grown through slaughter?
It was only just now that he realized Yu Mi’s strength was among the top of the younger generation, and the number of people she had killed was likely the highest in the Xuantian Sect.
Was she on the path to becoming the second master of the Soul Chasing Pavilion?
To prove her path through killing?
If not, then there would surely be a danger of going berserk in the future.
