At Danxia Valley, within the Yunxu Workshop, the Great Elder, Cen Qianxu, emerged from the inner chambers. Looking at the others gathered in the great hall, he let out a long, weary sigh and shook his head. “A Luo’s condition seems to have deteriorated further.”
Those invited to treat Yun Luo were among the most formidable alchemists and physicians in the sect, yet they remained helpless against her condition.
The Third Elder, Jiang Che, pondered, “Is there truly no other way? Must we find spirit herbs with absolutely pure water attributes?”
Cen Qianxu closed his eyes. “Or find someone with an Innate Water Spiritual Root or an Innate Fire Spiritual Root. That should suffice.”
The others present fell silent. Innate Spiritual Roots were even harder to find than spirit herbs of pure water attribute. An Innate Spiritual Root is a “perfect” root; while ordinary single-root cultivators can only absorb and utilize energy matching their attribute through cultivation techniques, an Innate Spiritual Root cultivator can command that attribute entirely. For instance, only a cultivator with an Innate Fire Spiritual Root could fully draw out the alien fire within Yun Luo’s meridians, or an Innate Water Spiritual Root could thoroughly extinguish it.
But such cultivators were vanishingly rare. Even across the entire Guangling Continent, Danxia Valley—a sect of immense prestige and influence—only possessed two Innate Wood and one Innate Earth Spiritual Root cultivators.
Jiang Che sat in the great hall, crossing his legs. “Tell me, how is it that we, a sect of alchemists, don’t have a single Innate Fire Spiritual Root cultivator?”
Cen Qianxu sighed again. “This alien fire is simply too ferocious. Had it been a weaker flame, we could have worked together to extract it from A Luo’s meridians. At worst, she would have endured great pain and suffered some damage to her channels, but she could have recovered with time. However, this fire…”
Just then, Jiang Che’s messaging token vibrated, emitting a warm, soft white glow. Someone familiar was contacting him. Jiang Che frowned, activating the token while grumbling, “Who is messaging at a time like this? Do they not know we are currently treating A Luo…”
Before he could finish, the joyful voice of his disciple whom he had sent out to try their luck rang out from the token: “Master! We have found Wen Qixue! However, there is a tiny, tiny problem…”
Jiang Che leapt from his seat. “You found Wen Qixue?” He looked at Cen Qianxu in disbelief.
Nearly a century ago, Wen Qixue’s reputation was unparalleled. His cultivation speed was terrifying—going from drawing Qi into the body to the peak of Foundation Establishment in less than five years. He was once compared to the “heaven-favored” prodigies meticulously nurtured by the great sects. Though his progress slowed after reaching the Golden Core stage, leading some to sigh that “ordinary cultivation geniuses are different from true heaven-favored ones,” no one denied his immense power. Perhaps because the Heavenly Sword Sect could no longer assist him after he reached the Golden Core stage, he had spent years frequenting secret realms. Rumor had it that he had once repelled several Nascent Soul cultivators in a secret realm for the sake of a single Mystic Water Pure Lotus.
It was common knowledge that Wen Qixue had perished five years ago in the Nascent Soul tribulation, a fact that had quickly spread throughout the cultivation world. When the news reached Danxia Valley, Cen Qianxu had mused, “Wen Qixue is unlikely to die so easily.” While Cen Qianxu’s predictions were usually accurate, at the time, they had simply assumed he was refusing to abandon the only hope of saving Yun Luo. After all, Wen Qixue had fallen under a Nascent Soul tribulation; those who perish in such tribulations are usually obliterated, body and soul, leaving no room for survival.
But Cen Qianxu’s conjecture had actually been correct!
Jiang Che looked suspiciously at Cen Qianxu and blurted out, “Eldest, are you Wen Qixue’s biological father? Did you sense he was alive through bloodline connection? No, the age gap is too large… you haven’t left Danxia Valley in centuries… is he a distant relative? Are you his ancestor?”
As he grew more excited, Jiang Che became unstoppable: “You should have said so earlier! Even if he is a sword cultivator, Danxia Valley has masters who can guide him. Besides, don’t let the name ‘Heavenly Sword Sect’ fool you; their inheritance for sword cultivators is no better than ours…”
Finding his chatter intolerable, Cen Qianxu kicked him. “Enough nonsense. What about the Mystic Water Pure Lotus?”
Jiang Che said, “Oh,” messaged Rong Mingmo back, and then asked Cen Qianxu: “Then, who shall handle the fusion of his soul?”
Another person emerged from the inner workshop. Hearing Jiang Che’s question, he asked wearily, “What soul fusion?”
“Oh, Second,” Jiang Che said, turning to Yun Zhong. “We are discussing the fusion of Wen Qixue’s soul.”
Yun Zhong’s eyes widened at the name. He rushed forward, shedding his exhaustion. “You said Wen Qixue? Tell me, Third, what is the situation?”
Moments later, after hearing the details from Jiang Che, Yun Zhong was invigorated, looking as if he could forge ten furnaces at once. “Hahaha! Excellent! My A Luo is saved! Soul fusion? That is my specialty. I will handle it personally; I guarantee there will be no issues!”
Cen Qianxu doused his enthusiasm. “Wen Qixue will likely not agree to you handling it personally.”
Yun Zhong’s laughter died instantly. “Why? I am extremely skilled!”
Cen Qianxu scoffed, “That is exactly why he won’t agree! Which Golden Core cultivator would allow an unfamiliar Integration-stage powerhouse to fuse their soul? You could manipulate his divine consciousness in ways he wouldn’t even detect.”
Yun Zhong thought it over. “That is fair. Then what should we do?”
Jiang Che leaned back in his chair. “Let Changxun handle it. He has been learning from you for a long time; he possesses the necessary skills. Though he is only at the mid-Golden Core stage, his energy is stable and suitable for this. If you watch from the side, nothing should go wrong.”
Cen Qianxu agreed. “I will stand guard outside to protect you.”
Yun Zhong nodded after a moment. “Once the soul and flesh have fully fused, a tribulation may descend. I shall leave that to you, Brother Cen.”
Jiang Che’s tone lightened. “I will inform Mingmo and see if Wen Qixue agrees to our proposal.”
Danxia Valley is located in the Central Continent, and the journey from the East required the use of teleportation arrays. Currently, the four were in a beast-drawn carriage, racing toward the nearest array. Inside, Rong Mingmo showed Wen Qixue the communication she had received from her master. “Fellow Daoist Wen, what do you think? The Second Elder is exceptionally gifted. While your situation is rare, he is well-versed and should have a firm grasp of the process.”
“I have faith in the elders of Danxia Valley,” Wen Qixue replied with a smile. The proposal was thorough and thoughtful; while their ultimate goal was saving Yun Luo, they had shown him genuine sincerity.
Rong Mingmo was delighted. “Shall I reply to my master, then?”
Wen Qixue nodded.
Days later, the group of four passed through several teleportation arrays and finally arrived in Molong City, the closest city to Danxia Valley. Xia Changxun let out a long sigh. “Finally, only one last teleportation array remains.”
He explained to Wen Qixue: “Danxia Valley is situated within a canyon in the Central Continent. It is remote and sparsely populated; unless there is sect business, the area is perpetually covered by formations to remain hidden. To facilitate travel, the Valley Master established teleportation arrays in the surrounding cities, but these are exclusive to Danxia Valley members.”
As he spoke, he plastered several charms onto the carriage. “For the next leg, I must trouble you and Junior Brother Xuanlin to remain hidden within the carriage. Do not emerge, or you will become lost within the formation.”
“I understand,” Wen Qixue replied.
Su Xuanlin leaned toward him, whispering, “Will the consequences be severe if we accidentally step out?”
Wen Qixue nodded solemnly. “It is said the Valley Master is a Void Refinement-stage array cultivator. If one were to become lost in the array she has laid, with our current cultivation, we would never find our way out.”
Su Xuanlin immediately straightened his posture.
Rong Mingmo reassured them: “That is true, but fear not—as long as you remain inside, you will be safe. The formations are incredibly advanced and have never failed. They are far more stable than the arrays we used previously.”
Recalling the nauseating, shaky journey from Fengqin City to Molong City, Rong Mingmo still felt a bit queasy. No sooner had she finished speaking than Xia Changxun, steering the carriage, announced: “We have arrived.”
Su Xuanlin gasped. “Arrived?”
Rong Mingmo lifted the curtain and, seeing the familiar sight, cheered. “Indeed!” She pointed to a long canyon in the distance. “Look, the Danxia Valley encampment is beneath that canyon. Can you believe it?”
Wen Qixue looked in the direction she indicated. “I truly would not have imagined it.”
Beneath the canyon, the forest was dense and lush, showing no signs of human habitation.
Rong Mingmo said with pride: “Exactly! It is a formation laid by our Valley Master herself; I guarantee no one can discover it!”
Xia Changxun drove the carriage toward the canyon. Before he had traveled even a few miles, he sensed a surge of spiritual energy from below.
Wen Qixue looked toward the canyon. “Is someone coming out?”
Just as he finished asking, a figure appeared by his side. The newcomer, dressed in blue, looked at Wen Qixue with kindly eyes. “Is this the famous Wen Qixue of the cultivation world? Truly dashing and handsome…”
Wen Qixue: “…”
He wondered, briefly, if he should inform this elder of profound cultivation that he was, at this moment, merely a puppet.