"Is it over?"
Sensing the violent aura around them calming down, Chi Xiaoxi slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing that caught her eye was the scorched Divine Wood, and then...
Chi Xiaoxi panicked. Where had Senior Xu gone?
Only when she lowered her gaze in panic did she realize that a bottomless pit had been dug around where the Divine Wood had stood.
The two uncles, North and South, hurried forward to check the situation and saw a dark figure lying motionless at the bottom of the pit.
"Daoist Xu, Daoist Xu..." Uncle North's voice grew louder, his heart filled with apprehension.
How could he not sense Xu Yi's aura? Had Xu Yi failed to ascend?
Uncle North's mind flashed with an absurd thought, which he quickly suppressed.
Xu Yi must not have an accident.
Jing Qiu did not look at the commotion in the pit. Instead, she looked up at a certain spot in the void, her gaze filled with inquiry and displeasure.
Zhan Fei sighed softly and stepped forward, revealing himself, "Sect Leader Jing Qiu."
"Sect Leader."
"Master!"
Seeing their Sect Leader, the members of the Fire Talisman Sect stepped forward to pay their respects.
Jing Qiu also returned the greeting indifferently, "Sect Leader Zhan, you've finally decided to show yourself."
"Someone in the sect is breaking through. How could I possibly ignore it?" Zhan Fei was unfazed by the barb in Jing Qiu's words and said with a chuckle.
For some reason, when Jing Qiu saw the smile on Zhan Fei's face, it felt inexplicably glaring, as if it were a silent mockery directed at her.
"Sect Leader Zhan, since you..."
"It moved! It moved! Daoist Xu moved!"
Jing Qiu's unfinished words were interrupted by Elder North's ecstatic cry, and her expression immediately darkened again.
At that moment, a black shadow leaped out from the bottom of the pit, soaring upwards, and actually landed directly on the top of the Divine Wood.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the figure above the Divine Wood.
Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the figure was covered in a layer of black material, obscuring its face.
"Daoist Xu, what is this..."
Uncle South craned his neck, his face full of confusion.
Although the figure's identity could not be discerned, everyone knew it was Xu Yi. But why had Xu Yi suddenly appeared above their Fire Talisman Sect's Divine Wood for no reason?
It was a disrespect to the Divine Wood.
Even though Xu Yi had been kind to their Fire Talisman Sect, Uncle South felt a hint of discomfort.
However, he couldn't tell if this discomfort stemmed from Xu Yi gaining an opportunity from the Divine Wood or if he genuinely disliked Xu Yi's actions.
"Apologies."
A muffled voice came from above. Everyone was stunned, not understanding the meaning of Xu Yi's words.
The next moment, under everyone's gaze, Xu Yi mobilized all her spiritual energy and then stomped her foot fiercely.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Cracking sounds erupted from within the Divine Wood.
At the same time, many dense cracks appeared on the exterior of the Divine Wood. Large patches of black bark began to peel off, and the rate of peeling accelerated.
"Senior Xu!"
"Daoist Xu!"
The people of the Fire Talisman Sect were greatly alarmed, and the two uncles, North and South, nearly jumped out of their skins.
Xu Yi was about to destroy the Fire Talisman Sect's Divine Wood!
"Stop!"
Uncle South could no longer hold back. He channeled his energy and stepped forward, his body taking to the air.
He intended to stop Xu Yi.
Jing Qiu's brow relaxed slightly. Was the Fire Talisman Sect about to have an internal conflict?
As expected, she knew that Xu Yi was of questionable character and would only cause trouble wherever she went.
Seeing Uncle South rapidly approaching her, Xu Yi's spiritual energy surged madly within her body, and she slowly raised her arm.
"No!" Uncle South roared in anger.
Boom!
A fist descended!
Xu Yi struck the top of the Divine Wood again.
As she threw this punch, the scabs on her body shattered layer by layer, revealing her face. The Divine Wood beneath her feet, unable to bear the strain, turned into countless fragments and collapsed with a crash.
Xu Yi's body plummeted rapidly from the air, returning to the bottom of the pit.
"Xu Yi!" Uncle South was almost driven mad by Xu Yi's reckless audacity.
He flashed to Zhan Fei's side, "Sect Leader! Xu Yi actually dared to destroy our sect's Divine Wood..."
"Uncle South, Senior Xu definitely didn't do it on purpose." Wang Yang, with a worried expression, spoke up to plead for Xu Yi.
Wang Yang didn't understand Xu Yi's intentions, but he believed that Xu Yi wouldn't destroy the Divine Wood for no reason. She must have had her reasons for doing so.
Wang Yang was willing to trust Xu Yi and give her a chance to explain.
"Yes, Uncle South, there must be something we don't know about this."
"Sect Leader Uncle, Senior Xu is not a bad person. Please don't misunderstand her."
Even Uncle North cleared his throat lightly and advised, "Old Nan, don't be rash. Let's hear what Daoist Xu has to say when she comes up."
The one-sided situation made Uncle South both angry and annoyed. He trembled with rage. "Then I'd like to see what explanation Xu Yi can give."
Uncle South did not believe that Xu Yi could have a legitimate reason for destroying the Divine Wood.
He couldn't help but suspect that Xu Yi, having obtained the opportunity within the Divine Wood, wanted to prevent others from obtaining it and thus deliberately destroyed the Divine Wood.
If that were the case, even though Xu Yi had helped the Fire Talisman Sect before, he would definitely ask the Sect Leader to hold her accountable.
Everyone fell silent again, their gazes fixed on the pit, waiting for Xu Yi to appear.
A while later, just as Uncle South was becoming impatient, Xu Yi finally appeared.
Xu Yi was now wearing a new green Taoist robe, her posture tall and straight, her eyes twinkling with a smile, giving off a sense of vibrant life.
She clasped her hands together in front of her chest. Her wide sleeves overlapped, as if holding something yet making it impossible to see, further piquing everyone's curiosity.
Xu Yi surveyed the crowd and then walked up to Zhan Fei, smiling as she asked, "Are you Sect Leader Zhan of the Fire Talisman Sect?"
Zhan Fei returned her smile, "Indeed. Daoist Xu, I've heard much about you."
"Greetings, Sect Leader Zhan." Xu Yi nodded slightly.
She was now a cultivator at the Integration stage, at a similar cultivation level as Zhan Fei, so a simple bow was sufficient.
"Daoist Xu, this Divine Wood may seem ordinary, but it is the testament to my Fire Talisman Sect's thousand-year heritage. Your actions just now were truly perplexing. Could you give us an explanation?"
Zhan Fei had learned Xu Yi's name from Wang Yang when he returned safely with good news. He had also looked into Xu Yi's background.
Knowing that Xu Yi was a disciple of the Xuanji Sect and had even been the top disciple in the sect's grand competition, he held a favorable impression of her.
Therefore, even with his doubts, he did not want to create a confrontation upon their first meeting.
"Of course."
Xu Yi smiled slightly and then continued, "I damaged your Divine Wood, so now I will compensate you with another Divine Wood."
Before she finished speaking, Xu Yi abruptly lifted her left sleeve, revealing the secret she had been concealing.
"This, this is..."
Zhan Fei's pupils contracted. He involuntarily took two steps forward, trying to see if the object in Xu Yi's hand was what he imagined.
Uncle South, who had been furious moments ago, was now speechless, his face in a daze.
Only Jing Qiu and Wang Biyun's expressions remained unchanged, and it was unclear what they were thinking.