Xu Yi had agreed to Yue Hantian's request, but she did not intend to set off immediately.
The ranking list would be finalized in a few days, and Xu Yi planned to challenge the Endless Trial and the Ascension Tower one more time to earn as many merit points as possible.
Yue Hantian had said that if the matter went smoothly, the round trip would only take ten days, a claim Xu Yi doubted. Therefore, she held little hope for the May rankings.
On the day the April rankings were finalized, Xu Yi and Yue Hantian departed to gather the Soul Reaping Grass.
Kunlun Academy's location was extremely well-hidden. Not only was it unknown to outsiders, but even Xu Yi did not know its precise location to this day.
Before leaving, she had received a teleportation talisman. Upon reaching a designated spot and activating it, she would be transported directly inside Kunlun Academy.
Now, as they left, they used a teleportation array.
A flash of white light within the teleportation array, and Xu Yi and Yue Hantian found themselves in a desolate area.
"We're near Baima City in Rongzhou. After entering the city, we'll take a teleportation array, and it will only take a day to reach our destination."
Yue Hantian had been to that place more than ten times, so he naturally knew the quickest way to get there.
"Then let's go take the teleportation array now."
Xu Yi and Yue Hantian immediately headed to Baima City. Upon entering, they went straight to the teleportation array station. Following Yue Hantian's directions, they arrived at a scenic location a day later.
"The Soul Reaping Grass is here?"
Xu Yi surveyed her surroundings with suspicion. Although the area was vibrant with life, it did not seem to possess the conditions for growing a seventh-level spiritual herb.
If the Soul Reaping Grass grew here, it would likely take tens of thousands of years to mature.
"You'll know when you follow me," Yue Hantian said mysteriously, and led the way into the mountain forest.
Xu Yi had no choice but to quickly follow, their figures like phantoms darting through the woods.
After traveling for about half the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep, Yue Hantian's steps suddenly halted. His ears twitched, and his expression changed drastically.
"Not good, the Soul Reaping Grass has been discovered!"
Yue Hantian stomped his foot heavily, and his entire body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, disappearing from Xu Yi's sight.
Xu Yi looked ahead, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
The location of the Soul Reaping Grass was hidden, yet today, as she and Yue Hantian came to gather it, it was discovered by others. What a coincidence.
Xu Yi shook her head, thinking she might be overthinking things, but a subtle sense of caution began to rise within her.
She followed Yue Hantian's aura for a short while before spotting him at the foot of a cliff, confronting two people.
The other two were also a man and a woman, both with cultivation at the late stage of the Soul Severing realm.
They were initially startled to see Xu Yi appear. However, upon sensing that Xu Yi's cultivation was only at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, they breathed a sigh of relief.
They hadn't expected an unexpected obstacle to appear.
Without needing to communicate, they understood each other's intentions, as they were also after the Soul Reaping Grass.
"I want what's inside. If you two don't wish to be buried here, leave quickly!"
The speaking man was young and handsome, but his eyes held a viciousness that was incongruous with his appearance, making him seem unsettling.
The woman was charming and radiant, but her personality was as ruthless as the man's. "No need to say more to these two. Just leave them here."
A faint killing intent emanated from both of them.
Seeing this, Xu Yi actually relaxed.
"Senior Brother Yue, I'm so scared," Xu Yi exclaimed in a falsely sweet and delicate voice, then hid behind Yue Hantian.
"Junior Sister Xu, rest assured, these two will not be able to harm a single hair on your head," Yue Hantian whispered reassuringly, glancing back at her. Then he turned his face, his gaze filled with ferocity.
He had waited nearly seven hundred years for this day, and he would not allow anyone to disrupt his plan.
Yue Hantian's aura erupted like a volcano, surging toward the two in front of them.
The pair felt a heavy weight on their shoulders, the ground beneath their feet cracking inch by inch. A sense of powerlessness, as if facing towering mountains, immediately arose in their hearts.
The man's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at Yue Hantian in terror.
This person, despite being in the same late stage of Soul Severing realm as him, was so powerful that he couldn't muster the slightest will to resist.
Little did he know that Yue Hantian had suppressed his cultivation forcibly to remain at Kunlun Academy. Although Yue Hantian was currently in the late stage of Soul Severing, his true strength could contend with early stage Integration realm cultivators.
"Esteemed Daoist friend," the man said, swallowing hard, his voice sycophantic. "It was our mistake earlier. We hope you will overlook our transgressions and not hold it against us. We will leave now, right now."
With that, he leaped backward and fled in the opposite direction as if pursued.
"Trying to escape?"
Yue Hantian snorted coldly, clenched his right fist, gathered his power, and swung it out forcefully.
A massive fist imprint, resembling a small mountain, struck the man's back in the blink of an eye.
The explosive force surged into the man's body like a destructive force, battering him from all sides.
With a 'boom,' the man's body exploded into pieces before he could even let out a scream, raining down a bloody mist.
"Fang Lang!"
The woman wailed, her expression frantic.
"You killed my husband, so I will make you lose the one you love!"
The woman's body ignited with an invisible flame, and she charged at Xu Yi, her cries echoing.
Yue Hantian had promised that no matter what happened, he would not let anyone harm Xu Yi's body.
Therefore, the moment the woman charged, Yue Hantian stepped to his right, grabbed her neck with his large palm, and tightened his grip.
"Hng, hng."
The woman struggled wildly in Yue Hantian's grasp, making guttural sounds, but a strange smile curved her lips.
Yue Hantian sensed something was wrong.
As expected, a destructive force suddenly erupted from within the woman.
She had chosen to self-detonate to avenge the man.
Her earlier words were merely a ruse to deceive Yue Hantian.
Yue Hantian wanted to retreat, but he remembered Xu Yi was behind him.
He gritted his teeth fiercely, and a surge of spiritual energy enveloped his body, forming a thick layer of armor.
The self-detonation's force was weakened layer by layer by the armor, finally reaching Yue Hantian's body.
"Pfft!"
Yue Hantian's face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His body swayed twice before he fell backward, caught by Xu Yi.
Without a word, Xu Yi first produced a handful of spiritual pills, forced them into Yue Hantian's mouth, and then grabbed his arm, injecting her spiritual power into him.
Seeing Yue Hantian's battered body, Xu Yi's emotions were complex.
The events of the past moment had happened too quickly; even she hadn't had time to react.
In fact, Yue Hantian didn't need to suffer such severe injuries. Even if he couldn't completely dodge, he could have avoided most of the damage.
He had chosen to take the blow head-on to protect her.
This rare feeling of guilt arose in Xu Yi's heart, guilt for having doubted Yue Hantian's motives earlier.
Xu Yi helped him to the side to meditate and recover, then went to search for clues left by the other two.
She was curious about their identities and how they had found this place.
The woman's storage bag had been destroyed by her self-detonation. Xu Yi found the man's storage bag amidst the debris.
She glanced at Yue Hantian, who was still resting, then sent her divine sense into the storage bag. The next moment, she froze.