Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten and before anyone had time to have breakfast, the group was called together.
Lixi was yawning, her eyes still half-closed, having been dragged out from under the covers by Xiaocui. She had been playing with her storage pouch until very late last night and still hadn't caught up on sleep.
Why was her Master making such a big deal out of this? Wasn't there anything that could wait until she woke up?
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Lin Shanlai immediately explained the situation and announced the decision to send everyone to Ang City to escape the impending disaster.
"A disaster? What disaster?" Lixi's sleepiness vanished completely. She stood there in utter shock and disbelief—she was only at the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer, and she had to experience the cruelty of the cultivation world so soon?
Frightened as she was, she valued her life and knew how to take advice, so she quickly told Xiaocui to pack their things.
Thank goodness for the storage pouch Third Senior Brother had given her, otherwise there really wouldn't be anywhere to put all these belongings.
The group quickly finished packing. Granny Wu was adamant about bringing her pet chicken, but since they didn't have any beast pouches, everyone had no choice but to carry one chicken along with them.
The mortal disciples were fine; they were people who frequently traveled around the towns and villages providing free medical consultations, so carrying a chicken was no big deal to them.
As for the few cultivators with their transcendent, immortal-like demeanor carrying chickens in their hands, the sight was quite comical.
Especially Third Senior Brother, whose immortal and peerless appearance made it look exceptionally out of place.
Lixi covered her mouth and giggled nonstop from behind. She certainly wasn't going to carry one herself—it would ruin her image as a young lady of noble birth.
Xiaocui was strong and carried two.
Yan Jiuzhi glanced at her helplessly.
The Yunxiao Sect was very poor and lacked any flying Dharma Artifact that could carry a dozen people at once.
Lin Shanlai and Elder Gao had no choice but to fly ahead with the disciples who lacked cultivation to wait for them outside the city.
Lixi instructed Xiaocui, "Go back and tell my dad that I'm taking my fellow sect members home to stay for a while."
Elder Gao felt rather embarrassed. "Is this really appropriate? There are so many of us."
"It's fine. My house is huge with plenty of rooms, my dad won't have any objections." Even if he did, he'd just have to swallow it.
And so, the Li residence received this sudden notice and was thrown into a frantic uproar, barely managing to tidy up all the rooms by the time they arrived.
Master Li was a shrewd businessman; he brought his whole family out to welcome them with a smile. "What an immense honor it is for my humble home to receive the esteemed presence of the Immortal Masters!"
His chubby face beamed like a Maitreya Buddha as he respectfully ushered everyone into the estate.
He completely ignored the chickens in everyone's hands. Could chickens held by Immortal Masters possibly be ordinary chickens?
They must be immortal chickens, too!
The people from the Yunxiao Sect had felt a bit awkward at first, but seeing such warm hospitality, they gradually set their minds at ease.
Junior Sister's family were truly good people.
Lixi grabbed her chubby younger brother, Li Nan, by the collar. "Have you been doing your homework properly? Have you been causing any trouble?"
"I've been very good, no trouble at all, and I did my homework." Did he dare not to? He had just gotten beaten recently.
Li Nan was utterly cowed in front of his older sister, because she actually beat him up!
It had been hard enough when she went off to become a Daoist nun, only to come back and beat him up anyway, and now she was moving back in again—his life was truly miserable. *Wuuu, wuuu, wuuu!*
The Li residence prepared a lavish welcoming banquet. With host and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves, the Yunxiao Sect members temporarily settled down at the Li family estate.
After getting the disciples settled, Lin Shanlai had someone notify the city lord's mansion. Even if there were no resident cultivators stationed there, restricting the movement of people and securing the city gates were still entirely achievable.
Once arrangements were made, Lin Shanlai, Elder Gao, Yan Jiuzhi, and Lin Ruo returned to set up the Formation.
Lin Shanlai had originally intended to go back with only Elder Gao, but how could Yan Jiuzhi possibly agree?
He knew his master wanted to protect them, but he couldn't accept it. With his Golden Core stage Divine Sense and Void Refinement stage perspective, he was more than capable of setting up the Formation; in fact, he was the one who should be driving the entire effort.
Lin Ruo insisted that as the eldest senior sister, she was duty-bound to participate.
Helpless, Lin Shanlai had no choice but to take them along.
Upon arriving near the Yunxiao Sect, the four of them discussed the matter and decided to set up the Formation in the neutral zone between the sect and Ang City. The area was barren and uninhabited, making it ideal for a Formation.
The location was chosen by Yan Jiuzhi, who guided everyone based on the Snow Soul Fox's projected route from his past life.
He suggested setting up an illusion-trap formation. His master's Golden Core was damaged and couldn't fully unleash the strength of the Golden Core stage, so they needed to trap the beast first before making other plans.
Looking at this proud disciple of his, Lin Shanlai felt a complex array of emotions that were hard to put into words. He remained silent, ultimately choosing to place his trust in him.
This child Jiuzhi—his gaze had changed...
It was no longer clear and pure, but seemed to carry a heavy suppression, making him impossible to read or fathom.
There were simply too many strange and wondrous tales in the cultivation world; perhaps this child had encountered some special fortune during his recent travels out in the world.
He didn't probe further. He wasn't much of a master anyway, so the least he could do was try his best not to hold the boy back.
Leaving Master and Elder Gao to set up the grand formation, Yan Jiuzhi returned alone to the Yunxiao Sect, intending to set up a concealing and protective illusion formation on the outer perimeter.
This place held all his fondest memories; he was unwilling to see it reduced to ruins and rubble once more.
It wasn't that he didn't want to set up more advanced formations with greater lethality, but their materials were simply too limited.
Once this matter was resolved, he would still need to find a way to enhance the sect's strength and financial resources.
As he worked on the Formation, Yan Jiuzhi pondered: why had the injured Snow Soul Fox charged toward the Yunxiao Sect like it had lost its mind?
Was there something here attracting its injured self?
Could Second Senior Brother's lucky transition into a ghost cultivator also be related to this?
There were far too many questions in his mind, yet there was no time to investigate them right now. Time was truly of the essence.
Meanwhile, back at the Li residence, Lixi was working day and night alongside Second Senior Brother, frantically drawing Talismans. Whenever she got tired, she would sit in meditation to recover her spiritual power, and as soon as she recovered, she would resume drawing.
Lixi was learning Talisman-drawing on the fly. She had been initiated into the path quite recently and hadn't come into contact with these things before, but she was able to form a Talisman in a single stroke right from the start, drawing them quickly and skillfully. She possessed an exceptional talent for it.
Lixi figured that her Talisman-drawing going so smoothly was probably somewhat related to her decent calligraphy skills.
Being a young lady confined to her boudoir was truly boring, and she had once poured a great deal of effort into her handwriting.
The mortal disciples of the sect who lacked cultivation were unwilling to stay idly at the Li residence and worry themselves sick, so they spent their days doing odd jobs—sorting medicinal herbs, helping the city lord's mansion with patrols, and the like.
Six-year-old Lin Zewu, who had not yet officially begun cultivating, was also very enthusiastic about helping out with minor chores and running errands.
However, this was already the fourth day, and neither Master nor the senior brothers had returned. Everyone could not help feeling anxious.
Now that the city gates were closed, they could only rush up to the city walls and peer outward.
Seeing that they were Immortal Masters of the Yunxiao Sect, the guards did not stop them. If a crisis truly struck, these mortals would have no choice but to rely on the Immortal Masters for protection.
Having cultivated, Lixi's vision was far sharper and clearer. From afar, she spotted a figure rapidly approaching—it was Eldest Senior Sister Lin Ruo.
"Eldest Senior Sister, where are Master and the others?" Everyone waved and called out as Lin Ruo ran closer.
"Eldest Senior Sister, we want to go fight, too." Although they lacked cultivation, they had practiced martial arts for many years and could surely help out!
"That's right, we'll go too!" Everyone chimed in unison.
Lin Ruo caught a large bundle of Talismans tossed down from the ramparts by a junior brother and said, "You all either have low cultivation or no cultivation at all. If you come, you'll only be a burden. Stay obediently in the city; Master and the Elder will handle it."
In truth, these Talismans were only meant to give her junior brothers and sisters peace of mind. They were all low-tier Talismans—how much use could they possibly serve?
Watching Eldest Senior Sister run further and further away, Lixi certainly wasn't foolish enough to chase after her and stubbornly insist on helping.
She knew her own limits; going out there now would just mean being a hindrance and courting death.
Fortunately, no one else had such foolish ideas either.
Lixi breathed a sigh of relief. Excellent, their sect had no brainless, self-righteous idiots.
After an unknown length of time, the flashing lights of a Formation suddenly erupted in the distance, accompanied by the roars of wild beasts.
Lixi widened her eyes as her frantic heartbeat thundered like war drums, ringing in her ears with every beat.
Had something arrived?
This was the first time since coming to this world that she was experiencing such a life-or-death crisis. The fear of the unknown clung to her like the marrow in her bones, tightening around her and making her breathing rapid.
Suddenly, snowflakes drifted down in flurries from the sky, a biting chill spreading across people's faces and hands, instantly piercing their skin and seeping straight into their marrow, chilling them to the bone.
Lixi clenched her hands tightly into fists, staring fixedly into the distance with every nerve strained to the limit.
Master, you all must hold on!