236: Fang Yue

She slowly extended her fair, jade-like palm, gently spreading her five fingers like blooming petals. With each finger lowered, she stated one matter: "Refining our Yao Race's Demon Cores into Medicinal Pills to enhance cultivation; stripping the Scales and Beast Bones of the Yao Race to forge Magical Artifacts; capturing Yao Race members skilled in controlling wind and water, using them as Living Puppets to manipulate Spiritual Qi and transport heavy objects; peeling the Fur of the Yao Race, roasting it with Spiritual Fire and soaking it in Exotic Fragrances to create Precious Garments that Conceal Aura and Resist Cold Poison; and even using our Yao Race as opponents in battles to hone divine abilities."

As her five slender fingers settled one by one, a cold glint flashed in Purple Sandalwood's eyes. She paused, her voice suddenly dropping a few degrees: "Of course, there's also that Old Ancestor of the Chusheng Sect, all for the sake of his elusive Great Dao."

"Turning you... all of you into this half-human, half-yao form you are now."

"Young Miss Yun, can you still assert that the Human Race does not live like savages?"

Yun Xuanxuan trembled all over, her throat feeling blocked by a thousand-pound boulder, unable to utter a word in rebuttal.

Seeing this, Fang Ningyan, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward, her tone gentle: "Miss Purple Sandalwood, precisely because we experienced those events, Xuanxuan and I now have no other desires. We only wish to protect some pitiful souls who share our plight, with no intention of opposing any race. Please forgive us, Young Miss."

Purple Sandalwood sighed softly, withdrawing her outstretched palm: "Enough. Obsessions are hard to dispel, and more words are useless. This should be the last time I come as a Mediator."

Fang Ningyan was somewhat surprised by this.

Purple Sandalwood turned around, her Purple Gauze Skirt swaying lightly in the breeze as she leisurely walked toward the Valley Exit. As she passed by the two, her voice drifted over faintly.

"In half a month, a Grand Spectacle will unfold in the Rain God Continent. By then, you... won't need to hide like this anymore."

As her words fell, her figure transformed into a wisp of Purple Smoke, scattering with the wind. Only a faint Exotic Fragrance remained on the spot, soon blown away by the Desert's Wind and Sand.

Yun Xuanxuan and Fang Ningyan exchanged a glance, both with complex expressions. Purple Sandalwood's final words were like a stone, stirring ripples in their hearts.

After a moment of silence, Yun Xuanxuan spoke first: "By the way, Sister Fang, how is the injury to your Divine Soul now? Has it improved?"

Fang Ningyan raised her hand to her chest, her voice soft: "It's much better. Compared to a few days ago, my Divine Soul has stabilized considerably and no longer aches unbearably."

"That's good."

Yun Xuanxuan breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile finally appearing on her face. "In a few days, when that eighth-grade elixir for treating Divine Soul injuries arrives, Sister Fang's wound will surely heal completely."

Upon hearing this, Fang Ningyan's expression suddenly turned serious. She bowed solemnly to Yun Xuanxuan.

"Thank you."

Seeing this, Yun Xuanxuan quickly fluttered the Wings on her back. The Wings shimmered with a faint Glow, a gentle breeze brushing past as they trembled. She waved her hand and laughed: "Sister Fang, you're being too formal. We both emerged from hardship; looking out for each other is only natural."

Fang Ningyan straightened up, hesitating for a moment before finally voicing the doubt in her heart: "By the way, Xuanxuan, today... did you recognize those two Cultivators? Especially that Dark-skinned Youth—why did he choose to save you?"

During the battle, when Fang Ningyan suddenly sensed the Nascent Soul Cultivator emerging from behind the commoners below, her heart leaped into her throat.

Yun Xuanxuan's delicate face frowned slightly; she couldn't quite understand it either.

If not for Li Pingan's timely rescue, in that situation, she would have been utterly defenseless against a Nascent Soul Cultivator's full-force sneak attack.

But... during their first encounter and fight, those two were clearly intent on killing her.

She shook her head:

"I don't know why either! Perhaps... their target was the Chusheng Sect members from the start? Or maybe they had Old Grievances with that Nascent Soul Cultivator and seized the opportunity to act?"

Fang Ningyan nodded slowly. For now, they could only speculate and not dwell on it further.

"By the way, Sister Fang! When we were escaping earlier, what did that person's words mean? I thought you only had one sister—when did you gain a Disciple?"

Yun Xuanxuan could clearly sense that Fang Ningyan's figure had paused upon hearing those words.

She had even wanted to turn back and ask for details!

Fang Ningyan forced a bitter smile, also worried about this issue.

That girl Su Yue only had Qi Refining first-layer cultivation—how did she cross continents to reach the Rain God Continent?

Where was she now? Was she in any life-threatening danger?

"Sister Fang, are you hiding something else from me?" Yun Xuanxuan, seeing her despondent expression, couldn't help but pout. The Wings on her back fluttered lightly twice with a "puff," as if expressing dissatisfaction.

"It's not exactly hiding from you. That sister and Disciple are actually the same person."

"Huh?"

Yun Xuanxuan widened her eyes in shock, forgetting to flap her Wings.

Fang Ningyan continued: "I was born into an ordinary Merchant Family in the Flame Continent, the only daughter of my Father and Mother."

"When I was ten, a Wandering Cultivator happened to pass through my hometown. Seeing that my Spiritual Root was decent, he exceptionally took me as his Disciple, leading me away from the Mortal World and onto the Immortal Path."

Yun Xuanxuan listened quietly, her claws slightly curved as she stood, like a Bird perched on a Branch.

"Perhaps due to good luck, or maybe my Aptitude was indeed somewhat decent, my cultivation progressed smoothly. It took only twenty years to break through to the Golden Core Realm." Fang Ningyan's tone softened slightly but soon grew heavy again. "But after emerging from Seclusion, I learned that my Revered Master had perished in a Secret Realm."

"Without my Revered Master's protection, I found it difficult to establish myself in the Sect, so I simply resigned and returned to the Mortal World with my Revered Master's Belongings. But upon arriving home, I discovered Everything Had Changed. My Father and Mother, due to Business Dealings, had inadvertently offended a Disciple of a minor Sect and were killed in Retaliation."

Yun Xuanxuan was not surprised by this.

The Cultivation World was like this—the more mediocre one's Aptitude, the more they liked to bully others relying on their faction's influence.

Conversely, those with great Talent were focused solely on pursuing the Great Dao, disdaining such matters.

"What happened next?"

Fang Ningyan forced an awkward smile and continued: "Later, I learned that after twenty years Without Any News from me, my Father and Mother thought I was no longer alive, so they had another daughter—my younger sister, Fang Yue."

"To avoid the lingering threat from that minor Sect, my parents changed Fang Yue's surname and placed her with Distant Relatives for Foster Care, allowing her to grow up safely."

"When I found Su Yue, she had just turned ten. Although her Spiritual Root wasn't as good as mine, she could still draw qi into her body. Thinking of my parents' fate, my own Negligence as the Elder Sister, and wanting to give her a stable future, I simply took her as my Disciple without revealing her true identity, cultivating together with her."

Fang Ningyan sniffled lightly: "As for what happened afterward, you already know."

After hearing this, Yun Xuanxuan gently patted Fang Ningyan's shoulder with her right wing:

"So that's how it is!"

"Wait, so what that person said earlier—your sister actually traveled from the Flame Continent to the Rain God Continent to find you?"