Then Yun Nian sat cross-legged to the side, secretly operating the Spirit Binding Technique to suppress the Bone Burying Wolf within her body. As the Spirit Binding Technique overextended her body, two hours passed, yet Yun Nian's complexion had not recovered at all.

Xi Mo had been sitting cross-legged nearby as a Guardian. It wasn't until the moon rose that Yun Nian finally woke up.

Xi Mo looked at her: "How are you feeling now?"

Yun Nian pursed her lips slightly and didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked, "How is it outside?"

As she spoke, Xi Mo's eyes indeed grew a bit deeper. He then said, "Although I can't see the situation outside, after calming my mind, I can indeed sense that the surrounding aura is different from before."

Yun Nian didn't move and continued, "Please, Fellow Daoist Xi, protect me while I increase my cultivation."

"Increase your cultivation?" Xi Mo was stunned. "Advancing to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer has already caused damage to your body. How can you possibly..."

Before Xi Mo could finish, he saw a faint blue light emanating from all around Yun Nian. That was a glow that only formed when the concentration of Water Spiritual Qi was extremely high.

Yun Nian was actually breaking through!

Although he found it strange, seeing that he couldn't get any answers from her, he let it go. He figured she only had the strength of the Qi Refining Stage and couldn't do much anyway.

Two days later, Xi Mo looked at the person sitting cross-legged in the center, who hadn't moved at all, and couldn't help but murmur softly, "The Tenth Level of the Qi Refining Stage. Why hasn't it ended yet?"

For ordinary Cultivators, once they reach the Tenth Level of the Qi Refining Stage, the next stage is Foundation Establishment. However, few people would immediately attempt Foundation Establishment after entering the tenth level; without taking the time to consolidate their cultivation, even with the assistance of a Foundation Establishment Pill, the risk of failure would be greatly increased. In the Cultivation World, Cultivators are most wary of taking a wrong step; once they fail, it is highly likely to affect their cultivation Foundation.

But if Yun Nian didn't choose to establish her Foundation now, then she wanted... Perfect Foundation Establishment.

Xi Mo himself was someone who had achieved Perfect Foundation Establishment, so he naturally knew how difficult it was. It was hard even for those with a Heavenly Spirit Root, and for those whose Aptitude was inferior to a Single Spiritual Root, it was basically an impossible task. Therefore, he didn't believe Yun Nian intended to achieve Perfect Foundation Establishment.

He originally thought about reminding Yun Nian, but seeing that she was still in a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, he might affect her if he interrupted rashly, so he suppressed his previous thought.

As time passed bit by bit, when Xi Mo opened his eyes from his cultivation again, he saw that Yun Nian's cultivation had reached the Eleventh Level of the Qi Refining Stage, and his expression changed immediately.

"This... how is this possible!" Xi Mo couldn't help but exclaim in shock. "Could it be that she really wants to achieve Perfect Foundation Establishment?"

Furthermore, Xi Mo looked again at the light emanating from around Yun Nian. It was a faint blue, a glow that only Water Spiritual Qi could form. Why was only Water Spiritual Qi visible around her? She was a Three Spiritual Roots, so there should be three types of elemental light... Yun Nian's face grew paler and paler. Finally, after spitting out another mouthful of blood, she slowly opened her eyes.

Xi Mo's face was full of surprise. Seeing Yun Nian propping herself up on the ground with both hands, her chest heaving violently, yet she only took a breath before straightening her body again, wanting to re-enter the state of Unity of Heaven and Man, Xi Mo immediately stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

"Do you want to kill yourself?!" Xi Mo's brow furrowed tightly. "Your body was already injured, and you've broken through two levels in a row. If you continue to break through, you won't survive even if you reach Foundation Establishment!"

As the words fell, Yun Nian lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but there was a metallic tang in her throat, and blood flowed down the corner of her mouth again. After a moment of daze, she said hoarsely, "I won't."

She had worked so hard to survive; why would she want to die?

But looking inside her body now, the situation was indeed not good. She stopped for the moment and then asked, "What time is it?"

"It's already been five days," Xi Mo said after a moment of silence.

Yun Nian's eyes flickered slightly. She then cast a Clear Water Curse to wash away the grime on her body, then lay on the ground and said softly, "I'm going to sleep for a while."

She was too tired and had to rest.

Xi Mo sighed helplessly. Just as he opened his mouth to give more instructions, he saw that Yun Nian had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Xi Mo stood up, wanting to practice his swordplay, but suddenly heard a massive roar. The entire ground of Huan Yuan Valley was affected by that direction and trembled violently. In the next moment, patterns of a glowing Formation appeared on the ground. Xi Mo was stunned for a moment, but seeing that Yun Nian still hadn't woken up despite such a major occurrence, he immediately walked over and helped her up.

"Yun Nian? Yun Nian!"

Yun Nian's breathing was steady; she was clearly still asleep. He didn't know how she could sleep so soundly, but at this moment, a bad premonition rose in Xi Mo's heart.

Why had all the Formations in Huan Yuan Valley revealed themselves?

Could it be just as Yun Nian had said before, that something happened outside?

As the Formations appeared, all the real scenes around them were also exposed. The Formation Masters who had been trapped in Huan Yuan Valley with them were also suddenly startled awake. Although everyone was scattered, they were all still trapped within a single Formation. People looked at each other, and what had just happened felt like a dream.

"What's going on?"

"What happened!"

"I should be in my cultivation room right now. Why am I back here?"

"Could it be... we never actually left?!"

At that moment, a Formation Master saw Xi Mo and Yun Nian and couldn't help but cry out, "Young... Young Master Xi?!"

"We really are still inside the Formation. That Yun Nian lied to us!"

As the words fell, the crowd finally saw Yun Nian sleeping soundly beside Xi Mo.

"What happened to her?!"

Xi Mo's brow furrowed, and he then said, "Her body has sustained too much damage and she needs to rest for a while. She told me about it before, so... I've known all along that everyone hadn't left the Formation."

"This... what on earth is going on? Why lie to us?!"

Recalling what Yun Nian had said before, Xi Mo instinctively looked up at the sky. He saw that the previously clear sky had long since vanished, replaced by layers upon layers of dark clouds. Without the concealment of the previous Formations, the surrounding aura had become even more intense.

It was a very uncomfortable aura.

Xi Mo's eyes flickered. "Something has happened outside."

As the words fell, the crowd began to argue heatedly again. Xi Mo's gaze turned toward Yun Nian beside him. Seeing that she still hadn't woken up, his brow furrowed even tighter.