Yunxi put away the jade slip, then looked at Yuling as he emerged and frowned.
"Master, has your source power still not recovered?"
Yuling's aura had already stabilized, but his hair was still black. That meant his source power had not recovered.
Yuling said calmly,
"My losses this time were rather severe. I need time to recover. There are a few things I must tell you first; afterward, I will enter seclusion."
Cao Yi, with considerable tact, handed the Spirit Gathering Formation disk he had refined to Yuling, then rose to take his leave.
After Cao Yi departed, Yunxi cast an isolation barrier before asking,
"Master, what would you have this disciple do?"
Yuling said evenly,
"I will be in seclusion for a time. You will temporarily assume my duties as leader and protect the Haoran Sect disciples.
"Furthermore, Old Ancestor and the others are already thinking of ways to help the few of you survive the lightning of Heavenly Punishment. You need not worry too much. You rendered great service in retrieving the immortal bones this time, so the True Venerables of the Spirit Realm will not stand by and watch you be injured beneath the Thunder Tribulation."
Yunxi replied with a smile,
"Old Ancestor really does treat me well."
"That is all I needed to say. Once you enter the battlefield, you must still be careful. Do not charge to the very front in everything."
"Yes, this disciple will remember."
After saying this, Yunxi stuffed a Storage Ring into Yuling's hand.
"Master, there are several pieces of ten-thousand-year frost inside. They can help you recover your source power."
Yuling swept it with his divine sense and felt that this disciple of his was being overly generous. There were not merely several pieces—there were at least twenty cut pieces