Chapter 15: The Emergence of the Golden Finger, Part Two

Immortal Aura, ethereal as mist: “She’s likely a descendant of the Witch Tribe maiden.”

The message stopped there, silence settling over the group; clearly, everyone doubted Wei Yunxi’s identity. After some thought, she decided honesty was best. If these people were familiar with the Witch Tribe maiden, any lie would be pointless—and would only lead to her being ostracized.

Resolving herself, Wei Yunxi stepped forward, touched the translucent light screen, and input her words with her mind.

“Greetings! I am a descendant of the Witch Tribe maiden. I activated this group by accident, and, faced with adversity, shamelessly accepted items passed down from your predecessors to mine. I apologize for my lack of manners.”

A prompt immediately appeared on the chat interface:

“User detected has changed. Would you like to update your username?”

Wei Yunxi considered it and decided to change it; this would help distinguish her from the Witch Tribe maiden and avoid unnecessary resentment.

“Change.”

“Please enter a new username.”

Drawing on her experience with chat groups, she chose not to use her real name. She selected ‘Passing Clouds’ as her new username, signifying that all she experienced was fleeting, like clouds drifting by.

“Username changed successfully. Welcome ‘Passing Clouds’ to the cross-server chat group. Throwing flowers!”

Staring at the words on the screen, Wei Yunxi’s lips twitched, but as no one else responded, she continued typing:

“My family told me my mother went far away. The clan hasn’t been able to contact her, though we know she’s still alive. Do any of you know where my mother has gone?”

This time, the others didn’t remain silent. The first to reply was Immortal Aura.

“This chat group’s users are your ancestors, but not your mother. According to the time flow on your side, the Witch Tribe maiden hasn’t logged in for ten thousand years.”

Wei Yunxi was stunned. Ten thousand years! She frowned and typed rapidly:

“Senior, the vessel for this chat group was left to me by my mother, with our family name engraved upon it. I did not seize it by force.”

This point mustn’t be misunderstood by the seniors.

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Star Trek: “We’re not accusing you. This group can only be opened by direct descendants of users. I inherited it from my grandfather.”

Ox-Head and Horse-Face: “Same here!”

Survival Is the Only Truth: “I only activated the group after environmental upheaval and awakening abilities. Don’t worry—we trust you.”

Wei Yunxi felt a weight lift from her heart as she read these, then sent a targeted message to Immortal Aura and Ox-Head and Horse-Face:

“Senior, do you know my ancestors? Can you tell me more? What do you mean by the calamity that destroyed my lineage?”

Immortal Aura seemed eager to share, sending a lengthy reply after a moment. Only then did Wei Yunxi realize the significance of her ancestry.

Her forebears were high priests of the Witch Tribe, who, in the early days of the Cosmos, were entrusted to bridge the gap between all beings and the heavens, fostering growth and propagation. The Witch Tribe was powerful, their abilities unrivaled and worshipped as divine. Yet their reproduction was arduous—only one high priest per generation.

Before a high priest’s lifespan ended, they prayed to the heavens, followed its guidance to find the next successor, brought them home, and nurtured them to inherit the mantle.

But the generation of the Witch Tribe maiden saw a change. She could not divine the next high priest, initially attributing it to her own inadequacy. Later, after logging into the chat group and receiving hints from Immortal Aura and the deity, she learned the issue wasn’t with her—it was that the heavens no longer required the Witch Tribe’s mediation and sought to reclaim the power granted them. The Witch Tribe faced extinction.

The maiden resisted, unwilling to watch her people decline under her leadership, fighting fate in every possible way. Yet, the outcome was as Immortal Aura and the deity had predicted.

For a long time, she didn’t log in again. Her last appearance was to seek help from the members, hoping for resources to sustain her tribe.

Out of old friendship, they sent her supplies, hoping these might help. But she neither accepted nor logged in again—until today.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face was more direct:

“The Witch Tribe has entered the cycle of reincarnation.”

Wei Yunxi didn’t know how to react. It seemed she was the second user of this group, and her body must carry Witch Tribe blood—otherwise, she could not log in.

But then the next question came to her:

“If the vessel was with my mother, why didn’t she discover it?”

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Star Trek: “Activating the chat group requires both bloodline and spiritual power.”

Ox-Head and Horse-Face: “Exactly—it’s bloodline and soul force. You managed to log in because your bloodline is closer to the ancestral Witch Tribe, and your soul power allowed it.”

Wei Yunxi interpreted this: she was lucky. Her bloodline was richer in Witch Tribe heritage than her mother’s, and after cultivating and gaining spiritual awareness, she met the two requirements and succeeded.

Immortal Aura: “Friendly reminder: If your soul isn’t strong, don’t use the chat group for long periods. All functions consume your soul power.”

Reading this, Wei Yunxi’s heart skipped. She glanced at her consciousness and found it indeed lighter than before. She hurriedly typed:

“Seniors, I’ve only just begun cultivating, and my soul is weak. I can’t stay long. Do any of you have techniques for concealing cultivation? If you could share them, I would be deeply grateful. If you ever need anything, let me know—I’m in the cultivation realm.”

Her words were vague, but she was sure her world held treasures that would interest the group.

Sure enough, moments later, Ox-Head and Horse-Face and Immortal Aura sent her items online.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face: “You’re too weak now. Start by strengthening your soul. Here’s the ‘Soul Refinement Manual’ as a foundation.”

Immortal Aura: “You’re lucky. I happen to have a spare low-grade immortal artifact. I’ll give it to you to conceal your cultivation and aura. Just have fun with it—no need to return the favor. Consider it a welcoming gift.”

Clearly a generous soul. Wei Yunxi was amazed; an immortal artifact right away! Though they said no return was needed, she didn’t take it literally.

With her experience in the workplace, she immediately expressed her gratitude, promising a worthy gift once she had cultivated enough, and quickly withdrew her consciousness from the wooden plaque space.

Back in her body, Wei Yunxi felt a wave of dizziness, knowing her soul was depleted. After all, she was only a five-year-old child.

At that moment, the barrier was disturbed.