diff --git a/src/util/virxml.c b/src/util/virxml.c
index 9ea7b99dbad44881f5f69afc51431caea25c669b..02b59ea2f8ad0019dffbe8f7c54fb5d69f53463c 100644
--- a/src/util/virxml.c
+++ b/src/util/virxml.c
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@ virXPathString(const char *xpath,
                xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     char *ret;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL)) {
@@ -82,9 +81,7 @@ virXPathString(const char *xpath,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathString()"));
         return NULL;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj == NULL) || (obj->type != XPATH_STRING) ||
         (obj->stringval == NULL) || (obj->stringval[0] == 0)) {
         xmlXPathFreeObject(obj);
@@ -152,16 +149,13 @@ virXPathNumber(const char *xpath,
                double *value)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL) || (value == NULL)) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathNumber()"));
         return -1;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj == NULL) || (obj->type != XPATH_NUMBER) ||
         (isnan(obj->floatval))) {
         xmlXPathFreeObject(obj);
@@ -180,7 +174,6 @@ virXPathLongBase(const char *xpath,
                  long *value)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     int ret = 0;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL) || (value == NULL)) {
@@ -188,9 +181,7 @@ virXPathLongBase(const char *xpath,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathLong()"));
         return -1;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj != NULL) && (obj->type == XPATH_STRING) &&
         (obj->stringval != NULL) && (obj->stringval[0] != 0)) {
         if (virStrToLong_l((char *) obj->stringval, NULL, base, value) < 0)
@@ -285,7 +276,6 @@ virXPathULongBase(const char *xpath,
                   unsigned long *value)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     int ret = 0;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL) || (value == NULL)) {
@@ -293,9 +283,7 @@ virXPathULongBase(const char *xpath,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathULong()"));
         return -1;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj != NULL) && (obj->type == XPATH_STRING) &&
         (obj->stringval != NULL) && (obj->stringval[0] != 0)) {
         if (virStrToLong_ul((char *) obj->stringval, NULL, base, value) < 0)
@@ -401,7 +389,6 @@ virXPathULongLong(const char *xpath,
                   unsigned long long *value)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     int ret = 0;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL) || (value == NULL)) {
@@ -409,9 +396,7 @@ virXPathULongLong(const char *xpath,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathULong()"));
         return -1;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj != NULL) && (obj->type == XPATH_STRING) &&
         (obj->stringval != NULL) && (obj->stringval[0] != 0)) {
         if (virStrToLong_ull((char *) obj->stringval, NULL, 10, value) < 0)
@@ -447,7 +432,6 @@ virXPathLongLong(const char *xpath,
                  long long *value)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     int ret = 0;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL) || (value == NULL)) {
@@ -455,9 +439,7 @@ virXPathLongLong(const char *xpath,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathLongLong()"));
         return -1;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj != NULL) && (obj->type == XPATH_STRING) &&
         (obj->stringval != NULL) && (obj->stringval[0] != 0)) {
         if (virStrToLong_ll((char *) obj->stringval, NULL, 10, value) < 0)
@@ -573,7 +555,6 @@ virXPathBoolean(const char *xpath,
                 xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     int ret;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL)) {
@@ -581,9 +562,7 @@ virXPathBoolean(const char *xpath,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathBoolean()"));
         return -1;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj == NULL) || (obj->type != XPATH_BOOLEAN) ||
         (obj->boolval < 0) || (obj->boolval > 1)) {
         xmlXPathFreeObject(obj);
@@ -610,7 +589,6 @@ virXPathNode(const char *xpath,
              xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     xmlNodePtr ret;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL)) {
@@ -618,9 +596,7 @@ virXPathNode(const char *xpath,
                        "%s", _("Invalid parameter to virXPathNode()"));
         return NULL;
     }
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if ((obj == NULL) || (obj->type != XPATH_NODESET) ||
         (obj->nodesetval == NULL) || (obj->nodesetval->nodeNr <= 0) ||
         (obj->nodesetval->nodeTab == NULL)) {
@@ -650,7 +626,6 @@ virXPathNodeSet(const char *xpath,
                 xmlNodePtr **list)
 {
     xmlXPathObjectPtr obj;
-    xmlNodePtr relnode;
     int ret;
 
     if ((ctxt == NULL) || (xpath == NULL)) {
@@ -662,9 +637,7 @@ virXPathNodeSet(const char *xpath,
     if (list != NULL)
         *list = NULL;
 
-    relnode = ctxt->node;
     obj = xmlXPathEval(BAD_CAST xpath, ctxt);
-    ctxt->node = relnode;
     if (obj == NULL)
         return 0;