Mo Tiange was startled, with no time to think. With a swift motion, she withdrew and then unfurled her white silk kerchief, blocking the woman's fierce clawing attack.
The woman's combat methods were unlike any Mo Tiange had seen before. She did not rely purely on spells, but rather, like a martial artist from the mortal world, wore clawed gauntlets on her hands. Her attacks, both grabbing and striking, resembled those of a demon beast.
In the past, while wandering Kunwu with her second uncle, Mo Tiange had encountered one or two cultivators like this. Such cultivators were generally referred to as Martial Cultivators. Their combat style blended martial arts techniques, similar to Sword Cultivators, but relied even more on physical prowess and skill.
However, Martial Cultivators were a minor path in the world of cultivation. Among a thousand cultivators, there might not be one or two. This woman's skills were not weak, and judging by her words, she also had a master, though it was unclear under whose tutelage she was.
Furthermore, this was the Xuanqing Sect. Why would this woman, upon hearing that Mo Tiange was under Dao Lord Jinghe's tutelage, immediately attempt to kill her? Not to mention the several Nascent Soul cultivators present, even if a Core Formation cultivator passed by, eliminating her would be effortless.
These thoughts flashed through her mind as Mo Tiange once again gathered the white silk kerchief in her hand, frowning coldly. "What is the meaning of this, Senior Sister?"
The woman gave a cold laugh and did not answer. Her face still wore an expression of not wanting to engage further, but inwardly she was uneasy. Because her previous claw attack had held no mercy, yet when Mo Tiange summoned her white silk kerchief, she seemed to block it effortlessly without using her full strength. She was at the late Foundation Establishment stage and had always been proud, believing that even against an early Core Formation cultivator, she might not be able to win, but escaping unharmed wouldn't be difficult. Yet now, her attack was easily blocked by a junior at the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Uneasy, she also felt a surge of anger. As soon as she steadied herself, she immediately launched another claw strike.
Mo Tiange instantly retreated, not intending to clash head-on. She was a traditional cultivator who primarily practiced spells. When fighting a Martial Cultivator, it was best not to let them get close. However, the side hall was crowded with people, making it momentarily difficult for her to dodge. She simply stepped onto her white silk kerchief, using it to maneuver closely around the woman.
Mo Tiange had also learned the techniques of mortal world lightness skills, which had helped her a lot during Qi Refinement. Coupled with the extreme flexibility of the white silk kerchief, although she was in close proximity to the woman, she remained perfectly at ease, never letting the woman touch her. In the blink of an eye, their forms shifted several times. Most of the Foundation Establishment female cultivators in the side hall couldn't clearly see their movements, let alone the Qi Refinement female cultivators, who were even paled by the oppressive aura from their clash, completely at a loss.
Seizing an opening, Mo Tiange flung out her Flying Shuttle, entangling the woman, and shouted, "What are you standing around for? Go report to a Core Formation Ancestral Master!"
The other attending female cultivators finally snapped out of their daze and began to clamor, preparing to rush out of the hall.
The woman she was fighting, however, blocked the Flying Shuttle and suddenly retreated, giving a sinister smile. "Want to call Core Formation cultivators to deal with me? Hmph! I won't fight you for now. Just wait and see!" As she spoke, her figure rapidly retreated, and in an instant, she was out the side hall door.
Mo Tiange did not immediately give chase. Instead, she turned and instructed, "All of you, stay here. Do not go out."
The Qi Refinement female disciples nodded repeatedly. Having witnessed the two of them fight, the oppressive aura was already terrifying; they dared not go out. They watched as Mo Tiange followed the woman out of the side hall.
Mo Tiange noticed that the woman's change in attitude was due to a whistling sound. The sound was extremely brief and not loud. Presumably, those below Foundation Establishment wouldn't have heard it. However, due to the Soul Refining Art, she was extremely sensitive to spiritual energy fluctuations. Not only did she hear the sound, but she also sensed a peculiar, restrained oppressive aura.
Following behind the woman, Mo Tiange trailed at a moderate distance and saw that the woman indeed headed towards the source of the oppressive aura.
Doubts arose in Mo Tiange's mind. That direction... it was indeed towards where the Nascent Soul cultivators were.
"Qin Jinghe!" Suddenly, a loud shout rang out. Mo Tiange's spirit shook, and a surge of blood qi churned in her chest. Uncontrollably, she tumbled from her white silk kerchief.
She looked up sharply and saw a turbulent black cloud appear above the hall where the Nascent Soul cultivators were. A ferocious human face vaguely manifested on the cloud. The woman she had been chasing, however, seemed utterly unaffected by this oppressive aura. She turned back, gave Mo Tiange a charming smile, and vanished without a trace in an instant.
Mo Tiange's expression changed. She had no time to investigate what spell the woman had used to disappear, because she sensed that this oppressive aura... was definitely from a cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage!
The Nascent Soul cultivators in the main hall all emerged after that loud shout.
The Xuanqing Sect currently had six Nascent Soul cultivators, plus over a dozen visiting Nascent Soul guests, totaling around twenty. Mo Tiange swept her gaze over them and felt reassured. With so many Nascent Soul cultivators, no matter how powerful the opponent was, they were safe. Yet she also felt strange. Leaving aside the many Nascent Soul cultivators, this was Taikang Mountain. The Xuanqing Sect's Mountain Protection Formation wasn't just for show. How dare this person barge in? Moreover, judging by his aura, he might even be a demonic cultivator! She truly didn't know what her cheap master had done to offend such a character.
The many Nascent Soul cultivators looked at the black cloud, some with grim expressions, others puzzled.
"This is..."
"Venerable Songfeng!" someone murmured softly.
The Nascent Soul cultivators who had looked puzzled instantly changed expressions.
The bald cultivator exclaimed in surprise, "So he's still alive!"
Among the group, only Dao Lord Zhenyang and Dao Lord Jinghe remained calm. At this moment, Dao Lord Jinghe had already soared into the air, saying sternly, "Songfeng! Today is my disciple's Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony. If you've come seeking revenge, let's talk another day!"
A cold laugh emerged from the black cloud, and the ferocious ghostly face also twisted slightly. "What's this? Qin Jinghe actually showing weakness? Your disciple's Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony is truly a fine day. If my disciple were still here, he'd probably be forming his Nascent Soul by now too!"
Dao Lord Jinghe also sneered. "Old man Songfeng, I'm giving you face! This is Taikang Mountain of my Xuanqing Sect, and there are so many Nascent Soul cultivators here. Even if you're a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, if a fight breaks out, you have no chance of winning!"
As soon as the words fell, a strange laugh came from within the black cloud. After laughing, the face on the cloud revealed a fierce expression. "Qin Jinghe, aren't you the one who fears nothing under heaven? Do you really want to drag all these people into dealing with this old man?!"
Dao Lord Jinghe's expression remained stern, unmoved by the provocation. "Do you think I, Qin Jinghe, am someone with hands but no brains? Having lived to our age, still fighting over such face? I admit I can't beat you. Since that's the case, why would I seek death?"
"Good, good, good!" The black cloud laughed heartily. "Qin Jinghe, I underestimated you! However, today, even with all of you here, I still want to have some fun!"
As these words were spoken, the aura of the black cloud suddenly intensified. Even the early-Nascent Soul cultivators below felt breathless.
Mo Tiange felt the spiritual energy within her churning uncontrollably. Unable to hold back, she "wah" spat out a mouthful of blood. With a sweep of her eyes, she saw she was at a corner where no one could see her. Immediately, she summoned her white silk kerchief. Using the disturbance of spiritual energy from the magic treasure to conceal the light of opening the Xu Heaven Realm, she vanished into the realm within a few breaths.
Once inside the Xu Heaven Realm, she swallowed a Biheng Pill and after a brief period of meditation, tapped her glabella. The pearl emerged from her forehead. She cast a spell onto the pearl, and a rift tore open in the sky of the Xu Heaven Realm, allowing her to see the scene outside.
During this time, Dao Lord Zhenyang had already stepped forward, flying to Dao Lord Jinghe's side, and declared loudly, "Brother Songfeng! If my junior brother here has offended you in any way, please consider my humble face and let it pass for now. Today is the Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony for our Xuanqing Sect's newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator. Whatever matter it is, let's discuss it another day. How about it?"
The face on the black cloud opened its mouth and laughed twice, its tone slightly more amiable. "Brother Zhenyang, it's been a long time since we last met. Your Dao techniques have become even more refined!"
Dao Lord Zhenyang also showed a smile, cupping his hands in salute. "You flatter me. Brother Songfeng hasn't shown himself for hundreds of years, making us old fellows miss you dearly!"
"Is that so? Then I'll have to pay a proper visit another day!"
Hearing this, Dao Lord Zhenyang thought the other had accepted his proposal and immediately said, "Then I thank Brother Songfeng for this consideration."
"Don't thank me yet!" Venerable Songfeng, however, snorted coldly, his tone instantly turning icy. "Brother Zhenyang, tomorrow's matters belong to tomorrow. Today, I have come specifically for Qin Jinghe. There's no need for you to try to curry favor with me!"
These words were utterly disrespectful, treating Dao Lord Zhenyang, a dignified late-Nascent Soul cultivator, as a junior. Dao Lord Zhenyang's smiling face instantly flushed purple. He was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator and the First Seat Supreme Elder of the second greatest sect in Tianji. When had anyone ever spoken to him like this? His expression turned cold. "Brother Songfeng, if you refuse to give me this face, then I have no choice. However, today is a joyous occasion for my Xuanqing Sect, and you have come to my sect's doorstep to trouble my junior brother. As his senior brother, I cannot stand idly by. Whatever instruction you have, please speak plainly!" The meaning of these words was clearly a threat: if Venerable Songfeng did not back down, then Dao Lord Zhenyang would join forces with Dao Lord Jinghe to attack him.
"Hahaha..." The black cloud laughed uproariously. "Xu Zhenyang, although we are both late-Nascent Soul cultivators, I'll be honest with you. In terms of cultivation base, you are not inferior to me, but in Dharma Combat, you are definitely no match. Do you accept that?"
Dao Lord Zhenyang's expression remained unchanged. "Members of my Xuanqing Sect have never been afraid to admit shortcomings. Although my Dharma Combat skills are slightly inferior to yours, defeating me would also be difficult for you. If I join forces with Junior Brother Jinghe... hehe!" Dao Lord Zhenyang merely chuckled, but his gaze held a cold intent.
The black cloud surged slightly, the face on it revealing a vicious expression as it glared at the two before it.
Hearing this, Mo Tiange understood this person's identity. In Tianji, there were five late-Nascent Soul cultivators: one each from the Tiandao Sect, Xuanqing Sect, Ancient Sword Sect, and Zhengfa Sect, and the fifth was a loose cultivator: Venerable Songfeng.
This Venerable Songfeng, from a cultivator's perspective, was quite remarkable. It was said that a thousand years ago, he was merely a cultivator from a minor sect. Later, that sect was annihilated, and he disappeared. Hundreds of years later, this person reappeared in Tianji, having actually advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. No one knew what fortuitous encounter he had experienced. In fact, his aptitude was only of three spiritual roots. Being able to cultivate to the Core Formation stage was already excellent, yet who could have expected he would later advance to the late-Nascent Soul stage!
This person's knowledge was extremely broad and varied. His techniques leaned towards demonic arts, and his Dharma Combat skills were extremely formidable. Even the Sword Cultivators of the Ancient Sword Sect, who specialized in combat, had many who fell by his hand. The Ancient Sword Sect's late-Nascent Soul cultivator, Sword Venerable Yuanying, had personally sought him out to settle matters but hadn't gained any advantage against him. Judging by this, although Tianji had five late-Nascent Soul cultivators, when it came to who was the number one cultivator in Tianji, most still considered Venerable Songfeng the strongest.
However, this person's temperament shared some similarities with Dao Lord Jinghe's: both were extremely fond of fighting and killing. But Dao Lord Jinghe was, after all, a member of the Daoist path and would not indiscriminately kill innocents. This Venerable Songfeng, however, was capricious, sometimes even killing mortals, making him utterly despicable. Therefore, not many were willing to acknowledge him as Tianji's number one cultivator.
Nevertheless, Mo Tiange had heard in the past that this Venerable Songfeng hadn't appeared for hundreds of years. Given his lifespan of over a thousand years, many thought he had passed away in meditation. Yet unexpectedly, he appeared today at the Xuanqing Sect, and moreover, came to trouble her master.
Where exactly had Master offended this calamitous star? He mentioned a disciple earlier. Could it be that Master killed Venerable Songfeng's disciple?
While Mo Tiange was pondering this, she heard Venerable Songfeng speak again. "Qin Jinghe, where is your precious disciple Qin Shoujing? On such a grand occasion, he's not even showing up?"
Dao Lord Jinghe chuckled. "That disciple of mine is now at the late Core Formation stage and is in secluded life Death Seclusion (life Death Seclusion - life-and-death seclusion). Unless he forms his Nascent Soul, he will not emerge."
"Forming his Nascent Soul..." The black cloud gave a gloomy laugh. "That kid sure is lucky, advancing to late Core Formation so quickly. However, given his aptitude, forming his Nascent Soul won't be easy, right?"
Dao Lord Jinghe, however, smiled. "If someone with your aptitude like you, old man Songfeng, could form a Nascent Soul and even advance to the late stage, what's impossible for my disciple?"
"Me?" The face on the black cloud threw its head back and laughed. "Hahahaha, Qin Jinghe, you're comparing Qin Shoujing to me? Not to boast, but you think too highly of him!"
Although the face on the black cloud was blurred, everyone could sense his contempt. In Western Kunwu, anyone who mocked Qin Shoujing regarding cultivation would mostly be considered jealous. A dual-spiritual-root cultivator surpassing many single-spiritual-root and special-spiritual-root cultivators in talent was proof enough. But now, the one saying this was Venerable Songfeng, a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. No one would criticize him for it. A late-Nascent Soul cultivator certainly had the qualification to look down on a mere Core Formation cultivator, even if that person was a once-in-a-millennium genius who formed his core within a hundred years.
Dao Lord Jinghe, who originally had an impatient, childlike temperament, was unusually calm today, not provoked in the slightest. Instead, he grinned. "Is that so? I say, old man Songfeng, you think too highly of yourself. Not to be rude, but aren't you just a monster that's neither human, demon, nor beast? Putting on airs in front of others is one thing, but you dare do it in front of me? Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock!"
This sarcastic remark immediately provoked Venerable Songfeng's fury. "Qin Jinghe, you—"
"What about me?" Dao Lord Jinghe remained smiling, though Mo Tiange, having been his disciple for some time, keenly (keenly - keenly) detected killing intent in his gaze. It seemed Master was already thinking of taking action. "Ah, I say, you... knowing full well I know your secrets, why come up here to make a fool of yourself?"
These words left the many Nascent Soul cultivators puzzled. Did this Venerable Songfeng have some secret known to Dao Lord Jinghe?
The black cloud suddenly surged violently, and its oppressive aura instantly pressed down. Dao Lord Zhenyang immediately summoned an octagonal compass disk. The material of this disk was unknown; aside from the Bagua diagram painted on it, it was entirely brown. As soon as Dao Lord Zhenyang summoned it, it expanded with the wind. When it reached a size similar to the black cloud, black and white beams of light shot out from the Bagua's eyes, interweaving into a net that firmly encircled the area around the main hall, protecting the lower-level cultivators from the oppressive aura.
"Hmph, petty tricks. Let me exchange a few moves with you first!" The black cloud also instantly expanded, almost rushing forward. Mo Tiange, inside the Xu Heaven Realm, couldn't feel it, but from the reaction of Dao Lord Jinghe's attendants, Mingxia and Wanqiu, who immediately spat out several mouthfuls of blood, she could tell the spiritual energy fluctuations were extreme. Fortunately, there were many Nascent Soul cultivators present. Dao Lord Xuanyin waved a hand, casting a defensive shield over the two women, stopping their bleeding.
If she were outside the Xu Heaven Realm, Mo Tiange certainly wouldn't have such an opportunity to carefully observe a battle between top-tier Nascent Soul cultivators. Now, she neither worried about her own safety nor the safety of Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Zhenyang, so she focused entirely on observing.
As soon as Venerable Songfeng made his move, Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Zhenyang immediately each took up a position. Although these two old men had fought not long ago, facing a great enemy, it was clear they had excellent tacit understanding (tacit understanding - tacit understanding). In an instant, they formed a pincer attack. Subsequently, Dao Lord Jinghe summoned a gourd, while Dao Lord Zhenyang summoned a small stone.
After the black cloud expanded, Dao Lord Jinghe's gourd immediately spewed fire, and Dao Lord Zhenyang's stone was thrown out, instantly growing larger.
Mo Tiange wanted to observe closely, but her realm was ultimately too low. How could she possibly clearly see the movements and techniques of mid-to-late Nascent Soul cultivators in combat? All she saw was flying sand and stones, flames bursting in all directions, and the black cloud surging violently—unable to make out the specifics.
Dao Lord Jinghe had a fire spiritual root, and Dao Lord Zhenyang had an earth spiritual root. The two of them joining forces in combat truly embodied a certain idiom: they made their opponent covered in dust and ashes (covered in dust and ashes - covered in dust and ashes), with fire burning all over and earth sprinkling (sprinkling - sprinkling) all over. Fortunately, Venerable Songfeng was currently a black cloud, utterly unafraid of getting dirty (unafraid of getting dirty - unafraid of getting dirty). Otherwise, he'd probably end up as utterly disheveled (utterly disheveled - utterly disheveled) as the two of them had after their fight the other day.
After a while, the three of them gradually stopped fighting. Only then did Mo Tiange see clearly that even with Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Zhenyang joining forces (joining forces - joining forces), they hadn't managed to capture Venerable Songfeng. However, judging by the face on the black cloud with its eyes closed, he probably wasn't feeling too good either.
The three separated. Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Zhenyang each sat down cross-legged, while the black cloud rested with closed eyes.
The other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Xuanqing Sect could see that this Venerable Songfeng couldn't do much to Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Zhenyang either, so they also didn't take action.
After a long time, the black cloud opened its eyes first, and a voice came from within. "Qin Jinghe, you tell that kid of yours: the debt for killing my disciple, I will repay sooner or later! He'd better hide in his sect until I pass away. Otherwise, I will definitely take his life!"
Having said that, the black cloud easily broke through the light net laid down by Dao Lord Zhenyang's octagonal compass disk and vanished in an instant.
Mo Tiange inside the Xu Heaven Realm breathed a sigh of relief. Venerable Songfeng dared to come so boldly, probably because he was confident no one could stop him, right? It made sense. Nascent Soul cultivators were inherently difficult to kill, let alone a late-Nascent Soul cultivator with numerous secret techniques and treasures. Judging by the calm reactions of these Nascent Soul seniors, they probably never intended to stop this person anyway.
Only, she didn't know what the matter of killing his disciple was about. Could it have been Qin Shoujing who killed him?
Turning it over in her mind, Mo Tiange thought again of the woman she had fought initially. If not for the magic treasure bestowed by Zhong Muling, fighting that woman would definitely not have been so easy. This woman had infiltrated the Xuanqing Sect and disappeared just as Venerable Songfeng appeared. Could she also be one of Venerable Songfeng's disciples or descendants?
No matter how much she thought, she couldn't figure it out. She shook her head, pushing these matters to the back of her mind. This matter had little to do with her. Right now, she should think about how to leave without anyone noticing.