The Yao couple had gone far away. Mo Tiange pressed a finger to her brow, emerged from the Void Heaven Realm, and gazed thoughtfully in the direction they had left without speaking.
Shang Ruwan hadn't seen it, but she had. This Yao Zixiu—his eyes had kept shifting the whole time. He was likely not speaking from the heart. When he mentioned her, there was a particular meaning in his gaze. Although Shang Ruwan was quite observant of others, she trusted her husband wholeheartedly and hadn't noticed a thing.
Ah, listening to their conversation, they too had once shared a love that carved itself into their bones, even disregarding the gazes of others and eloping. Who would have thought that after such affectionate companionship, such changes could arise? That Yao Zixiu clearly had lingering discontent. How could a cultivator ever completely abandon the pursuit of cultivation? When they eloped, it was perhaps sincere, but after obtaining his heart's desire, he grew unwilling to live his whole life like that. He still wanted to advance his cultivation. All that talk about 'taking her back openly and honorably' was false; it was just his own desire for power.
After pondering for a while, Mo Tiange shook her head. This was someone else's affair; it wasn't her place to meddle. It was just a shame for Shang Ruwan. Though her cultivation level was ordinary, her mental fortitude surpassed many sect disciples. From their conversation, her aptitude likely wasn't poor either. If she strived in her cultivation, she might still advance.
Love… Hadn't Tianqiao been the same back then? At first, the two were loving and sweet. Over time, that Meng Sigui revealed some of his habits. The originally lively and passionate Tianqiao became a personality that compromised and submitted. This Shang Ruwan was probably even worse off. She had abandoned everything to elope. If she lost him in the end, wouldn't she have nothing left? No family, no clan, no originally promising future…
No wonder Second Uncle said that weakness and excessive sentimentality were the great enemies of female cultivators. If Shang Ruwan weren't bound by emotion and had her clan as a backing, her cultivation would likely be far beyond what it was today. Considering this, Mo Tiange couldn't help but sigh.
Although Yao Zixiu harbored ill intentions toward her, it didn't hinder their shared objective. Sensing the couple had put some distance ahead, Mo Tiange simply released her Divine Sense to lock onto them. Concealing her form, she followed their trail in.
She followed like this all the way, walking along the stone path in the darkness. Surprisingly, it was uneventful. What put Mo Tiange on guard was that her Divine Sense, tracking the Yao couple, completely lost their trace the moment they passed through a stone door.
Mo Tiange was hesitating whether to enter this clearly enigmatic stone door when she detected another person's aura—it was Daoist Fangzheng. With the Yao Zixiu incident fresh in mind, Mo Tiange was naturally extra vigilant. The moment she sensed Daoist Fangzheng's aura, she activated the Void Heaven Mirror and hid within.
Daoist Fangzheng uttered a sound of surprise, then warily scanned his surroundings before quickly heading into the stone door the Yao couple had entered. Similarly, after Daoist Fangzheng entered that stone door, his aura vanished without a trace.
Mo Tiange was just about to emerge from the Void Heaven Mirror when she discovered another group of five entering the hall. Mo Tiange sensed them: among the five, two male cultivators were at Foundation Establishment mid-stage, while the remaining three female cultivators were at Foundation Establishment early-stage. It was unclear if the two male cultivators were together, but the three female cultivators were clearly from the same sect.
Perhaps the formation outside had been broken, as these five entered far less disheveled than their own group of four.
The five—the two male cultivators leading, the three female cultivators following—also entered that stone door. Mo Tiange decided to venture in as well. Since the outer formation was easy to break, whatever dangers lay inside, with the Void Heaven Mirror in hand, even if she gained nothing in the end, she wouldn't risk her life. Besides, this trip was originally for experience. She couldn't be overly cautious about everything, or else the experience would lose its meaning.
Mo Tiange emerged from the Void Heaven Mirror and, without hesitation, stepped through the door.
The moment Mo Tiange entered the stone door, she felt a fluctuation of Wood-attributed Spiritual Qi beneath her feet. The stone floor was moving at a constant speed. Darkness flashed before her eyes, then light. Mo Tiange found herself in a domed hall, standing on a circular Stone Platform floating in the air. Not far away floated four other circular Stone Platforms, occupied respectively by the Yao couple, Daoist Fangzheng, the two male cultivators who arrived later, and the three female cultivators from the same sect.
Looking at the five platforms, they were respectively gold, azure, blue, red, and yellow, emitting pure Five Elements Spiritual Qi. Mo Tiange stood on an azure platform. When this platform moved to form a perfect pentagon with the other four, it stopped.
Shang Ruwan, sitting on the red platform, now appeared to be unharmed. Seeing Mo Tiange settled, she smiled and said to her, "Little sister, it's good that you made it in safely too."
Knowing Yao Zixiu harbored ill intentions toward her, while Shang Ruwan was completely unaware and treated her with such warmth, Mo Tiange felt a bit more affinity for this woman by contrast. She returned a smile and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister."
After greeting her, Shang Ruwan asked quite naturally, "I wonder what little sister makes of this hall."
Mo Tiange looked around and replied, "Sister and the other fellow Daoists arrived earlier. I wonder if you've discovered anything."
Shang Ruwan smiled and pointed at the two male cultivators on the yellow platform. "Fellow Daoist Lu and Fellow Daoist Wang said this thing is called a Five Elements Platform, but they don't know how to activate it."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange looked toward the two male cultivators and asked, "I wonder if this Five Elements Platform is considered a magical artifact or…?"
The slightly taller of the two male cultivators replied, "The Five Elements Platform first originated from the Tianliang Sect on Yuzhu Mountain in the Kunwu mountain range, with a history of several thousand years. Because the Yuzhu Mountain area has a stone forest structure, cultivators there all live atop stone pillars. The Five Elements Platform was initially created by them for the convenience of low-level disciples within their sect who couldn't fly. However, according to records, the reason it's called the Five Elements Platform is that each stone platform evolves from a formation, possesses one of the Five Elements not controlled by the user, and can also fly according to a set pattern within Yuzhu Mountain. But these platforms, while nearly identical in appearance and function to the Five Elements Platforms described in texts, distinctly occupy one of the Five Elements each. And with nothing else in this hall… it truly exceeds what I have seen."
The male cultivator standing beside him added after he finished, "For any object to be controlled, there are only three methods: Divine Sense, Spiritual Qi, or essence blood. However, if one makes a mistake… there's no telling what will happen."
Seeing these two male cultivators could recount the origins of formation-related matters in such detail, they likely hailed from a sect specializing in formations.
One of the three female cultivators from the same sect was the first to show fear. Looking at the still-open stone door, she said softly, "Senior Sister Yan, we have no knowledge of formations. It's hard for us to judge right from wrong. Perhaps… we should leave first."
Another female cultivator, hearing this, frowned and also concurred, "Junior Sister Yun makes a good point. Moreover, we haven't yet accomplished the task Master assigned. It's not suitable for us to take risks."
The one addressed as Senior Sister Yan, seeing both of them speak thus, nodded. "In that case, let's focus on our main task."
Unexpectedly, as soon as her words fell, their stone platform drifted toward the stone door. The three of them cried out in surprise first. When the platform floated to the doorway, they exchanged glances. Senior Sister Yan said, "Why don't we put our heads together and return to where we were just now?"
The three women reached an agreement, and the stone platform indeed shifted back to its original position.
A flicker of joy appeared on everyone's faces in the hall. However, right after that initial delight, everyone revealed a bitter smile. Shang Ruwan was the first to say with a wry smile, "Even if we know how to use it, we still don't know where exactly we want to go."
What no one expected was that Shang Ruwan's words, "where to go," echoed within the hall. A flash of white light passed before everyone's eyes, and they saw five large characters floating in the center of the hall. Mo Tiange's position happened to be opposite Shang Ruwan, so she could only see the five characters reversed: Present Life Eternal Heaven.
'This Life, Ten Thousand Ancient Heavens'?
Mo Tiange only had time for these words to flash through her Divine Sense before she felt the stone platform rapidly move. The other platforms did the same, all spinning swiftly around the center of the hall as their pivot. The Gang Wind experienced when entering the valley actually swirled upward from the seemingly empty bottom of the hall.
Mo Tiange had just thought to release her protective aura when she saw a circle of bright azure light erupt from the edge of the stone platform. Immediately, she felt emptiness beneath her feet. Instinctively, she summoned her White Silk Handkerchief. Coming back to her senses, she found the hall gone, the Five Elements Platforms gone, and even the people who had been standing beside her moments ago all gone.
She was back in that valley with lush green grass and brilliant sunshine, standing on her customary flying tool, the White Silk Handkerchief. The stone statue in the valley was still that same statue, but the entrance from before was gone. Instead, on the steep cliff face she had seen earlier, there were now many stone platforms shaped like entrances. Many Five Elements Platforms flew within the valley, each composed of five colors forming a ring. The trees in the valley were no longer as short as before; they were all towering giants, with vine-woven rope bridges connecting tree to tree.
The scene before her not only seemed more spiritually vibrant than the valley she had just left, but also more lively, making Mo Tiange feel as if a woman with a high chignon and phoenix hairpin, wearing a short top that revealed fragrant shoulders and a flowing long skirt, might step out from one of the stone platforms on the steep cliff wall at any moment.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a woman dressed exactly like that actually emerged from a stone platform halfway up the cliff wall. The woman, standing on a whisk, flew towards her rapidly. Mo Tiange braced herself, but the woman spoke first: "Fellow Daoist, have you seen the two junior sisters who came with me?"
Mo Tiange looked closely. Although her attire had completely changed, this woman was unmistakably the one surnamed Yan from the main hall earlier. It was just that in this outfit, she appeared even more graceful and charming.
Mo Tiange asked in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Yan, why are you dressed like this?"
A flicker of astonishment passed over the Yan-clan woman's face. "Isn't the lady dressed the same as I am?"
Mo Tiange was about to refute this when she felt a cool sensation on her shoulders. Looking down, she saw that her own wide-sleeved robe had also transformed into a small short top and long skirt similar to the Yan-clan woman's. The only difference was that the woman's attire shimmered with a radiant golden light like the stone platforms earlier, while Mo Tiange's was a verdant green.
Recalling that her own clothing had changed only after this Yan-clan woman approached, Mo Tiange asked, "Fellow Daoist Yan, did your attire change to this as soon as you arrived here?"
The Yan-clan woman thought for a moment before replying, "When I first arrived and realized I was separated from my junior sisters, it didn't seem to be the case yet. It seemed to happen only after I stepped onto the stone platform."
Mo Tiange asked again, "Then, when you saw me, was I already dressed like this?"
The Yan-clan woman frowned. "That... I'm not entirely sure either."
Mo Tiange couldn't help but feel her expression change. Divine Sense could have such a significant effect here?
After a moment's thought, she understood what was happening. Clearly, after seeing the stone statue at the entrance, a flash of thought in her mind made what she saw align with what she imagined.
An Illusion Formation. It was another Illusion Formation. Over a decade ago, she and Wei Jiasi had once experienced an illusion during the Beast Tide, but compared to this one, that illusion was far too crude. She had reflected that if she were to experience that illusion today, she could definitely break it in the first stage. Yet this illusion before her, despite knowing it was fake, appeared flawless.
Seeing her expression suddenly change, the Yan-clan woman furrowed her brows. "Fellow Daoist, is something wrong?"
Mo Tiange slowly exhaled a breath, while keeping an eye on her surroundings. "Haven't you noticed, Fellow Daoist, that whatever we think of becomes real?"
As the thought flashed through her mind, a spirit beast resembling Xiaohuo instantly appeared on the grass, leaping towards her. Mo Tiange reached out and patted this "Xiaohuo's" head. The smooth, realistic sensation felt exactly like the real thing.
Hearing her words, the Yan-clan woman's expression changed dramatically. After a moment's thought, she formed a hand seal and sent a wind blade towards "Xiaohuo." Unexpectedly, "Xiaohuo" suddenly jumped up, rolled aside, and spewed out a blast of scorching Yang True Fire.
"Ah!" The Yan-clan woman swiftly dodged and called out to Mo Tiange, "Fellow Daoist, isn't this real?"
With a flick of her hand, Mo Tiange transformed the Flying Shuttle into a golden light, encircling "Xiaohuo." She unleashed the Refining Spirit Art, pressing down fiercely. The second-rank spirit beast "Xiaohuo" whimpered once and fell to the ground.
She looked at "Xiaohuo's" corpse and said slowly, "This is fake."
The Yan-clan woman stared at her blankly. She had tested it herself moments ago; this spirit beast was indeed a second-rank creature. Yet Mo Tiange had struck and killed it without any resistance—
"Why is it fake?"
Although it wasn't the real Xiaohuo, Mo Tiange still frowned slightly. Turning away from the bloody, mangled spirit beast corpse, she explained to the woman, "I didn't bring my spirit beast with me on this trip at all. I just tested it. Sure enough, as soon as I thought of a spirit beast, it conjured up one that looked exactly like mine, with the same cultivation level."
There was only one flaw. When Xiaohuo had advanced to the second rank, his Scorching Yang True Fire had already transformed into Solar True Fire. This fake "Xiaohuo," however, had the appearance of a genuine second-rank Fire Beast. Realizing this, Mo Tiange's brows tightened once more. For this to be possible meant the creator of this Illusion Formation had fundamentally designed the formation based on the intruder's own thoughts. But this pointed to an even deeper problem: the creator of this Illusion Formation possessed incredibly vast knowledge, able to conjure whatever the person entering the formation thought of!
This aspect was even more terrifying than the Illusion Formation's power itself. The existence of the Illusion Formation indicated the creator had high attainments in formations, but all formations could be broken. Yet his knowledge armed this Illusion Formation with seemingly no flaws! Moreover, from another perspective, what kind of person would possess such profound knowledge? To be able to simulate most people's thoughts with perfect accuracy, with only a few mutated exceptions. This was truly terrifying!
The deeper she thought, the more Mo Tiange felt the Illusion Formation's creator possessed abilities beyond imagination. By the end, fine beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.
Although the Yan-clan woman heard her explanation, she didn't understand why Mo Tiange was reacting so strongly, feeling full of confusion. However, seeing Mo Tiange effortlessly kill a second-rank spirit beast had already shown her Mo Tiange's strength was somewhat higher than the average mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, instilling a trace of awe in her.
"This little sister is Yan Ruoshu, from the Bixuan Pavilion. May I ask the esteemed elder sister's honorable name and which sect you hail from?" She had previously addressed her as 'lady' or 'Fellow Daoist,' but now she referred to herself as 'little sister' and called Mo Tiange 'elder sister,' deliberately trying to close the distance.
Mo Tiange replied indifferently, "I am Ye Xiaotian. My master is unknown, and I doubt Fellow Daoist would be familiar with it."
Hearing her cold tone and unwillingness to name her sect, the woman named Yan Ruoshu felt somewhat annoyed. But considering the current situation and Mo Tiange's composed demeanor, she swallowed her irritation.
"Elder Sister Ye, what exactly is going on?"
"It should be an Illusion Formation." Mo Tiange looked down at herself, closed her eyes to concentrate, and when she opened them again, her clothing had indeed reverted to its original appearance.
"An Illusion Formation?" Yan Ruoshu glanced around. The flowers, grass, trees, spirit beasts, and flying birds all seemed utterly real. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear. "What should we do?"
"There's no solution for now." Mo Tiange took out her White Silk Kerchief and Flying Shuttle, preparing for potential enemies. She turned her head and said, "Let's go. First, let's look for others. If we can find them, we'll plan our next move."
"Alright..." Yan Ruoshu had no other ideas and nodded helplessly.
After walking for a while, Yan Ruoshu asked, "Elder Sister Ye, did you come here on business in the mortal world too?"
Mo Tiange walked while intently observing the surrounding scenery. Hearing Yan Ruoshu's voice, she gave a perfunctory acknowledgment.
Yan Ruoshu continued, "What a coincidence. Our three junior sisters and I were also sent by our master on business in the mortal world. We happened to detect Spiritual Qi leaking from here and came to investigate. Elder Sister Ye, what business are you on? If it happens to align, perhaps we could travel together?"
This woman was rather talkative. Mo Tiange frowned and said, "I was sent down the mountain by my master to travel and gain experience. I'm not certain where I'm going."
"Ah, then would Elder Sister Ye like to join us? We're all women; we must have many topics in common. Elder Sister Ye..."
The woman kept chattering incessantly, and Mo Tiange frowned inwardly. She knew what kind of sect the Bixuan Pavilion that Yan Ruoshu mentioned was. It was said to be a sect that only accepted female disciples, located in an extremely secluded place, with little interaction with the outside world—a relatively mysterious sect. Its influence was neither large nor small, roughly on par with the former Cloud Mist Sect's Purple Cloud Sect.
It was just that Yan Ruoshu had been rather distant towards her earlier, but now she was much more enthusiastic. Clearly, finding herself alone here and seeing Mo Tiange's cultivation was higher than her own, she was trying to build rapport.
Actually, with only the two of them together at the moment, Mo Tiange had never been in the habit of abandoning companions. If any danger arose, she would naturally protect her to some extent. Yan Ruoshu really didn't need to go to such lengths.
"Fellow Daoist Yan, do you have a way to contact your two junior sisters?" She interrupted Yan Ruoshu's chatter.
Yan Ruoshu paused, then nodded. "We have sect Message Talismans between us."
So-called sect Message Talismans were a communication method used among disciples of the same sect. Different from personal Message Talismans, they employed a special technique. Once activated, all disciples of that sect within a certain range would receive it. Mo Tiange also had several sect Message Talismans in her possession; any sect disciple leaving the mountain could receive them. However, these items were not easy to produce, so unless it was an emergency, it was best not to use them.
Hearing Yan Ruoshu's words, Mo Tiange said, "Then Fellow Daoist Yan should try sending a sect Message Talisman. Searching blindly like this makes it very difficult to find anyone."