Hearing this, Mo Tiange slightly furrowed her brows. Jiang Shanghang had indeed kept something from her!
Jiang Shanghang glanced at her and said to Ren Yufeng, "I haven't explained in detail yet."
Ren Yufeng then said, "Then now is the time."
Mo Tiange turned to look at Jiang Shanghang, waiting for his explanation. Although she had long suspected that things weren't so simple, now that it was laid out before her, she still felt displeased.
Facing her gaze, Jiang Shanghang coughed, somewhat awkwardly saying, "Ye... Junior Sister, don't be angry just yet. I didn't mention it before because the matter is significant. My previous promise still stands completely. The reason I wasn't explicit was simply because it wasn't convenient."
Mo Tiange merely lifted the corner of her mouth, neither confirming nor denying. She had already guessed as much, so she wasn't particularly furious, but if she appeared too indifferent, it might make her seem spineless.
Seeing Jiang Shanghang's embarrassed expression, Ren Yufeng interjected, "Let me explain."
Jiang Shanghang looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped back.
Mo Tiange watched coldly. Given Ren Yufeng's previous arrogant demeanor, how could Jiang Shanghang dare to voice any dissent in front of him? It seemed what Jiang Shanghang had told her earlier was true—he was just an ordinary disciple, in a weak position among his Zhengfa Sect peers.
Facing her, Ren Yufeng set aside his earlier arrogance and said seriously, "Junior Sister Ye, regarding what I'm about to say, if you disagree, I can let you leave. However, you must swear an Inner Demon Oath never to speak of it!"
Mo Tiange slightly frowned. What could be so serious?
She said indifferently, "Senior Brother Ren, just say it. What does it matter whether I agree or not? Everyone here is your fellow disciple. Dealing with me would be easy enough."
Ren Yufeng was choked by these words, and Jiang Shanghang even turned his head away. They indeed had such intentions—after all, she was alone. If she didn't agree, using force to coerce her wouldn't be out of the question. But having Mo Tiange state it so bluntly made both of them flush with shame. Bullying a lone woman was hardly a glorious deed.
But Ren Yufeng had thick skin and quickly regained his composure, saying, "Junior Sister Ye, do you think our sect elders would allow us to speak of a place like the Land of Hidden Dragons, where exotic treasures can often be found?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange glanced at Jiang Shanghang. "So, what Senior Brother Jiang said before was false?"
"Of course not," Jiang Shanghang hurriedly denied. "The Land of Hidden Dragons truly is a place where treasures can often be found. Aside from it being a secret of our sect, everything else I said is true."
"Oh?" Mo Tiange turned to look at Ren Yufeng. "Then what does Senior Brother Ren mean?"
"This starts from our last entry into the Land of Hidden Dragons," Ren Yufeng said, his sharp gaze fixed on Mo Tiange as if observing whether she showed any unusual expression. He spoke slowly, "Three months ago, Junior Brother Xiang, Junior Brother Tang, Junior Brother Jiang, and I entered the Land of Hidden Dragons together. We discovered a secret location, but unfortunately, the four of us lacked sufficient strength and returned empty-handed. For the past few months, we've been searching for trustworthy people to enter with us to obtain the treasures."
"...What does this have to do with me?" Mo Tiange asked, puzzled. "Your fellow disciples are surely more trustworthy than an outsider like me. If you need companions, you should look within your own sect."
"That requires explaining what this secret location is like first," Ren Yufeng said. "Last time, we accidentally entered this place and immediately encountered a Fifth-Rank Demonic Beast. That in itself isn't the worst. Although a Fifth-Rank Demonic Beast is equivalent to the Core Formation stage, the four of us weren't without the ability to fight it. The problem was, this demonic beast had an extremely strong resistance to water and ice attribute spells. Junior Sister Ye surely knows that our Zhengfa Sect is built in the Extreme North Glacier. All disciples in our sect cultivate water and ice attribute techniques, and even our Magical Tools are of these types. Thus, we could only retreat in defeat."
"So you need a cultivator who isn't from your sect to deal with this demonic beast?"
"Correct." Seeing her expression showed no abnormality, Ren Yufeng relaxed slightly and admitted frankly, "Unfortunately, our Zhengfa Sect is located in the Extreme North. Few outsiders come here, and even if there are visiting cultivators, we don't want those with insufficient cultivation or unreliable character. Previously, I had considered going to Kunwu to find a suitable candidate."
Mo Tiange fell silent. If it truly was as they said, this matter wasn't unacceptable.
"As soon as Junior Sister Ye arrived in the Extreme North, Junior Brother Jiang had this idea. He sent me a message asking if it was feasible, guaranteeing that you were trustworthy. That's why I agreed."
So, Jiang Shanghang had been scheming from the very beginning. Thinking of this, Mo Tiange expressionlessly swept her gaze over him. Although the matter wasn't severe, she still felt displeased. She didn't mind self-interest, but she very much minded being dragged into something without her consent.
Jiang Shanghang looked somewhat sheepish, as if wanting to explain, but ultimately gave up.
"Alright, Senior Brother Ren, tell me what needs attention. Also, what must I contribute, and what can I ultimately obtain?"
"Naturally." Seeing her agree, Ren Yufeng revealed a smile. "First, I must tell Junior Sister Ye that the danger level inside is roughly equivalent to the first layer of this Land of Hidden Dragons. It's just that there's a Fifth-Rank Demonic Beast guarding the entrance. Although a Fifth-Rank Demonic Beast is equivalent to a Core Formation cultivator, it's ultimately not a human Core Formation cultivator. Their intelligence is far inferior to humans'. I've long since devised a method to deal with this demonic beast. What Junior Sister Ye needs to do is follow my commands and attack it. And since Junior Sister Ye has become our companion, naturally you can share in the treasures. How much you obtain will depend on how much you contribute."
Mo Tiange nodded. She could accept all this, but—
"Senior Brother Ren, it's not that I don't trust you all. It's just that I'm alone on this journey, which is truly somewhat..." She trailed off, sweeping her gaze over the people before her.
Ren Yufeng understood her meaning and asked, "Junior Sister Ye, just state your demands. If I can agree, I certainly will."
"Good," Mo Tiange said without hesitation. "I want Senior Brother Ren to swear an oath that you will not harm me during this journey and that, upon success, you will definitely let me leave safely."
"..." Ren Yufeng fell silent. He understood perfectly well what it meant for him to swear an oath. Just now, he had demanded that Mo Tiange swear an Inner Demon Oath if she didn't agree. Now, Mo Tiange was merely making the same demand in return.
Gritting his teeth, he said in a low voice, "Fine!"
Hearing his agreement, the female Zhengfa Sect cultivator Ai Xian beside them exclaimed involuntarily, "Senior Brother Ren, how can this be?"
Ren Yufeng swept a glance at her and said indifferently, "Junior Sister Ye's concerns are not unreasonable. Besides, if I don't intend to break it, swearing or not swearing is the same."
Mo Tiange smiled. "Senior Brother Ren has admirable courage. This junior sister feels inferior." Even so, she didn't retract her previous words. There were nine of them and only one of her. Who knew if later they might not want to share the spoils with her and, seeing she possessed treasures, resort to robbery? Although Jiang Shanghang was acquainted with her and probably wouldn't harm her, his own status wasn't high enough. It still depended on what Ren Yufeng thought. Among these people, even the highest-status Ren Yufeng was merely an entry-level disciple of a Core Formation cultivator. Presumably, even if they had treasures, they weren't high-grade items. It wasn't impossible for greed to arise.
"I, Ren Yufeng, swear by my Inner Demon that during this journey, I will not harm Junior Sister Ye Xiaotian, nor will I allow my fellow disciples to do so. Afterwards, I will ensure Junior Sister Ye leaves safely." Having recited this, he opened his eyes and looked at Mo Tiange. "Is this acceptable?"
Seeing Ren Yufeng indeed swear the Inner Demon Oath, Mo Tiange immediately smiled and said, "Since that's the case, Senior Brother Ren may continue. I have no further doubts."
Hearing her words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Ren Yufeng continued, "Good. Since Junior Sister Ye has no objections, let's begin preparations. Everyone knows what needs to be done. Let's get to work!"
As soon as his words fell, everyone busied themselves.
Mo Tiange didn't know what they were doing, but she saw Jiang Shanghang approach and say, "Junior Sister Ye, this is our Zhengfa Sect's Ice Protection Talisman. That Fifth-Rank Demonic Beast is also of the water element. Keeping this with you will be safer."
Mo Tiange accepted it, her tone indifferent. "Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang, for your consideration."
These words were neither warm nor cold—not angry, but not forgiving either—leaving Jiang Shanghang with a bellyful of words unsaid. Helpless, he could only turn and continue with his own tasks.
Apart from Mo Tiange, the nine Zhengfa Sect cultivators, directed by Ren Yufeng, each selected a position and began placing spirit stones around themselves, seemingly preparing some formation.
Mo Tiange watched for a while. With her formation expertise, she could tell they were setting up an enhanced defense formation. She just didn't understand the intent behind placing the formation here.
Before long, the enhanced formation was finally set up. Ren Yufeng called out, "Junior Sister Ye, please come here."
At this point, apart from Ren Yufeng and Xiang Zhiyang, everyone else moved toward the center of the formation. Mo Tiange also walked over.
Seeing they had all entered the formation, Ren Yufeng said, "Junior Brothers and Sisters, stay here. Later, Junior Brother Xiang and I will lure the Fifth-Rank Water Carp Beast over. When that happens, activate the formation—you must hold it. Junior Sister Ye, you don't need to worry about anything. We'll naturally protect you when the time comes. Just use your most powerful Magical Tools and spells to attack it."
The Zhengfa Sect cultivators each nodded, and Mo Tiange acknowledged. She hoped Ren Yufeng would keep his promise. If so, she would be the most relaxed among them.
Now, apart from Mo Tiange, the other seven had each taken their positions. It was a Big Dipper formation stance, with the highest cultivation Lu Rongsheng standing at the forefront, presiding over the formation. Mo Tiange stood right in the center, precisely the position protected by the formation.
Ren Yufeng and Xiang Zhiyang had gone somewhere unknown. Mo Tiange guessed that having the eight of them stay here was both a method to deal with the demonic beast and possibly because the secret location required a special method to open, which they didn't want others to see.
Not long after, Lu Rongsheng shouted, "It's coming!"
Hearing this, the seven each took out their Magical Tools, gathering Spiritual Qi. When the Magical Tools were saturated with Spiritual Qi, Lu Rongsheng cried, "Activate the formation!"
The seven simultaneously raised their spiritual tools. Seven streams of Spiritual Qi struck the seven formation eyes, causing Spiritual Qi to surge skyward—all of it blue, as Zhengfa Sect cultivators all practiced water attribute techniques, so their Spiritual Qi was naturally the same.
The seven streams of Spiritual Qi converged above the formation, forming a protective shield that firmly enveloped the eight people within. Mo Tiange also took out several treasures and Magical Tools, preparing herself.
Her divine sense was no weaker than Lu Rongsheng's. Although underwater she wasn't as adept as the Zhengfa Sect cultivators, she still detected Ren Yufeng and Xiang Zhiyang returning early. Now, with the formation activated, the aura of the Fifth-Rank Demonic Beast was already rushing toward them.