After Mo Tiange spoke these words, the three Core Formation Elders fell into contemplation for a moment.
Finally, Elder Qingyi sighed and waved her hand. "You may go. Fellow Daoist Ye, thank you for your words today. Regarding the pill refinement, we will naturally cooperate with our full strength."
Mo Tiange bowed respectfully and, without saying more, accompanied by Wei Haolan, stepped onto the teleportation formation and left the third floor.
As soon as they reached the second floor, Wei Haolan couldn't help but glance at Mo Tiange again. "Fellow Daoist Ye, are you truly already at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment?"
Mo Tiange saw the wariness in her eyes and, recalling the casual conversation Wei Haolan had with her before going up, knew that Wei Haolan now harbored doubts about her. However, Mo Tiange herself had no other demands from the Bixuan Pavilion besides borrowing their teleportation formation, so she was completely at ease and allowed Wei Haolan to scrutinize her.
"That's correct. When traveling outside, caution is necessary. I did not intend to deceive. I ask Sect Leader Wei to forgive me."
Seeing Mo Tiange's natural demeanor, and considering that the three great elders had not given her a hard time and had even given their instructions, Wei Haolan set aside her thoughts. "Fellow Daoist Ye, rest assured. Since the elders have spoken, I will naturally comply."
Even so, Wei Haolan turned her face away. It seemed that after revealing some inner secrets, only to discover the person she confided in had concealed something from her, she felt awkward.
Although the two could not be considered friends, after so many days, they had developed a certain level of trust in each other's character. Some words were spoken based on that trust. So, even though Wei Haolan understood she couldn't blame Mo Tiange, she still felt displeased.
Mo Tiange said no more, and the two walked in silence to the first floor.
The middle-aged male cultivator surnamed Shangguan was still there. Seeing them descend, he stood up to greet them. "Sect Leader, Fellow Daoist Ye."
This person was extremely polite to Mo Tiange. When they first met, a flash of surprise had crossed his eyes. Mo Tiange had originally thought that, accustomed to being in a female-only sect, he was simply polite and courteous to female cultivators, so she hadn't paid it much mind.
In reality, this person had been carefully nurtured by the three Core Formation Elders and was himself already at Foundation Establishment Perfection. Why would he need to be so polite to a Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator? Naturally, it was because his cultivation was slightly higher than Mo Tiange's, so as soon as she entered, he had discovered that this Fellow Daoist Ye was actually a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator.
Some things leave traces; it's just that originally they were scattered fragments that couldn't be pieced together. But once you have the answer, you realize clues were everywhere.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange's expression grew distant. Wasn't it the same back then? Before discovering it, she hadn't harbored the slightest suspicion. Only when a thought arose did she realize the answer was obvious. However, she still didn't want to face that answer. After all... there would be no connection in the future.
"Fellow Daoist Ye?" Wei Haolan's voice sounded in her ear.
Mo Tiange snapped back to attention, bowed in return to the male cultivator, and then descended the Dao-Attainment Pagoda with Wei Haolan.
Exiting the Dao-Attainment Pagoda and looking up again at this tall pagoda floating amidst the clouds, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. It could actually render her Spirit-Concealing Pendant ineffective. One could imagine how marvelous the restrictions within this Dao-Attainment Pagoda were, and yet this pagoda was the creation of a single Nascent Soul female cultivator. Who said female cultivators were inferior to male cultivators? Among them were also geniuses. It's just that there weren't many female cultivators willing to put in the effort.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, aside from your cultivation level, are you truly hiding nothing else?" Wei Haolan also stopped before the pagoda, looking at Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange shifted her gaze from the pagoda and smiled slightly. "There may be concealments, but I can assure Sect Leader Wei that these matters are of no importance to the Bixuan Pavilion."
What she concealed were her name and her master. This was Dao Lord Jinghe's requirement. The reason was that before she left, the Ascendant Songfeng had come seeking revenge and declared this grudge endless. Although her master cared about face, he wasn't rigid. He preferred she conceal her master's identity to avoid unnecessary danger. And to outsiders, which disciple of the Xuanqing Sect she was didn't matter.
Wei Haolan stared at her for a long time, finally withdrawing her gaze and accepting her explanation. "Since that's the case, I won't pry further. Fellow Daoist Ye, we begin pill refinement tomorrow. Is that acceptable?"
Mo Tiange nodded. "Acceptable." Refining the Azure Cloud Pill required no special preparation on her part.
"Then I'll escort you back now."
"I trouble you."
The two walked together in silence. Not far from the VIP Pavilion, a maidservant hurried over. Seeing Wei Haolan, her face lit up with joy, but was immediately clouded by worry. She ran up close and bowed. "Sect Leader!"
Hearing the urgency in her tone, Wei Haolan stopped and said to Mo Tiange, "Fellow Daoist Ye, I won't see you in. Please don't take offense."
Mo Tiange understood her meaning. "Sect Leader Wei needn't stand on ceremony. I'll return now. Farewell."
The two nodded to each other in acknowledgment. Mo Tiange turned and entered the courtyard.
From afar, she faintly heard the maidservant's voice: "Sect Leader, another one of our disciples has gone missing..."
Mo Tiange's heart stirred, but her steps didn't falter. She went directly into the VIP Pavilion.
As soon as she entered, Yiliu and Yiqiu looked delighted and rushed forward. "Senior Ye!"
Mo Tiange was surprised. "What's wrong?" Their manner suggested they had been very anxious, as if waiting for her return.
Yiqiu turned and brought over the Feifei from behind. "We don't know what's wrong. Feifei has been listless all day."
Feifei was the name of this Feifei. Ever since receiving it, Yiliu and Yiqiu had asked her to give it a name. Mo Tiange wasn't good at naming things. Since it was a Feifei, she called it Feifei, just like the Fire Beast was called Xiaohuo. Yiliu and Yiqiu protested—how could she name it so casually? But their protests were useless. She was too lazy to think of another name, so Feifei it remained.
Mo Tiange picked up Feifei and examined it. The originally lively little spirit beast was now listless, its eyes half-open and half-closed. It wasn't like the day she first received it when it was sleeping, but rather seemed dispirited.
Sensing it with her Divine Sense, she said, "It's fine. It's just that I haven't had time to attend to it these past few days, so it's in low spirits. That's why it's listless."
"Oh..." Yiliu and Yiqiu were relieved, yet also reluctant. "We thought since Senior would be busy refining pills and couldn't look after it, we could continue caring for it. It seems we have to return it to you."
Mo Tiange smiled and said no more. She picked up Feifei, took the spirit fruit Yiliu handed her, and personally fed it.
Feifei clearly had little appetite and refused to eat. Seeing it still listless, Yiliu and Yiqiu couldn't bear to tease it further and reluctantly handed it back to Mo Tiange.
When the two took their leave, Mo Tiange specifically instructed that she needed to rest well to prepare for tomorrow's pill refinement. Yiliu and Yiqiu had already received the Sect Leader's orders and immediately promised that no one would be allowed to disturb her. After they left, Mo Tiange activated the room's formation, carried Feifei, and entered the Void Heaven Realm.
As soon as she entered the Void Heaven Realm, the previously half-dead Feifei instantly opened its eyes wide, jumped down from Mo Tiange's arms, dashed into the small hut, rolled around on the meditation cushion, and made happy whimpering sounds.
Mo Tiange couldn't help but laugh. She grabbed a nearby cushion and sat down, reaching out to pinch its round nose. "You little trickster. You just wanted to come in here, didn't you?"
A few days ago, she had brought Feifei into the Void Heaven Realm once. Feifei had been as delighted as Xiaohuo was the first time it entered, overjoyed. Later, when she got busy with pill refinement matters, she entrusted it to Yiliu and Yiqiu. Who would have thought this little creature would still remember it fondly and even pretend to be sick? If not for the contract between her and Feifei, she really would have been fooled.
Come to think of it, were all spirit beasts more sensitive to the space of this Void Heaven Realm? Xiaohuo was like this, and so was Feifei. Or perhaps, all things have been passed down from the Primordial Era to today. Humans gradually became more inclined towards rationality, while spirit beasts retained their instincts, so their bodies bore the imprint of the Primordial Era? Therefore, they preferred spaces from the Primordial Era, like this Void Heaven Realm.
Feifei lifted its head, nudged against her side, bit her robe, and started pulling her outward.
Mo Tiange stood up helplessly and followed it. "What are you doing? I let you in. Shouldn't you settle down now?"
Although Feifei was intelligent, it was still only a First-Rank spirit beast, inferior to Xiaohuo who had lived in the Void Heaven Realm for many years. Fortunately, she had formed a contract with Feifei and could sense its general emotions.
Mo Tiange saw it trotting along the ridges of the fields she had cultivated, sniffing as it went, as if searching for something.
Finally, Feifei stopped under a tree.
This was a tree with a completely yellow trunk. Unlike ordinary trees, its yellow was not the withered yellow of a tree reaching the end of its life, about to shed its leaves, but a radiant, shimmering golden yellow, as if about to yield a harvest. Its branches and leaves were lush, laden with fruit.
Mo Tiange knew this tree was called the Flowerless Golden Tree, and its fruit was called the Flowerless Golden Fruit. It bore fruit once every hundred years. The fruit would wither within moments of being picked. Both its fruit and leaves could be used for pill refinement, but they were for a high-grade pill she couldn't even use at her current level. In the Void Heaven Realm, there were too many such spiritual items, so she couldn't be bothered to manage them, letting the Flowerless Golden Tree bear fruit, the fruit fall to the ground and take root, growing into saplings.
Now, Feifei circled the tree once, then turned its head and chirped at Mo Tiange twice.
Mo Tiange then said, "This Flowerless Golden Fruit can only be consumed by cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage or above. You're only a First-Rank spirit beast right now. If you eat it, what if the spiritual energy causes your body to explode?"
Feifei opened its dark, shiny eyes, stared at her for a moment, then bit the hem of her robe and chirped twice again.
Through her Divine Sense, Mo Tiange sensed that Feifei seemed very certain that eating this fruit would be harmless to it. She thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I'll give you one to eat first. If nothing happens, you can have them as you please in the future, as long as you don't gnaw them all away. But if something happens, you're not allowed to touch these spiritual herbs randomly anymore."
Feifei lifted its head, chirped happily twice, and circled around her left and right.
Mo Tiange smiled, raised her hand, gently plucked one fruit, crouched down, and offered it to Feifei. "Here, be careful. The spiritual energy inside is very potent."
"Whimper, whimper." Feifei made two sounds and bit into the Flowerless Golden Fruit.
The Flowerless Golden Fruit looked somewhat like a plum, but its skin was golden. As soon as Feifei bit it, the skin immediately broke, revealing the golden flesh inside. It hurriedly opened its mouth wide and swallowed it whole without even chewing. Finally, it stuck out its tongue and licked up every drop of the dripping juice.
Mo Tiange smelled a very fragrant aroma. It was a unique fragrance, not as intoxicating as floral scents, nor as strong as musk. It was fresh and sweet, carrying the scent of earth and green leaves.
This fragrance quickly faded but still didn't dissipate completely. It seemed Feifei's entire fur now carried this scent.
Having eaten the Flowerless Golden Fruit, Feifei was very satisfied. It lay on the ground enjoying the gentle breeze, even rolling over once.
But its expression soon turned pained. The connection of the contract allowed Mo Tiange to sense it immediately.
"Feifei!" Mo Tiange looked down and saw that Feifei, who had just been enjoying itself, was now enveloped by a golden aura—an extremely powerful spiritual energy, even surpassing the spiritual pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Mo Tiange was filled with regret. No matter how clever Feifei was, it was still just a First-Rank spirit beast that hadn't fully grown up. How would it know what things were edible and what weren't? She should never have let it eat randomly.