Mo Tiange sat silently in a corner, healing her wounds.
Three days had passed since they had fled into the pagoda. Wei Haolan had regained consciousness, but her injuries were too severe, and she often fell back into unconsciousness. The two elders' wounds had not healed either; they were seizing every moment to resist the invasion of the Death Qi. Xia Qing was tending to Wei Haolan. Tang Shen was huddled in a corner, his expression vacant.
Outside, Ren Yufeng had long since tried various methods and indeed could not break the restrictions of the Dao-Attainment Pagoda. At first, he would still shout for Qingyi and Qingmiao to come out, occasionally capturing one or two disciples of the Bixuan Pavilion and torturing them to provoke those inside the pagoda.
But how could Elders Qingyi and Qingmiao be impulsive people? They were old and crafty. Seeing that they themselves were severely injured, if they went out, not only would they be unable to save those disciples, but they would also sacrifice everyone in the pagoda. So they steeled their hearts and pretended not to hear anything.
Seeing this, Ren Yufeng found it boring and couldn't be bothered to speak anymore. Later, he went somewhere unknown.
But they had no confidence in defeating Ren Yufeng and dared not leave the pagoda. Who knew if Ren Yufeng was right outside?
Mo Tiange opened her eyes and looked at the Death Qi still coiled around her body, frowning deeply.
Her injuries were not too severe. Her meridians had been tempered by the Five Elements Body Refinement, and the Four Symbols Hundred Flowers Formation and the white silk handkerchief had blocked the impact. She reckoned it would only take about a month for her wounds to heal.
But the Death Qi before her eyes filled her with helplessness. This Death Qi could not be dissolved by her spiritual energy and was constantly invading her meridians. She already felt half her arm going numb, yet there was nothing she could do.
"Fellow Daoist Ye."
Hearing the voice, Mo Tiange looked up. It was Elder Qingyi, who had stopped healing and was looking at her.
"Senior."
Elder Qingyi said, "That demonic cultivator must be the enemy Fellow Daoist Ye mentioned, right? I didn't ask in detail before. Could you tell me now, what exactly is his origin, and what grudge does he have with you?"
Mo Tiange paused for a moment, then answered honestly, "Since Senior asks, I will explain in detail. About several months ago, I was traveling near the extreme northern glaciers and happened to meet an old friend. This old friend is now a disciple of the Zhengfa Sect. When we met, he invited me to explore a secret location..."
Apart from secrets concerning her life-preserving methods like the Void Heaven Realm, Mo Tiange laid out everything. For matters that were difficult to disclose, such as the secret of the Dragon's Hidden Land, she glossed over them, not detailing what treasures were in the underground palace either.
Elder Qingyi was experienced and did not ask about these minor details when she saw Mo Tiange not mentioning them.
"...That underwater palace suddenly collapsed. I originally thought my life was over, but unexpectedly, after waking up, I arrived at Linhai." After finishing, Mo Tiange shook her head with a bitter smile. "Senior asks what grudge I have with him. In truth, what grudge is there? It's just that this person harbors ill intentions, I happened to escape with my life, and he wants to kill me to silence me."
"So that's how it is." Elder Qingyi nodded slightly. "In that case, it's not Fellow Daoist Ye's fault."
Mo Tiange knew that before she explained clearly, the two elders must have had misgivings, suspecting that it was because of her that such a calamity had been attracted. Therefore, she explained in great detail, including all the names of people and places, precisely to make the two elders understand that Ren Yufeng had not come to the Bixuan Pavilion to kill her. The reason the Bixuan Pavilion suffered this sect-destroying disaster was that they were all very unlucky to have run into Ren Yufeng, thus inviting this great calamity.
Hearing Elder Qingyi say this now, Mo Tiange also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as these two elders did not blame her, it was fine. Right now, Ren Yufeng was outside. If she also offended these two elders, it would be dangerous.
"I never expected this person to be a disciple of the Zhengfa Sect. A disciple of such a prestigious orthodox sect, yet he took the path of demonic cultivation." Elder Qingmiao also stopped healing and opened her eyes.
Mo Tiange said, "This person was fundamentally trapped in demonic obsession from the very beginning, so he easily became a demonic cultivator. Advancing directly from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation—how could there be such an easy thing? In my opinion, his so-called Divine Dragon Secret Technique must have some flaw."
"That's right." Elder Qingyi nodded. "I also know a little about demonic path techniques. Although demonic path techniques advance faster than our righteous path, there is no such instant success. The technique he cultivates must be some evil method. It's just that we can't see any drawbacks at the moment."
"Actually, one drawback is already very obvious." Elder Qingmiao took over. "Senior Sister, did you see? Under the corrosion of the Death Qi, he has already withered and doesn't look human at all."
"..." Elder Qingyi pondered for a while, then nodded. "That's right. During the battle, I vaguely saw that under the Death Qi, that wasn't the face of a living person at all. I'm afraid he is already a living dead now."
Mo Tiange thought for a moment and asked, "Two Elders, what should we do next?"
This question made the two elders think deeply.
What to do next? Of course, they needed to find a way to eliminate Ren Yufeng, get out of the pagoda, and rebuild the Bixuan Pavilion. But inside the pagoda, there were only six people: only two Core Formation cultivators, both severely injured; the others—Wei Haolan was so badly injured she was half-dead. Mo Tiange guessed that even if her wounds healed, her cultivation would regress; Xia Qing and Tang Shen were both at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and their talents were also very ordinary; and as for herself, although her injuries weren't severe, she was entangled with Death Qi. Forget advancing in cultivation; just controlling the Death Qi would be difficult.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange felt somewhat despairing. Could they only wait for Ren Yufeng to make a mistake in his cultivation himself? When would that be?
After a long while, Elder Qingyi finally spoke: "We go to the seventh floor."
Hearing this, Elder Qingmiao was startled. "Senior Sister..."
Elder Qingyi waved her hand, stopping her from continuing. Her face was full of exhaustion. "There's no other way. Now the Bixuan Pavilion is practically destroyed. Besides going to the seventh floor, what other option do we have?"
Elder Qingmiao fell into silent gloom.
Elder Qingyi raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the juniors. "Xia Qing, you take care of Haolan. Shen'er, Fellow Daoist Ye, you come with us."
Tang Shen was sitting in a corner in a daze. Hearing this, he looked up, but his expression was as if his spirit had wandered to the distant heavens.
Elder Qingmiao frowned and shouted, "Shen'er! Your great-grandmother is already dead. With you in this state, do you want her to die with her eyes open?"
Tang Shen's face turned pale. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "I understand, two Elders."
Elder Qingmiao nodded. Together with Elder Qingyi, they led the two juniors onto the teleportation formation.
The fourth and fifth floors were no different from the third; they only contained cultivation materials. Presumably, the three elders usually occupied one floor each. On the sixth floor, Mo Tiange saw that there was only one huge teleportation formation, arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper.
Passing through the final teleportation formation, they finally arrived at the seventh floor.
This floor was smaller than the others. All around were densely packed shelves holding various jade slips, books, magical instruments, and treasures.
In the center, however, were an incense burner and a jade altar, enshrining a jade statue as tall as two people.
Mo Tiange looked up. Seeing the face of the jade statue, her expression changed drastically in an instant.
"This seventh floor stores the accumulated treasures of our Bixuan Pavilion over several thousand years and also enshrines our founding patriarch, Monarch Bishui—Fellow Daoist Ye, what's wrong?" Just as she was introducing this to them, she saw Mo Tiange standing there as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at the statue of Monarch Bishui. Elder Qingyi frowned.
If not for the fact that the Bixuan Pavilion was practically destroyed now and they had no one else to use, they would never have allowed a non-sect disciple to enter the seventh floor. But what was the matter with Fellow Daoist Ye's reaction?
Mo Tiange finally regained her senses and asked urgently, "Two Elders, may I ask the name of your sect's founding patriarch?"
Qingyi and Qingmiao looked at each other, their gazes filled with doubt as they looked at her. "What does Fellow Daoist Ye mean by this?"
Mo Tiange bit her lip and looked up at the statue again. This appearance was clearly the image of Mo Yaoqing, whom she had seen over thirty years ago, engraved in her memory and impossible to forget!
She had never imagined that Monarch Bishui would be Mo Yaoqing because the information she had gathered said the Bixuan Pavilion was established about ten thousand years ago. And Patriarch Ziwei said he and Zhong Muli were cultivators of the same period. He passed away about five thousand years ago. Calculating his lifespan, he was at most a cultivator from seven thousand years ago. Mo Yaoqing was naturally also a cultivator of the same period. The timeline didn't match.
But the statue before her eyes was clearly the image of Mo Yaoqing! Back then, when she triggered the restriction left by Mo Yaoqing, Mo Yaoqing forcibly imprinted her general life story into her sea of consciousness along with the Art of the Plain Maiden. So she absolutely could not be mistaken.
Also a female cultivator, also at the Nascent Soul stage... There being a Nascent Soul female cultivator who looked exactly like Mo Yaoqing living ten thousand years ago—Mo Tiange absolutely did not believe such a coincidence could happen.
"Two Elders, your sect wasn't established ten thousand years ago, was it? Is your founding patriarch surnamed Mo, named Yaoqing?"
Hearing this, Qingyi and Qingmiao's expressions changed dramatically. They looked at each other. Elder Qingyi said, "That's right. Our Bixuan Pavilion was established about six thousand years ago. The so-called ten thousand years is because so much time has passed that outsiders have long forgotten. Fellow Daoist Ye, how do you know the name of our founding patriarch?"
There could actually be such a coincidence in the world. Mo Tiange revealed a bitter smile. Mo Yaoqing came from Yunzhong. Perhaps when she arrived at Tianji, her first landing point was Linhai. Possessing a Pure Yin Constitution, she was schemed against. Naturally, she deeply resented those cultivators who treated women as cauldrons. Probably because of this, she established this Bixuan Pavilion.
"I... my original surname is Mo, named Tiange," she said slowly. "I come from a mundane place called Mo Family Village. The ancestor of our Mo family is named Mo Yaoqing."
Qingyi and Qingmiao's eyes widened instantly, staring fixedly at her.
Mo Tiange smiled bitterly. "My cultivation technique is precisely inherited from this ancestor."
Elder Qingyi looked at her and said slowly, "The Art of the Plain Maiden?"
"That's right." Mo Tiange sighed. "When I was young, I triggered the restriction left by my ancestor in the ancestral hall and obtained the Art of the Plain Maiden. Only then could I step onto the path of immortality."
"So, Fellow Daoist Ye possesses a Pure Yin Constitution?" Qingmiao asked urgently.
Mo Tiange nodded, looking at the statue of Mo Yaoqing with mixed emotions. "I never expected that, decades later, I would coincidentally come to Linhai."
She accurately stated Mo Yaoqing's name and possessed the Art of the Plain Maiden. The two elders initially believed her. It was just that such a coincidence made it hard for them to believe.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, may I check your constitution?"
Since she had already said this much, there was nothing to hide. Mo Tiange extended her hand.
Elder Qingyi placed her fingers on Mo Tiange's meridians. Her expression grew increasingly grave. Then it was Elder Qingmiao's turn. After both finished checking, they were speechless.
"Pure Yin Constitution, Pure Yin Constitution. The patriarch passed down the Art of the Plain Maiden. For several thousand years, our Bixuan Pavilion never received a female cultivator with a Pure Yin Constitution. Today, we actually encountered the descendant of our patriarch." Elder Qingyi sighed, looking at Mo Tiange. "Perhaps this is fate. Our Bixuan Pavilion faces destruction, yet the patriarch has a successor."