Wei Haolan's announcement stirred up waves in Linhai.
As a female-only sect, Bixuan Pavilion had stood in Linhai for thousands of years. Everyone had long grown accustomed to it and had resigned themselves to the fact. Now, upon hearing the news that Bixuan Pavilion would open its doors to recruit disciples, the male cultivators in Linhai were overjoyed. The female cultivators of Bixuan Pavilion, however, felt a sense of loss, for this also meant they would no longer enjoy their exclusive privileges.
"Sect Leader Senior Sister!" That very night, someone came knocking.
Mo Tiange and Wei Haolan were discussing important matters when they heard the voice outside and exchanged a glance.
With everything in ruins and the original assembly hall temporarily sealed, they were currently in an ordinary room without any door-guarding disciples outside.
Seeing that Mo Tiange had no objections, Wei Haolan waved her hand, dispelling the soundproofing barrier. "Come in."
The one who entered was the same Senior Sister Yang who had once vied for favor with the spoiled young mistress Hua Yilin.
After Ren Yufeng was exterminated, Xia Qing brought the remains of the two elders back to the Dao-Attainment Pagoda for enshrinement. Then everyone threw themselves into the task of rebuilding the sect. The very first order of business was to recompile the Bixuan Pavilion disciple registry.
According to the disciples who had remained, when Ren Yufeng had suddenly appeared back then, they were all caught unprepared. Some died, others fled. But half hadn't managed to escape in time, and many endured great torment before surviving.
Fortunately, Ren Yufeng had been corrupted by Death Qi and gradually lost all mortal desires. Otherwise, who knows how many members of a female-only sect would have suffered defilement. However, when he later recruited followers, he accepted anyone regardless of background, including those of unsavory character. Upon hearing of this, Wei Haolan showed no mercy. As long as they were identified, they were all beheaded. Thankfully, such cases were not numerous. Among these recruited rogue cultivators, only a small minority, like Ren Yufeng, had lost their humanity. Most of the Bixuan Pavilion disciples had merely suffered hardships without being defiled.
Rewarding with kindness on one hand and demonstrating authority on the other, everyone—whether they were Bixuan Pavilion disciples or not—finally quieted down. Next came the concrete details of rebuilding the sect.
"Sect Leader Senior Sister." After paying her respects, this Senior Sister Yang didn't speak, instead glancing at Mo Tiange.
Wei Haolan said, "Elders Qingyi and Qingmiao had long since decided to invite this... Fellow Daoist Ye to become a Guest Elder of our Bixuan Pavilion. If you have something to say, speak freely. There's no need for secrecy."
Not revealing her true name was also Mo Tiange's request. Since she had used the name Ye Xiaotian in Bixuan Pavilion, there was no need to keep changing it. Moreover, she hadn't yet reported this matter to her master, so it was better to keep a low profile. Wei Haolan didn't mind this and complied.
"...Yes." Senior Sister Yang stole a few more glances before cautiously asking, "Sect Leader Senior Sister, you said that from now on, our Bixuan Pavilion will no longer be a female-only sect. Does that mean... offerings and such will be reduced?"
Having just escaped their ordeal, and this was what she was concerned about? Wei Haolan couldn't help but frown. "You needn't worry about that. The two elders had already decided on this matter before their passing."
"Oh, I see..." Senior Sister Yang gave a dry laugh and glanced at Mo Tiange again. "Then, since the two elders have passed away, should we elect new elders?"
"Naturally." Wei Haolan didn't hide it. "We will elect two provisional elders. Major affairs will be handled jointly by the two elders and myself. As for the future, we will still follow our sect's rules: once a disciple in the sect forms their Core, they automatically become an elder."
Before Senior Sister Yang could ask anything else, Wei Haolan said bluntly, "Junior Sister Yang, with the sect being rebuilt now, there are far too many matters at hand. I truly have no time to answer such questions. If you're free, why not go help Junior Sister Xia and Junior Brother Tang?"
"...Alright." With the Sect Leader giving such an order, what else could she do?
After Senior Sister Yang left, Wei Haolan, feeling frustrated and somewhat angry, threw the new registry onto the table and said mockingly, "I said it before: recalling disciples isn't difficult, but getting them to rebuild their self-respect is hard. Now it seems we must add another point: getting them to temporarily set aside their selfish interests is even harder! What time is this? The two elders have already perished! And what kind of people have we rescued?"
Mo Tiange advised, "Such people are unavoidable anywhere, Sect Leader. Don't be too angry. Important matters come first."
Wei Haolan nodded. "You're right. I just hate that they can't distinguish what's important. It's infuriating."
"Then don't count on them," Mo Tiange said calmly. "Anyway, the two elders had already made decisions regarding these matters. We just need to follow them."
Mentioning the two elders, Wei Haolan fell silent for a moment before taking a breath and rallying her spirits. "In two days, we will first cremate the two elders and enshrine them before our Founding Ancestor. From now on, whenever incense is offered to the Founding Ancestor, the two elders will receive a share."
Mo Tiange had no objections. "That's only right. Without the two elders, the sect could not have been rebuilt."
"Also... Elder Ye," Wei Haolan changed her address, "regarding the disciple recruitment, I've already asked Junior Sister Xia and Junior Brother Tang to select some reliable people to handle it. But just in case, we still need you to establish your authority."
Mo Tiange nodded. With Bixuan Pavilion no longer recruiting only female disciples, the initial phase would inevitably be a mixed bag, requiring some intimidation.
"As for other matters... it's a tangled mess for now. I'll mention them as I think of them. Elder Ye, you've worked hard too. Go rest first. We still have much to do next."
"Alright." Mo Tiange didn't decline. She truly wasn't skilled in sect affairs and couldn't help Wei Haolan much for the time being. It was better to go back and properly adjust her own state, building up her energy to better intimidate those who might be disobedient.
Leaving Wei Haolan's room, Mo Tiange randomly chose a room in this building, set up a defensive formation, and entered the long-unseen Void Heaven Realm.
Within the Void Heaven Realm, bamboo shadows rustled softly, and a gentle breeze blew. It was no different from twenty years ago.
At first, she couldn't enter the Void Heaven Realm. Later, she simply had no opportunity.
These twenty years had been both simple and complex. Inside the Dao-Attainment Pagoda, apart from healing and cultivation, there were no other matters. Yet, to defeat Ren Yufeng, they had made countless plans, nearly exhausting their mental and physical strength.
Now, finally... it was over...
Dragging her weary body, she walked towards the small cottage.
From the cottage, a golden, fluffy ball came running out. Seeing her, it threw itself at her.
Mo Tiange reached out to catch it, stroking its head. "Long time no see, Feifei."
This Feifei, on the verge of advancing but left in the Void Heaven Realm for twenty years, had finally reached the second rank. Its fur had also changed from white to golden.
Feifei nuzzled against her in her arms. Though they hadn't met for twenty years, they had formed a contract. Feifei showed not a hint of distance.
Returning to the cottage, Mo Tiange put Feifei down. "I'm just too tired. Go play by yourself for now, alright?"
Feifei seemed to understand her words, having become much more intelligent than before. It stared at her with its dark, shiny eyes for a moment, then jumped onto her shoulder and placed its paw on her head.
Instantly, a warm current flowed from Feifei's paw. Mo Tiange felt her whole body grow warm, and in an instant, all her weariness vanished without a trace...
The Feifei could make one forget worries. So it was true.
She didn't know how much time had passed before Mo Tiange finally regained full awareness. All her fatigue, both physical and mental, had disappeared. Feifei made a soft sound, jumped down from her shoulder, and nuzzled against her chest ingratiatingly.
Mo Tiange smiled and stroked its head. "Thank you."
Receiving her praise, Feifei happily rolled over in her arms.
Holding Feifei, Mo Tiange took out a Qiankun Bag from her robes and fell into thought.
This was Ren Yufeng's Qiankun Bag. She had kept it but, with too many miscellaneous matters, had forgotten to hand it over to Wei Haolan.
Looking at this Qiankun Bag now, her heart stirred. She reached in and searched around, finally pulling out a heavy Stone Stele. This was the stele Ren Yufeng had obtained from the ancient sacrificial temple, recording the so-called Divine Dragon secret method.
On the surface, this Stone Stele showed nothing unusual. The drawings on it were also simple. At the front was a drawing of a Dragon Bone, with a person performing a technique. Beside it, further back, were drawings of many human figures in various postures. Inside these figures were patterns, seemingly depicting the flow of spiritual energy. Additionally, some simple characters were carved beside them, but this ancient script had long been lost, making their meaning indecipherable.
Strange. It didn't seem abnormal at all.
She couldn't resist reaching out to touch it. But the moment her fingers made contact with the surface of the stele's pattern, her whole body went numb. Then, many bizarre thoughts transmitted from the stele into her body...
Images flooded her mind...
A dragon soaring through the sky, battles, corpses... Finally, a person standing atop a Dragon Bone, absorbing the Divine Dragon's breath. Strangely, what was absorbed was black qi, while the Divine Dragon's breath on the Dragon Bone grew increasingly dense, its vitality also intensifying...
A "whimper" sounded in her ears. Feifei suddenly jumped over and bit her finger.
A sharp pain shot through Mo Tiange's fingertip, snapping her out of her meditation. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. This so-called Divine Dragon secret method indeed had problems! It wasn't that the drawings were wrong, nor that her comprehension was off—it was that this was an evil method itself! This Stone Stele possessed a strange power. Upon touching it, one's mind and spirit were completely captivated. If Feifei hadn't woken her from the illusion in time, the consequences would have been truly unimaginable!
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange picked up Feifei, feeling immensely grateful. "Fortunately, you saved me. Thank you so much."
Feifei tilted its head, examining her, then jumped down. With a kick of its short hind legs, it sent the Stone Stele skidding away, then shook its head at her.
"This thing must not be touched?" Mo Tiange guessed its meaning through their spiritual connection.
Feifei whimpered twice, then came closer again and placed its paw on her hand.
That strange power appeared once more, quickly calming Mo Tiange down again.
"Alright, I understand." The existence of their contract naturally fostered trust between them. Mo Tiange didn't hesitate, believing Feifei.
Setting the Stone Stele aside to ignore, she continued searching Ren Yufeng's Qiankun Bag. There were still many things inside.
Spirit Stones, materials, Magical Tools... Nothing particularly special, just an unexpectedly large amount of Spirit Stones. The materials were quite good, but the Magical Tools were rather ordinary.
Right. After cultivating the evil method, Ren Yufeng hadn't used any Magical Tools at all. His Death Qi was his best means of attack.
As for these Spirit Stones and materials, they were likely plundered by him during his years in Linhai, right? The Spirit Stones were one thing, but among the materials were many demon cores and resources unique to the East Sea. That was probably the case.
Mo Tiange thought for a moment and decided to return this Qiankun Bag to Wei Haolan after all. She wasn't interested in these materials, nor did she lack Spirit Stones. But for the newly rebuilt Bixuan Pavilion, they would be timely aid.