Mo Tiange stayed at the Bixuan Pavilion for about another month. The work of rebuilding the sect progressed smoothly.
Just as Yiliu and Yiqiu had said, the incident with Ren Yufeng had actually given the Bixuan Pavilion an opportunity for rebirth.
When she had first arrived in Linhai, it had been a time when the Bixuan Pavilion was declining more and more. There were few people, even fewer with Spirit Roots, and those with high aptitude were rarer still. On top of that, they only accepted female cultivators. For male cultivators who wanted to become formal disciples of the Bixuan Pavilion, the price was too high. This unfair environment created intense conflict.
Although the Bixuan Pavilion did not bully others without reason, as the only sect in Linhai, it was inevitably domineering. This domineering attitude was glossed over under a veneer of peace, but in reality, undercurrents were turbulent. Once a breach appeared, disaster would strike.
But no one had expected the Bixuan Pavilion to suffer such a catastrophe. Its most outstanding disciple, the one most likely to achieve Core Formation, had betrayed them. All three Core Formation elders had perished. The sect was almost wiped out...
Equally unfortunate were the loose cultivators of Linhai. They too lived in fear and trembling, which dissolved the conflict and brought them together. Furthermore, after the Bixuan Pavilion's reconstruction, Wei Haolan announced the abolition of the sect rule that only accepted female cultivators, further promoting a change in the sect's image.
From then on, the Bixuan Pavilion was not just a sect for female cultivators; it was a sect for all of Linhai.
As for the sect's internal affairs, two temporary elders had already been selected. One of them was Tang Shen. This fellow had cultivated diligently for twenty years, making rapid progress. Coupled with the depletion of talent, he had actually become the Bixuan Pavilion's top expert. The once weak young master, who had only a handsome face and was despised by all male cultivators, had undergone a complete transformation. It was truly astonishing.
For Mo Tiange, this was also good news. With Tang Shen grown into his own, Wei Haolan was no longer isolated and without support. This meant Mo Tiange could leave sooner.
Thus, Mo Tiange took her leave from Wei Haolan.
Wei Haolan did want her to stay, but seeing her determination to leave and considering she had indeed stayed in Linhai for too long, she didn't press the matter.
Having weathered the storm together and now being comrades on the same ship, Wei Haolan personally came to see her off before her departure.
"Elder Ye, these are the stipends for the sect's elders. Since you're leaving now, and we might not see each other for decades, I'll give them to you all at once."
Seeing Wei Haolan's sincere smile, Mo Tiange took the Qiankun Bag and weighed it in her hand. This amount... at the very least, it contained over ten thousand Spirit Stones. For the cultivators of Linhai, this was truly a huge sum.
"Sect Leader, the sect has just been rebuilt. This is precisely when Spirit Stones are in great demand. Isn't giving me over ten thousand Spirit Stones a bit much? Is it alright?"
Wei Haolan smiled. "If it were a few days ago, I might have been reluctant. But now, it's fine."
"Oh?" Mo Tiange was puzzled. "Why is that?"
Wei Haolan deliberately didn't answer directly. "Guess?"
Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "Did you perhaps find some treasure?"
"Exactly!" Wei Haolan said with a beaming smile. "A few days ago, disciples reported discovering a Spirit Stone mine in the sea. It's not far from the shore, and there are no high-rank demon beasts. It can be mined completely."
"Really?" Mo Tiange was pleasantly surprised. This was truly timely aid. "Congratulations, congratulations."
"The same to you, the same to you," Wei Haolan said, grinning. "As the saying goes, great misfortune leads to great fortune. Our Bixuan Pavilion didn't collapse in this calamity, and now we have good news one after another."
"In that case, I can leave with peace of mind."
Mentioning this topic made Wei Haolan somewhat reluctant again. "Elder Ye, I really am a bit reluctant to see you go."
Mo Tiange smiled. "Whether we're reluctant or not, we will meet again."
"So you will come back?"
"Since I've accepted the position of Guest Elder, if I have time, I will naturally come back to visit."
Wei Haolan nodded, then sighed. "As cultivators, we shouldn't be so attached. I know this. Elder Ye, you are so forthright. I believe you will definitely succeed in forming your Core."
Mo Tiange pursed her lips in a smile. "Success or not still depends on fate." She paused, then added, "Upon returning to the mountain this time, I will go into seclusion directly until I achieve Core Formation. I think, even if we can meet again, it will likely be several decades from now." She was now at late-stage Foundation Establishment. Going from late-stage to perfection would take at least ten to twenty years. If she failed Core Formation a few times... Although her aptitude was now far better than before, when it came to advancing realms, nothing was ever guaranteed.
Hearing this, Wei Haolan asked, "Then how can we contact you if needed? Can we go to the Xuanqing Sect?"
Mo Tiange thought for a moment, then took out a jade talisman from her bosom. "This is a Ten Thousand Mile Communication Talisman. I've sealed a wisp of my divine sense inside. If you have an urgent matter and need to find me, crush it and I will sense it immediately. I will try my best to come then." She thought again and added, "If you need to find me, just request an audience at the Xuanqing Sect. I am a disciple under Dao Lord Jinghe of the Clear Spring Peak. My name is Mo Tiange."
Wei Haolan took the communication talisman and thought for a moment. "Elder Ye, you originally said you were a disciple under Dao Lord Xuanyin, didn't you? I don't think I misremembered?"
Mo Tiange had no choice but to apologize. "Sorry, I wasn't telling the truth. Actually, my master is Dao Lord Jinghe. Dao Lord Xuanyin is my master's first disciple. Before I reached Foundation Establishment, I was taught by this Senior Brother of mine."
"...I see." Wei Haolan sighed. "Your Senior Brother is also a Nascent Soul cultivator... It seems your master is quite remarkable."
"My master... is very good." Thinking of Dao Lord Jinghe, she smiled slightly. It had been over twenty years since she'd seen him. She missed that unreliable master of hers. Although he always acted disrespectful for his age, always did things that made people laugh and cry, had a strange temper, and was as changeable as a child, his treatment of her was sincere.
The two chatted a bit more about idle matters. Finally, they headed to the Teleportation Array.
Wei Haolan led Mo Tiange, turning left and right through countless bends, until they finally arrived at an utterly inconspicuous small building.
This small building was clearly dilapidated, but outside, there was an intact formation. Wei Haolan spent some effort to open these restrictions.
Mo Tiange was astonished. "Sect Leader, is the Teleportation Array here?" She had heard the Teleportation Array leading to the outside was very mysterious. Over these twenty years, even Ren Yufeng had wanted to use this array to go outside but had never found it. It was actually in this ordinary little building?
Wei Haolan smiled. "Didn't expect it, right? Actually, we don't usually come this way. There's a tunnel from the main assembly hall leading here. If disciples are going out, they take that path. We only send a batch of disciples out every few years, and they are trusted disciples, so the secret has been well protected."
Mo Tiange nodded, looking around. In her heart, she recalled Yan Ruoshu and the others she had met in the Ziwei Cave Abode. When she first met them, she hadn't imagined she would have such entanglements with the Bixuan Pavilion, much less that she would become a Guest Elder of the Bixuan Pavilion. Coincidentally, during these twenty years when the Bixuan Pavilion experienced a great calamity, too many disciples went missing, and no one inquired about their whereabouts anymore.
However, she didn't need to worry about this matter. In any case, the deaths of Yan Ruoshu and the other two had nothing to do with her.
"Sect Leader, Elder Ye." Entering the small building and descending the stone steps underground, the disciple guarding the tunnel bowed to them.
Wei Haolan nodded and led Mo Tiange to the innermost room.
It was an extremely complex star chart formation. Dots of light on it corresponded to certain celestial phenomena. Looking closely, there were also some special differences.
Seeing her gaze, Wei Haolan said, "The Demon Mountain has strange restrictions, so ordinary Teleportation Arrays cannot transmit there. I heard from the former elders that this Teleportation Array is a type of ancient array. I don't know where the founder found it."
"So that's how it is." Mo Yaoqing's attainments in formations were indeed quite outstanding. It was a pity her handwritten notes didn't contain much record of this.
"Elder Ye," Wei Haolan said, not immediately sending her into the Teleportation Array. She frowned lightly, but in the end, she laughed at herself. "Seeing a friend off for a thousand miles still ends in parting. I'm being fussy again."
Mo Tiange also smiled. After twenty years of interaction, she quite liked Wei Haolan's temperament. Decisive, valuing benefits, fond of weighing pros and cons, capable of ruthless actions, but also heroic and straightforward. No one was perfect. Among cultivators, encountering such a woman was truly not easy.
Wei Haolan pondered for a moment, then said, "For the next couple of years, I'll first conceal your whereabouts. I'll just say you're in seclusion, alright? Although Junior Brother Tang is quite capable now, he's still too green after all."
Mo Tiange nodded unconsciously, then reacted and laughed. "Sect Leader, why does that sound so awkward to me? Junior Brother Tang is actually older than me!"
"In cultivation, age doesn't matter," Wei Haolan said with a smile. "Although you are young, you are very mature. That's something Junior Brother Tang can't catch up to no matter what."
This statement... Mo Tiange almost had to reflect on herself. 'Although young, very mature'... didn't that mean her mentality was much older than her actual age? Hmm... For a woman, this phrasing always felt like premature aging. Although for a cultivator, being more mature was better.
Finally, the conversation ended. Mo Tiange stepped onto the Teleportation Array. Wei Haolan personally placed the Spirit Stones one by one.
"Well then... I'll be going first."
Wei Haolan smiled. "Until we meet again, Elder Ye... Oh, no, I still prefer to call you Fellow Daoist Ye."
Mo Tiange cupped her hands in salute. The light of the Teleportation Array brightened.
At the last moment, Mo Tiange remembered something. Hastily, she took something out from her Qiankun Bag and tossed it out. "Sect Leader, this is..." Before she could finish, she had already disappeared into the Teleportation Array.
Wei Haolan was surprised. She picked up the small box from the ground and opened it. Inside were rows upon rows of neatly stacked jade bottles.
She took out one jade bottle, pulled out the stopper, and a look of pleasant surprise crossed her face. Hurriedly, she opened the second bottle, the third... The surprise grew stronger and stronger. In the end, Wei Haolan tightly hugged the box, looked at the now empty Teleportation Array, and said, "Elder Ye, thank you."
The first bottle contained Foundation Establishment Pills. The second, Foundation Consolidation Pills. The third, the same... These pills were enough to cultivate a batch of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and could even support a Foundation Establishment cultivator all the way to Foundation Establishment perfection.
This Elder Ye, having accepted the Bixuan Pavilion's stipends, had not accepted them for nothing after all.
The light of the Teleportation Array dissipated. Mo Tiange now stood on the land of Kunwu.
She gently sniffed the rich spiritual energy in the air, then looked at the distant, continuous high mountains—Kunwu. It was indeed Kunwu. She had finally returned!
Before she could even calm her excited heart, a light lit up in the distant sky. This light drew closer and closer, brighter and brighter. It was a glowing feather.
Mo Tiange reached out her hand. The feather landed in her palm, transforming into a talisman paper.
This was the Xuanqing Sect's sect communication talisman.