Three days later, Hu Zonghai indeed came with a message. However, Mo Tiange was in the midst of cultivation at the time, so he spoke with Qin Xi and then left.
After Hu Zonghai departed, Qin Xi sent her a message talisman, saying there was no hope on this front. The last time the Qiyun Stone appeared at Yuheng Mountain was several hundred years ago; its whereabouts were unknown and it had likely been used up long ago. As for the Thousand-Year Jade Marrow, it had appeared just a few years prior. Unfortunately, when Hu Zonghai tracked down the person who had purchased it, that individual adamantly refused to part with it, no matter what conditions were offered.
Although Hu Zonghai was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was a member of the Tiandao Sect's foremost cultivation family, and this was the Tiandao Sect's territory. If even he couldn't get the other party to sell him face, Qin Xi estimated that going himself would likely be futile.
Upon receiving this news, Mo Tiange felt a slight disappointment, but she quickly rallied her spirits. If they couldn't obtain it here, there was still hope in Kunzhong City. Since this Heavenly Fragrance Bean wasn't considered particularly rare, even if she didn't manage to acquire one, someone else would. Once they exited Tianmo Mountain, she could exchange for or purchase one on the spot and then trade with that person.
No one could say for certain how much longer the restrictions of Tianmo Mountain would last, but based on past experience, it was estimated that the earliest they would disappear was in two months, and the latest could be over half a year. After that, the restrictions would remain weakened for about a month before gradually strengthening again until entry and exit became impossible.
To be among the first to enter the moment Tianmo Mountain's restrictions vanished, more and more people were arriving at Yuheng Mountain. Fortunately, Core Formation cultivators were generally quite self-respecting, so any commotion didn't reach their area.
As days passed, the restrictions of Tianmo Mountain grew progressively weaker. Even these Core Formation cultivators could no longer sit still. More and more people went out daily to gather news, and the originally quiet courtyard grew increasingly noisy.
Eventually, Mo Tiange stopped cultivating as well. Each day, she would only meditate briefly, spending the rest of her time either refining pills or tempering magical treasures, all to increase her strength by a fraction before entering Tianmo Mountain.
One day, two months later, news suddenly spread: Tianmo Mountain's restrictions would vanish tomorrow or the day after!
This news instantly swept through the entire Yuheng Mountain. All cultivators surged toward the mountain's rear, scrambling to secure a good position so they could enter Tianmo Mountain the very first moment.
Their small team also sprang into action.
Core Formation cultivators always received preferential treatment. They didn't need to submit to the Tiandao Sect's management like those at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stages. Instead, they had dedicated guides who quickly led them to the border between Yuheng Mountain and Tianmo Mountain.
The flattest passage into Tianmo Mountain was a valley. Knowing Mo Tiange had never been here before, Daoist Kumu explained in detail: the restrictions here would weaken to their minimum, making it the safest entrance.
Mo Tiange had already read about all this in the jade slip Dao Lord Jinghe had given her. However, Daoist Kumu had personal experience, so listening to him recount it might yield additional insights.
Looking up, she saw the small valley was now densely packed with cultivators. Their group of Core Formation cultivators naturally occupied the best spots. Mo Tiange swept her gaze around; near and far, there were at least a hundred Core Formation cultivators. Tianji had over a thousand Core Formation cultivators in total, so by that measure, this number wasn't excessively large.
About a hundred zhang away from their Core Formation group was the resting area for Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators. Judging by the numbers, there were dozens of times more of them.
Seeing her gaze fall upon these low-level cultivators, Tong Tianyun shook his head and sighed. "Who knows how many of these people will survive? Ah!"
Mo Tiange's eyes flickered. Tianmo Mountain was a dangerous place. Even they, as Core Formation cultivators, couldn't guarantee their own safety, let alone those Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators? Every time Tianmo Mountain opened, countless cultivators flooded in, yet less than half emerged alive. The majority of those who perished were low-level cultivators.
Looking around, she saw no sign of any Nascent Soul cultivators, nor could she sense any with her spiritual sense. Mo Tiange couldn't help but send a private message to Qin Xi: "Senior Brother, why are there no Nascent Soul cultivators? What about Master? Has he arrived yet?"
Qin Xi was meditating with his eyes closed. Hearing her words, he didn't open them. After a moment, he replied via private message as well: "Master arrived long ago. Matters concerning Nascent Soul cultivators are not for us to concern ourselves with. We should just wait patiently."
Mo Tiange thought about it and agreed. Master might be unreliable in daily matters, but he never slacked off when it came to serious business. He was probably waiting elsewhere.
Time passed bit by bit. At first, with so many people gathered, there was a constant murmur of conversation. But in the end, everyone could feel the restrictions weakening. Their gazes fixed solely on the area where the valley met Tianmo Mountain. The valley, holding thousands of people, fell utterly silent.
The golden crow rose and the jade rabbit set. A day passed. On the afternoon of the second day, they finally saw the restriction at the far end of the valley, which resembled a curtain of light, slowly dimming until it vanished completely.
The valley erupted once more with a collective "hum" of countless voices, followed by the crowd surging forward in utter chaos.
Fortunately, their group of Core Formation cultivators was at the very front. They naturally wouldn't lose their composure like those low-level cultivators.
At that moment, the first to enter the valley were not Core Formation cultivators. Several streaks of light suddenly appeared in the sky, sweeping in with an overwhelming, majestic aura.
Mo Tiange's heart tightened. Such an aura undoubtedly belonged to Nascent Soul cultivators.
Sure enough, these cultivators quickly landed at the spot where the restriction had disappeared—they were indeed several Nascent Soul cultivators.
Without a word, these Nascent Soul cultivators each stepped forward, slowly entering the restriction. Their figures soon vanished.
The Core Formation cultivators still didn't move, because more Nascent Soul cultivators were continuously flying in and entering Tianmo Mountain.
Mo Tiange finally caught sight of Dao Lord Jinghe. He was together with a male cultivator completely wrapped in black robes, a bald-headed cultivator, and Dao Lord Huayan. Without looking at them, they also stepped inside.
The number of Nascent Soul cultivators entering Tianmo Mountain this time wasn't very high. Mo Tiange counted roughly over twenty. However, only about a hundred Core Formation cultivators had come, so by comparison, the Nascent Soul cultivators were actually quite numerous.
This wasn't strange. In the current cultivation world, the concept of Spirit Transformation was merely a legend. The few great late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in Tianji had never seen a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
Most of these Nascent Soul cultivators were stuck at the early stage with no hope of progress. Aside from those with abundant lifespan who were unwilling to give up, most had already abandoned hopes of advancing. Precisely because of this, once Tianmo Mountain manifested, those Nascent Soul cultivators with limited lifespan or those hopelessly trapped at a certain stage didn't want to pass up this opportunity. After all, their chances of advancing were already slim, and they had cultivated to the pinnacle of what the current cultivation world could achieve. What was there left to fear?
Core Formation cultivators, however, rarely thought this way. They were already high-level cultivators, most holding positions of considerable status. Those with any hope of advancing to Nascent Soul wouldn't rashly enter Tianmo Mountain. Cultivators like Mo Tiange and Qin Xi were exceptions. Among the hundred-plus Core Formation cultivators present, you could count such individuals on one hand.
Once all the Nascent Soul cultivators had entered Tianmo Mountain, someone among the Core Formation crowd finally couldn't restrain themselves and took the lead to go in.
Mo Tiange's team entered Tianmo Mountain neither early nor late, squeezed amidst the crowd.
The moment they passed the spot where the restriction had been, Mo Tiange felt her vision blur. The scene before her had changed dramatically.
There were no jagged, bizarre rocks as she had imagined, nor the dim, misty gloom she had expected. Instead, it was a verdant green, as if they were still on Yuheng Mountain—immortal mists swirled, and spiritual energy was palpable.
Mo Tiange looked back and found the area where the two mountains connected somewhat strange. When they were in the valley, after the restriction vanished, they saw Tianmo Mountain as a patch of darkness, which was why she had mistakenly assumed it should be dimly lit. Now, from within Tianmo Mountain looking toward the Yuheng Mountain entrance, there seemed to be nothing blocking the view, yet she couldn't see the outside scene. She only saw people continuously appearing at the entrance, as if it were a teleportation formation.
"Fellow Daoists," among their group of seven, the others were somewhat indifferent, so the role of leader had always been played by Daoist Kumu. Now that they were inside Tianmo Mountain, it was again Daoist Kumu who spoke first. "We've already discussed the route. Shall we proceed according to the original plan?"
Everyone nodded in agreement without objection.
Before entering Tianmo Mountain, they had two months to gather information and formulate a plan. Mo Tiange hadn't known much about these matters to begin with, so she hadn't intervened. In any case, Qin Xi was trustworthy. If he hadn't said it was problematic, it likely wouldn't be an issue.
The place they were heading to wasn't considered very dangerous. After all, aside from Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun, the others still had several hundred years of lifespan left. There was truly no need to take great risks.
However, there was also an agreement: during the month the restrictions were gone, they had half a month for free activity. If someone wanted to go to a particularly dangerous place, the others would decide whether to follow based on their own willingness. Those unwilling would wait at the originally designated location. If someone didn't return by the agreed time, they would have to fend for themselves.
Core Formation cultivators, unlike those at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stages, mostly disliked moving in large groups. They had more experience and were often more selfish in character. They calculated risks and rewards very clearly and rarely sacrificed anything for others, even their companions.
Mo Tiange naturally had no objections to this. Her purpose for entering the valley differed from others. While others sought rare treasures, she sought a corpse.
Qin Xi knew where her father's remains were. During this period, she had occasionally heard Qin Xi mention that he had discovered some exotic treasure in that dangerous place years ago but hadn't been able to retrieve it conveniently. On this trip to Tianmo Mountain, he had originally planned to retrieve that exotic treasure as well. In that case, the two of them would definitely have to leave the team. After all, Qin Xi wouldn't reveal the exotic treasure, and the others had their own goals and wouldn't take such risks with them.
The group of seven followed Daoist Kumu's directions, slowly moving forward.
At first, the scenery of Tianmo Mountain was no different from Yuheng Mountain. But gradually, that verdant green faded considerably, growing increasingly desolate and dim. The air was filled with barriers and restrictions, spiritual energy churned violently, and harsh winds swept by from time to time. If one was unlucky enough to encounter one or two of these, it was easy to end up headless.
They hadn't gone far when they heard several screams. Mo Tiange turned to look and saw they came from those Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators. Many of them had never entered Tianmo Mountain before. They had only heard the legends, bought a map or two and some information about Tianmo Mountain at the foot of Yuheng Mountain, and then charged in relying on sheer impulse.
These people lacked sufficient strength, experience, and vigilance. The moment they entered Tianmo Mountain, they were prone to encountering those drifting restrictions and dying instantly.
What Mo Tiange found both laughable and pitiful was that among them was actually a young girl. When her companion was swept away by a harsh wind, she was so frightened she started crying, clamoring to go back, which made others frown in disapproval.
No matter how it was outside, once inside Tianmo Mountain, one's life was no longer in one's own hands. Even if one died in an instant, no one would show sympathy.