After Dao Lord Fuling left, Feng Xiao took the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence, pressed his fingers against it, and probed it with his spiritual energy before smiling. "Qin boy, your luck is good. This jade essence truly contains Jade Marrow."
"Really?" Joy surfaced on Qin Xi's face.
Feng Xiao applied pressure with his fingers, and a crack split open in the Dazzling Fire Jade Essence. Immediately, a clear, watery jade liquid flowed out, which solidified into transparent crystals the moment it met the air.
Once the jade liquid had completely flowed out, Feng Xiao tossed the crystals in his palm to Qin Xi. "My wife has spoken; this Jade Marrow is yours." With such a pure color, this Jade Marrow was absolutely over a thousand years old.
Qin Xi received it, bowing with uncontrollable delight. "Many thanks to the three Seniors. This junior will remember this kindness in his heart."
Ding Luan, however, laughed. "Since you're not going to be my Fengning's son-in-law, what's the point of remembering kindness?"
Though Qin Xi was experienced in handling affairs, his face was somewhat thin-skinned. Hearing Ding Luan's teasing, he merely smiled without replying.
Dao Lord Jinghe's eyes flickered over. "I say, you two, stop bullying my disciple for being honest. If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving."
Although Dao Lord Jinghe had said earlier he wouldn't interfere, the presence of their group of four Nascent Soul cultivators here always added variables. The Luan-Feng couple and Daoist Ji were all eager for him to leave, so no one stood on ceremony. Feng Xiao said, "In that case, we'll meet again."
Dao Lord Jinghe nodded, took Qin Xi, and left together with Dao Lord Hua Yan, Daoist Heifeng, and the others.
After flying out of the divine sense range of the three mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, the group of five stopped. Dao Lord Jinghe asked, "Where did Tian Ge go missing?"
Qin Xi pointed in a direction. "Over there, about half a day's journey."
Dao Lord Jinghe looked in the direction he pointed and frowned. "You mean within the mist?"
"Yes."
"How long have you been separated? Was anyone else with her? Was Tian Ge injured? What roughly happened? Tell me slowly."
As Dao Lord Jinghe fired off questions one by one, Qin Xi suppressed his anxious feelings and roughly recounted the situation of the two of them over the past few days—of course, omitting the part inconvenient to say in public.
When he spoke of how they became separated, Dao Lord Jinghe exchanged glances with the three accompanying Nascent Soul cultivators. The entirely black-clad Daoist Heifeng, who resembled a demonic cultivator, said, "Qin boy, that mist you mentioned, we also encountered it for the first time. We had quite a bit of trouble getting out earlier. Going there to search for someone, we really have little confidence."
This answer didn't surprise Qin Xi. He turned his gaze to Dao Lord Jinghe.
Dao Lord Jinghe said, "A cultivator who just formed her Core, without special means, wouldn't survive more than a few days in the Ruins of All Immortals. Tian Ge is my disciple; I can't just leave her there alone."
Hearing his stance, Daoist Heifeng said expressionlessly, "Since Dao Brother Jinghe is determined to rescue his disciple, we won't stop you. Fellow Daoist Lu and I will wait for you all at the Jade God Palace."
Daoist Heifeng and this bald cultivator Lu Daquan were not from the Xuanqing Sect. Though they were on good terms with Dao Lord Jinghe, there was no need for them to risk themselves for his disciple. Hearing this, Dao Lord Jinghe merely said calmly, "Understood. Within two days, Fellow Daoist Hua Yan and I will definitely arrive. If we don't, there's no need to wait for us."
Daoist Heifeng and Lu Daquan exchanged a glance, nodded, and both transformed into streaks of escaping light as they departed.
After the two of them disappeared from sight, Dao Lord Hua Yan, who hadn't spoken until now, asked, "Senior Brother Jinghe, how do we search?"
This question gave Dao Lord Jinghe a headache as well. They had all passed through the mist and knew that in that place, divine sense was useless. Even as Nascent Soul cultivators, they had to be extremely careful.
"You brat!" Dao Lord Jinghe pointed at Qin Xi, his beard seeming to bristle. "Weren't you usually quite capable? How come something like this happens when you take Tian Ge out?!"
Qin Xi hung his head, saying nothing. This matter was indeed due to his lack of caution. He knew the Ruins of All Immortals were dangerous everywhere, yet he hadn't guarded against the possibility of the two of them becoming separated.
Seeing him like that, Dao Lord Jinghe felt he couldn't really blame him. He could only say, "No other way. We'll have to search. Fellow Daoist Hua Yan, let's split up. You take the east, I'll take the west. A day and a half, whether we find her or not, we meet back here."
"Alright." Dao Lord Hua Yan didn't waste words. He directly transformed into a streak of escaping light and vanished into the mist not far away.
Watching Dao Lord Hua Yan's figure disappear, Dao Lord Jinghe stood for a moment before suddenly saying, "Speak. Did something happen between you and Tian Ge?"
Qin Xi was startled, realizing what his master was asking about. He coughed and turned his head away. "This... let's talk about it later."
Seeing him like this, Dao Lord Jinghe was greatly surprised. "Don't tell me you brat have already succeeded?"
"..."
Qin Xi didn't answer, but the delight at the corners of his eyes and brows was obvious even to a blind man. Dao Lord Jinghe felt both like laughing and displeased that he hadn't witnessed it himself. His expression contorted for a moment before he could only pat Qin Xi's shoulder. "Not bad. At least you didn't waste your master's intentions."
Qin Xi, though happy recalling the matter, was even more worried about Tian Ge's safety. "Master, let's go search for her first? Every moment later, Tian Ge is in more danger..."
Mo Tiange was indeed facing danger at that moment. Within the mist, a large group of Golden Thread Mice had appeared from who knows where. Though their cultivation wasn't high, their numbers were immense, and they moved unpredictably within the mist. She and Jing Xingzhi had been killing them for half a day, yet they never seemed to diminish.
Swallowing several more Spirit-Restoring Pills, watching Xiaohuo leap up and down using spells to repel the demon beasts, Mo Tiange panted, "Fellow Daoist Jing, this isn't a sustainable way."
Jing Xingzhi was manipulating his flying sword to exterminate the enemies. Hearing this, he rolled his eyes. "I know that too. The question is, do you have a solution?"
Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "There's a method we can try. Even if it doesn't work, we can at least rest a bit."
The two had been killing non-stop for half a day. Though Jing Xingzhi still had spiritual energy within him, he felt mentally fatigued. Hearing this, he said, "That sounds good too. Tell me what to do."
Mo Tiange exterminated another batch of demon beasts and said, "Fellow Daoist, hold off these beasts for a while."
Jing Xingzhi, hearing her words, said nothing. The longsword in his hand suddenly erupted with dazzling white light, enveloping the two of them and the beast in a protective sphere.
Though this man's personality wasn't likable, his strength was unquestionable. Under the sword light, not a single demon beast could cross the boundary.
Mo Tiange didn't waste time. Reaching into her Qiankun Bag, she took out array formation tools and spirit stones, very quickly setting up an array formation around the two of them.
Jing Xingzhi glanced over, somewhat surprised. The Dao of Array Formations was considered an esoteric branch among esoteric studies. Studying arrays consumed vast amounts of time, and before the Nascent Soul stage, every cultivator begrudged having too little time for cultivation, making it impossible to spend much time on auxiliary paths. Thus, few cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage were proficient in arrays. He didn't know that Mo Tiange's situation was somewhat special. During her Foundation Establishment period, worried about cultivating too fast, she deliberately slowed her pace and spent a great deal of time studying auxiliary paths, so her array skills were much better than those of cultivators at her same realm.
The array formation she now held in her hands was a modified version of her own Four Symbols Hundred Flowers Array—the Four Symbols focused on defense, the Hundred Flowers on killing, making it a composite array. However, she had just formed her Core not long ago and hadn't spent much time on arrays since. This set of array tools was still prepared during her Foundation Establishment days, so its power was limited.
Just as she was setting up the array, Jing Xingzhi suddenly shouted, "Someone's coming!"
Mo Tiange was startled, then delighted, and hurriedly asked, "What cultivation level?"
Her divine sense was injured and now weaker than Jing Xingzhi's. This mist also blocked divine sense. Jing Xingzhi sensed for a good while before saying somewhat uncertainly, "It seems... Core Formation stage."
"Core Formation stage? Could it be..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a faint, shadowy figure in black had already appeared within the mist. As soon as this person appeared, the surrounding Golden Thread Mice, detecting a new target, immediately had hundreds turn and rush toward this person.
Seeing this, Mo Tiange stopped setting up the array. Exchanging a glance with Jing Xingzhi, they each manipulated their flying swords, killing their way toward that person's direction.
"Fellow Daoist!" Jing Xingzhi called out loudly. "This one is a cultivator of the Ancient Sword Sect. May I ask your esteemed name?"
Within the mist, the black figure paused upon hearing his voice but didn't answer, continuing to bury itself in fierce killing.
Mo Tiange narrowed her eyes to look, hesitantly asking, "Look, is that a female cultivator?"
Though the mist was hazy, the faintly discernible black-clad figure did indeed have a slender, graceful build. Jing Xingzhi only glanced before saying, "It's a female cultivator."
Hearing his affirmative answer, Mo Tiange felt a pang of disappointment deep down.
Though she knew Qin Xi surpassed her in both cultivation and methods, and his experience was vast, this was Tianmo Mountain. Having been separated from him for so long, she felt extremely uneasy.
"What do we do now?"
Jing Xingzhi swept a glance around. "Let's go take a look. One more person means a bit more assurance."
"Mm." Mo Tiange had no objections. Female cultivators rarely were violent types. The other party was also trapped in this same mist; they should be able to form an alliance.
The two manipulated their flying swords, Xiaohuo spewing Sun True Fire, as they killed their way toward the direction of the black-clad woman.
The distance between the two sides grew closer, and they could now clearly see the woman's appearance. She wore claw gauntlets on both hands, fighting the demon beasts in close combat—she was actually a martial cultivator.
"Huh?" Jing Xingzhi's voice carried excitement. "And a beauty too!"
Mo Tiange couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. This guy, a dog can't change its... whatever! What time is this, and he's still fixated on her being a beauty!
That said, Mo Tiange was also somewhat curious and looked toward the woman's face. Upon seeing it, she was momentarily stunned.
A very delicate face, not exceptionally beautiful, but possessing a kind of calm, cold beauty. Of course, that wasn't the reason for her surprise. What she found strange was that it looked somewhat familiar.
A delicate woman, martial cultivator, using claw gauntlets... A cultivator's memory was excellent. Mo Tiange slowly recalled such a person—she knew who this was.
Taking a breath, Mo Tiange sent a secret voice transmission: "Fellow Daoist Jing, this person is related to Venerable Songfeng!"
Jing Xingzhi's movements with his hands paused, his gaze turning suspiciously toward her.
Venerable Songfeng's name was known to everyone in Kunwu. Jing Xingzhi certainly knew of this Tianji region's number one late-Nascent Soul cultivator and his notorious reputation. He transmitted back secretly, "You know her?"
"Met once." Mo Tiange's gaze remained fixed on the female cultivator. That's right. Over fifty years ago, at Dao Lord Xuanyin's Nascent Soul ceremony, the female cultivator who had appeared and even fought with her—that was the woman before her now!