The three of them flew upward. The mist grew thinner, and the Immortal Qi drew closer.
As the Immortal Qi, gathered from the fallen Immortals, loomed before their eyes, all three of them involuntarily halted. Even Jing Xingzhi's face now showed hesitation.
The gap between the Immortal Qi and the mist was merely their conjecture. Now, with the Immortal Qi right before them and the mist still not ending, no one knew if flying further up would cause their bodies to explode upon contact with the Immortal Qi. What should they do next?
"Fellow Daoist Jing..."
Before Mo Tiange could finish, Jing Xingzhi flew upward once more.
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang exchanged a glance and ultimately followed.
The mist grew increasingly sparse, and more and more stray wisps of Immortal Qi drifted around them. The three had to spend even more time blocking the Immortal Qi. This process was extremely tedious, constantly consuming and replenishing their Spiritual Qi. Mo Tiange occasionally looked down; the mountain peaks below had become mere specks.
After an unknown length of time, they heard Jing Xingzhi's joyful cry: "Fellow Daoists, look!"
Mo Tiange looked up and saw, above the thinning mist, unobstructed light.
They had finally broken through the mist.
All three felt a sense of rebirth. By the count, they had been trapped in the mist for only a little over a day, yet the feeling of being unable to escape the mist no matter where they went had made it seem interminably long.
After a moment of silence, Jing Xingzhi spoke first: "Fellow Daoists, we are out of the mist. What comes next is the most dangerous moment. Do not let your guard down."
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang snapped back to attention and both nodded.
They were both of quiet dispositions, something Jing Xingzhi was immensely grateful for. He liked women, but during perilous journeys, he hated nothing more than others holding him back. Fortunately, these two had no bad temperaments.
The Immortal Qi was very close to them. For every stretch they flew, they had to be extremely cautious. Thankfully, they had already escaped the mist and could clearly discern directions. The Myriad Peaks were to their south, while to the north was a great volcano. Thus, they chose the west as their evacuation route.
Approximately half a day later, the three, having navigated the danger without incident, left the range of the mist and descended toward the ground.
Only then did Mo Tiange let out a sigh of relief. Being with these two, she had been on tenterhooks every moment. Now it was finally over.
"Fellow Daoists." As soon as they landed, Nie Wushang's gaze paused on the two of them before she said, "Since we are out of the mist, I shall take my leave now."
Jing Xingzhi smiled. "What's the hurry, Fellow Daoist Nie? Although we're out of the mist, this is still the Ruins of All Immortals, dangerous everywhere!"
Nie Wushang curled the corner of her mouth into a somewhat mocking smile, her ventriloquism sounding: "Consider me timid, Fellow Daoist Jing. If I were to accidentally encounter your esteemed masters... I still value my life." Having said that, without even a farewell, she activated her flying treasure, turned, and left.
Mo Tiange watched her receding figure and sighed inwardly. This Nie Wushang, setting aside the fact that she was Venerable Songfeng's disciple, wasn't actually unpleasant. Unfortunately, she was ultimately Venerable Songfeng's disciple.
The two remained silent for a while. It was Jing Xingzhi who spoke again: "Let's go."
But Mo Tiange didn't move. Only when Jing Xingzhi turned to look at her did she say, "Fellow Daoist Jing, I still need to go find Senior Brother Shoujing. Where are you headed?"
Jing Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you want to part ways with me?"
"If Fellow Daoist Jing has other objectives, then yes," Mo Tiange stated bluntly. "For me, the most important thing is to find Senior Brother Shoujing. Therefore, I cannot go elsewhere with Fellow Daoist Jing first."
"..."
"Fellow Daoist Jing?" Jing Xingzhi didn't speak, nor did he leave. After a long while without a response, Mo Tiange called out again.
Jing Xingzhi smiled faintly, then suddenly sighed. "Qin Shoujing... his fate is truly good."
"..."
Not long ago, Nie Wushang had said these very words to her. Now, Jing Xingzhi had uttered the same sentence.
Mo Tiange felt a sense of absurdity. Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality—what one truly cultivated was a disbelief in fate. From ancient times to the present, how many had ascended and become Immortals? Since the separation of Immortals and Demons, even those who entered the Deity Transformation stage were exceedingly few, and achieving true immortality had never been heard of. Yet for hundreds of thousands of years, countless cultivators still rushed headlong into this cruel world of cultivation. They refused to believe in the destiny that said they could not ascend.
But now, both Nie Wushang and Jing Xingzhi had said such a thing.
Was fate good? Perhaps Qin Xi's was. His life had been quite smooth, but everything he possessed today was absolutely not just due to good fate. Perhaps hers was too. Although she had drifted from place to place before the age of twenty, after twenty, she gradually gained everything. Yet these things likewise did not fall from the sky.
These principles, whether for Jing Xingzhi or Nie Wushang, were surely understood. Yet they had both said such a thing. There could only be one explanation: in their hearts, there were stories too painful to bear.
Mo Tiange was not a talkative person, nor was she interested in prying into others' privacy. Therefore, she did not respond to his comment and instead asked again, "Where is Fellow Daoist Jing headed?"
In an instant, Jing Xingzhi's face had restored its usual air of frivolity. He said indifferently, "If you want to go find Qin Shoujing, then go find him. This is the Ruins of All Immortals; traveling alone is always dangerous."
"..." Mo Tiange wasn't sure if the danger he referred to was for himself or for her. The thought flashed through her mind, and she said, "Very well. In that case, I thank Fellow Daoist Jing for your kindness."
Jing Xingzhi waved a hand, utterly unconcerned.
Mo Tiange thought for a moment, then first tried sending a Message Talisman. This time, the talisman was sent out, but as soon as it entered the mist, it fell down.
"It seems Qin Shoujing is still within the mist. You'd better not waste your Message Talismans," Jing Xingzhi said.
Mo Tiange watched regretfully as the Message Talisman fell to the ground and burned to ashes, feeling somewhat dejected. "Do we have to go back in, then?"
Jing Xingzhi thought for a moment and asked, "Don't you have any other method of communication?"
This reminded Mo Tiange. It wasn't that there were no other communication methods, just that they weren't as effective as Message Talismans. But since there was no other way, she might as well try.
She took out a jade box from her bosom and opened it. Inside were several yellow, wax-like objects—amber. Qin Xi had given this to her back in Kunzhong City, saying that when burned, it would release a peculiar fragrance. As long as he wasn't too far away, he could smell it. At the time, she hadn't paid it much mind, never expecting she would actually use it.
Seeing this item, Jing Xingzhi was momentarily stunned. "He actually gave this to you?"
Mo Tiange glanced up at Jing Xingzhi. "Fellow Daoist Jing recognizes this?"
Jing Xingzhi countered with a question instead of answering. "Do you know how Qin Shoujing and I became acquainted?"
"I know a little."
A hint of a smile appeared on Jing Xingzhi's face as he sighed. "Back then, he didn't even have a Daoist name yet. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. The name Qin Shoujing is known throughout Kunwu, yet few know his original name now."
"..." Mo Tiange did not reply. That was an era far removed from her. At that time, she did not yet exist in this world.
After reminiscing for a while, Jing Xingzhi said, "This item was obtained from an ancient Immortal's cave abode when we first met. Although it's not of great use, there should only be those few pieces in his possession in this world. Using this to send a message is a good method. This fragrance is very unique. If he is truly lost, it might even guide him out. Moreover, it's not likely to attract others' attention."
Receiving Jing Xingzhi's affirmation, Mo Tiange smiled. "If that's truly the case, it would be best."
After speaking, the two, just in case, silently flew a distance away, ensuring no one was around, before sitting down and lighting the amber. As the flame ignited, a peculiar, never-before-smelled fragrance spread out, slowly drifting far away.
After that, all that remained was to wait.
Not long after, perhaps only about an hour, Jing Xingzhi suddenly stirred and stood up. "Someone's coming."
Mo Tiange spread out her divine sense and was immediately taken aback. "This is..."
The fluctuations of Spiritual Qi came from the sky, powerful—definitely not Qin Xi's, but a Nascent Soul cultivator's!
The two exchanged a glance. Jing Xingzhi only had time to say one phrase: "Late-Nascent Soul..."
An immense pressure descended from above, and a black cloud drifted over.
Mo Tiange looked up, saw the familiar black cloud, and her expression instantly froze.
Venerable Songfeng!
"Is it them?" An arrogant, hoarse voice came from within the black cloud.
Beside the black cloud, Nie Wushang's indifferent gaze swept over Jing Xingzhi and Mo Tiange. "Yes, Master."
Although Venerable Songfeng's body was concealed within the black cloud, Mo Tiange could still feel the malicious gaze sweeping over her and Jing Xingzhi's clothing.
It's easy to enjoy the shade under a big tree. For this journey, she hadn't even changed out of her Xuanqing Sect's Daoist robes. Now there was no avoiding it. They had cautiously left the place where they parted with Nie Wushang, yet were still easily found.
Mo Tiange felt a chill rise from the depths of her heart. Having lived over eighty years and cultivated to the Core Formation stage, she had encountered many dangerous situations and experienced numerous life-and-death crises. But never before had she felt such trepidation as she did now. The number one cultivator of Tianji, the foremost among Late-Nascent Soul cultivators—before this Venerable Songfeng, even though she was at the Core Formation stage, she felt as fragile as a Qi Refining cultivator, utterly defenseless.
She closed her eyes, silently reciting theOral Formula of the Refining Spirit Art, only then managing to calm herself under Venerable Songfeng's pressure.
At that moment, Jing Xingzhi gave her a meaningful look. Mo Tiange could tell he was telling her not to act rashly.
From within the black cloud, Venerable Songfeng's lazy voice drifted out. "Girl, are you Qin Jinghe and that old scoundrel's disciple?"
Mo Tiange's expression remained unchanged. She even dispensed with a bow, answering calmly, "That is correct. Are you Venerable Songfeng, Senior?"
"Oh?" Venerable Songfeng's voice held a hint of surprise. "Qin Jinghe has taught his disciples well. Ma Xuanyin and Qin Shoujing are both not bad. You, girl, though your cultivation isn't much, your courage is quite considerable."
Mo Tiange curled the corner of her mouth into a forced smile. "Thank you for the praise, Senior. However, Senior surely did not come here just to praise this junior, right? This junior is timid. How about Senior gives this junior a quick end?"
Hearing this, a low, hoarse laugh came from the black cloud. Venerable Songfeng said, "You're quite an interesting girl, much more pleasing to the eye than that old scoundrel Qin Jinghe. However, what a pity, what a pity. With a master like Qin Jinghe and a senior brother like Qin Shoujing, encountering me today can only be considered your bad luck!"