"Master!" Within the mist, Qin Xi suddenly stopped, frowning.
"What is it?" Dao Lord Jinghe asked casually.
Qin Xi sniffed the air and said, "Tiange... might be sending a signal."
"Hmm?" Dao Lord Jinghe turned his head.
Qin Xi sniffed again and finally nodded with certainty. "That's right, it's Tiange!"
Hearing him speak so confidently, Dao Lord Jinghe grew curious. "Do you and Tiange have some special method of communication?"
Qin Xi replied, "You could say that. I didn't think it would come in handy back then—Master, follow this scent. Tiange is definitely there!"
Dao Lord Jinghe also sniffed. The scent permeating the air was very much like that of some flower or plant. If one wasn't paying attention, they might mistake it for the scent of nearby flora, but upon closer inspection, it seemed quite unique. This kid was so sure; it must be his own private trick.
Following the scent, the two slowly advanced. At first, they had to carefully distinguish the odor, but as it grew stronger, they picked up their pace.
The mist gradually thinned, and in the blink of an eye, the two left the misty area.
Dao Lord Jinghe exclaimed in surprise, "This girl, she got out long ago."
Qin Xi was also overjoyed at the sight. "She's always been clever. I wonder what method she thought of..."
As he spoke, the two stopped. This was where the scent was most concentrated. At the same time, Qin Xi found a pile of black ash on the ground, proving the scent indeed emanated from here. Strangely, however, there was no one around. Spreading out their spiritual sense, there was nothing within a radius of dozens of miles.
"Master?" Qin Xi was puzzled. "Did you detect anyone nearby?"
Dao Lord Jinghe shook his head. "No." The spiritual sense coverage of a Nascent Soul cultivator was vast, yet within its reach, there wasn't the slightest fluctuation of a cultivator's spiritual qi.
Dao Lord Jinghe turned to look in the direction they came from and said, "Could she have gone back in?"
"She shouldn't have." Qin Xi frowned. "Tiange has always been steady. If she sent a signal here, she would wait for us here. Unless too much time has passed, or something unexpected happened."
"Something unexpected..." Dao Lord Jinghe's expression turned grave. His gaze swept over the surroundings like lightning, and suddenly his expression changed. "Not good!"
"What is it?" Qin Xi asked urgently. "What did you see, Master?"
Dao Lord Jinghe didn't answer immediately. With a wave of his sleeve, a faint red spiritual qi spread out, enveloping the area. Gradually, within the pale red, some black traces appeared.
Qin Xi's face also changed. "This is..."
"Demonic Qi!" Dao Lord Jinghe's brow furrowed tightly. "There is no Demonic Qi in the Ruins of All Immortals. This Demonic Qi is also very different from that of Tianmo Mountain. I have only seen this kind of Demonic Qi on one person."
No need to say more. Qin Xi already knew. He murmured to himself, "Venerable Songfeng..."
"Correct." Dao Lord Jinghe's face darkened. "Venerable Songfeng has been here!"
Qin Xi's face grew even paler. He hardly dared to imagine what had happened. Venerable Songfeng had been here. Tiange was not here. Early Core Formation stage. The First Cultivator of Tianji Region...
"Don't panic!" Dao Lord Jinghe comforted him, taking something from his bosom. It was an extremely small lamp, only the size of a palm. Within the lampshade, the light was bright.
This was Mo Tiange's Life-Soul Lamp, which Dao Lord Jinghe had made by taking her essence blood. As long as she lived, this lamp would remain lit.
Seeing the bright lamplight, Dao Lord Jinghe revealed a smile. "See, the Life Lamp is fine. She must be fine. There are no signs of a fight around here either. Perhaps Tiange has already escaped."
"Right!" Qin Xi nodded. After taking a deep breath, he rallied himself. "Master, let's search some more. It's possible Tiange was taken by Venerable Songfeng, or it's possible she was clever and has already run away." Although the latter possibility was low, it wasn't impossible. The Life Lamp was so bright, indicating she was still intact. That was good news. There were no signs of a struggle here either. Perhaps Venerable Songfeng had simply taken her away.
"Mm." Seeing that he could still maintain composure and wasn't panicking, Dao Lord Jinghe felt relieved. "Since Tiange sent the signal, can we follow this scent to find her again?"
Qin Xi thought for a moment. "We can try." This amber was something he obtained along with the Yang Spirit Pearl years ago. It was an ancient artifact. He originally didn't know its purpose. Once, when his True Fire accidentally burned it, he discovered its unique scent that traveled extremely far. Only then did he think this item could be used for signaling. When he gave it to Tiange, he hadn't thought that much about it. He just thought the amber was extremely beautiful and rare in the world, intending to please her. Who knew Tiange hadn't paid any attention to the amber among a pile of things, leaving him disappointed for a long time. Now, this amber had actually come in handy, which was an unexpected delight.
Trying to find someone by following that scent again was much more difficult than before. The scent grew fainter and fainter, becoming hard to distinguish.
They searched continuously, turning back again and again. Time passed bit by bit. Seeing that Mo Tiange's Life Lamp seemed to show signs of weakening, they couldn't help but grow increasingly anxious. Most critically, after searching everywhere, the most likely direction Tiange had gone was still back into the mist.
The time agreed upon with Dao Lord Hua Yan arrived, and they still hadn't found Mo Tiange. Dao Lord Jinghe had no choice but to send a message to Dao Lord Hua Yan. After meeting up, they would search together. That way, if they encountered Venerable Songfeng, they would have the strength to fight.
Dao Lord Hua Yan had no objections. Mo Tiange was no ordinary disciple. With her talent, barring any accidents, she would inevitably become a new pillar of the Xuanqing Sect in a hundred years. As a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, he naturally had to consider the sect. However, their time was also very tight. The two Dao Lords had agreed to meet the two Nascent Soul cultivators of the Tiandao Sect at the Yushen Palace in the Ruins of All Immortals. In half a day, it would be their meeting time. Missing it would be hard to explain.
Not long after, the three met up. Dao Lord Hua Yan asked, "Senior Brother Jinghe, what exactly is going on? Why was Qingwei captured by Venerable Songfeng?"
Dao Lord Jinghe said, "We'll talk about that later. Junior Brother Hua Yan, time is short. Let's go find her first, shall we?"
Dao Lord Hua Yan nodded without further ado. "Alright."
Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Hua Yan each summoned their flying treasures, taking Qin Xi with them. The three disappeared into the mist in the blink of an eye.
Mo Tiange felt like she was dreaming, a bizarre and painful dream.
"Master!" She heard a somewhat familiar voice, now carrying a hint of anxiety. "This... isn't this too..."
A heavy slap rang out. A hoarse, aged voice said angrily, "What, do you sympathize with her?"
"...This disciple wouldn't dare."
"Hmph! Since you don't dare, then do as you're told!"
"...Yes."
Next, she heard faint footsteps. Then she was helped up, and something was stuffed into her mouth... things like beans. Instinctively, she felt afraid. She shouldn't swallow these things. She worried this person would force her to swallow, but this person merely lifted her chin slightly, pressing a hand against her throat.
Those things didn't slide down.
But, as time passed, the things in her mouth seemed to ooze juice, slowly flowing down her throat. After that, she felt the last remnants of her rationality vanish. Her entire body grew burning hot, as if melting in flames...
The three flew back and forth for a while. The scent grew fainter and fainter, and they still hadn't found Mo Tiange.
Qin Xi grew increasingly anxious. He knew the matter of his master and Uncle-Master Hua Yan going to Yushen Palace was very important. If they hadn't found Tiange by the appointed time, his master might be willing to continue, but Uncle-Master Hua Yan certainly wouldn't be willing to waste more time. And the longer they delayed, the more danger Tiange was in.
"Master..." He turned his head and only got one word out before Dao Lord Jinghe raised a hand to stop him.
Dao Lord Jinghe was also very anxious at this moment. The matter of Yushen Palace concerned his opportunity to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage, but he also valued Tiange's life. He didn't want to give up either. But if the time came, he would have to abandon one of them.
Dao Lord Jinghe's expression shifted for a long while before he finally made a decision. "There's no time. Then we can only do this."
For a moment, Qin Xi didn't understand what he meant by 'only do this.' Dao Lord Hua Yan, seeing Dao Lord Jinghe take a Life Lamp from his bosom, changed expression and said, "Senior Brother, this... this will affect your strength."
Dao Lord Jinghe remained unmoved, saying calmly, "I can afford to lose this bit of strength. Junior Brother Hua Yan, say no more." After speaking, he pressed his glabella, about to perform a technique.
"Master!" It was Qin Xi who stopped his action. He reached out and covered the Life Lamp that was still lit but weaker than before. He now understood what his master wanted to do. The mist blocked spiritual sense, but the connection through essence blood could not be blocked. So, his master wanted to force out his own essence blood to sense Tiange's location. This absolutely would not do. Every cultivator knew the importance of essence blood. If it was depleted, one's strength would also decline somewhat. Normally, it would be fine; it could be cultivated back with some time. But the place Dao Lord Jinghe was about to go was no ordinary place, with many Nascent Soul cultivators. Losing even a bit of strength meant a smaller chance of survival.
Taking a deep breath, a resolute look appeared on Qin Xi's face. "Master, let me do it!"
"You..." Dao Lord Jinghe paused. "In a moment, your master may not be able to take you along. If you deplete your strength, what will you do in the Ruins of All Immortals?"
Qin Xi revealed a smile, confident. "Master, don't you trust me? Over eighty years ago, I was only at the mid Core Formation stage, yet I still survived in the Ruins of All Immortals. How much more so now?"
"..." Dao Lord Jinghe showed a contemplative expression and finally nodded. "Alright. If anything happens, find a safe place to hide, then send a message to your master. Don't take too many risks."
"Master, aren't you assured by how I handle things?" Qin Xi smiled. After speaking, he took Mo Tiange's Life-Soul Lamp from Dao Lord Jinghe's hand, pressed his glabella, and began the technique. A spiritual light appeared at his glabella. Soon after, a drop of crimson essence blood was forced out from his glabella. Qin Xi carefully guided this essence blood to slowly fly toward the Life Lamp, merging with the essence blood deeply hidden within.
Instantly, a strange feeling appeared in his mind. Hazily, everything around him seemed to fade away, while other things became crystal clear.
The Life-Soul Lamp flickered. The light seemed to grow slightly weaker. After a moment of faintness in Qin Xi's mind, he became clear-headed in an instant, now having a definite direction. "This way."