The Cang Dragon did not answer immediately. Instead, it lowered its head to look at the junior Cang Dragon trapped within the Heaven-Earth Fan's illusion formation below. "Release it."
Mo Tiange's gaze flickered. With a wave of her hand, the Heaven-Earth Fan returned to her grasp, and the illusion formation instantly vanished.
The Cang Dragon let out a few roars towards the junior Cang Dragon. The little one looked up, nodded its head, dove down, and disappeared beneath the water's surface.
"You may speak now."
"Human, please swear an oath to uphold your vow and cease killing the Sea Clan nearby. Only then will I tell you the secret."
Mo Tiange smiled. "If you don't tell me the secret, how can I know if it's worth me making such an oath?"
Anger appeared in the Cang Dragon's eyes. "Are you that confident in your own strength?"
Mo Tiange lightly waved the Heaven-Earth Fan in her hand, speaking calmly, "It's been many days, and you all haven't united. I imagine you Sea Clan members usually hunt each other, don't you? A group of enemies who bear grudges against one another—even if I can't defeat them, escaping shouldn't be a problem."
The words of this Cang Dragon seemed sincere, but Mo Tiange knew not to take them at face value. Lived peacefully for thousands of years? Did these Sea Clan members usually feed on seaweed then? The strong prey on the weak—this is the law of nature. Among them, it's also a relationship of killing and being killed, hunting and being hunted. The sea has never been peaceful. This Cang Dragon was saying these things merely to deceive her. If she believed it all, she would be a fool.
The Cang Dragon fell silent, its wise eyes fixed on Mo Tiange. After a long while, it said, "You are clever, very much like my former master."
Receiving its praise, Mo Tiange's expression remained unmoved. She gazed at the Cang Dragon with a placid look and asked, "What about your secret? Will you tell me or not?"
For some reason, the Cang Dragon felt her calm gaze held a trace of mockery. Was this an illusion? The Cang Dragon blinked and continued communicating via divine sense: "I can tell you this secret first. But remember, if after hearing it you still don't stop, then we Sea Clan members who usually bear grudges will unite to deal with you, a human, first!"
Mo Tiange believed this point. Even if these Sea Clan members usually slaughtered each other, if a human suddenly arrived in this sea area, threatening the lives of all Demon Beasts, they would indeed choose to unite first.
"Rest assured, I'm not stupid. I never joke with my own life."
Her tone was too calm. The Cang Dragon shook its head, dispelling a sliver of doubt, and said, "What I want to tell you is that near this sea area, there is an island. On it lies a treasure left behind by a powerful cultivator!"
It paused for a moment, but saw no reaction from Mo Tiange whatsoever. She still looked at it with that faint, seemingly mocking smile. This left the Cang Dragon, far more intelligent than other Demon Beasts, utterly perplexed. "Don't you want this treasure?"
Mo Tiange nodded slightly, speaking with an air of nonchalance, "What else?"
"...I can tell you the exact location of the treasure. If you break through the formation outside, all that treasure will be yours..." By the end, the Cang Dragon found itself unable to continue. For some reason, it felt the human before it seemed uninterested in what it was saying.
Mo Tiange suddenly stopped smiling and sighed. "Were you also going to say that this treasure was left by your former master, and that your master was a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator?"
The Cang Dragon's eyes widened instantly, its gaze turning shocked. "You..."
Mo Tiange shook her head, tapping the Heaven-Earth Fan against her palm. "That's right. Your Cang Dragon Clan possesses intelligence surpassing other Demon Beasts, but in the end, you are still Demon Beasts." When it came to wisdom, what species in this world could surpass humans? Humans were, after all, creatures created by the gods in their own image.
This Cang Dragon had first spoken to her in a wise and steady tone, making her think it was an equal being. Then, half warning and half transaction, it tried to lure her to the island where Mo Yaoqing had passed away. If she had been tempted by that treasure, and then discovered traces of the Seven Absolutes Formation, she would have most likely believed its words were true. At that point, even if she didn't perish under the Seven Absolutes Formation, upon entering Mo Yaoqing's cave abode and thinking she could take everything... she would have died without a burial place.
If she hadn't originally come to find Mo Yaoqing's cave abode and already found it, she might very well have fallen into this trap. Thus, this Cang Dragon would have effortlessly tricked and killed her.
No wonder Mo Yaoqing had taken this Cang Dragon as a spirit beast. Such intelligence was already no worse than most humans.
Seeing her gaze sweep over it with a scrutinizing air, the Cang Dragon immediately raised the azure scales on its back, instantly preparing for battle.
Seeing this, Mo Tiange merely smiled and unfurled the Heaven-Earth Fan. "What's the matter? Not going to call your allies? Or... haven't you actually formed an alliance yet?"
Anger flared in the Cang Dragon's eyes. "Don't think that just because you're human, we Demon Beasts truly can't defeat you! You're only at the sixth rank, while I have already reached the seventh rank. Wanting to defeat me isn't that easy either!"
"Then let's give it a try." The smile faded from Mo Tiange's face. With a light flick of her sleeve, the Hunyuan One Breath Technique formed a Spiritual Qi Shield around her.
She was now certain this Cang Dragon had come to scare her off. Perhaps what it said was true—if she continued killing, these Sea Clan members would eventually unite, but certainly not now. Possibly to save its own descendants, this Cang Dragon, relying on its intelligence far surpassing other Demon Beasts, wanted to frighten her away, or even lure her into a trap to kill her in one fell swoop!
Even if this Cang Dragon might have once been Mo Yaoqing's spirit beast, it was now a Demon Beast. If one truly believed it was as wise and steady as it appeared, there would be no chance for regret.
The instinct of a Demon Beast made the Cang Dragon choose to attack immediately upon seeing Mo Tiange deploy her Spiritual Qi Shield.
It swung its tail, and colossal waves surged skyward! Cang Dragons possessed the bloodline of the ancient divine dragon, and divine dragons could command wind and rain!
But these water waves did not come close to Mo Tiange. The Spiritual Qi Shield of the Hunyuan One Breath Technique blocked all the surging waves outside.
Seeing this, the Cang Dragon opened its great maw, and a water-based spell shot towards Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange waved the Heaven-Earth Fan. The mountains and rivers within the fan multiplied, instantly transforming into solid matter that pressed down upon the Cang Dragon.
The Cang Dragon flicked its tail, leaping into the air and jumping out of the Heaven-Earth Fan's range.
Mo Tiange was somewhat surprised. A seventh-rank Demon Beast was indeed much more powerful. Relying on her treasures these past few days, she had slaughtered every fifth and sixth-rank Sea Beast she encountered. But this Cang Dragon had easily avoided her Heaven-Earth Fan.
The next moment, the Cang Dragon swung its tail, and a vast pressure of Spiritual Qi descended.
Mo Tiange pulled out her white silk handkerchief, swirling it around herself and leaving a trail of white mist. The handkerchief transformed into a fog that firmly protected her, causing that Spiritual Qi pressure to return fruitlessly.
Then, the Heaven-Earth Fan in her hand unfurled once more. This time, what appeared was not mountains and rivers, but a clear cry as a spirit crane flew out, charging straight at the Cang Dragon.
The Cang Dragon was startled. It couldn't quite tell if this was real or an illusion. Although its intelligence was no less than an ordinary human's, distinguishing illusions required knowledge of formations. In this aspect, it was clearly no different from ordinary Demon Beasts.
In the end, it chose to dodge. And Mo Tiange was already waiting for this. The Heaven-Earth Fan waved again, mountains and rivers flickering into view. The Cang Dragon had nowhere to dodge. In this emergency, it could only open its great maw and bite down!
A cold light flashed in Mo Tiange's eyes. Light shimmered in her hand as the Spirit Heaven Ruyi shot out instantly. With a "boom," the surrounding Spiritual Qi suddenly exploded!
"Awoo!" The Cang Dragon cried out in pain, rolling in mid-air.
It had avoided the spirit crane, blocked the Heaven-Earth Fan, but could not dodge the Spirit Heaven Ruyi!
Mo Tiange flicked her sleeve, retrieving the Spirit Heaven Ruyi, and unhurriedly closed the Heaven-Earth Fan. She did not intend to seize the chance to kill it.
After a while, the Cang Dragon recovered, stopping its rolling. Now, its azure scales were covered in bloodstains.
Under other circumstances, it would have immediately fled into the depths of the sea. But the thing that had just injured it made it stop. Its gaze fixed on Mo Tiange, alert yet containing a trace of confusion. "You just now... what was that thing?"
Mo Tiange lifted the Spirit Heaven Ruyi in her hand, smiling as she asked, "This?"
The Cang Dragon blinked, shock appearing in its eyes. "This is... you..."
Mo Tiange stopped smiling, looking directly at it. "Was your former master surnamed Mo?"
The Cang Dragon wanted to flick its tail, but the power of the Spirit Heaven Ruyi had already left it severely wounded, so it could only continue blinking. "You've been there?"
Mo Tiange sighed, putting away the Spirit Heaven Ruyi. "My surname is also Mo," she said. "I came to find the cave abode on that island."
The Cang Dragon looked in the direction she pointed, then turned back, shocked. "You passed the trial?"
Mo Tiange smiled. "So you did know about that trial. Just now, you wanted to trick me into going there to kill me using your master's trap, didn't you?"
The Cang Dragon fell silent. After a while, it said, "Our Cang Dragon Clan is naturally more intelligent than ordinary Demon Beasts. In the past, my master took me as a spirit beast precisely because of my intelligence far surpassing ordinary Demon Beasts. There is nothing about my master's affairs that I don't know."
Mo Tiange also knew that any Demon Beast carrying the bloodline of an ancient divine beast would be more intelligent than ordinary ones. This Cang Dragon had lived for nearly ten thousand years and was only at the seventh rank. It was clear that when Mo Yaoqing took it as a spirit beast, it certainly wasn't for its combat power. Reasoning thus, its words were likely true.
The Cang Dragon moved its head, its wise eyes focusing intently on Mo Tiange once more. "Human, are you my master's successor?"
"You could say that," Mo Tiange said softly. "She is my great-great-grandmother."
"Great-great-grandmother..." Confusion appeared in the Cang Dragon's eyes. Clearly, it couldn't immediately figure out the relationship between her and its master. However, this didn't hinder its understanding. It twisted its neck, its tone becoming much more peaceful. "Since you are my master's successor, then I believe you."
But Mo Tiange smiled. "Your master has already passed away. The spirit beast contract between you and her has also expired. Why are you still willing to believe me?"
The Cang Dragon looked at her calmly and said, "I still wish to make a transaction with you. I will use a secret in exchange for you stopping."
"Aren't you afraid this time that after hearing your secret, I won't be willing to make the oath?"
The Cang Dragon paused for a moment, its gaze turning towards the distant island where Mo Yaoqing had passed away. "This is my master's secret. Since you are my master's successor, you have the right to hear it."
Mo Yaoqing's entire life was recorded on that jade slip. What other secret could there be here in the depths of the East Sea?
The Cang Dragon spoke slowly. "The secret of how my master came here."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. Mo Yaoqing... how she came from Yunzhong to Tianji?! This was indeed the one thing she hadn't recorded clearly on the jade slip.