Having decided to go to Yunzhong, Mo Tiange became busy once again in the following days.
First, she needed to refine the several magic treasures she had obtained from Mo Yaoqing's cave abode one by one, so that she could wield them effortlessly during combat. Second, she had to leave enough elixirs for Qin Xi and Dao Lord Jinghe, just in case. Finally, she needed to learn as much as possible about the situation in Yunzhong.
Qin Xi temporarily halted his seclusion and went everywhere to search for records about Yunzhong. Surprisingly, Dao Lord Zhenyang actually knew something about Yunzhong.
"You want to go to Yunzhong?" Dao Lord Zhenyang was quite surprised when he heard Qin Xi inquiring about Yunzhong.
"Well..." Qin Xi paused, then confessed frankly, "It's Tian Ge who wants to go to Yunzhong."
"Oh?" Dao Lord Zhenyang was puzzled. "Going to Yunzhong is no simple matter. The South Sea is extremely dangerous. Not to mention a Core Formation cultivator like her, even a Nascent Soul cultivator cannot easily cross the South Sea. Your master knows this too, so why isn't he stopping her?"
Qin Xi smiled. "Tian Ge has found a route. By detouring through the East Sea, she can reach there safely."
"Is that so?" Dao Lord Zhenyang was even more surprised. After a moment's thought, he became very pleased. "That's excellent news. Yunzhong is a sacred land for cultivation. If one can travel there, they are sure to gain something. Right, if she confirms this route is safe, we can have the Core Formation cultivators of our sect go there for training in the future, to exchange with the cultivators of Yunzhong. Also, it's said that cultivation resources in Yunzhong are extremely abundant. If Qingwei goes, she can exchange for some treasures rare in Kunwu. Hmm, this could be a source of wealth..."
By the end, Dao Lord Zhenyang had already begun calculating how much profit this route could bring. If they could take some of Kunwu's specialties to Yunzhong and exchange them for treasures rare in Kunwu, then the Xuanqing Sect could reap great benefits. With resources, they could cultivate another batch of disciples.
Seeing his demeanor, Qin Xi felt quite helpless. Although this Senior Brother Zhenyang was a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator, he bore the responsibilities of the sect and was always very enthusiastic about such matters...
"Senior Brother Zhenyang, it seems you know about Yunzhong?"
Pulled back to attention, Dao Lord Zhenyang stroked his beard and smiled. "Although separated by the South Sea, Tianji and Yunzhong have little contact. However, occasionally, Yunzhong cultivators do arrive in Tianji by accident. In the past, I also once encountered a Yunzhong cultivator and heard some things about Yunzhong from him."
"Oh? How long ago was this? What was that cultivator's cultivation level? Did he come from the South Sea?"
"Hmm, about five or six hundred years ago..." Dao Lord Zhenyang recalled. "At that time, I was only at the Early-Nascent Soul stage. I happened to meet a cultivator of the same rank outside. He was also at the Early-Nascent Soul stage, and his methods were quite formidable. We fought once, ending in a draw, so we admired each other and became friends. He did indeed come via the South Sea. According to him, the South Sea is extremely dangerous, with high-rank sea beasts everywhere. He was relatively lucky, managing to escape each time. Even so, it took him two years to reach Tianji."
"An Early-Nascent Soul cultivator could cross the South Sea?" Qin Xi was rather astonished. Wasn't it said that even a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator would likely sigh at the vastness of the ocean?
Seeing Qin Xi's expression, Dao Lord Zhenyang smiled. "Don't think it's common. I dare not speak of other things, but this person's escape skills were first-rate. I dare say, even a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator would find it difficult to stop him. However, even with such abilities, he almost perished in the South Sea. So, if Qingwei has truly found a safe path, it would be extremely beneficial for our entire sect."
Qin Xi wasn't very interested in this matter and only asked, "Then, Senior Brother Zhenyang, could you tell me what the situation in Yunzhong is actually like?"
"Well..." Dao Lord Zhenyang slowly spoke as he recalled. "The spiritual veins in Yunzhong are distributed very widely, so there are many cultivators. Besides Daoist cultivators, there are also Confucian cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, demonic cultivators, and devilish cultivators. Among them, Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are collectively called the righteous path, while demonic and devilish paths are called the evil path. Of course, the so-called righteous and evil are equivalent to our classification of orthodox and demonic paths. It's not that the righteous path is righteous and the evil path is evil. Their righteous and evil factions live mixed together, with few conflicts on a daily basis..."
Qin Xi patiently listened to Dao Lord Zhenyang talk for a long time, only to find that these were all things recorded in Mo Yaoqing's jade slips. Seizing the moment when Dao Lord Zhenyang was reminiscing, Qin Xi quickly asked, "Senior Brother Zhenyang, is there anything to pay attention to when going to Yunzhong? These things aren't really crucial."
"Oh, this," Dao Lord Zhenyang thought for a moment and said, "Nothing much. Just tell Qingwei to be careful. The combat methods of Yunzhong cultivators are quite different from those in Tianji. So, before she's familiar with them, she shouldn't easily engage in fights with others."
"Oh?" Qin Xi became interested. "How are they different?"
Dao Lord Zhenyang said, "This is a bit complicated to explain. Firstly, their magic treasures emphasize speed. Be very careful not to be preempted by others. Secondly, they have many magic treasures that can interfere with others' spiritual energy circulation. If one isn't careful, it's easy to fall victim..."
This, however, was something Mo Yaoqing hadn't explained in detail, and it would be extremely helpful to Mo Tiange.
After Dao Lord Zhenyang finished speaking and just before bidding farewell, Qin Xi asked again, "Senior Brother Zhenyang, what happened to that Yunzhong cultivator who came to Tianji in the end?"
Dao Lord Zhenyang was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "He stayed in Tianji for several years, but ultimately wanted to return to Yunzhong. Since he left, I haven't heard any news of him. Perhaps he perished in the South Sea, or maybe he safely returned to Yunzhong."
"..." Qin Xi fell silent, sighed, and stood up. "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhenyang, for informing me of so many things. I will relay them to Tian Ge. I'll take my leave now."
"Hey, Shoujing!" Dao Lord Zhenyang called after him. "Remember to tell Qingwei to pay more attention to what special spiritual items can be exchanged..."
Mo Tiange was currently tidying up the Void Heaven Realm.
Even with jade boxes and spirit talismans that could seal the spiritual energy of ten-thousand-year spirit herbs for a long time, spirit herbs would still lose their spiritual nature if stored for too long. Refining them into pills allowed them to be stored for much longer. During the ten years she and Qin Xi were trapped in the Void Heaven Realm, they had refined many pills, most of which could be left behind.
Additionally, Qin Xi had prepared many things for her. Although most of them were unnecessary, they were, after all, his heartfelt intentions, so she accepted them all.
In truth, she had one purpose for this trip to Yunzhong that she hadn't told them.
Mo Yaoqing had once said that her Plain Maiden Art originated from the Danxia Sect. The Plain Maiden Art within the Danxia Sect even included parts beyond the Nascent Soul stage. If she had the chance, she wanted to obtain that cultivation method from the Danxia Sect to compare with her own. Perhaps she would gain some insights.
Of course, this matter was just incidental. If it proved difficult to achieve, she wouldn't force it.
While she was packing, she heard Qin Xi calling her from outside: "Tian Ge?"
She opened the Void Heaven Realm, and Qin Xi entered. Thinking about this Void Heaven Realm, she could clearly feel that her own Mysterious Wonder was inferior to Zhong Muling's. Could it still be because her cultivation realm wasn't high enough?
"What, are you all prepared?" Qin Xi looked at the bottles and jars scattered all over the floor. "What are these for?"
"For you and Master." Mo Tiange pointed them out one by one. "These are for Master, these are for you, these are for Zhenji. As for this box, it's all food for spirit beasts. I'll give it to you too."
Qin Xi looked at these things and was stunned for a moment. "So many?" Not only did they cover the entire table, but there were also quite a few on the floor. These pills would probably last them a hundred years.
Mo Tiange said, "They're all the products from our last alchemy session. I've kept the Core Formation stage pills for myself. The rest are for you."
Qin Xi thought about it. He and his master were at the Nascent Soul stage, and Zhenji was at the Foundation Establishment stage, which just happened to not overlap with her own needs, so it didn't affect her. He said, "Alright, I'll move all these out later. By the way, I went to ask Senior Brother Zhenyang earlier. He told me some things to relay to you..."
After listening to Qin Xi recount what Dao Lord Zhenyang had said, she also felt helpless. "Why is Uncle-Master Zhenyang so long-winded? I'm not going there to trade!"
Qin Xi could understand her feelings very well and smiled. "He's the Head Supreme Elder, so of course he considers things differently from us. Just listen to some of it."
"Mm." Mo Tiange also knew that for matters beneficial to the Xuanqing Sect, she, as a sect elder, should consider them.
After finishing organizing everything, she said, "Alright, put these things away, and let's go out."
The two of them came out of the Void Heaven Realm, and Mo Tiange summoned Ye Zhenji and Shui Linbo.
"Aunt, Master."
"Greetings, Ancestor Shoujing, Uncle-Master Qingwei."
"No need for formalities." Mo Tiange looked up and saw that Shui Linbo was still as steady and courteous as ever, observing proper etiquette like an ordinary disciple, not becoming complacent because of her relationship with Zhenji. She nodded inwardly. If Shui Linbo always conducted herself this way in dealing with people, it would complement perfectly Zhenji's shortcomings, and she could feel at ease assigning her tasks in the future.
"Aunt, Master, why did you call us here?" Seeing their serious expressions, Ye Zhenji couldn't help but ask cautiously.
Qin Xi glanced at him and said, "Your aunt is going away for a while. It might take quite some time, so we called you over to give some instructions."
"Ah?" Ye Zhenji looked at Mo Tiange. "Aunt, are you going out on business? Or traveling?"
"Traveling." Mo Tiange smiled. "You don't need to worry too much. It's just that this trip might take longer than usual."
"But, Aunt, didn't you just return?" Ye Zhenji was puzzled. "You were gone for ten years before, and after returning, it's only been two years, and now you're leaving again. This time, you've only been back for about a month... Aunt, you're traveling so frequently. Isn't there something important?"
"..." It would be hard to explain this clearly in a short time. Mo Tiange didn't explain in detail, only saying, "There are some matters, but nothing major. Zhenji, your aunt might be away for several years to over a decade this time. During this period, your master will be in seclusion to stabilize his realm, and your grandmaster is currently recuperating. So, regarding cultivation, you'll have to rely on yourself."
"Don't worry, Aunt." Ye Zhenji said. "I'll manage on my own. If there's anything I don't understand, I can discuss it with my fellow disciples. If I still don't understand, I'll go ask Uncle-Master Mingzhen. Hmm... While Aunt is away, I'll also take good care of the cave abode."
"Mm." Mo Tiange nodded with a smile and turned to Shui Linbo. "Linbo, I've discussed it with your Ancestor Shoujing. After your injuries are fully healed, go to the Deacon Hall to register your name. From then on, you will officially belong under our Clear Spring Peak. Also, while your Ancestor Shoujing is in seclusion, you will assist Zhenji in taking care of the cave abode. Just inform the Deacon Hall manager about this matter."
Hearing this, Shui Linbo was overjoyed and couldn't contain her excitement. She bowed deeply in thanks. "Thank you, Uncle-Master Qingwei! Thank you, Ancestor Shoujing! This disciple will definitely handle matters well."
Mo Tiange smiled. Shui Linbo was an intelligent person. She knew they were giving her an opportunity. As long as she seized this chance and truly proved to be promising talent, they would naturally not treat her poorly in the future.