Unfortunately, she found no more Spirit Gathering Stones after that. Mo Tiange thought for a moment, then shook her head with a smile. While the Spirit Gathering Stone wasn't some extraordinary treasure, it wasn't something you could find everywhere either. In such a small Spirit Stone Vein, finding one was already quite fortunate—how many more did she expect to find?
She waved her hand, recalling Xiaofan, and said, "Let's continue on our way."
Xiaofan acknowledged and, carrying her on its back, continued swimming forward.
The Spirit Stone Vein was truly small; within moments, they had swum beyond its range, and once again entered the pitch-black underground river channel.
Mo Tiange had grown accustomed to such darkness. She simply calmed her mind, silently contemplating her State of Mind Cultivation.
According to the understanding in the Tianji Region, the difference between Dao cultivators and Demonic cultivators lay in the fact that Dao cultivators, while enhancing their strength, also had to focus on their State of Mind Cultivation. Otherwise, they would be stuck at the bottleneck of advancement, finding it difficult to break through. Demonic cultivators, however, didn't care about these things; they only needed to absorb Spiritual Qi and convert it into demonic energy—that was enough. Therefore, the cultivation methods of the Demonic Path were denounced by the Righteous Path as heretical and unorthodox. This point had nothing to do with notions of good and evil. And in fact, Demonic cultivators were indeed more prone to Qi Deviation than those of the Righteous Path.
Because State of Mind Cultivation had to keep pace with one's realm, the higher a cultivator's cultivation, the more restrictions they faced. For example, there were many Qi Refining cultivators who committed evil deeds, but by the time they reached Foundation Establishment, they often began cultivating their character and tempering their mind. This was because forming one's Core required overcoming Inner Demons; those who committed many evil deeds would find their Inner Demons difficult to overcome. Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators were even more restrained; unless there was enmity or significant interests at stake, they generally wouldn't resort to killing.
Mo Tiange hadn't thought this unusual before, but after forming her own Core and carefully considering it, she felt there was something strange about this matter.
'The strong prey on the weak' and 'minding one's own business' were the norms of the cultivation world. So why was there the matter of Inner Demons when it came to advancement? This, in turn, forced cultivators to suppress their killing instincts.
Of course, not all cultivators followed this rule. That Venerable Songfeng was one of those high-level cultivators who killed indiscriminately. However, her master had also told her that old man Songfeng was a monster—neither human nor ghost, neither demon nor devil—and couldn't be considered normal at all.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange grew confused again. She always felt as if she had overlooked something, yet also felt she had grasped a key point. She closed her eyes, immersing herself in the darkness, slowly trying to recall...
Each day was filled with the monotony of travel. In the end, even Xiaofan grew impatient. To placate it, Mo Tiange fed it a pill every day. Each time after eating the pill, it would obediently continue on its way. When it craved more, it would act up and refuse to move unless fed.
Seeing Xiaofan like this now actually made Mo Tiange happy. No matter how well-behaved Xiaofan was, for a Cang Dragon, it was still a child. Without a bit of childish temper, it would be too repressed. Its current return to its true nature precisely indicated that it had grown closer to her.
Master and beast, stopping and going as they pleased. Because of the existence of the Xu Tian Realm, they didn't find traversing this underground river channel particularly difficult. Gradually, day by day passed—
"It seems to be getting hotter." Mo Tiange, who hadn't cast a Water-Avoidance Art, reached her hand into the river channel to test the water and frowned.
Xiaofan continued swimming slowly forward, replying, "It is a little, but it's fine, Master. I'm not afraid of heat."
Though it said so, Mo Tiange didn't let down her guard. She hadn't forgotten that this was a path at the bottom of a volcano. Even though that volcano had long ceased to erupt, who knew if something might suddenly happen?
After swimming forward for a while more, sure enough, the water grew increasingly hot. Mo Tiange reached in and found it was significantly hotter than body temperature—this was truly abnormal. They had been swimming in this underground river channel for about a month, and the water had always been icy cold. For it to suddenly turn hot was certainly peculiar.
"Xiaofan!" Seeing steam beginning to rise from the water, Mo Tiange decisively called out to stop it. "This water is unusual. Wait a moment."
Xiaofan raised its head. "Master, do you think the water is too hot?"
"Mm." Mo Tiange frowned. "We're traveling along a water route at the bottom of a volcano. If there's magma deep down here, things could get troublesome." Volcanic magma belonged to Earth Fire. If its grade was high, blocking the path would be quite problematic. Although this was a path Mo Yaoqing had taken, after all, over five thousand years had passed—who knew if changes might have occurred?
Xiaofan, however, said, "Master, I'm not afraid of heat. Let me scout ahead."
"This..." Mo Tiange hesitated. "What if there's danger?"
"I'm already Fifth Rank. I'm not afraid," Xiaofan said. "Master, don't treat me like a child who can't do anything. In my clan, I'm of the uncle generation!"
"Oh?" Hearing its serious tone and thinking about it, Mo Tiange realized it was right and smiled. "Alright then, go take a look. If anything seems wrong, come back immediately or call for me."
"Mm." Xiaofan acknowledged. After she levitated into the air, it flicked its tail and dove down into the water with a gurgle.
Mo Tiange watched the spot where it disappeared, a smile appearing on her face.
Xiaohuo and Feifei were both adorable, but they couldn't speak. After having Xiaofan, it felt like having company in daily life, reducing much of the loneliness.
She couldn't help but think of Qin Xi, who was now thousands of miles away. She wondered what he was doing and if his cultivation was going smoothly.
After a while, the sound of water stirred, and Xiaofan finally returned. It emerged from the water with a splash, its voice cheerful: "Master, we've arrived!"
"Ah? What's the situation?"
Xiaofan said delightedly, "I swam quite far and found that the path ends over there. Then I dove down and discovered another water route leading to a hot spring!"
"A hot spring!" Mo Tiange was overjoyed. This path was supposed to lead out through a hot spring. Did this mean they had reached their destination?
"Master, come on up quickly! Let's go out!" Xiaofan was even more impatient than she was.
Mo Tiange didn't delay, mounting its back. "Then let's go."
Both master and beast were eager. Xiaofan paddled with its fins and shot into the water like an arrow from a bowstring.
Sure enough, after swimming not too far, the water channel they had traveled for about a month came to an end. Xiaofan had already scouted the path, so now it simply dove underwater. They swam in the water for a long time, winding around many bends until Mo Tiange was almost disoriented, before finally beginning to ascend.
The water grew hotter and hotter, steaming with rising heat. Mo Tiange guessed there must be a volcano here too, though it hadn't erupted in a long time. She wondered if there were any households living near this hot spring? Sensing some Spiritual Qi here, there should be a tiny Spirit Vein outside. Perhaps some Loose Cultivators lived here.
Her thoughts wandered. Xiaofan swam faster and faster, beginning to rise upward. Suddenly, a faint light appeared above their heads, growing brighter and brighter. Then, with a splash, master and beast emerged from the water.
Having traveled through the underground river channel for about a month, Mo Tiange hadn't seen daylight for a long time. She couldn't help but squint, shielding her eyes from the light.
"Monster! Monster!" At that moment, she suddenly heard human voices, followed by the sound of chaotic footsteps and panicked screams.
Mo Tiange's spiritual sense had already detected these people's presence, but since they were all mortals, she didn't pay them much mind. Presumably, they were frightened by Xiaofan's appearance.
Once her eyes adjusted to the daylight, she lowered her arm and quickly scanned her surroundings.
The hot spring wasn't large, but neither was it small, covering several acres. Steam rose from the water's surface, surrounded by lush greenery. At a glance, the scenery appeared extremely beautiful, like a fairyland.
"Xiaofan, let's go ashore." She patted Xiaofan's head, brushed her sleeves—not a drop of water clinging to them—and lightly floated onto the bank.
Though Xiaofan was reluctant to leave the water, it obediently followed.
The sounds on the bank grew even more chaotic. Mo Tiange looked up and saw some women in coarse cloth clothing hurriedly running away, leaving behind scattered clothes and washing clubs on the ground.
She shook her head, paying them no mind. She pondered: The women here weren't much different from those in the Tianji Region; their clothing was similar too. However, their accents were somewhat different.
Thinking this, she led Xiaofan and slowly walked out from the hot spring area.
Some distance away from the hot spring, courtyard walls became visible, looking like those of a wealthy mortal family. Mo Tiange sensed that the location of that garden was precisely where the Spiritual Qi of this Spirit Vein was most concentrated. Moreover, she also detected the aura of low-level cultivators inside—could this be a mortal cultivation family?
She smiled slightly, an idea forming in her mind. She said to Xiaofan, "Xiaofan, there are many people here. How about you go into the Spirit Beast Bag for now?"
Xiaofan had always been well-behaved. Hearing this, it obediently acknowledged and returned to the Spirit Beast Bag.
After settling Xiaofan and completely concealing her own aura pressure, Mo Tiange had just taken a few steps when she saw several decently dressed men heading her way. They walked hurriedly, as if something urgent had happened. Judging by their clothing, they seemed to be guards of a wealthy family.
As these men approached and saw her standing not far from the lake, they were startled. Then the leader, who appeared to be a steward-like figure, led the group of men toward her. They stopped before her, and the steward respectfully bowed. "Greetings, Immortal."
She had already concealed her spiritual aura. These men were all mortals with faint traces of Spiritual Qi; they could only sense the rich Spiritual Qi around her but couldn't discern her cultivation level.
Mo Tiange nodded faintly.
Seeing her dignified bearing and grace, her attitude polite yet giving off an aloof feeling, the steward didn't dare neglect her. He hurriedly asked, "We are servants of the Lv Family. May I ask, Immortal, if you are passing through this area?"
Seeing this person's extreme respect, Mo Tiange replied courteously as well: "I am a Loose Cultivator from elsewhere who happened to come here and inadvertently startled the mortals. You mentioned the Lv Family—is that a cultivation family here?"
"So the Immortal is a Loose Cultivator from another region." Upon receiving this answer, the man said happily, "Our Lv Family is indeed the largest cultivation family on Nanjie Island. It's rare for a fellow cultivator to come here. Our family's Old Master would certainly be delighted to know. Might the Immortal be willing to visit our Lv Family as a guest?"
Hearing that this place was indeed called Nanjie Island, Mo Tiange felt slightly relieved. According to what Xiaofan had said, Nanjie Island was already within the Yunzhong region. So, she had finally arrived in Yunzhong smoothly.
Her gaze fell upon this Lv Family steward before her. This person was clearly a mortal yet carried Spiritual Qi. Although he hadn't reached the stage of refining Qi to transform the spirit, his body had been tempered by Spiritual Qi. She thought to herself: Yunzhong truly was a sacred land for cultivation. Even these mortals before her were clearly cultivators. Having just arrived in Yunzhong, she needed to gather information first. Visiting this Lv Family seemed like a good idea.
Thinking this, Mo Tiange smiled and said, "Since a fellow cultivator extends an invitation, it would naturally be good. Then I shall accept your kind offer."