Not long after Nie Wushang left, Mo Tiange stood up and began gathering her belongings.
Although Nie Wushang had departed, the Tianyan Sect had two Nascent Soul cultivators. What if they possessed some unknown divine ability and investigated here? It would be better to leave now, while the Tianyan Sect still did not suspect her.
She entered the Void Heaven Realm to retrieve Xiao Huo and Xiao Fan, placing them into her spirit beast pouch, then meticulously packed away her magical treasures and other items. Finally, she dismantled the formations in her cultivation room.
"Ayin."
Hearing her voice, Ayin, who had been watering flowers outside the room, hurried over. Nie Wushang had just left right in front of her, yet she hadn't noticed a thing.
"Immortal, do you have any instructions?"
"I will be leaving," Mo Tiange said gently, taking several spirit stones from her sleeve and placing them in Ayin's hand. "You have served diligently these days. These spirit stones are your reward. I have already paid the lodging fees in full. After I leave, you need only report to the innkeeper."
Ayin was taken aback. "Immortal, you're leaving so soon..."
"During my recent cultivation, I gained some insights into the profound mysteries. I must return to the inland of Yunzhong first. If fate allows, we will meet again." Mo Tiange smiled in farewell, then stepped out of the small courtyard.
"Immortal!" Ayin, clutching the spirit stones, chased after her to offer thanks, but found the area outside the courtyard already empty. She sighed regretfully and turned back silently. Working as a servant in this inn, she rarely encountered cultivators as easy to serve as this one. On top of that, she had been bestowed so many spirit stones upon departure. She wondered if she would ever have the chance to meet her again...
After leaving the inn, Mo Tiange headed towards the free market.
She had already inquired about the Teleportation Arrays for leaving Beiji Island. There were several Teleportation Arrays on Beiji Island, most controlled by cultivation sects. Even those not nominally owned by a sect had more or less some connection to them. In other words, no matter which Teleportation Array she used, she couldn't completely avoid the Tianyan Sect.
Therefore, Mo Tiange chose the Teleportation Array belonging to the Tianyan Sect in the free market. Since she couldn't avoid them, she might as well openly use the Tianyan Sect's array. Nie Wushang was already gone. As long as she acted without a hint of guilt, she reckoned the Tianyan Sect wouldn't be able to detect anything.
Familiar with the route, she went to the Yulin Pavilion. After greeting the cultivator who came to receive her, she followed his directions to another bustling hall.
This hall was much smaller than the one housing the free market, and far fewer people were present. After all, teleportation fees were steep. Low-level cultivators often had to save for a long time to afford a single teleportation.
The moment Mo Tiange entered the hall, she felt a cultivator's divine sense sweep over her. Her hairs stood on end instantly, and she unconsciously went on alert—because this divine sense belonged to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Had a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Tianyan Sect really taken action? Mo Tiange was somewhat surprised. What exactly had Nie Wushang stolen? Since it had been kept in the Yulin Pavilion, it couldn't be important enough to warrant a Nascent Soul cultivator joining the search, could it?
Though questions swirled in her mind, Mo Tiange's expression remained unchanged. Like the other cultivators, she walked over to register by the Teleportation Array.
Seeing she was a Core Formation cultivator, the Qi Refining disciple in charge of registration respectfully invited her to wait to one side. However, the several Foundation Establishment Cultivators managing the array were on high alert, watching her warily.
Mo Tiange smiled faintly, pretending not to notice anything. While waiting, she leisurely sipped her tea. The Tianyan Sect seemed quite wealthy; the tea served to guests in the Yulin Pavilion was surprisingly rich in spiritual energy.
After a while, someone hurried out from a side room inside and walked towards her.
Mo Tiange glanced up and smiled. What a coincidence—it was Lady Chisu again.
When Lady Chisu saw her, a smile also appeared before any words were spoken. The two of them greeted each other with a tacit understanding, exchanging polite gestures.
“Fellow Daoist Chisu.”
“Fellow Daoist Qingwei.”
After the formalities, Lady Chisu asked with a smile, “Is Fellow Daoist Qingwei planning to leave North Pole Island? Why not stay a little longer?”
Mo Tiange smiled and replied, “I recently had a sudden insight during cultivation and need to return to the inland area of Yunzhong as soon as possible. Opportunities wait for no one. Although I haven’t fully explored North Pole Island yet, I have no choice but to leave.”
“So that’s how it is.” No cultivator would doubt this reason. For cultivators, nothing was more important than seizing an opportunity.
Mo Tiange glanced around and asked with a hint of curiosity, “Fellow Daoist Chisu, haven’t you caught that thief yet?” Although there were no Core Formation cultivators present, these Foundation Establishment cultivators were nervously screening departing cultivators, and there was a Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing things inside. The fact that Lady Chisu herself came out to inspect any Core Formation cultivator they found showed this was no ordinary security measure.
Mo Tiange couldn’t help but worry inwardly. Although Nie Wushang was only disguised as a cultivator setting out to sea, there would probably be screening there too, right? She wondered if Nie Wushang had managed to pass through…
Lady Chisu smiled wryly. “Yes, our Nascent Soul Uncle-Master has ordered that all cultivators leaving North Pole Island during this period must be thoroughly screened. Fellow Daoist Qingwei, I hope you don’t mind?”
Worried inside, Mo Tiange kept her expression indifferent. “Feel free to conduct your inspection, Fellow Daoist. I just hope you can let me leave quickly. If I miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come.”
“Naturally.” Lady Chisu readily agreed. “Fellow Daoist Qingwei, please.”
Mo Tiange stood up and followed Lady Chisu into an unoccupied side room. Lady Chisu took out a jade disk and carefully circled Mo Tiange twice, then finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Alright, Fellow Daoist can go and complete the procedures now.”
Hearing these words, Mo Tiange’s tense nerves relaxed, and she felt the spiritual sense that had been coiled around her finally dissipate. Keeping her expression unchanged, she bowed to Lady Chisu. “Fellow Daoist Chisu, I’ll take my leave now. Until we meet again.”
“Until we meet again. The timing of getting to know Fellow Daoist was truly unfortunate, as our sect happens to be dealing with a major incident. When Fellow Daoist visits North Pole Island again in the future, I will properly fulfill my duties as host.”
Lady Chisu escorted her to the Teleportation Array and instructed the disciples guarding it to waive her teleportation fee. After another round of polite exchanges, they formally bid farewell.
With Lady Chisu’s personal approval, the Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the Teleportation Array immediately became much more respectful. They asked reverently, “May we ask where you wish to teleport to, Senior?”
Mo Tiange smiled and asked, “How many destinations does your Teleportation Array connect to?”
“Reporting to Senior, our array connects to exactly three locations: Dongtang Kingdom, Nanzhou Kingdom, and Beilin Kingdom.”
Mo Tiange said, “To Dongtang Kingdom. Does it teleport directly to the capital?”
“No.” The Foundation Establishment cultivator spread out a map and pointed at Dongtang Kingdom on it. “Please look, Senior. Our teleportation point is here, at a place called Tianxue City.”
“Here…” Mo Tiange muttered, “That seems rather far.”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator showed an apologetic expression. “The capital is too distant; the teleportation cost would be too high. But Tianxue City also has a Teleportation Array. It should be very convenient for Senior to return to your sect.”
Mo Tiange knew he had misunderstood, but she didn’t explain. It was more advantageous for others to think she was a cultivator from Dongtang Kingdom. If they knew she came from the distant Tianji region, who knew if someone might grow curious and try to get something from her.
She nodded. “Alright, then Tianxue City it is.”