Monk Yuankong's Seven-Colored Jade Heart Lotus was ultimately exchanged by Yong Ruyu for a heavy Buddhist treasure, and Qiu Chengruo happily stored the acquired lotus in her bag.
Qingyunzi had taken a fancy to the Fusheng Sword, and Han Shizhi had desired the Seven-Colored Jade Heart Lotus, but neither managed to secure their desired items, leaving them quite regretful.
Afterwards, these two took out their own items and exchanged them with others for some passable spiritual materials.
Golden Core cultivators were all straightforward, and with only eight people present, this trade meet concluded quickly. Then, everyone began discussing cultivation matters.
This process opened Mo Tiange's eyes. It was her first time meeting demonic cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, and Confucian cultivators above the Golden Core stage. The insights shared by Demon Lord Xuanyue, Yang Chengji, Monk Yuankong, Han Shizhi, and others were completely different from what she had heard before. Regardless of the path, they were all cultivators, and there were indeed quite a few commonalities, which also helped Mo Tiange resolve some difficulties in her own cultivation.
They talked for half the night before Mo Tiange bid farewell to the group and left the tea house.
Stepping out of the tea house, she found a full moon hanging high in the sky, the night draped over the earth, countless stars blinking in the heavens, casting Tianxue City in a shimmering, bright blue, a unique kind of beauty.
She admired the scene for a while before slowly making her way towards the White Stone Mountain cave abode. Her hand clenched tightly, hidden in her sleeve, perfectly concealing her excited mood.
Upon obtaining the Fusheng Sword, her attitude had been very calm; she hadn't shown any signs of great excitement. But in reality, her heart was surging, and once she left the tea house, she could barely contain it.
That sword was absolutely extraordinary.
Leaving aside the fact that it hadn't been completely corroded despite being tainted by demonic energy for ten thousand years, just its aura alone was something only found on some Spiritual Treasures. If she could find a method to cleanse the demonic energy and restore its former glory, it would undoubtedly be an extremely sharp Magical Treasure.
Thinking this, a smile appeared on her face. One could never have too many Spiritual Treasures. This time, even though her cultivation level had been seen through, her gains were quite substantial.
Just after leaving the streets of Tianxue City, before ascending White Stone Mountain, her back suddenly tensed. Instinctively, she spread her hand, and the Heaven-Earth Fan appeared in her grasp. With a light flick, a barrier of Spiritual Qi materialized around her.
Immediately after, a soft *shhh* sound was heard as something tore through the Spiritual Qi barrier behind her.
Mo Tiange tapped her toes, clouds sprouting beneath her feet as the Treading Cloud Boots propelled her upwards. Like a willow swaying in the wind, she traced a drifting arc through the air before twisting her body to a stop.
"Which Fellow Daoist ambushed me? Please show yourself!" Standing in mid-air, Mo Tiange lightly tapped the Heaven-Earth Fan in her hand, her gaze sharp as she surveyed her surroundings.
"Hmph!" She heard a cold snort, followed by a hoarse voice. "Hand over the Fusheng Sword, and I'll let you leave."
The Fusheng Sword? Mo Tiange was taken aback. She hadn't considered the possibility that someone might covet the Fusheng Sword, but she hadn't expected them to come for it so quickly. Who was this? Yong Ruyu or Qingyunzi? They hadn't shown any abnormalities earlier. Could it be someone else? Moreover, this person's ambush technique was extremely sharp; their cultivation level was at least Mid-stage Golden Core. Could it be Han Shizhi?
Before she could think further, another sharp surge of Spiritual Qi suddenly appeared in the air, attacking her.
Mo Tiange also snorted coldly. Regardless of who it was, this person was underestimating her too much.
She reached into her sleeve and flung out the white silk handkerchief. A faint, almost imperceptible mist enveloped her. The Spiritual Qi attack smoothly cut into the mist, but the next moment, it vanished within the mist, dissipating without a trace.
"Oh?" The person expressed surprise, then sneered. "Quite some skill. It seems I underestimated you."
Mo Tiange smiled slightly, gently opening the Heaven-Earth Fan. "Whoever you are, if you don't want to die, you'd better scram quickly."
Hearing this, the person laughed heartily. "Interesting! Are all Outer Sea cultivators as arrogant as you?"
"Whether it's arrogance or not, we'll only know after fighting," Mo Tiange's gaze turned slightly cold. "It seems you're determined to rob me?"
"So what if I rob you? The Fusheng Sword—even a Fusheng Sword that can only recover a fraction of its power—is no ordinary item. You can only blame yourself for being too bold. An Outer Sea cultivator, daring to carry such a treasure in Yunzhong... Hmph, even if I don't make a move, others will come to rob you."
"Then try robbing me!" Before the words even finished, the Heaven-Earth Fan unfolded and spread out. Mountains and rivers, both tangible and intangible, instantly spilled forth.
The person hadn't expected Mo Tiange to act so swiftly. Before the conversation was even over, her Magical Treasure was already deployed.
In the darkness, something black seemed to splash out, attempting to block the illusory mountains and rivers conjured by the Heaven-Earth Fan.
Mo Tiange smiled slightly. The mountains and rivers instantly retracted. Her figure moved like lightning, retreating several zhang. A crane's cry echoed as an Immortal Crane shot out from the Heaven-Earth Fan, pecking towards her right side.
"Ah!" A startled exclamation. A figure suddenly appeared in the darkness. This person's movement was also extremely fast, flashing and shrinking, already dozens of zhang away. A massive rock blocked the Immortal Crane.
Mo Tiange lightly waved her fan, and the Immortal Crane vanished without a trace. She smiled, looking at the person in the darkness. "Professor Han, it really is you."
Dozens of zhang away, Han Shizhi's face was gloomy as he glared fiercely at Mo Tiange.
Although he had just blocked the Immortal Crane's attack in time, Mo Tiange had simply been feinting. Under the cover of the crane, she had launched a sneak attack with flying needles. Even though she hadn't truly succeeded, the feeling of nearly falling for it was unpleasant.
Han Shizhi had always believed that the level of Outer Sea cultivators couldn't compare to that of Yunzhong cultivators, which was why he had felt confident enough to launch this ambush. He hadn't expected Mo Tiange to possess so many Magical Treasures, not only easily evading his Spiritual Sense attack but even counter-ambushing him. He had almost died due to his own carelessness.
However, starting now, that wouldn't happen. With the Golden Brush and Jade Inkstone in hand, even if this woman had numerous treasures, he wouldn't lose.
Mo Tiange, however, didn't attack immediately. Looking at Han Shizhi, she smiled and asked, "Professor Han, I don't quite understand. Aren't you a Confucian Cultivator? The Fusheng Sword is an item for Daoist cultivators. What use do you have for it?"
"Hmph!" Han Shizhi snorted coldly. "What do you know? When it comes to Magical Treasures, how can there be distinctions between schools? Confucian Cultivators, Daoist Cultivators, Buddhist Cultivators—aren't they all just harnessing Spiritual Qi for their own use?"
Mo Tiange was stunned, not expecting him to say such a thing.
She pondered his words carefully in her heart and suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment, a moment of sudden realization. Yes, Confucian Cultivators, Daoist Cultivators, Buddhist Cultivators, even demonic cultivators—they were all cultivators. Although their respective doctrines differed, their cultivation techniques differed, and their methods of utilizing Spiritual Qi differed, in essence, there wasn't a great distinction. They all cultivated, all harnessed the world's Spiritual Qi for their own use, all strengthened their physical bodies, cultivated their meridians and dantians, all advanced step by step, pursuing the final ascension. It was she who had been too confined by sectarian views, always thinking that cultivators of other paths could be referenced for insights but were ultimately different. In reality, the essence should be the same, only the external forms differed.
Looking at Han Shizhi in the darkness, she now felt a profound sensation. This Han Shizhi had come to seize treasure and might even kill her. His words were sinister and ruthless, revealing that his earlier erudition and elegance were all an act; he was actually a vicious individual. Yet, this person possessed such an understanding of the Dao, almost seeing through the fundamental meaning of cultivators from all paths. His unintentional remark had instantly given her a sense of transcendence in her state of mind. She didn't even know whether she should thank this person.
"Professor Han is truly a learned individual, able to comprehend such a principle. Since that's the case, why is your mental cultivation so weak? Ambushing someone is hardly upright conduct. Don't you Confucian Cultivators pursue establishing oneself with integrity and fortifying one's will? Aren't you afraid of Inner Demons?"
Han Shizhi smiled disdainfully, looking at Mo Tiange. "You needn't try your silver tongue. You only understand the surface of our Confucian cultivation techniques. What Inner Demons? They're merely the result of acting contrary to the principles of one's own heart. If there are no principles, how can there be transgression? Although your cultivation is decent, you're still just a young girl."
Despite being so belittled, Mo Tiange showed no anger. She pondered Han Shizhi's words. *If there are no principles, how can there be transgression... Could it really be so?* Demonic path cultivators didn't cultivate their minds and were prone to Qi Deviation, yet they could also ascend to become demons. Many Nascent Soul cultivators in the Tianji Region feared Inner Demons and wouldn't harm lives without reason; even someone as temperamental as her master was like that. Yet, the number one Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in Tianji was that scourge, Venerable Songfeng. Was the reason actually this simple?
*If there are no principles, how can there be transgression.* Because these Daoist cultivators had been instilled since childhood with the notion of "do not lightly harm lives, beware of Inner Demons," they had always believed internally that harming others without cause would lead to Inner Demons. Consequently, when they committed such acts, they would be plagued by Inner Demons. As for Venerable Songfeng, it was said he was neither Dao nor demon, neither human nor ghost. That is to say, the principles he recognized differed from those of Daoist cultivators. Could it be that because he had no so-called principles in his heart, transgressing them didn't create Inner Demons, allowing him to stop at nothing and still become the number one Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in Tianji?
As Mo Tiange sank into her own contemplation, Han Shizhi gave a sinister, cold smile. Suddenly, he flicked his hand, and ink from the Golden Brush splashed out while the Jade Inkstone simultaneously smashed towards her.
"Fellow Daoist Qin!" Just as the Golden Brush's ink was about to splash onto Mo Tiange, a clear shout was heard. Someone shot out, a streak of light like lightning instantly deflecting the ink back.
This person reached out and retrieved a crescent-moon-shaped jade blade that flew back into their hand. Their figure had already positioned itself in front of Mo Tiange.
"You..." Seeing the apricot-colored Daoist robe on this person clearly, Han Shizhi was startled. "You are..."
Under the moonlight, this person's gaze was cold as it fell upon Han Shizhi, speaking in a deep voice, "Han Shizhi? You come to my Tianxue City, act and kill on my Ling Family's territory? Aren't you showing too little regard for my Ling Family?"
Han Shizhi slowly retracted his sinister expression and let out a breath. "Since Fellow Daoist Ling has intervened, I won't say much more. Let's consider today's matter concluded."
"Wait!" Seeing Han Shizhi turn to leave, this person shouted. He looked at Han Shizhi, his expression dark. "You think you can just walk away like that?"
Han Shizhi paused, turning around calmly. "Ling Yunhe, I'm dropping this matter out of respect for the Ling Family. And you? Do you want to push your luck?"
Under the moonlight, Ling Yunhe's face flickered between shadow and light. "Respect for my Ling Family? Acting freely on my Ling Family's territory—is that still showing respect?"
"What else then?" Han Shizhi's expression remained calm. "You know yourself you can't do anything to me, so why bother stopping me?" With that, he actually waved his sleeves and strode away.
And Ling Yunhe ultimately did not stop him.