Silence.
When Ling Yunhe asked that question, the gazes of all five people fell upon Mo Tiange. There was curiosity, but even more vigilance. Yet, no one spoke.
A mere claim of coming from the Outer Sea was, of course, insufficient to dispel their doubts. Yunzhong cultivators held a deep-rooted belief: cultivators from the Outer Sea could not compare to those native to Yunzhong. Even the continents of the Outer Sea, Yuanzhou and Xiaoyang, were considered the same.
But this female cultivator who called herself Qin Wei was different. Her Natal Magical Treasure and spirit beast were extraordinary, and now she even possessed such a treasure that was almost on par with the God-Restricting Bead. Even in Yunzhong, cultivators like her were not common.
According to her, she had a family elder with profound cultivation and numerous spirit treasures—how could such a cultivation clan flourish in the desolate Outer Sea?
One must understand that clans and sects always matched Spirit Veins. Low-grade Spirit Veins could not support large clans with high-level cultivators, while high-grade Spirit Veins would inevitably become the stronghold of major sects or great cultivation clans.
The Outer Sea was notoriously barren and desolate. Even if there were Spirit Veins in the sea, they could not compare to the great Spirit Veins of Yunzhong itself. So, how could such a large clan possibly appear there?
"I crossed the sea from the Outer Sea," Mo Tiange said calmly under the gaze of the five, her expression placid.
After a long moment, Ling Yunhe moved his lips, revealing a faint smile. "The Outer Sea... I never imagined the Outer Sea would have a cultivator like Fellow Daoist Qin. If I have the chance, I must visit Fellow Daoist's homeland."
"Of course, if fate allows," Mo Tiange replied. Then, with a warning glance sweeping over her temporary companions, she lightly tapped her Heaven-Earth Fan, smiled slightly again, and closed her eyes to meditate and regulate her breathing.
She was warning certain individuals not to act rashly against her, or they would pay the price. Among the six of them now, her spiritual energy depletion was the lightest. Moreover, in the chaotic atmosphere of Carefree Valley, the treasures she possessed were more suited for survival than theirs.
After a brief period of meditation, the six gathered again.
"What do we do now?" Ling Yunfei was the first to lose patience, looking at Ling Yunhe. "Do we continue?"
"Of course..."
"Fellow Daoist Ling," Yang Chengji interrupted Ling Yunhe mid-sentence, his voice cold. "I do not agree to continue. We are either injured or have depleted our cultivation. If we press on like this, we will all die here."
"I agree," Tian Can also said coldly. "Fellow Daoist Ling, I don't care about the others. I was hired to do a job, but what you've given isn't enough for me to risk my life."
While they spoke, Ling Yunhe listened with a faint smile. After Tian Can finished, he looked at Mo Tiange. "And Fellow Daoist Qin?"
Mo Tiange lightly tapped her Heaven-Earth Fan and said indifferently, "What Fellow Daoist Yang and Fellow Daoist Tian Can said is not without reason."
"So, all three of you feel it's inadvisable to continue?"
Mo Tiange and the others did not answer, but their expressions had already made their stance clear.
The higher one's cultivation, the more one cherished life. Reaching the Core Formation stage was not easy; thriving as they had was even harder. Besides, their ages ranged from one to three hundred years old—still very young for Core Formation cultivators. How could they bear to throw their lives away here?
Tian Zhiqian hesitated for a moment, then also said, "Brother Ling, I also believe that with our current state—some injured, some weakened—continuing the search will yield little result."
Ling Yunfei looked at the others and finally said, "Second Brother, I'll follow your lead."
Ling Yunhe nodded, yet smiled. "Fellow Daoists are too hasty. I never said we should continue right now."
Hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
Ling Yunhe sighed. "Before this journey, I promised to prioritize your lives. Moreover, your concerns are valid. Fellow Daoist Yang and I are injured, and the other fellow daoists have expended too much spiritual energy. If we force our way forward, we might perish here before even finding the Carefree Fruit. I came here to find the Carefree Fruit, to return and contend for the Sect Leader position. I have no wish to die in vain here."
Ling Yunhe's declaration made the others breathe a sigh of relief. If he had insisted, it would have been troublesome. Not to mention turning against each other, even just parting ways would mean their small team scattering, making it difficult to leave Carefree Valley safely—this valley was too bizarre.
Yang Chengji's tone softened. "Then what does Fellow Daoist Ling suggest we do next?"
"Naturally, rest and recover before continuing," Ling Yunhe said. "Our losses just now were too great; we must restore our strength first. Fellow Daoist Yang, estimate how long your injuries will take to heal."
Yang Chengji lowered his head, calculating silently before replying, "In three days, I should be fine."
"Oh?" Ling Yunhe was surprised. Although he wasn't deeply familiar with the demonic cultivation path, he could tell Yang Chengji's injuries were not light. To recover in just three days?
After his surprise, he quickly regained his composure and continued, "Then I must trouble Fellow Daoist Yang to wait a little longer. My injuries may require five days." After saying this, without waiting for others to respond, Ling Yunhe turned to Mo Tiange. "Fellow Daoist Qin, does that treasure of yours have the effect of stabilizing spiritual energy?"
"It does," Mo Tiange answered frankly. Since the Taiji Bagua Diagram had already been revealed, there was no point in hiding it.
Ling Yunhe then said, "My God-Restricting Bead is too severely depleted and temporarily unusable. May I borrow Fellow Daoist Qin's treasure for the time being?"
Mo Tiange smiled. "Fellow Daoist Ling, rest assured. During this period, I will continue to use the Taiji Bagua Diagram, cooperating with Fellow Daoist Tian to ensure all fellow daoists are unaffected by the chaotic aura of Carefree Valley and can exert their proper strength."
"Good. Fellow Daoist Qin's assistance is deeply appreciated." After a simple expression of thanks, Ling Yunhe addressed the group. "With Fellow Daoist Qin's treasure and Brother Tian's formation expertise, staying in the valley a few more days should not be a problem. During these days, Fellow Daoist Yang and I will heal our injuries, and the other fellow daoists can rest. Once we have all recovered our strength, we will continue. How does that sound?"
"I have no objections," Yang Chengji was the first to respond, nodding to the group. "I'll find a place to heal. If anything comes up, come find me."
After Yang Chengji left, Tian Can also stood up. "In that case, I'll go rest as well. I expended too much spiritual energy earlier."
After these two walked off on their own, Ling Yunhe glanced at Mo Tiange with some helplessness. "Fellow Daoist Qin, then you..."
"I'll go rest too." Mo Tiange nodded to the three of them, then found a spot within Tian Zhiqian's defensive formation. After casting a spell on the Taiji Bagua Diagram, she also closed her eyes to meditate.
Watching the three of them successively enter meditation, Ling Yunhe, his brother, and Tian Zhiqian sat in silence for a while. Tian Zhiqian asked, "Brother Ling, are they truly reliable?"
Ling Yunhe's gaze shifted between Yang Chengji, Tian Can, and Mo Tiange, finally shaking his head. "I don't know."
"Second Brother," Ling Yunfei looked up at him, confusion in his eyes. "I've never understood why you sought outsiders. Can't our Ling Family and the entire Jiuyan Sect find a few people you can trust?"
Faced with Ling Yunfei's evident bewilderment, Ling Yunhe was silent for a long moment, until his brother called out again, "Second Brother, I know you've always been smarter than me. But don't always keep everything from me. I really want to know what you're thinking!"
"...Sorry, Yunfei." Seeing Ling Yunfei's troubled expression, Ling Yunhe was momentarily stunned before apologizing. "I didn't consider it carefully enough, thinking these matters weren't important to you..."
"Then tell me," Ling Yunfei said. "Second Brother, I want to help you, not be kept in the dark about everything."
Ling Yunhe fell silent for a long while, then slowly nodded. "Alright..." He rubbed his temples, thought for a moment, and began to explain. "The Sect Leader Selection in our Jiuyan Sect has always been a power struggle between the sect and the families. Every century, every selection, there is internal strife, even losing some of the elite cultivators we worked so hard to nurture. The Supreme Elders are clearly aware of this. So why has the Sect Leader Selection continued without being abolished?"
"Why?" Ling Yunfei asked. "I've thought about that too, but I can't figure it out."
"Because..." Ling Yunhe sighed. "Because our Jiuyan Sect is too large. So large it has no rivals in all of Yunzhong. So large that factions proliferate, cliques form for selfish gains, and cultivators lose their detached hearts. In such a situation, if there were no internal conflicts to consume their energy and settle their grudges, then in the end, contradictions would accumulate until the Jiuyan Sect, like a long dike hollowed out by termites, would collapse in an instant, utterly destroyed."
As Ling Yunhe spoke, Ling Yunfei's face grew paler and paler, until it was almost horrified. "Has our Jiuyan Sect reached such a state?"
Even Tian Zhiqian frowned. "That can't be..." He was a cultivator from the Five Elements Valley. Although the Five Elements Valley was considered a major sect in Dongtang Country, it hadn't reached the scale of the Jiuyan Sect, and its nature was different, without such complex circumstances.
"I wish it weren't so," Ling Yunhe said bitterly. "But... this matter is hardly a secret in all of Yunzhong. Brother Tian, the Supreme Elders of your Five Elements Valley are well aware of it too."
"Is that so..." Tian Zhiqian murmured, finding it hard to believe.
"The successive generations of Ancestors in our Jiuyan Sect have been talented and numerous. They discovered this situation long ago, hence the establishment of this Sect Leader Selection. Those defeated in the sect's power struggles have a chance to start anew every century. This way, although conflicts exist between the various factions, they can be kept within a certain range."
"..." Ling Yunfei was silent for a moment, then asked, "What does this have to do with you choosing outsiders to accompany you?"
Ling Yunhe smiled, his smile tinged with bitterness. "Yunfei, let me ask you: in the entire Ling Family, the entire sect, how many Core Formation fellow disciples are without factional ties, independent of power struggles?"
Ling Yunfei was stunned. "This..."
"Very few can escape it," Ling Yunhe said indifferently. "Sometimes, in the face of interests, bonds between fellow disciples, even between brothers, become insignificant. Even if they are unwilling, they are swept along—just as I ultimately became estranged from Eldest Brother."
Ling Yunfei fell silent.
Ling Yunhe sighed again and reached out to pat his brother's head. It had been many years since he had done that after they grew up.
"I just don't want to give them the chance to turn against me," he said with a smile. "Yunfei, the reason I didn't tell you is because it's better for you this way. In the Ling Family, in the Jiuyan Sect, being able to cultivate purely is truly a fortunate thing."