For a long time, no one spoke.
Nie Wushang's expression was calm; she had been mentally prepared for this.
Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo, however, looked ashen, hanging their heads in silence.
After a long while, Yong Ruyu's dry voice sounded: "Fellow Daoist Qin, isn't this... a bit too hasty?"
Mo Tiange slowly began to speak: "First, all Core Formation cultivators who passed through Starfall City were invited to the City Lord's Manor. I remember Elder Liang saying that not a single person refused the invitation. How unusual is this situation? How many Core Formation cultivators don't have some background? Why would everyone flock to this so-called Ancient Secret Land and wait here? This is the first suspicious point."
Yong Ruyu's expression shifted for a long time before he finally sighed and said, "What Fellow Daoist Qin says, while not certain, is not without reason."
Mo Tiange said, "Correct. It's not to say that City Lord Mei definitely detained those Core Formation cultivators who didn't agree, but it's at least a point of suspicion."
"Then what's the second suspicious point?" Qiu Chengruo asked, staring intently at her.
"Afterwards, we agreed to City Lord Mei's request, but this City Lord Mei showed absolutely no intention of letting us get to know each other. He even intentionally or unintentionally reminded us that others might resort to killing within the secret land."
"Correct," Nie Wushang said. "I found it strange at the time. Even though we Core Formation cultivators didn't know each other, wouldn't it be easier to pass the trials if some were willing to form alliances? Even if we turned on each other in the end, that would be a matter between us, not something that would fall on their heads. One could say that letting us Core Formation cultivators get acquainted and seek our own allies would be beneficial, not harmful, to City Lord Mei. But he didn't. From start to finish, he had no intention of letting us get to know each other. If not for you two Fellow Daoists visiting, Fellow Daoist Qin and I would probably have just been a party of two."
Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo's faces darkened. After hesitating, Qiu Chengruo said, "Actually, before my Senior Brother and I sought allies, Elder Liang advised us that in this formation, it was better to go only with trusted people than to seek temporary allies. However, after consideration, my Senior Brother and I felt that with our strength, passing the trials would be somewhat difficult, so we didn't listen to him..."
Mo Tiange sighed softly. Such a reminder, unrelated and unconnected, was almost too kind-hearted, especially when it involved the interests of Starfall City. The more one thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
"The third suspicious point lies in many details," Mo Tiange continued. "The Maze Mist, the way they covered the secret land, the loss of spiritual qi, and so on... If the first two points are merely suspicions, these details are enough to prove that this secret land is not some Ancient Secret Land at all."
"..." A deathly silence fell, and no one spoke again. Everyone was silently pondering what to do next. Since there were suspicions, of course they had to get out. But how? Among them, only Mo Tiange understood formations, but not enough to break them. Moreover, no matter how strong their strength, it couldn't compare to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"Not good!" Nie Wushang suddenly thought of something, her expression changing drastically as she took out a small puppet from her Qiankun Bag. "This thing..."
Seeing this object, the other three also changed expressions, especially Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo.
Although City Lord Mei had stated from the beginning that he would provide what was needed for the secret land journey, giving everyone a Magical Treasure each was perhaps too cautious, especially since the miasma wasn't that severe and there was no need for it at all.
Mo Tiange also took out the puppet, examined it carefully, and probed it with her spiritual sense, only to find a barrier inside that prevented spiritual sense from entering.
This was the work of a Nascent Soul cultivator. She became even more certain that this thing was definitely problematic.
"What should we do?" Nie Wushang asked her.
Mo Tiange thought for a moment, then turned to Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo: "It seems you two Fellow Daoists don't primarily cultivate the fire element?"
"Mm," Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo, who clearly used a set of techniques together, both shook their heads.
Mo Tiange wasn't surprised. She threw the puppet in her hand to the ground, opened a spirit beast bag, and summoned Xiaohuo, instructing: "Xiaohuo, use fire."
Xiaohuo hadn't come out for a long time. Seeing her, it shook its head and wanted to come over and nuzzle, only to be swatted down by Mo Tiange: "We have serious business!"
Xiaohuo let out two dissatisfied squeaks, but seeing her unmoved, it obediently turned back and sprayed True Solar Fire at the small puppet on the ground.
Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo were somewhat surprised to see Xiaohuo. Spirit beasts weren't rare, but it was uncommon for a Core Formation cultivator to have a spirit beast above the fifth rank by their side, especially one that was clearly no ordinary breed and could directly spray True Solar Fire.
Under the True Solar Fire, the puppet held on for a long time before finally beginning to slowly melt. The four watched as the unremarkable outer shell slowly disappeared, revealing what was inside—a black crystal, flowing with a sinister aura.
"Demonic Crystal!" Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo exclaimed in unison upon seeing this object, their faces pale. Then, they took off the puppets they were carrying and threw them away as if they were plague.
"Demonic Crystal?" Mo Tiange looked at the two of them. "You two recognize this object?"
Qiu Chengruo's lips trembled, unable to speak. Yong Ruyu, though looking terrible, still had some self-control and forced himself to answer: "This thing... there's no cultivator in Yunzhong who doesn't know about it. To speak of this object, one must mention a secret art of the demonic cultivators in Yunzhong: the Corpse Soul Art!"
The name alone didn't sound like anything good. Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang exchanged a glance. "What exactly is this art?"
Yong Ruyu calmed down a bit and continued: "This secret art, as its name implies, is a sinister technique that turns a living person into a corpse, refining them into something like a puppet." He paused, catching his breath, still not recovered from the shock. "The Corpse Soul Art not only takes lives but even controls souls. It's extremely vicious. Among us cultivators, although we might fight and even take lives over disagreements, turning someone into a puppet, denying them rebirth for all eternity, is something we greatly averse to. So, although the Corpse Soul Art is also a remarkable technique, few demonic cultivators know its contents, and even fewer dare to use it openly. Not only we righteous cultivators, but even demonic path cultivators are very wary of it."
Hearing him say this, Nie Wushang murmured, "So, this City Lord Mei lured us here to perform the Corpse Soul Art on us?"
"Most likely..." Qiu Chengruo said, cold sweat beading on her forehead, which she hadn't wiped away. "This Demonic Crystal is an important item for performing the Corpse Soul Art. It absorbs a person's vital energy, slowly turning us into monsters that are neither human nor demon!"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang's expressions changed: "Will it work just by carrying it with us like this?"
Yong Ruyu nodded, then shook his head, explaining: "You two Fellow Daoists, you both just had this Demonic Crystal in your Qiankun Bags. Naturally, that's useless. But my Junior Sister and I... once this thing is restricted by a high-level cultivator, it absorbs vital energy from nearby. My Junior Sister and I have been carrying it for a while now."
"Then you two..."
Yong Ruyu's face turned green then white. Soon, he gritted his teeth, as if making a decision: "Discovering it now isn't too late. We've only lost some vital energy..."
Vital energy, put another way, is called soul energy. For cultivators, a person is composed of body and primordial spirit. They generally don't concern themselves with the soul, because the soul is something inherent to humans, existing from birth and disappearing only at death, the same for mortals and cultivators alike. Moreover, unlike the primordial spirit, the soul is invisible and intangible, and doesn't hinder their cultivation or combat. This vital energy is the vitality of the soul. If vital energy is lost, the soul slowly congeals, loses vitality, and finally dies. However, from what Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo said, there should be some sinister technique attached to this Demonic Crystal, causing those whose vital energy is absorbed to enter a state between life and death.
Mo Tiange looked at the Demonic Crystal on the ground, then at the other three puppets. The puppets were carved extremely finely, their movements lifelike. But now, with their changed state of mind, they looked ferocious, as if mocking them.
She thought for a moment and asked: "Since we've discovered it, how do we destroy it?"
Yong Ruyu, still pale-faced, said woodenly: "I don't know. We only know the surface of this secret art. It's been a long time since anyone in Yunzhong has been heard to perform the Corpse Soul Art."
"Let's try burning it," Nie Wushang, who had been observing, said. "Whenever demonic path techniques encounter fire-based spells, they weaken."
Mo Tiange nodded. Nie Wushang's familiarity with demonic path techniques was something she couldn't match. Since she said they could try, they might as well.
She continued to order Xiaohuo to burn the three small puppets. Soon, the three puppets turned into three Demonic Crystals, lying quietly on the ground.
After doing all this, Mo Tiange patted Xiaohuo's head, rewarding it with a pill, and continued to ask Nie Wushang: "Now what?"
Nie Wushang didn't answer immediately but looked at Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo: "You two Fellow Daoists, do you want these Demonic Crystals?"
As soon as the words were out, Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo immediately shook their heads. They had just suffered a loss, knew little about this object, and didn't dare take the risk.
Nie Wushang thought for a moment, then took out a handkerchief from her bosom. With her gloved hand, she picked up all four Demonic Crystals, wrapped them in the handkerchief, and stuffed them into her Qiankun Bag.
"...Fellow Daoist Tian Can?" Mo Tiange was puzzled.
Nie Wushang said, "If we escape, I'll study them."
"Oh..." Mo Tiange didn't say more. Nie Wushang's connection to the demonic path was not shallow; perhaps this object could be of some help to her.
"You two Fellow Daoists!" Yong Ruyu looked at them, frowning. "Since we know we've fallen into a trap, why aren't you two anxious at all?" They actually had the mind to collect Demonic Crystals here.
Mo Tiange turned her gaze to him and smiled: "What's the use of being anxious? We still don't understand what this trap is about. Being anxious will only make us lose our composure."
"Mm," Nie Wushang nodded, pondering. "Our opponent is a Nascent Soul cultivator, that's beyond doubt. Moreover, we've fallen into their trap and are in a passive position. Our only advantage now is that perhaps the other side doesn't know we've discovered the trap yet. If we can figure out their plan in time, maybe we can still escape."
Yong Ruyu and Qiu Chengruo couldn't help but nod. Their two companions were very calm, and gradually, they too began to settle down.
"Then, according to you two Fellow Daoists, what should we do now?"
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang exchanged a glance, then both turned their gazes to the two of them. Mo Tiange said: "That's something we need to ask you. You are cultivators from Yunzhong and disciples of a great sect. You must know a lot. Think carefully, do you have any countermeasures for this situation?"