After hearing about the Five Sages from Xiaoshun, Mo Tiange reconsidered her plans.
It was clear that the turmoil stirred up by the Heavenly Demon Tower would not subside anytime soon. Over the past few days in Tianxue City, she had noticed more and more cultivators heading towards the Guixu Sea. Not only those at Core Formation and above, but even Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators were going. Though they knew they had little hope, they couldn't resist going to see the spectacle, thinking they might just get lucky.
Witnessing the entire Yunzhong region beginning to turn upside down, Mo Tiange grew increasingly uneasy. Although the Guixu Sea was located in the far south of Yunzhong, hundreds of thousands of miles away, and no matter how fierce the fighting became, it wouldn't affect Tianxue City directly, the fact that so many cultivators were being drawn into this was a harbinger of great chaos.
After all, those cultivators from the Guixu Sea would eventually return to their respective sects. Once they formed grudges in the Guixu Sea, how could they simply let things rest? If a full-scale conflict truly erupted, the entire Yunzhong region would be dragged in.
At this thought, Mo Tiange's brow twitched. She had no desire for any Sacred Relic. Staying in Yunzhong was merely to finish her business. But given the current situation, if she lingered here for long, she feared she would inevitably be swept into the chaos as well.
What to do? Seeking out Ling Yunhe was not a good idea—the Guixu Sea was now a place of trouble. Waiting here? Unless she secluded herself completely, focusing solely on cultivation, once chaos erupted in Yunzhong, it would be troublesome for her.
Moreover, she had a premonition. Since the Heavenly Demon Tower had appeared, what about the other Sacred Relics? Driven by profit, if things went badly, the turmoil brought by these Sacred Relics could affect Yunzhong for years, decades, or even centuries.
If that were the case, there was no need for her to stay in Yunzhong any longer.
After brief consideration, Mo Tiange ultimately decided to give up on the Art of the Plain Maiden and return to the Tianji Region.
She had already traversed the passage between Tianji and Yunzhong once before. Doing it again wouldn't be difficult, just more time-consuming. And that half-year or more of travel wasn't particularly long for a cultivator. Since that was the case, why stay in Yunzhong and waste time? The Art of the Plain Maiden wouldn't be obtainable anytime soon. It was better to return to Tianji and come back in ten or twenty years.
Once decided, she acted. The next day, Mo Tiange sent a message to Xiaoshun, saying she had other important matters and needed to leave for a while—perhaps for a very long time—and asked him to relay this to Ling Yunhe. Then, taking advantage of the teleportation array, she directly teleported to Beiji Island.
Teleportation arrays were quite common in Yunzhong, but only in major cities like Tianxue City with heavy traffic. These days, people were constantly teleporting to southern cities, but the usually bustling teleportation array on Beiji Island had few users.
Hearing that Mo Tiange wasn't heading to a southern city, the cultivator guarding the array was quite surprised. Limited by his cultivation level, he didn't dare ask more. After Mo Tiange paid the fee, he respectfully activated the array and sent her on her way.
The teleportation array activated. Moments later, the light faded. Mo Tiange opened her eyes to find herself already inside the Yulin Pavilion of the Tianyan Sect on Beiji Island.
Seeing a Core Formation cultivator step out of the array, the guards were astonished. The lead Foundation Establishment cultivator hesitated, then stepped forward and asked, "Welcome, Senior, to Beiji Island."
Since the other party was so polite, Mo Tiange smiled and nodded in response.
Seeing her friendly attitude, the man felt a bit more at ease and asked courteously, "Is this your first time on Beiji Island, Senior? Are you here to hunt demon beasts or visit friends? If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Mo Tiange shook her head gently. "I've been to Beiji Island once before, so that won't be necessary."
"I see. This junior has overstepped," the Foundation Establishment cultivator said. Yet he still didn't step back. After a moment's hesitation, he mustered his courage and asked, "Forgive my impertinence, Senior. In recent months, very few cultivators have come to Beiji Island. None at the Core Formation stage like yourself. Why have you chosen to come at this time instead?"
Seeing Mo Tiange raise an eyebrow, seeming displeased, the Foundation Establishment cultivator hurriedly added, "This junior is merely curious. If it's inconvenient for you, Senior, please pretend I never asked."
The purpose of Mo Tiange's trip wasn't something she could tell others. Since this Foundation Establishment cultivator was sensible, she didn't say more, simply stating, "It is indeed inconvenient to say. May I leave now?"
The Foundation Establishment cultivator quickly took a step back. "Of course, Senior. Please proceed as you wish."
Mo Tiange said no more and strode out of the Yulin Pavilion.
After her figure disappeared, a Qi Refining girl following the Foundation Establishment cultivator asked curiously, "Master, most of the Core Formation masters from our sect have gone to the Guixu Sea. Why has this senior come to Beiji Island instead?"
The Foundation Establishment cultivator gazed in the direction Mo Tiange had vanished and shook his head. "Precisely because of that, I think this senior is a wise person."
"Oh?" The girl was puzzled. "Why?"
Looking at his young disciple, the Foundation Establishment cultivator smiled. "Think about it yourself. So many high-level seniors are rushing to the Guixu Sea. How many of them are at the Nascent Soul late-stage? In the end, only those top-tier cultivators will get what they want. Unless a Core Formation cultivator has incredible luck, they might gain some benefit. But the most likely outcome is not only gaining nothing, but suffering losses instead."
"Ah..." The girl suddenly understood. "Is that why the Core Formation masters staying behind in our sect are all the promising younger ones?"
The Foundation Establishment cultivator nodded.
The girl tilted her head again, confused. "If that's the case, why did our two Nascent Soul Patriarchs still take those Core Formation masters with them? Wouldn't it be better if we just stayed out of it?"
The Foundation Establishment cultivator shook his head with a smile. "In all matters of the world, everything can be measured by profit. Where profit leads, of course great risks must be taken. Think about it—the legend connected to the five Sacred Relics left by the Five Sages. Ascending to the Deity Transformation stage! This is something all cultivators in the world yearn for. Many people are willing to gamble just for a single realm advancement after forming their Core, let alone for Deity Transformation? Even if it's just a legend, it's worth staking their lives and fortunes on."
"But..."
Before the girl could finish, the Foundation Establishment cultivator continued, "Only two kinds of people can ignore such a legend. First, those like us who have no hope whatsoever. Second, those who themselves possess extremely high aptitude and have a great chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage without needing to gamble." At this point, the Foundation Establishment cultivator shook his head and sighed. "It seems this senior is not only wise, but her aptitude likely isn't poor either."
Naturally, Mo Tiange was unaware of this conversation among the juniors. As soon as she stepped out of the Yulin Pavilion, she noticed that Beiji Island was much quieter than before. The sounds of street hawkers were sparse, and those setting up stalls seemed listless.
It appeared the emergence of the Sacred Relic wasn't just affecting high-level cultivators; low-level cultivators couldn't escape it either. Not to mention the constant rumors in Tianxue City, even a remote island like Beiji Island, far from the Yunzhong mainland, saw a sharp drop in traffic and business.
Mo Tiange shook her head. Suddenly, she released her spiritual sense, confirming there was nothing suspicious around her, then soared into the air, heading towards the southern end of Beiji Island.
Beiji Island wasn't very large. In a short while, Mo Tiange had reached the seaside.
She was about to soar up and cross the shallow strait to Nanjie Island when, the next moment, her steps halted. Her expression changed drastically, and she stood frozen in mid-air.
Looking into the distance, what lay before her was an endless expanse of ocean—not a strait barely two miles long, and there was no trace of Nanjie Island.
What was going on?
After a moment of stunned silence, Mo Tiange let out a breath and continued flying south. She couldn't have mistaken this direction. Nanjie Island was supposed to be right here. How could it have disappeared? Could something be blocking it?
Flying to where Nanjie Island should have been, Mo Tiange circled around but found nothing. The sea was still the sea, as if there had never been an island here.
"How could this be..." she murmured to herself. With her current cultivation level, she could tell there was nothing unusual about this area. It shouldn't be an illusion array or something similar hiding the island. But where had Nanjie Island gone?
After thinking for a while and still not understanding what had happened, Mo Tiange turned and flew back to Beiji Island, heading for the island's town.
"Young man." As soon as she entered the town, Mo Tiange called out to a youth who was soliciting business.
The youth was likely a broker. Hearing her call, he turned and saw her, immediately putting on an eager smile. "What can I do for you, Senior? Whether you're looking for someone, asking for directions, buying things, or finding an inn, this humble one can help."
Mo Tiange had no patience for slow conversation. She went straight to the point. "I want to ask about something."
"That's no problem either, Senior. Please ask. I grew up here. There's nothing about Beiji Island I don't know."
Ignoring the youth's boast, Mo Tiange asked, "Then do you know if there's a Nanjie Island to the south of Beiji Island?"
"Ah..." Hearing this, the youth took a closer look at her before saying, "You're right, Senior. To the south of our Beiji Island, there originally was a Nanjie Island. But that island was small and didn't have any good resources. Basically, no one went there. Outsiders hardly know about it."
"Originally?" Mo Tiange caught the word sensitively. "What do you mean by 'originally'?"
The youth explained, "You might not know, Senior. There was a small volcano on Nanjie Island. Nanjie Island itself appeared because of a volcanic eruption long ago. However, the volcano had been dormant for many years, so many people forgot about it. But three years ago, that volcano suddenly erupted. After that, Nanjie Island sank."
"Sank?" Mo Tiange's face paled. She knew there had been a volcano on Nanjie Island back then, but she never expected it would erupt and cause the island to sink.
So, did that mean Nanjie Island no longer existed? What about that passage? Did it no longer exist either?
"...Speaking of which, this event three years ago scared a lot of people. It's said only some cultivators managed to escape from Nanjie Island. The mortals sank with the island. Fortunately, it was just a small volcano, and the commotion wasn't big enough to affect Beiji Island." At this point, the youth glanced cautiously at Mo Tiange. "Senior, were you going to Nanjie Island to look for someone? If you're looking for those cultivators, this humble one might be able to help you inquire. They should still be alive."
After a long pause, Mo Tiange woodenly shook her head. She casually tossed him a few spirit stones, then turned and left.
She didn't care about the people of Nanjie Island. But if Nanjie Island had sunk, how was she supposed to get back?