One month later, above a small island by the shore of the Guixu Sea at the southern end of Yunzhong, a young scholar stood suspended in mid-air, looking down at the island beneath his feet.
The island was not large, spanning only a few dozen li in circumference. From above, its shape resembled a single leaf, hence it was called Yiye Island.
In terms of scale, Yiye Island was pitifully small—any market town in Dongtang Kingdom was larger. But in terms of grade, there was no market in all of Yunzhong with a higher standard than Yiye Island. On this small island, Core Formation cultivators were everywhere, Nascent Soul old monsters often made appearances, and even the merchants running the shops were basically all cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or above.
The reason why this tiny island, with its mediocre spiritual energy, gathered so many high-level cultivators was due to its perfectly advantageous geographical location.
Cultivators in Yunzhong generally went to two places to hunt demon beasts: the North Sea to the north, and the Guixu Sea to the south.
The North Sea region happened to have a large island, Beiji Island, surrounded by countless demon beasts of all grades, from low to high. Thus, Beiji Island gathered a large number of cultivators from Qi Refining to Core Formation stages, making a living by hunting beasts and forming a huge demon core market.
The Guixu Sea was different. Its demon beast market was not large—pitifully small compared to Beiji Island. However, its reputation among high-level cultivators was even greater than Beiji Island's. This was because the sea beasts in the Guixu Sea were primarily fifth-rank and above, and the corpses and demon cores they produced were precisely what cultivators at the Core Formation stage and above needed.
Yiye Island was conveniently located at an estuary of the Guixu Sea. Over time, the cultivators who came to the Guixu Sea to hunt beasts formed a small but high-end demon beast market here.
Mo Tiange stood in mid-air watching for a while, then asked, "Master, shall we settle here? I'm afraid all those Late-Nascent Soul cultivators have gathered here, haven't they?"
A light hum came from the Fusheng Sword, followed by Fuyaozi's voice: "Go ahead. You have already bound the Fusheng Sword as your Life-Bound Artifact. With me here, no matter how high their cultivation, those cultivators can't do anything to you."
Mo Tiange hesitated briefly, then believed him.
Over the past few years of interaction, a genuine master-disciple bond had grown between her and Fuyaozi. She trusted her master's judgment wouldn't be wrong.
Landing on the edge of Yiye Island, she registered at the town gate under the name "Ye Xiaotian" and entered the small town.
Yiye Island truly lived up to its reputation as the highest-grade market. As soon as she entered the town, she saw many Core Formation cultivators coming and going on the streets. Many of those loudly hawking wares or managing shops were Foundation Establishment cultivators. The most common Qi Refining cultivators and mortals found in other cultivation towns were scarce here, mostly just minor helpers in the shops. This surprised Mo Tiange greatly. Whether in Tianji or Yunzhong, she had never seen so many high-level cultivators gathered in one place. Moreover, among these high-level cultivators, one or two Nascent Soul cultivators frequently appeared.
"Yiye Island... it's still the same as before," Fuyaozi sighed. Though he had no form or body, only a wisp of divine sense remaining, his secret arts were astonishing, allowing him to still perceive his surroundings.
Mo Tiange smiled slightly. "Master seems very familiar with Yiye Island."
Fuyaozi said, "Your master is not like you. I had no sect backing me. From the moment I stepped onto the immortal path until I formed my Nascent Soul, I was always a loose cultivator. Life as a loose cultivator was hard. During my Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, I was quite destitute. After reaching Core Formation, I often came to Yiye Island to hunt demon beasts, and life became much better."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange nodded involuntarily in understanding. She had experienced the hardship of making a living with her second uncle in the past, so she deeply resonated with the destitution Fuyaozi described. However, thinking about it this way, her master was truly remarkable. Relying on an incomplete Mixed Origin cultivation method, without heaven-defying immortal fortune, he grew from a destitute low-level cultivator into the number one cultivator renowned throughout Yunzhong. Who knew how much hardship was involved in that?
"Master, shall we go directly to find lodging, rest a bit, and then head out to sea?"
"No," Fuyaozi said instead. "You can't go out to sea alone."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. "What does Master mean by that..."
Fuyaozi chuckled. "That place requires the five keys to merge into one before it can be opened. What use is you going alone? Naturally, we must wait for the others."
"But..." Mo Tiange was full of questions. Even with her master advising her from behind, she was ultimately just a Core Formation cultivator. How could she compete with those Late-Nascent Soul cultivators? Once the secret land opened, forget about benefits, she'd probably be devoured without even bones left.
"Don't worry," Fuyaozi said calmly. "Your master naturally won't let you suffer losses."
"Master, I can't help but worry," Mo Tiange admitted frankly. "Although I have the Fusheng Sword and you backing me, I'm ultimately alone. They also have Sacred Relics in hand, not only possessing formidable strength but also backed by astonishing forces. I..."
Fuyaozi laughed. "It's useless even if they have Sacred Relics."
"Ah? Why?" Mo Tiange didn't understand.
Fuyaozi said, "To tell you the truth, among the so-called Five Sages, the other four all had disciples to inherit their legacy. Only I did not. So, when I sealed my divine sense, I made a little adjustment. The other four only sealed their divine sense and some secret arts. If a disciple obtained the key and bound it, after they transmitted the opening secret art, their divine sense would dissipate. Only my divine sense can exist for a long time."
Mo Tiange had witnessed Ziwei Sanren's methods before, having an imprint left in her sea of consciousness by him. That Ziwei Sanren was exceptionally talented, sealing his divine sense for thousands of years. Even after being triggered, it still wouldn't disperse and could even continue to exist. Therefore, she had never doubted Fuyaozi's ability to preserve his divine sense. After all, he was the legendary number one figure in Yunzhong. As for the other Five Sages, she had naturally assumed it was the same—they were collectively called the Five Sages, so even if the others were slightly weaker than her master, they shouldn't be much weaker. Now, hearing Fuyaozi's words, she realized her master was actually more skilled.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange had a sudden realization and sighed, "Master, so you're not as honest as you appear!"
"What nonsense!" Fuyaozi lightly chided. "Although your master considers himself upright and honorable, I am not someone completely without schemes."
Indeed, from a rootless loose cultivator to the number one cultivator in Yunzhong, unmatched for over a hundred thousand years, how could her master be completely "upright and pure"?
Thinking this, she felt much more at ease.
Setting aside her worries, she also became interested in the market on Yiye Island. Just as she was about to go browse, she suddenly felt a powerful divine sense linger on her for a moment.
She immediately looked up and saw, on the second floor of a tavern, a cultivator who looked about fifty years old, dressed like a wealthy mortal gentleman, sitting by the window, looking at her with sharp eyes. This person's pressure was powerful—a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Mo Tiange wasn't sure what this cultivator intended, but with Fuyaozi by her side, she felt no fear. Instead, she smiled slightly at the person and cupped her hands in a salute, showing respect to a senior.
The cultivator was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting her to act this way. Then, both his divine sense and gaze shifted away from her.
Mo Tiange breathed a sigh of relief and continued browsing the market. Whether this person had seen through her disguise or noticed something else, it didn't matter. After all, she had already arrived at the Guixu Sea. Interacting with those top Nascent Soul cultivators of Yunzhong was inevitable sooner or later.
"Brother Nan, you..." On the tavern's second floor, opposite this cultivator, a young Daoist priest looked at him with a smile, puzzlement flashing in his eyes.
The male cultivator addressed as Brother Nan stroked his graying beard. "It's nothing. This old man just happened to notice that junior is somewhat unusual."
"Oh?" The young Daoist priest turned to glance out the window. People were coming and going, and that Core Formation cultivator was already gone. "Unusual in what way?"
"There are powerful divine sense fluctuations on that person. Moreover, this old man merely looked at him a bit longer, and he noticed immediately."
"Is that so?" The young Daoist priest's gaze swept over the street as he smiled meaningfully. "Yiye Island has been really lively lately. Not only have all those old monsters emerged, but even Core Formation juniors are each so remarkable!"
The cultivator surnamed Nan also smiled, leisurely holding his wine cup and taking a sip. "Brother Ruyi, given our many years of friendship, can you give me a hint? What exactly are your Five Elements Valley's plans this time?"
"A hint?" The young Daoist priest rubbed his nose, looking at the person opposite with a half-smile. "What hint does this poor Daoist have to give? Our Five Elements Valley's strength is insufficient. We're just here to watch the excitement and pick up some bargains. But Brother Nan, your Danxia Sect has brought quite a few people this time..."
"Heh..." The cultivator surnamed Nan laughed self-deprecatingly. "Brother Ruyi, I might as well be frank with you. Everyone knows what situation our Danxia Sect is in. We do want to seize this opportunity. But, wanting is one thing. I'm just powerless."
These words from the cultivator surnamed Nan struck a chord with the young Daoist priest, who sighed, "Who says it isn't so? Among the five major Daoist sects, our two sects are the weakest. Yet, at this very time, the five Sacred Relics have actually appeared, while we lack the strength. It's hard to say whether it's good luck or bad."
"Hmph! Yuan Mu and the others invited us here, ostensibly saying we're all fellow Daoists and they dare not monopolize it. But in reality?" The cultivator surnamed Nan sneered. "They have Sacred Relics in hand, and their strength far surpasses us Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators. We're just here to make up the numbers."
The young Daoist priest smiled, holding his cup. "Brother Nan, can it be you still haven't come to terms with it? Who told us our strength falls short and our fortune is lacking? If we had advanced to the late stage, even without obtaining a Sacred Relic, we could compete with Yuan Mu and the others. Unfortunately, after all these years, we're still stuck at this bottleneck, unable to advance. Then naturally, we can only accept fate."
How could the cultivator surnamed Nan not understand this reasoning? In the end, he just sighed and fell silent.
At this moment, Mo Tiange was browsing near a certain tea stall, listening with great interest to the gossip others were sharing.
The matter of the Five Sages was currently a hot topic throughout Yunzhong. Yiye Island had gathered a large number of high-level cultivators and happened to be the location of the incident, making the topic even more popular.
Over the past month, Mo Tiange had traveled cautiously, unaware that the matter had become this heated.
It turned out that besides inviting the possessors of the Heavenly Demon Tower, the Three Major Sects had also invited Nascent Soul cultivators from various major forces. Ostensibly, they claimed that what the Five Sages left behind was the shared wealth of Yunzhong, and their three sects dared not monopolize it. Therefore, after opening that mysterious space, any Nascent Soul cultivator could enter to explore. But was that really the case?
Mo Tiange didn't need to think to know the real reason. By now, the matter of the Five Sages had spread throughout Yunzhong and was no longer a secret known only to a few high-level cultivators. If their three sects monopolized it, even with their great power, they couldn't withstand a united attack from everyone else. Since that was the case, it was better to share some benefits with others. After all, they held the most important Sacred Relics and possessed the greatest strength, so they would still obtain the greatest benefits in the end.
However, even though the Nascent Soul cultivators understood this reasoning in their hearts, they still flocked to Yiye Island in droves. After all, when it came to opportunities, luck played an important role. Who could say they wouldn't obtain a heaven-defying opportunity?
Deity Transformation—this was a temptation that cultivators at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, the Nascent Soul stage, could not refuse.
Where profit leads, they press forward one after another.