Mo Tiange's expression was calm, a faint smile always on her face, showing not a trace of the anger or helplessness of being coerced.
This made Ling Yunhe feel as though he had overlooked something important, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what.
"Fellow Daoist Ling," he heard Mo Tiange say, "I'm sorry, but I cannot comply."
Ling Yunhe's eyes widened. "Why?" He had thought she was a smart person, someone who wouldn't cling to something she shouldn't covet, no matter how precious, refusing to hand it over. If she could give up the Heaven Net, why couldn't she give up the Fusheng Sword?
He took a deep breath and advised earnestly, "Fellow Daoist Qin, you must think this through. You are alone; how can you stand against so many Nascent Soul cultivators? If you hand it over, I can speak to the Patriarchs on your behalf and secure some benefits to compensate for your loss."
Mo Tiange smiled slightly, then sighed. Although they were on opposing sides this time, he still remembered their past friendship, which moved her somewhat.
"Fellow Daoist Ling, I cannot hand it over because—I have already bound the Fusheng Sword to myself."
"..." Ling Yunhe stared at her, taking a long moment to find his voice. "Bound? You've bound the Fusheng Sword to yourself?"
"That's right." Mo Tiange met his gaze calmly. "So, take me to see those seniors. I think they will be very happy to see me."
Following the Jiuyan Sect, the Nascent Soul cultivators from the Yue Mountain Academy and the Huayan Temple also arrived.
Apart from Scholar Yu, the Yue Mountain Academy had several other Nascent Soul cultivators in their party, and the same was true for White Floating Mountain. Of course, most of these Nascent Soul cultivators were only at the early stage, as advancing after reaching Nascent Soul was no easy feat.
In terms of numbers, the three sects had dispatched roughly the same number of Nascent Soul cultivators this time. But in terms of cultivation level, the Jiuyan Sect undoubtedly held the advantage. Besides Perfected One Yuan Mu, the Jiuyan Sect also had an Iron-Faced Perfected One who was also at the late-Nascent Soul stage, along with several others at the mid-stage. They didn't have a single early-stage cultivator.
Upon realizing this, Scholar Yu and Venerable Wuming couldn't help but grumble inwardly. That old fox Yuan Mu was truly cunning. With two late-stage cultivators and several mid-stage ones, they remained the most powerful force on Yiye Island. Yet, by keeping all their early-stage cultivators back at the sect, they ensured that even if something went wrong, the Jiuyan Sect would retain its vitality and its foundation wouldn't be shaken.
Unfortunately, even though they understood this, there was nothing they could change. The Jiuyan Sect dared to do this because they were strong enough and had enough Nascent Soul cultivators. If they had kept all their early-stage cultivators within their own sects, they would have had very few to bring out.
"Scholar Yu, Fellow Daoist Wuming, you've finally arrived," Perfected One Yuan Mu said, graciously coming out to greet them with all his Nascent Soul cultivators.
Scholar Yu and Venerable Wuming returned the courtesy. After the three parties exchanged pleasantries, they went inside.
Once all the cultivators were seated according to status and the initial greetings were over, Scholar Yu got straight to the point. "Fellow Daoist Yuan Mu, has the master of the Heavenly Demon Tower appeared yet?"
Perfected One Yuan Mu replied, "There is news already, but the identity is still unknown. That person sent word that they will come as promised."
"That's good." Scholar Yu tapped the folding fan in his hand, a look of considerable self-satisfaction on his face.
Venerable Wuming smiled and said, "Scholar Yu's foresight is truly remarkable. The matter of the Heavenly Demon Tower turned out exactly as you predicted. But what about the Fusheng Sword?"
Perfected One Yuan Mu was about to shake his head when he sensed something with his divine sense. Frowning slightly, he said, "We'll know in a moment."
Standing outside the reception hall of the Jiuyan Sect's branch hall, Ling Yunhe took a deep breath and looked at Mo Tiange. "Fellow Daoist Qin, please."
Mo Tiange smiled faintly and, without standing on ceremony, stepped in first.
Watching her back, Ling Yunhe's expression was complex. He followed her in.
As soon as she entered the reception hall, countless gazes fell upon her. Among them were four late-Nascent Soul cultivators, along with over a dozen at the mid and early stages.
This was the first time Mo Tiange had seen so many Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in one place. The powerful pressure from these cultivators, whether intentional or not, enveloped her. An ordinary Core Formation cultivator would likely break out in a cold sweat and lose their composure under the gaze and pressure of so many Nascent Soul cultivators. But she was already at the Core Formation perfection stage and had achieved success in cultivating the Soul Refining Art, so she was unafraid of Nascent Soul pressure—though, of course, with so many people, including several late-Nascent Soul cultivators, she still felt quite uncomfortable.
"Mo Tiange of the Tianji Region, greets all Seniors." She wore a smile and politely performed a Daoist salute to the assembly.
Perfected One Yuan Mu raised an eyebrow, and the others also showed surprise.
First, Mo Tiange appeared so composed, seemingly unaffected by the pressure. Second, the name she gave was not Qin Wei, yet Ling Yunhe's earlier message had said he had brought back Qin Wei.
Perfected One Yuan Mu quickly regained his composure. "No need for such formality." His gaze shifted to Ling Yunhe, who had followed closely behind. He saw hesitation on Ling Yunhe's face, but Ling Yunhe still nodded to him.
Perfected One Yuan Mu understood. He smiled at Mo Tiange. "It seems this is the young fellow Daoist's true origin and name."
Since the other party was being so amiable, Mo Tiange responded with a smile. "Indeed. I presume Senior is Perfected One Yuan Mu of the Jiuyan Sect?"
Perfected One Yuan Mu nodded and gestured to Venerable Wuming beside him. "This is Venerable Wuming of the Huayan Temple. Young fellow Daoist should have met him before."
Mo Tiange nodded and saluted Venerable Wuming. "Senior Wuming, it has been many years. I hope you have been well?"
Venerable Wuming still wore his Maitreya-like expression. He placed his palms together in greeting. "Thanks to the young fellow Daoist's blessings, this old monk has been doing well. It has only been a little over ten years since we parted, yet your cultivation has progressed again. Truly commendable."
After their exchange, Perfected One Yuan Mu pointed to Scholar Yu beside him. "This is Scholar Yu of the Yue Mountain Academy."
Mo Tiange saw that this Scholar Yu was young and refined, bearing some resemblance to the young scholar form she had previously assumed through transformation. She found it amusing but maintained a polite demeanor, performing a respectful bow. "Greetings, Scholar Yu."
Scholar Yu merely nodded with a smile, neither returning the salute nor replying. For a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, this was already quite courteous. Someone like Venerable Wuming was an exception; as a Buddhist cultivator, his doctrines were inherently more gentle, and Venerable Wuming himself was always amiable, hence his return of courtesy.
Perfected One Yuan Mu picked up his teacup and took a sip. He did not introduce her to the other cultivators, nor did he invite her to sit.
Mo Tiange understood. In the eyes of these Nascent Soul Seniors, she was merely a junior at the Core Formation stage. Even if they were polite to her, she wasn't worthy of too much courtesy. So, she didn't mind, standing calmly and letting the others scrutinize her—after all, Ling Yunhe was standing with her. Oh, there were two other Core Formation cultivators present, both of whom she knew: Juewu and Han Shizhi. Both had improved in cultivation; Juewu had advanced to the mid-stage, and Han Shizhi, like her, had reached the perfection stage.
Wasn't it said that only Nascent Soul cultivators were participating in this matter of the Guixu Sea? Ling Yunhe was one thing; he was the Jiuyan Sect's Sect Master, so it made sense for him to come along to handle affairs. She wasn't sure about Han Shizhi, but what about Juewu? She remembered Venerable Wuming's head disciple was that Juexin; Juewu wasn't even his disciple.
At this thought, an idea flashed through her mind: Could it be that these two were the ones who had bound the other two Sacred Objects to themselves?
Before she could ponder further, Perfected One Yuan Mu spoke. "Young fellow Daoist is from the Tianji Region?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange's eyes lit up. "Senior also knows of the Tianji Region?"
Perfected One Yuan Mu said slowly, "I know a little." He looked up at Mo Tiange, his gaze meaningful. "Young fellow Daoist is only at the Core Formation stage, yet you managed to come from the Tianji Region to Yunzhong. That's no simple feat."
From his tone, this Perfected One Yuan Mu also knew how difficult the journey from Yunzhong to the Tianji Region was. That made sense. Many high-level cultivators in the Tianji Region knew of Yunzhong; it was just that the South Sea was hard to cross, and they lacked understanding of Yunzhong. Yunzhong, however, wasn't cut off by any forest; how could they not know?
"This junior was merely fortunate."
"Heh heh," Perfected One Yuan Mu didn't wish to dwell on the topic. In the next moment, his gaze turned sharp as he looked at Mo Tiange, and his pressure surged. "I heard the young fellow Daoist is unwilling to hand over the Fusheng Sword?"
Under the deliberate pressure of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, even with her secret arts, Mo Tiange was shaken. But she quickly recovered and said calmly, "That's right. At this point, even if this junior were to hand over the Fusheng Sword, it would be of no use to you Seniors."
"Oh?" Perfected One Yuan Mu withdrew his pressure and said indifferently, "Young fellow Daoist, please explain."
Seeing his expression, Mo Tiange thought to herself, this Perfected One Yuan Mu truly lived up to being the Jiuyan Sect's real leader. Since he already knew she was unwilling to hand over the Fusheng Sword, Ling Yunhe must have told him the reason. Yet he insisted on hearing her say it herself. This way, her momentum would be seized, putting her at a disadvantage.
However, she didn't care.
"To be frank with you, Senior, this junior has already bound the Fusheng Sword to myself. Therefore, I cannot hand it over." Mo Tiange stated plainly.
As soon as these words were spoken, before Perfected One Yuan Mu could react, the others were greatly shocked. Venerable Wuming even opened his eyes wide. Only then did Mo Tiange realize that this Venerable Wuming wasn't blind after all...
"Junior!" Scholar Yu snapped his folding fan shut, his face darkening as he asked, "The Fusheng Sword actually bound itself to you?"
"That's right." Mo Tiange met the gaze of this late-Nascent Soul cultivator. "Not only has this junior bound the Fusheng Sword, but I have also received the legacy of Senior Fuyaozi."
Hearing this, Perfected One Yuan Mu, who had been very composed until now, suddenly changed expression, glaring at her. "You received Fuyaozi's legacy?"
He said this very loudly, quite unbecoming of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator's demeanor. But at the moment, no one minded, because everyone else reacted the same way as Perfected One Yuan Mu.
Mo Tiange, however, was in a good mood. Ignoring the livid expressions on the many Nascent Soul cultivators' faces, she smiled and said, "That's right. Speaking of which, Senior Fuyaozi truly lives up to being Yunzhong's number one cultivator. His divine sense was sealed for tens of thousands of years, yet it could persist for so long. Over these past few years, with Senior Fuyaozi's guidance, this junior has gained much!"
"Clang—" Mo Tiange keenly heard a soft sound. Then, a Nascent Soul cultivator abruptly stood up, a magic treasure in hand, and shouted, "Senior Brother Yuan Mu, why bother being polite with this junior? Does a mere Core Formation cultivator like her think she can take a share of the opportunity from our hands? I'd like to see what good binding it does if she doesn't even have her life!"
"Outrageous!" Perfected One Yuan Mu barked, glaring angrily at that Jiuyan Sect cultivator. "Do you think the Five Sacred Objects can be bound so casually?"
Scolded, the Nascent Soul cultivator was taken aback. "If we kill her, won't the Fusheng Sword become an ownerless object again?"
"Fool!" Not caring about the outsiders present, Perfected One Yuan Mu glared fiercely at the man. "Sit down now!"
"..." The Nascent Soul cultivator sat down reluctantly, but his vicious gaze remained fixed on Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange merely smiled, appearing completely unaffected.
"Heh heh..." While the others were still fuming, Venerable Wuming already chuckled and spoke. "It seems the young fellow Daoist came prepared. But I wonder if the chips in your hand are sufficient?"
"The method to open the mysterious space, the specific path, the key points to note within it, and even the method to obtain the Immortal Fate... I wonder if that is sufficient?" Mo Tiange's gaze swept around as she asked with a smile.