Old Donkey Ma.
Mo Tiange couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile.
She had met many Late-Nascent Soul cultivators, among whom were certainly those who were amiable and approachable. But someone like this Old Donkey Ma before her, who didn't care in the slightest about the dignity of a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator and even joked about his own name—she truly had never seen such a person.
Qin Xi was also taken aback for a moment before saying, "So it's Fellow Daoist Ma."
Old Donkey Ma turned to Mo Tiange with a chuckle. "Is this young lady the one the Fusheng Sword acknowledged as its master?"
Mo Tiange composed her smile and bowed in greeting. "Greetings, Senior."
"No need to be so serious." Old Donkey Ma squinted his eyes, smiling. "For a young lady to gain the recognition of Senior Fuyaozi, this old man is truly envious."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that Senior Ma is also an admirer of Senior Fuyaozi?"
"Hehe," Old Donkey Ma said, "Among us loose cultivators who practice the Dao in Yunzhong, how many are there who don't admire Senior Fuyaozi? Back when Senior Fuyaozi was about to pass from this world, he made many of his cultivation insights public. Such an act, who wouldn't revere? We loose cultivators of Yunzhong have benefited greatly from Senior Fuyaozi."
Mo Tiange remembered that Ling Yunhe had mentioned that among the Late-Nascent Soul cultivators, one was a loose cultivator. It seemed this Senior Ma was that person.
She offered a compliment. "For Senior to cultivate to the Late-Nascent Soul stage as a loose cultivator, you must also possess extraordinary talent."
"Far from it, far from it," Old Donkey Ma waved his hand. "Don't even mention the chasm between Late-Nascent Soul and God Transformation. Even when Senior Fuyaozi was at the Nascent Soul stage, he was far more accomplished than this old man."
Old Donkey Ma's expression as he spoke was completely natural, without a hint of pride, as if it came from the heart.
Now that Mo Tiange had acknowledged Fuyaozi as her master, hearing someone hold her master in such high esteem made her feel an involuntary sense of goodwill.
"Oh, I heard you two have been separated for a long time and must have much to talk about. This old man just came to say hello, I won't disturb you any further." Having said that, he waved his hand and led his donkey away.
Seeing this, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi couldn't help but share a smile.
The donkey Old Donkey Ma was leading looked no different from an ordinary donkey at first glance, but its hooves were snow-white and its eyes were like jadeite, clearly a very precious spirit beast breed that merely resembled a donkey.
Looking at the donkey, Mo Tiange said, "An eighth-rank spirit beast is truly impressive. I wonder when Little Fire and the others will be able to advance..." For some reason, even though the three of them had smoothly cultivated to the fifth rank, there had been no signs of further advancement for many years. Logically, the spirit herbs in the Void Heaven Realm were always theirs for the taking, so their cultivation speed shouldn't be much slower than hers. It seemed she would have to ask Feifei about it next time.
Qin Xi smiled. "What's the hurry? Spirit beasts advancing is inherently not as fast as human cultivators. Their lifespans are long."
Mo Tiange thought about it and found it reasonable. In previous years, because she had never stopped feeding them pills, the spirit beasts had advanced quite quickly, and she had almost forgotten this fact—perhaps the reason Little Fire and the others hadn't advanced was due to the instinctual nature of spirit beasts?
"By the way, how is Master? Has his injury healed?"
Hearing this, Qin Xi smiled. "Master can be said to have turned misfortune into blessing. The pills you left not only preserved his cultivation base but even allowed him to smoothly break through to the late stage."
"Really?" Mo Tiange was pleasantly surprised. "Master is now a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator?"
"Mhm. If not for that, how could I have advanced to the mid-stage so smoothly?" Advancing to Nascent Soul mid-stage in fifty years was truly a shocking cultivation speed. Apart from the large quantity of pills, another factor was the assistance of a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator. If Dao Lord Jinghe had smoothly advanced, coupled with Dao Lord Zhenyang, having the help of two Late-Nascent Soul cultivators had greatly reduced the obstacles in his own advancement.
Learning this news filled Mo Tiange's heart with joy. She knew that although her master had an arrogant and overbearing personality, he had actually been rather unlucky on the path of cultivation. Despite his high talent and good comprehension, he had never encountered any astonishing opportunities, relying solely on step-by-step cultivation accumulated over centuries to reach Nascent Soul mid-stage. Now that Master could advance to the late stage, he could finally hold his head high.
Having been separated for over fifty years, the two felt they had endless things to say—their respective experiences, the situation of old acquaintances, the changes in Tianji, the situation in Yunzhong, and their longing for each other...
Another half-day passed, and no more cultivators arrived on the small island. After a brief discussion among the several Late-Nascent Soul cultivators, Perfected One Yuan Mu addressed the two of them: "Fellow Daoist Qin, Little Friend Mo, the time has come. Shall we open the space now?"
Qin Xi looked down at Mo Tiange. Although he had a general understanding of the matter, he wasn't as clear on the details as Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange naturally had no objections. She had long been prepared and had briefly told Qin Xi of her plans. She now said, "Senior may decide."
Perfected One Yuan Mu nodded. He looked up at the cultivators on the small island and announced loudly, "Fellow Daoists, the agreed-upon time has arrived. We shall now open the Five Sages Secret Land."
Hearing this, all the Nascent Soul cultivators on the island revealed expressions of both excitement and gravity.
They had gathered on this island for the God Transformation opportunity within the Guixu Sea's mysterious space. But since this space contained such an opportunity, it was bound to be extremely difficult to navigate. Moreover, with so many Nascent Soul cultivators traveling together, they were in competition with each other. With treasures at stake, they also had to guard against others resorting to underhanded tactics, forcing them to remain vigilant.
The reason they had obtained this opportunity was due to the invitation of the three sects possessing the Sacred Objects. With the Sacred Objects in their hands, even if forced by circumstances, how could they possibly share the opportunity equally with others? Therefore, obtaining the opportunity would undoubtedly be very difficult for them.
After announcing the imminent opening of the Five Sages Secret Land, Perfected One Yuan Mu did not immediately summon the five juniors to begin. Instead, he slowly swept his gaze over the cultivators on the island.
Perfected One Yuan Mu's cultivation was among the top in Yunzhong. He was also the Chief Supreme Elder of the Jiuyan Sect. Although he usually didn't involve himself in affairs, he absolutely possessed the requisite dignity. Now, under his sweeping gaze, these usually awe-inspiring Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't help but have their auras suppressed.
"Fellow Daoists," he began, speaking slowly, "the mysterious space of the Guixu Sea exists thanks to our Yunzhong's Five Sages. Therefore, although we possess the keys to the space, we dare not claim the Five Sages Secret Land for ourselves alone. However, you must know that we obtained the space keys at great cost. Our sect's God-Restricting Bead and the Huayan Temple's Heaven-Encompassing Net are treasures painstakingly passed down through generations. Hence, before entering this mysterious space, I propose we establish a few rules. What do you think?"
As he finished speaking, none of the cultivators voiced any objection. The cultivator of the Nan Clan from the Danxia Sect was the first to smile and say, "Since Fellow Daoist Yuan Mu is willing to share the Five Sages Secret Land with us, we are naturally grateful. The few Fellow Daoists have paid a greater price than we have, so it is only right they receive more benefits."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange couldn't help but take another look at this man. A cultivator's memory was remarkable; she remembered this wealthy-looking cultivator was the one who had noticed her on Yiyi Island, but she didn't know him.
What this man had just said was truly thought-provoking. His expression was sincere, and his words were reasonable. However, the phrase "receive more benefits" somehow carried an implied meaning. With interests at stake, few cultivators acted on sentiment, especially these Nascent Soul cultivators competing for a God Transformation opportunity. How could they be willing to yield such a thing to others? Other cultivators hearing these words would likely harbor ulterior thoughts.
Whether Perfected One Yuan Mu felt the same way was unclear. He gave the cultivator of the Nan Clan a meaningful look and said, "Fellow Daoist Nan is so understanding. This old man is truly moved."
Under such a gaze, the cultivator of the Nan Clan involuntarily turned his head away, though he still wore a smile on his face, skillfully hiding his awkwardness. This cultivator of the Nan Clan was considerably weaker in strength compared to Perfected One Yuan Mu, and now the Danxia Sect was completely unable to contend with the Jiuyan Sect. Facing Perfected One Yuan Mu, he could only avoid direct confrontation.
Perfected One Yuan Mu didn't press further and continued, "Fellow Daoists, I have discussed this matter with the other Late-Nascent Soul Fellow Daoists, and we have all reached an agreement. Therefore, this also represents the will of all us Late-Nascent Soul cultivators."
Hearing this, the Nascent Soul cultivators on the island all adopted solemn expressions. "All the Late-Nascent Soul cultivators"—these words carried significant weight. The eleven Late-Nascent Soul cultivators present were the pinnacle cultivators of Yunzhong. Each possessed astonishing divine abilities; casually exterminating an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was nothing to them, let alone eleven Late-Nascent Soul cultivators joining forces. It could be said that these eleven Late-Nascent Soul cultivators could completely annihilate everyone else.
It seemed these so-called rules were already a foregone conclusion; the others simply had no room for opposition. The only question was whether they would harm their interests.
Perfected One Yuan Mu didn't keep them waiting long. He spoke unhurriedly, "First, let me remind everyone: according to the last words of the Five Sages, this mysterious space is actually an ancient spatial rift left behind, containing many unknown restrictions. Entering this space carries extreme danger. If any of you encounter something, you bear the consequences yourselves."
As soon as his words fell, someone spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Yuan Mu, how can a land of opportunity be without danger? The greater the opportunity, the higher the risk—this is something we all know. Naturally, we won't complain."
The Nascent Soul cultivators all nodded. They weren't low-level Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators. Those who had struggled to reach the Nascent Soul stage certainly understood this principle.
Perfected One Yuan Mu continued, "Second, this space is vast. After entering, you may search for treasures separately. If any disputes arise during the treasure hunt, we will not intervene. However, you must not harm the lives of the five young Fellow Daoists carrying the keys. Anyone who violates this taboo will be immediately exterminated by us."
As he said this last sentence, Perfected One Yuan Mu's previously smiling expression was now filled with killing intent.
Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Perfected One Yuan Mu went on, "Third, if everyone discovers a treasure simultaneously, the five parties who contributed the keys shall have priority selection rights."
When this clause was announced, the others fell silent for a moment. The first two were merely reminders; only this one involved their immediate interests.
In the end, it was Lady Miaoying who smiled and expressed her stance, "Fellow Daoist Yuan Mu's request is supported by us Late-Nascent Soul cultivators. The five Sacred Objects are exceedingly precious. Since you have contributed them, it is only natural you have priority selection."
Hearing Lady Miaoying say this, someone quickly chimed in, "That's right. We are essentially benefiting from the grace of Fellow Daoist Yuan Mu and the others, having contributed no effort ourselves. Being able to enter the legendary Five Sages Secret Land, what more could we ask for?"
Many nodded in agreement. Those who didn't nod tacitly acquiesced.
Seeing that no one objected, Perfected One Yuan Mu revealed a smile. "Then it's settled. Beyond this, there's nothing more to explain. After this mysterious space opens, it will only allow exit, not entry. What opportunities you obtain, and whether you can get out, will depend entirely on your own abilities."