While everyone else was in a hurry to get ahead of others to search for treasures, Mo Tiange was not anxious. She had long known a path from Fuyaozi, so there was no need to compete with others. Moreover, Fuyaozi had told her that the true opportunity lay within the Immortal Palace. With the Void Heaven Realm in hand, other opportunities were not important to her. As for the treasures within the Immortal Palace, without her Fusheng Sword, they could not be obtained at all. Perfected One Yuan Mu and the others were bound to wait for her.
After brief consideration, Qin Xi nodded. "Alright."
After several years of recuperation and having previously received the elixirs gifted by Lady Miaoying, his injuries were almost completely healed. However, after the two of them reached the Immortal Palace, there would still be many Late-Nascent Soul cultivators present, and conflicts were inevitable. If he could not maintain his best condition, he might find himself overmatched—even though the Three Yang True Fire Sword's divine abilities were astonishing, he was, after all, only a newly advanced Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. The two found a secluded spot, confirmed there was no one around, and Mo Tiange pressed between her brows, entering the Void Heaven Realm.
A gentle breeze brushed past, a small stream gurgled softly. The Void Heaven Realm remained as peaceful and tranquil as ever.
The three spirit beasts had been stored in the spirit beast pouch. At this moment, apart from the sound of wind rustling through bamboo leaves, there were no other noises.
"Senior Brother..." Mo Tiange turned to look at Qin Xi. Their eyes met, and they involuntarily embraced. Since their reunion, they had always been under the gaze of others, unable to show even slight intimacy. Moreover, they had to constantly guard against the schemes of others, even forcing themselves to suppress some of the joy of their reunion. Only now, having entered the Void Heaven Realm with no other concerns, could they dare to release their excited feelings without restraint.
After a good while, their emotions settled. They looked at each other and smiled, then released the embrace, holding hands as they returned to the bamboo house.
Reunion was naturally stirring, but no matter how much joy there was, it had to be set aside until matters were concluded. Their time was limited. The Nascent Soul cultivators who had entered this spatial rift would reach the Immortal Palace in a few days. They could be late by at most a few days, and there were still many things to prepare. This stolen moment of leisure could not be wasted at all.
"Senior Brother, these are the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills I recently refined, and these are Foundation Consolidating Pills. Take them quickly." Knowing that Qin Xi had lost the Qiankun Bag containing his spirit medicines, Mo Tiange did not delay, immediately taking out the healing pills.
Qin Xi took the two bottles of pills, opened the one containing the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills, gently sniffed it, and smiled at her. "Your alchemy skills have improved greatly. In the past, you couldn't refine these Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills."
The Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill was a healing pill for the Nascent Soul stage. Pills for the Nascent Soul stage were at least ten times more difficult to refine than those for the Core Formation stage. Many renowned alchemy masters across Tianji did not dare to refine them lightly. One who could refine Nascent Soul stage pills could be called an alchemy grandmaster.
Mo Tiange looked at him. "In fifty years, I should have made some progress."
Looking at her smiling face, Qin Xi also smiled slightly. Without further delay, he took one Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill and one Foundation Consolidating Pill, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
Seeing that he had started healing, Mo Tiange did not disturb him further. She communicated with Fuyaozi using her divine sense.
"Master?"
A light hum came from the Fusheng Sword. "Hmm?"
"Your disciple acted on her own initiative. Master won't be angry, will you?"
Fuyaozi was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "What you did wasn't wrong. Why would Master be angry?" Hearing this answer, Mo Tiange felt a warmth in her heart. Over the years of interaction, she held great respect for this master she had recognized midway. Unlike the common practice among high-level cultivators in the cultivation world who treated disciples as subordinates or servants, Fuyaozi would ask Mo Tiange to do certain things but also gave her sufficient respect and freedom.
This feeling was different from both her Second Uncle and her other master. Her Second Uncle was both strict and caring, attending to every detail. Dao Lord Jinghe allowed her to grow freely but would also shelter her under his wing. But from both, she had felt their care and affection.
"Is this your Senior Brother?" Fuyaozi asked, his voice carrying a scrutinizing tone.
"Yes." After a pause, Mo Tiange asked cautiously, "Master... what do you want to say?"
"Is he trustworthy?" Fuyaozi said. "You even let him know about the existence of something like the Void Heaven Realm?"
Mo Tiange was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Master, he is my Dao companion. If even he is not trustworthy, then who in this world can be trusted?" Over the years of interaction, she had never hidden her experiences from him. Fuyaozi also knew of Qin Xi's existence. However, she naturally would not speak of the complicated emotional entanglements between them. Fuyaozi knew her Dao companion was her fellow sect Senior Brother and that the master who took her in was this Senior Brother's elder. But he did not know their past history, so it was inevitable he would have some associations.
Seeing Mo Tiange's lack of hesitation, Fuyaozi withdrew his doubts. "Very well. Since you trust him, this master will tentatively trust him as well."
Even so, Mo Tiange could still hear the disapproval in his words, but she did not explain further. It was natural for Fuyaozi not to trust Qin Xi. Trust was always the hardest thing to establish in the cultivation world. Moreover, she had not yet formed her Nascent Soul, while Qin Xi was already at Mid-Nascent Soul. If they obtained the God Transformation opportunity in the Immortal Palace, who among outsiders would believe Qin Xi would not claim it for himself? She could trust him, but Fuyaozi, who had never met him, could not.
"However—" Fuyaozi paused, then continued, "Since you choose to trust him, you must bear the consequences yourself. This wisp of Master's divine sense will not exist for much longer. Perhaps by the time you see the God Transformation opportunity, it will dissipate. By then..." "Master, rest assured. Your disciple understands." Mo Tiange smiled and agreed. Not to mention she believed, even if they truly obtained the God Transformation opportunity, it might not be impossible for the two to share it.
Fuyaozi said no more, letting out a light chuckle before speaking calmly. "This master has lived for over a thousand years and has seen brothers turn against each other and husband and wife become enemies. I hope your trust is worth it."
Mo Tiange merely smiled slightly and did not answer.
Two days later, Qin Xi opened his eyes.
He looked down at his hands, feeling the spiritual energy replenished throughout his body, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Tian Ge had refined the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills. Otherwise, in these short two days, the hidden physical injuries he had been carrying would have been difficult to fully heal.
As if sensing his aura, Mo Tiange stepped in from outside the bamboo house, with pleasant surprise. "Senior Brother..."
Qin Xi smiled slightly and said to her, "I'm fine now."
The pleased surprise faded quickly. Looking at his appearance, Mo Tiange was still puzzled. "If your injuries are already healed, why do you still look like this?" His white hair remained; his appearance had not recovered.
Qin Xi said, "I have never taken things like the Dingyan Pill. Before cultivating the Pure Yang Art, given my cultivation realm at the time, my appearance was originally like this. Later, after cultivating the Pure Yang Art, this technique has a youth-preserving effect, so it never changed since then."
Mo Tiange nodded to show she understood. At that time, he was only around a hundred years old and already a Core Formation cultivator. Normally speaking, he should have looked like that.
"When I was injured in the South Sea, my cultivation was temporarily damaged, and even the Pure Yang Art regressed a realm. That's what caused my appearance to change. Now the injuries are healed, but the Pure Yang Art only preserves youth, so..."
Mo Tiange pondered briefly but then found something amiss. "But, relative to a Nascent Soul cultivator, given your age, you shouldn't have this appearance either." He was now less than three hundred years old—how young that was compared to the over-thousand-year lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator!
Qin Xi's gaze shifted slightly, ultimately said helplessly. "When I was injured, my Nascent Soul power was sealed. For a period, I could only exhibit Core Formation cultivation, which is why it's like this."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange was shocked, then glared at him, somewhat annoyed. "Senior Brother!" Nascent Soul sealed—in other words, he had nearly fallen back to the Core Formation stage! His injuries had been that severe before, and he actually hadn't told her?!
Qin Xi smiled bitterly. "Don't be angry. With the Three Yuan Rotation Art in my possession, even if I had fallen back to the Core Formation stage, I could have cultivated back quickly. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry... Look, I'm perfectly fine now. What does it matter what injuries I suffered before?"
"But..." Even so, Mo Tiange knew he must have damaged his foundation. He was still at Mid-Nascent Soul cultivation now, with powerful combat strength, seemingly unaffected. But if he wanted to advance to the next stage, it would require much more time.
"I've already considered this matter," Qin Xi continued. "My advancement to the mid-stage this time was already taking a shortcut. Even without this incident, I would have had to cultivate properly at the mid-stage for a hundred years to consolidate my foundation and plan for further progress in the future. Now it's just spending a bit more time. It doesn't have a major impact."
Mo Tiange was silent for a long time, ultimately could only sigh helplessly. "You've already thought it through. What can I do? Very well, I am on the verge of forming my Nascent Soul now. As long as the opportunity is suitable, I can step onto the Great Dao of Nascent Soul. By then, I can also help with your matters, unlike before when I could only watch helplessly..."
Qin Xi felt a warmth in his heart. He held her hand and said softly, "I understand your feelings..." Since they confirmed their feelings, he had never doubted the bond between them. Just as he would do his utmost for her, she was the same.
He smiled again. "If my appearance cannot recover, will you mind me?"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange glared at him. "If one wants to remain forever young, a single Dingyan Pill is enough. What does appearance matter? It's merely superficial. For us cultivators, what importance does it hold?"
Although the Dingyan Pill was quite valuable to ordinary cultivators, even some female Qi Refining cultivators with family backgrounds would try their best to purchase one, let alone them? In this cultivation world, many powerful Nascent Soul cultivators had never taken the Dingyan Pill because, to them, it was simply not worth mentioning. Those who placed such importance on appearance were mostly female cultivators—a small obsession of women.
Qin Xi smiled without speaking.
Sensing a ripple coming from the Fusheng Sword—Fuyaozi was urging her—Mo Tiange said, "Senior Brother, if you're ready, let's go out now."
"Mm." Qin Xi nodded. "We've already stolen two days of leisure. We can't delay any longer." Although they didn't care about the opportunities outside the Immortal Palace, being too late would ultimately be disadvantageous for them.
The two made simple preparations and left the Void Heaven Realm.
Mo Tiange looked up at the towering Immortal Palace in the distance and sighed softly. To smoothly obtain a share of the benefits from so many Nascent Soul cultivators would be a tough battle ahead.