Once the formation was broken, the three of them walked out only to discover it was merely a very shallow cave. Had they harbored any wishful thinking and truly hidden inside without coming out, they would likely have been found early on, and by then, escape would have been impossible.
Mist Valley truly lived up to its name. The moment they exited the cave, even with their cultivator's vision, they could only see things within a few zhang. A vast expanse of white mist concealed everything before their eyes, with only the occasional sounds of shouts and Dharma Combat drifting through the fog.
Seeing this situation, Mo Tiange first released her Azure Wood Sword, preparing for Dharma Combat at any moment.
Liu Yidao frowned. "This... we can only rely on luck?"
Mo Tiange said, "Such thick fog isn't necessarily a bad thing for us. If everything was in plain sight, with just the three of us, we'd probably be cleared out quickly. In this situation, if there are few people, we fight directly. If there are many, we hide and then seize the opportunity to ambush."
"Correct," Qin Xi nodded. "Having fewer people is actually easier to handle in the heavy fog."
Once the three had settled on this plan, they began moving about. Indeed, they frequently encountered Dharma Combat. When they met fellow Yunwu Sect disciples, they lent a hand. When they encountered Golden Blade Sect or Zixia Sect members, if they were few in number, they attacked; if many, they hid within the mist, used talismans to communicate, scattered, and then regrouped. If they came across members of the other two sects fighting each other, they would watch from the sidelines as the tigers fought, intervening at critical moments to launch surprise attacks and fish in troubled waters.
Within the boundless white mist, seven or eight Golden Blade Sect disciples encountered over ten Zixia Sect disciples. Upon seeing each other, they immediately engaged in a fierce battle. Although the Golden Blade Sect had fewer people, their cultivation levels were generally higher. The two sides fought back and forth, evenly matched. Just as they were both worn down and about to determine a victor, suddenly, dense thickets of Fire Thorns erupted all around them, encircling them completely. Then, large clusters of Psychedelic Flowers drifted in, accompanied by various spells and talismans. Soon, already injured and with their Spiritual Qi exhausted, they were cleared out one by one by these spells, their tokens falling to the ground.
The Fire Thorns withdrew, and three Yunwu Sect cultivators appeared. The tall, sturdy man leading them collected all the tokens on the ground, and the three departed without a moment's delay, vanishing into the mist.
When the first day ended and night fell, Mo Tiange and the other two returned to the location of the formation. Mo Tiange set up another Maze Formation, and the three hid inside to rest and, incidentally, divide the spoils.
Over the course of the day, they hadn't engaged in many direct fights, but what they had fished out of the troubled waters was quite good. Calculating, they actually had around a hundred tokens.
Liu Yidao was both shocked and delighted. "We've really hit the jackpot this time. With over a hundred tokens here, divided among us, each gets about forty. One token is worth ten Spirit Stones, so each of us gets a reward of several hundred Spirit Stones."
Mo Tiange calculated in her heart. The Yunwu Sect had three to four hundred Qi Refining disciples above the seventh level. The Golden Blade Sect had fewer, but the Zixia Sect definitely had over five hundred. That meant, aside from their own sect's tokens, the Yunwu Sect could potentially obtain around eight hundred tokens from the other sects. Of course, in reality, the Zixia Sect was stronger. Including the Golden Blade Sect, assuming the outcome between the Yunwu Sect and them was roughly fifty-fifty, the total number of tokens they could seize would only be around four hundred. Moreover, over half of the Golden Blade Sect's tokens would likely be taken by the Zixia Sect, so estimating around three hundred was more accurate. Now, with over a hundred tokens in their hands, even divided three ways, she reckoned making the top ten in the sect shouldn't be a problem.
Qin Xi sat cross-legged on the ground, regulating his breathing. Hearing this, without even opening his eyes, he said indifferently, "Today had the most chaotic battles. Those slightly weaker have already been cleared out. Tomorrow, we probably won't have such easy pickings. We'd better not harbor any wishful thinking."
This dose of cold water sobered Mo Tiange and Liu Yidao slightly. Liu Yidao looked somewhat ashamed and asked, "Junior Brothers, how should we divide these tokens?"
Qin Xi opened his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "We were able to pick up these advantages so conveniently largely thanks to Junior Brother Ye's special techniques. Let's give him a larger share."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. "This... how can I accept?" Even so, it was also due to Liu Yidao risking danger to scout the enemy situation and Qin Xi's exquisite techniques that made those people think they were numerous and thus gave up resistance.
Liu Yidao, however, was open-minded. He acknowledged that while his cultivation techniques were solid, he didn't have any special skills and wasn't as cunning as them, so he didn't quibble much. He smiled and said, "In that case, how about Junior Brother Ye takes fifty tokens, and Junior Brother Qin and I each take forty-one?"
Qin Xi nodded, having no objections.
Since they had decided this way, Mo Tiange no longer declined. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Although the path of Immortality was arduous, and one couldn't expect cultivators to be particularly noble, not everyone was unscrupulous with eyes only for profit. Like the few she had met: Liu Yidao was straightforward, Xu Jingzhi was concerned for others, and Qin Xi, though aloof, was also attentive. Although, due to the lessons of her childhood, she was always on guard against others, now, under the identity of Ye Xiaotian, she believed they were trustworthy.
Storing the fifty-three tokens into her Qiankun Bag, she also sat down to regulate her breathing. Qin Xi had already finished his regulation and would keep watch.
Actually, even if no one kept watch, it wouldn't matter much. Regarding formations, Mo Tiange was still confident. This Maze Formation was the result of her and her Second Uncle's painstaking efforts. Qi Refining disciples entering the formation would be trapped for several hours without issue. However, this was, after all, Mist Valley, so it was better to be cautious.
Suddenly, sounds came from within the formation, as if someone had entered.
Mo Tiange opened her eyes, exchanged a glance with the others, and each took out their spiritual tools or talismans.
The footsteps were heavy, somewhat staggering, and chaotic—clearly not from one person.
"Senior Sister Shen, how are you?" It was a woman's voice, clear yet hoarse, filled with anxiety.
Mo Tiange frowned slightly. This voice... sounded somewhat familiar.
After a good while, another voice was heard. "I'm fine, I can still hold on. Junior Sister Wang, what about your injury?"
"It's alright, just my Spiritual Qi is almost exhausted."
The two fell silent for a moment, then the voice of Junior Sister Wang spoke again. "I wonder what this place is. There's actually no fog. I don't know if it's safe."
Senior Sister Shen said, "It might be the site of a cave dwelling left by predecessors. We just don't know if anyone has already found it. How about we look around?"
Mo Tiange, with her sword in hand, had already determined their position and slowly entered the formation. Reaching that spot, she cautiously turned a corner when suddenly a spell came head-on, several wooden objects hurtling towards her. She dodged sideways and was about to swing her Azure Wood Sword when she heard a voice filled with pleasant surprise.
"Junior Brother Ye, is that Junior Brother Ye?"
Mo Tiange was stunned. Before her were two women in disheveled states. Looking carefully, they seemed familiar.
"Junior Brother Ye, I... I'm Wang Qianyi!"
Mo Tiange was greatly surprised. "Senior Sister Wang!" Wasn't this precisely the Senior Sister Wang she saw every day while collecting Heavenly Dew not long ago? Looking at the other woman, although her hair was disheveled, it couldn't conceal her beauty, and she looked very familiar. Hesitating, Mo Tiange vaguely recognized her. "This is... Senior Sister Shen Bing?"