"What are you looking at?" Qin Xi asked as he entered from outside, seeing Mo Tiange bent over the desk.
Without even lifting her head, Mo Tiange kept her gaze fixed on a piece of beastskin on the desk and replied, "Looking at a map."
This map was one she had purchased while in Yunzhong. It clearly delineated the territories of Yunzhong's three great nations, with detailed markings of spiritual vein distributions and the headquarters of major powers. Even some islands in the Inner Sea, such as Beiji Island and Yiyi Island, were drawn with clarity. Additionally, continents outside Yunzhong like Yuan Prefecture and Xiaoyang had simple outlines, and even Tianji Region to the north had an approximate position marked. However, Yunzhong's understanding of Tianji Region was completely lacking—the position was quite off, and the outline was entirely wrong. But that was irrelevant; she wasn't looking at Tianji Region.
Facing this map, she tapped her fingertip, and spiritual qi swept across, causing an identical picture and text to materialize in mid-air.
Looking at this map composed of spiritual qi, she pointed at the original location of Yuan Prefecture and gently moved it to the position of the Guixu Sea.
"This is Yuan Prefecture's current location," she said. Then, with a swipe, the tightly connected Yunzhong was erased. "Yunzhong has vanished from its original position. Tianji Region and Xiaoyang might have shifted locations as well."
She looked up, weariness in her eyes. "Senior Brother, can we really go back?"
"Of course," Qin Xi answered without hesitation. "Tianji Region was already far enough from here. What does it matter if its location has changed? It might be farther, or it might be closer. With the means of a Nascent Soul cultivator, mere distance cannot stop us. What we've been considering all along were the dangers of the South Sea. Besides, we haven't even tried the teleportation array Jing Xingzhi mentioned. How do we know it's definitely useless? It's possible Tianji Region is now closer to Yuan Prefecture, and that array might still be usable."
"I hope so," Mo Tiange sighed, waving her hand to erase the spiritual qi map.
At that moment, a message talisman flew in from outside.
Qin Xi caught it, flicked his finger, and the talisman ignited without fire, emitting the voice of that Elder Yan: "Fellow Daoists, the trade meet has begun. Please gather at the outer courtyard."
He released his hand, letting the ashes fall, and smiled. "Let's go. The Yuan Prefecture Merchant Alliance is well-informed and has extensive influence. We still need to rely on their power."
"Mm," Mo Tiange stood up, stored the map in her Qiankun Ring, and the two left together.
That day, after gathering information, Yan Feng had warmly invited the three of them to stay temporarily at the city lord's residence. He also informed them that, although they were not Yuan Prefecture cultivators, they could still become immortal city retainers. Even if they were unwilling to become city retainers, they could accept tasks from the Merchant Alliance in exchange for rewards. The Merchant Alliance treated Nascent Soul cultivators with great courtesy; even if they did nothing, they could stay at the city lord's residence's guesthouse without needing to pay spirit stones.
This allowed the three of them to genuinely experience the Yuan Prefecture Merchant Alliance's unique way of doing things. Just as Yan Feng had said: making friends widely and prospering through harmony. For the Merchant Alliance, offering cultivators a bit of convenience required very little cost, but winning over these high-level cultivators could yield returns far exceeding expectations.
Exiting the small courtyard where they were staying, Yan Feng was already waiting. Jing Xingzhi came out shortly after, and the three followed Yan Feng toward the center of the city lord's residence.
In Mo Tiange's view, the security of the city lord's residence was quite lax. Apart from a formidable defensive array outside, there were almost no other restrictions, and even patrols were few. But when they reached the center of the residence, in front of a simple, unadorned small building, the three immediately felt an immense pressure. This pressure far exceeded what a Nascent Soul cultivator could achieve. In its presence, the three of them found it difficult to smoothly circulate the spiritual qi within their bodies, and their divine souls were suppressed.
Seeing their astonished expressions, Yan Feng smiled and said, "This building was left behind by a God Transformation stage senior from our Changling City before his passing. It is also the most important place in our city lord's residence."
"A God Transformation stage senior?" Jing Xingzhi was visibly moved. "Changling City actually produced a God Transformation stage senior?"
Yan Feng still smiled, but his expression carried a hint of pride. "Indeed. Over tens of thousands of years in our Yuan Prefecture, the only senior confirmed to have advanced to the God Transformation stage came from Changling City."
"So that's how it is. Truly, we show disrespect."
This small building was likely a spatial treasure, similar to a portable cave abode. Such portable cave abodes were not too rare, though their construction cost was quite high. With the financial power of the Yuan Prefecture Merchant Alliance, every major immortal city could afford to build one. The most precious aspect of this small building was the pressure bestowed by the God Transformation stage cultivator. With this pressure present, the building was absolutely safe.
Yan Feng made an inviting gesture and led the three inside.
The interior furnishings were simple, yet far more spacious than it appeared from outside. A long table stood in the very center, with about a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators already seated on both sides.
Mo Tiange was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Changling City to have so many Nascent Soul cultivators, completely comparable to Yunzhong's number one immortal cultivation sect, the Jiuyan Sect. Moreover, many Nascent Soul cultivators were in long-term seclusion or traveling abroad. A single trade meet definitely couldn't gather all of Changling City's Nascent Soul cultivators. Calculating this way, the Yuan Prefecture continent likely had at least seventy or eighty Nascent Soul cultivators, not inferior to Tianji Region. One must know, although Tianji Region couldn't compare to Yunzhong, its spiritual veins, territory, and natural resources were far more abundant than Yuan Prefecture's.
No wonder Yuan Prefecture cultivators were so protective of their cultivation system. If not for their unique system of rules, Yuan Prefecture wouldn't have such rich cultivation resources, and naturally, there wouldn't be so many Nascent Soul cultivators.
"Fellow Daoists," Yan Feng clasped his hands toward the crowd. "These three are newly arrived Fellow Daoists in our Changling City, attending our trade meet for the first time."
Hearing Yan Feng's voice, the Nascent Soul cultivators all stood up to greet them. Once again, the three felt the difference of Yuan Prefecture. Almost everyone was as amiable and smiling as Yan Feng, unlike other places where Nascent Soul cultivators tended to be quite arrogant even when meeting peers.
After exchanging names, Yan Feng led the three to casually find seats and sit down.
After a moment, several more cultivators arrived one after another. Finally, a female cultivator with smiling eyes and brows walked slowly into the building. Upon seeing her, everyone stood up and bowed.
"This is the City Lord of our Changling City," Yan Feng said to the three of them.
Mo Tiange and the other two were somewhat surprised. This female cultivator was at the Nascent Soul mid-stage. Her features were merely delicate and pretty. In appearance, she wasn't as kind and amiable as the Miraculous Heroine of the Jingxu Sect, as adept at social maneuvering as Wei Haolan of the Bixuan Pavilion, or even as worldly and smooth as Lady Chisu of the Tianyan Sect on Beiji Island. Yet, she possessed a calm, steady, and mountain-like composure. Standing among the many male cultivators, she naturally exuded a leader's aura.
In the cultivation world, the higher one's cultivation, the less distinction there was between men and women. At the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, female cultivators' status was often lower, with incidents of being taken by higher-level cultivators and forced to submit being common. But by the Core Formation stage, such things basically didn't happen anymore. However, it was rare for a female cultivator like this Changling City Lord to lead so many peers. Because most female cultivators who reached high levels were those with firm Dao hearts, rarely interested in matters of power.
Everyone greeted her, and this Changling City Lord returned each greeting. Finally, she smiled at Mo Tiange and the other two. "The three Fellow Daoists must be the newly arrived peers in our Changling City? I am Fang Qingyu, humbly serving as Changling City's City Lord. Greetings."
The three returned the greeting together. Jing Xingzhi said, "So it's City Lord Fang. A pleasure to meet you." Under this City Lord Fang's imposing demeanor, even the usually flirtatious Jing Xingzhi restrained himself.
Fang Qingyu smiled slightly. "I presume Elder Yan has already explained our Yuan Prefecture customs. Please make yourselves at home, Fellow Daoists. No need to stand on ceremony." Having said that, she no longer looked at them, walked to the host's position, stood still, and spoke. "Fellow Daoists, before the trade meet begins, I have some matters to discuss."
She paused, seeing the hall quiet and everyone looking at her, then continued. "Several months ago, a major event occurred. This event concerns the very survival of our Yuan Prefecture—for this reason, the Merchant Alliance's various late-stage Nascent Soul elders have all emerged from seclusion."
Hearing this, some gasps sounded in the hall. The Merchant Alliance's late-stage Nascent Soul elders hadn't appeared in public for a long time.
"Fellow Daoists, whether you are elders of Changling City or not, whether you belong to the Merchant Alliance or not, having cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage makes you pillars of our Yuan Prefecture. Regarding this matter, all of you have the right to know." Her gaze swept over the crowd, pausing briefly on Mo Tiange and the other two, revealing a smile.
Retracting her gaze, Fang Qingyu raised her hand and waved. A map materialized before everyone's eyes. Yuan Prefecture, Yunzhong, Xiaoyang, and Tianji Region were all marked, far more detailed than the map in Mo Tiange's possession.
"Please look, everyone. This is the original map. Our Yuan Prefecture was originally in this position." She pointed at Yuan Prefecture's location, then moved her finger, dragging Yuan Prefecture to beneath Yunzhong, to the position of the Guixu Sea. "This is its current position."
Then she erased Yunzhong and looked at the crowd. "Where Yunzhong has gone, the Merchant Alliance hasn't received word yet. However, we have located Xiaoyang."
Hearing this, everyone perked up, each person staring intently at her.
But Fang Qingyu's face showed no joy. She sighed, pointed at Xiaoyang's position, and gently moved it, dragging it to the right. "Xiaoyang has appeared in Yunzhong's position..."
Mo Tiange looked at this map. Xiaoyang was much smaller than Yunzhong and, unlike Yuan Prefecture, didn't have a broad continent. It consisted of three islands of varying sizes. These three islands were, of course, much larger than places like Beiji Island, but calling them a continent was a stretch. Placed in Yunzhong's original position, it looked empty. The surroundings were all sea.
Suddenly, someone gasped. "City Lord, those Xiaoyang demonic cultivators run rampant, with ruthless methods and overbearing actions. Now they're right next to us, so we..."
"This is precisely what the Merchant Alliance is worried about," Fang Qingyu said with concern on her face, though her tone remained calm. "Without Yunzhong, how can our Yuan Prefecture be called a trading continent? Now, with Xiaoyang as our neighbor, it's even more troublesome. And..." Her gaze turned toward Qin Xi. "The Yuan Prefecture Sea overlaps with the Guixu Sea. The Merchant Alliance has confirmed information: the sea beasts of the Guixu Sea have not disappeared. They are now all around Yuan Prefecture."
Hearing this news, Mo Tiange and the other two also slightly changed expressions.
Yunzhong vanished, leaving Yuan Prefecture without trade. Xiaoyang appeared, becoming a great enemy. And sea beasts lurked nearby. This truly was a crisis concerning Yuan Prefecture's very survival.