After the emergence of the demon cultivator continent, the situation in Yuan Prefecture grew more critical by the day.
Massive attacks by sea beasts forced the once-prosperous islands of the Yuan Prefecture Sea to retreat inland. In the end, apart from a few large islands of considerable scale, all residents of the smaller islands had relocated to the mainland. For those few large islands, the Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance dispatched cultivators to take charge, with almost every major island having a Nascent Soul Cultivator stationed there.
Mo Tiange and her two companions hid within the cave. The Shape Concealment Formation completely masked the Spiritual Qi around them, preventing detection by either sea beasts or other cultivators. Qin Xi and Jing Xingzhi took turns venturing out to gather news, while Mo Tiange focused single-mindedly on repairing the Teleportation Array.
The complexity of this array exceeded expectations. A month had passed, and they had only managed to repair about a third of it.
Though anxious in their hearts, the three could only patiently wait. This Teleportation Array was their hope for leaving Yuan Prefecture. If it failed, they would have no choice but to risk crossing the sea to Xiaoyang.
Xiaoyang was a treacherous place that cultivators from Yunzhong were unwilling to even mention, a testament to its chaos. Moreover, even if they reached Xiaoyang, there was no guarantee they could locate Tianji Region. Unless absolutely necessary, none of them wanted to choose that path.
Qin Xi stood in mid-air, riding the wind, gazing at the vast sea.
From time to time, streaks of light from cultivators' flight techniques flashed across the sky. These were the combat teams dispatched by the Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance, responsible for clearing the nearby sea beasts.
The appearance of large numbers of sea beasts rendered the news that the Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance had been hesitating to conceal meaningless. Compared to the emergence of Xiaoyang and the demon cultivator continent, the disappearance of Yunzhong became insignificant. Without Yunzhong, they would merely need to find another way out, unable to maintain Yuan Prefecture's prosperity. However, the existence of Xiaoyang and the demon cultivator continent threatened their very survival.
Consequently, the Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance was forced to change its operational style. In the past, with its commercial prosperity, Yuan Prefecture was renowned for its freedom and safety. Even those with lower cultivation levels could establish themselves in Yuan Prefecture if they had business acumen. The Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance imposed strict controls on unjust killings and offered significant protection to low-level cultivators. But now, facing a severe survival crisis, the ability to fight and kill had instead become the foundation for standing one's ground. Thus, the status of powerful cultivators rose greatly, while low-level cultivators had to pay higher taxes.
Thinking of this, Qin Xi sighed. If this continued, Yuan Prefecture's peaceful atmosphere would be utterly destroyed, becoming no different from Yunzhong and Tianji, perhaps even more brutal.
Spreading his divine sense, he detected fluctuations of Spiritual Qi from a Dharma Combat in the distance—those cultivators were battling sea beasts. After a moment's thought, he decided to disguise himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and head to Changling City to gather information.
Before the Teleportation Array was repaired, it was best for the three of them not to appear again. Otherwise, given their cultivation levels, how could the Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance let them be? After all, this was Yuan Prefecture. If they forcefully refused and antagonized the Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance, it would definitely not be a good thing. The best approach was to make the three of them disappear. With the current crisis, the Yuan Prefecture Trade Alliance wouldn't waste effort on them.
But the next moment, his figure paused. He turned to look in the direction of the Spiritual Qi fluctuations.
"An eighth-rank demon beast..." he murmured to himself. In that instant just now, the auras of those cultivators had suddenly vanished, followed by the appearance of a powerful demon beast's spiritual presence.
Those cultivators ranged from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation. Logically, clearing the nearby sea beasts shouldn't have been a problem. Even if there was danger, they shouldn't have been completely wiped out. But now, with the appearance of an eighth-rank demon beast, everything was different.
Had the true demon cultivators begun to appear? Did this signify an escalation in the conflict?
He suppressed all his aura and looked towards Changling City. Before long, several even more dazzling streaks of light indeed rose from within Changling City, speeding urgently in this direction.
Nascent Soul Cultivators were also joining the battle.
After brief consideration, Qin Xi turned and flew back towards the hidden cave on the small island.
Returning to the cave, Mo Tiange was still intently repairing the array, while Jing Xingzhi cultivated nearby, acting as a protector.
"Back?" Sensing his aura, Jing Xingzhi opened his eyes. "Any changes?"
"Yes," Qin Xi's answer disappointed him. "An eighth-rank demon beast has appeared."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange stopped her repair work and turned her head. "That serious?"
Qin Xi nodded. "The appearance of an eighth-rank demon beast signifies that demon cultivators have begun participating in the attacks on the Yuan Prefecture continent. Now, Yuan Prefecture's Nascent Soul Cultivators have also been mobilized. A true major battle is imminent."
The three exchanged glances, each frowning deeply. Although they had long anticipated this day, they hadn't expected it to come so quickly. With demon cultivators and Nascent Soul Cultivators joining the fray, this battle would be extremely brutal. If they didn't leave soon, they would inevitably be drawn into it.
"We're out of time," Jing Xingzhi said, looking at Mo Tiange. "When exactly can this Teleportation Array be repaired?"
"...Two more months," Mo Tiange replied somewhat helplessly. "This can't be rushed!"
The more sophisticated the array, the more complex it was. Considering the immense distance from Yuan Prefecture to Tianji, the complexity of this Teleportation Array was understandable. The more they rushed, the more prone they were to errors.
"Otherwise, you two can help as well," she suggested after some thought. "For some sections, I've already drawn the array patterns. You just need to follow them. It doesn't require profound knowledge of formations."
"Mm," Qin Xi agreed. As high-level cultivators, they still knew the basics of formations. If it was just a matter of following a diagram, it shouldn't be too difficult.
"..." Jing Xingzhi pondered for a good while before saying awkwardly, "I'm completely clueless about formations. I can't do this..."
"Then you'll be responsible for our safety and gathering news on the side," Mo Tiange didn't press him. After decades of companionship, she understood him well. This guy had no interest in anything except Dharma Combat. She had once asked what he would do if he encountered an enemy skilled in formations. Jing Xingzhi had answered without hesitation: a single sword breaking through ten thousand techniques was the highest realm for a sword cultivator. If one was helpless against an enemy skilled in esoteric arts, it only meant one's sword wasn't strong enough.
Mo Tiange could only sigh in admiration at this. However, in this world, stubborn people didn't necessarily succeed, but successful people were invariably persistent. If he stubbornly followed this single path to the end, he might actually forge a unique way for himself.
With this settled, Qin Xi joined the effort to repair the Teleportation Array. Each day, Mo Tiange would study the array diagrams and have Qin Xi perform the repairs. If there were errors, they would try again.
With such a complex array, it was impossible to avoid any mistakes during the repair process. Moreover, this Teleportation Array was too ancient; some of its formation techniques differed from modern ones. Apart from trial and error, there was no other method.
As a result, the formation materials were consumed extremely quickly. By the time the array was only half completed, the Jade Pine Resin was already used up, and many other formation materials were also running low.
With no other choice, Mo Tiange had to temporarily halt the repairs. She gave Jing Xingzhi a list of required supplies and sent him to Changling City to procure them.
This guy was skilled in disguise techniques. Back when he had taken on the persona of "Jian Xin," both Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang had known him, yet they were both deceived. Especially Nie Wushang, who was proficient in illusion and disguise techniques, yet hadn't suspected him in the slightest—a testament to how masterful his disguise skills were. This task was perfect for him.
Having been cooped up in the cave for over two months, repairing the array non-stop, Mo Tiange was mentally exhausted. Finally having some free time, she decided to go out for some fresh air.
Qin Xi accompanied her. The two suppressed their auras and cautiously explored the surrounding area.
Whether there was no battle today or the front line wasn't here, the surrounding sea area was exceptionally quiet. Not only were there no cultivators in sight, but even sea beasts were absent.
Feeling rather bored, Mo Tiange retrieved the Ten-Thousand-Mile Solitary Boat from her Qiankun Ring. She and Qin Xi sat inside the boat, not using Spiritual Qi to control it, simply letting it drift with the current.
This Ten-Thousand-Mile Solitary Boat was crafted from Mysterious Iron Heartwood she had found in the Western Barbarian Lands during her travels in Yunzhong. Mysterious Iron Heartwood was incredibly hard, capable of withstanding the fierce winds and giant waves of the sea. Originally, she had commissioned its creation specifically for crossing the Southern Sea. Little did she expect the unpredictability of fate. As soon as they emerged from the Immortal Palace, they had ended up in Yuan Prefecture by a twist of fate, never getting the chance to use it.
After gazing at the Ten-Thousand-Mile Solitary Boat for a while, Qin Xi asked, "With all the busyness these days, I almost forgot. Most of your offensive Magical Treasures were destroyed. Any thoughts on what to do?"
Leaning against the boat's railing, Mo Tiange idly stirred the seawater with her hand as she answered casually, "What else can be done? Just refine new ones."
"I know that. I mean, do you have any ideas about what kind of Magical Treasures to refine?"
"That..." Mo Tiange pondered briefly. "I've thought about it. If the power is great enough, one doesn't need too many Magical Treasures. Like you—you have many techniques, but most of your divine abilities lie in the Three Yang True Fire Sword. Now you've just added the Bow of the Vermilion Bird. Yet these two Magical Treasures are enough for you to stand your ground among Nascent Soul Cultivators. As for me, I have quite a few Magical Treasures, but not one or two true trump cards. Although my Dharma Combat ability isn't weak, I always lack a bit of deterrence."
Hearing this, Qin Xi smiled. "That's a reasonable way to think. However, our personalities differ, so we can't generalize. I pursue the power to annihilate with a single strike, while you focus more on well-rounded capabilities. During Dharma Combat, you rarely employ thunderous methods, prioritizing steadiness. If you later rely mainly on one or two Magical Treasures, could you adapt to a new combat style?"
Mo Tiange chuckled, spreading her hand open. Spiritual Qi gathered in her palm as the Heaven-Earth Fan slowly materialized. After these days of nurturing, the Heaven-Earth Fan had recovered some of its Spiritual Qi, no longer appearing so dull and lifeless.
She opened the fan and said, "Although the Heaven-Earth Fan is just one Magical Treasure, it can attack, defend, trap, and kill. If I can master it fully, it would be the same as possessing multiple Magical Treasures."
"...That makes sense too," Qin Xi said, reaching out to take the Heaven-Earth Fan. He examined it carefully, a look of confusion on his face. "That day, the Azure Dragon clearly appeared. Why can't I sense its aura?"
"Perhaps I haven't managed to unlock its full potential," Mo Tiange shared his confusion. "If I could find the method to summon the Azure Dragon, even if this Magical Treasure of mine can't compare to your Bow of the Vermilion Bird, it would at least have considerable combat power."
The Bow of the Vermilion Bird was forged by ancient cultivators, its refinement techniques far superior to those of the Heaven-Earth Fan. In this aspect, the Heaven-Earth Fan couldn't hope to match it.
"Also," Mo Tiange said somewhat hesitantly, "before Master Fu Yaozi disappeared, he passed on his secret arts to me, including some Magical Treasures suitable for the Primordial Chaos Body. It's just... the materials are too hard to find..."