Under Feng Xiao's lead, the five of them flew towards Kunzhong City.
As they approached Kunzhong City, Mo Tiange keenly noticed that the city's restrictions were vastly different from before.
In the past, Kunzhong City, though a major trading hub in Kunwu, was managed by a Loose Cultivator Alliance consisting of only a few Core Formation cultivators. Its city-protecting formation and internal restrictions were only at the Core Formation level. While this couldn't compare to sects with Nascent Soul cultivators presiding, it was considered decent strength in the Tianji Region. Some mid-sized sects didn't have Nascent Soul cultivators either, or even as many Core Formation cultivators.
However, compared to today's Kunzhong City, the old one was simply not up to par.
The Kunzhong City before their eyes now had a city-protecting formation only slightly inferior to the great sects' mountain-protecting grand arrays, clearly having been rearranged by Nascent Soul cultivators. The restrictions within were such that even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't act recklessly.
The atmosphere in Kunzhong City was also completely different. Although shops and stores operated as usual, the mood was much more rigorous, with people coming and going in an orderly fashion.
Just what had happened? Mo Tiange felt uneasy. With such a setup, Kunzhong City must have been taken over by the major sects. The original Kunzhong City, though profitable, wasn't worth the effort for the major sects to reach out for, let alone for them all to reach out together. It seemed Feng Xiao's "major event" truly was a major event.
The group landed in the city center. Though many cultivators looked up at them, none showed surprise, clearly accustomed to seeing Nascent Soul cultivators.
Mo Tiange glanced at Qin Xi, who gave her a slight smile, hinting she needn't worry. The Danding Sect had nearly lost its lineage during the last beast tide but had stubbornly persisted relying on the sect's accumulated reserves. Moreover, the Xuanqing Sect had been thriving before; it wouldn't fall so easily. With the Xuanqing Sect present, the two of them wouldn't be easily moved against.
"Feng... Fellow Daoist," Qin Xi paused, then asked, "I wonder if any of my Senior Brothers or Sisters from the Xuanqing Sect are here?"
Kunzhong City had no city lord's mansion. The Loose Cultivator Alliance was located atop the Wanhe Tower in the city center. As Feng Xiao led them, using a token to open the tower's restrictions, he smiled and said, "You'll know soon enough."
Mo Tiange quickly surveyed their surroundings, inwardly shocked. The restrictions on Wanhe Tower were even more formidable; its defenses were as strict as the secret grounds of a major sect.
From the outside, Wanhe Tower looked quite ordinary, neither its scale nor its shape particularly outstanding. Only upon entering did they discover the tower held another world within.
The interior was very spacious, with dozens of cultivators, all at Foundation Establishment level or above, coming and going, each occupied with their own tasks. Seeing them enter, they hurriedly bowed in greeting before burying themselves in their work again.
This surprised Mo Tiange and Qin Xi. Their group of five Nascent Soul cultivators would be treated with utmost reverence wherever they appeared; how could they be treated so casually here?
Feng Xiao and the others, however, paid it no mind, leading them upstairs. Each floor was similar: dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators buried in work, with a few Core Formation cultivators presiding.
Such a scene was rarely seen even within major sects. After Core Formation, cultivators only enjoyed sect provisions and didn't need to undertake any duties unless they volunteered; they only needed to answer the sect's summons when required. Thus, Core Formation cultivators mostly secluded themselves in bitter cultivation. Where would you see them presiding over specific affairs like this?
Reaching the sixth floor, Feng Xiao took out his token again. This floor had independent restrictions established.
The restrictions flashed and vanished. Feng Xiao led them up.
Upon reaching the sixth floor and seeing the scene before them, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi were both greatly astonished. Though they had mentally prepared themselves, they never expected there to be so many Nascent Soul cultivators!
"Huh, Fellow Daoist Feng, the fellow daoists you've brought are..." someone asked upon seeing them ascend.
Mo Tiange needn't be mentioned. Qin Xi had always buried himself in cultivation, and after forming his Nascent Soul, he lived a reclusive life. Many knew of him, but few had actually met him.
"Fellow Daoist Yu, can't you tell? They're naturally fellow daoists from the Xuanqing Sect," Feng Xiao replied with a smile.
"Nonsense!" This person was quite familiar with Feng Xiao and directly rolled his eyes. Their attire showed they were from the Xuanqing Sect, but he didn't know when the Xuanqing Sect had gained two such young cultivators, one of whom was even at the Nascent Soul mid-stage.
Before Feng Xiao could answer, someone else exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Junior Brother Shoujing, it's actually you!"
Mo Tiange turned her gaze to see Dao Lord Xuanyin striding forward. "Junior Brother Shoujing, you've finally returned!" Then, seeing Mo Tiange, he was startled. "...Junior Sister Qingwei?"
"Senior Brother Xuanyin!" Qin Xi and Mo Tiange exchanged a smile and bowed to him.
After the shock passed, Dao Lord Xuanyin was overjoyed. "Not only have you two returned safely, but Qingwei has also formed her Nascent Soul! This is truly a joyous occasion!"
"Junior Brother Shoujing, Junior Sister Qingwei, congratulations!" Another person stepped forward; it was Dao Lord Miaoyi.
"Senior Sister Miaoyi!"
Witnessing this, the present Nascent Soul cultivators reacted variously: some were astonished, some puzzled, some frowned inwardly, and others remained expressionless.
Those who recognized Qin Xi mostly knew Mo Tiange's identity. In the past, though she had a reputation as a genius and was Qin Shoujing's dao companion, she was ultimately only at Core Formation, not worth these Nascent Soul cultivators' attention. Only now, seeing she had also formed her Nascent Soul, did they regard her seriously.
But upon this serious regard, they were inwardly shocked. This Mo Qingwei seemed to have advanced to Core Formation only a hundred years ago, not yet a hundred years old at the time. Now she had formed her Nascent Soul—didn't that mean she was not yet two hundred? Such a cultivation speed was truly astonishing!
Among the Nascent Soul cultivators, a portion usually paid no heed to mundane affairs. These people had heard of Qin Shoujing but didn't recognize Qin Xi, let alone know who Mo Tiange was. Seeing the Xuanqing Sect suddenly produce two young Nascent Soul cultivators, they were inwardly puzzled.
Then, almost everyone thought: the Xuanqing Sect currently had six Nascent Soul cultivators. Adding these two, wouldn't that make eight! The weight of two additional Nascent Soul cultivators was no small matter. For tens of thousands of years in the Tianji Region, a major sect with more than five Nascent Soul cultivators could be considered prosperous, let alone eight! Even at its peak, the Tiandao Sect had only seven Nascent Soul cultivators!
"Fellow Daoists!" Dao Lord Xuanyin turned and introduced to the assembled Nascent Soul cultivators, "This is my sect's Junior Brother Shoujing. Presumably, even those who haven't met him have mostly heard of him. This is my master, Dao Lord Jinghe's, last disciple, also my Junior Brother Shoujing's dao companion, with the dao title Qingwei. My Junior Sister Qingwei went out traveling a hundred years ago and never returned. Who would have thought she actually formed her Nascent Soul! Truly unexpected!"
Dao Lord Xuanyin's words were filled with joy. Back when Dao Lord Lingxu passed away, several of the Xuanqing Sect's Core Formation juniors, who had been highly expected, failed to successfully advance to Nascent Soul, always being suppressed by the Tiandao Sect. Later, Qin Xi went missing at Tianmo Mountain for several years and returned having advanced to Nascent Soul, while the Tiandao Sect lost a Nascent Soul cultivator during the Tianmo Mountain incident. Thus, the two sects became balanced, each with six Nascent Soul cultivators. However, because the Tiandao Sect had two Nascent Soul late-stage cultivators, it still firmly held the position of top sect.
In the following decades, Dao Lord Jinghe advanced to late-stage, finally standing equal with the Tiandao Sect. But then Qin Xi left the sect again, with no news for decades. Fortunately, Perfected One Lingxi successfully advanced to Nascent Soul during this period, maintaining the situation.
Over these decades, people in the Tianji Region had grown accustomed to it: in the east of Kunwu was the Tiandao Sect, in the west was the Xuanqing Sect, the two sects evenly matched. But now, the Xuanqing Sect's Dao Lord Shoujing, missing for decades, had actually returned, and they even had an additional Dao Lord Qingwei. Now the Xuanqing Sect's title as the Tianji Region's top sect was firmly secured.
Setting aside these Nascent Soul cultivators' various thoughts, on the surface they still expressed their congratulations.
Qin Xi and Mo Tiange exchanged greetings with them one by one, finally following Dao Lord Xuanyin to the Xuanqing Sect's designated seats.
"Junior Brother Shoujing, Junior Sister Qingwei, did you two just return to the Tianji Region? How have you been these past decades? Master missed you greatly. Unfortunately, with the South Sea separating us from Yunzhong, we couldn't communicate and had no news of you. Master was always worried."
Qin Xi smiled. "It's a long story. Our experiences in Yunzhong were quite marvelous; we'll speak of them slowly when there's time. How about Master? Is he well now?"
Dao Lord Xuanyin replied, "How could Master not be well? Ever since Master advanced to late-stage, our sect's prestige has greatly increased. Now Master presides over the sect!"
Hearing this, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi both felt relieved. Before returning to the Tianji Region, they had worried that after advancing to late-stage, Master would go settle accounts with Superior One Songfeng. Though Superior One Songfeng was alone, his strength was formidable and his nature cunning; it was hard to say if he wouldn't suffer a loss. Fortunately, what they feared hadn't happened.
"Senior Brother Xuanyin, Senior Sister Miaoyi, just what is going on? Why have so many Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in Kunzhong City?" Qin Xi asked in a low voice, looking at the thirty or forty Nascent Soul cultivators before them.
Wasn't this most of the Tianji Region's Nascent Soul cultivators? What kind of event could make these old Nascent Soul monsters set aside their cultivation and gather together?
Just as Xuanyin was about to answer, Feng Xiao called over, "Fellow Daoist Xuanyin, regarding this matter, shouldn't your Xuanqing Sect also state its position?"
"Junior Brother Xuanyin, you go handle that side first," Dao Lord Miaoyi took over upon seeing the situation. "I'll explain this matter."
Dao Lord Xuanyin nodded, giving Mo Tiange and Qin Xi an apologetic smile before temporarily leaving to approach Feng Xiao.
"Junior Brother Shoujing, Junior Sister Qingwei," Dao Lord Miaoyi said, "You've been away from the Tianji Region for decades as well. Since returning, have you inquired about the current situation in the Tianji Region?"
Qin Xi shook his head. "We were eager to return home. As soon as we came back, we hurried back to our sect. Passing through here, we were intercepted and haven't had a chance to inquire yet."
"So that's why. No wonder you're not anxious at all." Dao Lord Miaoyi sighed softly. "You remember that beast tides occur in Kunwu every few decades or hundred years, right?"
Qin Xi nodded. "Has a beast tide occurred again?" Before he left, there hadn't been one for over a hundred years. Calculating, it had been about a hundred and sixty or seventy years since the last beast tide.
"If only it were that." Dao Lord Miaoyi said, "This matter is shocking to hear. About a year ago, heaven and earth underwent an abnormal change, and the Tianji Region suddenly shifted. Now, near the Tianji Region, there is a new continent inhabited by many demonic cultivators and ghost cultivators!"