Hearing Mo Tiange's voice, the Demonic Cultivator woman was greatly startled. Just as she was about to retreat, she found that her Twin-Edged Curved Blade, which she hadn't yet had time to retract, suddenly grew heavy. Golden lightning crackled and intertwined along its edge, as if it were stuck, making it impossible to withdraw.
She stared at Mo Tiange in shock. "You... you're just an Early-Nascent Soul Dao cultivator, aren't you?"
It was no wonder she was so surprised. The cultivation path of Demonic Cultivators sacrificed safety for speed and power. Thus, Demonic Cultivators of the same rank were often slightly stronger than Dao cultivators. If she hadn't been lying earlier and this was truly her first encounter with a high-ranking Dao cultivator, it was understandable she had underestimated Mo Tiange's strength.
Mo Tiange gazed at her coldly. "In your eyes, are Dao cultivators just lambs to the slaughter?" With that, the lightning on the Twin-Edged Curved Blade crackled once more, attacking the divine sense attached to the blade.
The woman's face paled. She formed hand seals with both hands, gathering demonic energy, trying to forcibly recall her weapon. This Twin-Edged Curved Blade was her life-bound magical treasure, containing the demonic essence she had refined over centuries. If it were destroyed, her strength would suffer a severe blow!
Unexpectedly, Mo Tiange had no intention of engaging in a contest of strength. Instead, with a flick of her Heaven and Earth Fan, she withdrew the golden lightning from the Twin-Edged Curved Blade. By the time the Demonic Cultivator woman reacted, Mo Tiange had already transformed into a streak of escaping light, vanishing into the horizon.
Retrieving her Twin-Edged Curved Blade, the Demonic Cultivator woman stared blankly for a long moment at the spot where Mo Tiange had disappeared.
"What are you doing?" A low male voice sounded. A mass of ink-blue mist coalesced into form not far in front of her, materializing into a tall man with pale blue skin.
This man was clearly not a normal human. A protrusion resembling a beast's horn adorned his forehead, and his hands, hidden beneath his sleeves, revealed a silvery gleam. His hair and eye color matched his skin—a dark, near-black shade of pale blue, lending his cold, severe features a strangely handsome air.
This person was also clearly at the Early-Nascent Soul stage. Yet, upon seeing him, the Demonic Cultivator woman hurriedly bowed in greeting. "Young Master."
The man merely stared at her coldly, remaining silent for a long while.
The Demonic Cultivator woman's expression gradually grew uneasy. Finally, she couldn't help but speak. "Young Master, a Dao cultivator appeared here. This humble servant intended to eliminate them first, but I never expected..."
"You never expected you'd underestimated their strength," the man cut in, glancing at her. He didn't deliberately exert pressure, yet every word he spoke felt like tangible blocks of ice—hard and frigid.
The Demonic Cultivator woman lowered her head, her tone fearful. "This humble servant was wrong. Please punish me, Young Master."
"Hmph!" The man swept a cold gaze over her. "I'm not your proper master. Why bother with such formalities?"
Hearing this, the Demonic Cultivator woman slowly erased the fear from her face and fell silent. As a Nascent Soul Cultivator, referring to herself as a 'humble servant' to a cultivator of the same rank was certainly not done willingly.
It was just that she knew even better that the man before her, though of the same cultivation stage, possessed means sufficient to make her wish for death yet find it impossible.
"Speak. What happened?"
The Demonic Cultivator woman looked up and reported, "This humble servant was about to enter to investigate when I discovered a Dao cultivator here, and a Nascent Soul Cultivator at that. I intended to deal with them..."
"So, you don't know this person's origins?"
"There wasn't much time. This humble servant didn't investigate the matter," the woman hesitated before adding, "However, judging from the female cultivator's attire, she should be a disciple of a major sect."
"A Nascent Soul Cultivator likely has a sect," the man said, his pale blue eyes fixed on the spot where Mo Tiange vanished. "To leave so easily from under your hand—this person is not to be underestimated."
"Young Master, the Lands of the Extreme West are rarely visited by cultivators from the Tianji Region, let alone Nascent Soul Cultivators. At this critical juncture, for a Nascent Soul Cultivator to suddenly appear here... should we investigate further?"
"Didn't you just say there wasn't much time?" The man cast a cold glance at her. "Don't stir up unnecessary trouble. We proceed according to plan."
Hearing this, the Demonic Cultivator woman bit her lip, finally lowering her head in assent. "Yes."
Traveling at breakneck speed, Mo Tiange returned to the small town near Wind-Sand City. Suddenly, she felt a powerful divine sense sweep over her. Gripping her Heaven and Earth Fan tightly, she went on full alert.
The newcomer headed straight for her. The next moment, she sensed a familiar aura. Seeing it was Mo Tiange, Qin Xi also let out a sigh of relief. "Good..."
What did that mean? Mo Tiange asked, "Senior Brother, did you encounter something?"
Qin Xi said, "Did you see a Nascent Soul Demonic Cultivator? I crossed paths with him, and then he fled. His Supernatural Abilities were strange. I was worried he might encounter you..."
Mo Tiange hesitated. "I did encounter a Nascent Soul Demonic Cultivator. However, her strength was mediocre. Even with a sneak attack, I managed to repel her."
Qin Xi was taken aback upon hearing this. "Mediocre strength? Could it be we didn't encounter the same person?" He then asked, "What did the Demonic Cultivator you encountered look like?"
"It was a woman, Early-Nascent Soul cultivation."
"A woman?" Qin Xi was surprised. "The one I encountered was a male cultivator, also Early-Nascent Soul, with a peculiar appearance—blue skin and hair. So, two Demonic Cultivators appeared simultaneously?"
The two exchanged glances, both sensing this matter was not simple. Huo Ziqi and Zong Si were here for the possible secret treasury within Wind-Sand City. What were these two Demonic Cultivators here for? Could it be there was some secret within Wind-Sand City they didn't know about?
Each lost in thought for a moment, Mo Tiange then said, "Apart from Wind-Sand City, I can't think of any other reason for them to be here."
Qin Xi nodded slowly. "The Extreme West is desolate. For hundreds of miles around, there's nothing worthy of a Nascent Soul Cultivator's attention. Those two must be targeting Wind-Sand City."
"In that case, wouldn't we likely come into conflict with them?"
The Tianji Region was not like Yunzhong. The great war between the righteous and demonic paths had occurred here. To this day, the Demonic Path was confined north of Mount Tianmo, unable to enter Kunwu. Demonic Path cultivators harbored deep-seated hatred for the righteous path, especially Dao cultivators.
Qin Xi said, "We must enter Wind-Sand City regardless. We'll deal with them if we meet."
Just as he finished speaking, they suddenly sensed two auras. Turning, they saw Huo Ziqi and Zong Si approaching via flight.
"Fellow Daoists!" Huo Ziqi raised a hand in salute, his expression serious. "Have you sensed the presence of other cultivators?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Mo Tiange's face. That Demonic Path female cultivator who ambushed her, though her strength was unremarkable, possessed an exceptional concealment technique. If not for Mo Tiange's success in cultivating the Divine Refinement Art, she might have truly fallen victim to the sneak attack. The one Qin Xi encountered could escape easily from him, indicating extraordinary escape techniques. Huo Ziqi and Zong Si, whose cultivation and strength were not outstanding, had actually managed to detect these two?
"To be frank with you both," Qin Xi said, "we just encountered two Demonic Cultivators."
"Demonic Cultivators?" Huo Ziqi was very surprised. "How could there be Demonic Cultivators in the Extreme West? Are you certain they are Demonic Cultivators, and not Kunwu cultivators who practice demonic arts?"
Huo Ziqi asked this because many cultivators in Kunwu practiced demonic arts. They weren't true Demonic Cultivators but merely coveted the special effects of certain demonic techniques. The most famous among them was Liu Dingyuan, the Chief Supreme Elder of the Tiandao Sect.
Qin Xi said, "There are only so many Nascent Soul Cultivators in the Tianji Region. I've never heard of these two individuals."
"In that case, these two are very likely Demonic Path cultivators from north of Mount Tianmo..." Huo Ziqi frowned deeply. Now that the Immortal Alliance was hostile to the Demonic Path, what could two Demonic Path cultivators be doing here? Was there something strange afoot?
Mo Tiange asked, "Since you two Fellow Daoists sensed the presence of other cultivators, couldn't you tell they were Demonic Cultivators?"
Huo Ziqi gave an embarrassed smile. "To be honest, it wasn't Fellow Daoist Zong and I who sensed other cultivators here, but my spirit beast."
As he spoke, he lightly patted a spirit beast pouch at his waist. A palm-sized, colorful butterfly fluttered out and alighted on his shoulder.
Huo Ziqi explained, "This Spirit-Seeking Butterfly is only a seventh-rank spirit beast with almost no combat power. However, it is extremely sensitive to spiritual energy. It can detect even the slightest fluctuation in spiritual energy."
"I see." If they hadn't literally run into them, neither she nor Qin Xi had detected the traces of those two Demonic Cultivators. Yet this Spirit-Seeking Butterfly had sensed them. The spirit beasts of the Spirit Beast Sect were indeed extraordinary. Used properly, they could greatly enhance an individual's strength.
"Fellow Daoists, what happened with the Demonic Cultivators you encountered? Do you know their origins or why they're here?" Huo Ziqi sounded somewhat nervous. Among Nascent Soul Cultivators, his and Zong Si's strength was only average. They had originally thought this mission wouldn't be dangerous and was a good opportunity for them both. Unexpectedly, upon arriving at Wind-Sand City, not only did they encounter Qin Xi and Mo Tiange, but they also discovered traces of Demonic Cultivators. If conflict broke out, he and Zong Si would be lucky to escape unscathed, let alone think about gaining any benefits.
Qin Xi shook his head. "Just now, we encountered two Demonic Cultivators, one male, one female. Both were at the Early-Nascent Soul stage. The male cultivator had a peculiar appearance, mysterious and formidable Supernatural Abilities. We haven't discovered anything special about the female cultivator yet. As for their purpose here, we don't know."
"With Fellow Daoist Shoujing's methods, dealing with those two should be easy, right?" Huo Ziqi asked hopefully. Although this Qin Shoujing was a junior who advanced later, his cultivation and Supernatural Abilities far surpassed theirs as seniors. It was said his fire-based techniques were peerless, his methods far exceeding those of cultivators at the same rank. With his Mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, dealing with two Early-Nascent Soul Demonic Cultivators shouldn't be difficult, right?
Qin Xi paused before answering, "That male cultivator's escape technique is peculiar. Killing him wouldn't be easy. However, protecting ourselves shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing this, Huo Ziqi set his worried heart at ease and smiled. "Fellow Daoist Shoujing is too modest. I heard that even when you were at the Core Formation stage, you managed to escape from Venerable Songfeng. Surely, with your current abilities, two Early-stage cultivators are nothing to you."
Venerable Songfeng was powerful, cruel, and murderous—one could say he was the number one bully in the Tianji Region, feared by all in Kunwu. The news that Qin Xi had once escaped his pursuit had spread, becoming more and more exaggerated over time, especially after Qin Xi formed his Nascent Soul. To highlight his genius, the tales grew increasingly inflated. In reality, Qin Xi had managed to escape Venerable Songfeng's pursuit back then because Dao Lords Zhenyang and Jinghe arrived in time to receive him. With the two of them joining forces to protect him, Venerable Songfeng could only retreat. Otherwise, ten Qin Xis wouldn't have been enough for him to kill.
Qin Xi said, "Fellow Daoist Huo thinks too highly of me. It was merely good luck." However, he didn't explain further. In the world of cultivation, modesty was not a virtue.
Huo Ziqi continued asking, "Where are they now? Did you fight?"
"We merely crossed paths, and then they fled," Qin Xi said. "Where they went afterward, we don't know."
"I see..." Huo Ziqi exchanged a glance with Zong Si before asking again, "With two Demonic Cultivators suddenly appearing, what are your thoughts, you two?"
Qin Xi smiled and said, "My wife and I came here on our master's orders to find someone. If they're unrelated, so be it. If conflict arises, we can act then."
Hearing Qin Xi's words, Huo Ziqi nodded in agreement. "Fellow Daoist Shoujing speaks sense. Then tomorrow we shall still enter Wind-Sand City as planned."
Qin Xi smiled slightly. "Good. Until tomorrow."