Having learned of the existence of an ancient secret repository in Wind-Sand City and witnessing such a masterful formation here, Mo Tiange was almost certain that this was the place where Xiao Zilan had perished.
Xiao Zilan was a disciple of the Xuanji Sect, a major sect renowned for its formations. The Xuanji Formation Manual passed down from it was exquisite and peerless, considered a top-tier formation art of the current era. Even Ziwei Sanren, who had been her husband for two hundred years, possessed such profound formation skills; as the orthodox successor, Xiao Zilan must have been a true formation master. For a place like Wind-Sand City, when cultivators ventured here in groups, they would surely invite a formation master to accompany them. Xiao Zilan would undoubtedly have been an excellent choice.
If this was truly the case, then this Wind-Sand City was a dragon's den and tiger's lair, dangerous enough that even a formation master like Xiao Zilan had fallen here.
Playing with the Black Gold Fragment in her hand, Mo Tiange pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm not very confident about the formations in this Wind-Sand City." Not to mention the distant complexities, just the obvious grand formation and the countless smaller, self-contained formations within it were beyond her comprehension.
Qin Xi nodded in understanding. Over the past few days, they had been trying to decipher this grand formation. Though he was not skilled in formations, he knew this formation far surpassed the current level of formation arts in the cultivation world. Even if all the formation masters from the entire Tianji Region were gathered, there would be no guarantee of cracking it. However, the possibility of Xiao Zilan's demise here was very high. Since it concerned Tian Ge's life, they had to venture in, even without confidence.
"Let's take it one step at a time," he said. "We must at least try."
Mo Tiange also sighed and nodded.
Qin Xi turned and walked a circle, finally stopping before the sand pit. "Look here."
Following the direction of his finger, Mo Tiange was startled. Around the sand pit, several mid-grade Spirit Stones were scattered, seemingly random at first glance. But upon closer inspection, one could discern a certain pattern. Moreover, around the Spirit Stones, there were intersecting lines drawn with beast blood.
"Using a formation to break a formation?" she muttered to herself, then crouched down to demonstrate.
A moment later, she brushed the dust off her hands and stood up. "That Fellow Daoist Zong had quite unique insights into formations. He actually came up with this method."
Seeing her relaxed expression, Qin Xi asked, "Do you have a solution?"
"I can try to complete this formation," Mo Tiange said. "Whether it can actually break through is still hard to say, but there's a good chance."
"That would be the best way to break it. Since Huo Ziqi and the others set up this incomplete formation here, the entrance is most likely right here."
Mo Tiange hesitated. "Do you think those two Demonic Cultivators will return?"
Qin Xi said, "They probably won't in the short term. Otherwise, they wouldn't have left."
"Hmm."
Mo Tiange crouched down again to complete the formation, while Qin Xi took the Black Gold Fragment for a closer look.
This Black Gold Fragment was likely the clue that Dao Lord Xuanyin and the others had obtained from the demonic cultivators. The fragment was pitch black and glossy, with fine carvings on both sides that were difficult to detect without careful touch. He imprinted the carvings from both sides onto paper and studied them carefully.
The carvings on the two sides were two maps. One depicted the contours of mountains, barely recognizable as the terrain of the Extreme West. The other seemed to be a maze map.
Strangely, neither map was complete. Judging by the maps, there were at least two more fragments missing. Could it be that those two Demonic Cultivators had obtained one of the fragments?
Based solely on these two maps, one could only confirm it was the Extreme West. No wonder the Immortal Alliance hadn't held much hope; the Extreme West was so vast that the chance of finding it was slim.
But how did they know this map depicted the secret repository of an Ancient Era great sect?
Holding the object, Qin Xi pondered as he circled the sand pit.
It wasn't until he inadvertently probed the interior of the Black Gold Fragment with his divine sense that he suddenly understood.
This Black Gold Fragment wasn't just for carving maps; it also sealed a restriction inside. It seemed this object was also a key to the treasure location. Ancient Era texts recorded that some sects would seal restrictions within certain objects, using them as keys.
However, based on this object alone, one couldn't be certain the secret repository was in Wind-Sand City. Presumably, Huo Ziqi and Zong Si had obtained other clues. Unfortunately, all their belongings had been taken by those two Demonic Cultivators.
Time passed. Mo Tiange continued calculating the incomplete formation left by Zong Si. Qin Xi first pondered the two maps, then simply sat cross-legged nearby to meditate and regulate his breathing.
The two Demonic Cultivators did not return. It was unclear whether they had other targets or simply didn't want to conflict with them.
Two days later, Mo Tiange finally clapped her hands joyfully. "Done!"
Qin Xi opened his eyes and stood up. "Any results?"
"Yes. The formation left by Zong Si is basically repaired. Next, we can try to see if we can break this small formation."
Mo Tiange placed formation flags in the center of the formation and set down the final Spirit Stone.
"Hum!" A light hum sounded as hundreds of Spirit Stones lit up simultaneously, forming a glowing shield. At the center point of the shield, a bright white line of light shot toward the sand pit.
"Boom!" After the loud noise came a "shasha" sound as all the sand in the pit drained downward. A moment later, the pit was empty, replaced by a dark, gaping hole.
Both Mo Tiange and Qin Xi were delighted. They hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. They had come here without knowing about any secret repository. The unexpected demise of Huo and Zong had benefited them entirely.
The spiritual energy from the Spirit Stones on the ground was completely absorbed, turning them all into powder. Mo Tiange erased the traces of the formation and asked Qin Xi, "Shall we go down?"
Qin Xi thought for a moment. "Send your Puppet down first to test. There might be mechanisms inside."
"Alright." She took out the Jade Bone Puppet from her Qiankun Ring, inserted a crystal jade, and commanded the Puppet to jump down the hole.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" As soon as the Puppet leaped in, several explosive sounds were heard. Mo Tiange felt the Puppet being struck by something, nearly causing it to fall. Fortunately, this Puppet was made of incredibly sturdy Sacred Spirit Soft Jade. It only swayed but continued to descend steadily.
Once it safely reached the bottom, it flew back up.
The mechanism arts inside the hole activated again. The Puppet wobbled as it flew upward, struck countless times.
When the Puppet flew out, Mo Tiange worriedly ly touched the minor scratches on its body. Luckily, the white robe the Puppet wore was a defensive treasure. These were just superficial scratches that didn't affect the Puppet's combat strength.
She replaced the crystal jade that had depleted its spiritual power and commanded the Puppet to jump down again. This was repeated several times until the mechanisms inside no longer activated.
"Alright, let's go down."
"Hmm." Qin Xi raised his arm, and the Three Yang True Fire Sword materialized, transforming into several sword rays that enveloped them both. "Let's go."
***
"Young Master," in another corner of Wind-Sand City, the maidservant named Hongxiao asked, "why didn't we kill those two Daoist cultivators as well?"
She had held back this question for two days. Given the Young Master's temperament, he usually killed anyone who got in his way. Yet this time, he had chosen to avoid them. Knowing his personality, she hadn't dared to ask until now. Seeing him still leisurely cultivating here, she couldn't hold back any longer.
"What's the hurry?" The male cultivator sat cross-legged in meditation, not even opening his eyes.
Hongxiao bit her lip. "This servant is afraid the City Lord might think I didn't handle things properly."
Hearing this, the male cultivator opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "You're quite frank."
Hongxiao lowered her head. "Lying is useless before Young Master. It's better for this servant to be honest."
"Heh..." The male cultivator chuckled. "No wonder you've been able to follow Shuang'er for so long, and she even made an exception to help you form your Nascent Soul. You really are clever."
This 'cleverness' wasn't praise for her intelligence but for her knowing her place. Hongxiao lowered her gaze, feeling a pang of sorrow inside but not daring to show any expression lest he see it. She silently wondered: although the City Lord was cold-natured, she was straightforward. Why was the Young Master so sinister?
The male cultivator seemed to be in a rather good mood and explained, "The two Daoist cultivators we killed were mediocre. Killing them was nothing. But the other two are not easy to deal with."
Hongxiao couldn't tell if he was implying she was incompetent and said cautiously, "It's all because this servant held Young Master back."
"It's not your fault. Even if you could defeat the female cultivator, I'm not confident I could defeat the other one."
This surprised Hongxiao. "Young Master's divine abilities are astonishing. Unless it's a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator, who could possibly pose a challenge to Young Master?"
"Talented individuals emerge in every generation, and I'm not the only one," the male cultivator said with a tinge of emotion on his face. "I thought aside from great cultivators, no one in this world could be my match. It seems I underestimated others."
Hongxiao remained silent. Now was not the time for her to speak.
In the midst of his emotion, the male cultivator suddenly frowned, then sneered. "Hmph, two more early-Nascent Soul juniors. How bold!"
Hongxiao also sensed it—two people were flying closer. Strangely, one was a Demonic Cultivator and the other a Daoist cultivator. It was said that Demonic Cultivators and Daoist cultivators in the Tianji Region were sworn enemies. How could a demonic and a Daoist cultivator travel together?
As she pondered this, the two drew nearer and appeared within their line of sight.
Hongxiao brought her hands together, combining her daggers, ready to defend against any attack.
These two: one was relatively young, wearing a blue robe with a sword on his back, expressionless; the other looked like a little old man with dry, thin skin wrapped in black robes. The former was a sword cultivator, the latter a Demonic Cultivator.
The two landed before them. The four warily sized each other up.
A moment later, the black-robed old man seemed to notice something and stepped forward first. "Are you two from Yunzhong?"
The male cultivator raised an eyebrow, his hostility slightly receding as he looked at them. "You are..."
The old man grinned, his wrinkled face creasing. He pointed at the male cultivator's waist. "Fellow Daoist, the embroidery on your belt is the mark of Night Owl City."
The male cultivator looked down. His outer robe had blown open slightly, revealing half of a black mark. He couldn't help but view this old man in a new light. The mark on the belt was very small; under normal circumstances, no one would notice it. This old man was quite observant.
He relaxed his tone. "Correct. We are indeed from Night Owl City. And who are you? What brings you here?"
The old man said, "This Fellow Daoist and I are loose cultivators from Yunzhong, here to seek treasure. I wonder if you two are also here for treasure?"
Although Yunzhong and Tianji now had contact, this place was tens of thousands of miles from Yunzhong and utterly desolate. Besides treasure hunting, it was hard to imagine what else one would do here.
The male cultivator didn't hide it. "Indeed." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the two, still wary. "May I ask where you obtained the news that there is treasure here?"
The next moment, his eyes widened in surprise because the old man took out an object.
It was a Black Gold Fragment, pitch black all over, about the size of a palm.