When the two parties compared their maps, they indeed connected, missing only the bottommost piece.
"Two out of three, what about the remaining map?" Jing Xingzhi asked. Mo Tiange glanced at him. "If you want to snatch it, just say so. We all know your character, no need to pretend." "..." Jing Xingzhi coughed and said, "Snatching it now might not be appropriate." Qin Xi looked at him and asked, "What do you mean? This is the Tianji Region. They're only at the early Nascent Soul stage. What's the problem with snatching it?"
"If they were truly just two people, there'd be no problem. But we suspect a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator is likely following behind them." "A Late-Nascent Soul cultivator?" Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised. "What's their background?" "They're from Yexiao City," Nie Wushang replied.
"Yexiao City?" Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "Demon Lord Yeshuang?" "Just a guess," Nie Wushang said. "You stayed in Yunzhong for so long, you should know that a demonic city usually has only one Nascent Soul cultivator."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Mo Tiange already understood her implication. "Right. It seems these two have an extraordinary relationship with Demon Lord Yeshuang." Nie Wushang continued, "So, we think that for such a significant matter, Demon Lord Yeshuang is very likely following behind."
A secret repository is a temptation even a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator cannot refuse. If they weren't acting privately, Demon Lord Yeshuang would definitely come. Qin Xi nodded and looked at Jing Xingzhi. "So you think if we snatch their map now, when Demon Lord Yeshuang arrives, there will be no room for negotiation?" "If you're confident you can defeat a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator, you can ignore what I said," Jing Xingzhi spread his hands, speaking bluntly.
Qin Xi didn't reply immediately but pondered for a while before slowly saying, "Against a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator, I have the power to fight. I might not win, but protecting myself shouldn't be a problem." "What if the other side disregards everything, willing to perish just to eliminate us?" Jing Xingzhi pressed further. "..."
After a moment of silence, Qin Xi said calmly, "Then it depends on one's own fortune."
Setting other things aside, a Late-Nascent Soul Great Cultivator has stayed at the Nascent Soul stage for hundreds or even a thousand years. Their Natal Treasures and ultimate divine abilities have been nurtured and cultivated for who knows how many years. The advantage accumulated over such a long time is formidable. Even Qin Xi, hailed as a genius with continuous opportunities, cannot match it. After all, which cultivator who reaches the Late-Nascent Soul stage isn't a genius? Which one hasn't had extraordinary encounters?
Having said this, Qin Xi looked at him. "What do you mean by that?" Jing Xingzhi rubbed his nose and said, "I'm just raising a possibility. That Demon Lord Yeshuang is a woman. Women are often emotional; even after cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage, it's no exception—why are you looking at me like that?" Mo Tiange averted her gaze, acting as if nothing happened, but Nie Wushang snorted.
"So what's your suggestion?" Qin Xi asked. Jing Xingzhi said, "I think before things are clear, we should pretend not to know each other and propose a three-party cooperation. After we cooperate and find the repository, we can decide then."
If they successfully find the repository, snatching the map becomes unnecessary. If the two demonic cultivators try tricks along the way, the four of them can just eliminate them. As for Demon Lord Yeshuang, if she indeed arrives later, they can simply save some trouble and cede part of the treasures. None of the four are insatiably greedy. If Demon Lord Yeshuang wants to turn hostile, they aren't afraid either. Unless it's a mutually destructive attack, with the four of them joining forces, they might have a fighting chance. Qin Xi agreed first, and Mo Tiange also indicated she had no objections. As for Nie Wushang, she had likely already discussed this with Jing Xingzhi.
Having decided this, the four continued forward while talking about what had happened since they parted.
Mo Tiange transmitted her voice to Nie Wushang. "How did you end up with Jing Xingzhi?" Nie Wushang gave her a rather helpless look and transmitted back, "We happened to run into each other."
Then she spoke of events since they parted. After separating in Guifang City back then, Mo Tiange traveled around Yunzhong, while Nie Wushang focused on refining the Primordial Demonic Qi. The Primordial Demonic Qi she had consumed was prepared by Mei Feng to advance directly from early to late stage. Although incomplete, the energy it contained was not insignificant, enough for her to advance from Core Formation to Nascent Soul. After Mo Tiange left, she went into seclusion for over forty more years and successfully advanced to Nascent Soul in one go.
Hearing this, Mo Tiange calculated. Nie Wushang's Nascent Soul Formation time was very close to hers, just a few years apart. After Nie Wushang emerged from seclusion, she heard about the events in the Guixu Sea. This matter was a major event in the Yunzhong cultivation world, involving most of Yunzhong's Nascent Soul cultivators and major powers. While low-level cultivators didn't know the details, high-level cultivators were well aware.
Learning that Mo Tiange was trapped in an isolated space and likely couldn't get out, she felt sad for a while. But not two years later, she heard that Mo Tiange not only safely exited the Guixu Sea secret land but also achieved Nascent Soul Formation in one go, and even caused an earth-shattering commotion in Yunzhong due to her Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation. Hearing this, Mo Tiange asked, "What happened in Yunzhong afterward? After the tribulation, I went far away to Yuan Prefecture. After returning, I've been in seclusion until recently when I emerged. I haven't had time to inquire about Yunzhong's affairs." This question made Nie Wushang laugh with schadenfreude. "You definitely don't know how much trouble you caused." "How?" Mo Tiange didn't understand. Her Nascent Soul Tribulation only wiped out most of the sea beasts in that area of the sea, which wasn't crucial for Yunzhong—there were plenty of demonic beasts in the Guixu Sea. Nie Wushang said, "After the tribulation that day, it triggered earth fissures and tsunamis. The protective formation of Yiye Island was torn apart, and the entire island sank into the sea."
"What?!" Mo Tiange was startled. "So Yunzhong lost many high-level cultivators?" Yiye Island had gathered many Core Formation cultivators. If they all perished, the number of people achieving Nascent Soul Formation in Yunzhong would greatly decrease over the next few centuries.
"Not that many," Nie Wushang said. "Yiye Island happened to have gathered many Nascent Soul cultivators. Although many went to chase you, quite a few remained there to maintain the situation. Seeing the danger, they brought all those cultivators back to the mainland. Only those who hadn't returned from hunting beasts disappeared forever." "That's a relief," Mo Tiange said thankfully. "Although this matter wasn't directly caused by me, so I don't bear the karma, if so many people had really died, I wouldn't feel good about it."
Nie Wushang chuckled. "Anyway, it's connected to you. You really are a great calamity." She continued, "With Yiye Island gone, Yunzhong has big trouble. You know, most of the resources for Yunzhong's high-level cultivators came from Yiye Island." Mo Tiange nodded. "So Yunzhong hasn't been doing very well these past few years."
"Right," Nie Wushang shook her head. "Yiye Island was developed over a hundred thousand years. Rebuilding another Yiye Island isn't something that can be done in a few years. Moreover, the southern end of Yunzhong is no longer the Guixu Sea. The sea beasts are far fewer than in the Guixu Sea. In my opinion, Yunzhong has lost its resource advantage. Now, compared to the Tianji Region, it's not much better." In terms of spiritual lands, the Tianji Region has plenty too. It just had fewer ocean resources than Yunzhong. Now that Yunzhong has lost Yiye Island and is no longer connected to the Guixu Sea, its advantage is gone. Mo Tiange showed a hint of pleasure. "In that case, if the Tianji Region and Yunzhong ally, we won't have to worry about being suppressed."
But Nie Wushang's expression remained calm. "Which side is stronger or weaker has nothing to do with me." The only thing related to her in the Tianji Region was Songfeng Shangren, who happened to be the shadow of her entire life. And Yunzhong had nothing to do with her. Seeing her expression, Mo Tiange sighed inwardly and changed the subject. "You still haven't said how you and Jing Xingzhi met." Nie Wushang showed a bitter smile and replied, "Later, after the Great Upheaval of Heaven and Earth, a path opened between Yunzhong and the Tianji Region, so I returned to the Tianji Region. Who would have thought it was such a coincidence? As soon as I arrived at the Tiandao Sect, I ran into this guy." As she spoke, she glanced at Jing Xingzhi. "So that's how it was," Mo Tiange nodded. "Then how did you end up here?"
Nie Wushang lowered her head and toyed with the Black Gold Fragment in her hand. After a long while, she finally spoke. "This thing, I stole it from my master." Mo Tiange was stunned, extremely surprised. Could it be that the opportunity Songfeng Shangren obtained was here? Sure enough, Nie Wushang's next words confirmed her guess. "Back then, what my master obtained from Tianmo Mountain was this thing and a complete map. Perhaps his luck arrived. Following the map to this place, the restrictions here had already been broken. He found his way inside with some fright but no real danger and obtained the Primordial Demonic Method."
"So that's how it was..." Mo Tiange nodded, then frowned, feeling something was off. The Primordial Demonic Method—based on her own experience, this thing was likely related to the stone stele in the Five Spirits Sacrificial Temple. Could this place be related to the Five Spirits Sacrificial Temple? Explaining this to Nie Wushang would be troublesome, so she decided not to mention it for now.
"Before returning to the Tianji Region, I attended an auction in Yunzhong. That auction happened to have another Black Gold Fragment flow out—the one in the hands of those two demonic cultivators. So I came back to avoid others getting the treasure first."
Mo Tiange was somewhat puzzled. "In that case, you know this route very clearly?" Nie Wushang shook her head. "I came here once with my master when I was very young. But I was too small then and don't remember clearly. Also, I only stole this Black Gold Fragment earlier. The complete map was carried on my master's person; I didn't get it."
Over all these years, Nie Wushang had focused solely on cultivation and never earned spirit stones. Presumably, she had taken one of Songfeng Shangren's Qiankun Pouches back then. "So you came here to search for treasure?" Nie Wushang nodded and shook her head. "Searching for treasure is incidental. The main reason is for the cultivation method."
"Cultivation method?" Mo Tiange didn't understand. "Aren't you cultivating the Primordial Demonic Method?" "Yes, but the Primordial Demonic Method I have is incomplete," Nie Wushang sighed. "The Primordial Demonic Method was comprehended by my master. The parts after Nascent Soul, he didn't record them down."
"So you were bound to come here eventually." "Mm," Nie Wushang glanced at Jing Xingzhi and pursed her lips. "Alone, my strength is limited. I happened to run into this guy, so I made a deal with him. I lead him in here, and he helps me retrieve the treasure."
Seeing Nie Wushang's expression, Mo Tiange thought for a moment and understood what happened. She couldn't help but laugh. "Making a deal with him, you got squeezed for quite a few good things, right?" Sure enough, Nie Wushang shot a very resentful glare at Jing Xingzhi. She quickly collected her emotions and asked, "What about you? How did you end up here?"