The dharma combat of dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators quickly caused the entire mountain peak to crumble. This secret treasury hidden within the Western Ridge mountain range, having endured for over a hundred thousand years, was finally exposed to the sunlight.
Upon seeing the sunlight, those ghost cultivators were greatly alarmed and hurriedly retreated towards the Ghost City. The human cultivators seized the opportunity, ultimately alerting the master of the Ghost City—the Ghost Venerable. This Ghost Venerable had already reached the peak of Late-Nascent Soul cultivation, separated from God Transformation by only a hair's breadth. Because ghost cultivators lacked physical form and found it difficult to withstand the might of heaven and earth, once they attempted God Transformation, a great tribulation would descend from the heavens. Hence, he had long dared not attempt the breakthrough.
Even under the sunlight, the three Late-Nascent Soul cultivators and the Ghost Venerable only fought to a draw. In the end, both sides shook hands and made peace, sitting down to negotiate a resolution.
These matters had nothing to do with Mo Tiange and Qin Xi anymore. With their elders present, it was not their place to make decisions. They simply sat leisurely on a relatively intact mountain peak, awaiting the outcome of the negotiations.
This great battle had nearly leveled Wind-Sand City and the connected mountain ranges, causing the Western Barbarians not far from Wind-Sand City to exclaim that the Heavenly Gods had descended upon the world.
Looking at these Western Barbarians, Mo Tiange felt a peculiar sensation. Upon careful thought, the legends of the Western Barbarians were quite close to the truth. They said Wind-Sand City was a Devil City, and beneath Wind-Sand City, there truly was a Ghost City hidden. They said this was the descent of the Heavenly Gods, and to the eyes of these Western Barbarians, were they, these immortal cultivators, not akin to Heavenly Gods?
Jing Xingzhi flew out from the sacrificial temple with a look of delight on his face. The mountain body had collapsed, exposing the temple.
"Qin Shoujing, Mo Qingwei!" He called from afar, drawing a crowd of gazes in their direction.
Nie Wushang, sitting nearby, curled her lip. What a thoroughly pragmatic fellow, calling out only to those who benefited him. Look, the three of them were sitting so close, yet that guy had bluntly ignored her.
A sword light descended on the mountain peak where they were. Jing Xingzhi sheathed his flying sword, his face beaming with a smile that seemed to scatter peach blossoms everywhere.
"Did you subdue it?" Mo Tiange asked.
Jing Xingzhi nodded, unable to control the grin spreading across his face. "Haha, I've finally had a stroke of good luck for once."
Nie Wushang said with neither warmth nor coldness, "You've plastered your good luck all over your face. Want someone to snatch it? There are plenty of envious people here."
"..." Jing Xingzhi reined in his beaming smile. Unfortunately, in such a good mood, even without smiling, his face was still radiant with spring-like joy.
"Ahem," he pretended to collect himself, glancing at the Nascent Soul cultivators resting not far away. "If they want to snatch this lord's things, they'd better see if they have the capability."
It wasn't arrogance. Ordinary Early or Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators should count themselves lucky if he didn't snatch from *them*. As for Late-Nascent Soul cultivators, if he couldn't win, he could still run.
After just a few casual remarks, Demon Lord Yeshuang came over.
Nowadays, the righteous and demonic paths of Tianji were at odds. As a demonic cultivator, if not for the agreement she had reached with them, she would likely be under siege right now. Regarding this, Demon Lord Yeshuang was quite relieved she had chosen to cooperate with them.
"Fellow Daoists," Demon Lord Yeshuang greeted with a salute.
The four of them stood up one after another and returned the courtesy.
"I am returning to Tianji. Until we meet again." Demon Lord Yeshuang said indifferently.
"Fellow Daoist Yeshuang is leaving so soon?"
Demon Lord Yeshuang's gaze swept over the surrounding cultivators. "It is inconvenient to stay here. It is better to leave early."
Mo Tiange remembered something and asked, "Didn't Fellow Daoist Yeshuang come here for a certain item? Leaving now, wouldn't that mean the trip was in vain?"
Demon Lord Yeshuang lowered her gaze and said softly, "It is no longer necessary."
The four of them understood. Obtaining that item must have been for Tian Xuan.
The atmosphere grew awkward. Mo Tiange hurriedly said, "In that case, until we meet again."
Demon Lord Yeshuang looked up, revealing a rare smile. "Until we meet again."
With that, she waved her purple satin, her whole body transforming into a streak of escaping light that swiftly vanished into the horizon.
Not long after Demon Lord Yeshuang left, Daojun Jinghe emerged.
As a great Late-Nascent Soul cultivator and the representative of the Xuanqing Sect, he had naturally participated in the negotiations. Coming out now likely meant there was a result.
"Master!" Mo Tiange and Qin Xi both called out.
Jing Xingzhi and Nie Wushang stood up somewhat awkwardly, bowing respectfully. "Senior Jinghe."
Daojun Jinghe waved a hand. "Why so polite? Sit, all of you." After speaking, he very suavely released his cloud carriage, performing an art to transform it into a small pavilion.
*The master is indeed Late-Nascent Soul level. Even his means of enjoyment are far more sophisticated than ours.* It was evident that this Nascent Soul cultivator thing also depended on accumulation. Those who appeared suave wherever they went were likely seasoned Nascent Soul cultivators who had the mind to create these things during their cultivation leisure. And those like them, who just squatted in any random corner, were probably either newly formed Nascent Souls or those solely devoted to arduous cultivation.
Although fighting wasn't about these means of enjoyment, usually, the moment one made a move, those who were inferior in this aspect would lose some momentum.
Mo Tiange pondered that she should also create something for herself. Since stepping onto the immortal path, she had never stopped cultivating. Now that she had reached the Nascent Soul stage, cultivation speed was no longer the most important. She still had over a thousand years of lifespan. With her aptitude and resources, reaching Late-Nascent Soul was only a matter of time. Therefore, the most important thing now was accumulation—not just accumulation of cultivation, but also accumulation of mental state.
The five of them sat down in the pavilion. Qin Xi was the first to ask, "Master, how did your talks go?"
Daojun Jinghe said, "Since we didn't end up fighting, naturally we reached an agreement."
"Oh? What was the result?" Four pairs of eyes from the four of them fixed on Daojun Jinghe.
"We will repair the damaged areas of the Ghost City. This treasury and sacrificial temple belong to us. Both sides agree to non-aggression."
"Oh..." This was the best outcome. Currently, Tianji was facing threats on two fronts and truly couldn't afford a major war. For these ghost cultivators, occupying resources on the surface was also completely unnecessary; they feared sunlight. Being able to hide peacefully in the Ghost City to cultivate was best for them.
Daojun Jinghe had little interest in these matters. After explaining briefly, he just glanced at the four of them without speaking.
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi felt uneasy under his gaze. Nie Wushang and Jing Xingzhi also grew somewhat restless. Because of Mo Tiange and Qin Xi's relationship, the two of them naturally regarded Daojun Jinghe as a senior. Seeing his expression now, they couldn't help but wonder: Did Daojun Jinghe have a negative opinion of them? Did he not want them associating with his two disciples?
Nie Wushang, accustomed to feelings of inferiority, was the disciple of Venerable Songfeng, who was universally denounced in Kunwu. As for Jing Xingzhi, he inevitably thought of himself as an outcast of the Ancient Sword Sect—hardly a model disciple from the sect's perspective.
Who would have thought, Daojun Jinghe didn't even ask about them. He simply said, "You all got some good stuff, didn't you?"
Others might not know, but he knew there were good things in the sacrificial temple. Qin Xi had obtained the Vermilion Bird's Bow from the Vermilion Bird temple. There was no reason the White Tiger temple would have nothing. The White Tiger's opportunity was utterly useless to ghost cultivators; it must have been taken by these four.
Mo Tiange chuckled. "Master, are you jealous?"
Daojun Jinghe rolled his eyes at her. "Stop flaunting your opportunities, or one day when your master can't control himself, he'll snatch all your treasures clean!"
"Ah, Master, snatching from your disciple will give you inner demons."
"Inner demons my foot! Your master is already Late-Nascent Soul. If I don't attempt God Transformation, there's nothing left to worry about..."
The master and disciple bantered nonsense for a while, leaving Nie Wushang and Jing Xingzhi dumbfounded. Both of them had had masters before. When facing their masters, when were they not utterly respectful? Nothing like this master and disciple, talking utter nonsense.
After his initial surprise, Jing Xingzhi thought, *The rumors are indeed true. Daojun Jinghe is a very eccentric person, not behaving like a Nascent Soul cultivator at all...*
After finishing the nonsense, Daojun Jinghe looked at Nie Wushang and smiled. "You, girl, are that old fellow Songfeng's disciple, right? That old scoundrel is no proper person, yet he actually managed to teach a disciple like you."
Although not stated explicitly, his tone held considerable appreciation for Nie Wushang. Nie Wushang felt somewhat overwhelmed by the favor. "Senior..."
Daojun Jinghe waved his hand. "No need to be so tense. This Dao Lord has a great enmity with your master, but that has nothing to do with you. Since you associate with these two little rascals of mine, this Dao Lord regards you as a junior."
"Thank you, Senior..." Nie Wushang suppressed the excitement in her heart and replied.
Daojun Jinghe smiled, then added earnestly, "Since I regard you as a junior, this Dao Lord will give you a word of advice. Your master has made many enemies in Kunwu. If you have nothing pressing, it's better not to stay in Tianji. Now that the world has undergone great changes, anywhere is fine. Yunzhong is quite suitable."
Nie Wushang answered respectfully, "Once this matter is concluded, this junior originally planned to return to Yunzhong."
Daojun Jinghe nodded with a smile, then turned his gaze to Jing Xingzhi, sighing. "You, young man, can be considered fate-stricken and misfortune-ridden. This Dao Lord was once acquainted with your master. I'll also give you a word of advice. Being a loose cultivator is certainly carefree, but having a sect as backing makes many things much more convenient. Old Daoist Fulin is already dead. You have reached the Nascent Soul stage. The obstacles of the past no longer exist."
Jing Xingzhi, unusually serious, listened to Daojun Jinghe's words. After a moment of silence, he also replied respectfully, "Thank you for your advice, Senior. This junior will certainly remember it." However, he did not indicate his own stance.
Daojun Jinghe saw at a glance that Jing Xingzhi was quite independent-minded and said no more. After all, people were different. Although he had lived several hundred years longer than these juniors, he could not make decisions for them.
"By the way," Daojun Jinghe glanced at Nie Wushang, "When we came, we happened to bump into that old fellow Songfeng here."
"Ah!" Mo Tiange exclaimed, unable to wait to ask, "Then what was the result? Venerable Songfeng, he..."
"He even abandoned his physical body," said Daojun Jinghe, reining in his smugness with Nie Wushang present. "There were so many of us. Although we didn't manage to keep him, we severely wounded him. At the very least, he won't be able to stir up trouble for a hundred years."
Hearing this, Nie Wushang felt both relieved and sorrowful. Since her master was seriously injured, she wouldn't have to worry about him hunting her down in the short term.
"This thing was left behind by that old fellow Songfeng. For you to play with." Daojun Jinghe took out a gray luminous pearl from his sleeve and tossed it to Mo Tiange.
This soul pearl, though quite rare, had no specific use—it was merely a toy.
As they spoke, a sword light streaked towards them from not far away. A handsome young swordsman landed on the mountain peak.
Mo Tiange noticed he was a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator and saw a flying sword floating above his head, realizing this must be the Ancient Sword Sect's Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying. She hadn't expected this top-tier Late-Nascent Soul swordsman to look like this.
Seeing him, Daojun Jinghe said lazily, "Old Man Yuan Ying, what brings you here in such a mood?"
Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying was famously aloof, indifferent to all matters, and rarely interacted with other cultivators.
Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying swept a glance at him. "None of your business." Then he strode towards Jing Xingzhi.
Jing Xingzhi hurriedly stood up. Though he didn't perform a formal salute, his demeanor was respectful.
Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying looked at him for a good while before saying indifferently, "Are you willing to return to the Ancient Sword Sect?"