Finding the stream, Mo Tiange could finally pinpoint her location on the map. Afterward, to deliberately avoid others, she carefully studied a route. Fortunately, the information provided noted what could generally be found in which areas, and since this map was basically a standard issue for every disciple, finding a place everyone disliked naturally allowed her to avoid most people. If someone was unlucky enough to be teleported exactly to that spot, they would likely leave as well.
The place she chose was, in the eyes of ordinary people, treacherous mountains and foul waters—it had cliffs, abysses, and, to top it off, a Poison Spring that emitted Poison Mist year-round. The map indicated this location was undesirable: hard to traverse, with no easily killable Demon Beasts, but rather some troublesome, group-dwelling Demon Monkeys.
Mo Tiange had thought it through. Difficult terrain? She would just tread carefully. She wasn't a mortal, so an accident was unlikely. As for those group-dwelling Demon Monkeys, they were perfect for her. She excelled in formations, and First-Rank Demonic Beasts couldn't recognize them. Find a suitable spot, set up a maze formation, lure the monkey horde inside, and she wouldn't fear them no matter how many there were.
Having made up her mind, the journey went smoothly. Her concealment art wasn't particularly masterful, but Qi Refining cultivators' Divine Sense wasn't strong either, so few could detect her.
She soon arrived at the location marked on the map. Mo Tiange took a look and unconsciously frowned. The place was indeed as unpleasant as the information described, likely due to the Poison Spring. As soon as she approached, there was Poison Mist; the shrubs were so dense there was no path, and most were probably poisonous. Despite it being broad daylight, the area was shrouded in a gray haze, the sky completely obscured.
With no better choice, Mo Tiange steeled herself and proceeded. Sweeping the area with her Divine Sense, she gained a general understanding of the terrain and also located the group of Demon Monkeys.
Right by the Poison Spring, there were many faint Spiritual Qi fluctuations. A Qi Refining cultivator's Divine Sense wasn't strong; the Spiritual Qi fluctuation of a single low-rank demon beast was hard to sense, but gathered together, they were easy to distinguish.
She swallowed an Ice Clarity Pill to prevent the Poison Mist from affecting her, then set up simple maze and spirit-restraining formations at a moderate distance.
The maze formation lived up to its name; its main function was to make people lose their way. Once inside, one would keep circling without finding a way out, much like what mortals called 'ghosts blocking the path.' The spirit-restraining formation was specifically for dealing with people or beasts possessing Spiritual Qi; upon entering, the circulation of Spiritual Qi would slow. This formation was usually set up in a cultivator's cave dwelling to prevent intruders.
These two formations weren't enough. After some thought, she also set up a Five Elements Life-Death Formation. This one was more troublesome than the first two, but having studied that formation manual recently, she had modified it to be both offensive and defensive. Using it was just safer.
After completing all this, Mo Tiange adjusted her Spiritual Qi to its optimal state within the formation, then deliberately let her aura drift toward the group of demon beasts.
First-Rank Demonic Beasts weren't much smarter than ordinary wild animals; they couldn't think, acting purely on instinct. Soon, their figures appeared within the Poison Mist.
The sound of "chittering" reached her. Mo Tiange saw the demon beasts clearly—indeed, a group of monkeys.
With a sudden provocative aura appearing, these Demon Monkeys didn't hesitate to pounce toward where Mo Tiange was. But before they could get close, they started circling, a group of monkeys forming a ring, chasing each other's tails in a circle. It looked amusing, but Mo Tiange didn't dare be careless. She immediately waved a formation flag in her hand, and within the formation, quicksand suddenly surged and a great fire ignited. The monkey horde chittered wildly, dashing left and right but unable to escape. Scorched by the fire and in pain, they scurried about chaotically, trampling each other. Seeing this, Mo Tiange waved the formation flag again. Many stones rained down within the formation. With nowhere to hide, the monkeys died one after another under the hail of rocks.
Once all the Demon Monkeys were killed, Mo Tiange let out a sigh of relief. So many First-Rank Demonic Beasts—if she hadn't set a trap beforehand, a Qi Refining cultivator simply couldn't handle them. Even though she had eliminated them smoothly, she had still expended quite a bit of Spiritual Qi. The capabilities of a Qi Refining cultivator were truly too low. They couldn't use multiple spiritual tools simultaneously, couldn't sustain prolonged combat, and even treasures without cultivation restrictions couldn't unleash much power. The more she cultivated, the more urgently she desired to reach Foundation Establishment.
After recovering her Spiritual Qi, Mo Tiange got up to clean up the mess. The monkey horde just now had numbered twenty or thirty. She figured there would be chaotic battles in these mountain forests. The Demon Beasts everyone hunted certainly wouldn't be many; these demon beasts were enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. So, after stuffing the Demon Monkey corpses into her Qiankun Bag, she sat cross-legged within the formation, not planning to hunt any more demon beasts. Her goal was only the Foundation Establishment Pill; she didn't want to risk her life or attract attention.
While she was leisurely meditating, a storm was brewing in these mountain forests.
The initial killing of that Zixia Sect disciple hadn't been discovered, but those with such thoughts weren't just one or two people. Soon, others acted as well. The Zixia Sect disciples were numerous and powerful, and considering the other two sects had been annexed, they were unwilling to let things slide. By afternoon, the conflict had been brought into the open.
Although the combined numbers of Yunwu Sect and Golden Blade Sect disciples were fewer than the Zixia Sect's, they were filled with hatred and generally ambushed, achieving quite a few successes. However, once the Zixia Sect disciples reacted, both sides began trading victories and defeats. As more and more people were killed, they stopped caring about reasons and just fought on sight.
Mo Tiange knew none of this. Luckily, she had come to this place; otherwise, she would likely have been dragged into the conflict.
The sky gradually darkened. Mo Tiange did nothing, still just sitting upright in the formation. She couldn't light a lamp, as it might attract others. Even if it didn't attract people, attracting some demon beast would make nighttime combat difficult. Since she could see a little anyway, she just had to endure this night; tomorrow, the exit formation would open.
Suddenly, she frowned and looked up.
Spiritual Qi fluctuations came from outside; it seemed someone was heading this way.
After a moment's thought, she tidied up the formations she had set up slightly, leaving only the Five Elements Life-Death Formation, then concealed her traces and carefully watched for that person.
The person stumbled along, steps unsteady, falling occasionally, yet they ran all the way here. But suddenly, they seemed to bump into something. With a "thump," there was no more sound.
A long time passed with still no sound. Mo Tiange considered for a moment, then emerged from her hiding spot and cautiously felt her way over. She had always been careful; now, with a defensive spell active and her Green Wood Sword in hand, she could handle it even if this person suddenly attacked. Therefore, she decided to go take a look.
Not far away, a person lay on the ground, unmoving. It was too dark to see clearly, only vaguely making out that the clothes they wore were blue.
Mo Tiange felt slightly relieved. Going over for a look, it was indeed a young Yunwu Sect disciple.
"Senior Brother, Senior Brother!" She gently shook the person.
After a while, the person reacted, barely lifting their head and whispering, "Junior... Junior Sister... save... save me."
Mo Tiange was stunned. Junior Sister? Before she could think further, the person's head tilted to the side again, fainting.
After some thought, she still helped this person into the formation she had set up.
She didn't know this person. There were so many Qi Refining disciples in the Yunwu Sect; she was only familiar with a few. She only recognized the people from other rooms in her courtyard by sight, and she had no memory of this person at all.
However, since they were both Yunwu Sect disciples and it wasn't too troublesome, she could lend a hand. She channeled Spiritual Qi into the person's body to examine their injuries.
After circulating Spiritual Qi through the person's meridians once, Mo Tiange felt slightly relieved. Their injuries were severe, but the meridians weren't damaged, which made things easier.
After some thought, she took out pills from her bosom. First, she fed them an Ice Clarity Pill to prevent the local Poison Mist from entering their body, then fed them a Nourishing Qi Pill.
The Ice Clarity Pill was just an ordinary detoxification pill, not a precious medicine. As for healing pills, she did have Minor Restoration Pills on her, but Minor Restoration Pills were valuable—even Foundation Establishment cultivators could use them. Using one on an unfamiliar Qi Refining cultivator was somewhat wasteful, especially since she didn't know this person at all. Being too generous with valuable items would be overly kind. Kindness needed to be just right to make people grateful without arousing greed. This was a principle her second uncle had earnestly taught her.
Not long after, the person groaned, seeming to wake up.
Mo Tiange then said, "This Senior Brother, are you feeling better?"
The person opened their eyes, struggled to sit up, and forced a smile. "This... Junior Brother, thank you. If I hadn't met you, I would have lost my life today."
Mo Tiange said calmly, "Senior Brother need not be polite. It was just a small effort."
The person nodded, took out a jade bottle from their bosom, swallowed a few pills, then handed the bottle over. "I dare not let Junior Brother suffer a loss."
Mo Tiange didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it. This was also a rule in the cultivation world. First, no one wanted to help others and suffer material loss. Second, those receiving favors didn't want to owe a debt of gratitude.
Seeing her accept, the person asked, "Junior Brother, what place is this? Is it safe?"
Mo Tiange replied, "This is the Poison Spring in the northwest."
The person, who presumably also knew about it, immediately relaxed. "That's good then. Presumably, not many people come here." After a pause, they greeted her, "I am Murong Zi. May I ask how Junior Brother is addressed?"
They said "I am," not "my name is," clearly indicating they were a notable figure among the Qi Refining disciples. And Mo Tiange had indeed heard this name. Murong Zi was the disciple who, along with Senior Brother Zhou and others, had persevered until the end in the Mist Valley trial two years ago. He was also Murong Yan's clan elder brother; they had both taken the Foundation Establishment cultivator Lin Qingwan as their master. He was the Senior Brother Murong Yan had mentioned—the one guarding the herb garden and providing seeds. This Senior Brother was indeed quite renowned among the Qi Refining disciples.
Since she considered Murong Yan a friend, Mo Tiange maintained a polite tone. "So it's Senior Brother Murong. I am Ye Xiaotian, an old acquaintance of Senior Sister Murong."
Murong Zi let out a soft "ah" and said, "So it's you. I've heard Xiao Yan mention you." He looked her up and down, revealing a smile. "No wonder I thought, in my dazed state earlier, that you were a Junior Sister."
Mo Tiange had been suspicious earlier and naturally asked now, "Why is that?"
Murong Zi pursed his lips and smiled. "Because Xiao Yan said it's a pity you're a man. Your stature and appearance are more suited to being a woman."
Mo Tiange was momentarily speechless. Besides Xu Jingzhi, Murong Yan also liked to tease her, saying she was so petite, with a face that looked feminine on a man—if only she were a woman, and so on... Thinking of Murong Yan, she sighed again. That cheerful, playful Murong Yan was gone.
Seeing her expression change, Murong Zi thought she disliked others commenting on her feminine appearance and changed the subject. "Junior Brother Ye, while you've been here, have you encountered anyone from the Zixia Sect?"
Mo Tiange shook her head. "No." Seeing Murong Zi's expression, it seemed something was on his mind, so she asked in return, "Has Senior Brother Murong encountered something?"
This question made Murong Zi sigh before he spoke. "Junior Brother Ye has been here all along, so you probably don't know the disciples of the three sects have already started fighting."
Mo Tiange had actually foreseen this, but she didn't say so, pretending she didn't know. "Is that so? What happened?"
"Not sure how it started. Earlier, it was just private fights, but later it turned into a melee. We and the Golden Blade Sect have joined forces against the Zixia Sect. I originally didn't want to get involved, but whenever I ran into Zixia Sect people, they would attack first. I had no choice but to defend myself. Just now, I was in the middle of killing a demon wolf when someone ambushed me. I barely managed to escape." At this point, his face showed worry. "With such chaos now, I don't know how Xiao Yan is doing. She always slacked off before; her combat skills are really..."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange also grew concerned. And the others from her room—Liu Yidao and Qin Xi both had rich combat experience, but two fists couldn't fight four hands. Xu Jingzhi's cultivation was also average; although, as a disciple from a cultivation family, he surely had a few treasures, it was hard to say if he encountered a powerful enemy. Murong Yan was the most worrying. She never liked cultivating before; raising her cultivation to that level was all due to pill consumption. Her actual abilities weren't much.
The two sat in silence for a while. Murong Zi forced a smile. "Junior Brother Ye, let me take advantage of you. Let me stay here too. My injuries really can't heal immediately..."
Mo Tiange nodded. "This place isn't mine. Anyone can come. Senior Brother Murong need not be polite."
Murong Zi smiled and began meditating to heal his injuries. With this place so dangerous, recovering his Spiritual Qi as soon as possible was best.