With Stone leading the way, the group quickly exited the cavern.
Only when they saw the familiar ground paved with massive stones did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"There shouldn't be any more problems, right?" Mo Tiange said, though she cautiously refrained from taking a step.
"Probably not..." Feifei replied, sounding somewhat guilty. With Stone protecting him, he hadn't encountered any black water taking form while passing through the cavern, so he assumed there would be no fighting. As a result, when the others passed through, they were nearly trapped inside. Now, his words lacked conviction.
Mo Tiange didn't know his convoluted thoughts, but she still cautiously sent out her puppet to test the way.
The stiff-faced puppet, holding the Fusheng Sword, stepped into the passage of the ritual temple one step at a time. After walking thirty to fifty zhang without any movement, the tension in everyone's hearts finally eased.
Compared to the other ritual temples, the aura of the Xuanwu was much more subdued and restrained. Apart from the temple's own heavy, ancient simplicity, it only faintly exuded a sense of peace and vastness.
Xuanwu, associated with water, the Kan position, born of the Great Yin, governs all spirits. Its true form is the union of turtle and snake, symbolizing enduring blessings.
In contrast to the other Four Symbols—the Azure Dragon symbolizing tolerance and vitality, the Vermilion Bird representing fervor and vigor, the White Tiger embodying slaughter and ferocity—the Xuanwu represented fusion and benediction.
Its aura was not intense, for the waters under heaven are omnipresent yet hidden within all things. Its aura was not sharp, for the nature of water lies in nourishing all things.
However, this Xuanwu Ritual Temple was different from the others; its Xuanwu aura was not so pure.
"How can this be?" Qin Xi was the first to notice something amiss. Whether it was Mo Tiange, Jing Xingzhi, or Feifei, although they had received the legacy of Divine Beast auras, their mastery and application were not as complete as his. He was the only one who had fully integrated the Vermilion Bird's aura with himself, so his perception of Divine Beast auras was more direct. The characteristic of a Divine Beast's aura was that it surpassed all auras existing in the current cultivation world, making it the purest. Yet the Xuanwu Ritual Temple, though vast and sacred, seemed faint and indistinct, tainted by a miscellaneous energy.
"What?" Jing Xingzhi asked, completely unaware.
"...Don't you feel the Xuanwu aura isn't pure?" Qin Xi shot him a glance. In the past, when their acquaintance wasn't deep, he hadn't noticed, but now that Jing Xingzhi had dropped his act in front of him, he could see this guy was clever enough but simply didn't like to use his brain around them—thinking carefully, someone like Jing Xingzhi wouldn't behave this way unless he trusted them completely. Recalling the past, although he had felt Jing Xingzhi was a trustworthy person, he had greatly disliked his mannerisms. Who would have thought that after hundreds of years, as his own cultivation grew higher, among his old acquaintances, only Jing Xingzhi had walked alongside him to the Nascent Soul stage.
Thinking of this, Qin Xi's temper eased a bit. "The Xuanwu is clearly different from the other temples. Although there was a ghost city beside the White Tiger, not a trace of ghostly energy leaked out, so it remained unaffected. While there was demonic energy within the Vermilion Bird, that belonged to the Origin Demon Stone Tablet; the Vermilion Bird's aura and the Origin Demon energy did not interfere with each other. But the Xuanwu has clearly been influenced by other energies."
"Why is that?" Jing Xingzhi continued to ask.
Qin Xi paused, trying hard to smooth the vein on his forehead, but his tone betrayed his emotions. "Please use your brain. I'm not your father."
Everyone: "..."
Jing Xingzhi: "Given our ages, it's far too difficult for you to be my father. Being my father-in-law is a bit more possible."
Everyone: "..."
"Enough nonsense, let's go." Nie Wushang took the lead, stepping into the ritual temple.
Mo Tiange followed closely behind, pausing as she passed Jing Xingzhi and giving him an appraising look as if evaluating a son-in-law. "Not bad looking, just a bit old."
Jing Xingzhi grinned cheekily. "Being old has its advantages, Mother-in-law. When will my betrothed be born?"
The stones of the Xuanwu Ritual Temple were similarly neat, but their hue was darker, carrying a cool, yin energy. Within this cool energy, many indescribable auras were mixed.
Mo Tiange frowned. "How long have these ghost cultivators been here? They've actually corrupted even the Xuanwu's aura."
"At the very least... over a hundred thousand years?" Nie Wushang said. "Wuyou Valley is an ancient relic. For so many skeletons to be buried here, it could only be from before the collapse of the Ancient Era."
Ling Yunhe agreed. "Correct. Wuyou Valley was a cave paradise in the Ancient Era. So I speculate that either it was sealed away during that time, or at the end of the Ancient Era, when heaven and earth were destroyed, all these people died in the Earth-Splitting Gorge."
Over a hundred thousand years, countless skeletons, caused death energy to gather in the Earth-Splitting Gorge, gradually forming a world of ghost cultivators. And because the world was altered, space collapsed, the former cave paradise was polluted by foul energies, and these ghost cultivators lost their spiritual intelligence, becoming existence akin to walking corpses.
The fusion of numerous auras created a new kind of energy, which gradually eroded the Xuanwu Ritual Temple here. Over the long years, the temple became what it was now.
Walking through the broad stone passage, they were met with a heavy stone door engraved with dark totems and densely packed ancient murals, solemn and distant.
Everyone pushed open the stone door. An intense Divine Beast aura washed over them. They saw the high, vast hall, the thick stone pillars, and at the far end, a silently standing statue—a giant turtle with a dark serpent coiled upon it, looking down at them with cold, indifferent eyes.
"We should go out," Yang Chengji said in a low voice.
Nie Wushang nodded. "The Divine Beast aura here is too strong. It's better for us to avoid it."
"Be careful," Mo Tiange said, turning back. "Since Demon Lord Yueying knows of the temple's existence, there's an eighty percent chance he has also found survivors from Starfall City. They could enter at any time."
The two acknowledged and left.
Turning back, she saw Ling Yunhe deep in thought.
Mo Tiange asked, "Fellow Daoist Ling, is something wrong?"
Ling Yunhe said, "Back then, Starfall City was uprooted by Demon Lord Yeshuang, and almost no one escaped that calamity. How is it such a coincidence that Fellow Daoist Tiancan and Demon Lord Yueying both encountered survivors?"
Mo Tiange's expression turned grave. "You mean..."
He said softly, "I'm afraid this is entirely a trap set by Demon Lord Yueying."
As soon as Ling Yunhe finished speaking, Mo Tiange sensed something amiss outside. Having cultivated the Refining Spirit Art, her spiritual sense was sharp. She immediately detected that someone else had entered the ritual temple.
Then Qin Xi, Jing Xingzhi, and the others sensed it too. The four of them looked grim; Xiaofeng also frowned. They knew Ling Yunhe's guess was likely eighty percent true.
Even with Stone leading them, reaching this place had been so difficult. Yet someone had arrived in just this short while, indicating they had been prepared long ago.
"First, retrieve the item, then regroup with Fellow Daoists Nie and Yang," Qin Xi said.
Everyone nodded. They swiftly retreated from the main hall, heading to the back to search. Mo Tiange took a moment to send a message talisman to Nie Wushang, telling them to hurry and gather.
As she followed behind Qin Xi, Mo Tiange transmitted her voice quietly. "What exactly is Demon Lord Yueying's goal in setting up this trap?"
Demon Lord Yueying's actions could be described as a massive mobilization. Besides himself, three late Nascent Soul cultivators, seven or eight mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, plus early-stage ones—totaling twenty to thirty people—had come at once.
And among their group, only Nie Wushang and Yang Chengji were demonic cultivators, possibly possessing things he was interested in. If he was only targeting those two, why create such a huge commotion? With more people, matters become chaotic; what if someone else snatched it away?
Hearing her reasoning, Qin Xi said, "In my opinion, he's just going with the flow."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Qin Xi explained, "If our group hadn't arrived in time, Fellow Daoist Nie likely wouldn't have escaped. Why would he need to set up another trap? I suspect Demon Lord Yueying was merely using the survivors from Starfall City to test whether she possessed the Origin Demon Great Art. As for the ritual temple, that was probably just a casual remark."
Mo Tiange thought for a moment and nodded. A ritual temple without the Origin Demon Stone Tablet held little value for demonic cultivators. For Demon Lord Yueying, its only value was in gaining Nie Wushang's trust.
She continued the line of thought. "...As a result, our group arrived. He couldn't defeat us, knew we were coming to the temple, so he simply spread the word, called a bunch of Nascent Soul cultivators to compete with us for the Xuanwu, while he himself deals with Nie Wushang to seize the Origin Demon Great Art."
"And Yang Chengji," Qin Xi added. "If he confirms Nie Wushang cultivates the Origin Demon Great Art, then Yang Chengji goes without saying." Their demonic energies were similar; confirming one would confirm the other.
Mo Tiange was taken aback. "If that's the case, wouldn't seizing it from Yang Chengji be the same?"
"Not the same," Qin Xi said, shaking his head with a smile. "Yang Chengji is, after all, a disciple of Demon Lord Guifang and the master of the Demon Venerable's sacred artifact. Fellow Daoist Ling also said he easily defeated a mid-stage cultivator. Demon Lord Yueying, having lost a refined corpse, wouldn't find it so easy to deal with him. Besides, what kind of personality does this Fellow Daoist Yang have? Others might not know, but aren't we aware? He acts meticulously, leaving no gaps. I'm afraid Demon Lord Yueying would have a hard time cornering him."
Mo Tiange recalled the decades in the Guixu Sea Immortal Palace and couldn't help but smile. Back then, hadn't Yang Chengji stubbornly guarded the Origin Demon stone cave, refusing to come out, precisely to guard against them? This Fellow Daoist Yang, because of his outstanding talent, had been a thorn in the side of his senior brothers and sisters since childhood. His growth history was a history of struggle against various schemes and plots. He had plenty of experience dealing with such situations, only this time the enemy was more powerful.
"However, Demon Lord Yueying didn't anticipate that Wushang's master is no worse than Demon Lord Guifang, and her experiences are even more complex than Yang Chengji's. Trying to capture Wushang won't be that easy either."
Qin Xi smiled. "Indeed. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lasted until we arrived."
As they spoke, they passed through the final stone door and saw a massive plaza.
Mo Tiange had seen the Azure Dragon Ritual Temple, which contained a complete Azure Dragon skeleton. The Vermilion Bird Ritual Temple had the Vermilion Bird's remains crafted into the Vermilion Bird Bow, enshrined within. The White Tiger Ritual Temple was different again; the entire White Tiger was preserved intact, its body taken by Feifei, while the White Tiger Pearl containing the White Tiger's aura recognized Jing Xingzhi as its master. Now, in the plaza of this Xuanwu Ritual Temple, floated a sphere of blue, shimmering light. Within it, waves surged as if containing all the rivers and seas under heaven. This light sphere was all too familiar to them; apart from its color and aura, it was identical in form to the White Tiger Pearl.
"Is this... the Xuanwu Pearl?" Jing Xingzhi said.
"Most likely. Let's subdue it quickly. Any later and it'll fall into someone else's hands."
Just then, Nie Wushang and Yang Chengji came running over. Being demonic cultivators, they didn't dare approach, only standing at the entrance. Yang Chengji even summoned the Heavenly Demon Tower, turning to face the stone passage.
Mo Tiange understood their meaning—they intended to block the people coming from behind.
She had no time for sentimentality and summoned Xiaofan. "Xuanwu is associated with water. I estimate one needs to cultivate a water-attribute technique to stir the Xuanwu's aura and seek its recognition. However, this is just my personal view. We can all try together."
Ling Yunhe nodded. "Naturally. The opportunity belongs to everyone."
But Jing Xingzhi said, "I only have a metal Spirit Root, so I probably won't succeed. Besides, I already possess the White Tiger's aura. I won't compete with you." With that, he stepped back, joining Yang and Nie to guard the entrance.
Qin Xi also shook his head. "I don't have a water Spirit Root either. You go ahead."
Xiaofeng went without saying; she was now a genuine descendant of a Divine Beast. How could she inherit the aura of another Divine Beast? In the end, only Mo Tiange, Ling Yunhe, and Xiaofan—whom Mo Tiange had released from the spirit beast bracelet—remained.
"Fellow Daoist Ling," Mo Tiange said with a smile, "I also possess a water Spirit Root. So, I'll be competing with you."