Mo Tiange dusted off her robes and sat down.
At the entrance, a stalemate persisted. These people weren't fools; they had fought for a while initially, but upon realizing the defenders' formidable strength, they no longer recklessly threw themselves into danger.
She knew this was only a temporary measure and couldn't last forever. For one, dragging things out meant they couldn't escape. For another, if they delayed too long, what if these attackers devised a plan and finally made their move? Even if they didn't, what if reinforcements arrived? This wasn't Tianji. Late-Nascent Soul cultivators were not only numerous here but also had no connection to them.
Nie Wushang sat down beside her. "Have you noticed," she said, "that a certain group who should be here hasn't arrived?"
Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "You mean the Jiuyan Sect?"
"Mm." Nie Wushang's gaze swept over the Nascent Soul cultivators in the stone passage. "Ling Yunhe claimed to have gained recognition from the Xuanwu relic. The Jiuyan Sect clearly sent people here too, so why aren't they coming to support him?"
Mo Tiange also looked at these Nascent Soul cultivators. Indeed, there were no Jiuyan Sect members among them.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Nie Wushang shook her head. "I can't figure it out. Just how does the Jiuyan Sect view Ling Yunhe? Isn't he the one recognized by the sacred relic left by the Perfected One of Guizhen Dao? Logically, he should be the successor they pour all their sect's resources into cultivating. But..."
"But the Jiuyan Sect seems to regard him with great wariness," Mo Tiange finished. Comparing her own situation to the Jiuyan Sect's attitude toward Ling Yunhe, she could sense what was off.
From the moment Ling Yunhe sought her out alone to rescue Nie Wushang, he seemed to have no intention of reporting to his sect. Then, at Wuyou Valley, he met Senior Brother Yuan and lamented that the Jiuyan Sect no longer trusted him. And now, trapped here, the Jiuyan Sect actually hadn't come to extricate him.
Nie Wushang ran through the events in her mind and asked, "Could it be that Demon Lord Yueying and Old Donkey Ma have temporarily trapped the Jiuyan Sect people?"
Mo Tiange was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "That is a possibility." If they knew about this, wouldn't the others?
The others indeed knew. These Nascent Soul cultivators were currently feeling uneasy. They had originally assumed the Jiuyan Sect members were behind them and planned to seize the treasure before they arrived. But they had been stalled here for a full day. Almost everyone else had arrived, yet the Jiuyan Sect people were still absent. This was strange.
On one side was the yet-unclaimed treasure; on the other, the Jiuyan Sect whose arrival time was unknown. Apart from Nan Guitian and Daoist Ruyi who had withdrawn early, Venerable Xuxiang who had impatiently run off, and Demon Lord Yeshuang who had no desire to seize the treasure at all, the others were on edge, becoming increasingly unwilling to step forward and get beaten.
Were they really going to let the Jiuyan Sect have the advantage? Everyone thought this, feeling deeply unwilling, yet unable to devise a good plan.
Han Shizhi's eyes flickered. He suddenly spoke up, "Esteemed fellow Daoists, if we drag on like this any longer, we might as well return early."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him.
Han Shizhi's expression was indifferent. "The Jiuyan Sect is not far from here."
As soon as he said this, someone sneered, "You know that, but do you think we don't?"
Han Shizhi wasn't angered. He merely curled the corner of his mouth into a mocking smile. "So what if you know? Are you just going to sit here and wait?"
The mockery in his tone was too obvious, and he had offended many people in the past. As soon as he finished, someone else laughed coldly, "What, Scholar Han, are you trying to scheme against others again?"
Han Shizhi didn't show the slightest anger. "There are so many people here. My cultivation is negligible, and the situation is clear as day. If I could still scheme under these circumstances, it would only be because you are all too foolish."
His words were harsh, immediately provoking the fury of many.
Han Shizhi acted as if he didn't see it and continued, "The Jiuyan Sect can call for reinforcements. Can't you? When major sects compete for resources, this is how it's always done."
At this, most people reined in their anger, falling into thoughtful silence.
That was true. There were unwritten rules when sects competed for treasures. Once seized, the matter was settled. Even if enmity was formed, they wouldn't easily provoke conflict. After all, every sect had the most low-level disciples. If they truly tore face, what if the other side sent a few high-level cultivators to slaughter all their low-level disciples? Furthermore, although the Jiuyan Sect had the advantage in Nascent Soul numbers, other sects also had many Nascent Soul cultivators; they were just unlucky in having few Late-Nascent Soul experts. For example, the Danxia Sect was doing quite well these years, currently with six Nascent Souls. The Jingxu Sect had even more, reaching eight, and also had a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator presiding. If two or three such sects joined forces, they would be no weaker than the Jiuyan Sect. And the Jiuyan Sect was currently in a period of transition. True Person Tiemian faced his end, and True Person Yuan Mu was injured, making them no different from sects with only one Late-Nascent Soul cultivator. This was the best opportunity.
"Fellow Daoist Han, by saying this, have you already notified your sect?" someone asked thoughtfully after careful consideration.
Han Shizhi smiled slightly. "Several hours ago, I already sent out a message."
Among the cultivators, a few exchanged glances, quietly discussing via voice transmission. Some, after brief thought, used various methods to send messages. Others did nothing.
"...Is it truly worth it?" someone hesitated. "Such a massive mobilization..."
"The Jiuyan Sect has been scheming for the Vermilion Bird for over a hundred thousand years. Whether it's worth it or not is for you all to decide." Having said this, Han Shizhi retreated from the crowd, closed his eyes, and sat down cross-legged.
Mo Tiange and the others heard this entire conversation. Han Shizhi's move was an open scheme; even letting them hear it didn't matter much.
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment, then walked over to Ling Yunhe.
After casting a soundproofing barrier, Mo Tiange said, "Fellow Daoist Ling, give me an honest answer. What exactly is the Jiuyan Sect's attitude? Toward you, and toward us?"
Ling Yunhe sat silently cross-legged, lost in thought. After a long while, he said, "I told you, the Jiuyan Sect no longer trusts me."
"Is that all?" Mo Tiange pressed.
Ling Yunhe looked at her, sighed bitterly, and forced a smile. "Alright, the truth is, Senior Uncle Yuan Mu is very dissatisfied with my actions. He thinks I'm too soft-hearted, too 'womanly benevolent'. After we returned from the Guixu Sea, he began to cold-shoulder me."
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ling Yunhe looked at her, his gaze complex. "Failing to obtain the Bow of the Vermilion Bird, Senior Uncle Yuan Mu blamed me. And then I grew close to you all. Now, learning that I'm with you and knew about the Xuanwu but concealed the information..."
Mo Tiange fell silent. If that was the case, it was somewhat related to them too...
"You... what about your elder? Didn't he speak well on your behalf?"
Ling Yunhe sighed again. "You don't know. When we left the Immortal Palace back then, my granduncle was ambushed. His cultivation was mostly destroyed. He's now recuperating in Tianxue City, but his injuries are too severe. Recovery is basically impossible..."
Mo Tiange was shocked. Did this mean the Ling Family's status had plummeted?
Seeing her expression, Ling Yunhe knew what she was thinking and continued, "It's precisely because of this that I went into seclusion to form my Nascent Soul immediately after returning from the Guixu Sea. The position of Sect Leader is important, but a Nascent Soul cultivator is the foundation upon which the Ling Family stands."
Mo Tiange was silent for a long time before also sighing. "I'm truly sorry." She understood Ling Yunhe's predicament very well. Having offended the head elder, with the family's Nascent Soul cultivator unable to recover, he was forced to form his Nascent Soul to replace Ling Shiyu's position. But even so, hadn't the Ling Family still lost power? Unless one day Ling Yunhe advanced to the late stage, True Person Yuan Mu might possibly let go of his grudge—and all this was not unrelated to them.
Ling Yunhe gently shook his head. "Even without you all, it would have been the same." True Person Yuan Mu was dissatisfied with his way of doing things. Even without them, this would have happened sooner or later.
"But don't you have the God-Restricting Bead?" Mo Tiange frowned. "If nothing else, for the sake of you being the inheritor of the Ancestor's sacred relic, they should show you some leniency."
Ling Yunhe smiled wryly. "Having the God-Restricting Bead is the most troublesome part. Without it, what am I? Among the Jiuyan Sect's dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators, I just advanced, utterly ordinary, not worth their attention. Being recognized by the God-Restricting Bead made me unique, someone they couldn't scold or strike."
Mo Tiange understood his meaning now. Under normal circumstances, the God-Restricting Bead could add to his weight. But when others' dissatisfaction with him accumulated to a certain point, the bead became an eyesore. They couldn't touch him, yet found him displeasing, so they could only give him the cold shoulder.
Ling Yunhe said quietly, "After the Guixu Sea incident, Senior Uncle Yuan Mu decided I wasn't worth cultivating and planned to select another successor. Unfortunately, the God-Restricting Bead cannot choose a new master... In this situation, my position became very awkward."
After a moment of silence, Mo Tiange asked softly, "Then, would they just watch you trapped here without lifting a finger to help?"
"No." Ling Yunhe said confidently. "No matter what, I am still a disciple of the Jiuyan Sect. Senior Uncle Yuan Mu may have taken a dislike to me, but he wouldn't leave me to die."
"Then they..."
"They will come." Ling Yunhe looked toward the entrance. "They just want to teach me a lesson, to make me understand that the Jiuyan Sect is my support, and you all are merely outsiders."
To be fair, Mo Tiange felt that True Person Yuan Mu's approach wasn't entirely wrong. If he believed Ling Yunhe was unreliable and couldn't shoulder the Jiuyan Sect, then he should erase Ling Yunhe's unique influence within the sect and let him be an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
But she thought True Person Yuan Mu's assessment that Ling Yunhe couldn't handle great responsibility was too hasty. Because Ling Yunhe regarded her as a friend, he was deemed 'womanly benevolent'? She remembered how Ling Yunhe hadn't shown the slightest mercy when dealing with the traitors Ling Yunfei and Tian Zhiqian. If one day her existence affected the interests of him and his sect, she believed he would act the same. On the contrary, True Person Yuan Mu was somewhat presumptuous. With the human realm trending toward increasing chaos, rather than offending her and the Xuanqing Sect behind her, it would be better to let that chapter pass and avoid making more enemies. After all, the Bow of the Vermilion Bird was originally ownerless. Qin Xi obtaining it was his own opportunity, not something forcibly seized from the Jiuyan Sect. Probably, the Jiuyan Sect's prosperity over ten thousand years had left True Person Yuan Mu without a clear understanding of the current situation.
Before the Jiuyan Sect arrived, commotion broke out outside. Mo Tiange felt a secret headache. These Nascent Soul cultivators truly couldn't wait any longer. They wanted to seize the treasure before the Jiuyan Sect arrived.
Thinking this, she stood up. This was going to be a tough battle. Although the Jiuyan Sect wouldn't give them an easy time either, they had to hold out until the Jiuyan Sect came. Only then would they have a chance to escape.