Above the wreckage of the flying ship, Ling Yunhe suddenly appeared, instantly drawing the gazes of all the cultivators within the great hall.
Among the Jiuyan Sect members, True Person Yuan Mu's gaze was especially sharp.
Ling Yunhe walked straight up to him, brushed his sleeves, and knelt down without saying a word.
After a long while, True Person Yuan Mu finally snorted. "What's this? Weren't you going to advance and retreat with them? Did they kick you back out?"
"No," Ling Yunhe said calmly. "I am a disciple of the Jiuyan Sect. Naturally, I should advance and retreat with my fellow Senior Brothers and Sisters."
True Person Yuan Mu flew into a rage, sneering, "Advance and retreat with us? Didn't you just say you wouldn't listen to me?"
"I apologize, Uncle-Master."
"Apologize? You think a simple apology is enough?" True Person Yuan Mu practically wanted to slap him dead. "Look at what you've done! Huh? You clearly knew about the Xuanwu, yet you didn't inform the sect. You traveled with the sect's great enemies, and at the critical moment, you stood on their side, helping them escape! After all that, you think a single 'sorry' covers it?"
Ling Yunhe replied coolly, "Uncle-Master, it wasn't that I had news of the Xuanwu. They were the ones who led me to find it."
True Person Yuan Mu was taken aback. "What?"
Ling Yunhe continued, "Among their party, Fellow Daoists Mo, Yang, and Nie once helped me in the past. Last month, I encountered Fellow Daoist Nie in the North Sea. At his request, I delivered a message to Tianji. That's why they brought me to search for the Xuanwu, and they promised that if the Xuanwu recognized me as its master, they would help me obtain it."
True Person Yuan Mu's angry expression faded. "And the result?"
"They kept their promise," Ling Yunhe said. "This disciple has obtained the Xuanwu's Breath."
True Person Yuan Mu fell silent, simply staring fixedly at him. The surrounding Nascent Soul Cultivators, upon hearing these words, suddenly looked at Ling Yunhe with greedy eyes.
Just as those gazes turned from greedy to dangerous, and they began to stir restlessly, True Person Yuan Mu raised his head. The pressure of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator instantly radiated out, firmly pinning their steps in place.
"Esteemed fellow Daoists," True Person Yuan Mu said, word by word, his gaze sharp, "the matter of whose hands the treasure falls into is already settled. Do not stir up further trouble." He paused, then added, "Moreover, we are currently under siege. Whether we can even get out is still uncertain."
His words gave the cultivators pause. Indeed, no matter how important a treasure was, could it compare to one's own life? If they were trapped here, unable to escape, what use were any number of treasures?
True Person Yuan Mu's tone softened slightly. "Fellow Daoists, Demon Lord Yueying, Old Donkey Ma, and the others have sinister intentions, seeking to trap us to death here. We should be united in our efforts. If we start fighting amongst ourselves again, how will we break through the encirclement?" He paused, then added another sentence. "If we manage to escape safely, the Jiuyan Sect will naturally offer rewards in thanks."
Through a mix of threats and inducements, True Person Yuan Mu finally managed to placate these people. Then, he cast a soundproofing barrier around the Jiuyan Sect members and glared fiercely at Ling Yunhe. "Get up. I'll settle accounts with you later."
"Thank you, Uncle-Master." Ling Yunhe stood up and sat down beside the bearded cultivator.
"What was that sudden disappearance about?" True Person Yuan Mu asked, having calmed his breath slightly. "And your sudden reappearance... can they also appear suddenly?"
Ling Yunhe hesitated. "Uncle-Master Yuan Mu, they did, after all, help me obtain the Xuanwu. This..."
His attitude annoyed True Person Yuan Mu again, but this time he controlled himself, quickly regaining his composure. "Forget it. You've always been this stubborn. Just tell me this: are they a threat to us? That's enough."
Ling Yunhe answered this question quickly. "Please rest assured, Uncle-Master. On this point, I can guarantee it."
True Person Yuan Mu stared at him for a while longer, finally sighing in compromise. "Fine. I'll trust you this once."
Having confirmed that Ling Yunhe was safe, Mo Tiange closed the small mirror in her hand. This mirror was an ordinary magical treasure. As her cultivation deepened, her manipulation of the Xuanyuan Realm became increasingly effortless. Displaying the scene outside the Xuanyuan Realm in the mirror was just a casual act.
"Fellow Daoist Ling is fine. We don't need to worry about him," Mo Tiange said. "Since we've decided to wait, make yourselves at home. Just don't tear my place apart."
Seeing her look utterly exhausted and sensing her intent to see them out, the three stood up.
Nie Wushang said, "Get some proper rest."
Yang Chengji merely cupped his hands in a salute.
Jing Xingzhi grinned mischievously. "Trying to kick us out so soon? Been feeling cooped up these past few days?"
How could they not understand what Jing Xingzhi meant? Qin Xi remained unmoved. Mo Tiange glared at him fiercely. "Say another word and I'll kick you out!"
Jing Xingzhi sealed his lips, sneaking out with a roguish smile and thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
"I'm exhausted," Mo Tiange said, her steps unsteady as she got up. She pushed open the door to the adjacent resting chamber, flopped onto the bed, and then rolled over, burying herself in the covers.
Qin Xi followed behind, finding it amusing. He fished her out, laid her down properly, and then lay down himself.
For a good while, neither spoke. They just lay there quietly. From the moment they entered Carefree Valley until now, these past days had been nothing but constant battle without respite.
After an unknown length of time, Mo Tiange suddenly said, "How long will we have to wait?"
Qin Xi didn't open his eyes. "Are you in a hurry?"
"No." After the denial, Mo Tiange turned over and touched his face. "We won't end up staying here for decades again, will we? You'd get old."
Qin Xi opened his eyes and leaned closer. "Do I look old?"
...
Mo Tiange conceded defeat.
By the time they had recovered their energy, Jing Xingzhi, Nie Wushang, and Yang Chengji outside had already embarked on major construction, cutting down more than half of her bamboo forest and building a long row of bamboo houses.
When Mo Tiange saw it, her heart ached as if bleeding. This bamboo forest—she had cut half of it when she first built her bamboo house, then another section was felled when Feifei tested his White Tiger Strike, and now they had cut down more than half of what remained, leaving only the outer half-circle. This wasn't ordinary bamboo; its texture was so hard it could be used to refine magical treasures.
"You really don't hold back, do you?" she said through gritted teeth. Building so many houses—did they plan to put down roots here?
Jing Xingzhi said with shameless audacity, "You said to make ourselves at home."
Nie Wushang pursed her lips in a smile. "I didn't mind, but this guy insisted on building a cave abode for each of us, complete with cultivation chambers, resting chambers, storage chambers, alchemy chambers... everything."
A vein throbbed at Mo Tiange's temple. They even made suites.
Qin Xi raised an eyebrow, glancing sidelong at Jing Xingzhi. "Planning to stay long?"
"Don't be so stingy," Jing Xingzhi said, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "My future fiancée can live here too."
Nie Wushang nodded with a serious expression. "That's right. It'll be convenient for when you marry into her family."
Jing Xingzhi turned his head, baring his teeth at her. "Thank you so much for thinking so far ahead on my behalf."
"Of course," Nie Wushang said without any courtesy. "Thinking about how you'll have to call me 'Aunt-Master' or something in the future makes me feel I should show you a little more affection."
"..." Jing Xingzhi discovered a problem. He seemed to have gained an advantage by claiming Qin Shoujing's future daughter, but it also seemed to have lowered him by a generation...
"Idiot," Yang Chengji said coldly, giving him a sidelong glance before heading into his own house to cultivate.
Inside the Xuanwu Sacrificial Temple, under True Person Yuan Mu's leadership, the cultivators reached a preliminary cooperation agreement that very day. All cultivators trapped within the temple would temporarily set aside their grudges and work together until they escaped.
After resting for a few days, they divided into various small teams based on closeness and distance to probe the Ghost Cultivators' strength. Twenty people remained on guard duty, while the others took turns attacking and providing support. The team members coordinated closely, not seeking a forceful assault but aiming to hold their ground.
With this arrangement, the cultivators set aside their prejudices and left the temple to test the Ghost Cultivators' capabilities.
The results were grim. These Ghost Cultivators had no consciousness and weren't particularly strong individually, but they seemed to possess a combat instinct. The moment they detected living aura, they would swarm forward en masse. Fighting like this, even if all fifty-plus of them were deployed, they would still be outnumbered two to one. Moreover, the Ghost Cultivators carried a strange Death Qi, different from that of ordinary Ghost Cultivators. Its corrosive power was extremely potent; once contaminated, it was very difficult to expel.
During the first probe, twenty people were surrounded. In the end, one perished, two were severely corroded, and seven or eight suffered light corrosion.
For Nascent Soul Cultivators, this was already terrifying casualties. It left everyone's expressions cold and the atmosphere heavy.
It took three days for those with light corrosion to fully expel the Death Qi. The two with severe corrosion managed to preserve their lives but lost their combat ability.
Subsequent probes became even more cautious. True Person Yuan Mu even took to the field himself, leaving only ten people to provide support. Everyone else went out, sticking together as much as possible, avoiding direct contact with the Ghost Cultivators to prevent Death Qi erosion.
With a targeted plan, many no longer held back, bringing out magical treasures that countered Ghost Cultivators. This probe was very successful, even resulting in the slaying of seven or eight Ghost Cultivators, while most of their own side suffered only light injuries.
This great victory boosted the cultivators' morale. They finally gained a sliver of confidence about breaking through the encirclement.
With many injured, they rested for ten days this time before acting again. The cultivators arranged a series of targeted methods, leaving only a few people in the temple, and still returned with a great victory, exterminating five Ghost Cultivators. However, their luck wasn't as good this time; two or three were seriously injured, and even more suffered light injuries.
Ling Yunhe was puzzled. "We have experience now. Why are there more injured?"
True Person Yuan Mu pondered for a long time before sighing. "We overlooked an important problem."
"What?"
"Resources," True Person Yuan Mu said. "The Ghost Cultivators' ghostly energy is hard to guard against. If the corrosion is even slightly serious, relying on one's own cultivation won't suffice. We need to use elixirs, and elixirs are limited..." He phrased it tactfully. The reality was, after over twenty years of consumption, Nascent Soul-stage elixirs had become much more expensive, and none of them had many spares on hand. This directly affected their recovery speed. If the ghostly energy wasn't fully expelled before they rejoined the battle, their strength would be affected, and of course, more people would get injured.
"What should we do, then?" Ling Yunhe mused. "Allow more rest time?"
True Person Yuan Mu and the other temporarily elected leaders considered for a day before finally deciding to adopt Ling Yunhe's suggestion: lengthen the rest periods, strive to completely expel the ghostly energy, and only return to battle after recovering their strength.
If they deliberately slowed their pace, it took them a full half-year to eliminate the majority of the Ghost Cultivators.