Several days later, Mo Tiange, Qin Xi, Nie Wushang, along with Dao Lord Lingxi, left Taikang Mountain together, heading for the Ancient Sword Sect.
The simultaneous visit of four Nascent Soul cultivators startled the Ancient Sword Sect's reception disciple so much his eyes nearly popped out. He hurried off to report. Jing Xingzhi wasted no time and immediately welcomed them in.
Compared to Taikang Mountain, the Ancient Sword Sect's headquarters was much more precipitous, and Jing Xingzhi's cave abode was even more so. This fellow had chosen a solitary peak as his abode, sheer and vertical, utterly uninhabitable. He lived alone at the peak's summit, with only two attendant disciples to manage affairs, embodying an aloof, solitary, and lofty demeanor.
Mo Tiange clicked her tongue in admiration. "One person living alone on an entire peak. The Ancient Sword Sect truly has grand style."
Jing Xingzhi pursed his lips. "The grand style is over there."
He was pointing at the highest peak at the very back. That was the Ancient Sword Sect's highest peak. Compared to this solitary peak, that one was even more imposing and had better scenery.
Although it was her first visit, Mo Tiange knew that was the location of Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying's cave abode. She smiled. "Senior Yuan Ying clearly treats you as his successor. Won't that one be yours in the future?"
Hearing this, Jing Xingzhi quickly waved his hands. "Don't say such things carelessly. I still have two senior brothers in the sect." He put on an air of being very modest.
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang rolled their eyes in unison. Qin Xi couldn't help but laugh. "Fellow Daoist Jing, since when have you become so cautious in your actions?"
"I've always been cautious, okay?" Jing Xingzhi rolled his eyes as well. In truth, before leaving the Ancient Sword Sect, he had always been very cautious within the sect. The faction of Sword Sovereign Fuling was constantly watching him. Without caution, he would have been caught out. It was just that his nature was cynical, and after leaving the Ancient Sword Sect, he had inevitably become a bit more unrestrained...
Entering the cave abode, Ling Yunhe and Yang Chengji were already waiting. After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats.
Decades apart, both of them had advanced to the mid-stage. Mo Tiange glanced at them. Yang Chengji was as silent as ever, revealing nothing. Ling Yunhe had much less gloom between his brows, seeming to have lived well these past years.
Looking at them, Ling Yunhe smiled. "I really couldn't tell before. Not only are Fellow Daoists Qin and Mo from prestigious sects, even Fellow Daoist Jing is extraordinary, and Fellow Daoist Yang is the successor of Tianji's number one cultivator. What's the matter with you Tianji cultivators? All running off to Yunzhong, making us Yunzhong cultivators feel utterly ashamed?"
Mo Tiange swirled the teacup in her hand. "Fellow Daoist Ling, what are you saying? Doesn't Yunzhong have its own talented cultivators? Take the two of you, for instance. The age at which you formed your Cores isn't older than ours."
Among the seven present, Qin Xi, Jing Xingzhi, and Dao Lord Lingxi were slightly older in age. Ling Yunhe and Nie Wushang were in the middle. Yang Chengji and Mo Tiange were the youngest. A hundred or so years meant nothing to Nascent Soul cultivators. The earliest among them to form a Nascent Soul, Qin Xi, was only about a hundred years earlier, and now he was like them, at the Nascent Soul mid-stage.
"Still talking? You're the youngest among us to form a Nascent Soul. Are you saying that to provoke us?" Ling Yunhe half-joked.
Mo Tiange laughed, waving her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I misspoke, okay?"
After a few more words of casual conversation, Jing Xingzhi got to the main topic. "Fellow Daoists, it was inconvenient to convey detailed information about the Qilin Sacrificial Temple in previous messages. Now that everyone is here, I'll tell you about the temple's location and situation."
He took out several jade slips, handing one to each person. "These are maps. The journey we're about to undertake is not only long but also fraught with many dangers. If we get separated, proceed on your own. We won't wait idly for anyone. Everyone must be careful."
No one objected. They all knew the current situation in Xiaoyang. With Yunzhong shifting northward, Xiaoyang was now surrounded by vast oceans, connecting northward with what was once the Tianji South Sea—an extremely perilous place. Jing Xingzhi had discovered the Qilin Sacrificial Temple was in Xiaoyang, but the location had some deviation. Exactly where it was still required careful searching. If someone got lost at sea, how could the others possibly find them?
Dao Lord Lingxi probed with his divine sense and found the jade slip contained a clear map with several marked points—places where Ancient Sword Sect disciples had detected Qilin aura. Beside them were densely packed records of the experiences and deductions of many disciples, extremely detailed.
He felt a stir in his heart and sent a voice transmission to Qin Xi. "Senior Brother Shoujing, this map is far too detailed. This Fellow Daoist Jing, just what is he..."
When joining forces for exploration, the leader often withheld some crucial information. But considering the level of detail in this map, it far exceeded what one would typically share with companions. It seemed to contain all the intelligence gathered by the Ancient Sword Sect disciples.
Qin Xi smiled slightly. "Don't worry. All this information is genuine."
Dao Lord Lingxi asked no more but developed a different attitude towards Jing Xingzhi. It seemed the degree of trust between this Sword Sovereign Zhishui, Fellow Daoist Jing, and Senior Brother Shoujing was extraordinary.
"...As you all can see, we can only confirm now that the Qilin is on the seabed near Xiaoyang, but the location has some deviation. That sea area is unimaginably dangerous. Core Formation disciples couldn't investigate thoroughly. We'll have to do it ourselves."
Ling Yunhe sincerely cupped his hands in thanks. "Fellow Daoist Jing, this information has saved us who knows how much effort. Being able to pinpoint the Qilin Sacrificial Temple's location is largely thanks to you."
Jing Xingzhi waved his hand. "No need for thanks. All along, I've been reaping the benefits without effort. Now that I have the capability, I should do what I can—Alright, I've said what I needed to. Do any of you have anything to add?"
The others remained silent. Qin Xi spoke. "I have one matter." He pointed to Dao Lord Lingxi beside him. "For the journey to Xiaoyang, my junior brother here will also accompany us. I wonder if any of you have objections?"
Though he said 'any of you,' he was really asking Yang Chengji and Ling Yunhe. They had brought Dao Lord Lingxi in, and Jing Xingzhi hadn't avoided the topic at all. How could Yang and Ling not know? Hearing Qin Xi's frank disclosure now, Ling Yunhe replied, "Our purpose for this trip isn't treasure contention. If Fellow Daoist Lingxi is willing to join, I, Ling, would be more than happy."
Yang Chengji simply said three words. "No objection."
A faint smile appeared on Qin Xi's face. "Likewise, if any fellow daoists have companions they wish to bring along, they are welcome."
The group exchanged glances. Jing Xingzhi shook his head first. "The Ancient Sword Sect isn't like your Xuanqing Sect. My Uncle-Master Yuan Ying needs to hold the fort at the sect. Of the remaining two senior brothers, one still has to go to Kunzhong City. No spare hands." Then he looked at Ling Yunhe.
Ling Yunhe smiled wryly. "Although I've regained Uncle-Master Yuan Mu's favor, regarding this matter, he still holds an attitude of disbelief. Besides, with the chaos in Yunzhong these years, the Jiuyan Sect is short-handed. That I can leave at all is only because Uncle-Master Yuan Mu granted me special authority."
As for the remaining Yang Chengji, there was no need to even ask. Did this kid have any other friends?
"Then it's settled," Jing Xingzhi declared as the host. "If there's nothing else, we'll set off tomorrow."
No one objected. By coming here to gather, they were already prepared.
The next day, just before departure, Jing Xingzhi went to bid farewell to Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying. Mo Tiange and the others also paid their respects simultaneously. Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying didn't say much. Jing Xingzhi couldn't possibly hide these actions from him. What needed to be said and done, he had already said and done long ago. So, he merely offered a few words of advice before having his disciples see the guests out.
After leaving the Ancient Sword Sect, Ling Yunhe sighed. "In the past, Yunzhong cultivators always thought Yunzhong ranked first, that foreign lands like Yuanzhou, Xiaoyang, or the distant Tianji across the oceans couldn't compare to Yunzhong. Thinking back on it now, it was truly like a frog in a well, arrogant and self-important. Tianji has geniuses like you all, and seniors like that Sword Sovereign Yuan Ying. Even if the numbers are fewer, it's no worse than Yunzhong..."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange joked, "Fellow Daoist Ling, back when you visited my Xuanqing Sect, why didn't you sigh like this? Could it be the Xuanqing Sect doesn't compare to the Ancient Sword Sect?"
Ling Yunhe shook his head with a smile. "Not at all. The Xuanqing Sect is certainly powerful. Compared to my Jiuyan Sect, it's only lacking in the number of Nascent Soul cultivators. But, the cultivators of the Xuanqing Sect didn't exceed what I, Ling, had seen before. However, the Ancient Sword Sect... Fellow Daoist Jing's elder here is completely different from Yunzhong cultivators."
"Oh?" Jing Xingzhi was curious. "In what way is Uncle-Master Yuan Ying different?"
Ling Yunhe said, "Although Yunzhong doesn't have a powerful sword cultivator sect like the Ancient Sword Sect, there are still many sword cultivators. The path of sword cultivation simply is about using one sword to break ten thousand techniques, striking without hesitation. But this Senior Yuan Ying is not like that. He has the sharpness of a sword cultivator, yet also possesses the Dao cultivator's broad-mindedness encompassing all things... In today's cultivation world, sword cultivators only remember cultivating the sword. How many remember that the reason sword cultivators differ from martial cultivators is because sword cultivation is based on Daoist principles? Even you, Fellow Daoist Jing, aside from having a more refined and open state of mind, don't place much emphasis on the Dao foundation, do you?"
At first, he was just curious, but as he listened, Jing Xingzhi's expression grew serious. This was an evaluation of sword cultivators he had never heard before.
"...To put it bluntly, today's sword cultivators are too obsessed with power, thus becoming a side path. But this Senior Yuan Ying, he is obsessed with the sword, yet possesses greater broad-mindedness. This is something the sword cultivators of the world, even you, Fellow Daoist Jing, cannot match."
"Yes," Jing Xingzhi said involuntarily. "Throughout Tianji, it's known that Uncle-Master Yuan Ying upholds righteousness, never biased. Even back when I was unwilling to return to the Ancient Sword Sect, he could casually bestow a heaven-defying opportunity. Such broad-mindedness truly has no equal..."
"Of course, this is just my, Ling's, personal opinion. Fellow Daoist Jing, you don't have to believe it entirely." Ling Yunhe added this final remark.
Jing Xingzhi's heart was surging with emotion at this moment; how could he truly not believe it? Ling Yunhe's words seemed to open a new door for him, letting him know there was another way to walk the path of a sword cultivator, and this example was right beside him.
Setting aside Jing Xingzhi's deep contemplation along the way, their party of seven flew to the town where the long-distance teleportation formation was located. Using the formation, they went to Yunzhong. Then, with Ling Yunhe take charge, they teleported from the Southern Zhou Kingdom to a small island in the vast ocean.
Back when the continents shifted positions, the teleportation formations between Yunzhong and Xiaoyang became unusable, with the perilous Tianji South Sea in between. Later, a Nascent Soul cultivator detoured east around the Tianji South Sea, spending several years to find a small island relatively close and safe from Xiaoyang. They re-established a teleportation formation there, thus reconnecting with Xiaoyang and even restoring contact with Yuanzhou via this route.
Nie Wushang had traveled this path before. Upon arriving at the island, she said, "Let me lead the way."