Within the dense forest, a figure was fleeing. Only when she could no longer sense the presence of other cultivators behind her did she stop.
How unlucky. Mo Tiange clutched her chest, feeling the energy within her body churning, her heart filled with regret. It was all her fault for being too overconfident. She had thought herself safe after setting up a formation at her hiding spot, but the spiritual Qi fluctuations from the formation had been detected by a group from the Zixia Sect, who had laid a trap to surround her. This time, she had managed to escape thanks to the few Escape Talismans she still had on her, and the formation had bought her some time to resist. Otherwise, facing five or six aggressive opponents alone, she probably wouldn't even have any ashes left.
Forcibly using the Escape Talisman while surrounded had left her energy temporarily unstable. She swallowed a Qi-Nourishing Pill, looked up at the starry sky, and calculated. It seemed to be the Yin hour already. In just over an hour, the exit formation would activate.
As the fierce melee continued, fewer and fewer people remained alive, and she encountered more and more sites of Dharma Combat. All along her escape route, she had come across corpses, not living people.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange shook her head and let out a bitter laugh. What happened to others was beyond her control. Right now, just keeping herself alive was enough.
Feeling the energy in her Dantian was still unstable, she hesitated for a moment before finally finding a tree with lush foliage and leaping up into it. She completely suppressed all her aura, didn't set up any formation, didn't even extend her Divine Sense outward, and quietly began to regulate her breathing. Although it wasn't a serious injury, if she didn't regulate her breathing and encountered an enemy again, it would be very disadvantageous for her. She certainly didn't want to use another Escape Talisman to escape, lest a minor injury turn into a major one.
Time passed bit by bit. Surprisingly, no one had come to this place the entire time. It seemed there really weren't many cultivators left alive in the forest. Mo Tiange felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. After experiencing several life-and-death battles, she felt herself growing increasingly indifferent; even death couldn't easily move her anymore. Perhaps, having seen so much, it no longer seemed like a big deal. On the path of cultivation, there was so much death. If one didn't get used to it first, how could one walk further on the road to longevity? She was actually grateful she could adapt so quickly.
As her energy gradually stabilized, she breathed a sigh of relief. Nearby, there seemed to be a Demon Beast; she could faintly hear roars. However, it was clear no one was thinking about hunting beasts anymore. The more people died, the greater the chance for the survivors to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. Besides, killing others and directly taking their spoils was much faster than slowly killing beasts one by one.
Even she herself had obtained many Demon Beasts killed by others. The two cultivators killed at the Poison Spring, the couple who had surrounded her, the group that had perished together later, plus the twenty or thirty demon monkey corpses she originally had on her—she didn't need to hand over all the Demon Beast corpses to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. Therefore, she didn't want to stir up trouble. Getting used to death didn't mean she had to kill. As long as others didn't provoke her, she wouldn't make a move.
Thinking of this, a bitter smile appeared on her lips. She had indeed become a cold and unfeeling person.
Suddenly, faint footsteps reached her ears. Mo Tiange opened her eyes. She hadn't extended her Divine Sense, so she only noticed when people were already close.
Then, through the foliage, she vaguely saw several pairs of feet. It seemed... there were three people, two men and one woman. The woman's steps were unsteady, which was very strange.
She tilted her head but didn't move, continuing to hide. When she could barely protect herself, it was best not to meddle in others' affairs.
However, voices came from below:
"Big Brother, why have we been walking for so long?" This voice was very young and sounded impatient.
Another, deeper voice answered, "How should I know! Hey, you brat, you're not lying to us, are you?!"
"Cough! Cough!" A woman's coughing sounded. Mo Tiange couldn't help but frown. This voice... "Why are you two Senior Brothers in such a hurry? Can't you sense the Demon Beast's spiritual Qi? That Demon Beast is guarding the Vermillion Heart Fruit tree."
Murong Yan's voice!
This answer seemed to pass muster. The younger one said, "That sounds somewhat reasonable..."
The footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Mo Tiange pondered for a moment, then silently slipped down from the tree and lightly followed them.
These two male cultivators weren't particularly strong—one at Qi Refining Level 8, the other at Level 9. How had they managed to survive until now? And they were with Murong Yan? Moreover, from their conversation, it seemed they wanted Murong Yan to lead them to find some Vermillion Heart Fruit. She had never heard of this kind of spiritual fruit. Could it be some rare fruit?
Shaking her head, Mo Tiange dismissed this thought. If it were truly some rare fruit, Murong Yan would have gone to pick it long ago. How could she wait until now? She must have been captured by these two and was using this story to deceive them.
Stealthily moving closer, she carefully observed the situation. Murong Yan was indeed bound at the wrists and injured. The two male cultivators were from the Zixia Sect, one around twenty years old, the other twenty-five or twenty-six.
They soon found the Demon Beast's location. Then, she saw the two men fly into a rage, immediately drawing their spiritual tools. "You bitch, you dare lie to us brothers!"
But Murong Yan was clever too. She desperately dodged to the side, skillfully startling the Demon Beast, then hid behind the two men. The Demon Beast pounced toward the two men.
This Demon Beast was a Tier 1 Giant Ape. Although its cultivation level wasn't high, it had thick skin, coarse flesh, and immense strength. The two men were momentarily tied up dealing with it.
Seeing this, Murong Yan quietly retreated. Seizing the moment when the two men weren't paying attention, she immediately turned and fled wildly.
"Big Brother, that whore is running!" the younger one snarled, glaring at Murong Yan's retreating figure.
The older one blocked the Giant Ape's attack with his spiritual tool and shouted, "Go after her! She actually lied to us. Can't let her escape!"
"Alright!" The younger one withdrew his spiritual tool and chased after her.
Once again barely blocking the Giant Ape's attack, the man muttered, "No good, it's too strong. Looks like I'll have to use a treasure."
Thinking this, he took out a purple sphere the size of a pigeon egg from his bosom and hurled it at the Giant Ape. With a deafening "BOOM," the Giant Ape was instantly blasted into a bloody pulp. The nearby rocks and trees were all blown away, flattening the area within a ten-zhang radius.
The man looked at the scene of carnage, where not a single piece of intact flesh remained, with a pained expression. It was unclear whether he was distressed over the blown-apart corpse or the used-up treasure. After agonizing for a while, he gritted his teeth and turned to follow his younger brother.
But he had only run a few steps when he heard his younger brother's agonized scream. His heart lurched, and he hurried forward. "Third Brother! Third Brother!!" Not far away, he found his younger brother lying on the ground, with no one else around.
Mo Tiange pulled Murong Yan along as they fled wildly, only stopping when she could no longer sense that person's aura.
Murong Yan looked at her gratefully. "Junior Brother Ye, thank you. It's a good thing I ran into you, otherwise I..."
Mo Tiange shook her head and smiled at her. "Senior Sister Murong, there's no need to be so polite. It was just a small effort." She paused, then asked curiously, "Senior Sister, what happened to you?"
Her question made Murong Yan give a bitter laugh and shake her head. "It's all my fault for not liking to cultivate before. This time, I've really suffered enough. I've encountered Zixia Sect disciples several times and barely escaped with my life. Later, I ran into these two. Originally, they wanted to kill me, so I lied to them that there was a rare herb here..."
So that was it. Mo Tiange nodded. "What exactly was that thing in that man's hand? How was its power so great?"
"That... I'm not very sure either. It didn't seem like a spiritual tool, nor like a Magical Treasure. It seemed to be a special item refined from a Demon Beast's essence soul and thunder-based spells. Once thrown out with spiritual Qi, it would explode with immense power. From what I've seen, no one can withstand it."
This was the first time Mo Tiange had heard of such a thing. Its power was indeed immense; probably no Qi Refining cultivator could withstand it. That's why she had chosen to run—after all, she didn't want to throw her life away.
Seeing Murong Yan, Mo Tiange couldn't help but think of Murong Zi. She hesitated for a moment but decided to wait until they were out to tell her. With dangers lurking everywhere now, if she suddenly learned of her elder brother's demise, the emotional turmoil might affect her in Dharma Combat. So she asked, "Senior Sister Murong, what are your plans from here?"
Hearing her question, Murong Yan still wore a bitter smile. "To be honest with you, Junior Brother Ye, before coming here, I was filled with lofty ambitions, determined to win a Foundation Establishment Pill. Only now do I realize how overconfident I was. There's no point regretting it now. I just hope to get out safely, cultivate diligently in the future, and plan for other opportunities."
Hearing these words, Mo Tiange nodded inwardly. It seemed she truly understood now. That was good; it wouldn't be a waste of Murong Zi's efforts.
"Junior Brother Ye..." Murong Yan hesitated for a while but then shook her head. "Forget it. If I make it out alive, we'll talk then. Let's part ways here for now."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. "Senior Sister Murong, you won't come with me?"
Murong Yan turned back sharply. "Junior Brother Ye doesn't mind being with me?"
Mo Tiange was stunned for a moment before she realized—did Murong Yan think she wouldn't be willing to travel together? She immediately smiled. "What do you think, Senior Sister?"
Seeing her expression, Murong Yan smiled sheepishly. "I was overthinking..."
The two exchanged a smile. The estrangement that had formed between them due to the recent sect upheaval instantly vanished. Murong Yan's expression was no longer stiff, becoming more relaxed. "Junior Brother Ye, I really underestimated you before. I never expected your spells to be so powerful—ah, I really was too lazy in the past."
Mo Tiange teased her, "It's good that you know you were lazy, Senior Sister. I know my own aptitude isn't great, so I have no choice but to work hard." She looked up at the starry sky again. It was the Mao hour. "There's still one hour left, Senior Sister. We should head closer to the center."
A hesitant look appeared on Murong Yan's face. "Go now? Probably many people will be heading to the center. Shouldn't we avoid them?"
Mo Tiange said, "Don't worry. Now that the exit is about to open, everyone wants to leave. They definitely won't want to cause trouble. It might actually be safer than before."
This made some sense. Murong Yan finally decided to trust her and said cheerfully, "Then I'll leave it to you, Junior Brother Ye. I'll just follow."
Mo Tiange nodded. "How are your injuries, Senior Sister? Will you have any trouble traveling?"
Murong Yan said, "It's fine. Just minor injuries."
Since she was sure, Mo Tiange didn't hesitate. "Then let's go."
The two each activated their Light Body Technique and hurried toward the central area.
The closer they got to the center, the more people they encountered. Murong Yan grew very uneasy and asked in a low voice, "Junior Brother Ye, is it really alright?"
Mo Tiange took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's fine. Trust me."
Murong Yan's face flushed red instantly. She finally nodded. "Mm."
Mo Tiange didn't notice, still holding her hand as they dashed toward the location of the exit.