With a "bang," Daoist Fangzheng fell heavily on the ground.
Mo Tiange immediately summoned her White Silk Handkerchief, but that spiritual aura didn't appear again. From beginning to end, she didn't know where that spiritual aura came from!
Daoist Fangzheng, who was lying on the ground, groaned and struggled to get up. His face was pale. "This …"
"Fellow Daoist Fangzheng, it seems the master of this place doesn't want us to take the Sunstone." After confirming there was no danger, Mo Tiange put down her magic weapon and slowly scanned the stone room.
This was obviously a technique that surpassed their realm, but it didn't kill them. It seemed the master just didn't want them to take the Sunstone.
Daoist Fangzheng looked up at the Sunstone on the top of the stone wall, his face full of unwillingness.
If that was the case, wouldn't this trip be returning empty-handed?
At that moment, several rumbling noises were heard. It seemed one of the stone slabs was moved.
The two of them looked towards the source of the noise and were both overjoyed.
The stone wall in the innermost part of the stone room suddenly moved, revealing a stone table with several things on it.
However, after the previous incidents, the two of them became more cautious. After being overjoyed, they didn't immediately go to take the things.
Daoist Fangzheng once again released his first rank spiritual beast. The bird screeched then flew towards the stone table in a wobbly manner.
Not only Daoist Fangzheng, but Mo Tiange was also extremely nervous.
Ever since they came here, they hadn't obtained anything except for a Mother of Moonstone and several Bewitching Moonstones. Instead, they used up several magic weapons and talismans. There were so many treasures here, but they weren't allowed to take them.
The bird safely landed on the stone table. Daoist Fangzheng's expression showed a hint of happiness, but soon, he became even more nervous. He ordered the bird to pick up something with its beak.
The bird flapped its wings on the table and ran towards a bell-shaped object. Soon after, it picked up the bell handle and was about to fly away.
"Bang!" The smoke that came out of nowhere suddenly dispersed, and a spiritual aura suddenly sprang out.
Mo Tiange was about to use her Protective Aura, but in an instant, she lost control of the spiritual aura in her body and couldn't move!
At that moment, a deep and dignified voice rang out in the stone room. "Junior, who came to my Ziwei's Immortal's Cave?"
Mo Tiange was stunned. Could it be —
Daoist Fangzheng finally regained his composure. He answered first, "Junior Fangzheng, a little individual cultivator. Greetings to Senior Ziwei!"
After a Nascent Soul cultivator passed away in meditation, he would cut off a part of his divine sense and store it somewhere. Presumably, this could only be done by the master of this place, the Nascent Soul cultivator who called himself Wanderer Ziwei.
"Junior Mo Tiange, a disciple of Xuanqing School. Greetings to Senior Ziwei." Faced with the Nascent Soul cultivator's question, Mo Tiange still chose to speak the truth even though she was only using her divine sense.
"Xuanqing School?"
Upon hearing what she said, Wanderer Ziwei was slightly surprised. Soon after, he asked, "Who's that Lord Daoist Pillspirit to you?"
Dao Lord Pill Spirit?
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment then answered, "Lord Daoist Danling was a senior of my group. He passed away five thousand years ago."
"… It's been five thousand years." Upon hearing what she said, Wanderer Ziwei was silent for a long time before he finally heaved a long sigh. "It's actually been five thousand years. Zilan, it seems you've also …"
In the next second, his voice regained its calmness. He said, "Juniors, what's your request for coming to my Ziwei's Immortal's Cave?"
Daoist Fangzheng was delighted to hear that. Just as he was about to speak, Mo Tiange beat him to it. "May I know Senior's purpose in luring us here?"
A Foundation Building cultivator talking to a Nascent Soul cultivator like that was indeed arrogant.
Afraid Mo Tiange would say something wrong, Daoist Fangzheng hastily said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, don't talk nonsense!"
Mo Tiange remained unmoved. She dared to say that because she knew Wanderer Ziwei wouldn't get angry.
Sure enough, in the next second, Wanderer Ziwei smiled. "Junior, you're really quick-witted.
You're right, I indeed led you here on purpose. "
"What's Senior's purpose?"
Wanderer Ziwei didn't answer but asked instead, "Juniors, what do you think of my Immortal's Cave?"
This time, Daoist Fangzheng answered first. "Senior's Immortal's Cave is worthy of being a Nascent Soul cultivator's Immortal's Cave. There are layers of formations and a lot of treasures."
"Formations, treasures …" Wanderer Ziwei repeated then suddenly asked, "Then do you want to get them?"
Daoist Fangzheng was both surprised and delighted, but he didn't dare to be rude. He cast a glance at Mo Tiange then answered, "Of course … But with Senior's abilities, we don't have a choice."
"Hehe, Junior, you're quite slippery."
Wanderer Ziwei dismissed them with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm not a cruel person. If you honestly answer me, I naturally won't hurt you."
What he said made Mo Tiange secretly criticize him. Not a cruel person?
They haven't even entered this Immortal's Cave, but out of the nine people, only the two of them are still in good condition. Daoist Fangzheng is also injured from head to toe — he's still not a cruel person …
"Do you have any objections?"
Wanderer Ziwei's voice suddenly sounded as if it was right next to her ear. Mo Tiange was startled. Could it be that Wanderer Ziwei can read minds?
"Mind reading?
More or less. "
Before she could finish her question, Wanderer Ziwei already said, "When I was alive, I once tried to advance to the Deification realm. Although I failed, I possessed part of a Deification cultivator's abilities. Mind Reading is one of them."
Mo Tiange was stunned.
That seemed to be the case … When she was with Yuan Bao and Zhong Muling, she had a vague feeling that she couldn't hide anything. It was slightly different from the feeling when she couldn't help but tell the truth when she was under spiritual aura pressure.
In that case, didn't this mean that Wanderer Ziwei had already reached the peak of the Nascent Soul realm? It was just that he hadn't truly advanced to the Deification realm yet?
"Oh! Junior, you've actually met Deification cultivators?" An invisible spiritual aura circled around Mo Tiange and she asked.
Mo Tiange was startled. She hastily concealed her spirit and qi to prevent herself from letting her imagination run wild.
Mind Reading … If I overthink it, won't I let others know everything?
Just as she thought about that, before she could say anything, she heard Wanderer Ziwei say with a smile, "Junior, don't panic. Mind Reading has to be actively used, so I won't use it on you. You can take your time and tell me."
What he said sounded rather amiable …
Mo Tiange heaved a sigh of relief, but she was still worried. She answered, "Yes, Junior indeed had the honor of meeting Deification seniors."
"Oh?
What were the names of those two people? How did you meet them? "
"… One of them was surnamed Zhong, and his name was Muling. The other was called Daoist Yuan Bao, but I don't know if that's his real name or his Daoist name."
"Zhong Muling, Yuan Bao …" the voice murmured, "They've actually reached the Deification realm …"
Mo Tiange was surprised. "Senior knows these two Deification seniors?"
"Sort of …" Wanderer Ziwei said faintly, "They're cultivators from the same era as me, but they came from Yunzhong and aren't cultivators from the Celestial Pole."
Mo Tiange also knew about this. Yuan Bao once told her a lot about them. They were originally cultivators from Yunzhong, but later on, they wandered around and arrived in the Celestial Pole. After they advanced to the Deification realm, they had no fixed abode and could only wander around the Virtual Sky World.
"Alright, Junior, tell me — how are they doing?"
"They're … very well."
Based on what he said, there seemed to be no old grudges between Zhong Muling and Yuan Bao, so Mo Tiange felt relieved. "During the demonic beast riot last time, Junior accidentally broke into the two Deification seniors' Immortal's Caves and was saved by them. That's how I met them.
After Junior recovered, I left. It seems they came here to travel. "
"…" Wanderer Ziwei didn't say anything for a long time. After a long time, he finally heaved a deep sigh. "Hearing about my old friends made me sigh with emotion.
Junior, since you and my old friends are old friends, I won't make things difficult for you.
To tell you the truth, in these five thousand years, every once in a while, I would weaken the formation and release Spiritual Qi to lure Foundation Establishment cultivators like you to come here. Unfortunately, not a single person has ever come here … "
Sure enough!
Mo Tiange had long expected this, but she didn't know why Wanderer Ziwei didn't lure Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivators here.
"I had a lifelong regret that I couldn't resolve before I passed away, so I sealed my divine sense in my Immortal's Cave. If someone passed the test and reached this place, they could come out and meet me.
If you can help me with this matter, I'll give you treasures. "
Mo Tiange and Daoist Fangzheng glanced at each other. Both of them were a bit surprised.
Six of them died, one was seriously injured, and only two of them reached this place in one piece. It was actually because a Nascent Soul cultivator who passed away already had something to ask of them?
Moreover, this still didn't explain why Wanderer Ziwei didn't let Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivators come here. Wanderer Ziwei was a peak stage Nascent Soul cultivator who was just a step away from the Deification realm; presumably, Nascent Soul cultivators would scramble for treasures like ducks.
"Don't you understand why I let Foundation Building cultivators come here?"
Daoist Fangzheng cupped his hands. "Senior, please forgive us. Juniors indeed don't understand.
If Senior has something to ask of us, wouldn't it be better to let Core Formation or Nascent Soul seniors come?
They're quite capable, so it'd be easy for them to complete Senior's task. "
"Hehe, that being said, why would Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators be afraid of a divine sense?
No matter how high my cultivation level was in the past, I'm only left with this bit of divine sense now, so I can't intimidate them, "Wanderer Ziwei said faintly." Besides, the task I asked of you has nothing to do with your cultivation level. "
That was true.
If a Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivator discovered an Immortal's Cave like this, they'd probably go looking for treasures by force. Even if Wanderer Ziwei was a genius when he was alive, he was only left with a wisp of his divine sense now.
Mo Tiange said, "Senior, aren't you afraid that we'll agree but won't do it?
Perhaps Junior will go back to my school and inform my masters, then order them to come here and look for treasures? "
"Ha! Little girl, you're quite bold," Wanderer Ziwei said with a smile.
However, in the next second, his voice turned cold. "Since I let Foundation Building cultivators come here, I naturally have a way to deal with you!"
Right after he finished speaking, Mo Tiange suddenly felt a pain in her head. That wisp of spiritual aura drilled into her brain, but it immediately withdrew.
"Ah —" She couldn't help but scream in pain.
After the pain passed, she felt nothing was amiss. She turned around and saw that Daoist Fangzheng was also bewildered.
Wanderer Ziwei said indifferently, "I left imprints in your sea of knowledge. If you don't come back in time, these imprints will activate, and at that time …"
At this point, the threat in his words was very obvious.
Mo Tiange was shocked and angry. "You —" She wasn't a person who went back on her word. If this Wanderer Ziwei gave her treasures and asked her to do something, she would naturally keep her promise. However, this kind of method really made her feel indignant!
"Junior," Wanderer Ziwei said with a smile, "Don't be agitated. Don't forget that your life is still in my hands."
With this reminder, Mo Tiange managed to suppress her anger, but she still couldn't help but sneer. "Senior, since you know I'm a disciple of Xuanqing School, so what if I left an imprint?
I'll go back to my school and ask the seniors in my school to resolve it with me! "
"Haha, resolve it?" Wanderer Ziwei's voice was full of arrogance. "There aren't any Deification cultivators in your school, right?
Even late stage Nascent Soul cultivators can't resolve my unique technique. "After he said that, he said curiously," Girl, are you always so direct with your words?
Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?
After all, there are two of you; you're not my only choice. "
"Really?"
Mo Tiange said coldly, "Senior waited for several thousand years before the two of us finally came. Senior, aren't you afraid you won't be able to complete your task?"
Wanderer Ziwei paused for a moment, then smiled bitterly. "You're just a little girl in the Foundation Building realm; how can you be so sharp-tongued?
Ay, it doesn't matter if you're afraid or not. You should rejoice that I've been cultivating my mind and temperament here for more than a thousand years, so I'm no longer as hot-tempered as I used to be. Otherwise … "
Once he finished speaking, he once again muttered to himself, "However, you're very similar to her …"
Her?
Could it be that Zilan?
Wanderer Ziwei said, "Alright, I won't talk nonsense with you.
I won't be harsh. As long as you finish the task I'm giving you within a hundred years and come here, I'll give you all of my treasures. I'll give them to whoever finishes first, but you'd better not kill each other for the sake of treasures. The imprint I left in your sea of knowledge will tell me, so I won't give you anything at that time! "
All of my treasures?
Upon hearing what he said, Daoist Fangzheng promptly asked, "May I ask what Senior wants us to do?"
"I want you to find a person's corpse, bring it to me, and bury it with me."
Mo Tiange blurted out, "Could it be the Zilan that Senior keeps talking about?"
"Correct."
Wanderer Ziwei's voice was still faint, but Mo Tiange felt it was filled with endless desolation. "I already knew I wouldn't be able to see her. It's enough as long as I'm buried with her …"
Mo Tiange couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "She … Who is she?"
Her question made Wanderer Ziwei silent.
After a long time, so long that Mo Tiange thought he wouldn't answer, she finally heard his voice: "She's my wife."
Mo Tiange was dumbfounded. "Since she's Senior's wife, why …"
"Junior, why do you have so many questions?"
Wanderer Ziwei smiled bitterly. "I'm only separated from my wife and couldn't be together anymore, so I want you to bring her corpse back. You're still trying to get to the bottom of this?"
Despite that, he sighed softly then said slowly, "My wife's surname is Xiao, and her name is Zilan. She's a cultivator from Xuanji School.
Do you know about Xuanji School? "
Daoist Fangzheng said in a low voice, "Xuanji School … was established by the original disciples after Tianliang School was exterminated several thousand years ago. However, Xuanji School no longer exists today. It was divided into Guigu School, Qiqiao Sect, and several other groups …"
Wanderer Ziwei was stunned. "Xuanji School also …"
"Correct. As far as Junior knows, it was because of internal strife.
However, it's been a long time, and Junior's only an individual cultivator, so I don't know the inside story. "
"… Fate. In the end, they couldn't escape the fate of being exterminated." Wanderer Ziwei sighed then said, "How's Gujian Sect now?
It still exists, right? "
"Right now, Gujian Sect is the third largest cultivation group in the Celestial Pole. It's very powerful and has many disciples."
"That's … good." When Gujian Sect was mentioned, Wanderer Ziwei's tone was indifferent, as if he didn't care.
After a pause, he said slowly, "I was originally a swordsman in the secular world. When I was twenty, my master discovered that I had spiritual roots, so I came to Gujian Sect.
Later, I became a sword cultivator and wholeheartedly cultivated. When I was a hundred years old, I formed my Gold Core and reached the Nascent Soul realm at three hundred years old. I don't dare to say I'm a genius, but I'm still a rare sword cultivator. "
"Because I was born in the secular world of Jianghu, I've always had a fiery temper. My Gujian Sect has always been combative, so we didn't restrict our disciples.
When I just formed my Gold Core, several senior martial brothers and I exterminated Tianliang School because someone from Tianliang School offended my senior martial brother. "
"…" Mo Tiange was a bit shocked. Gujian Sect now adopted the image of the Righteous Path and always restricted its disciples. As it turned out, it was also …
"At that time, I didn't take this matter to heart. Who would've thought that a hundred years later, I'd meet a little girl in the Foundation Building realm …" When he spoke about this matter, Wanderer Ziwei's voice finally fluctuated. "That was my wife, Zilan.
I knew she was a disciple of Xuanji School, but I didn't care.
So what if I was the one who did that?
With my strength and identity at that time, if I wanted to marry her, how could a small cultivation group like Xuanji School dare to refuse? "
"However, I didn't want Zilan to know, lest she thought I was using my power to oppress people.
Zilan only knew it was a disciple of my Gujian Sect who exterminated Tianliang School, but she didn't know I was one of them. Although she hated Gujian Sect, she still married me.
We were husband and wife for two hundred years. I successfully formed my Nascent Soul, and Zilan also formed her Gold Core.
Her aptitude was excellent, and with my help, forming her Nascent Soul was almost inevitable. I thought we'd continue loving each other like this for a thousand years … "
Two hundred years … Wanderer Ziwei should be four hundred years old now, right?
Was that when he betrayed his sect and lived in seclusion here?
"Right at that time, Zilan heard from my senior martial brother that I participated in the extermination of Tianliang School, so she came back to question me and severed ties with me.
Only then did I know Zilan wasn't just a disciple of Xuanji School. Her clan used to be a great clan in Tianliang School … In other words, her elders and relatives might've all died in my hands. "
Wanderer Ziwei narrated faintly with a calm tone. "We've been husband and wife for two hundred years, so how could I not know her temper?
She was usually kind, but she was very stubborn. Once she decided on something, she absolutely wouldn't change her mind.
Since she severed ties with me, she wouldn't see me again for the rest of her life. "
"… It was just that I had delusions that she could come back, so I betrayed my sect and came to this secular world to live in seclusion. I entrusted a letter to her telling her that if she forgave me one day, she should come find me.
I regretted what happened in the past, but there was nothing I could do. I gave up everything, which meant I'd severed my past. "
At this point, Wanderer Ziwei finally sighed, revealing some of his emotions. "Sure enough, I waited for more than a thousand years, but she never came.
Later, I heard she formed her Nascent Soul and became the Grand Supreme Elder of Xuanji School, but she never came to see me … "
So that was what happened.
Xiao Zilan was a disciple of Xuanji School, so it was no wonder there were traces of Tianliang School everywhere in this valley. They were husband and wife for two hundred years, so all of this must've been passed on by Xiao Zilan to Wanderer Ziwei, right?
"Juniors, go to Xuanji School's former encampment, find Zilan's corpse, and bury it with me. I'll give you the things I've collected in my lifetime."