Mo Tiange was extremely astonished. How could there be people in Wind's Rest Valley?
Although Wanderer Ziwei only had a wisp of his divine sense left, the great formation he left behind was extremely powerful, so there shouldn't be anyone who could occupy Fengxi Valley, right?
With that thought in mind, the newcomer quickly flew over.
Not one person, but a group of people.
Under the leadership of a Core Formation female cultivator, eight Foundation Building female disciples flew up on a huge flying sword.
The three of them stared at the nine people without blinking.
Upon seeing them, the Core Formation female cultivator looked astonished. Her gaze swept past Jing Xingzhi then Qin Xi before finally settling on Mo Tiange.
"Little Sister Ye?" What she said was a question.
Startled, Mo Tiange stared at the woman up and down.
She was about thirty years old and had a gentle countenance. Although she was charming, she was also proud and aloof.
She hesitantly asked, "Sister Shang?"
The female cultivator arched her eyebrows and smiled. "It's me."
Mo Tiange was shocked.
Shang Ruwan's current appearance was poles apart from how she looked back then — it wasn't her appearance that was different; it was her bearing that was different.
Back then, Shang Ruwan was gentle and generous. But under the gentle appearance of the current Shang Ruwan was a sharp sword aura!
Upon seeing the sword on her back, Mo Tiange blurted out, "You … You obtained Wanderer Ziwei's inheritance?"
Shang Ruwan nodded softly. "This is a fated chance Younger Sister left for me. If it wasn't for Younger Sister's kindness, I'm afraid I would've lost my life long ago. How could I have become Master's disciple then?"
Although she was only in the Core Formation realm, Mo Tiange was already in the Nascent Soul realm, but Mo Tiange still called Mo Tiange "little sister" with a calm expression. There wasn't the slightest trace of uneasiness.
Upon seeing this, not only did Mo Tiange not feel offended by Shang Ruwan's behavior, she even sighed with emotion. Shang Ruwan's temperament had once again improved compared to back then. Even when she saw a Nascent Soul cultivator, she was still calm and collected; she could even converse like she did back then.
"But …" Shang Ruwan chuckled again. "No matter what, he can't compare to Younger Sister. In just over a hundred years, he managed to advance from the Foundation Building realm to the Nascent Soul realm. He's truly a first-class genius in the Celestial Pole. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't dare to believe it."
"Sister Shang isn't bad either. Back then, she was only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Now, she's already in the middle stage of Core Formation.
This kind of speed naturally couldn't compare to hers, but it wasn't inferior to Xuanqing School's elite disciples.
Shang Ruwan chuckled. "It's fine if it's other people, but Younger Sister praising me like this — it really makes me feel ashamed."
Mo Tiange smiled.
When Mo Tiange saw Shang Ruwan again, she exclaimed in her heart. Back then, when she left Shang Ruwan in Ziwei's Immortal's Cave, she occasionally thought about Shang Ruwan and wondered if Shang Ruwan survived. She never expected that not only did Shang Ruwan survive, but she also obtained Wanderer Ziwei's inheritance.
Although Shang Ruwan was only in the Core Formation realm now, with her temperament and Wanderer Ziwei's swordsmanship, advancing to the Nascent Soul realm was only a matter of time.
Shang Ruwan paused for a moment. Her gaze then fell on Qin Xi and Jing Xingzhi. "These two are?"
"Oh," Mo Tiange said, "This is Fellow Daoist Jing Xingzhi from Gujian Sect."
Shang Ruwan's eyes brightened. Right after that, she bowed and said, "Greetings to Senior Jing."
Wanderer Ziwei came from Gujian Sect, so she could also be considered a successor of Gujian Sect.
In this way, she and Jing Xingzhi could be considered fellow disciples.
Now that he knew Shang Ruwan was that senior's successor, Jing Xingzhi stopped being careless and politely returned her greeting.
"What about this one?" Shang Ruwan looked at Qin Xi with a smile.
She had a passionate past, so how could she not see that the relationship between the two of them wasn't ordinary? Although they didn't act intimately, there was a tacit understanding and closeness between their actions; they seemed very natural.
"This is my senior martial brother and also my Dao companion. We're from the same sect. His surname is Qin, and his Daoist name is Shoujing," Mo Tiange said calmly.
A hint of astonishment flitted across Shang Ruwan's face. "So Senior is Xuanqing School's Qin Shoujing."
Her gaze then shifted to Mo Tiange. With a meaningful look, she said, "I suddenly remembered a rumor. Under Lord Daoist Jinghe of Xuanqing School, there were two genius cultivators. One was a junior in the clan, Qin Shoujing, and the other was his last disciple, Mo Qingwei. I wonder …"
Mo Tiange blushed with shame. "I didn't tell you the truth back then. Big Sister Shang, please don't blame me."
Shang Ruwan laughed. "How could I dare blame you?
Younger Sister is now a famous top-notch cultivator in the Celestial Pole. Me calling you 'Younger Sister' already means I'm climbing the social ladder. "
Mo Tiange smiled but said nothing.
Shang Ruwan then said with a stern expression, "You're here to see my master, right?"
"Yes," Mo Tiange answered. "Elder Sister Shang, please inform him that I've fulfilled our previous agreement and requested to see Senior Ziwei."
"Oh?" Shang Ruwan was surprised but also happy. "Did you find Master's wife?"
"You can say so," Mo Tiange answered.
Their agreement was to find Xiao Zilan's remains and bury her together with Wanderer Ziwei. However, Xiao Zilan died in the realm of Ghost City five thousand years ago, so Mo Tiange really didn't have the ability to find her remains. Fortunately, she found Xiao Zilan's soul, so they should be considered to have fulfilled their agreement.
Shang Ruwan nodded. Without saying anything unnecessary, she stepped aside and said, "Master ordered us to see him directly if it's about this matter. This way, please."
The three of them got on the huge sword. Shang Ruwan controlled the flying sword and descended to the bottom of the valley.
When Mo Tiange came down from the sword and saw the scene in the valley, she was astonished. "Elder Sister Shang, this is …"
Inside Wind Rest Valley, people were coming and going. Some were practicing swordsmanship, some were planting spiritual plants, some were handling game, and some were teaching children how to read.
After taking a closer look, they saw a circle of stone houses built along the bottom of the valley. The scale of the houses was no different from that of a small cultivation group.
Shang Ruwan watched the scene in front of her with a smile. "Back then, Master once saved a clan of mortals and they lived here for a thousand years. After Master passed away, those mortals moved out of Wind Rest Valley.
After I advanced to the Core Formation realm, Master ordered me to break the great formation here and lay a new defensive formation here. That way, Wind Rest Valley would still be a paradise and those mortals would return.
I decided to accept disciples here, and I was lucky enough to teach a few disciples. "
"I see." It was no wonder when they came down, there was only fog and no gales.
The three of them followed Shang Ruwan to Xiao Zilan's statue. After the several Foundation Building female disciples activated the mechanism, they excused themselves.
"Please." Shang Ruwan raised her hand then took the lead and entered the cave.
This Ziwei's Immortal's Cave was very different from before.
The walls were inlaid with moonstones, and the floor was spotless.
Under Shang Ruwan's lead, the three of them passed through the hall, walked through the stone path, and arrived at the hall where the Five Elements Platform was located.
Shang Ruwan made a hand seal, then a stone platform quietly moved over.
After the four of them got on it, the stone platform slowly and steadily flew towards the exit.
After leaving the Five Elements Platform, the passage of corpses and bones also disappeared. Under the illumination of the Mother Moonstone, the four of them smoothly arrived at the stone room where Wanderer Ziwei resided.
"Please wait a moment." Shang Ruwan took a few steps forward, clasped her hands, and closed her eyes. It was unclear what kind of spell she was casting.
A moment later, a tired voice rang out inside the stone room. "Disciple, why did you wake me up?"
Shang Ruwan said respectfully, "Master, the person you've been waiting for is here."
"The person I've been waiting for …" Wanderer Ziwei paused for a moment then suddenly said in shock, "You … Little girl, you've actually formed your Nascent Soul?!"
Mo Tiange smiled then took a step forward. "Senior, long time no see."
"Heh …" Wanderer Ziwei was somewhat speechless. He said with disappointment and frustration, "Sure enough, the new generation replaces the old. Disciple, how many years has it been?"
"Master, it's been 152 years since we entered the valley."
"152 years …" Wanderer Ziwei exclaimed. "Little girl, you're not 200 years old yet, right?"
"Yes, Junior is 189 years old now."
"189 …" Wanderer Ziwei murmured, "When did such a genius appear in the Celestial Pole …"
Mo Tiange wasn't complacent at all. She just said indifferently, "What's the use of being a genius under the Deification realm?"
"…" Wanderer Ziwei couldn't help but laugh. "Little girl, you're quite ambitious."
Mo Tiange smiled and said, "Junior still has more than a thousand years of lifespan left. If Junior doesn't want to advance to the Deification realm, that would be too lacking in ambition."
"Well said!
How can cultivators like us not have the ambition to advance to the Deification realm? "Wanderer Ziwei raised his voice." Disciple, you have to remember this. "
Shang Ruwan smiled bitterly. "Master, Disciple is 250 years old now, but I'm only in the middle stage of the Core Formation realm. I can't compare to Little Sister Ye."
"Hey, how can you be so unduly humble?
Although you started late, advancing to the Nascent Soul realm in a hundred years isn't a problem.
When I advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, I was 300 years old. If my luck wasn't bad, I would've advanced to the Deification realm already. "
Shang Ruwan knew her master's temperament, so she could only say, "Yes, Master. Disciple will work hard."
"That's more like it." Wanderer Ziwei was satisfied.
He paused for a moment then said, "Little girl, who are these two people to you?
Oh, one of them is a sword cultivator. "
Jing Xingzhi took a step forward then bowed. "Gujian Sect's Jing Xingzhi greets Senior."
The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
This guy … He said he didn't want to be bound by the sect anymore, but now, didn't he still consider himself a cultivator of Gujian Sect?
"You're a disciple of Gujian Sect?"
Wanderer Ziwei said happily, "Why didn't Yuanying mention there was a junior with such potential in Gujian Sect?"
Jing Xingzhi was silent for a moment then said, "I don't dare to deceive Senior. Junior left Gujian Sect a hundred years ago."
"Huh?" Wanderer Ziwei was dumbfounded then said angrily, "Hmph!
What did Yuanying do?
She actually expelled you from the sect?! "
Jing Xingzhi was startled. He hastily took out the small flying sword Venerable Swordsman Yuanying gave him and said, "Senior, Junior left Gujian Sect, which has nothing to do with Martial Uncle Yuanying. Martial Uncle also gave Junior the fated chance Senior promised. This is the keepsake."
"Oh?"
Wanderer Ziwei's divine sense circled the small flying sword then he said, "This is indeed my keepsake without a doubt.
Does that mean you plan to return to Gujian Sect? "
"Junior … doesn't plan to …"
"You don't plan to return to Gujian Sect?"
Wanderer Ziwei said, "My secret teachings won't be passed on to cultivators outside of Gujian Sect. If you don't return to Gujian Sect, it's useless even if you bring this keepsake."
"…" Jing Xingzhi lowered his head and said nothing.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Wanderer Ziwei said, "Think about it first. Tell me your decision later."
He then said to Mo Tiange, "Little girl, you … what's your name again?"
Mo Tiange was speechless for a while then answered, "Junior's Daoist name is Qingwei."
"There's still several decades to go. Why did you come back so early?
Do you expect me to lift your restriction out of a moment of kindness? "
Upon hearing Wanderer Ziwei's matter-of-fact words, Mo Tiange smiled. "Senior, don't tell me it never occurred to you that Junior completed the task you entrusted to me?"
"En?"
Wanderer Ziwei paused for a moment. Realizing what she said, he hurriedly said, "You … You said you completed …"
Mo Tiange muttered, "Not really. Junior couldn't find Senior Xiao Zilan's remains, but I found her soul lingering in the human world."