Chapter 394 : Eavesdropping
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue stayed in the guest quarters for several days, and aside from the group that initially tried to visit them, no one else came to disturb them. Even on the rare occasions when someone knocked on the courtyard gate, they merely delivered items and nothing more.
One had to admit that life in Harmony Sect was exceedingly luxurious. Even though Jiang Mo was well-provided for in Xuanqing Sect, setting aside various cultivation resources and speaking only of daily necessities, Xuanqing Sect fell far short of Harmony Sect—neither matching its extravagance nor its refinement... and this was merely a guest residence.
Jiang Mo lifted the teapot, pouring tea into the two cups before her. Misty vapor accompanied by the tea's fragrance swirled upward. Remarkably, this vapor didn't dissipate but instead condensed into a cloud hovering above the teacups.
Any tea connoisseur witnessing this would know this tea was extraordinary; the condensed vapor clearly served to prevent the spiritual energy in the tea from dispersing.
Jiang Mo hadn't been particularly fond of tea before her transmigration, and after arriving in this world, with various spirit liquids available as beverages and juicy spirit fruits to eat, she had even less reason to drink tea. But regardless of her tea knowledge, she could easily recognize that the tea leaves delivered to them were brimming with spiritual energy, producing tea with unusual properties. Thus, she enjoyed it without hesitation.
She lifted a teacup and took a small sip, immediately feeling her mind clear as threads of spiritual energy cleansed her internal organs. Even though cultivators had long since refined their bodies, at this moment she couldn't help but feel a lightness throughout her entire being.
What an excellent item!
Jiang Mo opened her eyes in delight, promptly pushing the other cup toward her companion: "Ah Yue, try this quickly. This tea is exceptional."
Yun Qingyue was evidently far more knowledgeable than Jiang Mo. With just a glance at the tea leaves in the cup, she said, "This is Clear Mind Tea. Besides being rich in spiritual energy, it has the added benefit of clearing one's spiritual platform and enhancing insight. You should experiment with it."
At Jiang Mo's level of cultivation, she naturally needed to comprehend the Dao. Although divine beasts faced minimal restrictions for ascension, with no recorded cases of tribulation failure, as the White Tiger in the inheritance space had mentioned, the ability to ascend didn't guarantee a good life in the upper realm. Ultimately, everything depended on strength, and comprehending the Dao was the best path to enhancing one's power.
In truth, if Jiang Mo hadn't occasionally obtained spirit crystals to help her comprehend the source, her cultivation progress wouldn't have been so smooth.
Now, hearing Senior Sister describe the tea's lofty effects, she was surprised: "Really? But why would such excellent tea be sent to guest quarters?" If they were being treated with respect due to her identity, there was no reason why no one had inquired after them for so many days.
Yun Qingyue didn't answer immediately, first lowering her head to sip the tea, then responding: "High-grade Clear Mind Tea—it's quite good. But the Dao is difficult to comprehend; unless it's supreme grade, Clear Mind Tea's value is greatly diminished." However, Clear Mind Tea itself was indeed precious. In Xuanqing Sect, for instance, it would only be served to visiting Sect Leaders; ordinary guests wouldn't receive such treatment.
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue shared a certain understanding. Though Yun Qingyue verbally downplayed its value, her expression revealed that this tea was indeed exceptional. Jiang Mo rubbed the teacup with her fingers, falling silent.
After a long moment, she finally uttered: "Unsolicited favors come with ulterior motives."
Of course, there was another point—they hadn't come as voluntary guests but had been framed and detained.
Yun Qingyue also felt they had stayed in Harmony Sect long enough. Mainly, having arrived and then being left aside gave an unpleasant feeling—they didn't know the other party's purpose, nor whether their situation was fortunate or perilous. This complete lack of control left them uneasy. Even with treasures provided for their enjoyment, this only made it harder to remain composed.
Fortunately, the items Harmony Sect sent had no issues. The Swan Goose drained her cup of tea in one gulp, then looked up at Jiang Mo and said: "We've been here for many days now. This can't continue. Let me go out and have a look around."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo was momentarily stunned, then remembered the Array-Breaking Pearl. With the System Mall's Array-Breaking Pearl, formations couldn't stop Senior Sister.
But this didn't reassure her, because the Swan Goose before her was still too small. She didn't know how much of Senior Sister's cultivation had been restored, but this was Harmony Sect's inner compound, a place that could casually dispatch several Fusion stage powerhouses to block her. What if Senior Sister encountered a Fusion stage elder while wandering around? What if she was captured? What if someone forcibly contracted her?
In short, for an immature Swan Goose with limited strength, venturing out alone was truly too dangerous. But the Array-Breaking Pearl only worked for one person. Unless she bought another one herself, she couldn't use it or follow along.
"Let's not do this. What if there's danger..." Jiang Mo frowned slightly, entirely disapproving.
But Yun Qingyue had already made up her mind and flapped her wings to take flight: "Don't worry, I know my limits. Nothing will happen."
With that, her wings flashed, transforming into a streak of white lightning that vanished beyond the courtyard wall in the blink of an eye. Jiang Mo couldn't even stop her in time. She only heard the parting words: "I'll be back soon."
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After her nirvana, Yun Qingyue's situation wasn't as good as Jiang Mo might have thought, nor as dire as she feared.
The disadvantage lay in external matters. The atavistic lightning tribulation that day had been extraordinarily powerful, especially the final annihilation lightning bolt that nearly scattered her soul. Her physical body had dissipated, and if she hadn't transformed into a Swan Goose with the Phoenix bloodline's ability to undergo nirvana rebirth, she would likely have perished completely, without even her divine soul remaining. Under such circumstances, all external items she carried had naturally been obliterated by the tribulation lightning.
Not just storage rings and the like, but also the Fuxue Sword she had refined into her spiritual sword, the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl that had greatly benefited her, and the Four Beast Seal she had contracted—all were destroyed in that calamity.
If even the System-produced Ice Soul Condensation Pearl was destroyed, the Array-Breaking Pearl couldn't possibly have survived; only the Ice Flame remained intact.
But with the bad came the good—where there is destruction, there is establishment. After the Swan Goose's nirvana, she had consumed countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Though her cultivation hadn't fully recovered to its peak, it had actually surpassed her pre-tribulation level. Furthermore, whether demonic beasts or divine beasts, their physical strength inherently surpassed humans. In this sense, though she appeared small now, her strength actually exceeded her former self considerably.
This was just one aspect, as increased cultivation alone wouldn't explain her ability to move freely through formation arrays. In fact, though the System-produced Array-Breaking Pearl had been destroyed, for some reason, she seemed to have inherited part of its abilities.
As it was now, though she could no longer ignore formation arrays completely, Harmony Sect's overlapping arrays appeared to her as lines, either chaotic or orderly. As long as she was careful enough, she could pass through the gaps between these lines, thus avoiding the arrays' effects. Moreover, by analyzing the patterns of these lines combined with her knowledge of formations, she could even easily break through them.
While not as convenient as possessing the Array-Breaking Pearl, it was still an extremely useful skill. It was for this reason that when they first arrived, Yun Qingyue had confidently told Jiang Mo she could calculate the formation's weaknesses, just lacking sufficient time for the calculations.
Of course, without considering other factors, going out alone was relatively simple.
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After flying beyond the courtyard wall, Yun Qingyue immediately dove into the formation lines, making several traversals before completely leaving the guest quarters' vicinity.
With her excellent memory, she had memorized the path upon arrival, making it incredibly easy to follow the original route out of Harmony Sect now. But she clearly couldn't leave like this—not only was Jiang Mo still in Harmony Sect, but she was also genuinely curious about Harmony Sect's purpose in detaining Jiang Mo.
Abandoning the option to leave, Yun Qingyue surveyed her surroundings and ultimately decided to head toward the center of the estate. Harmony Sect's inner compound layout was remarkably obvious; even as a newcomer, Yun Qingyue understood that those with higher cultivation and status resided closer to the center. The outer areas housed ordinary disciples who, even if interrogated, wouldn't reveal much. It would be better to investigate the center before making further plans.
Faced with increasingly numerous and complex formation arrays, others might struggle to approach, but for the supernaturally enhanced Yun Qingyue, there was no obstacle. She avoided human eyes, moved nimbly through the formations, and never triggered a single array.
After passing through layer upon layer of obstacles, Yun Qingyue drew increasingly close to the central location. But before she could locate the Harmony Sect elders' residences, she first spotted another figure wandering through Harmony Sect.
Yun Qingyue didn't recognize this person, but they wore a blood-red robe and exuded a thick aura of blood killing intent—unmistakably someone from Crimson Blood Sect. Looking at their cultivation, she found she couldn't quite see through it, suggesting their level exceeded hers. Her current cultivation approached late Spirit Division, so someone she couldn't see through must be at least early Fusion stage. But why would a Fusion stage cultivator from Crimson Blood Sect appear here?
A flash of insight crossed her mind, but before she could fully process it, she suddenly heard the Crimson Blood Sect expert shout harshly: "Who's lurking in the shadows spying on this seat? Show yourself immediately!"
Yun Qingyue was startled but instinctively didn't flee immediately. If discovered by elders from other demonic sects, she would certainly have made a swift exit. But Crimson Blood Sect was different—she had a mother who was their Sect Leader. Even if Yun Qingyue appeared cold and distant, deep down she acknowledged herself as half-affiliated with Crimson Blood Sect.
Of course, in her current form, they might not recognize her, but once she revealed her identity, they surely wouldn't harm her. Thinking this, Yun Qingyue became calm, figuring that if truly discovered, she could ask for clarification face-to-face.
However, she didn't get the chance, because as soon as the Crimson Blood Sect expert finished speaking, a sinister voice suddenly responded with a cold laugh: "Spying? You presumptuous child, how arrogant you are!"
As the words fell, a gaunt, tall figure suddenly appeared, soundless and ghostlike.
Yun Qingyue was startled—she hadn't sensed the person's presence at all, and it was unclear whom the Crimson Blood Sect expert had detected. But seeing the newcomer's characteristic skull-like face, his identity was obvious.
The Swan Goose, hidden in the shadows, silently retreated further, concealing herself within the formation, planning to eavesdrop for a while...