There was no sun in the sky. Only a hazy white light.
Daoist Kumu said that on this Tianmo Mountain, Spiritual Qi and Demonic Qi blotted out the sky and sun, so sunlight could not penetrate. This light was actually the radiance produced by the intertwining of Spiritual Qi and Demonic Qi.
Therefore, within Tianmo Mountain, there was no distinction between day and night. It was always like this, impossible to tell the time.
In the air, the astral winds grew increasingly fierce, and the residual restrictions grew stronger. On the ground, there were many more corpses. Most of their clothing had rotted away, but some that remained intact, upon closer inspection, were clearly spirit artifacts or magic tools.
These corpses had long lost their flesh, leaving behind only dry bones. The color of the bones was still very white, even with a hint of transparency, indicating they had not died long ago. Perhaps they were cultivators who had perished here during the last opening of Tianmo Mountain. There were no Qiankun Bags around them. Logically, something like a Qiankun Bag wouldn't rot even after thousands of years. It seemed they had long been taken by others.
Daoist Kumu stopped and looked around, asking Tong Tianyun, "Is this where we came last time?"
Mo Tiange looked around. There were scattered rocks everywhere, with some wild grass growing in between. It really didn't look any different from the previous scene.
Tong Tianyun probably felt the same. After looking for a while, he said, "Can't tell anymore."
So, everyone took out their maps, comparing them to find their location.
Daoist Kumu said that within Tianmo Mountain, astral winds would blow from time to time, so leaving markers was useless. They could only rely on memory to slowly find their way.
Mo Tiange glanced over. Qin Xi's expression was dark, his brow furrowed as he stared into the distance. Feeling uneasy, though unsure if Qin Xi would answer, she still asked softly, "Senior Brother Shoujing, what's wrong?"
Qin Xi didn't reply for a long moment. Only after a considerable time did he withdraw his gaze from the distance and say flatly, "This time, I fear the restrictions of Tianmo Mountain are unstable."
Mo Tiange was startled and looked toward where he had been gazing.
Qin Xi continued, "Look at the sky. If Spiritual Qi and Demonic Qi reached a balance, lightning wouldn't keep appearing."
Looking into the distance, at the horizon's edge, there was an extremely bright ball of white light flickering from time to time, looking just like lightning.
They weren't using secret speech at the moment, so the others heard them. Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun also looked up, their expressions growing increasingly grave.
After watching for a while, Daoist Kumu let out a breath. "Fellow Daoist Shoujing is right. Last time was already extremely dangerous for us. This time doesn't look simple either. If a major restriction becomes unstable and collapses, we might all be buried here."
Him speaking so seriously wiped the smiles off everyone else's faces. Even Jing Xingzhi shed his frivolous demeanor and said, "Can it be more dangerous than our last time?"
Tong Tianyun smiled. "Last time we retreated in time. But this time? It's hard for us to encounter another disappearance of Tianmo Mountain's restrictions. Surely you won't give up this opportunity either?"
Jing Xingzhi didn't speak, his face gloomy. He looked up at the distant lightning on the horizon, then let his gaze sweep over the group.
This glance was clearly first an assessment of their strength. So, the first he excluded was Mo Tiange. Then his gaze lightly passed over Madam Feng and Lei Dongqing, finally settling on Qin Xi, Daoist Kumu, and Tong Tianyun. He looked at Qin Xi first, but when his eyes swept past Mo Tiange beside him, he let out an almost inaudible sigh. Then he looked at the two Daoists, but finally shook his head, as if giving up.
Withdrawing his gaze, Jing Xingzhi turned his eyes and saw Mo Tiange staring intently at him. A flicker of surprise passed through them first, but he quickly revealed a smile and winked his peach-blossom eyes at her.
Mo Tiange ignored his flirtatious gesture and looked away.
Their group of seven was quite interesting. Jing Xingzhi's subtle actions just now were clearly him looking for a collaborator. Unfortunately, he ended up with nothing.
Mo Tiange's strength was insufficient. Madam Feng and Lei Dongqing were probably unsuitable due to personality clashes or something similar. And Qin Xi, with Mo Tiange in tow, was also excluded. But what surprised Mo Tiange was that Jing Xingzhi would exclude Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun. All things considered, those two had both strength and experience. By any calculation, they should have been the most suitable candidates. Why did Jing Xingzhi ultimately give up like that?
Though her worldly experience couldn't match Daoist Kumu and the others, Mo Tiange had spent her childhood constantly gauging people's hearts and had met many people. This conjecture of hers might not be entirely correct, but it was probably eighty or ninety percent accurate. Moreover, while Jing Xingzhi had some cunning, he wasn't so opaque that nothing could be discerned.
Setting aside Jing Xingzhi, both Madam Feng and Lei Dongqing had fallen silent since entering Tianmo Mountain. Though their time together was short, Mo Tiange also felt this was unusual. Could it be that their last experience was too terrifying? That wasn't impossible. From Qin Xi's meaning, last time they were fortunate to retreat early, otherwise they too would have been buried in Tianmo Mountain. Since the matter was grave, it was appropriate for them to be serious.
Finally, there were Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun. These two were strange. According to Qin Xi, they exchanged for a ten-thousand-year spirit herb, likely to trade for something with a certain Nascent Soul Cultivator, and the timing just happened to be before Tianmo Mountain opened. Hearing it this way, it was very likely preparation for this trip. Of course, this point was merely their speculation. How likely it was, Mo Tiange didn't dare be certain. The only thing she was sure of was that all five of these people were not simple.
When they met up with these people in Kunzhong City, Qin Xi had said something like this: these people's character was roughly trustworthy, though their personalities were a bit odd. Personality aside, 'character roughly trustworthy' meant that without the lure of significant benefits, these people were reliable companions. But if there were great benefits at stake, turning on each other was a very real possibility.
Thinking of this, she cautiously observed everyone again, carefully scrutinizing their expressions and movements.
During this time, they had already discussed their next move. Regardless of where they ultimately wanted to go, they still needed to reach the halfway point of Tianmo Mountain. The area above the halfway point was where Core Formation and Nascent Soul Cultivators went to seek treasures.
Matters like the route had been discussed long ago. Now that it was settled, the seven of them set off again.
Tianmo Mountain was extremely high, and the air was filled with restrictions and Spiritual Qi traps. In such an environment, flying was clearly impractical. Cultivators of any cultivation level advanced step by step with caution. And Tianmo Mountain was absurdly large, with scenery that held no reference value. Before long, they could no longer see the figures of other cultivators around them. Only at the edge of their Divine Sense could they faintly sense the Spiritual Qi fluctuations of other cultivators.
"Wait," Tong Tianyun suddenly said.
The group stopped and looked at him.
He closed his eyes, seemingly spreading his Divine Sense. Seeing this, Mo Tiange also concentrated and observed. Doing so, she frowned.
Qin Xi, noticing the change in her expression, asked quietly, "What is it?"
Mo Tiange didn't answer immediately, instead looking at Tong Tianyun who had opened his eyes.
Tong Tianyun said, "There's a very intense Spiritual Qi fluctuation nearby. I don't know if it's because of an exotic treasure appearing or a restriction rupturing."
Spiritual Qi was the foundation of cultivation and combat for cultivators. Both restrictions and exotic treasures were inseparable from Spiritual Qi. Restrictions were extremely dangerous; exotic treasures were the greatest purpose for their entry into Tianmo Mountain. Heaven and earth apart, it depended on their choice.
In an instant, everyone had made their choice. No one backed down. Since they had entered Tianmo Mountain, this was the greatest opportunity they sought. How could they be unwilling to take the risk?
Tong Tianyun wasn't surprised either. After discerning the direction, he said, "This way."
This time, they were no longer just walking. They flew close to the ground. Faced with such a matter, of course speed was paramount. If they walked slowly and let others seize the initiative, it wouldn't be worth it.
Having entered Tianmo Mountain, Mo Tiange no longer held back. Holding her white silk handkerchief, she flew through the air. The speed of her Cloud-Treading Boots was not the slightest bit slower than the others, which made Daoist Kumu look at her several times in surprise.
"Senior Brother Shoujing."
Qin Xi heard Mo Tiange's faint secret speech in his ear and replied quietly, "What is it? Did you discover something?"
Mo Tiange sounded uncertain. "The Spiritual Qi over there is very unstable. It seems there are many strands of it."
Qin Xi was taken aback, gave her an extra look, and nodded lightly. "I understand. Be more careful."
Although among them, Tong Tianyun's Divine Sense was the most powerful, Qin Xi was, after all, a Core Formation Perfection cultivator and wouldn't be much weaker than Tong Tianyun. He had also sensed the Spiritual Qi earlier, but he didn't have as clear a feeling as Mo Tiange. This was no longer just a matter of how powerful one's Divine Sense was, but a matter of fine control over Divine Sense.
The Soul Refining Art was indeed formidable. Though both were in the Core Formation stage, the difference in strength between early-stage and Perfection was immense. Yet Mo Tiange, having just formed her Core, surpassed him in the subtlety of her Divine Sense.
The group advanced at great speed when suddenly they heard a soft "hiss" and Madam Feng cried out.
The six others stopped and looked at her.
Madam Feng clutched her arm, which was already dripping with blood. Her face pale, she said, "Ran into a roaming restriction."
The others understood. Restrictions came in all sizes. Large ones were like the lightning on the horizon; small ones were like dust, hard to see. However, such small, roaming restrictions were extremely rare. Madam Feng was truly unlucky. Fortunately, it was only a minor injury.
Lei Dongqing took out a jade bottle from his robes and tossed it to her. "Endure it for a while. Time is short. We need to get there quickly."
Madam Feng nodded, opened the bottle, and patted the powdered substance onto her wound. She tossed the bottle back to Lei Dongqing, took out a pill and swallowed it herself, then pulled her clothes back into place. "Let's go."
Since this was an adventure, there was no distinction between men and women. The others had no heart for chivalry either and immediately continued on their way.
A distance of several hundred li was quickly covered. Seeing what lay on the ground, surprise flashed in everyone's eyes.
It was actually a ship. Not a small flying boat like the ones on Tong Tianyun's side, but an extravagantly decorated pleasure barge with carved railings and painted structures. This barge was already quite dilapidated, having lost its bright colors, but the overall structure remained intact. The turbulent Spiritual Qi was emanating from inside the ship.
The seven stopped before the ship. No one stepped forward.
They all knew what Tianmo Mountain was. This was a battlefield. How could there be a ship here?
After watching for a while, Daoist Kumu said with a frown, "Fellow Daoists, can any of you tell what this is?"