"It means nothing," Nie Wushang stood up, pulling on her gloves, her expression blank. "I am not like Fellow Daoist Mo. Apart from this brute strength, I have no other merits. As for how to get out, I will listen to you two fellow daoists."
"..." After a pause, Jing Xingzhi sheathed his sword and sat back down. "I actually have a method, but I don't know if you two fellow daoists are willing to try it."
The gazes of Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang immediately turned to him.
Jing Xingzhi said, "The method is simple to say, but it carries a certain risk."
Mo Tiange then said, "We are trapped here. We were just lucky earlier. If we encounter any more troublesome demon beasts, how much better off will we be? If Fellow Daoist Jing has a method, please speak frankly."
Nie Wushang also nodded expressionlessly, not objecting.
Jing Xingzhi smiled slightly, pointing upwards. "Since we cannot determine direction, why not fly upwards? This mist must have an end, right?"
Hearing this, both Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang were taken aback. Mo Tiange pondered for a moment and said, "But, Fellow Daoist Jing, there is Immortal Qi above the Ruins of All Immortals. We are not bodies of Immortals and simply cannot withstand this Immortal Qi. What if we encounter it?"
Jing Xingzhi said, "That is the risk I mentioned. This Immortal Qi should not exist in the mortal world. Therefore, Immortal Qi has a repelling effect on many things, and it must be the same for this mist. I dare say there is a gap between the mist and the Immortal Qi. If we are lucky, we can completely pass through this gap to get out."
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang both fell into contemplation.
The reason they had ruled out this method from the start was precisely because Immortal Qi existed above the Ruins of All Immortals. The powerful force within the Immortal Qi was quite terrifying for cultivators like them. Yet, what Jing Xingzhi said was not without reason. Trapped in this mist, who knew how long they could last? That swarm of Golden Thread Mice earlier were all below the fifth rank and were already so troublesome. What if they encountered demon beasts above the fifth rank? It might be better to try their luck; perhaps they could really get out.
"Alright," Mo Tiange made up her mind. "I think Fellow Daoist Jing's method is feasible."
Nie Wushang also nodded, her hoarse voice sounding. "Are the elders of you two fellow daoists' sects nearby?"
Mo Tiange and Jing Xingzhi exchanged a glance. Jing Xingzhi said, "Fellow Daoist Nie means communication talismans?"
"Correct," Nie Wushang's gaze shifted between the two of them. "Of course, you two can also refuse. It's possible my master arrives first, and then..."
Mo Tiange's eyes flickered, but she said nothing. For Nie Wushang to say this, it seemed she truly was Venerable Songfeng's disciple, and Venerable Songfeng had also come to Tianmo Mountain.
This was not good news. Although Venerable Songfeng's character was poor, his strength was unquestionably formidable, and he had old grudges with both Dao Lord Jinghe and Qin Xi. Leaving aside Dao Lord Jinghe, Qin Xi was within this very mist. If he were to run into Venerable Songfeng, his life would certainly be in jeopardy.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange glanced at Jing Xingzhi.
Jing Xingzhi seemed not to notice her meaningful look. After a brief consideration, he said, "That's not impossible. However, within this mist, communication talismans cannot be used. I don't know if it's possible above."
Hearing this, Nie Wushang nodded. "Fellow Daoist Jing's words make some sense. Forget it. Thousand-Mile Communication Talismans are not plentiful. Let's confirm we can get out first."
Mo Tiange breathed a sigh of relief. She was genuinely worried about Venerable Songfeng finding them.
The three of them decided to act immediately. First, they needed to find a suitable location to fly upwards. Although Core Formation cultivators could fly at high altitudes, the mist here was inexplicable, so it was better to be careful. Second, defensive magical treasures and talismans needed to be prepared for emergencies. Finally, the three of them were fellow sufferers, but they were not of one mind. They still had to guard against each other.
Mo Tiange dared not fully trust either of these two. Nie Wushang was Venerable Songfeng's disciple. Jing Xingzhi was profit-driven and ruthless. She could not place complete faith in either one. Unfortunately, among the three, her strength was the weakest, so she had to be extremely cautious.
After a while, the three finally found a place suitable for flying upwards.
This should also be a relic from the ancient era of Immortal-Demon battles. Neat mountain rocks had been cleanly severed, revealing the terrifying bluish-gray interior of the stone. After millions of years of weathering, the sharp edges were gone, but a strange appearance remained.
Jing Xingzhi flew up several dozen zhang, checked the situation, and came down saying, "Let's do it here. It seems normal."
Mo Tiange flew up herself to look. Finding nothing unusual, she nodded in agreement. Nie Wushang, however, seemed casual and hadn't examined it closely at all.
Then the three each meditated to rest and prepared their magical treasures and talismans.
Half a day later, Jing Xingzhi was the first to ask, "Are you two fellow daoists ready?" This man, if he intended to flirt, would call them 'young ladies.' Now that he addressed them as 'fellow daoists,' it was clear he had put such thoughts aside.
Both Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang nodded. Nie Wushang, being a martial cultivator, didn't have much to prepare. Mo Tiange, always cautious, had long since placed her items in the most convenient locations.
"Since that's the case, let's begin."
"Wait." Nie Wushang's voice sounded. "Are we all three going up together? Would leaving one person outside be more convenient for support?"
Hearing this, Jing Xingzhi smiled. "Among the three of us, who left below would be reassuring?"
"..." Nie Wushang and Mo Tiange had nothing to say. Indeed, the three of them distrusted each other. Leaving someone for support was simply unnecessary. If they truly encountered trouble above, they could only count themselves unlucky.
In silence, the three each summoned their flying magical treasures, activated their protective spiritual qi, and began to fly upwards.
The process was slow, similar to climbing the Myriad Ren Peak earlier, except now they were likely to encounter Immortal Qi rather than demonic qi. They similarly had to carefully avoid it or block it with their protective spiritual qi shields.
The three flew higher and higher, getting farther and farther from the ground. Mo Tiange looked down and, for some reason, felt a sense of unease.
She was now a Core Formation cultivator, and her perception of fate was much stronger than before. This was truly not a good omen. She glanced at Jing Xingzhi and found he also happened to look at her, similarly frowning. Her heart stirred. Just as she was about to send a secret message to ask, she suddenly felt a tight grip on her ankle, pulling her downwards.
Without time to think, her flying sword shot from her sleeve, slicing close to her ankle, while she looked down.
At this sight, she was greatly shocked. She had thought it was one of these two ambushing her, but she hadn't expected it to be a hand protruding from the cliff wall!
Having roamed the cultivation world for many years, this was the first time Mo Tiange encountered such a bizarre scene. She felt a chill run down her spine, so startled she almost sliced her own foot.
In that split second, Jing Xingzhi grabbed her hand, his flying sword slicing downwards. His flying sword was an ancient magical treasure that could be mentioned alongside Qin Xi's Three Yang True Fire Sword. With one slice, the rock hand was severed. After being cut, the stones seemed to instantly lose their vitality, falling down one after another.
Before Mo Tiange could catch her breath, Nie Wushang let out a soft cry over there, also entangled by a rock hand.
Immediately after, the cliff face they faced extended countless rock hands, grabbing towards them.
The three became entangled in battle with these rock hands.
Jing Xingzhi was fine; his flying sword was quite sharp, and these stones couldn't withstand a single slice from him. Nie Wushang had a slightly harder time. Her gloves had spikes. If it were other things, they wouldn't withstand a single punch from her, but these stones simply weren't afraid of spikes. She had to expend more strength than usual to shatter these stones. Mo Tiange was similar to Nie Wushang. She didn't have many offensive magical treasures to begin with. The water-attribute jade bottle and earth-attribute stone seal weren't suitable for the current situation. Her remaining flying sword wasn't comparable to Jing Xingzhi's, making slicing very strenuous.
Realizing that using her flying sword consumed spiritual qi quickly, Mo Tiange soon stopped. She released Xiaohuo from her spirit beast bag, letting it stand on her shoulder and use Sun True Fire to burn these rock hands, finally making things a bit easier.
After a bout of entanglement, the three finally escaped the clutches of the rock hands, flying a distance away before stopping, not daring to get close again.
The three looked at each other several times. Mo Tiange asked, "Fellow daoists, what exactly are these things?"
Nie Wushang, her face pale, shook her head. Although her strength wasn't weak, this strange rock was incredibly hard, precisely countering her. She was somewhat disheveled from the fight. "I've never encountered such a bizarre thing. How can stone be like a living creature?"
Jing Xingzhi waved a hand, sword light surrounding himself, before saying, "I don't know either. However, nothing strange is surprising in Tianmo Mountain."
That was true. The world was vast and full of wonders, let alone a place as bizarre as Tianmo Mountain? The environment here differed from the mortal world. Perhaps the rules of the mortal world simply didn't apply here.
The three fell silent for a moment. Finally, Nie Wushang said, "Forget it. Now is not the time to investigate this. Since we've flown here, let's continue."
Mo Tiange nodded in agreement. "I have no objections. What about Fellow Daoist Jing?"
"Mm," Jing Xingzhi responded. Comparatively, he was the most relaxed. Although he had been in a fight, he had almost no spiritual qi loss.
After the attack by the rock hands, the three became even more cautious. Flying at high altitude, filled with fierce winds, restrictions, and Immortal Qi, was not a safe matter.
They flew upwards a bit more. The cliff they had just climbed had reached its end. Mo Tiange glanced over and actually discovered the mountain top grew many pink, ball-like flowers and grasses that looked very familiar.
She looked for a while, then suddenly let out a sound of surprise, pointing at those pink ball flowers. "Fellow daoists, look. Are those Heavenly Fragrance Flowers that produce Heavenly Fragrance Beans?"
Nie Wushang only swept a glance, shifting her gaze away disinterestedly. "I am not proficient in spiritual herbs. I can't tell."
Jing Xingzhi gave her a somewhat strange look before nodding. "Probably. Heavenly Fragrance Grass is not very rare in Tianmo Mountain. I've heard people say it indeed looks very similar."
Hearing the confirmation, Mo Tiange hesitated for a moment but ultimately gave up. Forget it. After what just happened, she absolutely dared not take risks again. At most, she could buy some Heavenly Fragrance Beans after getting out.