"This is..." Ling Yunfei stared at the chasm at the valley entrance in shock, turning to look at Ling Yunhe. "Second Brother, how do we get across?"
The chasm was extremely wide, occupying the entire narrow entrance to the valley, and appeared incredibly deep—gazing down, one could see nothing but bottomless darkness. Most importantly, black energy churned within it, and the corrupting Miasma was especially thick.
Mo Tiange looked up and saw that the valley entrance was flanked by sheer cliffs, with the rock walls at the top joining together, making the entire entrance look like an archway.
Flying across would indeed be quite difficult. Miasma had a significant impact on cultivators; the Miasma released when those mountain cat demons died earlier had already forced them to retreat. The concentration of Miasma within this chasm was at least ten times greater than before. If they forced their way across, they would likely expend too much spiritual energy, weakening their strength. And this was merely the valley entrance—the Carefree Fruit was still who knew where. Taking such a risk at this point was absolutely unwise.
Ling Yunhe said, "With the God-Restricting Bead nearby, it can restrain this Miasma. However, crossing this chasm will still require taking some risk. I wonder what you all think?"
Tian Zhiqian and Ling Yunfei remained silent. Yang Chengji snorted. "Fellow Daoist Ling, why bother asking? We're already here. What choice do we have but to agree?"
Hearing this, Ling Yunhe smiled. "My apologies for asking a meaningless question." He paused briefly before continuing, "I have a method, but it involves some risk."
"Second Brother, if you have a way, just say it. We need to find a way across," Ling Yunfei urged anxiously.
Ling Yunhe glanced at him but said nothing. Instead, he reached down and untied the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist. In an instant, a strange aura washed over them.
"This is..." The other five cultivators all changed expressions. From Ling Yunhe's Spirit Beast Bag flew a vulture with feathers so black they shone. Judging by its aura, it had already reached the Fifth-Rank. Its gaze was fierce, its claws sharp and pointed. A vulture spirit beast alone wasn't particularly remarkable, but this vulture was clearly no ordinary beast. Its body was suffused with a heavy, deathly aura—Death Qi.
"Fellow Daoists, this is a vulture I accidentally obtained in the Western Barbarian Lands. In the Western Barbarian Lands, whether mortal or cultivator, after death they practice sky burial—their corpses are devoured by vultures. This vulture likely mutated from consuming too many corpses. It's saturated with Death Qi yet remains alive..."
Death Qi. Mo Tiange had suffered greatly from this substance before. Decades ago, when she was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, she had accidentally traveled to the extreme north of the Tianji Region. There, she encountered Jiang Shanghang, who had saved her at the Cloud Mist Sect, and through him met a group of Zhengfa Sect cultivators. That Zhengfa Sect cultivator, Ren Yufeng, had obtained a Stone Stele from an ancient temple and cultivated a strange Death Qi from it, nearly causing Mo Tiange to perish at the Bixuan Pavilion by the coast.
That matter had many strange aspects. Death Qi should only exist on dead bodies. Logically, if a living person came into contact with Death Qi, death was almost inevitable. She and several cultivators from the Bixuan Pavilion had been contaminated with a trace of Death Qi and spent a long time purging it. She had never been able to figure it out. Later, she brought that Stone Stele back to the Xuanqing Sect. Dao Lord Jinghe found it strange and took it to study. She had forgotten to ask about it since.
Now, she saw another creature saturated with Death Qi—this vulture. Its situation differed from Ren Yufeng's. When Ren Yufeng was filled with Death Qi, he had almost become a skeleton, barely recognizable as human. But this vulture was alive and well, its feathers glossy and sleek, appearing robust and powerful.
"Regarding Miasma, I once sought guidance from a Nascent Soul senior of my sect. This energy can erode the physical body, slowly draining the vitality of living creatures. Death Qi is the same. Therefore, Death Qi can also be considered a type of Miasma."
"What Fellow Daoist Ling says is correct," Yang Chengji suddenly spoke up. "We demonic cultivators know more about these things than you do. Miasma isn't limited to Death Qi, but we do consider Death Qi one type of Miasma."
Hearing this, Tian Zhiqian asked doubtfully, "What does this have to do with our current situation? Brother Ling, are you planning to have your spirit beast fly across? But that wouldn't solve our problem."
Yang Chengji shot him a glance. "I suspect Fellow Daoist Ling intends for us to hide within the Death Qi to slip past, correct?"
Ling Yunhe nodded, smiling. "Exactly as Fellow Daoist Yang says."
"Second Brother, isn't that very dangerous?" Ling Yunfei looked at the vulture warily. "Being surrounded by Death Qi—what's the difference from being enveloped by Miasma?"
"The difference is, this is my spirit beast." Ling Yunhe stroked the vulture's head. When his hand reached out, the vulture showed no resistance. It even opened its beak and let out a cry, rubbing against his hand as if acting spoiled.
Mo Tiange noticed that the vulture's Death Qi seemed to pose no threat to Ling Yunhe at all. When his hand approached, the Death Qi automatically parted. Was it because he was the vulture's master?
"Everyone, rest assured. I can freely control this Death Qi, having it form a protective circle around us without harming us. As long as you all are careful, we can cross easily."
After Ling Yunhe finished speaking, no one present responded.
A mid-stage Core Formation cultivator possessing a Fifth-Rank spirit beast was a significant advantage. In combat, it would suppress opponents of the same cultivation level. And this spirit beast possessed unique Death Qi, making everyone deeply wary.
Only now did Mo Tiange realize that Ling Yunhe's boldness in inviting the three of them was because he had something to rely on. In terms of strength, she, Tian Can, and Yang Chengji were certainly stronger than Tian Zhiqian and Ling Yunfei. But with Tian Zhiqian's Formless Array assistance and this Death Qi spirit beast, Ling Yunhe's strength far exceeded expectations.
She sighed inwardly. This Ling Yunhe, renowned far and wide, was one of the genius disciples of the Jiuyan Sect, the number one major sect in Yunzhong. His status within the sect was likely no less extraordinary than Qin Xi's. How could a cultivator like him be weak?
What she could figure out, Tian Can and Yang Chengji naturally could as well. But what made them even more wary was the method Ling Yunhe was proposing now. The spirit beast belonged solely to Ling Yunhe. If they agreed and found themselves surrounded by Death Qi, their lives would then be at his mercy. Cultivators cherished their lives; how could they casually hand their fate to another? Whether it was Mo Tiange, Tian Can, or Yang Chengji, none of the three were willing.
Tian Zhiqian and Ling Yunfei remained silent. Tian Zhiqian's expression was hesitant. Ling Yunhe was his longtime friend, so there was a degree of trust, but this matter was extraordinary. He couldn't decide immediately.
As for Ling Yunfei, he still looked somewhat bewildered, glancing between Ling Yunhe and the others.
The six of them were at an impasse.
Ling Yunhe watched them, patiently waiting for an answer.
After a while, it was Tian Can who spoke. His voice was sharp, his tone far from pleasant. "Fellow Daoist Ling, why wasn't this mentioned before we set out? Were you waiting until we entered Carefree Valley and had no choice but to agree?"
Ling Yunhe remained calm and composed, answering frankly. "If I had mentioned it beforehand, would Fellow Daoist Tian Can have agreed to come?"
"Of course not!" Tian Can's tone was decisive. "If that were the case, no matter what conditions Fellow Daoist Ling proposed, I would not have agreed!"
"Then there you have it," Ling Yunhe said lightly. "I was indeed worried you wouldn't agree, which is why I didn't mention it beforehand. This matter is of great significance to me, and time was tight. If any of you had refused to come, this trip to Carefree Valley would likely have fallen through."
"Hmph!" Yang Chengji said coldly. "We can still turn against you now. Does Fellow Daoist Ling think you can force us to participate?"
Facing Yang Chengji's fierce attitude, Ling Yunhe sighed. "Fellow Daoist Yang is overthinking this. My actions may not be entirely honorable, but I have no intention of offending any of you. Fellow Daoist Qin aside, Fellow Daoist Yang, Fellow Daoist Tian Can—I've already paid the price of spirit treasures to invite your help. If I weren't sincere, why would I go to such lengths?"
"But what you're doing..."
"Everyone!" Ling Yunhe interrupted Yang Chengji. "The reason I did this is precisely so you would give it more consideration. If I had explained beforehand, you likely wouldn't have considered it and would have decided to withdraw immediately. With time so tight, it would have been difficult for me to find replacements. Now we are already in Carefree Valley. Turning back and leaving also presents certain difficulties. I ask you to consider this further. I have already paid the price. Is there any need for me to harm you all at this point?"
"..." Still, no one spoke.
What Ling Yunhe said wasn't without reason, but Mo Tiange and the other two still wore unpleasant expressions. Taking risks was one thing; being manipulated was another. They weren't afraid of the danger but were angered by the deception. The issue wasn't necessarily that Ling Yunhe was untrustworthy, but Core Formation cultivators had their own pride.
"Brother Ling, you..." Tian Zhiqian also sighed at this point. "If you had explained beforehand, with our years of friendship, how could I not agree? Why keep even me in the dark?"
Ling Yunhe was taken aback. He turned to look at Tian Zhiqian, apologetically saying, "Brother Tian, I didn't mean to hide it from you intentionally... I absolutely have no intention of harming you."
"I know that naturally..." Tian Zhiqian paused for a moment. "Regardless, I will follow you inside."
Ling Yunhe smiled. "I knew you would..."
"Second Brother, I don't need to say more," Ling Yunfei said. "I've always listened to you. Today is no different."
"Mm." Ling Yunhe nodded, then turned back to Mo Tiange and the other two. After some thought, he said, "Fellow Daoists, how about this? Time isn't too urgent right now. We can rest here at the valley entrance for half a day. You can use this time to consider carefully. If you agree to continue helping me enter the inner valley, aside from the previously agreed conditions, I will give each of you a bottle of Yuanning Pills right now as additional compensation. Even if you refuse, you may leave the valley on your own. I will not stop you, and I will not ask for the spirit treasures I already gave you."