When enveloped by the Death Qi, everyone unconsciously released their auras.
Although they had all agreed to Ling Yunhe's proposal, as Core Formation cultivators, self-preservation had become an instinct. Even though, under these circumstances, their self-preservation methods were likely useless.
This period passed both quickly and slowly. Apart from Ling Yunhe, everyone else wore grave expressions, poised and ready. Mo Tiange had no doubt that at the slightest sign of trouble, they would immediately unleash their strongest killing moves against Ling Yunhe.
Fortunately, such a thing did not happen. When their feet touched solid ground, several people let out sighs of relief. Then, the Death Qi surrounding them gradually dispersed, vanishing without a trace.
Ling Yunhe stroked the vulture on his shoulder, took out a pill to feed it, and soothed it for a moment.
The vulture swallowed the pill, let out a satisfied cry, and settled motionless on his shoulder.
Mo Tiange exhaled softly and glanced at Ling Yunhe.
Ling Yunhe smiled back and declared loudly, "I, Ling, keep my word. Are you all convinced now?"
Just moments ago, everyone had been surrounded by Death Qi, and the vulture that produced it obeyed only Ling Yunhe's commands. It could be said that their lives had been entirely at his mercy.
Yang Chengji was the first to recover, snorting coldly. "On the return trip, I dare not gamble like this again." At present, Ling Yunhe hadn't yet obtained the Carefree Fruit and needed their help, making it highly unlikely he would act against them. But when it was time to return, not even Yang Chengji—nor Mo Tiange, who held the Favor-Repayment Token—would dare to take that gamble.
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange turned to look at the dark, gaping crack at the valley entrance, her expression grave. If they didn't use Ling Yunhe's method, crossing that fissure would consume a significant amount of Spiritual Qi, and they would also have to be wary of potential ambushes there...
After pondering for a long moment, she sighed inwardly. This journey was proving more dangerous than anticipated. While the Carefree Valley was indeed perilous, what mattered more was that none of these fellow travelers were easy to deal with, and their intentions were inscrutable.
"If, upon our return, you all still cannot trust me, you are of course free to act as you see fit," Ling Yunhe said calmly. "The moment I obtain the Carefree Fruit, I will leave the Inner Valley immediately."
After he finished speaking, Yang Chengji merely snorted again and turned away, ignoring him. Tian Can glanced at Mo Tiange but said nothing.
Ling Yunhe wasted no more words. He swept his gaze around their surroundings and said, "Everyone, this is the Inner Valley of Carefree Valley. It is even more dangerous than the Outer Valley. If we cannot unite as one, we may very well perish here. Therefore, I, Ling, hope that regardless of your personal objectives, until we exit this valley, it would be best for us to work together."
"Does Fellow Daoist Ling even need to say that?" Tian Can said coldly. "For the sake of our own lives, we'll have to obediently comply."
Hearing this, Ling Yunhe merely smiled faintly, not taking offense.
The party of six set off once more.
Mo Tiange looked around. The Inner Valley of Carefree Valley was much narrower than the Outer Valley, surrounded by steep cliffs and featuring complex terrain. The aura here was even more bizarre: at times, there was dense Spiritual Qi; at others, concentrated Demonic Qi; and at still others, pure Miasma. They weren't intermingled but existed separately, chaotically crisscrossing.
This caused the surrounding scenery to change with every step. In areas rich with Spiritual Qi, rare spirit flowers and herbs grew; where Demonic Qi gathered, demonic path materials flourished; and where Miasma settled, an aura of destruction filled the air.
For the six of them, this was actually a good thing. To avoid the Miasma, they simply needed to observe carefully. Moreover, along the way, they found many rare spiritual materials seldom seen outside.
After most of the day had passed, Ling Yunfei grew somewhat impatient. He turned to ask Ling Yunhe, "Second Brother, still no sense of it?"
Ling Yunhe shook his head, shooting him a slightly reproachful glance. "It hasn't been that long. Why are you so impatient?"
Ling Yunfei scratched his head. "I'm just anxious..."
Tian Zhiqian laughed. "Anxiety won't hurry things along. Yunfei, you still have much to learn from your Second Brother in this regard. We are cultivators; how can we succeed without patience?"
"I know," Ling Yunfei replied helplessly, then muttered somewhat unwillingly, "I know I can't compare to Second Brother, but you don't have to remind me every day..."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange smiled faintly. Ling Yunfei didn't seem much younger than Ling Yunhe in appearance, yet his temperament was far more childish.
As for Ling Yunhe, he of course heard it too. He cast a rather exasperated look at his brother but said nothing more. Mo Tiange thought to herself that he must dote on this brother deeply; it was precisely because he cared that he was so strict.
"Master, danger!" Feifei's voice suddenly rang in her mind.
Mo Tiange paused for a moment and glanced discreetly at her spirit beast pouch. "What is it? What do you sense?"
"A dangerous aura!" Feifei cried out. "It's coming!"
As soon as the words fell, the jade disc in Tian Zhiqian's hand began spinning wildly. Simultaneously, Mo Tiange felt a strange aura press in from the distance.
"Something's coming!" Ling Yunhe shouted. "Everyone, be careful!"
No sooner had he spoken than the thing was upon them. A chaotic aura assaulted their senses—Spiritual Qi, Demonic Qi, and Miasma all mixed together...
Mo Tiange looked up and saw a massive shadow flickering among the scattered rocks and giant trees. The shadow closed in rapidly, appearing before their eyes in mere moments.
"This..." Seeing the thing before them, the six were greatly startled, sucking in cold breaths.
The monster before them was brownish-black all over, with long arms and short legs. It resembled a human but was not one—clearly, it was an ape! But this ape was as tall as ten men, and it possessed three heads and six arms, looking like a freak.
"What is this thing?" Tian Zhiqian exclaimed involuntarily.
"A monster..." Ling Yunhe murmured, staring unblinkingly at the three-headed giant ape, his hand tightening around the Crescent Jade Blade.
With a twist of her hand, Mo Tiange already held the Heaven-Earth Fan in her palm. Calling this three-headed giant ape a monster wasn't because it had three heads and a strange appearance—the cultivation world was full of bizarre phenomena, and a three-headed giant ape was hardly unique. What made this thing unusual was the chaotic mix of auras surrounding its body: Spiritual Qi, Demonic Qi, and Miasma, all present together.
If a person had Spiritual Qi within them, they were an immortal cultivator; if filled with Demonic Qi, they were a demonic cultivator; even if they cultivated Death Qi or Miasma, they could only be called a heterodox cultivator. But if a single person had so many different auras mixed within them, they could only be called a monster. There was no cultivation technique in the entire cultivation world that could accommodate so many disparate auras.
The same applied to beasts. Ordinary demonic beasts, like immortal cultivators, absorbed Spiritual Qi. Demonic beasts from the demonic domain could absorb Demonic Qi. But under normal circumstances, there would absolutely not be a demonic beast that could absorb every type of energy and have them coexist within its body.
This defied the hidden rules of the cultivation world. It was definitely not a normal entity.
The first to react was Yang Chengji. His gaze turned cold as he unfurled the Ghost-Faced Banner in his hand, causing Demonic Qi to surge. He stared at the giant ape before him and said coldly, "What are you all waiting for? Strike first to gain the upper hand!" With that, the Ghost-Faced Banner spread out, and Demonic Qi rushed toward the giant ape.
The others snapped out of their stupor. Regardless of what bizarre thing this three-headed giant ape was, its hostility toward them was evident.
Ling Yunhe's Crescent Jade Blade also shot out swiftly, following behind the Ghost-Faced Banner as it lunged at the giant ape.
The giant ape did not dodge or evade. Its bell-like giant eyes blinked, as if still trying to figure out what was flying toward it.
However, what happened next caused the six to change expressions once more.
The Demonic Qi from the Ghost-Faced Banner and the Crescent Jade Blade arrived at the giant ape's location one after the other, then simply stopped. The giant ape blinked, extended one of its hands, and touched the Demonic Qi from the Ghost-Faced Banner. The Demonic Qi churned, seemingly trying to swallow its finger, but the next moment, that Demonic Qi slowly dissipated between its fingers.
Yang Chengji was greatly alarmed. He fiercely waved the Ghost-Faced Banner in his hand, trying to recall the Demonic Qi, but it had gone out of control. The Demonic Qi churned between him and the giant ape for a moment before slowly surging toward the ape and finally vanishing without a trace, as if it had never existed.
"Pfft!" Yang Chengji suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The dissipation of the Demonic Qi caused his face beneath the cloak to gradually become visible—it was that of a pale, gaunt youth.
Mo Tiange was somewhat surprised. Although Yang Chengji had never revealed his face, the glimpses of his sharp eyes and his smooth hands suggested he wasn't old. Still, she hadn't expected him to be such a frail-looking youth who bore no resemblance to a demonic cultivator.
Immediately after, the Crescent Jade Blade stopped the moment it touched the giant ape, causing the hearts of all six to leap into their throats. Yang Chengji's Ghost-Faced Banner had failed to attack the giant ape and instead caused a backlash. If Ling Yunhe's attack also proved ineffective, they would be in serious trouble. In that case, the attack methods of the others would likely be useless as well.
Unfortunately, what they hoped wouldn't happen ultimately did. The giant ape raised its hand and gave a light tap. The Crescent Jade Blade seemed to lose control, falling askew to the ground.
"Cough!" Ling Yunhe also spat out a mouthful of blood. Both his Crescent Jade Blade and Yang Chengji's Ghost-Faced Banner were their life-bound treasures. If a life-bound treasure was damaged, the backlash would affect the cultivator themselves.
Seeing this, the faces of the remaining four instantly turned ashen.
Neither Ling Yunhe nor Yang Chengji were weak among them, yet they had been subdued in a single move and suffered backlash. Facing this giant ape, what were they to do?
After knocking down Ling Yunhe's jade blade, the giant ape took a step forward, its eyes curious.
Tian Zhiqian gritted his teeth, formed a hand seal, and the jade disc in his hand began spinning wildly once more.
"Everyone!" he shouted. "Protect me while I set up the formation!"
As soon as he spoke, Ling Yunfei immediately stepped in front of him. Mo Tiange tapped the Heaven-Earth Fan in her hand and, together with Tian Can, darted forward.
"Fellow Daoist Qin Wei!" Tian Can gripped the claw spikes in his hand tightly. As he lunged toward the giant ape, he shouted, "You distract its attention. I'll look for an opportunity to finish it!"
Mo Tiange nodded. With a flick of the Heaven-Earth Fan, a crane's cry sounded as an immortal crane flew out from the fan's surface, swooping toward the giant ape.
The next moment, however, Mo Tiange's expression changed drastically. Before the immortal crane could even touch the giant ape, its form gradually grew faint and finally dissipated.
She had no time to think. Pressing down with the Heaven-Earth Fan, mountains and rivers surged forth, bearing down on the giant ape.
This time, no mishap occurred. Under the giant ape's bewildered gaze, layers of mountains and rivers materialized, trapping it within. The giant ape extended a hand and scratched one of its heads, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening.
In that instant, Tian Can let out a shout, gripped his claw spikes, and lunged at the giant ape.
No miracle occurred. The moment Tian Can's claw spikes touched the giant ape, one of its hands grasped them. It blinked, then gave a light wave of its hand, sending Tian Can flying.
Mo Tiange's face instantly paled. The fact that this giant ape could knock Tian Can away proved it hadn't been trapped by her Heaven-Earth Fan at all.
Just what was this thing? Spiritual Qi and Demonic Qi were useless against it. Even her Heaven-Earth Fan couldn't hold it. With its three heads and six arms, even a sneak attack was impossible.
"Both Fellow Daoists, fall back!"
Ling Yunhe's voice rang out from behind. Mo Tiange had no time to think. With a shake of the Heaven-Earth Fan, she momentarily obstructed the giant ape, then retreated back to the group's formation together with Tian Can.
In the brief time they had bought, Tian Zhiqian had finished setting up his formation. He nervously glanced at the jade disc in his hand, then looked up at the giant ape before them. "Fellow Daoists, you must think of something quickly. My formation can only hold it off for a short while!"