Ling Yunhe retrieved a jade bottle from his Qiankun Bag and, with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying into the air where it hovered.
"Brother Tian!" Ling Yunhe called out.
Tian Zhiqian immediately responded, "Understood." As he spoke, he pointed with his spiritual energy, causing the jade plate in his hand to spin rapidly.
At that moment, a wisp of light smoke rose from the jade bottle suspended in mid-air, instantly filling the surroundings with an invigorating fragrance that refreshed everyone's spirits and accelerated the circulation of spiritual energy within their bodies.
On Tian Zhiqian's jade plate, yin and yang flickered while the Five Elements flowed, speeding up from slow to fast, then slowing down again. Only after a long while did it gradually come to a stop.
Once the pointer on the jade plate had completely halted, Tian Zhiqian pointed with his right hand, releasing an invisible strand of spiritual energy. "Stop!" A steady force emanated outwards, and the surrounding Light of the Three Qi abruptly ceased its drifting.
Ling Yunhe immediately leaped up, a plain and unremarkable cloth bag appearing in his hand. He began swinging it left and right, collecting the light particles condensed from the Three Qi into the bag one by one, as if these rays of light were tangible, material beads.
With the repeated swings of the cloth bag, the Light of the Three Qi within the stone forest grew increasingly sparse, gradually clearing a path.
After a good while, Ling Yunhe finally stopped, wiping his face before addressing the group. "Fellow Daoist Qin, Fellow Daoist Tian Can, please activate your spiritual energy shields."
Mo Tiange and Tian Can nodded. With a surge of energy, they erected a layer of spiritual energy barrier around the six of them, blocking the remaining, uncleared Light of the Three Qi outside.
"Second Brother, are your injuries alright like this?" Ling Yunfei asked.
"It's fine, it's just spiritual energy depletion. Alright, let's not waste time. Let's go."
The six of them entered the passage. Upon reaching its end, Ling Yunhe handed the cloth bag to Ling Yunfei, who followed the same method to clear another path.
Although Ling Yunfei's cultivation was inferior, his mastery of techniques was not lacking. Moreover, the stone forest wasn't excessively deep, and it was soon cleared.
Just as the six were about to exit the stone forest, the jade bottle that had been hovering in mid-air suddenly swayed and began to fall.
"Brother Ling!" Tian Zhiqian, quick-eyed and swift-handed, immediately retreated and shouted.
Seeing this, Ling Yunhe's expression changed. He crossed his hands, forming an incredibly complex series of hand seals which he directed towards the jade bottle.
The jade bottle, halfway through its fall, was caught by Ling Yunhe's energy, halting its descent. Yet, it remained unstable, wobbling as if struggling between two opposing forces.
Ling Yunhe's face flushed red with strain. With great effort, he unleashed another set of hand seals. Finally, the jade bottle slowly stabilized.
The group breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to continue forward, when suddenly the previously cleared Light of the Three Qi flashed back into existence around them, weaving into a net that trapped the six of them at its center. Simultaneously, the fragrant aroma emanating from the jade bottle abruptly vanished.
"What's going on?" Yang Chengji asked, looking around. "It seems the energy suddenly became chaotic?"
The others felt it too. The moment Ling Yunhe's jade bottle had wavered, the previously stable Light of the Three Qi in the stone forest had instantly become disordered, appearing to follow no discernible pattern, chaotically crisscrossing.
This situation was somewhat similar to when they had first entered the outer valley, but here the Three Qi were even more intricately intertwined, making the circumstances more complex and bizarrely inexplicable.
"What should we do?" Ling Yunfei asked, clutching the cloth bag as he turned to Ling Yunhe.
Ling Yunhe's face paled slightly. He remained silent for a long moment. The fragrance from the jade bottle was a spirit-enhancing substance that could temporarily boost their strength while surrounded by the Light of the Three Qi. Under such conditions, Tian Zhiqian used his jade plate to stabilize the surrounding Yin-Yang and Five Elements, then used that cloth bag to clear away the Light of the Three Qi. This wouldn't trigger turbulence in the surrounding energy, adding further variables. But now, the potency of the Light of the Three Qi had exceeded his estimation. The jade bottle couldn't hold on. Without the bottle's assistance, Tian Zhiqian's abilities were insufficient to maintain the secret technique. The stable situation they had maintained instantly collapsed.
What to do? Mo Tiange's mind was also racing. Help Tian Zhiqian stabilize the surrounding Yin-Yang and Five Elements so he could perform the technique again? No, Tian Zhiqian's face was pale; clearly, his spiritual energy depletion from earlier was too great. Techniques to stabilize Yin-Yang and Five Elements weren't something ordinary Core Formation cultivators could use in the first place. Even if he wanted to use it now, he might not be able to.
Rely on spiritual energy shields to charge out? That wouldn't work either. This Light of the Three Qi was too bizarre; it definitely wasn't something a simple spiritual energy shield could withstand.
Before she could think of a solution, she suddenly saw Ling Yunhe retrieve the God-Restricting Bead from his robes. He tapped his glabella, forcing out a drop of essence blood, which he smeared onto the God-Restricting Bead. Instantly, the bead shone with a brilliant light and flew into the air.
The radiance of the God-Restricting Bead came into contact with the Light of the Three Qi. With a low hum, everyone felt their minds momentarily blur. The surrounding energy fluctuated violently, changing once more. The light of the God-Restricting Bead carried a powerful force, attempting to subdue the Light of the Three Qi. Unwilling to be suppressed, the Light of the Three Qi resisted with all its might. Both forces were immensely powerful, locking in a contest of strength.
Relatively speaking, the God-Restricting Bead's aura was stronger. Since this bead was a Ling family heirloom, rarely revealed to others, it naturally possessed its own unique qualities. Moreover, Ling Yunhe had just fed it his essence blood, making its presence even more astonishing.
However, although the Light of the Three Qi's aura was inferior, it was interconnected, supporting each other, while the God-Restricting Bead stood alone and unaided.
As time passed, the light of the God-Restricting Bead grew increasingly dim, while the Light of the Three Qi grew brighter.
"It's not working!" Ling Yunfei cried out. "Second Brother, this isn't working! The God-Restricting Bead's power isn't enough!"
How could Ling Yunhe not know? The God-Restricting Bead could restrain the chaotic spiritual energy around them, but it couldn't sort it out; it could only suppress. But suppression required a far greater imposing force. If it was insufficient, the only outcome could be... destruction.
Yet, he couldn't think of another method at the moment. He excelled in combat, but handling such chaotic situations wasn't his forte. He had specifically invited Tian Zhiqian on this journey for this very reason. But now, Tian Zhiqian was also powerless despite his willingness.
Watching the God-Restricting Bead's light grow ever dimmer, the others knew it could no longer be relied upon. None of them were the type to wait passively for death. In that instant, each displayed their own abilities.
Yang Chengji unfurled his Ghost-Face Banner, gathering demonic energy that converged into a line, encircling the six of them.
Without a word, Tian Can suddenly threw a fierce punch at the ground, shaking up countless dust particles that formed a swirling wind circle around the six.
Ling Yunfei tossed out a small flag. The flag grew with the wind, expanding to the size of a mat, holding back the pressure from above.
Then, another hum sounded. The light of the God-Restricting Bead suddenly extinguished, and it fell from the sky.
Ling Yunhe reached out and caught it, his face ashen. This God-Restricting Bead had been personally entrusted to him by a Nascent Soul ancestor of the Ling family, representing their trust and expectations in him. But now, the bead's light was extinguished, its power completely gone. Even if it wasn't completely ruined, its vitality was severely damaged.
That alone would be one thing. If he could successfully bring back the Carefree Fruit and seize the Sect Leader position, such a price might still be worth it. But now, they were still trapped within the encirclement of the Light of the Three Qi, their very lives not necessarily secure.
Before he could dwell on it further, after the God-Restricting Bead's extinguishment, the defensive measures of the other three met with a fierce impact. Fortunately, although the three looked strained, they all held firm.
Ling Yunfei struggled to hold on for a while before calling out with a pale, greenish face, "Second Brother, it's no good! We must find a way to stabilize the energy fluctuations, or else..." Or else, they would be like a lone boat on a stormy sea, torn to shreds by the waves.
Without a word, Ling Yunhe reached into his spirit beast bag. That fifth-rank exotic beast, the vulture, let out a piercing shriek as it rushed out. An aura of death permeated the air, blocking the foul energy crashing towards them.
Mo Tiange flicked her sleeve, tossing the Taiji Bagua Diagram into the air. A flash of spiritual light, and the scroll slowly unfurled.
As the Taiji Bagua Diagram unfolded, water-like ripples of spiritual energy shimmered around the scroll. These ripples slowly spread outward. Wherever they reached, the energy fluctuations gradually tended towards stability.
Seeing this, Ling Yunhe was overjoyed. "Fellow Daoist Qin!"
In terms of breaking restrictions, the God-Restricting Bead was superior to the Taiji Bagua Diagram. But the Taiji Bagua Diagram's true purpose was to sort spiritual energy and stabilize Yin-Yang and the Five Elements—this was something the God-Restricting Bead could never match.
After a while, the spiritual energy and demonic energy were both sorted out by the Taiji Bagua Diagram, leaving only the foul energy still drifting and wandering. However, as long as the spiritual energy fluctuations were stabilized, dealing with this wasn't difficult for the six of them.
Tian Zhiqian swallowed a handful of pills and once again spun his jade plate, rapidly setting up an invisible formation. Immediately after, Ling Yunhe threw out another defensive treasure, which together with the others' defensive treasures formed several layers of defense. Combined with the vulture's death aura, the situation finally stabilized.
By the time the six emerged from the stone forest, they all felt utterly exhausted. Ling Yunhe and Yang Chengji were injured. Ling Yunfei and Tian Zhiqian had cleared the Light of the Three Qi along the entire path. Mo Tiange and Tian Can had been continuously channeling energy to protect the group. Towards the end, all six had acted in unison, almost using their trump cards, resulting in severe spiritual energy depletion.
However, Mo Tiange was relatively at ease. She possessed the Chaos Origin within her, which naturally accelerated her spiritual energy circulation. Moreover, having the Taiji Bagua Diagram in her sleeve meant she was minimally affected by the interweaving of the Three Qi.
Once out, the six were utterly spent, almost disregarding their appearances as they slumped to the ground, breathing heavily.
After a while, Ling Yunfei caught his breath and looked back at the stone forest, his heart still trembling with fear. "It's a good thing the Carefree Fruit wasn't in there, or that would have been troublesome."
Ling Yunhe had already recovered somewhat and was currently sitting cross-legged, regulating his breathing. Hearing this, he shook his head. "If it were in there, it would actually be better. Although the Three Qi in this stone forest are troublesome, there's always a way to deal with them. When it comes to the Carefree Fruit, finding it has always been the troublesome part. Once found, it's easy."
"Second Brother!" Ling Yunfei said discontentedly. "We almost died in there! You make it sound so simple."
Ling Yunhe didn't mind, smiling slightly. "You... these fellow Daoists are no ordinary people. They wouldn't die so easily." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the others one by one, finally settling on Mo Tiange. "Fellow Daoist Qin, I must thank you again this time. Fortunately, you possess such a treasure."
Mo Tiange was resting against a tree. She was the most relaxed of the six, though her spiritual energy depletion was still significant. She had swallowed some high-grade Spirit-Replenishing Pills and was using several mid-grade spirit stones to replenish her energy.
Hearing Ling Yunhe's voice, she opened her eyes. "Even without this humble one's magical treasure, you fellow Daoists would likely have escaped safely. Fellow Daoist Ling is too polite."
"But having this item made things much easier for us," Ling Yunhe insisted, his gaze still fixed on her. Suddenly, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Qin, with such an astonishing spiritual treasure in your possession, what exactly is your background?"