A tearing force assailed them, nearly ripping apart their protective aura barrier. The two of them struggled to maintain their balance, holding the force at bay, but their bodies plummeted downward like kites with severed strings.
The sensation of being out of control lasted for about half a quarter-hour. Finally, with a thunderous crash, the sword energy from the Three Yang True Fire Sword seemed to shatter something, and they crashed heavily to the ground.
The howling of the wind abruptly diminished. After a moment of adjustment, they dazedly picked themselves up.
"Are you alright?" Qin Xi asked.
Mo Tiange caught her breath and shook her head. "I'm fine." Her Five Elements body refinement and Heavenly Thunder tempering had made her meridians and physical body far superior to those of ordinary cultivators. She was just a bit dizzy from being out of control for so long. "What about you?"
Qin Xi shook his arm, recalling the Three Yang True Fire Sword. "I'm fine too." He had also undergone Vermilion Bird tempering; a minor impact like this was nothing.
Assured of their well-being, they looked around. They had fallen into a pit, surrounded by yellow rocks, with not a blade of grass in sight.
There was no Gang Wind here, only the faint whisper of wind in their ears.
They climbed out of the pit. They seemed to be in a canyon, its surroundings also composed of yellow stone, devoid of any life. The faint, distant howl of wind was barely audible. Above the canyon, the light was dim, the aura chaotic, with only a very narrow crack visible.
Following the sound of the wind, they discovered the vortex's center.
At the canyon's entrance, the Gang Wind had gathered into a vortex. It wasn't large, but its power was immense. As they drew near, the spiritual energy fluctuations stirred by the vortex felt like sharp blades cutting against their skin.
Qin Xi frowned slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, a strand of sword energy shot forth, stabbing toward the vortex.
The closer it got to the vortex, the harder the sword energy was to control. The moment it touched the vortex's center, it abruptly lost control. The sword energy was flung out by the vortex, crashing with a boom against a nearby yellow rock and shattering it to dust.
Seeing this, the two exchanged a glance, their expressions changing slightly.
This strand of sword energy had been separated from the Three Yang True Fire Sword, imbued with the Vermilion Bird's breath and connected to Qin Xi's mind. Yet it had lost control so easily. No wonder they had been pulled in so effortlessly. The power of this vortex was something even a Nascent Soul cultivator could not directly oppose.
"What should we do?" Mo Tiange asked after a moment's hesitation.
Qin Xi surveyed their surroundings. "Let's explore first and see what kind of place this is."
"Alright." Mo Tiange nodded. That was all they could do for now.
They followed the canyon deeper inside. Although there was no spiritual vein here, nor any strange creatures, due to the vortex's presence, they dared not use spells recklessly. They simply reinforced their bodies with protective spiritual energy and proceeded cautiously.
The canyon sloped upward, its path extremely complex. After walking for half a day, they realized this wasn't just a canyon, but a very deep cave—the crack above the canyon had vanished at some point.
As they moved farther from the vortex, the sound of wind gradually faded until it was gone. The world around them fell into silence, broken only by their own footsteps. The surrounding stone walls gradually shifted to a bluish-gray hue.
After walking for another half-day, they still saw no end in sight, and the scenery hadn't changed at all. Mo Tiange felt puzzled. "What kind of strange place is this? It feels like we've been walking in circles."
Qin Xi looked at the surroundings. "This cave is indeed excessively long." As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, releasing a stream of spiritual energy, intending to carve a mark on the cave wall.
A flash of red light touched the bluish-gray stone wall, but instead of the expected sound, there was only a faint sizzle. Then, the red light vanished, leaving nothing on the wall.
Qin Xi's face paled, and he stopped in his tracks.
Mo Tiange was also stunned. It took her a long moment to find her voice. "How can this be?"
After a pause, Qin Xi recovered. Without answering, he summoned the true form of the Three Yang True Fire Sword and thrust it at the stone wall.
The sword tip met no resistance, easily touching the wall. But that was all. The blade could not penetrate the wall in the slightest, and the Vermilion Bird Flames upon it vanished completely upon contact.
This stone wall could even devour Vermilion Bird Flames!
The two exchanged a glance, finding fear mirrored in each other's eyes.
For cultivators like them at the Nascent Soul stage, the most terrifying thing wasn't a powerful opponent, but possessing great abilities they couldn't use.
Mo Tiange extended her hand, gathering a ball of golden lightning in her palm. With a light flick, she hurled it at the stone wall.
Again, a faint sizzle. The golden lightning touched the wall and disappeared without a trace.
Vermilion Bird Flames and Heavenly Tribulation Lightning—these could be considered among the most powerful spells in the world. Yet, against this seemingly ordinary stone wall, they were utterly ineffective!
"What in the world is this thing..." Qin Xi murmured to himself. Though not old in years, he had traveled extensively since establishing his Foundation, gaining broad knowledge. But this thing, he had not only never seen before, he'd never even heard of it.
Mo Tiange's expression turned grave. She formed a hand seal, unleashing a series of spells in rapid succession.
Blades of light, sword shadows, dancing leaves, flying petals, rain of hatred, clouds of sorrow, Vermilion Bird Scorching the Heavens, Earth Collapsing into Quicksand... High-level Five Elements spells, plus wind, lightning, and ice exotic spells—she unleashed them all. Every single spell vanished without a trace upon touching the stone wall.
Mo Tiange stopped, staring blankly at the wall without a word. Possessing a Mixed Spiritual Root, she could use all Five Elements spells, including exotic ones. Yet, regardless of the element, none could harm this wall; they were all absorbed.
What was happening before her eyes reminded her of their journey to Yunzhong's Carefree Valley and the Three-Headed Giant Ape they had encountered there. That Three-Headed Giant Ape was also impervious to all spells and sharp weapons. But that was different from the current situation. That Three-Headed Giant Ape was a living creature, while this stone wall before them was inanimate!
After pondering for a moment, Mo Tiange opened her Spirit Beast Bag and released Feifei.
"What is it? I was sleeping!" Feifei tumbled out of the bag, somewhat displeased.
Ignoring its tone, Mo Tiange pointed at the stone wall. "Feifei, under what circumstances would Five Elements spells and exotic spells all be absorbed?"
"Huh?" Feifei extended a paw and scratched its head.
She continued, "Do you remember the giant ape from Carefree Valley? Its cultivation wasn't particularly high, yet it was completely unfazed by our attacks. Why exactly was that?"
Feifei blinked. "You mean that giant ape named Stone? It grew up in that strange place, cultivating in a very unique way. From a young age, it was exposed to spiritual energy, demonic energy, death energy, and foul energy, merging them into one. That's how it achieved that effect. If you're asking for the reason... I can't really say. There are plenty of strange things in this world."
"Then what about this?" Mo Tiange pointed. "Spells cast on this stone have no effect at all; they seem to be completely absorbed. Even sharp weapons can't pierce it."
"Absorbed?" Feifei's tone turned serious. It turned to look at the stone wall, reached out a paw to touch it, then cast a simple spell. Finally, it crouched motionless, as if deep in thought.
"Well?" Mo Tiange urged.
After a long while, Feifei spoke. "If this were a living creature, I really couldn't answer. I'd just say the world is full of wonders. But since it's inanimate, I have an idea."
"Out with it!"
Urged impatiently, Feifei shot her a sidelong glance and rolled its eyes. Then it extended a paw and, from who knows where, produced a teacup. "Look at this cup. If you strike the side of the cup, you'll shatter it, right?"
Mo Tiange nodded.
Feifei flipped its paw over. "But what if you strike from the mouth of the cup?"
"..."
Qin Xi frowned. "Are you saying this is a container?"
Feifei nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Since this thing can absorb Five Elements spells, it means it can store Five Elements power. The only difference is, when you put something in a cup, you put it in through the mouth. But with this thing, you can put it in from anywhere."
Hearing this, an idea formed in Mo Tiange's mind. "If we could refine this stone into a magical treasure..."
"It would probably be the best defensive tool," Feifei said nonchalantly. "But the problem is, how do you refine it? What kind of fire can melt it?"
Mo Tiange was taken aback, then said, "Since it can store Five Elements power, there must be a limit, right? Once it's full and can't absorb anymore, wouldn't it be possible to refine it then?"
"That's true in theory," Feifei said. "But you just said even sharp weapons can't pierce this thing. So how do you take it away?"
That was indeed a major problem. Mo Tiange hesitated, looking at Qin Xi.
Qin Xi thought for a long time, then shook his head. "I don't know either."
"Heh heh!" Seeing their expressions, Feifei chuckled slyly. "I have a way."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange glared at it. "If you have a way, why didn't you say so sooner?" Whose spirit beast was this, so lacking in initiative!
Feifei continued its sly chuckle, scratching the ground with a paw. "What's in it for me if I tell you?"
"..." After staring at it for a moment, Mo Tiange said, "Just say it straight. What do you want?" This fellow had probably already thought of its conditions.
Hearing this, Feifei immediately jumped up. "I want Blood-Eating Vines! Lots and lots of Blood-Eating Vines!"
Blood-Eating Vines were spiritual objects they had obtained in the space of the Guixu Sea. These spiritual objects fed on the flesh and blood of demon beasts and were also great supplements for demon beasts. Back then, they had harvested many. Upon returning, they had distributed them among their four spirit beasts. Little Fan had advanced a stage because of them, and the other two had also seen significant cultivation gains, on the verge of advancing themselves.
Hearing this request, Mo Tiange breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all? It's not like I'm going to eat these things myself if I don't give them to you. Hurry up and tell us! After you do, you can have as many as you want!"
"You said it!" Feifei emphasized once before saying, "Use Spirit-Tempering Water. Spirit-Tempering Water can wash away all impurities in the world. Once the impurities are gone, this stone will fall apart."
Mo Tiange was stunned, then suddenly enlightened. Why hadn't she thought of that? In artifact forging, the hardest part was separating impurities from the material, as they were often mixed together. Once impurities were removed, the material usually broke into smaller pieces.
"Alright, we'll try it first. If it works, you'll get a pile of Blood-Eating Vines." As she spoke, she opened the Spirit Beast Bag and grabbed Feifei.
Feifei squirmed and shouted, "I want them now..."
Mo Tiange tied the Spirit Beast Bag shut, and the voice disappeared.