It was well over half a day later by the time the group finally crossed the gorge.
These Nascent Soul ghost cultivators weren't particularly strong individually, but they made up for it with sheer numbers. A dozen surrounding one person—even if you could fight them off, they'd wear you down to death.
Moreover, the pervasive Death Qi in the surroundings forced them to split their focus to resist its corrosion.
With great difficulty, everyone regrouped and charged through the gorge in one breath, then rested on the spot.
"Feifei, is there nothing else behind us?"
Feifei, while grooming the fur on Stone's head, answered, "Seems like... hmm, no more fighting. It's just a bit harder to walk."
Complex terrain? As long as there was no fighting, that was fine. None of them paid it much mind.
After resting for half a day, once everyone's spiritual energy had recovered, they set off again.
It wasn't long before they saw what Feifei meant by "a bit harder to walk."
It was a massive limestone cave, its ceiling lost to sight. They had entered the underground tunnels, twisting and turning deep into the earth. Judging by the scale of this cavern, it was as tall as a small mountain.
The problem with this cave wasn't its height, but the black water droplets that either dripped down or floated within it. These droplets contained an intense aura, similar to that underground river, but their corrosive intent far surpassed it.
"What is this stuff?" Mo Tiange asked.
Feifei spread his hands, indicating he didn't know. "Anyway, you can't touch it."
Qin Xi separated a wisp of sword light and directed it towards a cluster of black water. Instantly, a *hiss* sounded as the sword light and black water clashed. The black water dissipated, and the sword light wavered before stabilizing.
"So powerful?" Mo Tiange was startled. Qin Xi's sword light contained Vermilion Bird's Breath, its destructive, evil-suppressing nature the bane of ghosts and demons. Yet it had been corroded by this seemingly ordinary black water.
Ling Yunhe frowned. With a flick of his finger, a fragment of moonlight flew from his sleeve, simultaneously striking a floating black droplet. This time, there wasn't even a sound; the moonlight and the water droplet vanished simultaneously.
Jing Xingzhi, refusing to believe it, also drew his sword and slashed at a black droplet. The black water was indeed severed and disappeared, but a wisp of black energy remained on his blade.
Jing Xingzhi's life-bound sword had long been refined into his Sword Infant. But sword cultivators—they were all about style. From Nascent Soul Sword Venerables down to the newest little disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect, everyone liked to carry a sword on their back. Jing Xingzhi was no exception. The sword he carried on his back was the physical form of his Zhishui Sword. Now corroded by the black water, even his sword qi had become impure. Greatly regretting it, he hurriedly expelled the black energy.
Nie Wushang also tested it. Her black cloud lightly caught a falling black droplet, which then dripped off again.
"Huh? You're fine?" Mo Tiange was surprised.
Nie Wushang said, "Don't you remember? Back when we entered Wuyou Valley, I was also tainted by Death Qi. But later, it was devoured by Origin Demonic Qi. Perhaps because they share the same origin, Death Qi's corrosive effect on me isn't very strong." She called her black cloud back and pushed it towards Mo Tiange. "Look."
There were still marks on the black cloud, but compared to theirs, they were much fainter.
"What about Fellow Daoist Yang?" Mo Tiange turned to Yang Chengji. "You also cultivate the Origin Demon Great Art, so it must be the same for you?"
Yang Chengji also tested it. Sure enough, though not as much as Nie Wushang, the black water's corrosive power against him was also greatly reduced.
"Since you two can maintain your strength, guarding duties will fall to you," Qin Xi said.
Both Nie Wushang and Yang Chengji nodded in agreement. Currently, this stretch of path seemed potentially more dangerous than the ghost cultivator gorge. These black water droplets, drifting or dripping unpredictably, were hard to guard against. If an accident occurred, getting tainted would be easy.
"Let's go. We'll try it out," Feifei said, somewhat impatient after waiting so long. Stone also called out twice, then lifted Feifei down and cradled him in his palm, using his own body to block the surrounding black water as he stepped right in.
Mo Tiange shook her head and followed. The ground was covered in water stains, the air filled with chaotically flying droplets. This was far more than just "a bit harder to walk" as Feifei had said. This path required no fighting, but it was far more mentally taxing.
Mo Tiange activated her Primordial Unity Art and released her immortal garment, carefully making her way through.
These black waters followed no discernible pattern. Within this cavern, they seemed to act entirely as they pleased. Some dripped from the ceiling like ordinary water droplets; others gathered into puddles on the ground, expanding and shrinking as if with consciousness; some simply darted about the cave like mischievous children; others collided, merged, and separated in mid-air.
Being amidst them, Mo Tiange was almost awestruck. These droplets seemed almost alive—some joyful, some calm, some frenzied, some melancholic... forming their own world. If one looked too closely, it felt as if one might merge into their world, following their joys and sorrows...
A chill spread across her chest. Mo Tiange jolted awake and looked around. The others showed varying degrees of enthrallment; only Nie Wushang and Yang Chengji remained relatively clear-headed.
"Be careful!" she called out loudly. "There's something strange here."
Everyone immediately shook off their daze, as if waking from a dream.
Ling Yunhe was horrified. "What kind of demonic thing is this?" He had put away the God-Restricting Bead for fear it would be tainted and corroded by the black water. As a result, without the bead to suppress his spirit, these water droplets had found a weakness to exploit.
No one could answer that question. Feifei and Stone, who didn't need to worry about such things, had long since run off and disappeared.
The six humans and one beast gathered their focus, each unleashing their ultimate moves. They all understood: even if corroded by the black water, they must not let their minds be ensnared. Once they lost their senses, they would be handing over their lives.
Ling Yunhe summoned the God-Restricting Bead. "Come closer. The God-Restricting Bead has a mind-stabilizing effect."
Hearing this, the others moved closer to Ling Yunhe. The God-Restricting Bead floated in mid-air, under Ling Yunhe's control, its light blazing brightly, illuminating an area of several dozen zhang. With the bead suppressing their spirits, their minds cleared.
The six slowly advanced, having to guard against both mental enthrallment and black water corrosion. Their progress was agonizingly slow.
After they had traveled several dozen zhang, the water droplets behind them suddenly began merging with astonishing speed, gathering into a large pool of black water on the ground. The black water flowed along bizarre curves, sketching out a head, a torso, limbs... Once the humanoid form was complete, it suddenly struggled, broke free from the ground's restraints, and stood up.
This black man composed of black water seemed to be clad in tight, black skin. He had no hair, no facial features, no nails, no body hair—only pitch-black, fluid skin that seemed to flow like water.
He twisted his limbs, adjusted his orientation, and began walking towards the group ahead, moving soundlessly.
These people were cautious, but his speed was too fast. In the blink of an eye, he had launched an attack.
"Watch out!" Nie Wushang shouted, sending out a mass of black cloud to block the black man's strike.
Seeing this thing, the group collectively drew a sharp breath. They had only felt that these black waters seemed alive; they hadn't expected them to truly *have* life.
This "man" formed from black water emitted no aura pressure whatsoever, only the destructive, foul aura of the black water itself. If not for Nie Wushang, whose strength was less diminished, they might have been completely unaware of this attack.
Instantly, everyone summoned their Magical Treasures.
"You all fall back!" Nie Wushang shouted. "Let Fellow Daoist Yang and I handle this."
The corrosive effect of this black water on the others was too strong. If they got close, they'd inevitably get splashed with a few droplets, and their strength would drop accordingly—and this wasn't something that could be recovered from in a day or two of rest.
Mo Tiange and the others didn't hesitate for a second, retreating several steps. Yang Chengji also didn't hesitate. With a wave of his Ghost-Faced Banner, Origin Demonic Qi swiftly swept towards the black man.
"Let's go," Qin Xi said. "This place is disadvantageous for us. Staying here would only hold them back."
The four humans and one beast sped forward, sparing no effort in using their various methods. As long as they and their life-bound treasures weren't corroded, other Magical Treasures were expendable—better to lose treasures than people.
Meanwhile, the being transformed from black water, though possessing a sliver of intelligence, was far inferior to a human's. Swept repeatedly by Yang Chengji's Ghost-Faced Banner, it became flustered. Seeing this, Nie Wushang clenched her fist, gathered Origin Demonic Qi, and threw a punch.
She was originally a martial cultivator; this punch carried immense force. With one strike, the black man shattered in response, yet still transformed into countless black water droplets scattering in all directions.
She and Yang Chengji stood guard for a moment. The surrounding droplets continued to drift about. Suddenly, a humanoid figure coalesced behind her, standing up.
"Behind you!" Yang Chengji shouted, sweeping his Ghost-Faced Banner. A stream of Origin Demonic Qi shot towards the black man.
Nie Wushang turned and, with another punch, shattered it.
"This won't work. We can't kill it," Yang Chengji said, his brows tightly knit together. "Let's go."
Nie Wushang nodded and, without hesitation, followed behind him, sprinting forward.
They hadn't gone far before they saw Mo Tiange and the others who had gone ahead. They were surrounded by three or five "black men," the four humans and one beast fighting while retreating.
"Cover their retreat!" Yang Chengji said, sweeping his Ghost-Faced Banner repeatedly. One black man was quickly knocked down by him.
Nie Wushang nodded and shouted, "You go!"
The four humans and one beast didn't stand on ceremony. After dealing with two black men, they left the rest to them and hurried away.
Once they had disappeared from sight, Nie Wushang punched and shattered a black man, saying, "Thank you."
Yang Chengji's gaze flickered. "What for?"
"Thank you for being willing to trust them." Nie Wushang looked at him and smiled. "Originally, you could have gone ahead by yourself. We couldn't have said anything about it."
"..." Yang Chengji turned away while dealing with an enemy, his pale face looking somewhat unnatural, but his voice was cold and hard. "It's not just you who might have friends."
Nie Wushang was taken aback. The next moment, the corners of her mouth curved up, her voice carrying a hint of cheerfulness. "I spoke out of turn. My apologies."
The two said no more, dealt with the remaining black men, and went to catch up with their group.
When they caught up, it was the same scene: the group surrounded by several black men, and their numbers were increasing.
Everyone felt somewhat powerless, a sense of punching cotton. These black men shattered into droplets when struck, and the droplets could reform into men after a while. And they, despite their cultivation and treasures, couldn't fight at full strength for fear of corrosion. They could only keep running, with Nie Wushang and Yang Chengji covering the rear.
"Roar! Roar!" Sounds came from the distance. Stone's figure slowly approached. Seeing them fighting the black men, he seemed very surprised. Then he stepped forward, pushed and threw—one black man was flung by him into droplets. Push and throw again, and within a few breaths, the black men were cleared out.
The six humans and one beast were all momentarily stunned. This... this... A group of them, so-called genius Nascent Soul cultivators, plus a divine beast of noble bloodline, were actually inferior to a... not-yet-transformed demon beast?