"Zhong Shan, you've been practicing since early this morning?" Tian Ling'er called out as soon as she saw Zhong Shan wake up. With a leap, she jumped down from the hammock.
"Take out my bundle. Let's eat something," Zhong Shan said.
"Mm." Tian Ling'er nodded, then took out Zhong Shan's bundle.
From inside, Zhong Shan took out a small box and handed it to Tian Ling'er. As for himself, he took out the dried meat he had prepared earlier.
The small box contained Tian Ling'er's pastries—her favorite, Osmanthus Cake.
Tian Ling'er grabbed the Osmanthus Cake and happily ate it. After finishing, she even licked the crumbs from her fingertips with her little tongue, her face full of satisfaction. The last time they had been in the mountains, Zhong Shan had made some for himself to taste. Tian Ling'er had happened to try it, and once she did, she refused to stop eating.
"It's so delicious, Zhong Shan. Are all the mortals in the outside world as capable as you? You can make Osmanthus Cake and hammocks too?" Tian Ling'er asked while eating.
Looking at Tian Ling'er, Zhong Shan shook his head and smiled without answering.
"Right, let's test your sense of direction now. This is your first time coming out like this. Tell me, which direction is Kaiyang Sect?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at Tian Ling'er.
"That way." Tian Ling'er licked her index finger, then reluctantly pointed in one direction with the finger she had just licked.
After pointing, Tian Ling'er went back to grabbing Osmanthus Cake.
"Mm." Zhong Shan nodded. Tian Ling'er's sense of direction was indeed still quite good.
Zhong Shan ate quickly, wolfing down the meat and finishing breakfast in no time. Seeing Tian Ling'er still eating Osmanthus Cake, he swiftly packed everything and prepared to set out.
By the time Tian Ling'er finished eating, Zhong Shan had also finished packing.
"Let's go. We're hitting the road." Zhong Shan carried his saber on his shoulder and walked ahead.
"Mm." Tian Ling'er stepped onto Red Silk and flew into the air.
The two sped toward Zhong Shan's estate.
Along the way, they killed several monsters, and Zhong Shan collected all their Inner Cores.
On the thirteenth day, atop a mountain peak, the two killed a leopard monster. Zhong Shan once again dug out its Inner Core.
"Zhong Shan, these monsters' Inner Cores are useless. Other than those from high-level monsters, even if these Inner Cores were refined into pills, they wouldn't be as useful as some three-hundred-year-old medicinal herbs. Why are you still collecting them?" Tian Ling'er asked.
"Maybe they'll be useful in the future." Zhong Shan shook his head.
Although he did not know how to use such marvelous things, keeping them was better than having none. Perhaps they would come in handy someday.
After digging out the Inner Core and tidying up, Zhong Shan looked at the scenery around him.
We're back. We've reached that Baleful Qi region again. The Nether Spring is inside, and I obtained the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique there. The valley not far away is where I buried the Night-Luminescent Pearl. He glanced at Tian Ling'er but had no intention of taking it out. I'll deal with it later.
There were still another day or two of travel left. After that, they would completely enter his territory.
"Let's go. We're almost out of the mountains," Zhong Shan said.
"Really? We're about to enter the mortal world?" Tian Ling'er cried excitedly.
"Be careful. There are Frost Crows here. Last time, I nearly suffered because of them. Let's push through and get out of this region first." Zhong Shan nodded and solemnly warned her.
"Mm." Tian Ling'er nodded.
The two then sped through the mountains once more.
Zhong Shan descended and climbed the mountains at top speed. After all, he only had Wind Chasing Boots, so he could not fly straight across the valleys like Tian Ling'er.
"I'll fly over first. Hurry up!" Tian Ling'er said with a smile. She then rode Red Silk and flew horizontally across.
Zhong Shan hurried along. Just as he reached the foot of the mountain—
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
The two anguished cries of Frost Crows rang out. Zhong Shan swiftly raised his head, and his heart jolted when he saw what had happened. He knew things had gone bad.
On the mountain, Tian Ling'er was standing on Red Silk, while the other end of Red Silk had lashed out, flinging two Frost Crows from the sky.
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
More than a dozen Frost Crows flew in from all around Tian Ling'er on the mountain. Each Frost Crow spat out icy air and repeatedly charged at her. Tian Ling'er lashed out with Red Silk, sending two flying at a time, then lashed out again.
These Frost Crows were nothing before Tian Ling'er. She was having an exhilarating time fighting them, but Zhong Shan was drenched in cold sweat.
He had discovered that more and more Frost Crows were gathering around Tian Ling'er. As their numbers increased, so did their strength. One more powerful Frost Crow after another appeared.
Each stream of icy air was far stronger than before. Moreover, the Frost Crows in the sky seemed to be constantly summoning their companions.
Tian Ling'er, who had been enjoying herself, suddenly grew anxious. She could also see that the Frost Crows were multiplying. Gradually, it seemed she could no longer handle them. From the south, even more Frost Crows continued flying over.
"Come to me!" Zhong Shan shouted at Tian Ling'er as he shot toward her.
Tian Ling'er could fly, and the Frost Crows were even better at flying than she was. After killing so many Frost Crows, did they really intend to let her leave?
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
A vast number of Frost Crows rapidly charged toward Tian Ling'er. How could they let her leave? Icy air erupted without end, making even her descent down the mountain seem obstructed.
The Frost Crows were not very strong and could only spit icy air. A single stream could not injure Tian Ling'er, but there were simply too many of them—and their numbers kept growing.
Thus, even when Tian Ling'er tried to descend the mountain, she could not find a way through. She was surrounded on all sides, with vast streams of icy air surging toward her, as though the area around her had swiftly turned into a world blanketed in ice and snow.
Indeed, it had become a frozen wasteland around Tian Ling'er. Countless Frost Crows spat out icy air, freezing the path down the mountain solid.
"Why are there so many?" Tian Ling'er fought as she spoke, her voice carrying a hint of a sob. Clearly, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.
In her panic, Red Silk grew increasingly erratic in her hands. Vast waves of icy air swept toward her.
Gradually, countless Frost Crows surrounded Tian Ling'er, blocking her view of everything outside. All she could sense was Frost Crow—above, below, to the left, to the right, everywhere around her.
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
"Caw~~~~~~~~"
The Frost Crows spat icy air while shrieking chaotically. Their cries made Tian Ling'er's heart and mind whirl. At the same time, her entire body became covered in white Frost and Snow. More and more icy air poured onto her, and even her feet began to feel slightly numb. At that moment, Tian Ling'er suddenly felt as though she had been cast aside by the entire world—utterly helpless and utterly terrified. Her eyes reddened, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Roar~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
In the midst of her helplessness, Tian Ling'er suddenly heard Zhong Shan roar.
That roar was like a powerful stimulant, making her whole body tremble. Her earlier helplessness seemed to vanish in an instant. Tian Ling'er was overwhelmed with excitement. Zhong Shan—Zhong Shan came to save me.
At that moment, the tears pooled in her eyes finally spilled over. She turned her head toward the direction from which Zhong Shan's voice had come.
The space that had originally been sealed tight by the Frost Crows now had an opening forced through it by Zhong Shan.
A great saber carrying powerful Baleful Qi had slain three Frost Crows. Zhong Shan's eyes were bloodshot and webbed with red veins, while his body was also covered in Frost and Snow like Tian Ling'er's.
Zhong Shan had practiced the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique, making his skin and flesh much tougher. Only after activating the Heavenly Devil Body Tempering Great Technique had he barely managed to charge here. Even so, he looked as though he had been frozen to the point of being unable to endure it.
Seeing Tian Ling'er's eyes brimming with tears of excitement when she saw him, Zhong Shan felt a surge of relief in his heart. Although his body had been battered by the Frost Crows' icy air, it had all been worth it.
At this moment, several parts of Tian Ling'er's body had already gone numb from the cold.
Zhong Shan charged forward and swept Tian Ling'er up in a horizontal embrace, holding her and Red Silk together in his arms as he looked toward the immense amount of icy air surging at them.
The opening he had forced through moments earlier had already been filled by new Frost Crows. The predicament Tian Ling'er had faced alone had become one that the two of them now faced together.
PS: I'm in the middle of a ranking campaign. If you're enjoying this, please cast a recommendation vote to show your support.
Before you continue