Tracking

Wanxing Mountain Range, Fallen Immortal Lake.

A stubble-faced man with a sword strapped to his back stood by the lakeshore, glancing at the bank hundreds of meters away before turning his gaze toward the center of the lake.

The heart of the lake, which should have been rippling with clear blue waves, was now occupied by a pillar of ice that pierced the sky.

The pillar, standing a hundred feet tall, was as crystalline and translucent as glass, radiating an ancient, bone-chilling cold that seemed immutable. Under the cascading moonlight, the frost continued to spread, and the vast surface of the lake was now completely frozen over.

The stubble-faced man smacked his lips, seemingly bitten by the cold, and rubbed his arms while sighing with a hint of melancholy:

"Tsk tsk, it's a good thing I didn't chase after them alone. At this scale, by the time I reported back and returned, I reckon I would've already been frozen solid inside that giant ice block."

The two were the same man and woman who had appeared outside the Buddhist hall earlier.

The woman remained in her tight-fitting black robe with red trim, her exquisite figure curvaceous and well-defined. Her high ponytail swayed slightly behind her as she gazed at the massive ice pillar on the lake, her voice clear and crisp:

"It is Ran Qingmo of the Sword Sect."

The stubble-faced man narrowed his eyes, then suddenly stomped his foot. His figure vanished from the spot, and when he reappeared, he had already landed atop the massive ice pillar in the center of the lake.

Seeing this, the woman flashed after him. By the time she arrived, the stubble-faced man was half-crouched on the ice, gently stroking the surface of the crystals.

The woman scanned the surroundings, looking down from her vantage point.

The forest of hundred-meter-tall trees surrounding Fallen Immortal Lake had been razed over a vast area, a testament to the intensity of the battle that had taken place.

After a pause, the woman asked the man:

"Any discoveries?"

The man crouched on the ground, rubbing his stubble, and spoke with a hint of hesitation:

"The person who fought Ran Qingmo doesn't seem to be human."

"A demon?" The woman frowned, pondering for a moment before saying, "There aren't many shapeshifted Great Demons in this Wanxing Mountain Range capable of fighting Ran Qingmo to this extent."

The stubble-faced man smiled slightly, brought a palm-sized scale he had picked up to his nose to sniff it, then tossed it casually to the woman:

"It wasn't one of those old monsters; it was a female snake."

The woman lowered her eyes to look at it, frowning: "A female snake? Can you tell what kind?"

The stubble-faced man mused for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"The lingering Qi is somewhat like that of a Seven-Life Python, and judging by these methods and the residual source energy, this Seven-Life Python has likely already molted into its sixth life."

The man smacked his lips, his tone filled with wonder: "Tsk tsk. A Six-Turn Seven-Life Python. One more life and it could fully stabilize its human form. It's likely an important figure from the snake-demon clan of the Strange Demon Kingdom."

After a pause, the man stood up, a rare look of seriousness appearing on his face:

"She was frozen by Ran Qingmo's ice pillar and had to reveal her true form to escape. Looking at the situation, it seems Ran Qingmo wasn't trying to engage her in a head-on battle."

The woman's brow furrowed even deeper:

"Are you saying that the Third Young Master was captured by Ran Qingmo?"

The man did not answer immediately. After thinking for a long time, he shook his head:

"Not certain. At the very least, while at Fallen Immortal Lake, Ran Qingmo was trying to protect the Third Young Master. Notify the Eldest Young Master and the other search parties; tell them we have found the whereabouts of the Third Young Master."

A flicker of doubt crossed the woman's eyes: "But we are currently—"

"We've been tracking them the whole way, and the person who kidnapped the Third Young Master hasn't taken any detours."

The man waved his hand to interrupt, standing at the peak of the hundred-foot ice pillar, staring at the towering mountain range in the distance that looked like a beast capable of swallowing the sky:

"They are heading to Heaven Gate Mountain."

The wound on the White Tiger's back was gruesome and terrifying. Although it had already scabbed over, the crimson stain that had spread across the White Tiger's snow-white fur remained jarring.

Having just arrived in this world and not yet having come into contact with cultivation, Xu Yuan could not infer much information from the shape or depth of the wound.

However, the mere fact that the White Tiger was injured was enough.

Given that he had been unconscious, the fact that the two of them had managed to travel from their original location to this Heaven Gate Mountain in four days meant the White Tiger must have been carrying him the entire way.

And yet, this White Tiger, which served as his transport while he was unconscious, had been injured by an external attack even with Ran Qingmo accompanying them.

It seemed that during the four days he had been unconscious, more had happened than he had imagined.

As these thoughts flickered through his mind, Xu Yuan scanned his surroundings once more.

Flakes of snow drifted down from the sky amidst the bleak, cold wind. Beneath the thick accumulation of snow, the blood-stained bones of a beast were faintly visible.

This discovery caused Xu Yuan's heart to sink. He glanced at the Snow Wolf lying on the ground, its breathing as thin as a thread, and let out a soft sigh.

These blood-stained remains must have been the food the White Tiger had caught and eaten earlier. Given the size of those beast bones, they must have stayed in that spot for at least a day.

One day.

With pursuers on their heels, what reason could have forced Ran Qingmo to stop and rest?

Xu Yuan looked at the woman in black sitting cross-legged on the snow.

The moonlight caressed her veil, and her ink-colored robes moved with the wind, making her look like a beautiful sculpture.

A thousand thoughts raced through Xu Yuan's mind as he took a deep breath:

"You are injured."

His voice was soft and slow, instantly dissipating into the cold mountain wind.

After a moment of silence, Ran Qingmo remained with her eyes closed, regulating her breath, but she did not deny it:

"Mm."

"Is it heavy?"

"A little."

With his speculation confirmed, Xu Yuan raised a hand to rub his brow, glancing back at the boundless sea of forest below the mountain:

"And the other party?"

"Her injuries are lighter than mine."

"."

Xu Yuan fell silent.

He thought of the wound on the White Tiger's back; he must have been the one holding her back.

The cold wind whistled, and the stars filled the sky.

After a long while, Xu Yuan spoke again, his tone very earnest:

"My apologies."

"."

Ran Qingmo did not answer, merely saying with her eyes still closed and her tone indifferent:

"Since you are awake, go up the mountain with it. I will wait for her here."

As she spoke, she flicked her hand slightly, tossing a small object to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan caught it instinctively, and looking down, he saw that what Ran Qingmo had thrown him was a small ice-crystal sword, translucent and clear as crystal.

Xu Yuan asked instinctively:

"What is this?"

Ran Qingmo opened her eyes and glanced at the large White Tiger beside her:

"If it shows any signs of acting up, crush it."

A flash of realization crossed Xu Yuan's eyes.

He had been wondering why this White Tiger had become so obedient to Ran Qingmo in just four days; it turned out she had done something to its body.

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan said nothing more, gripped the ice-crystal sword, and climbed onto the White Tiger's back.

When he touched the blood-crusted wound on the White Tiger's back, Xu Yuan clearly felt the massive creature's body tremble.

Fortunately, aside from that, the White Tiger showed no further reaction.

Mounted on the White Tiger, Xu Yuan looked again at the black-clad woman sitting cross-legged nearby, paused for a moment, and said in a low voice:

"I will wait for you at the Hanging Cliff on the summit of Heaven Gate Mountain."

"."

After a moment of silence, Ran Qingmo's voice was as serene as when they first met:

"There is no need."

Xu Yuan stared at her, repeating slowly and steadily:

"I said, I will wait for you at the Hanging Cliff."

"."

Ran Qingmo blinked her beautiful eyes, her expression showing a hint of confusion.

She was trying to understand why this man insisted on waiting for her.

Xu Yuan did not explain, merely staring at her calmly.

If Ran Qingmo did not come, he would have no choice but to jump off the cliff.

With his original body's Luck stat of 3, let alone finding a cave dwelling, he would likely be impaled by a protruding rock halfway down during his freefall.

Unable to fathom his reasoning, Ran Qingmo shook her head slightly:

"I have left a trace of my aura on you; I can find you."

Xu Yuan made up an excuse, enunciating each word clearly:

"Cave dwellings can block aura."

Ran Qingmo fell silent.

After a long while, She slowly opened her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and looked up at the young master in brocade robes riding the White Tiger under the moonlight.

Silence, eye contact.

Finally, she nodded slightly, her red lips parting beneath the black veil:

"Very well."

Xu Yuan smiled faintly: "Come soon."

Without a sound, The White Tiger instantly transformed into a white blur, galloping toward the summit, leaving only that figure in black sitting motionless like ink upon the desolate snow.