After making it safely through the howling night, the group left the Mountain Cave and continued on their way.
No one let down their guard. As they watched for Demon Beasts, they also searched for Mu Ningxue, but found no trace of her.
Mo Xie did not lose heart. He kept looking for even the slightest clue.
Mu Bai trudged through the deepening snow. Looking at the mountain path stretching endlessly ahead, he said,
"The route's different from yesterday. We've barely seen any forks."
Mo Xie scanned their surroundings, unwilling to miss a single detail. "We're gaining altitude, and the snow line's visible in the distance. We're on the right path."
Mu Bai raised an eyebrow. "So this path ahead is the only way to the Glacier Layer?"
"More or less. Look over there."
Mu Bai followed the direction Mo Xie indicated and spotted a red flag planted on a rocky crag. Something was written on it in English.
"A flag with English on it?"
Mo Xie nodded. "That means someone got here before us. They're in much the same situation. At this point in the High Mountain Layer, the paths start to converge, so unless I'm mistaken... that won't be the only Mercenary Group ahead."
Jiang Shaojun looked up as well, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. "Looks like nobody wants to miss their last chance to enter the mountains this year. Tianshan's allure is so strong that even foreign Mercenary Groups have come."
The group pressed on. Sure enough, beyond the red flag with gold markings, quite a few Mage Groups had set up camp at the mountain pass above.
They climbed a broad slope, and a lake at a Tianshan mountain pass came into view. It was enormous, measuring more than four kilometers across.
It was