The group's traveling speed depended entirely on the rise and fall of the mist tide.
When the mist tide rose, Jin Si could ride the dense moisture through the clouds, moving as easily as if he were swimming through water with a flick of his tail, his body light and swift. But once the mist tide receded, he lost that support and could only hover close to the ground. It was slow and exhausting, so he simply landed to rest.
Xiao Yu and Red Clothes naturally had no objections. Neither urged him on nor complained.
Along the way, they occasionally spotted the cave abodes and little courtyards of demonic beasts or cultivators, scattered here and there among the mountains or beside the water.
Some demonic beasts preferred solitude, instinctively guarding a patch of territory and retaining their old animal habits. They dug caves into cliffs, hid at the bottoms of lakes, nested high in trees, or simply flopped onto a patch of thick, soft grass.
More often, demonic beasts joined forces with yin souls to establish spirit halls like the Cloud Immortal Hall, building compounds or even small villages.
Human cultivators also liked to band together.
Masters and disciples traveled together, while fellow cultivators built neighboring cottages or shared a courtyard, looking after one another as they cultivated.
Cultivators put considerable thought into their cave abodes. Simple thatched huts, sturdy stone houses, carefully fashioned natural caves, exquisite pavilions of gray brick and dark tiles-each reflected its owner's temperament and the resources of their lineage, lending this wild spirit realm a few touches of human life.
The spirit realm was far from peaceful. Heretic cultivators and demonic beasts appeared without warning. For those without powerful cultivation or skill in combat, cultivating alone was fraught with danger; huddling together for warmth was