After choosing a direction that looked easier to climb, the group began ascending Storm Mountain.
The first thousand-odd feet were manageable, with no particular dangers. It took them some time, but they climbed this stretch with little difficulty.
Once they passed a thousand feet, bone-chilling Netherwind began to appear, growing fiercer the higher they climbed.
Fortunately, Xiao Yu had prepared well. He and the three women all wore thick beast-hide clothing, which kept them warm.
In addition, Yuan Yao's Four Symbols Belt and Mei Ning's and Yanli's Wind-Repelling Pearls offered excellent protection from the wind.
The Wind-Repelling Pearls produced pale white barriers. As soon as the fierce yin winds touched them, they became weak and feeble, greatly reducing the chill.
Although the red-faced old man had joined them later, Xiao Yu had given him an extra Wind-Repelling Pearl he had prepared earlier. Together with the Flame Stones and other warming supplies the old man had brought himself, this kept him from having much trouble.
The higher they went, the colder it became. After climbing another thousand feet, they reached a region covered in glaciers. The mountainside abruptly grew steeper here, and all the rocks were encased in thick black ice, which reflected the originally faint light into a brighter glow.
At this point, the Netherwind gradually weakened, but wisps of gray mist began appearing out of nowhere.
"Be careful, fellow Daoists. This is Illusion Mist. The moment you touch it, you'll experience all manner of illusions and find yourselves unable to escape them. The last time I climbed this mountain with a friend, he died right here, and I was forced to turn back empty-handed," the red-faced old man warned when he saw the mist.
"Fellow Daoist Yun, this is a Brahma Bead. It can soothe the soul and steady