In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 108 The Path of Climbing

The forest, which looked unremarkable to the naked eye, became strange and dreamlike.

Wisps of eerie energy drifted through the woods, as if one had instantly fallen into a bizarre and fantastical otherworld. Thick fog drifted freely like a veil, yet it exuded an eerie aura, as if unseen hands were manipulating it at will, imbuing every inch of air with a mysterious aura.

The images projected by those trees were even more bizarre. The trunks were twisted and gnarled, as if they had been brutally kneaded by some evil force; the bark was rough and cracked, and a faint, eerie green light flickered from the cracks, like countless pairs of prying eyes. Some branches, like giant pythons, intertwined and clung to each other, appearing and disappearing in the mist, as if they might come to life at any moment.

The towering canopy resembled enormous black clouds, its crisscrossing branches seemingly concealing endless secrets. Occasionally, a few leaves, carrying a hint of eeriness, would drift down, not following a natural trajectory, but swirling and descending slowly to the ground in an unsettling arc.

What's even more chilling is that a low, faint roar occasionally comes from the depths of the forest, as if a monster hidden in the forest is howling in a low voice. It's not a sound that can be heard under normal sight and hearing; it's more like a roar coming from the depths of the soul.

This entire forest, no, this entire mountain range, is like a living thing, with every corner filled with a chilling, eerie aura that makes those who are in it unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, and want to be forever immersed in it.

"Xiao Xi!"

"Xiao Xi!"

Kuiwei Shouyu's voice seemed to come from afar, awakening Ning Xiaoxi's consciousness.

"Huh? Huh! What's wrong?"

Seeing that Ning Xiaoxi's gaze was no longer unfocused, Kuiwei Shouyu smiled with relief. "This is Longhou Mountain. A thousand years ago, a great demon once occupied it. Later, the great demon was killed, but the demonic energy left behind has also tainted the trees in this mountain. It can bewitch people's minds. Xiaoxi, don't be bewitched."

Ning Xiaoxi blinked. "Great Demon? Can you tell me about the Guardian?"

Kuiwei Shouyu looked at Ning Xiaoxi with some curiosity, "Master Tianji's library is the largest in the entire Celestial Master family. Has Xiaoxi never been inside to study?"

Ning Xiaoxi smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm not officially under Lord Tianji's command; it was only by chance that I gained his favor and care." Was she changing the subject? Was the great demon of Longhou Mountain really that peculiar?

Kuiwei Shouyu stared at Ning Xiaoxi for a moment, then smiled and said, "It seems that Xiaoxi does have some extraordinary qualities. Otherwise, given Lord Tianji's strict nature, he wouldn't accept subordinates so easily."

“Actually, I’m quite puzzled too.” Ning Xiaoxi raised her wrist. “The lord even gave me this bracelet back then. I’m just a lowly subordinate official, why would the lord specially give me a magical artifact?”

Kuiwei Shouyu's gaze swept over the bracelet, sensing a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy and the aura of a concealing array. "This is a magic artifact for concealing one's aura? I previously judged Xiaoxi to be only at the mid-level seventh stage, but it seems that wasn't accurate!" Even with his high-level strength, he couldn't see through the concealing array. It seems that Tianji values ​​this little girl quite a bit, gifting her a high-level magic artifact so readily and even making it in a style suitable for a little girl. He really put a lot of thought into it!

Ning Xiaoxi lowered her wrist. "Master Tianji also told me that it was a concealing magic artifact and that I was not allowed to take it off, so I'm not quite sure what my level is right now."

"Roar!" A deep roar echoed through the air, seemingly emanating from the depths of one's soul.

Ning Xiaoxi paused.

"what happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing." He looked up, then stopped, turning back to look at the way he came. "Have we passed the halfway point of the mountain?"

Kuiwei Shouyu came to Ning Xiaoxi's side, and together they looked down. He pointed to her and said, "That's where my sister lives."

Ning Xiaoxi looked in the direction pointed out by Kuiwei Shouyu, and sure enough, she could clearly see a cluster of tents with a black color scheme. The tents of various colors to the west were also clearly visible, but apart from the tall figures of the Kuafu tribe who could still be discerned as human, the other merchants looked like ants.

"It's so high up here!" she couldn't help but exclaim, wondering if she had misheard the roar from Kuiwei Shouyu.

"The view from the top of the mountain is even more beautiful."

Ning Xiaoxi quickly turned around and ran up the mountain, "Then let's hurry!"

Kuiwei Shouyu followed behind Ning Xiaoxi, looking at the petite figure with some confusion. Hadn't she heard the roar? She could clearly sense the strangeness of this forest, something Tianji hadn't sensed even on his first visit. How could she not hear the roar? Was she deliberately ignoring it?

"Roar!" This time it was a real roar, coming from deep in the forest, shaking the mountains and causing snow to fall softly.

Ning Xiaoxi suddenly stopped, and Kuiwei Guardian also stopped beside her.

"Guardian, did you hear that?"

"what?"

"It sounds like some kind of wild animal howling."

"Yes, although this mountain is near our territory, it is not unique to us; there are still some wild animals there."

Ning Xiaoxi nodded. "It's okay, it's just an ordinary wild animal. We're not afraid of it no matter how loudly it roars."

After a moment of stunned silence, Kuiwei Shouyu couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, we're not afraid of it."

The Spirit Crystal Heart slipped out from Ning Xiaoxi's feet, drifting away like a leaf in the direction of the flowing demonic energy.

Ning Xiaoxi silently continued walking up the mountain.

[Insightful Eyes! Unfathomable Mind!]

Demonic energy permeated the forest. After passing the halfway point, wisps of demonic energy began to slowly converge towards the summit, causing the flow of spiritual energy to stagnate. No more spiritual energy could be absorbed; the spiritual veins seemed frozen, and the body's agility was greatly reduced.

Ling Jingxin drifted along with the demonic aura, increasingly sensing a chilling presence. However, this aura wasn't at the mountaintop, but rather bypassed it, residing on the other side of the mountain. Ling Jingxin didn't return; she continued to follow the demonic aura.

In this icy region, even the fragrance of flowers is cold, and the scent of trees is faint.

Finally, the upward slope eased, and the density of the forest gradually thinned out. The path underfoot opened up, but strangely, it was no longer paved with ice and snow; instead, it revealed black earth—a truly deep black, a pure black without any other color mixed in.

At the edge of the blackness lies a white, icy lake.

The lake is not large, only about 100 meters in diameter, and is oval in shape. Its edges are frozen, but the center of the lake is still flowing water, with bubbles rising from time to time and making a gurgling sound.

The black soil ice lake has no trees around it.

"This is Lingqi Lake, which is home to Lingqi fish, a local specialty, which is very delicious."

Ning Xiaoxi's eyes lit up as she looked at Kuiwei Shouyu with a sparkling light. "It's not that I don't want to give you this, it's just that I can't catch it either. This lake is over a hundred meters deep, and the spirit qi fish only swims at the bottom. My swimming skills aren't good enough to dive that deep."

Ning Xiaoxi pouted, "I can't swim."

"Haha, so I won't tell you how delicious this fish is."

After bypassing Lingqi Lake and passing through a pine forest, Tianchi Lake finally came into view.