The Corrosive Mist and the Golden Chains

From the moment combat began, Chi Qiu felt an immense pressure. The true qi she infused into her Azure Frost Sword was instantly corroded by the black mist upon contact with the desiccated corpse, rendering it utterly useless.

This black mist was exceptionally sinister, and Chi Qiu dared not let it touch her. Her Azure Frost Sword, merely three chi long, made close-quarters combat with the corpse impossible. Instead, she maneuvered her Blood Lotus to contend with it, while she herself periodically unleashed Flying Haze Sword Qi from the sidelines to disrupt the corpse’s attacks.

“Little Chi, try to bind it,” Su Hanxing suggested. He realized it would be difficult to defeat the corpse quickly, and observing its apparent lack of consciousness, he conceived of restraining it while they ascended the mountain.

Chi Qiu nodded in agreement. She then activated her divine ability, ‘Blooming Life’, causing several Night Ling Vines to sprout from the barren earth. The desiccated corpse, devoid of sentience, paid no mind to these vines, allowing Chi Qiu to easily control them and bind the creature.

Bound by the vines, the corpse twisted and struggled but could not break free. Gradually, it ceased its movements. Just as a faint smile touched Chi Qiu’s lips, she noticed the black mist emanating from the corpse began to thicken. Upon contact with the mist, the Night Ling Vines developed fine black spots that quickly spread, soon covering the entire length of the vines.

“Be careful, these vines won’t hold it for long,” Chi Qiu warned, her expression shifting slightly. Her Night Ling Vines were incredibly tough; even the strongest physical body would struggle to break free, yet they were being compromised by this insidious black mist.

“The desiccated corpse isn’t breaking free of the Night Ling Vines through brute force, but through the mist’s corrosion. I’ll try an artifact,” Su Hanxing declared, undeterred by the corpse’s imminent escape. With a casual flick of his right hand, a bundle of golden chains materialized.

Su Hanxing wasted no time. While the corpse was still entangled by the Night Ling Vines, he swung his arm. The chains soared through the air, landing squarely on the corpse before coiling around it like a spiritual serpent, pinning it in place. The black mist remained dense, and the Night Ling Vines, unable to withstand it any longer, crumbled into fine black dust that drifted away. Yet, the golden chains, though not a top-tier artifact, remained completely intact despite the mist’s corrosive assault. The corpse struggled once more, but it could not budge the chains in the slightest. After a few breaths, it stopped moving, collapsing to the ground as if the preceding struggle had never occurred.

“It worked! It seems this black mist only affects living beings, powerless against the inanimate,” Su Hanxing remarked, his expression finally relaxing upon seeing the corpse still. He walked over to Chi Qiu, patted her shoulder, and added, “It’s all thanks to Little Chi binding it first; otherwise, I wouldn’t have succeeded so easily.”

Chi Qiu nodded. “Since we’re exploring the Yinglong Tomb together, this is simply me doing my part. There’s no need to thank me.”

Su Hanxing nodded in return, then turned to the three members of the Qi family, who were still fending off other desiccated corpses. “Brother Qi—you can use binding artifacts to secure them in place.”

Upon hearing Su Hanxing’s tip, Qi Feng and his two companions, who were not far away, turned to look at him with a hint of gratitude. They then each retrieved their own binding artifacts, using them to restrain the two desiccated corpses.

“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Hanxing. Otherwise, dealing with these two corpses would have taken considerable effort.” After dispatching the two corpses, Qi Feng and his companions approached Su Hanxing, clasping their fists in gratitude.

“As allies, there’s no need for thanks. There are still many dormant corpses further away; we should leave this place quickly and not linger,” Su Hanxing urged, pointing toward the unmoving corpses in the distance.

“Brother Hanxing is right; let’s ascend the mountain quickly.” Qi Yun nodded, and after exchanging a glance with Qi Feng, he shot forward, scaling the colossal peak. Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing followed the three Qi family members up the giant peak.

The peak was littered with black, withered branches and decaying forests, while exposed bones of demonic beasts lay scattered across the dark, sloping terrain.

Chi Qiu surveyed her surroundings, noting the desolate patches of withered grass and dead flowers everywhere. As she journeyed, she observed several types of spiritual plants she recognized, many of them of considerable grade, yet without exception, all were withered and lifeless.

What could this colossal peak have endured to transform this place into such a purgatory? she wondered.

The group climbed in silence. After ascending approximately three thousand zhang, they finally reached the entrance of the massive cave. From below, they had only seen a huge pit halfway up the mountain, unable to gauge its true size. Now, standing at its entrance, they realized the cave was enormous, easily a thousand zhang across from their position to the opposite side. Looking down, they could only see an impenetrable darkness, seemingly without end.

“I’ll scout ahead,” Qi Yue offered, condensing true qi into her hands before wiping her eyes. Instantly, her eyes glowed a vibrant green.

Qi Yue stared intently into the depths of the cave. After a moment, she shook her head slightly. “The cave is filled with various strange energies that distort my vision. I can’t see clearly.”

“Let me try,” Chi Qiu volunteered.

Qi Yue nodded, stepping aside.

Chi Qiu silently activated her divine ability, ‘Blooming Life’. Countless indigo flower sprouts began to slowly emerge, rapidly extending along the cave walls downwards.

Chi Qiu’s Indigo Flower Sea had made significant progress since she successfully advanced to the Heart Scripture Realm. Her understanding of the ‘Blooming Life’ divine ability had also reached a new level, far surpassing her past capabilities. In her Spirit Nourishing Realm, she could cover over a hundred zhang of space; now, extending it several thousand zhang in a single direction was no longer an issue.

“Please wait for a moment, everyone. My flower sea needs some time to grow,” Chi Qiu cautioned, concerned they might be impatient.

“No matter. Please, Fellow Daoist Chi, take your time exploring,” Qi Feng and the others replied, not overly anxious.

“I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Chi to possess such a scouting technique. Yue’er has the strongest pupil technique among us, and I was already preparing to just charge down,” Qi Yun praised, a bright smile on his face as he noticed Chi Qiu’s relaxed demeanor.

“It’s a minor skill, nothing worth mentioning,” Chi Qiu said with a smile, offering no further explanation.

The Indigo Flower Sea continued to grow for about a quarter of an hour before Chi Qiu sensed a slight leveling of the cave’s slope. After another few dozen breaths, it finally touched the bottom of the cave.

Chi Qiu calculated mentally. The Indigo Flower Sea had likely extended over four thousand zhang. This meant the Yinglong Tomb was constructed a thousand zhang beneath the surface. Chi Qiu intended to push the Indigo Flower Sea further, but she found that the extent of her control had reached its limit, preventing any further advance.

“This cave descends about four thousand zhang to the bottom. There are no dangers along the way, though occasional black mist permeates the area, which needs to be carefully avoided. I’ve already mapped out a safe route.” Chi Qiu opened her eyes, informing everyone of her findings.

“What’s the situation at the bottom of the cave?” Qi Yue asked, her face showing surprise that Chi Qiu could explore so deeply, then quickly pressed for more details.

“Reaching the bottom was the extent of my ability; I truly couldn’t explore any further.” Chi Qiu shook her head. Her face was slightly pale, looking somewhat frail and pitiable, clearly having expended a considerable amount of energy.

“That’s more than enough! Thank you, Fellow Daoist Chi. Please take this spirit pill to recover your true qi quickly. We’ll descend to the bottom now and seize the initiative.” Qi Feng rejoiced upon hearing Chi Qiu had found a safe route. He produced a jade bottle and handed it to Chi Qiu.

Chi Qiu did not decline. She accepted the jade bottle, took out a spirit pill, and swallowed it. Although she carried some spirit pills herself, such items were always welcome, and she was happy to accept the gift.

“My indigo flowers are rooted to the ground, so I can only vaguely sense aerial threats. About a hundred zhang above the cave floor, there’s a swirling mass of golden light. I don’t know if it’s dangerous, so we need to be extra careful when we get there,” Chi Qiu added, her true qi partially recovered.

The group nodded, then followed the Indigo Flower Sea Chi Qiu had summoned, descending toward the cave floor.

“About fifteen zhang to the right, there’s black mist permeating the air. My indigo flowers die instantly upon contact, so I couldn’t explore that area.” The party gathered true qi in their feet, slowly descending along the steep rock face. Chi Qiu walked in the middle of the group, issuing timely warnings.

“Fellow Daoist Chi, these indigo flowers are truly remarkable; they can even take root on a rock wall,” Qi Yun exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder as he gazed at the indigo flowers swaying beneath their feet.

“The essence of this flower sea is formed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth combined with my true qi, so it can naturally take root anywhere,” Chi Qiu replied, taking another spirit pill and popping it into her mouth, her words slightly muffled.

“Sister Chi, after we pass this path, can you change the position of the Indigo Flower Sea to lead those who come after us into the black mist?” Qi Yue suddenly asked.

“Maintaining this flower sea consumes a lot of true qi. However, after I stop channeling my true qi, withered grass will remain in its place. If needed, I can use that withered grass to guide them. But anyone who can reach the Yinglong Tomb is surely an experienced cultivator. Such a small trick would hardly deceive anyone,” Chi Qiu responded, momentarily startled by the seemingly lively Qi Yue’s cunning thought.

“Even one person is a success! Sister Chi, please help me this once. If your true qi runs low, I have plenty of spirit pills,” Qi Yue said, moving closer to Chi Qiu and offering her another bottle of spirit pills.

Chi Qiu nodded, accepting the spirit pills, then began to manipulate the Indigo Flower Sea.

“Fellow Daoist Chi, please don’t be offended. Yue’er was originally supposed to enter the Imperial Clan’s forbidden ground for training, but her spot was taken by the eight great sects. My brother and I were luckier; we both entered the forbidden ground. Naturally, Yue’er harbors a strong resentment towards the disciples of the eight great sects,” Qi Yun explained, seeing Chi Qiu’s confusion.

Chi Qiu nodded. So, there was a personal grudge involved. No wonder Qi Yue had mentioned wanting to entrap more disciples from the eight great sects when the five of them had sworn their oath earlier.

The group followed Chi Qiu’s Indigo Flower Sea downwards. After about an hour, having safely navigated several areas shrouded in black mist, they finally reached a position about a hundred zhang above the cave floor. Within the pitch-black cavern, a golden vortex, several hundred zhang wide, slowly rotated in mid-air, emitting an aura of both nobility and destruction.

“This seems to be Yinglong divine power,” Qi Feng concluded after observing it for a long time.

“Is this the true Dragon’s Breath?” Chi Qiu inquired.

“No, absolutely not,” Qi Yun shook his head. “The demonic power of a divine beast that has passed through the heavenly tribulation will undergo a transformation. This is that transformed demonic power, which we generally refer to as divine power.”

A divine beast that has passed through the heavenly tribulation, Chi Qiu mused, her steps halting. How many heavenly tribulations did this Yinglong in the tomb pass, and why did it die?

“Let’s be careful not to disturb this divine power. If this vortex is agitated, its destructive force will surely be world-shattering,” Qi Feng cautioned in a low voice, his expression solemn.

The group nodded, tiptoeing past the area.

Swoosh—

Just as they were about to pass beyond the vortex’s range, an anomaly came from the cave ceiling. Several magical artifacts plummeted from above, striking squarely into the vortex.

“No good! Quickly, rush down into the cave bottom!” Su Hanxing cried out in alarm. Clearly, someone had already reached the cave entrance and was now testing the area by throwing artifacts inside.

The golden vortex churned, instantly expanding. Witnessing this, the five were struck with terror, immediately accelerating their movement techniques to their fastest speed, hurtling toward the cave bottom.

“Watch out—”

In the midst of the chaos, Qi Feng shouted loudly. Chi Qiu looked intently, only to see three smaller cave entrances at the very bottom of the main cavern. Her indigo flowers had only just reached this point and had not detected these three smaller entrances.

Chi Qiu’s footwork was inherently slower than the others. This momentary lapse allowed the golden vortex behind her to rapidly close in. By the time Chi Qiu once again executed her Seven Stars Step, attempting to enter a small cave entrance, a sharp pain erupted from her back.

“Little Chi—” Su Hanxing turned back, only to see Chi Qiu on the verge of being swallowed by the vortex. In that instant, his eyes burned with fury. He pushed his true qi to its absolute limit, and starlight erupted beneath his feet.

This time, Su Hanxing pushed his divine ability, ‘Starfall Step’, to an unprecedented extreme, with the Celestial Palace Constellation manifesting beneath his feet. The next moment, he appeared beside Chi Qiu, pulling her out of the golden vortex. Chi Qiu only saw a flash of starlight before she was enveloped in a warm embrace. At last, she let go of her fear, unable to withstand the intense pain from her back any longer, and succumbed to unconsciousness.