Chapter 266: Traversing the Spirit Mist

Chapter 266: Traversing the Spirit Mist

"Fellow Daoist Chu, how did you find out about this?" Jia Yumin asked Chu Ning, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"I just witnessed it with my own eyes," Chu Ning replied without hiding the truth. He then proceeded to explain how he had observed the two Tianji Alliance members entering the white mist while hiding from their view.

Jia Yumin and Shi Xerong were slightly taken aback upon learning that Chu Ning had concealed himself from two mid-Golden Core cultivators. However, realizing that it must be related to Chu Ning's secret cultivation technique, they refrained from prying further.

On the other hand, Yuan Zhuo was already aware of Chu Ning's mysterious abilities, so he wasn't surprised at all.

The group's attention soon turned to the spatial rift within the white mist.

Jia Yumin's expression grew solemn. "I never expected there to be a spatial rift here. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be powerless against it, let alone Golden Core cultivators."

Yuan Zhuo nodded in agreement. "If it were an obvious spatial rift, there might be a chance for people to enter. But if it's a hidden one, the chances are slim to none."

Chu Ning furrowed his brows upon hearing this. "Brother Yuan, what do you mean by obvious and hidden spatial rifts?" As someone who had recently formed his Golden Core, he lacked knowledge about such phenomena.

Yuan Zhuo explained, "Most spatial rifts cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they can sometimes be detected by a cultivator's spiritual sense. We call these obvious spatial rifts. However, there are also hidden spatial rifts that even spiritual sense cannot detect unless one possesses certain special abilities or secret techniques."

Chu Ning finally understood, but he noticed that Jia Yumin and Shi Xerong didn't seem surprised by this information, indicating that they already had some knowledge about it.

At that moment, Yuan Zhuo continued, "Even for obvious spatial rifts, most of the time, they can only be sensed by spiritual sense when one is in close proximity. For a Golden Core cultivator, the range of detection is usually between ten and twenty zhang."

Chu Ning nodded in realization. "No wonder I didn't sense anything earlier when I scanned the area with my spiritual sense." His spiritual sense could now extend up to five thousand zhang, so he had easily covered this mountain peak in his scan, yet he hadn't detected any abnormalities within the white mist.

"It seems we should go up and investigate." Yuan Zhuo's gaze shifted towards the peak of the mountain.

Just then, Shi Xerong exclaimed, "Look!"

Following her gaze, Chu Ning and the others saw one of the Tianji Alliance members flying away from the group. It was the late-Golden Core cultivator who had arrived later.

Apparently, after learning about the spatial rift, this cultivator shared Yuan Zhuo's curiosity and wanted to take a closer look.

The group decided to hold off on any action and instead watched as the cultivator from Tianji Alliance approached the mist. Even the members of the Demon Path Alliance did the same.

The late-Golden Core cultivator from Tianji Alliance displayed great caution. Instead of rushing into the white mist, he flew around it, maintaining a distance of about a hundred zhang, as if searching for something. Finally, he chose a spot in the middle and entered the mist.

"It seems this is an obvious spatial rift," Yuan Zhuo remarked, his eyes narrowing slightly. He then turned to Jia Yumin and suggested, "Fellow Daoist Jia, let's observe for a while. If the others from Tianji Alliance and Demon Path Alliance also enter, we can follow suit. What do you think?"

Jia Yumin nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a prudent plan."

For the next while, the four of them chatted occasionally while keeping an eye on the movements of the other two factions.

Taking advantage of this moment, Chu Ning used his spiritual sense to communicate privately with Yuan Zhuo. "Brother Yuan, I accidentally saw Ao Langtian from the Daluo Sect walking with a late-Golden Core cultivator from the Black Cloud Sect. They seemed quite familiar with each other, but I don't know the reason behind it."

Although he didn't know the specifics of their collaboration, Chu Ning felt it was important to bring it to Yuan Zhuo's attention. After all, his fate was now intertwined with that of Jiuhua Zong and the Yunxiao Alliance—they would rise or fall together. If there was any plot against the alliance, they needed to be extra vigilant.

"Ao Langtian is with someone from Black Cloud Sect?" Yuan Zhuo was visibly shocked by this revelation.

Chu Ning nodded slightly and proceeded to describe the appearance of the elderly cultivator from Black Cloud Sect—a thin man with a stern visage.

Upon hearing the description, Yuan Zhuo immediately recognized the man. "That's Zou Qitang, one of the grand protectors of Black Cloud Sect. We should definitely inform Fellow Daoist Jia about this."

Chu Ning agreed. As the strongest sect within the Yunxiao Alliance, Guiyuan Zong (Returning Origin Sect) naturally took the lead in this expedition into the spirit realm. The leader of the alliance for this trip was He Feng, one of the two late-Golden Core cultivators from Guiyuan Zong. Although his cultivation was slightly weaker than that of Yu Changge and Jiang Cheng, he specialized in metal-attribute techniques and was renowned for his offensive prowess. Within the alliance, his reputation was just as high as that of the other two.

Jia Yumin was equally shocked to hear about the connection between Daluo Sect and Black Cloud Sect. She immediately asked for more details.

Chu Ning explained that he had only seen them from a distance and had immediately hidden himself using a secret technique, so he didn't know the specifics of their interaction.

Nevertheless, Jia Yumin's expression turned serious. "I will definitely report this to Brother He when I see him. The Demon Path Alliance is full of schemes and tricks. We must be extra cautious."

As they were talking, more cultivators from the three alliances arrived at the mountain. The group felt it inappropriate to continue the conversation, so they shifted their focus back to observing the others' movements.

Soon, there were over thirty cultivators gathered at the site, including seven or eight from Jiuhua Zong.

This time, the rest of the Tianji Alliance cultivators didn't hesitate and quickly followed the late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

On the other side, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Demon Path Alliance led his group and flew in the opposite direction.

Yuan Zhuo watched their movements and then glanced at the group of eight, including Chu Ning.

"It seems that the spatial rift here is indeed an obvious one. Let's go.

I'll use my spiritual sense to carefully probe, and you all must stay close.

But sometimes, these spatial rifts can change, so please also use your spiritual sense to be mindful of any changes." Yuan Zhuo finished speaking and took the lead, with Chu Ning and the others following suit.

Among the eight, there were subtly two groups.

Chu Ning, Shi Xerong, and their respective sect members flew in the front, while the remaining two sects formed the rear.

Among the rear group was also a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Yuan Zhuo and Jia Yumin flew side by side in the lead, with Chu Ning and Shi Xerong each following their sect members.

As they arrived at the white mist veiling the mountain peak, Chu Ning's earlier suspicions were confirmed.

"I didn't sense incorrectly earlier. This white mist is indeed formed by dense spiritual energy.

The concentration of spiritual energy here is quite astonishing, enough to obscure our vision." Chu Ning marveled, then quickly released his spiritual sense to probe the area ahead.

Suddenly, he felt a chill in his heart.

"Spatial rift!"

Within the range of his spiritual sense, about forty to fifty feet ahead, there was an invisible rift.

Like the gaping maw of a monstrous beast, it seemed to be waiting to devour anyone who ventured too close.

As soon as his spiritual sense touched it, it felt like it would be devoured.

Chu Ning had never encountered a spatial rift before, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Yuan Zhuo also sensed it and said in a low voice, "There's a spatial rift here. Let's go a little further and see if we can find another way."

Upon hearing Yuan Zhuo's words, only the late-stage Golden Core cultivator from the rear group showed a look of agreement. The rest, including Jia Yumin, looked puzzled.

Obviously, their spiritual senses were not strong enough for them to perceive the spatial rift from such a distance.

Without hesitation, Yuan Zhuo began to explore the outer perimeter of the white mist.

After flying west for about thirty feet, Yuan Zhuo finally led the group into the white mist.

Their vision was obscured, and their spiritual senses were hindered.

As soon as they entered the white mist, everyone felt a moment of disorientation.

Sensing the restlessness among the group, Yuan Zhuo quickly spoke up, "Everyone, don't panic. There are many spatial rifts in this area, and they are distributed very irregularly. We must all stay alert and pay attention to our surroundings."

As Yuan Zhuo spoke, Chu Ning also swept his spiritual sense around, and his face changed slightly.

Within a radius of twenty feet from their group, there were surprisingly three spatial rifts.

Moreover, the distance between the two rifts in front of them was only fourteen to fifteen feet, leaving only a narrow passage for them to navigate through.

Yuan Zhuo explained the situation to the group, and everyone immediately became more vigilant, carefully following Yuan Zhuo as he slowly flew forward.

Chu Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

"That short-haired man is really unlucky. His spirit bird must have flown out for several hundred feet, yet it didn't encounter any spatial rifts.

If the spirit bird doesn't return, he will surely realize the danger."

However, upon further reflection, he thought that the man had been too careless. If he had sent the spirit bird to fly further ahead, or even beyond this mountain range, there would have been a high chance of discovering something.

Although there were many spatial rifts in this area, with their slow flying speed and the help of the two late-stage Golden Core cultivators' spiritual senses, they were able to navigate through safely.

They proceeded with caution for about two hundred feet.

The spatial rifts became more and more frequent, and at one point, Yuan Zhuo even found a spot without any rifts.

However, just as they were about to pass through, a new spatial rift suddenly appeared, just ten feet away.

Even Yuan Zhuo was startled and quickly dodged to avoid it.

Realizing that these spatial rifts were unstable and could appear at any time, the group felt a sense of unease.

But they had already committed to this path, and turning back now would be too late. They had no choice but to continue forward with extra caution.

After traveling less than a hundred feet,

"Be careful!"

The late-stage Golden Core cultivator from the rear group suddenly shouted.

Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat.

"Ah!"

Immediately afterward, a blood-curdling cry pierced the air.

Chu Ning and the others turned back to see that a small spatial rift, less than seven feet long, had appeared where they had just passed.

One of the Golden Core cultivators from the Thousand Ingenious Pavilion, who was at the back of the group, failed to dodge in time and was swallowed by the rift.

For a moment, everyone's hearts sank.

Chu Ning remained silent, but his vigilance heightened.

"These spatial rifts appear so quickly. My spiritual sense had just detected it, and then it appeared immediately.

I barely had any time to react."

Yuan Zhuo sighed, "Let's go. Everyone, be extra careful and use your spiritual sense to detect any changes in the surroundings.

I can only sense the existing spatial rifts. If a new one suddenly appears, even I might not be able to warn you in time."

As he spoke, Yuan Zhuo glanced at Chu Ning.

Obviously, he was reminding Chu Ning to be careful as well.

Chu Ning nodded to indicate that he would be cautious.

It took a considerable amount of time to cover a distance of less than two to three hundred zhang.

And the white mist showed no signs of clearing.

"There seem to be more and more spatial rifts, and who knows how much further it is ahead," Chu Ning thought to himself.

The next moment, his spiritual sense suddenly detected something.

"There's a spatial rift!"

His heart skipped a beat, and Chu Ning flew sideways, pulling Shi Xerong along with him.

In the instant after the two of them moved away, the space where they had been standing before rippled and returned to normal.

However, the cultivators' spiritual senses clearly detected the presence of an enormous spatial rift there.

This rift was even larger than any of the ones they had encountered before.

At this moment, Chu Ning and Shi Xerong were separated from the rest of the group.

Seeing this, Yuan Zhuo and Jia Yumin's expressions changed drastically.

Shi Xerong recalled the close call she had just experienced and couldn't help but turn pale.

"Chu Ning, are you alright?" Yuan Zhuo dared not approach and could only shout from a distance.

"I'm fine!" Chu Ning replied, his eyes reflecting a newfound seriousness.

"But this spatial rift is too big. If we try to go around it, it might be difficult to reunite with the others."

The rest of the group realized the same thing.

With the appearance of this massive rift, the remaining seven people were forced to split into three smaller groups.

Yuan Zhuo and Jia Yumin were together, Chu Ning and Shi Xerong were a pair, and the remaining late-Golden Core cultivator was with the other two.

Yuan Zhuo furrowed his brows and suggested, "Let's try to maintain the same direction for now and see if we can bypass this rift and regroup later."

"That's our only option," Chu Ning agreed, nodding.

Jia Yumin spoke up, "Chu Ning, your spiritual sense is powerful. Please take extra care of Sister Shi."

During that close call, even Jia Yumin had failed to detect the appearance of the spatial rift.

But Chu Ning had managed to pull Shi Xerong to safety.

Jia Yumin couldn't help but suspect that Chu Ning's spiritual sense might be even stronger than hers.

Although she was surprised by the fact that a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator like Chu Ning possessed such powerful spiritual sense, she felt relieved that Shi Xerong was with him.

Hearing Jia Yumin's words, Chu Ning realized he was still holding Shi Xerong's hand, and he quickly let go.

Then, he turned to her and said, "I'll do my best."

As he spoke, Chu Ning secretly sighed to himself.

There were so many spatial rifts in this area that even with his powerful spiritual sense, it was challenging to keep track of them all.

Self-preservation was already a challenge, let alone ensuring Shi Xerong's safety as well.

The three groups began to fly in different directions.

Chu Ning unleashed his spiritual sense to its fullest, sensing the surroundings as he carefully led Shi Xerong forward.

After flying for just over twenty zhang, he detected another spatial rift and had to change direction again to avoid it.

"Chu Ning!" Shi Xerong suddenly called out to him.

Chu Ning turned to face her.

Shi Xerong's face reflected a moment of hesitation before she looked at him squarely and spoke.

"Can you hold my hand? I'm worried that another spatial rift might appear suddenly, and I won't be able to dodge in time."

As she spoke, Shi Xerong lifted her delicate hand and offered it to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning's gaze shifted from her exquisite face to her outstretched hand.

Without being overly sentimental, he took her hand in his and held her arm gently.

During the previous emergency, he had grabbed her impulsively without much thought.

Now, as he held her arm, he could feel the softness of her skin through her thin robe, and even his exceptional composure couldn't prevent a stir of emotions.

However, he quickly calmed his mind and carefully used his spiritual sense to scan for spatial rifts.

Shi Xerong, feeling his grip on her arm instead of her hand, also breathed a silent sigh of relief.

But when Chu Ning turned to continue forward, she couldn't help the flush that crept onto her exquisite face, though it soon faded.

Like Chu Ning, she also unleashed her spiritual sense to aid in their navigation.

After all, Shi Xerong was a Golden Core cultivator herself, and she knew that she couldn't rely entirely on others in such a dangerous situation.

Nevertheless, she felt reassured by Chu Ning's incredibly strong spiritual sense, which had allowed him to detect the previous rift in time.

The two of them proceeded slowly.

Initially, they intended to find Yuan Zhuo and the others, but as they navigated the area, they found themselves veering further away from their original goal.

The ubiquitous spatial rifts forced them to constantly change directions, leading them far astray from their intended path.

After flying for several thousand zhang, they had completely deviated from the direction of Yuan Zhuo's group.

The two of them could only rely on the density of the spiritual energy to determine their way forward.

Along the way, they encountered another sudden spatial rift similar to the previous one.

Thanks to Chu Ning's vigilance and the fact that he was holding Shi Xerong's arm, they managed to avoid it once more.

This further reinforced Shi Xerong's relief at her decision to stick with Chu Ning.

The pair constantly changed directions, and after what felt like traversing three to four thousand zhang, the white mist finally cleared, revealing a depression below them.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end