After entering the Thousand Demons Sea, the group followed the markings on the sea chart. Whenever their true essence was depleted too much, they would stop at islands along the way to recover. For two days straight, everything remained peaceful, and they encountered no danger.
Even with the chart to guide them, they dared not be the slightest bit careless. They moved with great caution, keeping their speed modest.
Traveling without major mishap, in the blink of an eye it was already their seventh day in the Thousand Demons Sea.
By now, they had entered the heart of the sea.
At times, from fleeting glimpses, they felt the auras of great demons growing increasingly terrifying. On edge and terrified, everyone dared not let their guard down for a moment, and impatience gradually began to set in.
The plump cultivator could only soothe them again and again.
"According to the chart, there is a reef ahead. Why don't we rest and adjust our breathing there before moving on?" the green-robed scholar suggested, comparing their surroundings with the chart. His proposal met with unanimous agreement.
In the Thousand Demons Sea, they dared not fly until exhaustion; if they happened upon demon beasts, they would face immense danger.
As they spoke, a black speck appeared on the surface of the sea ahead. Looking closely, it was a tiny outcrop of rock, barely large enough for a dozen people to sit and meditate. Finding even this in the boundless ocean was already rare.
After confirming that no demon beasts were lurking nearby, they flew down one after another. Keeping watch in turns, the others sat cross-legged on the ground, spirit stones in hand, focusing entirely on recovering.
Before long, everyone's true essence was restored to its peak. Just as they were about to set off again, the plump cultivator suddenly raised a hand and pointed in another direction. "We're going that way!"
The group was overjoyed. "Have we reached the cave dwelling?"
The plump cultivator nodded. "Thank you all for your hard work, fellow Daoists. The cave dwelling is on an island not far ahead. If we head over now, we should arrive in about two shichen."
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and lead the way!" the gaunt elder said excitedly, stomping his foot and shooting forward.
The others hurried to catch up.
...
This region was not marked on the sea chart and seemed not to be occupied by any great demons. The plump cultivator led them on an almost straight flight, and after two shichen, a dark line appeared ahead.
As they drew closer, the line grew clearer, gradually revealing the outline of an island.
Seeing the island unexpectedly, surprised looks appeared on everyone's faces.
The island was far larger than they had imagined, spanning at least several dozen li from north to south. An island this large was rare in the Thousand Demons Sea; in all these days, this was the only one they had encountered.
The island was overgrown with vegetation, verdant and full of life.
After confirming there were no traces of demon beasts, they picked up their pace. Just as they were about to arrive, the plump cultivator suddenly cried out, "Not good! Look there—the cold mist has spilled out! The restriction is on the verge of failing!"
Even without his warning, looking down from above, the others had already spotted the island's only anomaly.
Toward the south of the island's center was a rolling hill.
The hill was covered in lush green grass, yet at the center of the meadow, a blue mist hung in the air. Even from this distance, and under the blazing midday sun, they could already feel a faint chill radiating from it.
It seemed this was the cold mist the plump cultivator had spoken of. For some reason, it had seeped out of the cavern, resembling a sapphire embedded in the earth.
However, the scene surrounding the mist was far less pleasant to look upon.
Almost the entire meadow on the hill was now encased in ice. Blades of grass stood like sharp swords, gleaming white and unmistakably frozen to death. Even the ancient trees bordering the meadow had not been spared; laden with frost, they had turned into statues of ice.
Furthermore, under the influence of the cold mist, the chill was slowly spreading outward. It was easy to imagine that before long, the entire island would become a frozen wasteland, and all plants and living creatures would freeze to death.
No wonder they had not found any demon beasts around the island; they were likely frightened away by the aura of the cold mist.
"How could it be so fast?"
Looking crestfallen, the plump cultivator hurriedly flew toward the cold mist.
While the plump cultivator was inspecting the restriction, Qin Sang also flew over. Wrapping his hand in true essence, he tentatively reached into the cold mist.
Once inside, the cold mist showed no unusual reaction, but Qin Sang immediately felt a bone-piercing chill penetrate his true essence and seep into his hand. Almost instantly, he felt his hand losing sensation, going numb from the cold.
Only then did Qin Sang realize that the cold mist was quietly trying to invade his body.
Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly circulated his cultivation method to expel the cold mist, inwardly brooding over the true essence consumed in that brief instant.
This cold mist was peculiar. In terms of pure coldness, it was not as formidable as the Mystic Frost Baleful Wind, but the Mystic Frost Baleful Wind could be kept at bay by erecting true essence, and warm, yang items could be used to disperse the chill inside the body. With this cold mist, that would not work.
The corrosion of the cold mist was pervasive, finding every crack; external items were of little use and could not block it. It seemed that after entering the cavern, one would need to run their cultivation method constantly to resist the cold mist.
Thinking of this, Qin Sang followed the plump cultivator inside. After just a few paces, he saw a cavern opening about a zhang across, shaped like a pool of water. The cavern was deep and dark, its entrance sealed by a strange restriction, from which cold mist was slowly billowing outward.
The others were testing it as well, coming to similar realizations with varying expressions.
The plump cultivator walked up to the cavern opening, inspected it for a while, and let out a long breath. He signaled for everyone to step back out first, then said with immense relief:
"Fortunately! Fortunately, we arrived in time. The restriction is still intact. It's just that due to my earlier recklessness, a crack formed in it, allowing part of the cold mist to escape. For now, there is no need to worry about the restriction being destroyed.
"However, if we wait any longer and too much cold mist escapes, the strange phenomenon on the island will alert nearby great demons sooner or later, and our only option then would be to flee in disgrace.
"Fellow Daoists, time is of the essence. Shall we go in now?"
The green-robed scholar flew atop an icy tree and looked around. "Fellow Daoist Fan, we've only just arrived; wouldn't it be ill-advised to barge right into the cavern? Who knows if there are great demons lurking nearby? If we go in and those great demons lie in wait outside to surround the island, we won't have any way to escape."
With that, the green-robed scholar narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the plump cultivator.
Hearing his words, the others immediately caught the deeper meaning behind them.
Qin Sang nodded to himself. Entering the cavern would severely deplete their true essence, so before going inside, they had to eliminate the risks in the surrounding area first.
"Fellow Daoist Lan has a point," the gaunt elder agreed with a nod.
The plump cultivator's face stiffened somewhat, but under everyone's watchful eyes, he could only compromise. "In Fellow Daoist Lan's view, what should we do to ensure nothing goes wrong?"
The green-robed scholar smiled. "It's simple. We just need to conceal our auras and take some time to patrol the perimeter. Although some cold mist has leaked out, its area of effect is small and nothing to worry about. In my view, the cavern's restriction is still quite sturdy and should not be breached by the cold mist anytime soon. Fellow Daoist Fan is merely letting his anxiety cloud his judgment."
Chapter 702