Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Chapter 77 Ascent

As night falls, Tianmen Mountain, viewed from afar, resembles a giant dragon coiled on the earth.

Zhang Yanliang ordered his men to set up camp and rest for a night before heading straight for Tianmen Mountain.

Everyone lit their own campfires and sat around them in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

Liu Yanqiu looked up at the mountain peak hidden in the night, a worried expression on her face: "Do we really have to climb over this giant mountain?"

Nearby, Jiang Fan was turning over the meat of the beasts placed on the campfire, and replied, "Didn't Senior Zhang just say that going around from the other two sides would be more dangerous, and there might even be Foundation Establishment demonic beasts lurking around?"

"Although Tianmen Mountain is steep, it is difficult to encounter additional risks."

"Absolutely, absolutely." Old Xue took out a flask of spirit wine from his storage bag, sipped it twice, and comforted him, "Fellow Daoist Liu, please rest assured. This old man has traveled all over the country for many years and has some experience."

"When crossing such high mountains, you usually go to the mountainside and go around it from the side. You don't have to go to the top. The danger is not as high as you might imagine."

"Well—okay."

Liu Yanqiu still seemed somewhat uneasy. She glanced past the idle Li Xiaoxiao and looked at Qu Ye.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue, what do you think?"

During the journey, in order to avoid confusion with Zhang Yanliang, everyone spontaneously changed how they addressed Qu Ye.

Qu Ye smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Liu, don't be anxious. Since Senior Zhang has decided to take this path, and the other two seniors have not objected, he must be quite confident."

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue is right."

Seeing that all three of them said this, Liu Yanqiu's anxiety eased a little, and she thanked each of them.

Qu Ye returned the greeting, but his heart was not as relaxed as he said.

Tianmen Mountain soars into the clouds, its top invisible. Even if you only reach the mountainside, it's probably around two thousand feet high, covered in snow and wind.

Once they reach this altitude, apart from the two guardian bees, the combat power and endurance of the rest of the bee colony will drop sharply due to the influence of the climate and the icy spiritual energy.

This is equivalent to directly cutting off one of Qu Ye's major supporters.

This is one of the reasons why he didn't just focus on developing bee colonies before.

When their cultivation level is low, although the insect swarm is powerful, it is difficult to adapt to various complex situations and is easily affected by the environment.

Fortunately, he was not simply an insect cultivator; his other abilities were quite powerful among mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, so he was not powerless in the face of danger.

Thinking of this, Qu Ye recalled some records about the Jade Spirit Bee in the Records of Spirit Taming.

Once one has sufficient strength and a stable cultivation ground, one can guide the bee colony to mutate according to the recorded methods, and try to cultivate various powerful spirit bees with different focuses.

For now, the goal should still be to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue, the beast meat is ready. Please try my cooking."

Jiang Fan chuckled and handed over a skewer of roasted monster meat, interrupting Qu Ye's thoughts.

Thank you.

Qu Ye took the beast meat and quickly scanned it with his divine sense. Although he didn't find anything wrong, he still held it in his palm without taking a bite.

Jiang Fan then distributed the remaining meat to the group, and the group, holding their roasted meat, began to chat.

Qu Ye noticed that just as Xue Yang picked up the beast meat and was about to take a bite, Old Man Xue poured a mouthful of spiritual wine down his throat, stopping him without making a sound.

Noticing Qu Ye's gaze, Old Man Xue smiled at him, everything understood without saying a word.

Only after seeing Li Xiaoxiao take a big bite and swallow it, and after a while no other abnormalities occurred, did he feel relieved enough to take his first bite.

Time slips away quietly like this.

The next morning, Qu Ye opened his eyes, finished his meditation, stretched his body, and found that everyone else had already gotten up and gathered in the middle.

Zhang Yanliang stood at the front, and only after everyone had gathered did he speak: "Last night, I discussed with two other fellow Daoists that this crossing is different from the Great Cold Mountain, and the dangers are unpredictable. Therefore, we will provide assistance to everyone to the best of our ability to help you keep up with the group."

He didn't mention what would happen if he was unable to do something, but everyone knew perfectly well what was going on.

When that time comes, everyone will just have to run for their lives and see who gets lucky.

Finally, Zhang Yanliang and the tall, strong man led the way, while the gray-clad, muscular man walked at the very back of the group to prevent danger from attacking from behind.

The group began to climb Tianmen Mountain.

At first, it was relatively easy, with lush forests and a gentle slope. Although there were many bushes, the weakest among them was a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, far stronger than ordinary people.

Many low-level cultivators breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that perhaps they had been worrying too much.

But as time went on, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

The vegetation has thinned out, the ground is covered with a thin layer of snow, and the slope has become steeper.

Only a few trees, winding their way up the cliff face, provide a few points of foothold.

The group began to use their lightness skills to move nimbly between the cliffs.

Although cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining or above can fly using magical artifacts, the future is uncertain, and no one wants to expend too much mana in such a place.

Two hours later, the group arrived at the mountainside of Tianmen Mountain, which is two thousand feet above the ground.

This place is a completely different scene from before.

The snow was several feet thick, the sky was dark, and a fierce wind whipped up the snow and ice, lashing towards the crowd.

Many cultivators at the third level of Qi Refining were trembling, their protective spiritual light flickering.

The cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining also had solemn expressions and dared not be negligent.

If it were just ordinary wind and snow, it wouldn't be a problem; it might not even be able to shake the protective aura of someone in the early stages of Qi Refining.

However, this blizzard was also mixed with violent ice-attribute spiritual energy, which, like extremely fine thorns, constantly eroded the cultivator's defenses.

Only three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators remained calm, continuing to lead the way and cover the rear.

"If Tianmen Mountain is already like this, it's hard to imagine what the other two sides, which are even more difficult to traverse, must be like."

Li Xiaoxiao swayed and jumped over a cracked ice ditch, muttering to herself.

The others did not answer her, but silently activated their spiritual energy and followed the main group forward.

Qu Ye walked behind Jiang Fan, glanced at the endless mountain peaks in front of him, took out a mask from his storage bag, covered his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue, what's going on?"

Liu Yanqiu asked in confusion.

"The wind and snow are quite strong here, so covering your face can reduce some physical exertion, which is better than nothing."

Qu Ye didn't turn around, and explained in a low voice.

Liu Yanqiu suddenly realized, thought for a moment, and also took out a veil to cover her face.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue is so thoughtful; I hadn't even thought of that."

Qu Ye waved his hand without saying anything more.

He covered his face not to reduce physical exertion, but to conceal something else.

Then, Qu Ye's expression changed, returning to its original form, and the talent enhancement changed from Potential Fusion to Strong Endurance.

It's unclear how long it will take to cross this mountain. His strong endurance talent can reduce mana consumption and increase physical stamina, allowing him to better cope with unexpected situations.

Because his face was covered, and the overwhelming, violent icy spiritual energy affected his divine sense, Qu Ye's changes went unnoticed by anyone.

And so the procession continued onward.

A day later, the endless mountain ranges and the unchanging blizzard still stretched ahead.

The cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining was already struggling to maintain his power, and with a pale face, he took out a recovery pill and swallowed it.

Although everyone knew the journey was long, they all prepared supplies to varying degrees.

But if they continue like this, and by the time their supplies run out and they haven't left the Tianmen Mountain range, I fear—

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