Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Chapter 78 Snow Vine

But having come this far, it's too late to turn back.

The early-stage cultivators could only grit their teeth and continue forward, hoping to leave Tianmen Mountain before their pills and spirit stones ran out.

In Qu Ye's group, when Old Man Xue saw that Xue Yang was running out of magical power and wanted to swallow a pill, he reached out and pulled him to his side.

Then, Old Man Xue spread his hands, and a layer of spiritual light, enough to cover the two of them, appeared, protecting Xue Yang within it.

Qu Ye shook his head, not paying much attention, simply maintaining a balance between his spiritual light and the intensity of the wind and snow.

Two days later, the first cultivator couldn't hold on any longer.

He was a young man with the third level of Qi Refining cultivation, who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. At this moment, he was gritting his teeth and squeezing out the last bit of his magical power.

He gave most of his savings to Zhang Yanliang as expenses, and used the last of his spirit stones to buy Rejuvenation Pills.

Ultimately, the quantity was too small, and it was all consumed at this point.

With a slight sound, the thin layer of spiritual light surrounding him shattered abruptly, and the wind and snow mercilessly engulfed him.

The young man glanced around in despair and found that the other cultivators only glanced at him before continuing on their way, and no one stopped.

The late-stage Qi Refining cultivator who was bringing up the rear didn't even give him a glance before disappearing indifferently into the snowstorm ahead.

The young man opened his mouth, as if to say something, but the wind and snow instantly filled his mouth. Soon, he turned into an ice sculpture, lifeless.

This is the first time the team has suffered a loss since the start of the trip.

But this is far from the end.

Throughout the following day, faint cracking sounds could be heard from time to time.

Conflicts did occur during this period.

As a man's magical power was about to be exhausted, he suddenly attacked another cultivator who was closest to him, trying to snatch the elixir.

After a brief but intense battle, the man was killed first, and the other man, having exhausted too much of his magical power in the short fight, also collapsed in the snow.

After several early-stage Qi cultivators were turned into ice sculptures, the team did not suffer any further casualties for a long time.

However, many of the surviving cultivators, even the three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, quietly distanced themselves from the others, their hearts heavy with sorrow.

They anticipated encountering danger, even being besieged by several first-tier high-grade demonic beasts.

But I never imagined that the danger would be like a dull knife slowly cutting into my flesh, leaving me completely powerless to resist.

There was no time to think; everyone was putting in their best effort, hoping to leave this awful place as soon as possible.

Just as the mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were about to run out of spiritual items, the group finally saw the edge of Tianmen Mountain in the distance.

Liu Yanqiu said excitedly, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, Fellow Daoist Mingyue, we're going to get out of here!"

Jiang Fan's serious expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face: "Yes, it's finally come to an end."

Qu Ye nodded without speaking, his vigilance remaining undiminished.

Due to his exceptional endurance, his mana consumption rate is far lower than that of others, and he remains in good condition without having consumed any pills.

Just as everyone was filled with joy, suddenly, a different sound appeared amidst the wind and snow.

Something's not right.

Qu Ye narrowed his eyes and quietly placed his right hand on the storage bag.

The other cultivators also heard the faint sound and became alert.

But in the vast sea of ​​snow, their divine senses were blocked, and after waiting for a while, nothing happened.

Liu Yanqiu let out a breath, turned her head, and smiled at the group: "I thought it was something serious, it scared me—"

Before she could finish speaking, suddenly, from the snow that was out of sight to her side, a thin, blue-white vine burst forth.

In the blink of an eye, the vine shattered her protective aura, wrapped around her feet, and dragged her into the blizzard in full view of everyone, disappearing without a trace.

"What is that?!"

Li Xiaoxiao cried out in surprise and instinctively took a few steps back.

Beside him, Old Man Xue's long sword appeared, protecting Xue Yang behind him.

Jiang Fan's expression changed drastically. He patted his storage bag, and several protective talismans appeared in his hand.

Everyone was on high alert because of this unexpected situation.

However, due to the suddenness of the incident and the lack of knowledge about the danger, no one acted rashly; they simply observed quietly.

After a while, the snow on the right side arched slightly, and vines sprouted from the snow again, attacking another Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator in the group.

The cultivator reacted extremely quickly. The instant the vines appeared, he formed hand seals and unleashed a flame towards them.

The vines were struck by the flames, shrank back, and returned to the snow.

This time, Zhang Yanliang finally saw the creature clearly and shouted to everyone, "This is Snow Vine, a mid-grade first-tier plant demon beast. It attacks with its vines, but can only attack one person at a time. Everyone, get out of here quickly!"

Normally, a mid-grade first-tier demonic beast would not be taken seriously by the crowd.

But with the wind and snow raging, they are already struggling to survive, so where would they get the magic to kill this demon?

After saying this, Zhang Yanliang no longer conserved his magical power. With a wave of his hand, a long spear appeared beneath his feet and quickly flew towards the edge of Tianmen Mountain.

Everyone's hearts sank, and they scattered almost the instant Zhang Yanliang finished speaking.

They understood perfectly well that the snow vine would only attack the last cultivator; as long as they were faster than the others, they could survive.

As the clouds swirled beneath Qu Ye's feet, he leaped forward, his body radiating a steady aura that kept the oncoming wind and snow at bay.

Jiang Fan activated the protective talisman in his hand one after another, and layer upon layer of thin light screen appeared in front of him.

Old Man Xue led Xue Yang forward with his head down, their pace not slowing down at all.

Only a few cultivators whose magical power was already depleted showed signs of weakness after running a short distance.

Li Xiaoxiao's cultivation level was not high to begin with, and she had consumed a great deal of energy along the way. Now, she had used some kind of secret technique, which greatly increased her speed, and she was now hanging tightly behind Qu Ye.

But soon, her face turned pale, her lips turned blue, and even the protective aura around her began to flicker.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue, wait—wait for me!"

Qu Ye didn't turn around or respond at all, maintaining his own pace.

As Li Xiaoxiao watched the distance between herself and Qu Ye gradually widen, the fear in her heart finally overwhelmed her reason.

She mustered her last breath and chased after Qu Ye, her voice trembling.

"Fellow Daoist Mingyue, please, take me with you—I have many magical artifacts and talismans, I can give them all to you."

She gritted her teeth and pulled her clothes down half an inch, revealing her snow-white shoulders.

"I can still be your Daoist partner. You can do whatever you want to me. Fellow Daoist Mingyue, I don't want to die, I really don't want to die—"

Qu Ye's steps did not falter at all; in fact, she quickened her pace slightly.

Not to mention whether bringing this woman along would slow him down and cause him to be overtaken by Xue Teng.

What if this woman turns the tables and pushes him towards the snow vine when faced with danger, then runs away herself?

Although Qu Ye possessed ample magical power and was not particularly afraid of Xue Teng, he would not risk his life for a pampered, unfamiliar female cultivator.

At this moment, Li Xiaoxiao's remaining magical power was insufficient to support her in seeking help from another cultivator.

She froze, the pleading look on her face stiffening, turning into a hint of resentment, and took out a mid-grade binding talisman from her storage bag.

"Hey Zhang, if you won't save me, then we'll all—"

Before he could finish speaking, Qu Ye's eyes turned cold, and with a flick of his right hand, golden light suddenly appeared.

Gengjin Sword Technique!

A pale golden sword light slashed out almost skimming the wind and snow, so fast that Li Xiaoxiao had no time to react.

She felt a chill in her chest and abdomen, and then she was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the snow.

Then, another sword light slashed out, cutting a gash in Li Xiaoxiao's delicate neck.

"idiot."

Qu Ye shook his head and stopped paying attention to the other person.

Behind him, a blue and white vine shot out like a venomous snake and precisely wrapped around Li Xiaoxiao's waist.

The vine suddenly retracted.

Li Xiaoxiao was dragged along the snow, leaving a long trail of blood before disappearing into the depths of the blizzard in the blink of an eye.

Only a few short, piercing screams remained, echoing from afar before quickly fading away completely.