The Xieye Sect proposed splitting into two teams to act separately, offering aid to the Yijiao Xiangwanbian contingent, which the Dan cultivators readily accepted. (Read the complete novel on Shiliu Literature Network)

Since their ideas differed, separating seemed for the best. Moreover, a smaller group offered greater agility; should they encounter a sudden attack, a distance of mere li was but a blink of an eye for Foundation Establishment cultivators. The dozen or so cultivators each launched their flying magical artifacts, soaring above the narrow, mist-shrouded valley peak and entering the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range.

By the evening of the next day, their group of Qingdan cultivators arrived at a basin spanning several hundred li within the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range. The entire basin was sunken, dotted everywhere with dense jungles, swamps infested with venomous creatures, and ice-cold lakes, all enveloped by a thick fog that obscured everything from the sky.

Several narrow paths cut across the entire forest. Unlike the sunlit areas of the basin, the dense, shadowed Cold Lake Forest was shrouded in black and dark-blue mist, casting a mysterious and oppressive atmosphere over the cultivators.

Uncertain whether the cultivators from Wan Yue Lake had already reached this Cold Lake Forest, they chose to land at the forest's edge and proceed stealthily toward the center on foot, to avoid alarming the enemy or falling into an ambush.

Qian Bojiang, without a word, immediately took a small squad of four Qingdan cultivators and plunged into the forest, vanishing within the space of a few blinks.

Ye Qin had intended to call Qian Bojiang back to discuss coordination between the two squads once they entered the forest. However, Qian Bojiang and his group moved too quickly, clearly not planning to cooperate with them. He sighed inwardly, reluctantly abandoning the thought.

Forget it. Whether we can keep our lives in this Cold Lake Forest depends on our own abilities.

Ye Qin let the matter drop.

"That fellow surnamed Qian is truly reckless. Charging into the Cold Lake Forest like that is practically seeking death!" Biao Shi sneered disdainfully upon seeing Qian Bojiang’s group hasten into the woods. He settled beneath a large tree, cross-legged, to meditate and recover his mana. Flying on his sword through the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range all day had consumed considerable spiritual power; rest was necessary first.

"Old Biao, that’s because they have real strength and fear no danger. Didn't you see that all five of them are familiar with each other, and every one is at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level? That’s a full tier above us. They probably think we’re slowing them down," Shen Bao patted Biao Shi's shoulder, chuckling as he sat nearby.

The other two, Feng Tong and Shi Wenhong, also stopped to meditate in a hidden spot at the forest's edge. As rogue cultivators, they deeply understood the art of self-preservation and had no burning desire for merit, so they were in no hurry to move.

Ye Qin did not meditate; instead, he controlled his flying sword while maintaining vigilant watch over the activity at the forest's edge.

Because his cultivation was the highest, he had unconsciously become the leader of these five, naturally bearing greater responsibility.

Among the other four, only Biao Shi was at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, barely matching Ye Qin. Shen, Feng, and Shi were all at the first or second layer of the low stage, significantly weaker than Ye Qin and Biao Shi.

With half their squad being low-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, their team’s strength was certainly much lower than Qian Bojiang's squad, which consisted entirely of mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. It was understandable that the other group was unwilling to ally with them.

Furthermore, Feng Tong was the only female cultivator among the five—a charming woman dressed as a young matron.

Shi Wenhong was reserved and taciturn, a disciple from a minor family, roughly Ye Qin’s age but far behind in cultivation.

"Senior Brother Biao, have you been here before?" Ye Qin, finding no disturbance nearby, asked Biao Shi with curiosity. If Biao Shi was familiar with the Cold Lake Forest, their operations here would be much safer.

"I haven't been here myself, but a senior brother who practiced ice-elemental magic once came here, and I heard him describe some aspects of the Cold Lake Forest. The Spiritual Mist Mountain Range contains many perilous zones, and the Cold Lake Forest is one of the most dangerous areas, densely populated by Tier Three to Tier Six demonic beasts. It is almost certain death for anyone below the Foundation Establishment stage to enter. Even for Foundation Establishment cultivators, it’s safest to move in groups of three to five. Considering our strength is only half theirs, we must be extra cautious once we enter," Biao Shi shook his head ruefully.

"Senior Brother Biao, what are the specific conditions inside the Cold Lake Forest?" Feng Tong finished her cultivation, glancing at Ye Qin and Biao Shi, her delicate lips parting in a charming, smiling inquiry.

Biao Shi immediately felt a refreshing warmth, chuckling, "Junior Sister Feng, this basin is roughly divided into three major areas: the forest zone, the swamp zone, and the ice lake zone. The outermost area is a dense forest, hiding numerous jungle beasts and highly toxic spirit plants. These plants usually carry potent wood-elemental poison, which is very troublesome once contracted. It’s best to carry general Detoxification Pills, as well as elixirs specifically formulated to counteract wood poison.

Past the forest zone is the continuous swamp zone. Various water-elemental beasts lurk in the swamps; they are innately proficient in water-based magic and extremely difficult to deal with.

The deepest part here is the ice lake zone, which is where the Ice Spirit Stones are mined. However, there are also numerous ice-elemental beasts both inside and outside the lake. Extreme caution must be taken while mining the Ice Spirit Stones to avoid disturbing the lairs of these creatures.

Therefore, the best way to reach the ice lake is to fly directly by sword, bypassing the forest and swamp areas, and enter the ice lake directly from the sky. But since we don't know if the Wan Yue Lake cultivators have arrived, we must proceed on foot, stealthily traversing the forest and swamp zones."

"Oh, this place is so peculiar. I'd quite like to experience the Cold Lake Forest," Feng Tong said with interest.

"The toxic insects and miasma here are quite potent. Everyone, be extremely careful! I brought a full three bottles of various Detoxification Pills. I wonder if you all brought enough? If not, you can buy them from me. My price isn't high—just ten low-grade spirit stones above the market price in Spiritual Mist City," Shen Shi proudly displayed several bottles of detoxifying elixirs.

Ye Qin was rendered speechless. At this juncture, Biao Shi still had the inclination to conduct business. However, Biao Shi certainly had a head for profit; the others were unaware of the Cold Lake Forest’s specific dangers and hadn't prepared many Detoxification Pills beforehand, forcing them to buy a few from Biao Shi for emergency use.

Soon after, everyone finished their rest. After each took a Detoxification Pill, they entered the dense forest.

Ye Qin cast a Diamond Shield protective spell, held a flying sword artifact in each hand, and carried a set of armor and shield artifacts. He cautiously stepped into the forest. He and Biao Shi, the two strongest mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, led the way, while the other three low-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators followed behind… The squad moved deeper into the forest with caution.

The dim forest floor was covered in decaying leaves, emitting an inescapable smell of moldering dampness. Grotesquely shaped dead trees, blood-red vines tightly entwined around them, unknown scarlet poisonous weeds on the ground, and flashes of dark-blue light drifting in the gloom.

Although Biao Shi had some knowledge of the Cold Lake Forest, the area was still quite unfamiliar to them.

Setting aside the possibility of enemy cultivators from Wan Yue Lake operating here, the mid-tier demonic beasts within the forest alone were a major headache and difficult to handle. Should they accidentally encounter a few Tier Five or Six beasts, securing victory would require a bitter fight. If they ran into a pack of beasts, they would likely have no choice but to flee for their lives.

Entering this forest was unavoidable. Since Qian Bojiang and the other five Qingdan disciples had gone in, they had to follow to provide mutual support. Otherwise, if one squad were annihilated, the other wouldn't fare much better. These ten Foundation Establishment disciples represented one-twentieth of the Qingdan Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators; no loss could be sustained.

Ye Qin navigated cautiously through the growth, paying attention to the various spiritual items within the forest.

"Blood Basin Tree, Tier Three demonic tree. This tree can cover an area of dozens of zhang. It bears flowers on its branches, each as large as a wooden basin, filled with potent corrosive acid. Once flying birds or beasts fall into it, they are dissolved into bloodwater in a very short time. Where there are Blood Basin Trees, demonic beasts rarely linger."

"Black Bone Grass, Tier One poisonous weed. This grass is only an inch long. Once infected by the poison of the Black Bone Grass, the toxin penetrates deep into the bone marrow, making it difficult to remove the root. It is not fatal, but this poison severely weakens vitality. It is often used by low-level nefarious cultivators."

In just a short time, Ye Qin had identified over a dozen types of poisonous trees and herbs recorded in the Qingdan Sect’s books. Many other poisonous plants he had never seen, and he dared not approach them for identification.

Although Ye Qin had been collecting spiritual flora recently, he did not refine poison pills, so he did not collect these toxic weeds.

These poisonous trees and herbs were relatively manageable; avoiding them was sufficient.

The truly formidable ones were the spirit plants called Vine Demons. They could move within a small radius, and once entangled by their incredibly flexible roots and branches, it was very easy to be strangled to death if they couldn't break free. Fortunately, these Vine Demons generally had a weakness: they feared fire. The moment fire touched them, they immediately recoiled. All five of them knew the basic Fireball Spell.

Additionally, there were the troublesome swarms of low-tier mutated insects—poisonous bee swarms. These bees were usually only Tier One or Two, but their immense numbers made them impossible to guard against in the dim forest. The stingers of a few poisonous bees possessed armor-piercing effects, meaning even protective shields might not fully block them.

Besides his protective shield, Ye Qin had also smeared his body with the scents of several types of branches to repel venomous insects. He also employed the technique of concealment and stealth, trying his best to avoid alarming the beasts in the forest.

The forest was profoundly silent, almost without a sound.

As Foundation Establishment cultivators, their movement techniques allowed them to travel with a lightness that resembled ghosts, their footsteps making no noise upon landing.

Ye Qin suddenly felt a pang of worry. His divine sense swept the surrounding forest, but he could not locate Qian Bojiang’s group. He didn't believe a squad of five Foundation Establishment cultivators could simply vanish without a sound.

They had likely traveled too fast, exceeding four or five li distance, placing them outside the range of his divine sense.

Ye Qin frowned and looked toward Shen Shi beside him.

Biao Shi understood Ye Qin's concern; he shook his head, clearly, his divine sense also failed to detect the location of Qian Bojiang’s group.

"The forest zone spans hundreds of li. There shouldn't be any enemy cultivators setting up an ambush; at most, we'll encounter demonic beasts, which should be manageable. Even if there are Wan Yue Lake cultivators in the Cold Lake Forest, they would be active around the ice lake area. We shouldn't run into them anytime soon," Biao Shi considered, speaking with practiced ease.

Ye Qin nodded slightly, letting go of excessive worry.

The five-person squad proceeded stealthily for several dozen li through the dim forest, and everything went smoother than anticipated.

They consciously avoided territories occupied by Tier Five and Six demonic beasts, immediately detouring around any large beast lairs they spotted. Occasionally, they encountered a few lone Tier Three or Four demonic wolves or tigers out foraging. Before these beasts could even utter a startled cry or roar, they were cleanly sliced down by the flying swords launched by the group, swift and decisive.