677: The Mountain's Ink

The Mountain's Ink

"Hmm, it's not here."2

Muttering to herself, the young cultivator checked her surroundings before looking further up. 

"Which other mountain could it be?" 

Without wasting another second, she moved on, making her way to another mountain. 

It snowed heavily, each step had her sinking in at least a foot of snow. And with the wind, it made things difficult for the group. One wrong step could set off an avalanche and while Ming Yue wouldn't die, trying to get out would not be so easy. 

Thankfully, she had the power to protect herself but the cold energy was still present. It prickled at her skin like icy needles, not enough to cause pain but certainly uncomfortable. 

"Haah, finding this Abyssal Ice is going to take a while. The only records of its existence were a few pages in the archives. It comes from a black pond in the Xue Mountains but has no exact location, where am I going to find it? I've already gone through a third of it and nothing. Does it actually exist?"

Everywhere she went, there was nothing but snow and rock waiting for her.  At this point, she felt skeptical of the lead that she found. 

But she continued forward. 

"It has to exist, why else would the pill recipe include that? The Crow Immortal must've found it somehow."

Together with Hei Yue and Xiao Yin, they hiked through the mountain range. 

Time passed by but with the thick clouds covering the sky, there was no way to tell if it was day or night.

"Let's rest for the night."

Through it all, Ming Yue found a small cave, checking it before walking in. Ignoring the howling wind, it was a solid place to rest with enough space for all of them. 

Taking a few flags out of her spatial ring, she created a simple formation at the entrance, stopping the cold from coming in. After that, she grabbed a nearby stone and placed a paper talisman on it. Injecting some of her energy into it, the talisman burst into a flame, becoming a small fire. 

Soon enough the cave was filled with warmth and dinner was well on its way. 

Along with a metal pot, some cooking tools, and a few ingredients, the young woman whipped up a quick stew. It was a simple concoction of dried meat and a few hearty vegetables, all of which had softened up in the mix. 

"Mm, it was a good thing I visited the Endless Peak Kingdom before I started this. These supplies certainly came in handy."

She would've given herself a pat on the back if she wanted to. But instead, she had a small taste of the stew, showing a satisfied look. Three bowls were pulled out and filled up before the trio ate. Both Xiao Yin and Hei Yue slurped it up, making happy noises as the warmth filled their bodies. 

She glanced over at the two, smiling before focusing somewhere else. 

Taking a map out, Ming Yue looked at it carefully while eating. It was extremely detailed, showing each and every mountain that was in the range as well as any interesting details. But as good as this map was, it showed no clue as to where the Abyssal Ice could be. 

In the end, she sighed, putting the map away. 

"Hah, to think that this is the easiest of the three things I need, at least this had some records. Dragon Eye Berries and a Ten-Thousand-Year Penzai has barely anything except their names. Where am I going to find them?" 

Ming Yue already felt a bit helpless in this situation. Certainly, this was a great opportunity given to her by an Immortal but the challenge that came with it was almost as great. 

Before she even realized it, her bowl was empty as were the other two bowls and she filled them up, emptying the pot. And then with their stomachs full, the two beasts promptly slept while she stayed awake. 

Quietly looking at the entrance of the cave, she watched the snowfall, pondering this situation. 

"Scouring the mountains is taking too long, I've already spent half a month here and nothing. There has to be a better way, even a clue that I've missed. I've already asked around but no one seems to know about Abyssal Ice, if anything the only legend they have is about the Mountain's Ink", she thought to herself.

Furrowing her brows, Ming Yue carefully analyzed it. 

"The Mountain's Ink is a pond at the center of the Xue Mountains, a pitch-black pool filled with melted snow and powerful cold energy. Body Cultivators and those with an affinity with the Ice Dao consider it one of the best places to train. Could the Abyssal Ice be there? But that's not possible, it's a pool that never freezes, how could the ice be there?"

Just as she was about to dismiss the idea, there was something else that she didn't quite consider.

"In a place like that, there's bound to be a few experts there, especially those who are familiar with these mountains. Maybe there's someone who might know about Abyssal Ice."

It didn't seem like a bad idea. Even if there was nothing to be found, she'd have to explore it at some point if she planned on searching the mountains. 

"Alright, I'll just head straight there and see what I find"

She made her decision and kept watch of the cave, waiting for the owl and fox to stir from their sleep before setting off. With a destination in mind, Ming Yue headed straight there, looking in the surrounding vicinity just in case. 

But aside from a beast here and there, it wasn't very eventful. 

Reaching the Mountain's Ink, she found herself in a small valley between the mountains. Rather than the violent wind and rough snow at the mountain peaks, things were much more pleasant.

There was still snow everywhere but only gentle snowfall. 

And the wind was nothing more than a breeze.

Within that valley was a town, one brimming with martial experts, many of which were at the level of Earth Realm though there was a decent number of those at the Sky Realm. At the center of town was the Mountain's Ink. 

There were quite a number of people bathing in it, focusing on their cultivation. 

Now that she was looking at it, the young cultivator knew why it was named such. 

"It really is like ink. How is this even possible?"

Standing at the edge of the pool, she knelt down and dipped her hand into the pool. But then she pulled it out immediately, seeing her hand turn blue in an instant. 

"This cold energy, so intense and concentrated!" she exclaimed, taking a step back to let her hand recover. 

"I've underestimated this place."

That was the conclusion she came to.

But then her thinking was interrupted by the chuckling of an elderly woman, who must've watched her from the beginning. 

"I'm guessing that this is your first time here, young one", she said. 

Ming Yue turned to face the elderly woman, nodding in response. 

"Yes, I came here in search of something and I've caught wind of this 'Mountain's Ink'. Seeing it with my own eyes, I simply don't know how it can exist", she said.

The old woman chuckled some more. 

"Of all the ones I've seen come here, I've never seen someone as remarkable as you. Though by the looks of it, this place is not for you. Please tell me, what is it that you're looking for?" 

Posed with this question, Ming Yue sharpened her eyes only to widen them in surprise when she inspected the woman. 

"An expert at the Fifth Sky!" 

With her guard up, she carefully answered. 

"I'm searching for Abyssal Ice."

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