The fight between them ended. The cultivators were killed after failing to assassinate Gu Qinghe. The qi light at his fingertips faded as he flew down toward Yan Ran and Liu Xi.

His eyes looked straight ahead, checking their condition. Yan Ran smiled brightly and explained everything to him.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior. We’re fine. They came here right after you defeated their leader."

She turned her head slightly. Liu Xi gave a quiet response, a simple sign that everything Yan Ran said was true.

Gu Qinghe felt relieved. But they were not truly safe yet. There were many cultivators involved in the Northern Mountains expedition. Their abilities varied and were dangerous.

His attention shifted up the hill, staring at the second mountain peak still covered in white snow clouds.

"Let’s go," Gu Qinghe said. Yan Ran and Liu Xi nodded obediently.

The three of them took flight again, summoning their swords and gliding above the trees. Gu Qinghe glanced back once. A layer of spiritual qi light surrounded Yan Ran and Liu Xi.

It was a clear sign that they had activated the Yang Bright Cloud Technique.

Gu Qinghe had no concerns. With that technique active, the two women could move more flexibly in both defense and offense.

In the middle of their journey, a burst of qi suddenly spread in all directions. Gu Qinghe narrowed his eyes and looked toward where the disturbance came from.

"What was that, Senior?" Yan Ran asked.

Gu Qinghe stayed silent for a moment, then shook his head. He continued flying through the forest, ignoring the source of the qi disturbance.

There was only one reason for that. He was deliberately avoiding unnecessary trouble and battles.

Unlike the first mountain, the distance from the valley to the peak of the second mountain was quite far. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

They flew through the clouds, feeling a faint but chilling cold grow stronger the higher they went.

Smoke and thin mist appeared out of nowhere. Gu Qinghe stopped midair and observed the surroundings.

He raised his hand, activated his qi, and opened his cultivation sight.

There was spiritual qi within the clouds and mist ahead of them. It looked like they were surrounded in a mist formation.

This isn’t the work of a qi beast... this is clearly a cultivator.

Gu Qinghe extended his hand forward, gathering spiritual qi into his palm before clenching it tightly.

With a fist filled with lightning energy, a surge of qi erupted, burning away the illusion of the surrounding clouds and forcing the technique’s owner out of hiding.

The mysterious clouds and mist disappeared on their own. Gu Qinghe turned his gaze slightly forward to the side, where a woman in white robes floated gracefully on her sword.

"I didn’t expect trash from the Gu Clan to break my illusion array," the woman said, smiling seductively at Gu Qinghe.

"Forget that. Your cultivation has improved. The last I heard, you were still trash at the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Now you’re a Core Formation Master. I’m quite impressed, Young Master Gu."

Gu Qinghe ignored her. There was no reason for him to keep listening to her chatter. His goal was the Snow Palace at the peak of the second mountain.

Without hesitation, he flew off, leaving the place behind. Yan Ran and Liu Xi followed him, flying past the white-robed woman while keeping an eye on her.

The woman brought her hands together and bowed respectfully. Still, something about Gu Qinghe felt strange to her.

Fighting him was impossible. She was only at Early Core Formation, while he was at Peak Core Formation.

For Qinghe, destroying her would be as easy as flipping his hand.

But that was exactly what made her curious. With Peak Core Formation strength, Gu Qinghe was already a powerful cultivator across the northern plains, second only to those from the Tianzun faction.

If I help him... maybe he’ll help me.

After thinking for a while, the woman decided to head to the mountain peak and offer her assistance to Gu Qinghe.

In her view, only someone like him could help her find her missing younger sister.

Elsewhere, Gu Qinghe arrived at the peak of the second mountain. He landed on the snowy ground, his gaze fixed forward.

The Snow Palace stood tall and majestic at the summit. Many cultivators were gathered ahead, trying their luck.

That made Qinghe and the others curious. What kind of treasures were inside to attract so many cultivators?

"Wait!"

Gu Qinghe stopped, along with Yan Ran and Liu Xi. The three turned back and saw the white-robed woman approaching.

"You?" Yan Ran snapped.

"Wait! I didn’t come with bad intentions," the woman said, "I’m Lin Xia, from the Taiyin Sect."

Taiyin? No wonder she could freely control cold mist and clouds. This place was practically her domain.

Gu Qinghe stepped forward toward the white-robed woman named Lin Xia. "What do you want?"

Lin Xia stepped closer, cupping her hands and bowing respectfully. "Please, Young Master Gu... help me find my younger sister."

"Huh? Are you crazy? There’s no way we’re doing that!" Yan Ran snapped.

"Young Master Gu is already helping us. It would be too much to ask him to help you as well," Liu Xi added.

"But... I didn’t come here for the mountain peak or its treasures. I’m only searching for my missing sister," Lin Xia explained.

Gu Qinghe fell silent for a moment, then stepped closer to her. Lin Xia became slightly wary and took a small step back, keeping her distance.

Without speaking, Gu Qinghe raised one hand and formed a one-handed seal. A golden orb appeared at his fingertip, then shot forward into Lin Xia’s forehead.

Her eyes widened as her head tilted back, feeling the orb probing her mind.

Gu Qinghe closed his eyes, letting his technique peer into her memories. Fragments of her life flashed by. He saw her sister back at the sect and now completely missing.

More surprisingly, he saw a moment where Lin Xia fought Gu Qingyin in a friendly match between their two sects.

Tianzun and Taiyin had always been on good terms, but competition between disciples still existed.

Gu Qinghe let out a soft breath, detonating the golden qi orb and ending the memory scan. Lin Xia regained consciousness and immediately coughed up blood, injured from the backlash.

"What... did you do?" Lin Xia asked.

"I looked into your memories. I needed to confirm whether you were telling me the truth."

"It turns out you were."

Gu Qinghe stood before Lin Xia, who was still kneeling on the snowy ground, "I’ll help you. But you have to help me."

"What?"

"Use your best illusion technique to destroy Qingyin’s heart."