Gu Qinghe’s golden sword shot forward at incredible speed, plunging into the black cloud and striking the fire phoenix directly in the chest.

The phoenix let out a continuous, piercing cry of pain as waves of golden qi erupted from within the cloud, spreading in all directions.

Gu Qinghe extended his hand and clenched it tightly. "Break!"

BLAST!

His golden sword wounded the fire phoenix, forcing the monster to open a path for Gu Qinghe and his companions.

The black cloud split apart. All the cultivators pointed ahead, witnessing the moment. Gu Qinghe and the others immediately flew through the opening with ease.

"Let’s go too!"

When the other cultivators tried to follow, they were struck by a crushing wave of cultivation pressure. It clearly did not come from Gu Qinghe, but from the fire phoenix itself.

The pressure was overwhelming, freezing them in place and leaving them unable to move.

Elsewhere, Gu Qinghe had already passed through the black cloud. In the distance, he could see a snow-covered palace at the mountain peak.

"Let’s move," Gu Qinghe said, and Yan Ran and the others followed.

They quickly flew forward, leaving their previous position behind as they headed toward the mountain summit.

Several monsters roamed the snow-leaf forest, filling the area. Yet none of them made any attempt to attack.

The reason was simple. They could sense that the qi aura emanating from Gu Qinghe was far stronger than their own.

Because of that, their journey was smooth all the way until they arrived at the Snow Palace of the Third Mountain Peak. They landed, stepping onto the ground outside the palace.

"Not many cultivators made it here," Liu Xi said.

"That makes sense. The black cloud below held them back. It must have been difficult for them to get here," Ling Jia replied.

Gu Qinghe did not respond. He simply walked forward and entered the Snow Palace.

As he stepped through the gate, he saw several cultivators gathered in the outer area of a wide altar floor.

Their attention was focused ahead, where a group of cultivators was working together to defeat a massive Ice Bear monster.

Gu Qinghe scanned the area. Some cultivators were injured, while others looked anxious.

It seemed that the mechanism to activate the altar’s rune array lay within that monster.

After several rounds of attacks, the group managed to defeat the Ice Bear. Immediately after, they were teleported away from the Third Mountain Peak.

From what Gu Qinghe could see, Li Xiaoman was nowhere to be found. It was likely she had already left this peak.

She’s probably already at the fourth or fifth peak.

For now, Gu Qinghe had no interest in the altar monster. Instead, he told Yan Ran and the others to follow him to the inner courtyard of the palace, where the true treasures were located.

They nodded and flew off with him, drawing the attention of the other cultivators.

Many of them guessed that Gu Qinghe and his group were heading for the treasures in the inner courtyard.

When they arrived, the layout was the same as the second mountain peak. Gu Qinghe’s gaze moved forward.

Four small rooms had already been opened, along with one medium-sized room. That left one unopened medium room and the main hall.

"We’re late," Yan Ran said.

"Go check the rooms that have already been opened. There might be something they left behind."

"Yes, Senior."

Yan Ran and Liu Xi went to inspect the five opened rooms, while Ling Jia stood in front of the unopened medium room.

She reached out her hand, and suddenly, sparks of fire burst out, startling her. Gu Qinghe turned his head.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The rune array on this room has a defensive mechanism," Ling Jia replied.

Gu Qinghe grew curious. He moved closer, raising his hand as qi light gathered at his fingertips. His eyes widened as he activated his cultivation sight.

"That’s not a defensive mechanism... it’s a trap," Gu Qinghe said.

"A trap? But the rune array looks white, just like the others."

"To normal eyes, they look the same. But not to mine," Gu Qinghe explained. "There’s another rune array fused into the door array. I can see it because their qi energies are different."

"Then why would they set a trap? Wouldn’t it be better to just take the treasure?" Ling Jia asked.

"Besides preventing others from taking it, the trap is meant to kill anyone who tries to break the array," Gu Qinghe replied.

"I suspect they plan to return after they recover enough strength to break it."

Ling Jia slowly began to understand. After all, Gu Qinghe was far more skilled in rune arrays than she was.

"Breaking this array requires a lot of energy. I think they only opened one because their spiritual qi was already drained after fighting the fire phoenix," Ling Jia said.

"You’re right," Gu Qinghe agreed.

"Then what should we do?"

"We place a new trap on top of theirs. Something far more lethal. Something that will kill them," Gu Qinghe answered.

His hands formed a series of seals before he cast layers of rune patterns forward, merging them completely with the door’s array.

After twenty minutes, Ling Jia saw a bright white glow shine from the formation.

Gu Qinghe had finished setting the new trap. Any cultivator below Peak Core Formation would die if they tried to break it.

"So... we’re not taking what’s inside?" Ling Jia asked.

Gu Qinghe shook his head. "No. If we take it, the one who set the trap will know."

"It’s better for that cultivator to die than for us to get the treasure."

He turned slightly, raising his hand and patting Ling Jia’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. I’ll tell you when we come back here."

"I understand. I trust you, Senior."

Yan Ran and Liu Xi flew back toward Gu Qinghe and Ling Jia. They reported that they found nothing in the opened rooms.

Gu Qinghe let out a soft breath. "Looks like we’re late."

His gaze shifted to the side, landing on the door to the main hall. "Only the main hall hasn’t been taken."

"Are you planning to take the treasure there too, Senior?" Ling Jia asked.

"Yes."

"I feel like... the treasures in the main hall are somehow connected to the eighth mountain peak."