Chapter 560: Dual Heavens of Ice and Fire

As the biting wind howled toward them, Jin Ling immediately pulled Qiao Xixi and the cubs into his embrace.

Yet even so, Qiao Xixi’s exposed eyes stung from the gale. The cold was agonizing, feeling like sharp ice needles piercing straight into her bones.

Qiao Yi’s deep voice rang out through the icy wind. “The wind is too strong, making it hard to sit steady. Tie the cubs to yourselves.”

Hearing this, Qiao Xixi quickly took out leather strips and handed them to Sunxiao and the others.

Only after all the cubs were securely tied to their respective fathers did the males of the Phoenix Wing Clan attempt to take flight.

The piercing wind slashed at them like knives. Qiao Xixi clutched the feathers tightly, terrified of being blown away.

Qiao Yi flew to the front of the formation, using his beast soul power to block the fierce headwinds, while Sunxuan took the rear to shield them from the cold blasts hitting their backs.

Even with their protection, the higher they ascended, the colder Qiao Xixi felt. She silently chanted a spell in her heart, slowly channeling the vigorous energy of the Spring of Life into her limbs and bones.

Once warmth returned to her body, she opened her eyes. “Father, I know which way to go.”

The white mist in the sky had thickened to the point where she couldn’t even see her surroundings. Flying in these conditions was incredibly dangerous.

Hearing her voice, Qiao Yi slowed down and followed the sound to their side.

“Alright, Father is right beside you. You lead the way.”

“Okay.”

Qiao Xixi pulled a conch shell from her clothes and handed it to Mo Yan. “Mo Yan, blow this every now and then to guide the others.”

“Leave it to me, Clan Leader. Don’t worry.”

Mo Yan took the conch and began to blow.

Hearing the resounding call, Xijing and the rest of the group adjusted their flight paths toward the sound. Meanwhile, Qiao Xixi continued to direct the Phoenix Wing Clan.

Whenever a sudden gust of frigid wind hit them, Qiao Yi managed to deflect most of it with his beast soul power. Though the cold was still thoroughly unpleasant, it was at least bearable.

“Host, go right immediately! A cyclone eye has suddenly appeared up ahead,” the Little Demon warned.

Startled, Qiao Xixi immediately ordered the Phoenix Wing Clan males to change course.

“To the right!”

Hearing the urgency in her voice, Mo Yan blew the conch shell with all his might. Jin Ling also tightened his grip on Qiao Xixi.

They hadn’t veered off for long when a violent suction force struck from behind. Qiao Yi clearly felt the immense power actively resisting his beast soul energy.

“Move faster!”

Sunxuan rapidly unleashed more of his own power to fend off the escalating drag.

The white mist ahead of them was being relentlessly sucked away, as if by a monstrous vacuum. The fog surrounding them suddenly thinned out, drastically improving visibility.

Qiao Xixi glanced back to see a colossal white tornado looming right behind them. She didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if they were pulled in.

Forming a hand seal, she commanded, “Great wind, rise!”

A powerful gale blasted toward the tornado behind them, effectively counteracting some of its suction force.

As the surrounding mist continued to fade, she finally caught sight of the snow-capped peak of Fire Feather Mountain.

As the highest peak in the beast world, Fire Feather Mountain stood like a towering giant over the land, exuding an aura of mystery and danger. Perennial snow covered its slopes, forming a thick layer of frost. From a distance, all one could see was an endless expanse of white.

With the fog blown away, golden sunlight pierced through the thin clouds and struck the snow, reflecting a blinding glare that stung the eyes.

Having evaded the tornado, their flight smoothed out once again, allowing Qiao Xixi to clearly see Sunxiao and the others trailing behind.

“Little Demon, how much longer until we completely cross Fire Feather Mountain?”

“Soon, Host. You’ve safely passed the most dangerous area. Now, you just need to keep flying in a straight line.”

“Good.”

Given Fire Feather Mountain’s extreme altitude, the lack of fog meant the harsh sun beat directly down on them, which surprisingly managed to dispel much of the biting cold.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, Qiao Xixi spotted a swath of vibrant green at the base of the mountain in the distance.

“The climate here is way too disjointed. It’s bone-chillingly cold up on Fire Feather Mountain, but it’s lush and green right below.”

Jin Ling followed her gaze. “It doesn’t look far from up here, but if we were traveling by land, it would take several days of walking to reach that green forest.”

Hearing this, Qiao Xixi mentally measured the distance again and realized he was right. Even for the Phoenix Wing Clan, flying to that forest would still take a considerable amount of time.

“Are we heading straight to the green forest to set up camp?”

“Yes, straight there.”

Qiao Yi nodded and flew back to the front to lead the way.

It wasn’t until the sun began to dip into the west that they could truly see the dense, vibrant greenery below.

“Hot, hot!”

The tiger cub strapped to Jin Ling’s back squirmed restlessly. Qiao Xixi looked back and, seeing the cub’s face dripping with sweat, quickly stripped away the animal skins covering her.

“The temperature is much higher now. The cubs must be miserable wearing such thick layers.”

Jin Ling lowered the tiger cub and took off her heavy animal skin clothing. Unable to bear the heat, Qiao Lie and the others also shed their layers.

As they descended, Qiao Xixi acutely felt a wave of dry, searing heat wash over her face. The jarring transition felt exactly like being in the Arctic one second and dropping into the African savanna the next.

Qiao Yi flew down first, selecting an open clearing to land in.

When Jin Ling carried her down, Qiao Xixi still felt a lingering, weak-kneed sense of weightlessness.

“We’ll rest here for the night.”

Qiao Xixi nodded.

Sunxiao and the others set their respective cubs down. Once free, the cubs didn’t crowd around Qiao Xixi; instead, they followed their fathers, helping out where they could as the adults set up camp and built temporary shelters.

With so many people around, it wasn’t convenient for Qiao Xixi to openly bring out the Vine Orchids. However, she didn’t sit idle. She checked the map the Little Demon had provided, looking for the marked locations of Cloud Mist Fruits.

“This spot seems to be the closest to us.”

She noted a small green dot on the map, situated just to their right. It looked quite near.

“Yes, Host. There are many Cloud Mist Fruits in that area. You can go take a look in a bit.”

“Alright.”

Seeing that it was still early in the day, she decided it was better to go sooner rather than later. With that thought in mind, she walked over to Sunxiao, gently tugged at his finger, and whispered, “Sunxiao, I know where we can find Cloud Mist Fruits. I’ve sent the location to the map.”

Sunxiao paused and checked the map. “It’s very close.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking we might as well go check it out now.”

Sunxiao’s stoic brows furrowed slightly. “Sangze and I will go. Don’t wander off.”

Qiao Xixi didn’t insist on joining them. “Okay. You don’t need to pick too many. Around ten should be enough.”

Sunxiao gave a sound of acknowledgment and walked over to Sangze, whispering something to him. Afterward, the two headed off toward the marked location.

Qiao Xixi pursed her lips as she watched them leave. Once she had the Cloud Mist Fruits, she could finally brew the antidote to neutralize the forbidden drug’s toxins in Sangze’s body. That way, Sangze’s health would no longer be threatened by the poison.

“Little Demon, there shouldn’t be any danger over there, right?”

“Tsk, that’s not guaranteed.”

“What?”