The descent from the summit of Sky-Piercer Peak was, in its own way, more treacherous than the climb. Exhaustion weighed heavily on both Lin Fan and Yue Qingqian. Their muscles ached from the hours of exertion in the extreme cold, and the mental strain of the celestial event and the subsequent collection had left their spirits frayed. The Blood Moon's eerie crimson light was gone, but the perpetual storm raged on, and the chaotic energy, though lessened, still swirled unpredictably around the peak.
Lin Fan led the way down, his movements slower now but no less precise. He chose his path carefully, testing each handhold and foothold on the ice-slicked rock, acutely aware that a single mistake could send them plummeting into the abyss below. The wind seemed to take a malicious pleasure in their retreat, slamming into them with renewed ferocity, trying to tear them from the mountainside.
Yue Qingqian followed, her body moving almost on autopilot, her focus narrowed to simply matching her Senior Brother's movements. The precious Ice Jade vials containing the Lunar Essence Dew were secured in a heavily padded pouch inside her innermost robe, close to her body heat to prevent the extreme cold from somehow damaging the unique structure of the Dew. The weight felt immense.
Several times, small icefalls or shifts in the snowpack forced them to halt, clinging precariously to the rock face until the danger passed. Lin Fan's spiritual sense remained on high alert, constantly scanning for larger threats. The high-altitude predator they had detected earlier seemed to have moved on, perhaps satisfied that the peak of the energy event was over, but Lin Fan didn't relax his vigilance. Complacency was a luxury reserved for protagonists destined for heroic deaths.
It took them nearly twice as long to descend as it had to climb. By the time they finally rappelled down the last ice cliff and stumbled back into the relative shelter of the glacial basin, the first hints of dawn were painting the distant eastern clouds, though the basin itself remained trapped in a deep, cold twilight.
They collapsed into the shallow snow trench they had dug, sheer exhaustion overwhelming them. Lin Fan immediately consumed a high-grade recovery pill, his face pale and drawn. He passed one to Yue Qingqian.
"Drink snowmelt," he rasped, his throat raw from the thin, cold air. "Replenish fluids. We rest for one hour. No more."
While Yue Qingqian used a low-level heat talisman to melt some packed snow in a small metal cup, Lin Fan carefully took out the Ice Jade vials. He inspected each one minutely. The luminous, silvery liquid within remained stable, radiating a gentle, pure yin energy. The seals were intact. He nodded slightly, securing them once more. They had succeeded in the collection.
However, as he sat there, catching his breath, a faint unease prickled at the edge of his senses. The chaotic energy around the peak, while weaker than during the conjunction, hadn't dissipated as quickly as he'd expected based on the ancient texts. It felt… agitated. Restless. Like a beast disturbed from its slumber and taking a long time to settle back down.
He extended his spiritual sense cautiously, scanning the basin and the surrounding cliffs. He didn't detect any specific threats, but the background energy felt wrong, subtly dissonant. It was like listening to an instrument slightly out of tune.
"Something's not right," he murmured, his eyes scanning the ice walls. "The energy… it's too unstable. We can't stay here."
Yue Qingqian, who had just managed a few sips of lukewarm water, looked at him, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "What is it?"
"I don't know," Lin Fan admitted, already beginning to repack their gear with renewed urgency. "Maybe a delayed reaction to the celestial event. Maybe something was disturbed deeper within the mountain. Whatever it is, this basin isn't safe. We leave now."
The prospect of immediate flight after the grueling climb and descent was daunting, but neither of them questioned the decision. Lin Fan's instincts for danger were their most reliable guide.
Minutes later, they were back in the air, launching themselves from the basin's edge and climbing rapidly towards the Cloud Sea boundary. The Wind-Breaking Amulets strained against the turbulent air. Flying felt even harder now, their spiritual energy reserves significantly depleted.
They broke through the cloud layer and began the long, arduous journey back towards the sect's territory, the vast, churning sea of white stretching endlessly below them. The untamed peaks stood like silent, judgmental sentinels around them.
Finally, after what felt like another lifetime of battling wind and exhaustion, the familiar silhouette of the sect's tamed mountain ranges appeared on the horizon. A wave of profound relief, stronger than any Lin Fan had allowed himself to feel before, washed over him.
They descended below the Cloud Sea, the air growing warmer, the spiritual energy becoming richer and more stable. They flew low and fast, taking the final leg of the journey back to the Ninth Peak.
When they finally landed, stumbling with fatigue, in their own quiet courtyard, the familiar sight of their simple huts and the peacefully slumbering form of Daoist Wuwei in the rocking chair felt like arriving in paradise.
Lin Fan immediately secured the precious Ice Jade vials alongside the other critical components in his heavily shielded storage. He turned to Yue Qingqian, noting her pale face and the tremors of exhaustion running through her.
"Report to Elder Liu tomorrow," he instructed, his voice thick with weariness. "Tell him you successfully 'listened' to the whispers of forgotten things and achieved profound balance. Then… request a month of secluded meditation to 'consolidate your gains'. We both need it."
He didn't wait for a reply, simply turned and staggered into his own hut, sealing the door behind him. The adrenaline finally faded, leaving behind an exhaustion so deep it felt like it reached his very soul. They had the materials. But the cost had been immense. And the construction, the final race against time, still lay ahead.