While traveling further into the Molten Sea might provide valuable insights, it was also likely to provoke unwanted responses. If the groups associated with Gesine had forgotten about their losses, it was better to leave things that way. Without knowing the full extent of associations, it was too much risk.
Traveling further than the Burning Delta would require specialized knowledge or proper ships, which was a far greater investment of time and resources. No doubt John would find it worthwhile some day, but for the moment the Six Elements Crossroads would be gaining sufficient practice where they were.
After the battle with the lava turtle, John focused more on improving his understanding of the Molten Sea itself. Whatever the source of its power was likely deep below, but observing the way it behaved would reveal useful insights related to the overlapping effects of spiritual energy.
John had long been aware that various elements tended to bleed into each other. That did not make the elements any less real, it simply meant that purely rigid thinking would limit a cultivator. That might be especially true for those who practiced only a single element, as they would miss out on various methods of control if they were unwilling to try new things.
The insights John himself could achieve in a short time weren’t likely to be extraordinary, but the visit was more valuable for lower ranking disciples, or even those who were the most experienced, having reached the Consolidated Soul Phase. John wasn’t trying to make any huge leaps with just this, but instead to take in the overall journey and secure the first step into the late Ascending Soul Phase.
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The return journey from the Molten Sea brought the group back through the Encapsulated Flow. Water cultivators were no doubt going to benefit the most from the current leg of the journey, because the Molten Sea, Encapsulated Flow, and the Frozen Heights were all water element dominant regions. The Frozen Heights were their current target, and though they had a frosty relationship with the Winding River Sect, Sekar had been able to provide some valuable maps of the various passes into the mountains.
They would be approaching the Frozen Heights just on the tail end of winter, and while that was not the optimal time of year there wasn’t particularly a good one. The climate there only ranged between more frozen and less frozen. Hopefully, people brought some warm jackets.
“Alright everyone,” John said as they came to the foot of the mountains from which the Encapsulated Flow got its many rivers. “Remember to keep careful track of your group. If we end up in a storm, we need to make sure everyone has partners of relevant elements. Fire cultivators to provide heat, water cultivators to dry everyone. Air cultivators, temper the winds and keep the visuals clear. Earth cultivators, be prepared to create emergency shelter. We should be able to feel each other’s spiritual energy, but I’m not interested in losing anyone for the sake of ‘realistic training’.”
Even if people could cover multiple elements they were assigned to a group of four, and John himself was no different. Those with him might think they would have the easiest time, but he would be supplementing their efforts only as necessary.
John ended up with two Soul Expansion Phase cultivators- Tlaloc from the Shimmering Islands and Rachana who cultivated the minor cycle associated with light. Then there was one more, Christoforo, who was in the late Foundation Phase with a pure darkness cultivation. Disciples were not required to practice multiple elements, just encouraged to strongly consider it. If they didn’t choose to try to practice a cycle, that required a conscious choice.
Many darkness cultivators used quick weapons to take advantage of darkness’ deceptive abilities, but Christoforo carried a battle axe that was less swift than typical options. However, if he could manage to land a single blow to his enemies he was quite effective.
Against cold and wind, however, he was not particularly effective. As John led the way through his chosen pass into the mountains, the man was only able to insulate himself against the rapidly deteriorating weather.
The other two were able to insulate the group more efficiently with air and fire, with Tlaloc whisking away any water that clung to them. They included John in their efforts while John focused on the path in front of them- and most importantly making it a path.
The snows were deep, and even though they traveled atop the most densely packed snow, the more recent loose snowfall atop that was more than head height. John’s efforts were focused on pushing aside the snow and creating an easier trail for those who followed. His feet tested the ground beneath, making sure there were no pitfalls for those coming after.
The leaders of the following groups should be focusing on keeping track of their own groups and the trailing member of the one in front of them. So far, that wasn’t necessary as the skies were clear- but if a storm came they might only be able to see people at arm’s length. With intense water elemental spiritual energy, it could be possible to lose track of the others.
In theory, at least. In practice, it would be difficult for anyone to lose track of John if he was attempting to make himself known. And he did, both for those following him and for any cultivators ahead. He didn’t wish to sneak up on the mountainous sects, as startled cultivators might act rashly.
At the end of the first day of travel, they picked out an area on the leeward side of a cliff and set up a camp, complete with ice walls. Something like igloos, but without carved blocks of ice. Instead, the water cultivators simply condensed the snow into proper ice, attaching their half dome to the stone cliff. They of course made certain to leave a hole for smoke to escape as they began to heat the area.
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There was very little fuel to be had locally, but they had acquired some dried firewood in the Encapsulated Flow that they carried in their storage bags along with other supplies. It wasn’t strictly necessary, as they had fire cultivators who could cook everything and heat the area, but it was best to ease the burdens on everyone.
-----
In the morning, they awoke to see that a storm had dumped a meter of snow atop their shelter- something easily enough managed- and that two people were missing. Their groups reported that as they were forming up and about to head out.
“Who saw them last?” John asked, looking around. One disciple caught his eye. “Did you see either of them?”
The woman tensed. “I saw them sneak away, but I thought they were back already when my watch ended.”
“Together?”
“Well…” she shrugged.
John sighed. “If people wanted privacy they should have added to our shelter. I’ll go look for them. Hopefully they weren’t stupid enough to go particularly far.”
Two cultivators could have snuck off quite a distance even through dense snow, especially if it was before the storm. Their passage might have left signs, though. There wouldn’t be any footprints given the massive amount of new snow, but there could be other signs.
John pushed his way out of the shelter, his senses slipping through the snow to feel for… anything. It was difficult to sense through any material particularly far, and with the many individual particles of snow it was even more so. Except… why should it be? John could sense through the air just fine. And water. Liquid water, but still. Was it so different what state of matter things were in?
He had more experience sensing underground than through snow, but they should be quite similar. And if he tuned out the water element… there was nothing for over a hundred meters. Except their own camp and the cliff, and somewhere around ten meters below them the actual surface of the ground.
John tried to remember which elements the two were. The pair were… Fedel and Chi. Fire and Earth, if he recalled correctly. He could at least keep track of that much for people on the same expedition, even if he didn’t have a personal connection to every disciple.
At least he wasn’t likely to miss them. If there was a fire cultivator… he sensed for any concentrations of ice. Footprints, buried under the new layer of snow. Eventually, he found some irregularities that he followed after digging himself to the surface. This wasn’t time for him to practice snow swimming techniques.
If the two were lucky, the storm was the only thing that got to them. It was likely even two weaker disciples could survive overnight in the cold. They weren’t even in the coldest part of the mountains yet, after all.
The trail continued for a good kilometer, winding around ravines. It was a good thing they’d paid attention to their feet, or they could have fallen into a crevasse. It took John about twenty minutes to finally sense a weak flicker of spiritual elements.
Creating a whirlwind, John blew away layers of snow, revealing an icy shell surrounding two huddled figures. Heat flared around him as he walked up to it and cracked it with his fist, shoving chunks to the side.
His hands reached out, grabbing the two by the throats. Heat flowed into them from his hands, and air was forced into their lungs. They coughed and sputtered, their skin blueish. John dangled them upright until they got their footing.
“If either of you pull anything like this again you’re expelled from the sect and we’re leaving you behind,” John said. “You two do realize your body warmth would have been more or less sufficient on its own? You didn’t have to burn through your spiritual energy. And I realize that neither of you are air cultivators, but you do have to breathe. Next time leave room for that.”
John had already had his say by the time the two of them could talk. They looked properly dejected as he pushed them ahead of him towards the rest of the expedition, shamefully walking into view of everyone.
“These two are transferred to my group. That still leaves Chi’s group with four, right? Tlaloc can replace Fedel,” John declared. The group leaders nodded. They happened to be some of the odd ones out with a greater number, since the group hadn’t been perfectly divisible. “Good. Then we’re leaving.”
John did shove food into the arms of the two lovers, which they ate in a daze, having hardly slept. For the duration of the morning, Rachana was busy keeping their group somewhat warm, with John responsible for keeping them dry as he led the pack.
When they stopped for lunch, the two immediately fell asleep. They got a good half hour of rest before the group was moving again.
As they continued into the afternoon, John began to hear something up ahead. It was an irregular sound, but he couldn’t quite tell what it was until they rounded a bend in the pass. There, the overhanging cliff was dangling with thousands of icicles, some of which were cracking off in the midday sun.
John watched as one fell, accelerating until it pierced through the snow, disappearing into nothing. They couldn’t avoid the area without wandering off track, and John didn’t like the idea of becoming lost. Even if they could climb… not all of them were up to the task- and he didn’t just mean the two sleepy fools.
“Keep your eyes up!” John said. “We’ve got clear skies and spikes of ice. Remember to protect your group.”
Keeping his senses above and below- because he didn’t want anyone to get dropped into the snow- John continued forward, doing his best to create a trail by acting as a snowplow. He wasn’t just responsible for his own group, but also for all of the disciples. That was made most clear when a group halfway back missed an incoming spear of ice.
John’s spiritual energy was already raised as they moved along, and he focused water and earth into the snow next to the disciples, sending a burst of power to smash into the incoming projectile, causing it to explode all over the group. They wouldn’t sustain any injuries from that, but it would certainly catch their attention.
“Pay attention!” John warned, his echoing voice causing a few more icicles to fall early- though most of them fell safely away from the group.
If anyone had suggested that they just knock down the icicles before they went under, John would have gladly let them do so. But everyone seemed more inclined to be reactive rather than proactive. Except for the two exhausted individuals in the front group who could barely keep their eyes open as they trudged forward.
