Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 349: There’s Always a Higher Mountain

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: There’s Always a Higher Mountain

"There’s something inside the fog?" Everyone was startled, looking upwards for ages, yet they couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Gu Fan smiled faintly, "Why is Yuxueyun Mountain always shrouded in fog? Why does the shape of the fog never change? Perhaps the reason lies here." After these words, Gu Fan pointed upwards.

Luo Jingrong looked a bit troubled, "But we can’t see anything, what exactly is up there?"

At this point, Lin Xi stepped forward, her gaze serene. Her hands slowly lifted and under the propulsion of her magic, the fog above was pushed away, revealing more and more of a huge rock right above their heads.

"What is this?" Everyone was bewildered. Where did such a massive rock come from above the mountain peak? As the fog dissipated, the size of the rock seemed to dwarf the entire peak.

Everyone understood that the rock resembled a floating island hovering above Yuxueyun Mountain. Because it was always shrouded in fog, no one had discovered it until now.

"What is this, the Heavenly Palace?" Du Changhui’s eyes were filled with desire. Such an astounding marvel would surely hide the secret to eternal youth.

The floating island was hovering right above them, but Lin Xi’s magic couldn’t be sustained indefinitely. The fog would gradually gather again, concealing the island.

"There must be a way up, there must be." Gu Fan started searching, the others followed suit, and then Qin Jia discovered a series of steps leading down from the floating island.

"My heavens, hurry up everyone!" Du Changhui was the first to rush over. Upon seeing the staircase, he became invigorated. However, he didn’t immediately ascend, instead, he glanced back.

Gu Fan arrived as well, clearly aware of what Du Changhui was thinking. He then said, "No problem, if you guys are afraid to go up, we can return together. I’m not particularly interested in immortality anyway."

After hearing these words, Du Changhui secretly gritted his teeth. He knew that the first one to ascend was likely to encounter danger, but if no one took the lead, everyone might hesitate.

Lin Xi’s expression remained unchanged. She was the first to step onto the stairs and head upward. She stated indifferently, "My magic won’t last long, the fog will gather again. If you have the guts, come along. If not, go back."

"Who said we’re scared? I’m coming." Upon saying this, Gu Fan immediately took Leng Le’s hand and followed suit.

"Wait for me, don’t rush off, who will protect you?" Su Hui chased after them as she spoke. She was well aware of Gu Fan’s plan. No matter how much Lin Xi exhausted her magic, she would inevitably clear the fog to see the path ahead, so following Lin Xi was the best choice.

Seeing this, Lu Yi, Jie, and Xu Haowen also ascended the stairs. In particular, Lu Yi couldn’t resist looking back and saying, "If you guys don’t seek immortality, we can take your places."

After hearing this, Du Changhui gritted his teeth and saw that Du Jun and Qin Jia had already ascended. He couldn’t help himself any longer and ascended the stairs.

Luo Jingrong, Ouyang Jin, and old man Tian each followed. But with Lin Xi getting further away, the entrance of the staircase started to fog up. Those at the back could barely see where they were stepping. Finally, the person at the back slipped and fell with a grim shriek.

Gu Fan paid no heed. He had already heard numerous such screams, grateful that he made the right decision. Meanwhile, as he climbed the stairs, he felt the stone wall of the floating island, sensing the inner movements.

Lu Yi remarked, "It’s odd, why are the stairs placed outside, making us walk along the cliff? Why not create an entrance in the stone wall and let us enter the island directly? It’s much more dangerous outside."

"Not your doomsaying again." Su Hui had just finished speaking when she felt a strong gust of wind blowing straight against her, almost causing her to lose balance. If she hadn’t held tightly onto the cliff, she would have been blown away and plunged down the stairs.

"That was close." Just as Su Hui was feeling relieved and hadn’t yet fully regained her balance, another gust of wind attacked. She instantly lowered her body, kneeling on one knee to reduce the area exposed to the wind. She barely escape disaster, but screams rang out from behind her.

This was truly a heart-stopping journey. Gu Fan realized these strong winds, one after another, would likely annihilate everyone before they even reached the top. He immediately shouted out, "Old man Tian, use the previous method!"

Old man Tian came forward. He was at the very front and drove a nail into the stone wall, fastening a rope to it.

As they advanced, Gu Fan and the others held onto the rope. When a strong gust of wind blew, they clung tightly to the rope, their legs fiercely digging into the ground, preventing themselves from being blown away.

"Damn it, we need to speed up." Gu Fan felt the cutting wind with every step forward. His breath caught, traversing the path was incredibly difficult. The rope in his hands felt as if it was going to snap under the strain.

Lu Yi couldn’t help but say, "I’m saying, beautiful Lin Xi, you’re supposed to know a lot, right? Can you figure out how to stop the wind?"

"Even though I’m powerful, my magic is limited. Just clearing the fog is a challenge for me." Lin Xi’s statement sank everyone’s spirit. If even Lin Xi was struggling so much, what about the others?

Gu Fan, struggling against the wind, said, "Why do I feel like the higher we go, the stronger the wind? It’s as if some force is preventing us from reaching the top."

When everyone heard this, they felt it was indeed the case. By the time they had advanced another ten steps, the wind grew stronger and several people were blown over, threatening to fall. They clung to the low lifesaving rope, but this time the nail couldn’t bear the load and came loose from the stone wall.

With the situation urgent and everyone struggling to withstand the pressure, no one could save their tumbling companions. They could only watch as they plunged over the cliff while stubbornly hanging onto the rope, thereby adding to the rope’s burden.

When the wind blew, everyone had to resist its force. Everyone had to pull on the rope. The pull was simply too strong. Another nail came loose from the stone wall, the rope lost stability, and those clinging to it were blown over unwillingly.

Gu Fan observed this situation and saw everyone struggling to hold on. He realized he couldn’t stop the nails from coming loose one after another and immediately made a decision, "Everyone, let go of the rope and squat down immediately!"

At Gu Fan’s shout, everyone immediately released the rope in their hands and squatted down together, reducing the area exposed to the wind and thus stabilizing their positions.

Those who had already been blown off and were dangling in mid-air held on to the rope. They desperately called for help from their companions above, some even sobbing.