The air became progressively thinner and the speed was agonizing to Gu Mengmeng. She gripped tightly to Gregory's feathers as her face grew increasingly pale and grim from the lack of oxygen.
Her consciousness gradually faded away until blackness descended completely. Gu Mengmeng fainted.
Her body started to slide off and the moment Gregory felt that movement, he instinctively made a sharp turn and shot downwards to catch Gu Mengmeng.
So as to not hurt her with his sharp claws, he had no choice but to fly horizontally and use his broad back to catch her.
Flying straight up was the simplest and quickest way, but now that she had fainted and was unable to firmly grasp onto his feathers, Gregory had no choice but to ascend the mountain via a circulatory route. This type of flight was much harder than just flying directly upwards. The extended flying distance and harsh weather conditions substantially increased the danger and effort required.