Chapter 464: Top Pass is Too Dangerous

Held in hand, the feather appeared dull and lusterless, having lost the spiritual energy infused by Qiu Feng. It radiated no heat and lacked the heart-palpitating demonic power it had moments before. It seemed so ordinary that one could easily mistake it for a wild bird's feather simply colored with pigment.

Despite its lifeless appearance, the feather left Ji Yuan with a lingering sense of dread. He slowly stretched, then subtly took a deep breath before carefully infusing it with his spiritual energy and magic.

A faint warmth reappeared, and the feather's color brightened to a golden-red with a subtle luster. Yet, beyond that, there seemed to be nothing remarkable. The slight warmth it emitted was insufficient even for winter heating, far less effective than a charcoal brazier.

However, this same feather, which seemed to carry 'no demonic aura' to onlookers, felt 'scalding hot' to Ji Yuan, as if he could barely keep his grip. A horrifying demonic energy surged from it; had Ji Yuan not possessed extraordinary composure, his hand would surely have reacted instinctively.

After experiencing it for merely three breaths, Ji Yuan immediately dispelled the spiritual energy from the feather.

“Phew…”

Letting out a soft breath, Ji Yuan finally tucked the feather into his sleeve. In that moment, he even felt a psychological heaviness, as if the light feather had added significant weight to his arm.

Qiu Feng observed the magic coins in the vendor’s hand, as the vendor meticulously cast spells to examine them. Ju Yuanzi, meanwhile, had kept his attention on Ji Yuan, noticing the shift in his expression from grave concern to relief.

Ji Yuan typically presented a calm and unruffled demeanor to Ju Yuanzi, so such an overtly serious expression was rare on his face.

‘So, that feather is highly problematic?’

This was both Ju Yuanzi’s question and his conclusion. However, this was not the right place for such a discussion. He planned to ask Ji Yuan about it privately, confident that Ji Yuan would share the details if it was appropriate.

Once Ji Yuan had put the feather away, Ju Yuanzi’s attention naturally shifted to the magic coins in the vendor’s hand.

Qiu Feng watched the vendor, a cultivation practitioner, whose face was alight with uncontrollable joy. Though he knew he could ask Ji Yuan about it later, curiosity prompted him to inquire.

“My friend, you’ve just acquired these two magic coins, and Mr. Ji hasn’t explained their use in detail. Why are you so pleased? Have you already figured them out?”

The vendor didn’t appear to have a particularly high cultivation level, not having reached the Chaoyuan realm, which meant he wasn’t qualified to be called a 'True Person.' He might not even have been older than Qiu Feng.

“Hehehe, my friend, it seems you haven’t encountered these 'Magic Coins' before. Hmm, that term is quite brilliant!”

The old cultivator tucked one of the coins into a small pouch at his chest, keeping the other in his palm, where he rubbed it.

“As the name suggests, these 'Magic Coins' encapsulate spells. 'Coin' is a mundane concept, used for trade, but 'magic' is the essence of cultivation, used to manifest divine abilities. From my initial assessment, I know these coins contain pure spiritual spells that can be manipulated by my will. Their applications are boundless! Their power can even reverse fate. For instance, cultivation deviation is perilous, right? But as long as I retain a sliver of clarity in my mind and can deploy a magic coin, I can summon a pure spiritual spell to dispel the evil!”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan cast another glance at the old cultivator. While his cultivation wasn’t outstanding, his insight was quite sharp.

“It seems I need not elaborate, my friend; you already grasp the marvel of these Magic Coins. I will merely add one more reminder: their wondrous effects can be amplified by stacking them.”

The old cultivator paused for a moment, then immediately took out the second magic coin. He stacked them in his palm, closed his eyes to sense them carefully, and then reopened them to look at Ji Yuan.

“Fellow Daoist… no, Senior! Could you spare me more of these Magic Coins? Any spiritual item on this stall that catches your eye can be purchased with them.”

Ji Yuan waved his hand dismissively. While refining Magic Coins wasn't overly difficult, achieving their current perfection wasn’t simple either. There was no point in exchanging them for useless items, especially since Ji Yuan already possessed a multitude of spirits.

As the vendor watched them depart, Ji Yuan, Ju Yuanzi, and Qiu Feng strolled away. Having acquired the feather, Ji Yuan began to explore with far greater intent, his spiritual eye wide open as he traversed the market. He even ventured into buildings established by various cultivation powers, searching for anything exceptional.

As it turned out, nearly everything appeared 'special' to Ji Yuan, given his limited experience. The sheer variety of unusual and peculiar items left him quite bewildered.

He encountered a wide array of spirits, some of which were widely recognized as valuable. These included spiritual entities capable of tending to rare herbs and medicines, preventing their decay, as well as spirits that could aid in regulating one’s state of mind.

Spirits that guarded rare herbs were particularly uncommon. Such herbs and medicines had extremely stringent environmental requirements and were quite fragile compared to other spiritual items, often attracting birds and beasts to consume them or evil entities to covet them.

For certain natural spiritual herbs to flourish, they either required the care of special spirits or constant vigilance from demonic beasts. The common trope of a mortal falling off a cliff and stumbling upon a Vermillion Fruit would surely demand extraordinary luck.

While these sights captivated Ji Yuan, they were merely commonplace items within the cultivation world and paled in comparison to the peculiar feather.

Upon exiting a building called the 'Spiritual Treasure Pavilion,' Ji Yuan and his companions encountered the six individuals they had escorted up the mountain earlier, accompanied by the young cultivator.

They had clearly spotted Ji Yuan and Ju Yuanzi too, calling out with expressions of delight.

“Immortal Ji, Immortal Ju, you’re here as well?”

“It truly is the two Immortals, ha-ha *burp*!”

The group greeted them excitedly, with one person even letting out a prolonged burp.

Noticing Ji Yuan, Ju Yuanzi, and Qiu Feng, the young cultivator promptly bowed slightly and cupped his hands in a respectful greeting.

“Greetings, three Seniors!”

He couldn’t discern the cultivation levels of any of the three. They had previously guided the six individuals up the mountain, and their serene, fresh aura suggested they were truly accomplished cultivators of the immortal path.

“No need for such formality. You’re doing well too,” Ji Yuan said to the young cultivator, also signaling to the six preparing to bow that they needn't prostrate themselves. Noticing the greasy sheen around their mouths, he surmised they were doing quite well.

Perhaps influenced by Ji Yuan’s amiable and refreshing aura, the girl who had questioned the young cultivator at dinner suddenly spoke up again, as if divinely inspired.

“Immortal Ji, Immortal Ju, there was a strange person holding a peach blossom branch who kept smiling at us. He didn’t seem benevolent; it was as if he wanted to harm us…”

The young cultivator was somewhat speechless. He had only described the person as eerie, with no confirmed intent to harm. Moreover, casually appealing to Immortals they had only met once was unusual; in the mortal world, cultivators might intervene upon hearing such pleas from commoners encountering evil. But here, seeing anything strange was unremarkable.

Ji Yuan’s reaction, however, surprised the young cultivator. His usually downcast eyes widened slightly as he surveyed the six individuals and the young cultivator, then nodded.

“I’ve also seen the person you describe. They are indeed quite malevolent. ‘Peach blossoms with blood-red blush, deathly aura entwined with branches, smiling at mortals’—I’m unsure how such a sinister entity managed to enter Summit Ferry.”

As Ji Yuan spoke, a blue-white light materialized around him, and the Green Vine Sword subtly took form, startling Qiu Feng.

“Mr. Ji, you cannot! Fighting is forbidden at Summit Ferry; even True Immortals are not permitted to act impulsively!”

Ju Yuanzi, however, remained unfazed. Instead, he stroked his beard and asked with a smile,

“Is that so, True Person Qiu? What if a True Immortal master were to intervene?”

“Well…”

Qiu Feng instinctively glanced at Ji Yuan and the manifested immortal sword. While True Immortals had never acted at Summit Ferry, if one were to truly intervene, would Moon Deer Mountain dare to utter a peep?

The most probable outcome would be an 'investigation to ascertain the truth,' with a True Immortal master dispelling the malevolent entity. Regardless of whether a True Immortal’s actions were right or wrong, those capable of being called True Immortals surely possessed pure Dao hearts and unblemished minds, seeing things more clearly than the Moon Deer Mountain cultivators at Summit Ferry.

However, this was merely the Green Vine Sword reacting on its own, signifying the immortal sword's aversion to that malevolent energy. Encircling the sword, its verdant vines nurtured vital and harmonious energy, naturally clashing with the aura of the person holding the peach blossom branch.

But this didn’t mean Ji Yuan intended to act immediately. Merely seeing someone didn’t warrant annihilating them at Summit Ferry.

Thus, Ji Yuan gently stroked the Green Vine Sword, causing its vine branches and tender buds to unfurl.

“Rest easy.”

As his words settled, the sharp intent emanating from the immortal sword, perceptible only to Ji Yuan and Ju Yuanzi, dissipated. Ji Yuan grasped the sword horizontally in his left hand and made a sweeping gesture with his right, a wave of clear energy passing over the six individuals in front of him. Two of them visibly shivered.

“There’s nothing serious to worry about now.”

Having spoken, Ji Yuan looked towards the outer peak’s port, gazing at the immense Sky-Devouring Beast in the distance. He hadn’t sensed the aura of the person with the peach blossom branch during his stroll earlier, concluding they had either left Summit Ferry or already boarded the 'ship'.

A short while later, the six individuals were naturally overjoyed to learn that Ji Yuan and the others would also be taking the same flying boat to Hengzhou in the Northern Reaches, departing with smiles on their faces.

Meanwhile, on the Sky-Devouring Beast, near its tail, a figure huddled, wrapped in a large animal hide, shivering violently.

‘I didn’t do anything, nothing at all. Oh my, what was that chill in my spiritual mind just now…’

The man, who resembled a teenager, clutched the peach blossom branch tightly. When he looked down, he noticed a petal on one of the peach blossoms had split open, the cut incredibly smooth, as if sliced by a sword.

‘Heavens… what was that… Summit Ferry is far too dangerous…’

Two days later, the roar of the Sky-Devouring Beast echoed throughout Summit Ferry. For the colossal beast, two days was but a brief nap. As it moved across the sky, it once again stirred fierce winds around the entire Summit Ferry area.

Less than half a day after the Sky-Devouring Beast departed, a colossal flying boat with golden sails approached Summit Ferry. Naturally, compared to the Sky-Devouring Beast, this flying boat resembled a child’s toy.