Divine Feather Peak

Ye Fei discovered that cultivating with Azure Cloud Pills raised his cultivation several times faster than using Spirit Stones.

"Just one pill could match several days of grueling cultivation?"

Looking at the Azure Cloud Pill in his hand, Ye Fei could scarcely believe it.

For the first time, he had tasted the sweetness of cultivating with pills.

It looks like I'll have to study the Dao of Alchemy properly from now on.

Ye Fei silently made up his mind.

Jiang Mengyun had given him quite a few Azure Cloud Pills, so he sat cross-legged on the ground and threw himself into cultivation.

Time flew, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

When Ye Fei opened his eyes again, a sharp gleam flashed through them.

As he released his Divine Sense, everything within a fifteen-zhang radius appeared in his mind.

"I've already reached the peak of the qi refining ninth layer?"

Ye Fei stood up and felt the changes in his body, still finding it hard to believe.

In just two months, with the help of the Azure Cloud Pills, he had advanced to the peak of the qi refining ninth layer.

He was now only one step away from foundation establishment.

According to Jiang Mengyun, once he entered the Divine Feather Secret Realm and consumed mortal-cleansing herb, he could attempt foundation establishment.

"Once you reach foundation establishment, you may formally become my disciple."

For some reason, Ye Fei suddenly recalled what Luo Ying had told him back then.

Become your disciple?

Ye Fei's eyes narrowed involuntarily.

By blood, Luo Ying was his aunt. Logically, she ought to have been close to him.

Yet reality was the exact opposite.

Ever since he joined the Free and Easy Gate, Luo Ying had never cared whether he lived or died.

What kind of aunt was that?

Is there some secret here that I don't know about?

Recalling the Jade Plaque he had given Luo Ying, Ye Fei found that thought rising in his mind for no apparent reason.

I'll see once I reach foundation establishment.

Casting aside his tangled thoughts, Ye Fei forced himself to calm down.

Then, with a thought, he left the Azure Dragon Sword.

After tending the Herb Garden once more, he went to the entrance of Jiang Mengyun's cave abode.

With Jiang Mengyun's permission, Ye Fei entered the Earthfire Chamber he had used before.

He began trying to refine various pills.

There were no shortcuts on the Dao of Alchemy. Only through constant practice and gradually gaining proficiency could one refine higher-quality pills.

But more practice meant consuming more spirit medicines.

For other cultivators, that might have been an unbearable expense.

Ye Fei, however, had no such fear. The heaven-defying Azure Dragon Medicine Field gave him an inexhaustible supply of spirit medicines.

After tending Jiang Mengyun's Herb Garden for so long, he had already collected plenty of spirit medicine seeds of various grades.

Many had already grown into mature plants in the Azure Dragon Medicine Field.

There were even supreme-grade spirit medicines among them.

He therefore had no shortage whatsoever of spirit medicines to practice with.

A month later, as his proficiency steadily improved, Ye Fei successfully refined his first batch of Qi-Replenishing Pills, becoming a true Low-Grade Spirit Pill Alchemist.

The Qi-Replenishing Pills and Skin Refining Pills Ye Fei had refined before had belonged only to the category of treasure pills, not true spirit pills.

These Qi-Replenishing Pills, however, were genuine low-grade spirit pills.

They were commonly used by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators to restore true qi.

"Martial Nephew Ye, come out for a moment."

After Ye Fei successfully refined the Qi-Replenishing Pills, Jiang Mengyun called him out from outside.

"What are your instructions, Uncle-Master Jiang?"

Standing before Jiang Mengyun in the sitting room, Ye Fei asked respectfully.

"Did you acquire a Yinluo Banner back then?"

Jiang Mengyun asked with a smile.

"A Yinluo Banner?"

"Do you mean this?"

With a thought, Ye Fei took out a black banner.

It was precisely the banner he had obtained from Liu Yishan.

"That's the one."

Jiang Mengyun nodded.

"What use does it have?"

Ye Fei asked in puzzlement.

"When the time comes to obtain the God-Devouring Zhi, this Yinluo Banner will be crucial."

Jiang Mengyun explained.

"But this is an evil artifact."

Ye Fei could not help frowning.

He had never imagined that this evil artifact could play such an important role.

"Though it is an evil artifact, it is also the bane of low-level yin souls."

"If you have time, refine it beforehand. Although you won't be able to wield it fully, you can still make some use of it in the Divine Feather Secret Realm."

Jiang Mengyun said, pointing at the Yinluo Banner.

"You should take it instead, Uncle-Master Jiang. I don't particularly like this thing."

Ye Fei handed the Yinluo Banner straight to Jiang Mengyun.

"In that case, I'll accept it. You can simply come with me when the time comes."

Jiang Mengyun did not decline and took it at once.

"There's only a month left before the secret realm opens. If you have time, you should visit Divine Feather Peak."

"Get to know some of the sect's elite disciples there. Once you're in the secret realm, you can look out for one another."

After putting away the Yinluo Banner, Jiang Mengyun spoke again.

"Will many disciples from our Free and Easy Gate be entering the Divine Feather Secret Realm?"

Ye Fei asked curiously.

"You'll know when you get there."

"All right, off you go. The Dao of Alchemy is vast and profound. It cannot be mastered overnight."

"In the time you have left, you must improve your abilities as much as possible."

"Danger lurks on every side in the Divine Feather Secret Realm. Every bit of strength you gain will increase your chances of survival."

Rather than answering directly, Jiang Mengyun merely gave a mysterious smile and sent Ye Fei out.

Helpless, Ye Fei could only leave Jiang Mengyun's cave abode, summon his flying sword, and fly toward Divine Feather Peak.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Ye Fei landed atop a mountain roughly five hundred zhang high.

This was Divine Feather Peak.

Though it was not tall, its summit was exceptionally broad.

A vast circular square lay here, called Divine Feather Square.

The square was over three hundred zhang in diameter and could accommodate more than ten thousand people at once.

It was also where disciples of the Free and Easy Gate usually sparred.

At that moment, several dozen pairs of white-robed disciples were exchanging blows.

At a rough count, Ye Fei found that every one of these disciples was in late-stage qi refining.

Twenty of them were actually at the same cultivation level as him-the qi refining ninth layer.

The others were no weaklings either. More than thirty were at the qi refining eighth layer, and over twenty were at the qi refining seventh layer.

There were more than eighty of them altogether, which surprised Ye Fei.

Could all these disciples be entering the Divine Feather Secret Realm?

Ye Fei speculated.

If the Free and Easy Gate alone had so many disciples participating, how many would there be across the entire Divine Feather Kingdom?

A thousand?

Probably even more.

If someone obtained the God-Devouring Zhi and the others happened to find out, what would happen?

A thousand people attacking one?

If that happened, death would be the only outcome.

Once that person died, what would happen to the second person who obtained the God-Devouring Zhi?

After the second died, what about the third?

Would there be a fourth, or a fifth?

The mere thought made Ye Fei's scalp prickle.

This Divine Feather Secret Realm was plainly a meat grinder for human lives.

In that brief span, Ye Fei had realized just how dangerous the Divine Feather Secret Realm was.

While Ye Fei's thoughts churned, a round-faced fat man at the qi refining eighth layer walked toward him.

"My name is Du Yuan. Senior Brother, I don't believe I've seen you before?"

Coming up to Ye Fei, Du Yuan cupped his hands and spoke politely.

"My name is Ye Fei. I've been guarding the Herb Garden on Jade Maiden Peak and haven't been out before."

Ye Fei returned the greeting.

"That explains it."

"Senior Brother Ye, are you entering the Divine Feather Secret Realm this time as well?"

Du Yuan asked.

"Yes."

"Are all these people entering the Divine Feather Secret Realm this time too?"

Ye Fei nodded, then pointed at the others in the square as he asked.

"Du Yuan, get over here. I happen to have some time on my hands, and I'd like to play with you again."

Before Du Yuan could answer, a handsome young man in white spoke to him in a sinister tone from nearby.