The Third Demon-Suppressing Pass

The Demon-Suppressing Pass lay south of Cuckoo County. Patriarch Kong Changgeng piloted a Feather Boat from Peacock Ridge, carrying Kong Wenxuan straight south.

Kong Wenxuan stood aboard the Feather Boat and looked down. Most of what he saw along the way consisted of hills, peaks, and mountain ranges. The farther south they flew, the denser the mountain ranges became and the higher the peaks rose.

The southern Vermilion Bird Domain was dominated by mountain terrain, and the bloodline lineages living there mostly possessed avian bloodlines. The few that did not possessed the bloodlines of beasts that preferred to live among mountains.

On some of the hills and peaks they passed, they often saw settlements belonging to bloodline lineages. All those living there belonged to the servant-cultivator lineages of the Du Household of the Cuckoo True Spirit.

Since they had plenty of time, the patriarch did not drive the Feather Boat at full speed. Instead, he explained what lay below along the way to Kong Wenxuan as they flew.

He pointed out which bloodline lineage lived on each hill, which of the Du Household's servant-cultivator lineages occupied each peak, which of these bloodline lineages were on good terms with the Kong Household, and which had conflicts of interest with them.

He also explained which roads ran between the hills, peaks, and mountain ranges, and which routes offered safer passage between the lineage's home and the Demon-Suppressing Pass.

Although the Kong Household had a second-tier Feather Boat, and its members traveled between their home at Peacock Ridge and the Demon-Suppressing Pass aboard it most of the time, there was no guarantee that an emergency would not arise. If someone had to hurry back to the lineage from the Demon-Suppressing Pass without time to wait for the lineage's Feather Boat to pick them up, they would have to take the roads below on their own.

So they might never need to use the roads through the mountains below, but they had to know how to navigate them.

Standing aboard the Feather Boat, Kong Wenxuan looked at the roads winding through the mountains below and often saw groups traveling along them. They carried all kinds of resources and goods, trading with the bloodline lineages among the mountains. Their final destination was likewise the Demon-Suppressing Pass to the south. After trading the last of their supplies at the pass, they would turn back with what they had obtained there.

Among the Du Household's many servant-cultivator lineages in Cuckoo County, quite a few had such traveling merchant groups. Making one or two trips along the trade routes each year earned them considerable resources and wealth.

The Kong Household, however, had its Feather Boat to transport and trade supplies between the lineage's home, the Demon-Suppressing Pass, and Cuckoo County City, so it had not formed a dedicated traveling merchant group.

Before long, the day had passed. With the patriarch deliberately keeping the Feather Boat's speed down, they had flown only a little over five hundred li. As the sun sank in the west and dusk approached, Kong Wenxuan saw a small, lively town ahead, nestled between three mountains.

"This is Second Town. We'll stay here tonight and continue to the Demon-Suppressing Pass tomorrow."

Second Town's full name was Second Demon-Subduing Town. As the name suggested, it had grown from the second Demon-Suppressing Pass.

The Du Household had begun expanding Cuckoo County, which it ruled, southward three hundred years ago. Over those three centuries, it had extended its territory nearly two thousand li south and built three Demon-Suppressing Passes in total.

The first Demon-Suppressing Pass stood on the southern border of Cuckoo County's original thousand-li expanse and had since developed into First Town. Second Town had grown from the second Demon-Suppressing Pass, which the Du Household had built after expanding its territory by a thousand li.

The Kong Household's ancestral land at Peacock Ridge lay between First Town and Second Town. Kong Household cultivators had to pass through First Town to reach Cuckoo County City, and through Second Town to reach the Demon-Suppressing Pass.

The present Demon-Suppressing Pass was the third the Du Household had built. It lay a thousand li south of Second Town, in territory gained over the past century and more by the servant-cultivator lineages under the Du Household's leadership.

The Kong Household had also taken part in the Du Household's war of expansion back then and earned some merit. Only then had it received Peacock Ridge from the Du Household as its ancestral land, allowing it to survive and develop within the territory controlled by Cuckoo County.

The Du Household had expanded its territory in order to advance to an Eighth-Grade True Spirit lineage.

A Ninth-Grade True Spirit lineage could control a lower county spanning a thousand li, while an Eighth-Grade True Spirit lineage could control a middle county spanning three thousand li.

The Du Household was a Ninth-Grade True Spirit lineage. To advance to the Eighth-Grade True Spirit rank, it needed to raise the Cuckoo True Spirit Star by one rank and nurture a third-tier Purple Mansion Stage cultivator.

There were many requirements and methods for advancing a True Spirit Star and its bloodline.

One method was to expand its territory. If the Du Household could extend its control to three thousand li before attempting to raise its True Spirit Star to the Eighth-Grade True Spirit rank, meeting the minimum territorial requirement for an Eighth-Grade True Spirit lineage, it would provide a measure of help when the Cuckoo True Spirit Star attempted to become an Eighth-Grade True Spirit.

Such help might be limited, but when a True Spirit Star and a True Spirit lineage sought to advance in rank, they would not pass up even the slightest bit of help.

Over the past three hundred years, the Du Household had expanded its territory by two thousand li. Adding the thousand li Cuckoo County had originally controlled, the territory the Du Household now controlled could be said to have reached the required three-thousand-li span.

From this, one could also deduce that the Du Household was probably not far from attempting to become an Eighth-Grade True Spirit lineage.

It was simply unknown when exactly it would make that attempt.

Kong Wenxuan and the patriarch rested in Second Town for the night. After daybreak the next morning, they boarded the Feather Boat and continued south. This time, they intended to fly all the way to the Demon-Suppressing Pass, a thousand li away, in one stretch, so the patriarch increased the Feather Boat's speed somewhat, to roughly twice its speed the previous day.

The journey took another full day. When the sun sank in the west once more, the Demon-Suppressing Pass appeared before them.

The Third Demon-Suppressing Pass had been built between two mountain peaks. It was far more prosperous and lively than Second Town, where they had rested the day before.

At the same time, the Du Household's troops were stationed at the Demon-Suppressing Pass, and even before drawing close, they could feel a grim, murderous atmosphere rushing toward them.

While they were still more than ten li from the Demon-Suppressing Pass, Patriarch Kong Changgeng landed the Feather Boat. He then put it away and led Kong Wenxuan toward the pass on foot.

The Du Household had decreed that the area within ten li of the Demon-Suppressing Pass was a no-fly zone. Only the Du Household's flying boats could fly directly into the pass. Any other lineage's flying boat, flying Law Artifact, or cultivator flying under their own power would be attacked outright by the Demon-Suppressing Pass upon entering the ten-li perimeter, regardless of whether they lived or died.

This was undoubtedly to better guard the Demon-Suppressing Pass and prevent enemies from approaching and attacking it from the air.