The distance of dozens of miles was but an hour or two for flying beasts that could travel hundreds, or even thousands, of miles a day.
This was still without Elder Hong Tian deliberately speeding up the flight, as they were cruising at high altitude. If they had pushed their limits, the journey would likely have been even shorter.
As the enormous flying beast descended outside the market town, it immediately attracted many gazes. Furthermore, disciples of the Nine Xuan Sect were seen hurrying towards their location at top speed.
This group of disciples numbered nine, originating from the nine core inheritances, all elite disciples from various peaks. The oldest among them was no more than forty or fifty years old.
The lowest cultivation among them was at the mid-stage of the second realm, while the leader, a captain, had already reached the late stage of the second realm.
"Elder Hong!"
As the nine approached, the middle-aged man at the forefront immediately cupped his fists in greeting.
Although among immortals, scholars, and other cultivators, bowing was the common form of greeting, prolonged experience in the outside world inevitably led to adopting some habits of the martial world.
Elder Hong Tian dismounted from the flying beast, pointed to Ji Yuan behind him, and then said to the Nine Xuan Sect disciples before him, "This is an attendant of Xuan Tian Peak. Arrange a superior quiet room for him in the sect's residence within the market town."
The so-called Xuan Tian Peak attendant was the identity Ji Yuan was assigned immediately after passing the Nine Xuan Sect's first trial, which would facilitate his movements both inside and outside the sect.
Upon hearing this, several disciples immediately accepted the order. At the same time, they cast curious glances at the young Taoist standing beside Elder Hong Tian.
As elite disciples of the inner sect, they were naturally aware of Xuan Tian Peak and the Nine Xuan Sect's endeavor to complete its destiny. They also knew that several people were now residing on that transmission peak, which had been uninhabited for years.
And among them was a young Taoist in the second realm, who was leading the effort to bring back the missing destiny that the Nine Xuan Sect had awaited for hundreds of years.
After a few brief instructions, Elder Hong Tian mounted the flying beast and departed. Since Ji Yuan had passed the sect leader's test, it was time to clear out some of the individuals who had been deliberately allowed to infiltrate.
"This... fellow cultivator, please follow me."
The team captain, the middle-aged man appearing to be in his forties, spoke.
"You may address this poor monk as Ling Yu."
Ji Yuan smiled slightly, immediately understanding the other party's slight awkwardness.
Currently, he was considered part of the Nine Xuan Sect but not quite a disciple. His current identity was only that of the Xuan Tian Peak attendant, which had just been assigned to him.
According to the Nine Xuan Sect's plan, if he could forge a Golden Core in his lifetime and preside over the Xuan Tian lineage, he would officially become a peak master, a disciple of the same generation as the current sect leader.
However, before that, he didn't even possess the status of an ordinary disciple. Although he resided on Xuan Tian Peak, he was temporarily not considered a member of the Nine Xuan Sect.
Precisely because of this, many people were at a loss for how to address him.
"I am Zhou Yan, greetings to fellow cultivator Ling Yu."
The middle-aged man smiled slightly, leading the way and introducing the other eight inner disciples.
As a team responsible for maintaining the safety of the market town, the nine disciples hailed from the nine core inheritances, all being elite inner disciples of their respective peaks. Two of them were even direct disciples of elders at the peak of the third realm.
Such a team was a common configuration for the Nine Xuan Sect. Each peak had its strengths, allowing them to complement each other and handle most situations.
Furthermore, their combined combat strength during cooperation was extremely formidable. Nine cultivators of the second realm working together could even defeat cultivators in the early stage of the third realm.
After Zhou Yan finished introducing the team, they arrived at the Nine Xuan Sect's residence in the area, located near the main gate of the market town, thus requiring no lengthy travel.
This residence occupied a vast area, with layers of courtyards, serving as the living and cultivation space for the disciples stationed there and a place to receive guests from various factions.
Zhou Yan dismissed the other eight disciples and led Ji Yuan deeper into the residence, selecting a quiet and elegant courtyard that did not appear too large.
"This jade token serves as both an entry pass and a means to control the formations of this small courtyard."
He handed over a jade token and explained a few unique incantations.
Ji Yuan nodded, accepted the jade token, and exchanged pleasantries with Zhou Yan.
Although he was very curious about Ji Yuan, Zhou Yan still had duties to attend to. After a few more words, he took his leave.
Once Zhou Yan's figure disappeared, Ji Yuan immediately activated all the formations in the courtyard, even deploying a portable formation of his own. Only then did he push open the door with satisfaction and enter a quiet room.
He sat cross-legged almost eagerly and began circulating the Nine Yuan Heavy Water Scripture. Pure spiritual energy flowed through his meridians.
After a full three days, Ji Yuan let out a long sigh. His spirit, energy, and mind had been restored to their peak state, and his internal injuries had been largely mended, leaving no lingering issues.
The only troublesome aspect was the silver needles within the nine acupoints and the cold, dark energy attached to them.
He now had several options. One was to slowly refine them with spiritual energy. This was the safest method but also the most time-consuming, likely requiring at least one to two months to eliminate the nine silver needles.
Moreover, this would inevitably delay his cultivation and might even lead to a decline.
Another method was to use the secret technique of the Nine Yuan Heavy Water Scripture to inject nine more heavy water pearls into them. This would forcibly destroy the nine silver needles and simultaneously open the nine acupoints.
However, although this method appeared simple, the risks involved were extremely difficult to control. A single misstep could damage his acupoints, requiring even more time to recover.
Furthermore, due to the nature of his cultivation technique, Ji Yuan had not yet accumulated sufficient realm. Forcing this method would inevitably leave him feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
Yet, if successful, the benefits of this approach would be immense, significantly reducing his cultivation efforts.
Suddenly, Ji Yuan's heart stirred, and the cultivation technique he was circulating changed to the general principle of the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture. The water-like, heavy aura on his body receded, replaced by an unfathomable, sky-like presence.
After a moment of contemplation, with a thought, the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda in his dantian transformed into a tiny speck of light and moved rapidly through his physical form. It traversed through layers of obfuscation, finally arriving outside an acupoint filled with cold energy.
He controlled the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda to position itself directly above the acupoint. A vortex then appeared at the pagoda's base, and the spirit-devouring power was unleashed to its fullest.
Streams of black, cold energy rose and flowed into the vortex at the base of the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda.
Ji Yuan's heart filled with joy. In just about a quarter of an hour, the cold energy within the acupoint was completely devoured, and the silver needle, devoid of all spiritual energy, was easily extracted.
An hour later, the troublesome issue that had plagued him was resolved. The cold energy within the remaining eight acupoints was completely removed, and the silver needles embedded within them were successively extracted.
Thus, Ji Yuan's internal injuries were completely healed, and the last lingering concern was perfectly resolved.
"This spirit-devouring power... is it not a bit too formidable?"
Looking at the seven-story small pagoda suspended before him, he couldn't help but murmur.
Simultaneously, his gaze penetrated the azure tower body, focusing on a core bead deep within the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda.
This bead was refined from the demon core of the Scarlet Feather Evil Tiger. After becoming the core of the small pagoda, dozens of precious spiritual materials were continuously fused into it to achieve its current form.
However, there was a distinct trace of discoloration on it, left by the prefect of Luoxia County when he killed the Scarlet Feather Evil Tiger, unable to control his strength.
It was precisely because of this trace that the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda could not unleash its full power. Fortunately, with enough time and various precious spiritual materials, it would eventually be repaired to its original state.
"Choosing the demon core of the Scarlet Feather Evil Tiger back then was truly the right decision!"
Suddenly, Ji Yuan couldn't help but exclaim.
In this battle, the spirit-devouring power of this pagoda had undoubtedly played a significant role. Otherwise, even with his many skills, the outcome might have remained the same, but the injuries he sustained would have been much more severe.
Even after the fierce battle, with his spiritual energy considerably depleted, he was still able to wield six heavy water pearls against his enemies, thanks to the Xuan Tian Spirit Devouring Pagoda, which had absorbed a significant amount of the enemies' spiritual energy and essence.
Moreover, the pagoda itself now contained an extremely dense and pure spiritual energy, originating from the three early-stage second realm cultivators in the lake battle, as well as the nine silver needles and the attached cold energy.
This spiritual energy was countless times purer than that found in the natural world and had undergone preliminary refinement. Ji Yuan could refine it into his own spiritual power at any time if he wished.
However, he did not do so. Instead, he kept it within the first level of the pagoda to nourish the treasure and to be reserved for use when his spiritual energy was severely depleted in the future.
The battle in the lake made him deeply understand one principle: no matter how many skills you possess, or how many treasures you have, if you are not careful, you still risk being killed.
In this battle, even with Ji Yuan's prior arrangements and a series of calculated moves against unsuspecting opponents, he had repeatedly found himself in perilous situations. If he hadn't had numerous treasures and protective techniques, he would likely have been killed.
And he was only facing wild cultivators from mountains and marshes. If he had encountered disciples from renowned sects, even if he ultimately won, the cost would have been far greater.
It was precisely this experience that had completely stripped away a trace of his arrogance.
Previously, after reaching the second realm and defeating six demon cultivators of the Yin Yang Sect, he had become somewhat conceited, believing himself to be a formidable expert.
However, facing three wild cultivators from mountains and marshes in the center of the lake, he finally realized that his cultivation was barely enough to protect himself and far from being a cause for complacency.
"Although my fortune is deep, there are always others in the world who have obtained as much, if not more, good fortune than I have, not to mention countless geniuses..."
Ji Yuan murmured to himself, deeply reflecting on himself.
To be honest, after helping Qian Nishang break a dead end and stirring up trouble in Guanxia City, effortlessly causing the powerful Li family to perish, he had become somewhat self-satisfied.
Now, it seemed he needed to be even more cautious.