Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Homeward Journey
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In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
During these two days, Ji Chen’s residence was visited by scores of people daily.
The reason was simple: a Second Grade Alchemist at merely eighteen or nineteen; such a person would assuredly become a magnate within the Chu Kingdom.
No one wanted to miss the chance to curry favor with him.
Initially, Ji Chen would meet these people, but gradually, the increasing visits became overwhelming for him.
Helplessly, Ji Chen had to ask for assistance from the Anomaly Pavilion to block these visitors.
On this day, he was already packed and ready to leave Celestial Essence City, intending to return to the Lingyun Sect.
Now that the affairs in Celestial Essence City were concluded, he had no intention to stay any longer.
Li Huayuan and Qin Lan did not accompany him, as they still had matters to attend to in Celestial Essence City.
Thus, Ji Chen was returning to the Lingyun Sect alone this time.
The good news was, after passing the Second Grade examination, Ji Chen gained the attention of the Pill King.
Not only was he rewarded with an Alchemy Furnace from the Pill King, but the Pill King also made an exception by allocating a Flying Demon Beast to Ji Chen from the alliance headquarters.
It should be known that raising such Flying Demon Beasts required great effort from the Alchemy Master Alliance, and a typical Second Grade Alchemist could never hope to acquire one.
But Ji Chen was different; a Second Grade Alchemist not even nineteen years old indicated boundless potential, and naturally, the Alchemy Master Alliance would not be stingy towards such a prodigy.
Early this morning, the Pill King personally delivered the Alchemy Furnace and Flying Demon Beast to Ji Chen.
Ji Chen took the opportunity to bid farewell and expressed his intention to return to the Lingyun Sect.
The Pill King verbally attempted to persuade him to stay a few more days, but Ji Chen declined.
At noon, Ji Chen walked out of the Anomaly Pavilion. With a flip of his hand, a golden Treasure Pearl appeared in his palm.
With a thought, golden light flashed, and a massive Flying Demon Beast emerged from the golden Treasure Pearl.
This was a special Spatial Treasure. Flying Demon Beasts were large in stature, so they were mostly kept within such golden Treasure Pearls.
"Swish!"
Ji Chen exerted his foot, leaping onto the back of the Flying Demon Beast.
This beast had already recognized him as its master, and Ji Chen named it Ao Tian.
Rumor had it that Ao Tian was the offspring of a Cyan Flood Dragon and a Dapeng, so its body resembled a Flood Dragon with massive wings, possessing the speed of a Peng Bird, capable of traveling a thousand miles a day.
Unlike the Flying Demon Beast owned by Qin Lan, Ao Tian’s lineage from the Cyan Flood Dragon and Dapeng made it significantly faster. From Celestial Essence City to the Lingyun Sect, with Ao Tian’s lead, Ji Chen could arrive in no more than two days.
This speed was hardly slower than that of Returning Ruins Realm experts who could fly through the sky.
"Swift!"
The wind-breaking sound echoed as Ji Chen commanded Ao Tian. The beast flapped its massive wings, stirring a wild wind, ultimately soaring towards the distant sky outside the city. Its speed astonished the city’s residents.
"After passing the Second Grade Alchemist examination, my name likely has become a key focus for the major powers in the Chu Kingdom..."
Seated on Ao Tian’s back, Ji Chen murmured to himself.
Unlike his previous infamous reputation as a fop, this time, his fame in the Chu Kingdom stemmed from his status as a Second Grade Alchemist.
Ao Tian’s speed was swift; in just a few moments, it flew over the mountains, distancing itself a hundred miles from Celestial Essence City.
And this wasn’t even its maximum speed.
Ji Chen hadn’t commanded Ao Tian to fly at full speed.
Over a large mountain, Ao Tian received Ji Chen’s command and abruptly halted.
He sat cross-legged on Ao Tian’s back, turning to gaze into the distant sky, waiting for something.
After roughly half a quarter of an hour, a black shadow finally appeared, approaching rapidly, soon arriving in mid-air not far from Ji Chen.
"Your speed is truly slow. If I hadn’t deliberately waited, you’d never have caught up in this lifetime, would you?" Ji Chen sneered coldly, scanning his gaze forward.
It was also a Flying Demon Beast, but its speed was nowhere near comparable to Ao Tian’s.
Standing on the back of that Flying Demon Beast were three figures, none other than Nie Yuan, Lu Ren, and an elder.
If his guess wasn’t wrong, that elder was likely the Great Elder of the Celestial Profound Sect, Song An!
Back when Song Chengyuan’s cultivation was crippled, he brought it upon himself, but Song An, being his paternal grandfather and the Great Elder of the Celestial Profound Sect, couldn’t possibly not seek justice for his grandson, could he?
That Song An had come to Celestial Essence City and targeted him was something Ji Chen was aware of.
The Anomaly Pavilion had strong intelligence capabilities, and as soon as Song An targeted Ji Chen, the Pill King knew and informed Ji Chen to be cautious.
However, owing to Ao Tian’s presence, Ji Chen’s speed was unmatched, so the Pill King didn’t worry about ambushes on Ji Chen’s return journey. In his view, the Celestial Profound Sect’s people could never catch up to Ji Chen.
But little did the Pill King expect that Ji Chen had stopped midway waiting for Song An and the others to appear.
"Who could have thought, who could have thought that this fop would become a Second Grade Alchemist one day. Seems like my Celestial Profound Sect was truly blinded by your foppish appearance all these years."
Song An stood at the back of the Flying Demon Beast, his eyes sharp and icy.
In these few days, news of Ji Chen’s rise to Second Grade Alchemist had spread far and wide.
He, being in Celestial Essence City, was among the first batches to learn, and even now, he was still filled with shock and disbelief.
"I must say, the Alchemy Master Alliance is really willing to invest in you, gifting you such a Flying Demon Beast."
Ao Tian’s speed was indeed fast. From the moment Ji Chen left Celestial Essence City, Song An and the others had pursued relentlessly. However, their Flying Demon Beast simply couldn’t match the speed, seeing themselves being left farther behind, never expecting the other party to be so arrogant, daring to wait in place for them to catch up.
"Enough with the chatter."
Ji Chen smiled, then leaped from Ao Tian’s back onto the mountain peak below.
There was a flat area there. He raised his gaze slightly, looking at Song An and the others, "Isn’t your purpose to kill me? Come at me then."
"What trick does he have up his sleeve?" Nie Yuan frowned.
They couldn’t fathom why Ji Chen dared to provoke them like this, believing that he was relying on the Flying Demon Beast to wait for them to catch up, only to easily leave them behind again.
But at this moment, Ji Chen didn’t do so; instead, he jumped off the Flying Demon Beast, appearing as if he intended to have a life-or-death showdown with them.