In the valley, humans and members of various other races mingled, speaking in low tones over medicinal herbs and peculiar ores. When Ji Changkong arrived, no one paid him any mind; everyone was busy with their own affairs.
The atmosphere was somewhat reminiscent of the exchange gatherings held in Xuanyuan Valley, yet the interactions between people lacked warmth, feeling distant instead. Everything here was strictly for trade.
He approached a young man of the Feather Clan. A single glance revealed that this youth, like himself, was at the Realm of the Ten Directions, currently in the subtle stage of Ruwei.
The Feather Clan youth's wings were a dull grayish-brown, folded tightly against his back, as they were not spread out. Only the longest feathers had to trail onto the ground. The youth seemed meticulous about cleanliness; a sheet of pristine white silk had been laid beneath the tips of his wings to prevent them from gathering dust.
Before the youth lay several sections of strange bamboo—some red, some black, some green. These bamboo stalks were riddled with small holes, seemingly formed by nature. When a breeze passed through, the holes emitted a low, eerie wuwu sound that sent a shiver down one's spine.
Ji Changkong frowned. He sensed that the sound produced by these wind-blown stalks had a profound effect on the spirit, the Shenhun. If used to craft specialized musical instruments, this property could likely be amplified significantly. “Are you interested in the Sky-Sound Bamboo?” the Feather Clan youth asked coolly, looking at him.
“Sky-Sound Bamboo? Does it have any special use?” Ji Changkong inquired.
Seeing that Ji Changkong didn't even know the purpose of the Sky-Sound Bamboo, the Feather Clan youth immediately appeared uninterested in continuing the conversation, crossing his arms with a detached expression.
Ji Changkong let out a dry laugh, pointing to a line of small script beside the youth's bamboo, and asked, “What kind of Fire-Thunder Stone are you hoping to trade for?”
After acquiring the 'Blazing Thunder Sacred Flame' in the pagoda, Ji Changkong felt the broken stones that had contained it might be useful. Upon awakening, he had collected a few pieces. Hearing the youth sought Fire-Thunder Stone sparked an idea; he vaguely suspected the broken stones containing the Sacred Flame might actually be Fire-Thunder Stone, prompting his question. “You have Fire-Thunder Stone?” The Feather Clan youth frowned, annoyance etched on his face. “If you don’t have Fire-Thunder Stone, don’t waste my time. I have no patience for you.”
“I have a few stones in my possession. They might be Fire-Thunder Stone, or they might not be; I’m not entirely sure myself, which is why I need you to clarify things for me,” Ji Changkong said with a smile, unconcerned by the youth’s attitude.
“Fire-Thunder Stone possesses both flame and lightning dual attributes, with minute forms of fire and thunder contained within. Have you seen anything like it?” The Feather Clan youth sneered dismissively, mumbling, “Fire-Thunder Stone is only found in miraculous places where flames and lightning persist eternally. If you’ve seen it, why would you know nothing about it?” “Is this the Fire-Thunder Stone you speak of?” Ji Changkong produced a fist-sized shard and shook it slightly. The Feather Clan youth glanced at it, a hint of confusion in his eyes. “It doesn’t seem to be…” “Oh.” Ji Changkong was somewhat disappointed, thinking that since it wasn't, he would have to ask someone else.
“Huh!” The Feather Clan youth suddenly gasped, appearing agitated. “C-can I examine it closely?” “Of course.” Ji Changkong passed the shard over.
The moment the Feather Clan youth touched the stone, his body trembled slightly. He scrutinized the shard intently for a while. His eyes suddenly brightened, and he muttered, “… Yan Lei Shi [Flame Thunder Stone]. This is Flame Thunder Stone! How is this possible? How can this be?”
The Feather Clan youth looked up sharply, staring intensely at Ji Changkong, his eyes wide with astonishment. “Where did you get this?”
“What? Is there a problem?” Ji Changkong frowned, then added, “Since it’s not the Fire-Thunder Stone you need, then forget it. Just give me my things back and I’ll leave.”
“Although it isn’t the Fire-Thunder Stone I need, it—it is far more useful to me than Fire-Thunder Stone!” the youth exclaimed urgently. “One hundred pieces of Fire-Thunder Stone aren't worth as much as a single piece of Flame Thunder Stone! All of my Sky-Sound Bamboo combined couldn't trade for this one Flame Thunder Stone!” Saying this, the youth reluctantly handed the Flame Thunder Stone to Ji Changkong, his face full of reluctance. “Wait a moment.” Ji Changkong smiled. “If you can answer some questions for me, this Flame Thunder Stone is yours. How about that?”
“Really?” The Feather Clan youth looked utterly disbelieving.
“Certainly.”
“Let’s step aside and talk.” The youth took a deep breath, tugged lightly at Ji Changkong’s sleeve, and headed toward the valley exit, occasionally glancing back as they walked, seemingly worried about something.
As soon as the Feather Clan youth left the valley, he instantly spread his wings and soared rapidly toward the sheer cliff face of a towering, cloud-piercing mountain peak nearby, where he leaned over to await Ji Changkong.
Ji Changkong was startled. He hadn't expected that merely spreading his wings and flying would allow this Feather Clan youth to outpace him—and this was supposedly just an ordinary member of the clan. After a few breaths, he stood beside the youth and casually asked, “Where is this place?” The youth shook his head. “In the Land of the Abandoned, there are countless peaks. No one wastes energy naming them.”
“The Land of the Abandoned! You mean, this is the Land of the Abandoned?” Ji Changkong suddenly cried out, roaring, “Heavens! Is this the Dead Star Domain?”
Seeing his sudden outburst, the Feather Clan youth looked at him strangely, as if he were some sort of monster.
After a long moment, Ji Changkong calmed down and explained with a wry smile, “Apologies. An hour ago, I was in another star domain. I arrived here accidentally through an ancient teleportation array, so… so I’m a bit disoriented.”
“Arrived here via an ancient teleportation array?” This time, the Feather Clan youth was greatly shocked. “In the Dead Star Domain, ancient teleportation arrays are already rare, and those capable of crossing star domains are countable on one’s fingers. Since when did the Land of the Abandoned acquire an ancient array that connects across star domains?”
“Uh, that ancient array was destroyed after sending me here; it’s useless now.” Ji Changkong hesitated for a moment, then quickly asked, “Is this truly the Land of the Abandoned within the Dead Star Domain?”
“Authentic!” the Feather Clan youth confirmed.
The Dead Star Domain, the Land of the Abandoned. The Heaven-Devouring Rat that the original owner of Tiantian brought out was said to be a peculiar creature from the Land of the Abandoned, possessing the magical ability to devour the essence of an entire life-bearing star. However, the rat was supposedly extinct; it was unknown if any remained now.
The Dead Star Domain. He had arrived here without traveling the vast distance, merely by stepping through a teleportation array. The strange star where that array was located, Ji Changkong surmised, must have been separated from the Dead Star Domain by who knew how many star domains... A chain of thoughts flashed through his mind, leaving him momentarily dazed.
Shang Bingjie had come to the Dead Star Domain, and Ji Du had also said he would come here. Now that I am here, are you both here too? “I heard there were Heaven-Devouring Rats in the Land of the Abandoned?” After a long pause, Ji Changkong suddenly asked.
“Yes, Heaven-Devouring Rats did exist a long time ago, but they were exterminated by a coalition of the major races. Why, are you looking for one? You might as well give up that thought,” replied the Feather Clan youth.
“Do you know Shirley?” Ji Changkong asked again after a brief hesitation.
“Shirley?” The Feather Clan youth shook his head. “Our Feather Clan’s Great Elder Feiyun has an only daughter named Shirley, but she disappeared a thousand years ago. Great Elder Feiyun has been searching the Dead Star Domain for a millennium, but alas, no one has seen her. Why do you ask?” The youth’s expression turned suspicious. “There was a Feather Clan girl named Shirley where I came from, so I just casually asked.”
“Where is that place? And what did the Shirley you saw look like?” The youth’s expression suddenly changed, showing great interest. “Wait! I have a drawing. Let me show you, is this what she looks like?”
The Feather Clan youth exclaimed with surprise and urgency, swiftly drawing a pure white feather from his sleeve. A trace of green light flashed from his fingertip as he stroked the feather, causing the image of a Feather Clan girl to appear upon it. “Is it her? Is it her?”
After careful examination, Ji Changkong nodded. “Indeed, that’s her!”
“I will take you to meet our Feather Clan’s Great Elder Feiyun; he is currently here in the Land of the Abandoned!” The youth took a deep breath. “Your good fortune hasn't ended. Great Elder Feiyun promised that anyone who could provide information about Shirley, once confirmed, would be rewarded with ten thousand Yuan Crystals!”
“Yuan Crystals?” Ji Changkong blinked in surprise. “What are those things? Are they a type of Yuan Stone?”
“Friend, it seems you haven't been in the Realm of the Ten Directions for very long, have you?” the youth asked.
“That’s right. Why?”
“Once we break through to the Realm of the Ten Directions, we no longer need Yuan Stones. Ah, it seems you haven't condensed the power within your body through the Source of Life yet.” The youth explained this to himself before continuing, “I need to explain a few things to you.”
“Please do,” Ji Changkong replied.
“Before the Realm of the Ten Directions, the power within a Heavenly Master is called Yuanli [Primal Force]. However, upon breaking through to the Realm of the Ten Directions, we must use the Source of Life to re-condense the Yuanli inside, refining it into liquid-like Jingyuan [Essence]! This qualitative change can only be achieved through the Source of Life, and it is a necessary step for the Ruwei stage.”
“Once the internal Yuanli transforms into Jingyuan, ordinary Yuan Stones can no longer satisfy our cultivation and replenishment needs; only Yuan Crystals can suffice. This means that once the qualitative change of your internal power occurs, Yuan Stones become useless to you. Do you understand?”
“Uh, I think I get it.” Ji Changkong listened intently for a while before nodding with a bitter smile, thinking, No wonder Hong Mandun was so insistent on obtaining the Source of Life; it turns out to be essential for the sudden transformation of one’s inner power!