Chapter 605: Golden Feather! The Golden-Winged Roc’s Scheme! Apricot-Yellow Banner! Young, Arrogant Magistrate!

Screech!

A piercing, sky-splitting cry rang out.

Whoosh!

A golden feather shot into the sky. It instantly absorbed most of the Zhou family Old Ancestor’s internal power, and all of it condensed into this single golden feather.

The Zhou family Old Ancestor froze in shock, then suddenly realized.

“The Golden-Winged Roc... such a cruel scheme.”

His vital energy rapidly dissipated, and he could no longer suppress the domineering aura of the Jiaoslayer.

+ 40,000 merit points!

Li Yanchu paused in surprise. The Zhou family Old Ancestor was even more fragile than he had imagined.

His gaze fell on the golden feather in the sky; he had seen this golden feather once before.

Li Yanchu activated the Cloud-Riding Immortal Art before chasing after it. The feather’s speed, however, was incredible, transforming into a streak of light, about to vanish instantly.

Thus, Li Yanchu pulled out the Heaven-Earth Demonbane Godshuttle, dramatically increasing his speed. Only then did he catch up to the golden feather. At this distance, he could use the Jiaoslayer to strike down the golden feather.

However, Li Yanchu found the golden feather somewhat intriguing. Earlier, in the Shanhai Secret Realm, the illusory form of the Golden-Winged Roc had appeared and dropped a single golden feather, which revived Shituo City.

Now, another golden feather had emerged from the Zhou family Old Ancestor’s body. Moreover, after this feather appeared, the Old Ancestor’s power quickly dissipated. Judging from his expression before death, it seemed he was unaware of this.

Li Yanchu pondered briefly and took out the Radiant Gem Ruler, striking directly at it. A five-colored divine light shot forth, and the golden feather instantly fell to the ground.

So it’s an artifact?!

Li Yanchu thought to himself.

He had acted just to test it. This golden feather was extremely mysterious. To stop it, he might have needed to use the Purity Glazed Bottle.

But the Purity Glazed Bottle was currently holding the indestructible spirit of the Witch God and had not yet been refined. The Judge’s Brush, which possessed sealing power, might not necessarily be able to suppress the golden feather.

The Lord of Mount Tai's Seal, however, could be worth a try. Its level of authority was extremely high, so no matter the situation, it could always be brought out and used.

Unexpectedly, the golden feather was knocked down by the divine light of the Radiant Gem Ruler. He activated the Telekinetic Retrieval, attempting to capture the golden feather in his hand.

The feather seemed to possess intelligence of its own, frantically drilling into his palm. Even his Qi Shield could not block it, and his immense physical body could not resist the golden feather piercing his hand. Keep in mind, his body was comparable to a third-realm Yang Spirit expert, with a strength beyond imagination.

Li Yanchu let his blood and qi surge, temporarily blocking the feather outside his palm. Half of the feather had already pierced his hand, but his overwhelming blood and qi managed to hold it at bay.

Still, the effect seemed minimal. He released purple-gold energy, and the mysterious Fire Official’s Sacred Edict appeared within his primordial spirit.

The two seals immediately suppressed the golden feather. The feather emitted an extremely powerful aura, colliding with the purple-gold energy and the Fire Official’s Sacred Edict.

“So this is the mark of the Golden-Winged Roc?!” Li Yanchu furrowed his brow.

A cyan light appeared around him, and his ten-thousand-merit points Clearheart Jade Pendant protected his spirit.

From this point on, the golden feather could no longer advance a single bit. However, forcing it out remained extremely difficult.

Suddenly, the half-illusory, half-real Apricot-Yellow Banner within Li Yanchu’s primordial spirit leaked a trace of energy.

Whoosh!

The golden feather instantly retreated from his palm.

Li Yanchu was overjoyed. The Apricot-Yellow Banner, which he had obtained earlier, had not yet been fully refined or utilized. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the Apricot-Yellow Banner also sprang into action to assist.

With the addition of this immortal artifact, the golden feather was completely suppressed. Li Yanchu could sense that there was a faint, extremely hidden consciousness within it. It was incredibly tenacious and could not be obliterated.

Just as he prepared to refine it with Yang Fire, the Apricot-Yellow Banner emitted a pulse of energy. The faint consciousness inside the golden feather vanished instantly.

Screech!

The last piercing, metallic-shattering cry of the feather rang in Li Yanchu’s ears, deafening him, and his body shook involuntarily.

He examined the golden feather carefully, using his Spirit Eyes. It became clear that it contained an immense power, and this power was truly astonishing. Not because it was terrifying or of high rank, but because the sheer magnitude of the power was comparable to that of a Yang Spirit expert.

Li Yanchu attempted to wield it but found he could not tap into this tremendous power. He tried refining the golden feather with Yang Fire, but it showed no reaction at all.

He struck it with the Jiaoslayer, a weapon capable of breaking the flesh of a Yang Spirit expert at the ten-thousand-merit-points level, but the feather did not even bear a scratch.

“Interesting.”

Li Yanchu felt that the strangeness of the Zhou family Old Ancestor was likely connected to this golden feather. With this thought, he stored the feather away.

He did not keep it on him. Earlier, the feather had almost drilled into his palm, so who knew when it might act up?

He placed the golden feather into his Universe Pouch. Only then did he mount the Heaven-Earth Demonbane Godshuttle and return to Linjiang County.

Upon arrival, he saw the county swarming with people, the streets packed with townsfolk. County guards stood there brandishing swords and spears, exuding a fierce presence. The magistrate, accompanied by two burly captains, was confronting Minghe.

They had arrived after hearing the massive explosion from the Zhou estate and found the aftermath: the wounded and dead were strewn across the ground, and blood was flowing like rivers.

At that moment, the young, beautiful immortal maiden, Minghe, stepped forward.

Li Yanchu suddenly descended from the sky.

“You demonic cultivator. You’ve annihilated an entire household in broad daylight. Have you no regard for the law?!” the young magistrate shouted angrily.

The two captains exchanged a glance, their hands trembling slightly on their blades.

This young magistrate had only taken office in the first half of the year. He was ambitious and willing to get things done. He was the sort of hot-blooded, reckless youth. People said that, given his achievements, he should have gone to the Hanlin Academy to work as a compiler. For some reason, he was instead posted to Linjiang County as a small seventh-rank magistrate.

Though bold and righteous, the two captains were seasoned in dealing with murderous criminals. In recent years, with demonic monks and rogue demonic cultivators wreaking havoc, they were well-informed about such threats.

This young demonic cultivator descended from the sky, and with his illusions and flight techniques, clearly showed he was no ordinary person.

One of the captains, a brawny middle-aged man with a scar on his face, whispered to the magistrate, “Your Honor, be careful. He might use Demonic Dao to harm you.”

Li Yanchu understood the situation perfectly. At the same time, he felt a measure of respect for this young magistrate.

At least he was not a coward who bullied the weak.

“Your Honor, I am from the Court of Judicial Review. The Zhou family are fugitives wanted by the imperial government, harboring demons and rogue demonic cultivators, engaging in the trafficking of human beings. The evidence is clear, so I am here to apprehend them.”

Li Yanchu thought for a moment and took out a waist token from the Universe Pouch, handing it over.