The Nine - Yu Stars is a sacred object of the Feather Clan.
The Feather Clan has always lived far away from the Human Clan. For thousands of years, they have been aloof and self - reliant. The symbol of the Feather Clan is that every Feather Clan member has wings on their back.
Having wings represents the distinction between high and low bloodlines.
The Nine - Yu Stars belongs to the branch with the noblest bloodline.
When each Feather Clan member breaks out of the cocoon, a pair of wings will grow on their back. These wings may be like those of a bird, which is the lowest - level, or like those of a wild goose, which is of a higher level.
The larger the wings, the nobler the bloodline.
The Nine - Yu Stars is the branch with the largest wings in the Feather Clan. The success rate of breaking out of the cocoon and emerging as a mature being is not high, so they are the rarest.
However, the reason the Nine - Yu Stars is called a sacred object is not because of its rarity, but its effectiveness.
The Nine - Yu Stars are natural cauldrons for cultivation.
They can be eaten raw or used for dual cultivation, both of which have excellent benefits.
Moreover, the Nine - Yu Stars are very delicate. Besides the day when they break out of the cocoon, when their bodies emit a strong fragrance, there are also three to four days each month when they can't control the fragrance of their bodies, and the aroma spreads everywhere.
This period is called the estrus period.
During this period, not only can the Nine - Yu Stars not control the fragrance of their bodies, but people of other races will also lose control of their sexual impulses. Of course, the impact on the Human Clan is obviously smaller.
The impact of the Nine - Yu Stars on the Human Clan lies only in the sense of novelty and the eagerness for quick success in cultivation. But for the Demon Clan, it is an irresistible sexual attraction.
Every Nine - Yu Stars individual has to live in hiding throughout their life, to avoid being taken by the Human Clan as a cultivation tool and by the Demon Clan as a tool for sexual release.
There are only two ways to prevent the Nine - Yu Stars from being torn apart by others during the estrus period. First, find a powerful Demon Clan member to protect themselves. The powerful pheromones of the Demon Clan will deter other restless Demon Clan members or greedy Human Clan members.
Second, carry evening primrose incense with them.
This is the only way to suppress the body fragrance of the Nine - Yu Stars.
Not far away, the deafening howls of the Demon Clan were getting louder and louder. The influence of the Nine - Yu Stars on the Demon Clan was absolutely fatal. It was a natural attraction.
The hunter couple obviously also noticed something was wrong and rushed to knock on Yi Zhici's door.
But Yi Zhici's wings had not fully grown yet, and she was on the verge of fainting.
Suddenly, Yi Zhici was fed a pill. The cool feeling seeped into her throat, and at that moment, her wings fully stretched out.
"Shua..."
The pure - white wings were like those of a roc, spreading out, so beautiful that they seemed to be from another world.
Yi Zhici forced her eyes open. It was the shabby Taoist priest who had given her the brocade bag.
The one who had said she was destined to have a great catastrophe.
The Taoist priest took her down the mountain and found a small thatched cottage.
Yi Zhici had a lot of questions to ask, but the Taoist priest stopped her. "One must not speak too much about the secrets of heaven. No one can predict the future. I can only save you this once. After that..."
He fell silent.
...
In the end, the Taoist priest only left a few evening primrose plants.
Then he never appeared again.
Yi Zhici carefully used the evening primrose to suppress the fragrance on her body and then continued on her aimless journey.
Although the safest way now was to hide, the situation was turbulent. The Demon Clan was invading everywhere, causing chaos and war. So it was better to keep changing hiding places.
Yi Zhici continued walking aimlessly. But during the estrus period of the Nine - Yu Stars, her body was extremely weak. She hadn't walked far when she fainted.
In a daze, she heard the voices of the hunter couple who had taken her in for a night last night. "We've found her!! This is the girl who stayed here last night—"
The only thought in Yi Zhici's mind before she fainted was that she was really useless. The Taoist priest had saved her in vain.
...
Pain...
It really hurt. Her body felt as if it was being pricked by needles, and her internal organs were twisted into a mess. She wished she could just disappear and never experience this pain again.
It was a hundred times more painful than breaking out of the cocoon.
Yi Zhici couldn't open her eyes. She only heard two people talking beside her. "Is the one we caught this time really a Nine - Yu Stars?"
"Yes. Send her to the Demon Lord in a hurry. If we're late, we'll miss the hot estrus period."
There was a black cloth covering Yi Zhici's eyes. She couldn't see the people in front of her and didn't understand their conversation, but it didn't sound like something good.
The burning sensation on her body became more and more painful each time. Yi Zhici could only try her best to control herself and not make a sound, for fear that the two people would find out she was awake.
Someone walked towards her, and then a voice sounded. "Don't mess around. This is for the Demon Lord. If you ruin her and make the Demon Lord angry, no one can bear the consequences."
The severe pain on her body suddenly stopped.
Yi Zhici let out a sigh of relief.
... But who was the Demon Lord?
Yi Zhici was thrown onto a carriage. The surroundings were in a mess, filled with the barbaric noises of Demon Clan soldiers.
The flames of war were everywhere. In this troubled world, for the Human Clan, just staying alive was already a great accomplishment.
She didn't blame the hunter couple for betraying her. Everyone just wanted to survive.
But if she was really going to be a cauldron for some so - called Demon Lord, she would rather die.
After a long and bumpy journey, with her eyes covered, she didn't know how the days passed or how long it had been. Finally, Yi Zhici was sent to the Demon Clan's palace.
Yi Zhici was escorted in.
The person who had captured her was extremely obsequious, shedding tears as he spoke, showing real emotion. But he didn't get a single word from the so - called Demon Lord.
Just before he was about to leave, the Demon Lord finally spoke reluctantly. "Well, send the person to my room."
Yi Zhici was prepared. If this Demon Lord dared to do anything, she wouldn't care if he was the great demon who had conquered the entire continent. She would just dash her head against the wall and die.
If she could die with him, it would be a contribution to the entire continent, and it would be worth it.
... But what if she could use the Demon Lord's power to find Yi Junshi?
Yi Zhici hesitated for a moment.
The black cloth was removed, and what came into view was Lin Yuan's face.
Yi Zhici was stunned.
She seemed to remember something... A phoenix could be reborn only after bathing in fire.
And on her collarbone was the mark of life - and - death dependence they had left together at that time.