Chapter 1472: Chapter 1473: The Strange Track

Seeing those contestants trying to repeat their old tricks, running around like headless flies between platforms, Feng Yuan followed the arrows painted on the platforms and quickly progressed. He landed on one platform and noticed a ladder hidden at the edge of it.

Placing Xiao Ji on his head, Feng Yuan said,

“Hold on tight, I’m not sure if these clouds and mist only obscure vision, so it’s best not to leave my side.”

Xiao Ji clung to Feng Yuan’s head and chirped; it also knew it shouldn’t move carelessly. If they got separated, it would be anxious. Grasping the ladder, Feng Yuan relaxed his legs, grasping the sides of the ladder and quickly sliding downward, giving the staff a fright.

Fortunately, before they could react, Feng Yuan had already gripped the ladder tightly, stopping mid-air, feeling the power within the surrounding clouds. Ignoring the impact on the ladder caused by his recklessness, he continued sliding downward, carefully controlling his speed.

He wasn’t sure if there were others below, and it would be troublesome if he fell too quickly and bumped into someone.

Swiftly passing through the cloud and mist, Feng Yuan didn’t continue sliding down and stopped abruptly. With a push of his legs, he spread his black wings in mid-air and slowly landed on the ground.

“There’s actually a pool here? You better hold on tight this time.”

Turning to see the way ahead, Feng Yuan was somewhat surprised. Tiraya City wasn’t like the several cities they had passed before; there weren’t any artificial channels or waterways inside the city. He didn’t expect to find a pool in this park.

On the pool, there were stone platforms serving as the path forward. Getting closer, Feng Yuan could see that the water was very deep, certainly capable of swimming if one accidentally fell in.

Xiao Ji perched on Feng Yuan’s head, its small eyes scanning the surroundings and trembling slightly. Understanding Xiao Ji’s fear, Feng Yuan smiled and sprinted forward. Before long, he rushed past the pool, but the fog shrouding it obscured his vision, making it unclear what was ahead. After a brief jog, he found a massive city gate in front of him.

Is this the city exit? Feng Yuan felt puzzled, but then thought something was off. He was currently inside Tiraya City, and by no means had left it by a considerable distance.

The perplexed Feng Yuan ran into the massive gate, where a staff member wearing knight armor stopped him, smiling and handing him a candleholder. Only then did Feng Yuan notice that the passage ahead was unusual. It should be inside a castle, but the thick black mist obscured his vision.

Receiving the candleholder, Feng Yuan found that its light could disperse the mist in a small area ahead. Seeing this, Feng Yuan immediately understood what this stretch of the path was about. Xiao Ji came down from Feng Yuan, transforming into an eagle form. This time Feng Yuan did not run but walked slowly ahead with Xiao Ji.

From time to time, he could feel someone passing by, but Feng Yuan paid no mind. Although Xiao Ji was a bit anxious, it didn’t hurriedly prod Feng Yuan, instead curiously observing the surroundings.

The black fog didn’t just block vision, it also affected spiritual power. At least Xiao Ji couldn’t sense where the nearby walls were.

“What are you doing here? Is there something wrong with this place?”

Veronia noticed the slowly advancing Feng Yuan and walked over with some curiosity to ask. The other party glanced at Veronia and said,

“Don’t you think this black mist is a little strange? Its range of influence seems quite excessive. Why not call Agunas to take a look?”

“Range of influence? This thing doesn’t affect us, but it does interfere with all non-Divine Beasts, which is very odd. This doesn’t seem like a standard means for an event.”

Initially indifferent, Veronia was surprised after sensing the area’s peculiarity as pointed out by Feng Yuan. It detected that the black fog was peculiar; although it couldn’t affect Divine Beasts’ vision, it worked on all Spirit Beasts except Divine Beasts, which included the special level of Sacred Beasts.

“Do you suspect it’s related to Shadow Tiraya City?”

Understanding what Feng Yuan was pondering, Belusir asked. After a moment of silence, Feng Yuan shook his head and said,

“Not necessarily, but we can confirm that this black fog is unusual. I also don’t think it’s something they created on purpose; it should be an innate defense mechanism of Tiraya City.”

He didn’t believe Tiraya would have such high-end equipment just for a racing event. To affect Sacred Beast Level beings, the gear must be top-notch or a Sacred Beast Level Spirit Beast would need to intervene. But that possibility was nearly non-existent. Feng Yuan didn’t think they would be so idle as to station a Sacred Beast Level Spirit Beast for a mere travel obstruction.

Before long, Agunas arrived through spatial movement. Seeing Agunas’s arrival, Feng Yuan waved and said,

“I’ll leave this to you, I’m heading off～”

Watching Feng Yuan leave, Agunas turned to Veronia and Belusir and asked,

“What about you two?”

“Of course, I’ll keep enjoying the race～ Let’s go, see what’s ahead～”

Veronia chuckled lightly, saying as she pulled Belusir along to run ahead. Agunas looked at the black fog and wagged its tail.

In the dark fog, only the small candlelight lit up a tiny area around; shadowy figures occasionally appearing might frighten the timid. Feng Yuan didn’t feel comfortable about this stretch of track; after all, the surroundings were all black mist, making it impossible to enjoy the scenery.

Holding Xiao Ji, he dashed out of the mist and handed the candleholder to a nearby staff member. Feng Yuan saw many contestants ahead jumping towards the clouds in the sky. Of course, some had their Beastmaster’s creatures using ultimate moves like Nether Cross to forcibly fly over the area.

Glancing at Xiao Ji, Feng Yuan noticed that the endpoint of this cloud area was quite evident, situated on another castle’s large terrace. Thinking about it, Feng Yuan patted Xiao Ji and said,

“How about it, shall we fly over together?”

Xiao Ji looked at Feng Yuan in confusion, not quite understanding his intentions but still leapt from his embrace, transforming into an eagle form with black wings unfurled. Feng Yuan laughed heartily as he and Xiao Ji swiftly flew to the other terrace, drawing envious looks from those struggling to jump on clouds below upon hearing his laughter.

However, not many contestants were hopping on clouds since typically, people would consider flight ability for their second or third Beast, otherwise, it would be too restrictive and problematic for excursions in the wild.

“For your third Beast, shouldn’t you consider a flight ability?”

Najia on Yang Hongzhi’s shoulder glanced at Feng Yuan on the terrace and asked Yang Hongzhi. The latter glanced at Xiao Hei, contemplating, then said,

“There’s certainly a need for it, but if it doesn’t feel right, I…”

“A connection, huh? That’s indeed a pretty good approach. If so, then you would need to raise one more Spirit Beast.”

Sighing, Najia didn’t press the matter. Yang Hongzhi’s idea aligned with its own; it didn’t favor Beastmasters who selected a creature solely for their goals without considering mutual compatibility.

Scratching his head, Yang Hongzhi glanced at Xiao Hei and said,

“Actually, after evolving, Xiao Hei should be able to develop an ability similar to Long Boduo’s, allowing it to walk through the air. Even without a Flying Spiritual Beast, the impact would be minimal.”

“You’re right. I’d forgotten about that capability. While it does have speed and duration limitations, it’s adequate for most situations.”

Looking at Xiao Hei, Najia pondered, and upon hearing Najia’s words, Xiao Hei began whining softly, tucking its tail and attempting to evade Najia’s gaze. Seeing this, Yang Hongzhi helplessly said,

“It seems Xiao Hei is still the same as always, but Xiao Hui should work too. Though rock floating is quite slow, it should suffice.”

“No way! Can’t let it get addicted to slacking off.”

Giving Xiao Hei a stern look, Najia said strictly. Whimpering softly, Xiao Hei tugged at Yang Hongzhi’s pant leg with its paw, as if pleading not to discuss the matter further.

Seeing Najia’s demeanor, Yang Hongzhi smiled helplessly and didn’t continue talking but instead kept jumping towards the clouds ahead.