Chapter 26: The Lord?

The mansion gate opened.

Ji Ning stood outside the gate, peering inside. At a glance, the majestic cave mansion stretched for billions of miles, and a vast, terrifying aura radiated outward, guided by the formation to converge at three locations. At those three spots stood three trees.

"This?" Ji Ning's expression changed as he looked.

Three trees.

The first tree was in a corner, its trunk twisted like a coiled dragon. The entire tree, including its leaves, shimmered with a faint blue light. On its branches hung three fruits, all snow-white and fist-sized, surrounded by swirling blue streams of energy.

The second tree was the largest, with lush foliage like a giant canopy covering tens of millions of miles. Ji Ning noticed at once that this massive tree bore only two fruits, both blood-red, as if they would bleed at a touch.

The third tree was the smallest, barely a sapling about ten feet tall. It seemed made of translucent ice, each leaf a work of art. On its sparse branches hung nine radiant fruits, each like a miniature sun, glowing brightly.

"One of the eight sacred blood fruits—the 'Heavenly Crystal Sacred Blood Fruit'?" Ji Ning's gaze fell on the two blood-red fruits of the second, largest tree, and he was utterly shaken. Madness, sheer madness.

The eight sacred blood fruits—even the likes of Lord Tianyi had probably never heard of them.

Ji Ning had only learned of them from the 'Seven Chapters of Dan Ye,' which introduced many alchemy ingredients, including the eight sacred blood fruits, each an incredibly rare treasure. A single 'Sacred Blood Fruit Tree' could drive even Lords to madness and spark wars among Sovereigns.

"Heavenly Crystal Sacred Blood Fruit—so this is a Sacred Blood Fruit Tree?" Ji Ning looked at the immense tree radiating overwhelming power, then turned to the other two. One had a twisted trunk like a coiled dragon, the other was like a sapling, but Ji Ning felt that the power emanating from these two was no less than that of the central Sacred Blood Fruit Tree.

"I only recognize the Heavenly Crystal Sacred Blood Fruit," Ji Ning shook his head. "The other two, I don't know at all."

It was only thanks to the 'Seven Chapters of Dan Ye' that he recognized even one.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have recognized any of the three.

"I wonder... can I take them?" Ji Ning's heart raced. "How will I know without trying?"

Ji Ning walked over and soon stood before the central tree. He reached out his right hand, which rapidly expanded, becoming a massive hand covering millions of miles, and grabbed the tree's trunk, intending to uproot it and take it away. His movements were slow, ready to react to any danger.

"Boom~~~" Suddenly, a surge of power erupted from the tree's surface, repelling Ji Ning's hand.

"So I really can't take it." Ji Ning smiled, having expected this. These three trees grew within the cave mansion, clearly transplanted here by the great power of the Azureflower Estate. How could they be easily uprooted by another?

"I wonder if I can pick the fruits." Ji Ning reached for a fruit.

Easily, he grasped one of the blood-red fruits.

Snap!

The fruit was plucked.

"A sacred blood fruit in hand?" Ji Ning was stunned. He had only tried, and it actually worked.

"Let me pick another." He reached for the second fruit, but this time the Sacred Blood Fruit Tree's surface again emitted a layer of power, blocking him. "How stingy. But one is enough. Thank you, senior."

At that moment, energy began to flow toward the spot where the fruit had been picked, forming a faint blood-red mist, signaling the start of a new fruit's growth.

A Sacred Blood Fruit Tree could bear at most two fruits.

Only after one was picked could another grow, though it took a very long time.

Compared to the tree itself, which could continuously produce sacred blood fruits, a single fruit was far less valuable—yet it was still a rare treasure worth over twenty million cubes, hard to come by!

"The other two trees?" Ji Ning went to pick their fruits.

...

Uprooting? No. He couldn't even break a branch.

These three mysterious ancient trees seemed sentient, allowing Ji Ning to pick only one fruit each before refusing to let him approach further.

"These three fruits?" Ji Ning waved his hand, looking at the three floating fruits before him: one blood-red Heavenly Crystal Sacred Blood Fruit, one snow-white fruit surrounded by blue streams, and one radiant fruit like a miniature sun. "This great power of the Azureflower Estate is truly generous. I've gained benefits right away."

Ji Ning put away the fruits and continued exploring.

Soon he saw a beautiful arched bridge over a wide river. The water was clear but exuded a cold aura, with white mist swirling above the surface.

Ji Ning walked onto the bridge and saw, in the distance on the grass, two old men sitting facing each other, playing a game of chess with a board and pieces before them.

"Cultivators here?" Ji Ning was startled.

The two old men wore identical gray robes. They both turned to look toward the bridge.

"Two seniors," Ji Ning immediately bowed. The old men's auras were restrained, and Ji Ning couldn't probe them, but just looking at them gave him a strong sense of danger, making him realize that fighting them would likely be fatal.

"An outsider has come to the mansion," said one gray-robed old man with silver eyes, smiling. "It's been a long time since we've seen an outsider."

"Hmph."

The other gray-robed old man had blood-red eyes. When he looked at Ji Ning, and Ji Ning met his gaze, Ji Ning seemed to see an endless sea of slaughter and blood! The boundless resentment and killing intent made Ji Ning's heart tremble, but his formidable will, just a step away from the sixth level, allowed him to hold his ground.

"A mere two-step Daolord?" The blood-eyed old man sneered and flicked his sleeve.

Boom~~~~

The sleeve swept across heaven and earth, crossing the void instantly, too fast for Ji Ning to dodge, and struck him directly.

"What's going on?" Ji Ning had no time to think. He instantly manifested three heads and six arms, each hand holding a Northstar sword, and his sword light transformed into a massive black hole.

The sky-covering sleeve lashed against Ji Ning's sword light.

The sword light shattered, and the black hole collapsed.

"Boom~~~"

Ji Ning felt an overwhelming force strike his divine body. The power was so immense that he was momentarily dazed. He involuntarily flew backward, off the bridge, for millions of miles, crashing into the ground with a thunderous roar, tumbling before slowly regaining his senses.

"This... this..." After coming to, Ji Ning felt a wave of fear.

"I have the Sovereign's armor protecting me, yet I was stunned for a moment. If my divine body weren't comparable to an Eternal-grade treasure, even with the Sovereign's armor, I might have died." Ji Ning felt fortunate. The Sovereign's armor reduced the impact to a thousandth, but this attack was far stronger than the forbidden arts of Saint Lord Purewind! Ji Ning guessed it was at the level of an Eternal Emperor.

An ordinary four-step Daolord would likely be instantly killed.

Ji Ning, protected by the Sovereign's armor and with a powerful divine body, barely survived, though his mind was momentarily dazed.

"Hmm?" The blood-eyed old man had been sneering, but now his expression turned to shock. "Not dead? How can he not be dead? How can a two-step Daolord survive my killing strike?"

"Boy, come here and let me have a good look at you," said the blood-eyed old man.

"Don't come over!" the silver-eyed old man quickly said. "Whatever you do, don't step onto the bridge. Beyond the bridge is forbidden ground for me and this old fellow. If you come closer, he will strike again."

"Big brother!" the blood-eyed old man shouted angrily. "Whose side are you on?"

"Second brother, this little two-step Daolord can help pass the time. Why must you kill him?" The silver-eyed old man was also angry. "We are both Emperors. To kill a two-step Daolord without regard for status—don't you see you've fallen into demonic madness?"

"Emperors? We are no longer cultivators, and still you call us Emperors? Hahaha..." The blood-eyed old man laughed wildly, maniacally, his laughter filled with endless resentment, hatred, and pain.

...