Chapter 24: The Stone Chamber Within the Vein

The six of them looked at each other.

Amid the swirling mist, Ji Ning observed his five elders. Whether it was the clan leader or his own father, each was perfectly calm, having made their decision in an instant.

"I am the clan leader," Ji Jiuhuo said calmly. "For the sake of my Ji clan members and the prestige of the Ji clan, I must step forward to face Snowdragon Mountain!"

Granny Ying also said hoarsely, "I've lived nearly four hundred years. Should I, Ji Ying, continue to live while letting the clan fall into danger? Besides, being able to face life and death together with Big Brother truly makes me happy."

"Where my master is, there I am," the old servant A Xing spoke, breaking his usual silence.

"Let it be just us three old ones," Ji Jiuhuo said with a smile.

"Clan leader!" Ji Liuzhen spoke up. "I know my own talent. Among the Zifu cultivators of the Ji clan through the ages, I am merely average. Becoming a Wanxiang Adept is nearly impossible. This battle is a crucial one for the fate of our clan, and I cannot retreat."

Ji Yichuan said with a faint smile, "Clan leader, you know my situation. My path to immortality is cut off. I don't want to die in obscurity. I must participate in this battle."

"You two..." Ji Jiuhuo shook his head.

Ji Ning was stunned.

His path to immortality cut off?

Hadn't his father said he was wholeheartedly pursuing the path to immortality? What had changed?

"Father, your path to immortality is cut off?" Ji Ning looked at his father in disbelief.

Ji Yichuan looked at his son, his expression complex. "In truth, I had already broken through to the Zifu stage while roaming the North Sea. By the time your mother became pregnant, I was already at the middle Zifu stage. I was bringing your mother back to Yan Mountain, and your uncle, worried, escorted us."

Ji Ning listened intently.

He knew they had encountered a calamity on the way back.

"Later we met with a disaster," Ji Yichuan said. "After your mother was injured, Uncle Bai took her and fled. Your uncle and I both used forbidden arts, desperately holding off the enemy. In that battle, your uncle died on the spot, and I was severely wounded. Because I used the forbidden art for too long, it damaged my Zifu too greatly. My Zifu shrank and could no longer expand at all. That means I can never improve again, forever stuck at the middle Zifu stage."

"Because my Zifu has atrophied, I can only draw out a mere wisp of elemental power from it," Ji Yichuan shook his head. "With such a wisp, I cannot control any magic treasures. So when I use my sword technique, I base it on that wisp of elemental power, drawing on the power of heaven and earth to manifest sword lights."

"Of course," Ji Yichuan said in a low voice, "I can still use the forbidden art again, forcibly drawing a large amount of elemental power from my Zifu. But my Zifu is already atrophied and cannot bear the burden. If I use the forbidden art again, I fear that within half an hour, my Zifu will shatter. I will become a cripple. In other words, your father can only be a Zifu cultivator one more time. After that glorious moment, I will be a cripple."

Ji Ning was stunned.

No wonder his father's sword technique was so powerful! No wonder his father had never used a graded magic treasure!

"My path to immortality is ended. I have only one chance to use the forbidden art," Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Before, I kept that chance for you, to protect you. I gave you my jade sword, telling you to crush it if you ever faced danger, and I would come immediately. Even if you encountered a Zifu cultivator, I would do my utmost to save you. For my son, it was worth it."

Ji Ning's heart trembled.

So...

So his father had been carrying such a resolve.

"But you no longer need my protection," Ji Yichuan said with a smile. "Your mother is dead, my path to immortality is cut off, and you have grown up. I have no more attachments. This time, I will not retreat. This is the final battle of my life, and the most glorious. If I must die, I would rather die in this battle, die for the Ji clan!"

Ji Ning looked at his father's smile. His father rarely smiled, but now his smile was relaxed. Though Ji Ning's heart ached, he did not try to dissuade him.

...

Six people, five elders, had all decided to fight.

"I..." Ji Ning began.

Ji Jiuhuo barked, "It's enough that we are all going to fight. You, Ji Ning, are the hope of our Ji clan! Your talent is unprecedented since the founding of our clan! You must survive!"

"Clan leader, I understand your meaning," Ji Ning shook his head. "But I don't want to hide in the shadows while you all fight to the death. I won't!"

"You..." Ji Jiuhuo fumed.

"But rest assured, clan leader, I am not reckless. If I see that the situation is hopeless, I will leave and preserve my life," Ji Ning looked at the clan leader. "I have a Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Talisman. You must know its power. Once I activate it, I can instantly travel ten thousand miles." Since his mother's death, his father had given him that talisman.

Ji Jiuhuo was taken aback.

Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Talisman? Of course he knew about that treasure of the Ji clan's Western Manor. He had coveted it himself. But the clan had rules that no one could violate.

"In that case," Ji Jiuhuo nodded, "Very well, you may come with us. But if the situation becomes hopeless, you must leave."

...

There, in that wild mountain forest, within the miasma-filled maze formation, the six of the Ji clan made their decision: to face Snowdragon Mountain together.

"There are only six of us," Ji Jiuhuo said, filled with boundless battle intent. "But the Yan Mountain branch of Snowdragon Mountain, after this great loss, will surely invite fellow disciples from nearby branches. A group of Zifu cultivators will come, and perhaps even a Wanxiang Adept. Meeting them head-on would be the height of foolishness. We need to buy time. So we must set up layer upon layer of formations."

"Right, set up formations. The clan leader is best at formations," Ji Liuzhen said, full of anticipation.

"I will arrange multiple layers of formations," Ji Jiuhuo looked at the five. "Leave the formations to me. For now, you all must find ways to improve your own means, such as the clan treasures kept in each manor..."

Everyone nodded.

"Also!"

Ji Jiuhuo looked down at the ground. "Beneath this wilderness stretching thousands of miles lies a giant vein of prime elemental stones! But strangely, no one had ever discovered it before—such a shallow vein, undiscovered until now. And before this, there was such a violent fluctuation of natural elemental energy."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

Indeed, the fluctuation of primal energies of heaven and earth that had drawn them here earlier was very strange.

"Perhaps a rare treasure of heaven and earth has emerged," said Ji Jiuhuo. "The earlier fluctuation of primal energies was caused by the emergence of this treasure, and it has formed a vein of primal stones around it."

"Or perhaps an immortal has been cultivating here. When immortals cultivate, they swallow vast amounts of primal energies of heaven and earth," Ji Jiuhuo mused. "Long-term cultivation could also form a vein of primal stones."

Granny Ying frowned: "Elder brother, what do you mean?"

Ji Ning and the others all looked at Ji Jiuhuo.

"I suspect," Ji Jiuhuo said, his eyes filled with longing, "this vein of primal stones appeared suspiciously; there may be some secrets. Perhaps there are treasures, or treasures left by an immortal! Even a few random treasures left by an immortal would be enough to greatly increase the strength of our Ji clan."

"Chieftain, you mean...?" Ji Liuzhen was also excited.

"Treasures?" Ji Yichuan and the others all looked at the ground.

Ji Jiuhuo nodded: "Let's drill deep into the earth and investigate carefully; we might find something."

"Right."

"Let's go."

Everyone felt the chieftain's reasoning was sound. The earlier fluctuation of primal energies of heaven and earth was indeed strange, and the fact that this vein of primal stones had never been discovered was also peculiar. Perhaps it hid some treasures.

"Ji Ning," Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Ning, "your protective lotus technique seems to drill through the earth very quickly. We'll rely on you; we'll follow you."

Ji Ning nodded: "Alright, I'll begin."

...

Shua shua shua~~~

Ji Ning controlled the Waterfire Lotus, spinning as it continuously drilled deeper into the earth. The primal stone ore was easily bored through, creating a passage. Ji Ning swiftly advanced, going deeper and deeper, with Ji Jiuhuo and the other five following behind him.

"So fast!" Ji Liuzhen, following behind, exclaimed in amazement.

"We could also drill this fast at the start, but soon our primal energy consumption would force us to slow down. But Ji Ning is using the power of heaven and earth entirely," Ji Jiuhuo could see that Ji Ning's Waterfire Lotus was formed using the power of heaven and earth.

They continued to drill deep into the earth.

"Ji Ning, head wherever the primal stone ore is of the highest quality," Ji Jiuhuo said. "If there are treasures, they are likely in the place with the densest primal energies of heaven and earth."

Ji Ning nodded.

He had also noticed... that the quality of the primal stone ore varied in different places. In some areas, most were only low-grade primal stones, but in others, there were many high-grade primal stones.

"Shua shua shua~~~" The Waterfire Lotus drilled through the earth like a swimming dragon, weaving through the vein of primal stones, constantly approaching the area with the best quality ore.

About half an hour later.

"Here, most are high-grade primal stones; just a little sorting will do."

"A treasure land."

"So many high-grade primal stones."

Although they had known it was a rich vein, they hadn't expected to find such a concentration of high-grade primal stones within it.

"Bang!" Suddenly a loud crash.

Ji Ning stopped abruptly, catching Ji Jiuhuo and the other five off guard as they hurriedly halted.

"What's wrong?" Ji Jiuhuo asked quickly.

"There's very hard rock ahead; my Waterfire Lotus couldn't drill through it," Ji Ning said in confusion. His Waterfire Lotus was now very powerful; it could even shred forged weapons, let alone ordinary rock. "How strange."

Shua shua shua~~~

The Waterfire Lotus quickly cleared away the surrounding ore, revealing a very smooth stone surface before Ji Ning.

"What is this?" Ji Ning was puzzled. Behind him, Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Yichuan, and the other four were also puzzled.

Ji Ning continued to control the Waterfire Lotus, clearing away the large amount of primal stone ore around... Soon, what appeared before them was part of a huge stone chamber, including a door.

"This, this..."

"It's a stone chamber! Man-made! Even Ji Ning's Waterfire Lotus couldn't break it; it's no ordinary stone chamber. It must have been left by an immortal."

Every member of the Ji clan showed ecstatic joy.

At a depth of over a hundred li underground, at the core of the primal stone vein, such a stone chamber appeared—who would believe it was a mortal creation?

"Ji Ning, don't get too close; be careful of any prohibitions," Ji Jiuhuo said. "Stay at a distance and use a magic treasure to push open the stone door from afar."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

The group retreated some distance, then Ji Ning directly controlled a flying sword treasure to push the stone door. Rumble~~~ The stone door slowly swung open, revealing an entrance. Instantly, an extremely dense surge of primal energies of heaven and earth burst forth from the entrance, making all six of them feel completely refreshed.

"There must be treasures!" Ji Jiuhuo shouted excitedly.