Chapter 7: The Treasure Hall

This was a vast hall, silent and soundless.

This silence had persisted for an immensely long time.

When Shaoyan Nong, Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, Xue Hongyi, and the others arrived in this hall riding the Golden Spirit Divine Light Orb, they all breathed a sigh of relief—they had finally escaped inside.

"We finally made it in. That immortal mansion world was too terrifying—wave after wave of demonic soldiers... just looking at them made one's heart tremble." Although Ji Ning was not a coward, everything he had just experienced left him feeling helpless, for the gap in strength was too vast, to the point of being impossible to resist.

"Senior apprentice-brother." Mu Zishuo looked at Ji Ning.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning looked at his junior apprentice-brother.

"Do you think we shouldn't have come?" Mu Zishuo muttered. "Earlier, when we first entered the immortal mansion world, we encountered that group of mermaid demonic soldiers—at least a thousand of them, easily able to crush us. And then later, the even larger force of ten thousand demonic soldiers, and even the so-called Yecha demonic soldiers formed by the Wujiang clan... even the divine demon Xiangliu couldn't withstand them. Coming here, I feel completely useless."

Mu Zishuo muttered aloud rather than using voice transmission, so everyone else around heard him.

The group fell silent.

Indeed, just now they had relied entirely on Shaoyan Nong's servant, the divine demon Xiangliu Fang, to kill the leader of the mermaid demonic soldiers; it was that divine demon who had blocked the ten thousand demonic soldiers. Ji Ning and the others could only watch.

"Everyone," Shaoyan Nong said with a smile, "don't be disheartened. That so many powerful demons had bred in this immortal mansion world, each equipped with demonic soldier armor, was impossible to foresee. Regardless, we have now entered one of the branch halls of this Wujiang Immortal Mansion."

"One must have the Immortal Mansion Key to enter, so in the long years since the death of Immortal Wujiang, no other living being has entered this branch hall. It is quite safe here. However... some of the measures left behind by Immortal Wujiang might still be active, so everyone, don't wander off. Let me first summon Uncle Fang inside, and then we will slowly explore this branch hall." Shaoyan Nong's words calmed everyone down.

Regardless, Immortal Wujiang had been dead for over a hundred million years; there certainly were no living beings in this branch hall, making it far safer than outside.

"Phew." Mu Zishuo immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and called out to those around him, "Senior apprentice-brother, senior apprentice-sister, everyone sit down and rest."

Ji Ning smiled and also sat cross-legged.

"You scared me to death." Xiaoqing raised her snake head, blinking her eyes, while the Whitewater Marsh lay prone on the ground.

Yu Wei, Cangjiang Zhenren, Xue Hongyi, Buyou Zhenren, and the ten Wanxiang Zhenren death warriors all either stood or sat cross-legged.

Shaoyan Nong, however, moved his mind.

Whoosh.

A hole the size of a fist appeared in the void before him; through the hole in the void, he could see the vast numbers of demon soldiers of the Yao clan locked in battle outside in the Immortal Mansion World, as well as that towering divine demon Xiangliu!

"Uncle Fang!" Shaoyan Nong was also somewhat worried, watching from afar.

"Master, if that divine demon dies out there, we'll be in big trouble," Xiaoqing transmitted to Ji Ning. "We'll be trapped inside this sub-palace and won't be able to get out."

"Don't jinx it. The divine demon Xiangliu isn't so easy to kill. Besides, as the next Feather Divine Duke of the mighty Shaoyan tribe... how could he be trapped here?" Ji Ning remained very calm. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. This was a trial for Shaoyan Nong from the ancient and powerful tribe 'Shaoyan'. Perhaps Shaoyan Nong might fail, but being trapped here forever was unlikely.

……

Ji Ning and his group stayed in that hall. They knew clearly that this sub-palace was enormous and had many places inside, yet they dared not barge in recklessly. Who knew which of the defensive measures left behind by the Immortal Wu Jiang back then were still active? If they were unlucky and triggered a powerful restriction, they might all die.

Better to wait, wait for the divine demon Xiangliu to rejoin them.

……

While Ji Ning and his group waited silently, deep inside the enormous sub-palace, on one of the corridors.

On this corridor stood a row of towering sculptures, at a glance, eighteen gray-black sculptures, each taking the form of the legendary divine beast 'Qiongqi'. They had coiled on this corridor for endless ages, but when Ji Ning and his group entered this ancient, silent sub-palace...

Something seemed to have been triggered.

Faint golden light began to emerge on the surface of these eighteen Qiongqi sculptures. The light continuously merged into the sculptures, and gradually, the surfaces of these sculptures began to grow clear.

"Crack." The eyes of one Qiongqi sculpture suddenly opened.

They were a pair of eyes glowing with green light.

"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!" ...

One by one, the Qiongqi sculptures all opened their eyes. Their eyes held only coldness. They began to stand up, one after another, even spreading their wings... They had bodies like oxen, covered with dense spikes, and huge wings, while their heads resembled those of tigers.

They were the most loyal guardians of this sub-palace—the eighteen Qiongqi puppets.

Puppets, being non-living beings, could truly exist for endless ages. Immortal Wu Jiang's servants and subordinates had all died of old age, but these puppets still followed the commands given to them by Immortal Wu Jiang countless ages ago, guarding this palace.

"Outsiders have entered the Treasure Hall," one Qiongqi puppet said in a low voice.

"They are not the master."

"He's not the master's successor either. This outsider forced his way in using the Immortal Mansion's key."

Some powerful puppets also possess intelligence.

Even when Ji Ning passed through the three trials in the Water Mansion's passageway, the third trial had a black-furred monster puppet that was actually infused with the soul of a living being, and its intelligence was even higher.

"Not the master, nor the master's successor... Intruders, kill without mercy." One of the Qiongqi puppets spoke.

"Kill without mercy."

"Kill without mercy."

All eighteen Qiongqi puppets said in unison.

To truly control the Wujiang Immortal Mansion, there were two methods. The first was to carry the Immortal Mansion's key and obtain the spell formula passed down by 'Immortal Wujiang', which would naturally make all the formations, restrictions, and puppets obedient. The second method was to carry the Immortal Mansion's key, find the central cores of the mansion's five branch halls, and directly refine them. Once all five central cores were refined, the entire mansion would be refined, achieving true control.

Shaoyan Nong's trial this time was to refine and control the entire Immortal Mansion!

Of course, Shaoyan Nong was not yet the master of the Immortal Mansion... so the mansion began its counterattack.

...

In the outermost hall.

Shaoyan Nong was watching through a void hole at the great battle in the Immortal Mansion's world outside. The divine demon Xiangliu was howling in fury, blood splattering as it fought while fleeing.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry up." Shaoyan Nong was extremely worried.

Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, Yu Wei, and the others also stood behind, watching the battle outside through the void hole.

"Given the divine demon Xiangliu's current strength, it will be difficult for it to escape back. Those Yaksha Dao soldiers are too formidable." Yu Wei transmitted.

"Yes, it is now besieged on two sides: one side is the giant wave formed by the ten thousand Dao soldiers, and the other is the even stronger Yaksha Dao soldiers. Both sides are stronger than it..." Cangjiang Zhenren frowned as he watched.

Jiulian transmitted: "This divine demon Xiangliu is personally protecting Shaoyan Nong, so it must be carrying some treasures. Yet it is only wielding those two long shuttles in battle, not using any other treasures. It seems the real danger has not yet arrived."

The group watched the battle through the void hole.

Meanwhile, ten Wanxiang Adept death warriors were on alert around them.

"What's wrong?" Ji Ning's expression suddenly changed drastically.

The space around them suddenly shifted.

They had been in the hall just moments before, but now Ji Ning and his group found themselves trapped in a vast void, unable to distinguish east from west, south from north, or even up from down.

"Not good." Shaoyan Nong's face also changed; the void aperture before him had vanished as well.

"It's a formation restriction!" Cangjiang Zhenren quickly transmitted urgently, "This branch hall contains a formation restriction left by the Immortal Wu Jiang. It has just been triggered, and the formation's range definitely includes the hall we were in. Though we are inside the hall, we are now trapped within the formation!"

"The space around us is sealed and twisted. Even with the key to the Immortal Estate, I cannot open a passage to the outside world." Shaoyan Nong transmitted anxiously, "Fire Rainbow Fairy, Cangjiang Zhenren, Ji Ning... I cannot open a passage. Uncle Fang cannot enter either. Now we can only rely on ourselves."

Ji Ning and the others' hearts sank.

Indeed, without a passage to the outside, the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang could not enter, and they had lost their greatest reinforcement.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning willed it, and his divine sense spread out, but he only sensed a vast blankness. The powerful formation restriction completely blocked his divine sense; he could not even detect his junior apprentice-brother Mu Zishuo beside him.

"One more piece of news for everyone: within this great formation, divine sense cannot be used either." Ji Ning transmitted.

"What!" Cangjiang Zhenren was startled and tried as well, his expression changing, "Divine sense indeed cannot be used. Since even divine sense is blocked, this is no ordinary formation..."

Ji Ning and his group naturally drew closer together.

The ten Wanxiang Adept death warriors even formed a formation.

"Who among you is skilled in formations? Break it quickly." Shaoyan Nong transmitted.

"Uncle Bai?" Ji Ning transmitted to the Whitewater Hound beside him. Uncle Bai had spent almost all his energy on formations over the years and had achieved far more than Ji Ning.

"A very terrifying formation." The Whitewater Hound shook his head gently, continuing to study it.

Just then...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Dense icy arrows appeared out of nowhere, each possessing terrifying power, raining down on Ji Ning and his group within the formation.

The distance was too close, the speed too fast.

"Boom." The water-fire lotus blooming around Ji Ning was directly shattered by three arrows that struck it, collapsing and splitting apart.

"Careful." Ji Ning's expression changed drastically. The power of these arrows was immense; just three were this terrifying... Ji Ning had a premonition that trapped within this dreadful formation restriction, some of their group of Wanxiang Adepts might fall.