Chapter 10: This Is the Treasure Hall

"That's because Uncle Bai can break the formation," Ji Ning communicated mentally. "Uncle Bai, there's no time to lose. Break the formation quickly. Tell us what you need us to do. That Shaoyan公子 will definitely do his utmost."

"Push those Qiongqi puppets farther away, so that there is no interference within ten zhang of me," Whitewater Marsh replied.

"Alright."

Ji Ning immediately sent a mental message: "Shaoyan公子, everyone, let's expand the Five Elements Five Directions Formation a bit more."

"Expand it further? The larger the formation, the more ice arrows we'll attract," Cangjiang Zhenren said urgently.

"My spirit-beast Whitewater Marsh has a way to break this grand formation, but he needs a space of ten zhang," Ji Ning transmitted.

"Can he break the formation?"

"Really?"

Everyone was both surprised and stunned. Shaoyan公子 urged anxiously: "Everyone, give it your all. Hold on a little longer." After speaking, he shot a hard glare at Xue Hongyi, who quickly tried to show that he was already fighting desperately.

"Hum~~~"

The formation expanded.

Shaoyan公子 and the Red-Scaled Flood Dragon also displayed great prowess. This single person and his spirit-beast held back eight Qiongqi puppets at once. Xue Hongyi desperately held back one Qiongqi puppet, while Ji Ning and the other five held back the remaining nine. For a moment, Ji Ning and his group could even suppress these Qiongqi puppets.

But while suppressing the Qiongqi puppets, they also had to divert attention to block the ice arrows. Instantly, everyone's elemental energy consumption was astonishing. This state of ultra-high combat power could not be maintained for long.

"Rise."

A snow-white large dog stood at the core of the entire formation. Around it floated ancient wooden sticks covered with runes. One by one, the sticks flew in all directions and soon landed in various places. Each stick that landed seemed to 'nail' the surrounding space. All sixty-four Fuxi sticks landed.

Each stick lit up with dazzling watery light, and lines of watery light connected the sticks, forming an enormous runic formation.

"Boom~~~"

This runic formation actually merged with the surrounding grand formation.

Like a drop of ink falling on white cloth, like an iron rod jamming a gear... in an instant, the previously perfectly coordinated grand formation became 'stuck'. The vast, surging power of heaven and earth that had been drawn in was instantly cut off. The incoming ice arrows sharply decreased in power, and within a single breath, they dissipated into nothing.

Then, the entire grand formation completely dissipated.

The ancient hall from before reappeared in Ji Ning's field of vision. They were still inside this hall and had never left.

"The formation is broken?"

Shaoyan Nong was stunned at first, then ecstatic.

Trapped in the formation earlier, despair and agony had tormented him. Now that they were free, the joy in his heart was beyond words.

"Impressive, impressive." Mu Zishuo blinked and glanced at the snow-white large dog in the center.

"What a formidable Whitewater Marsh." Cangjiang Zhenren also looked at the snow-white large dog.

"Uncle Bai, truly amazing." Jiulian also sent a mental message.

Everyone was overjoyed.

Xue Hongyi, though delighted, was deeply displeased inside: "Even a spirit-beast he took in is so skilled in formations. Why don't I have such a powerful spirit-beast? Damn it, damn it all. This time, Ji Ning has once again rendered great service in front of Shaoyan公子."

...

Without the previous barrage of ice arrows, Ji Ning and the others instantly unleashed their full strength. Using the Five Elements Five Directions Formation, Ji Ning, Cangjiang Zhenren, and Yu Wei each held back four Qiongqi puppets. Jiulian, Mu Zishuo, and Xue Hongyi each held back one, while the Red-Scaled Flood Dragon held back the remaining ones.

Effortlessly, without Shaoyan公子 even needing to act, the eighteen Qiongqi puppets were all held back.

"Uncle Fang, the formation is broken. You can come in now." Shaoyan Nong immediately sent a mental message to Xiangliu Fang outside.

The two had long formed a contract.

Xiangliu Fang, this Fiendgod, was his most loyal servant. Otherwise, how could the Shaoyan clan of the tribe be at ease letting a Fiendgod follow their young master?

...

Xiangliu Fang had long fled to the vicinity of this branch hall, but he couldn't enter.

The entire Immortal Mansion world was only tens of thousands of li in circumference, truly too small.

Xiangliu Fang had already run a full circle around the Immortal Mansion world.

"Stop chasing."

"This Fiendgod is too cunning."

"And he can't be killed."

The two most powerful demon forces in the Immortal Mansion world had given up the chase. Although they had wounded Xiangliu Fang many times, as a Fiendgod, his recovery ability was astonishing. Moreover, when he used his 'escape technique', his speed far surpassed the combined demon soldiers. After multiple skirmishes, they had abandoned the pursuit.

"This Fiendgod is not to be trifled with, but the group of humans who came with him are much weaker. This Fiendgod is the personal guard of one of them. When those humans come out, we'll kill them directly and seize the keys to the Immortal Mansion." These demon forces waited outside one of the five main branch halls of the Immortal Mansion, the 'Treasure Hall'.

As soon as Ji Ning and his group came out, they would surround and kill them.

This was their only chance to obtain the keys to the Immortal Mansion and leave... Leaving this Immortal Mansion world was a desire that the countless demons in this small world had yearned for throughout endless ages. Generation after generation, they passed down legends that the outside world was infinitely vast, so vast that even an immortal flying for days and nights could not reach its end.

Days and nights?

The demons of the Immortal Mansion world could not imagine it, because in this world, a loose immortal could fly from one end to the other in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"I really want to go out."

"I really want to see that infinitely vast world." These demons yearned.

At this moment, Xiangliu Fang in the distance had been waiting for Shaoyan Nong's mental message. Their souls were both strong, so the distance for mental communication could be relatively far.

"The young master is trapped in a formation inside that Immortal Mansion branch hall. What to do?" Xiangliu Fang was anxious. "I can't get in. If no one breaks the formation, the young master will be trapped forever. In the end, he might have to give up. If he gives up... this trial will be a failure."

Xiangliu Fang was anxious but had no solution.

"Uncle Fang, the formation is broken. You can come in now." Shaoyan Nong's mental voice sounded.

"The formation is broken?" Xiangliu Fang was overjoyed. He immediately turned into a streak of light and flew straight toward the branch hall.

Swoosh!

He flew at high speed.

"That Fiendgod is back."

"Can't kill him, and he still comes?"

"Is he trying to enter the branch hall? Let's follow him and go in together." The endless waves of demon soldiers and the giant Yaksha soldiers watched the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang but did not attack.

Whoosh.

A huge hall door suddenly appeared in midair. The door was open. Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang happened to fly there and, with a swoosh, went in. Immediately after, the void door vanished.

Xiangliu Fang and Shaoyan Nong coordinated perfectly.

As soon as he flew there, the door appeared. As soon as he entered, the door closed immediately, leaving the demon soldiers who intended to follow no time to react. After all, Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang was faster than them.

"Wait! I don't believe they won't come out! When they do, kill those humans and seize the keys to the Immortal Mansion." The demon soldiers all endured patiently.

...

Inside the huge hall.

Ji Ning and the others were still resisting the frenziedly attacking Qiongqi puppets.

"Swoosh." A figure rushed in. It was a dark-skinned, narrow-eyed middle-aged man—the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang.

"Uncle Fang." Shaoyan Nong was overjoyed. Finally, he had reunited with Uncle Fang. Seeing Uncle Fang calmed his uneasy heart. With Uncle Fang here... they would be safe.

As soon as Xiangliu Fang entered, he saw the Qiongqi puppets.

"Puppets?" Xiangliu Fang took a step and appeared beside a Qiongqi puppet. The puppet roared and swung its claws to tear him apart, but what met it was Xiangliu Fang's fist!

Bang!

A punch sent the Qiongqi puppet flying backward like a meteor, then it crashed into the hall's wall with a loud bang. The Immortal Mansion's walls were extremely tough, and the Qiongqi puppet was a magic treasure body; neither was damaged. But the puppet lay on the ground, stunned for a moment before getting up.

"Nascent Soul level puppets?" Xiangliu Fang frowned, then directly pulled out a huge bag.

"Come on." Xiangliu Fang stretched out his hand, and his ten fingers turned into ten giant snakes, covering the sky and grabbing two Qiongqi puppets. The two puppets struggled wildly but could not escape Xiangliu Fang's snake-like hands.

"Get in." Grabbing the two Qiongqi puppets, he threw them directly into the bag's opening.

Xiangliu Fang moved like lightning, his large hand possessing boundless, terrifying power—clearly a formidable divine ability. With strength far surpassing these Nascent Soul puppets, he grabbed two or three at a time. In the blink of an eye, all eighteen Qiongqi puppets were caught into the bag, not even having time to escape.

"So powerful." Ji Ning and the others were dumbfounded, marveling.

"Uncle Fang." Shaoyan Nong was overjoyed.

Xiangliu Fang nodded, glanced at Whitewater Marsh who was maintaining the formation, and said lightly: "Whitewater Marsh? Among demons, few are skilled in formations. Whitewater Marsh indeed has innate high comprehension and is a good seedling for studying formations."

Having said that,

Xiangliu Fang turned into a streak of light.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" He flew to three places in succession, smashing with his fists. Although the hall was undamaged overall, some decorations, like huge candlesticks, were broken and in disarray.

"Alright, the key points of the formation have been disrupted by me." Xiangliu Fang glanced at Whitewater Marsh. "You don't need to maintain the formation any longer."

Whitewater Marsh withdrew the Fuxi stick formation, and indeed, the previous formation showed no reaction.

"Phew." Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances and smiled.

Having a great expert around indeed made things much easier.

"Hmm?" Xiangliu Fang frowned slightly, looked up at the distant end of the hall, and pointed from afar. A stream of black divine power flew out, striking the hall wall in the distance. Three large characters appeared on the wall—Treasure Hall!

"Treasure Hall?" Ji Ning, Mu Zishuo, Xue Hongyi, and the others were all overjoyed.

The Immortal Mansion had five main branch halls. Ji Ning and the others didn't know what this branch hall was for. Now seeing the words 'Treasure Hall', as the name implied, it must be for storing treasures! Earlier, Shaoyan Nong had promised that any treasures found in the Immortal Mansion would belong to them.