Chapter 22: The Curtain Falls?

Ji Ning stood in midair, controlling the River of Sui.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning's expression suddenly changed.

He saw that in the skies to the east, south, west, and north, nine mountain peaks were suspended in the air, each covered with enormous fiery red runic patterns that floated and swirled around them. Ji Ning's pupils contracted: "A formation using mountain peaks as formation plates, refining them into treasures, and then forming a grand formation?"

Ji Ning was no stranger to formations; he understood them well and knew that such a grand undertaking must be a top-tier formation. Perhaps it was slightly inferior to the peerless deadly formation of Mount Yan, but it could likely threaten even Celestial Immortals. As for how powerful it truly was, he would find out soon enough.

"Where did these assassins come from, with such formidable methods?" Ji Ning still had no idea who wanted him dead.

He had suspects, but no evidence.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Suddenly, streaks of runic light shot across the sky from the nine suspended peaks at the horizon, connecting with each other like chains linking the peaks. Soon, countless fiery red runic lights intertwined, binding the nine peaks into one entity.

Swoosh.

The giant serpent that had been battling Ji Ning suddenly began to retreat, trying to escape.

"Trying to leave?" Ji Ning, who had been fighting the serpent at close quarters, roared, "If I'm caught in the grand formation, you won't escape either!" He immediately activated the divine ability 'Nine Heavens Annihilating Wind' and chased after it, far faster than the serpent. Ji Ning transformed into a hundred-zhang giant, sat down on the serpent's body, and grabbed hold of it.

No matter how the serpent twisted and struggled, even lashing out with its tail, Ji Ning clung firmly to it.

"Since the grand formation is coming for me, you can taste it too!" Ji Ning laughed wildly, his hair disheveled, exuding arrogance.

"Trouble."

"Captain, this Ji Ning is too fast; the serpent can't shake him off. He's riding it tightly. When the formation strikes, we'll be caught in the blast too."

"The killing formation of the Eastwood Mountains is the 'Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire Furnace.' We can't withstand it."

"Don't panic. The general won't act recklessly. They'll control the 'Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire Furnace' and focus its power on Ji Ning. At most, a little will spill onto the serpent," the captain transmitted.

As the Bloodcloud Hall group conversed, a spinning flame appeared in the sky.

The flame was a mix of two colors.

The overall flame was emerald green, but at its core was purple fire!

"Rumble..." The flame spun continuously, growing larger until it reached the formation's maximum capacity. It became a flame as huge as a small mountain, crackling with lightning from its purple core.

Ji Ning, riding the serpent and controlling the River of Sui, looked up: "So it's the Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire..."

After all, he was from the Mount Innerheart lineage. Having spent so long on the mountain, he had read up on common knowledge. He knew that the Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire was a 'true fire' level flame. However, because it was too chaotic and evil, mixing several forces, immortals could not nurture such a flame within their bodies.

"Boom!!!"

The mountain-sized flame plunged downward.

The serpent struggled desperately, but Ji Ning stayed on it, refusing to let it escape.

"Whoosh..."

The mountain-like flame instantly enveloped Ji Ning, but under the control of the nine demon guards, it only covered his upper body, barely touching the serpent. Ji Ning fought fiercely with the serpent, trying to make it contact the flames.

"Haha, this Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire is quite warm, like a hot bath. Come, let's bathe together!" Ji Ning, like a demon god in the flames, laughed heartily while gripping the serpent.

"What?"

"Impossible!"

"This, this..."

Both the Bloodcloud Hall members and the silver-armored general were stunned.

The silver-armored general was shocked: "He's enduring it with his body, not retreating into his mobile abode?" He had expected Ji Ning to hide in his mobile abode. If he did, the Bloodcloud Hall members would tear open space and send the abode to a 'dangerous place.' There were many perilous locations in the Three Realms, so hiding in a mobile abode required immediate use of a 'Greater Teleportation Dao Talisman,' or else entering a dangerous place would mean certain death.

"The Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire can't harm him?" The black-robed youth was astonished. "How is that possible? This is the Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire!"

"How is it impossible?" the silver-armored youth said grimly. "Didn't you see it?"

Han Da and the Eastwood Sect Leader were also dumbfounded.

The Eastwood Sect Leader watched Ji Ning, who seemed like a legendary invincible demon god. The terrifying Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire and the giant serpent seemed like mere toys to him, unable to harm him in the slightest.

"A protective treasure? Or a protective divine ability?" The silver-armored youth stared at Ji Ning, who faintly glowed with golden light in the flames. "A protective treasure lasting this long is incredible, but it's possible it's a treasure bestowed by a Dao Ancestor. If it's a protective divine ability, it can only be the legendary 'Eight-Nine Arcane Art.'"

"If it's the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, that's terrifying. Only a very few True Gods and Dao Ancestors in the Three Realms possess it, and they usually teach it only to their direct disciples," the silver-armored youth thought with shock.

In the Three Realms, True Gods and Dao Ancestors were scattered everywhere like overlords.

Even among True Gods and Dao Ancestors, only a very few possessed the 'Eight-Nine Arcane Art.' Most, like the Black Tortoise Grand Emperor, the Redbright Dao Ancestor, and many others, did not have it, let alone teach it to disciples. So very few in the Three Realms had this divine ability.

To possess it meant one was a direct disciple of a top-tier Dao Ancestor!

"Even if it's a protective treasure, being given such a treasure means his background is terrifyingly powerful," the silver-armored youth thought.

"Demon guards, since we can't do anything to Ji Ning, withdraw the Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire Furnace!" the silver-armored youth transmitted.

"Yes."

The nine demon guards immediately acknowledged.

The nine peaks suspended in the sky at the horizon withdrew their runic light and began to descend.

"Di Nine." The silver-armored youth transmitted directly.

"General." Di Nine responded.

"Even my killing formation can't handle Ji Ning. I'm giving up. Whatever you Bloodcloud Hall want to do, I don't care," the silver-armored youth said.

Di Nine replied, "I understand. This mission, even three top-grade immortal treasures aren't enough, let alone ten. I won't trouble you further, General. I have no other choice but the last resort."

"Mm." The silver-armored youth acknowledged.

...

Ji Ning, riding the serpent, watched the Nine Heavens Divine Derangement Poison Fire dissipate and smiled. He had known the power of this flame; his body could completely ignore it.

"Tell me, who are you? Who sent you to assassinate me?" Ji Ning shouted. "If you tell me, I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'll keep pestering you. Even if I can't escape this formation, you'll be trapped here with me."

"Ji Ning, we admit you're formidable, but threatening us? Hmph!"

The serpent spoke in human tongue, then flew off into the distance.

Ji Ning clung to the serpent, following it.

Trapped in the formation, he would need a 'Greater Teleportation Dao Talisman' to escape on his own. But if he held onto the serpent, unless it was willing to stay in the formation, he would leave when it did. That was why he kept holding on.

"Whoosh, whoosh..." The serpent flew through the forest, with many formations automatically avoiding it.

Suddenly—

Bang!

The thousand-zhang serpent abruptly vanished, revealing twelve white-robed figures. The leader, a man with bloodstains on his white robe, waved his hand to put away the other eleven, then flew swiftly toward a dark, misty cave entrance on the ground ahead.

Swoosh!

When the serpent vanished, the bloodstained man was already close to the cave entrance and rushed in.

Swoosh. Ji Ning chased after him, but stopped a few zhang from the entrance.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning looked at the dark misty cave entrance.

The entrance was not large, seemingly ordinary, but he could not sense what was inside. He could not detect any trace of the bloodstained man who had entered.

"It seems... there's something mysterious about this cave," Ji Ning hesitated at the entrance. Unable to sense anything inside, he had no idea what lay within.

...

The serpent fled, Ji Ning clung to it, then it dispersed, and the Bloodcloud Hall members escaped into the dark misty cave. All this was watched from afar by the silver-armored youth, the black-robed youth, Han Da, and others.

"The Bloodcloud Hall people used their last resort," the black-robed youth said, his eyes sparkling with starlight as he saw clearly into the distance. "I wonder if Ji Ning will enter. If he does, he's dead for sure."

"A True Immortal or a god might survive entering, but Ji Ning, no matter how powerful his protective treasures or abilities, will die if he goes in," the silver-armored youth said. "Several Celestial Immortals killed by Bloodcloud Hall foolishly chased fleeing assassins into that cave."

This entrance...

was a passage.

leading to a mysterious place, ten thousand or even a million times more dangerous than the Eastwood Mountains.