Chapter 23: The Bronze Pillar Underground

Western Sea, the stronghold of the Unending Gate.

Inside the great hall.

The disheveled and barefoot Wu Xiao Celestial Immortal and the Celestial Immortal Purple Grass sat side by side on the high seats, along with many other Celestial Immortals. They all gazed at a huge mirror in the hall, which displayed the scene in the Chenyu Mountains of Dongfu Commandery.

"We've been looking for a chance to capture Ji Ning, and now he's rushed right into the lair of the Shennong clan," said Wu Xiao Celestial Immortal, sitting there, scratching his feet and chuckling. "It seems this little Ji Ning doesn't even need me to make a move; the Shennong clan alone will be enough."

"Can the Shennong clan do it? Last time they had the advantage of surprise, but they still failed," frowned Purple Grass beside him.

"The top ten tribes of the Xia Dynasty are all very powerful," nodded Wu Xiao Celestial Immortal. "If the Shennong clan is truly willing to go all out, using their life-or-death trump cards... dealing with a little fellow who isn't even a Celestial Immortal, even if he has mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, he will surely be suppressed."

"Oh?" Purple Grass was surprised.

"Just watch," said Wu Xiao Celestial Immortal confidently.

...

Inside that ancient tower.

The five Celestial Immortals—Xuanji, Golden Bell, Withered Tree, Jingyu, and Chixin—were all gathered there.

"Something has happened in Dongfu Commandery, and they are asking for help," the five Celestial Immortals sensed simultaneously.

"At this time, tribes like Zhuanshui won't be foolish enough to start a war with us. And the foundation of a tribe is us Celestial Immortals; killing our clan's cultivators and mortals has no real impact on the Shennong clan. Only Ji Ning, whom we were hunting before, would erupt in revenge."

"It must be Ji Ning."

"No one else."

Xuanji Celestial Immortal and the others had already guessed.

Because they had moved against Ji Ning, not wanting him to live, and in turn... Ji Ning would likely bare his fangs and counterattack.

"We've been waiting for him to make a move. By attacking our territory, he's walking right into the trap."

"Brother Huoba."

"Brother Huoba."

Golden Bell Celestial Immortal and Chixin Celestial Immortal both called out.

Their voices seemed to reach another space, and then a black mist gate appeared beside them. From the gate flew out a man with fiery red disheveled hair and even some scales on his face.

"Brother Huoba," smiled Chixin Celestial Immortal. "For this formation to deal with Ji Ning, we need you to preside over it, and we will cooperate."

"The Three Realms are in turmoil now, and my master is busy with his great affairs," said Huoba Celestial Immortal in a low voice. "A mere Ji Ning has caused our Shennong clan to fail several times—this is our clan's shame. This time, we must succeed."

"Mm."

"Of course."

"We understand."

Everyone responded.

Huoba Celestial Immortal nodded: "Good. As we discussed before, I, Chixin, Withered Tree, Golden Bell, and Jingyu will join forces... to execute the 'Lesser Yin Demon-Subduing Formation' and directly bind Ji Ning. Then we will suppress him into that divine bell."

"With Brother Huoba presiding, success is assured."

"Let's go."

"Xuanji, you stay and guard."

Soon, Huoba Celestial Immortal, Chixin Celestial Immortal, Withered Tree Celestial Immortal, Golden Bell Celestial Immortal, and Jingyu Celestial Immortal tore through the void and departed, heading for the Chenyu Mountains of Dongfu Commandery.

...

"Back."

Above the void over the East Sea, space tore open, and an old man with white hair and a white beard appeared.

"I didn't expect my true body to be killed in one move," recalled the old man, remembering how that terrifying palm had directly crushed him. "It seems that the one who transformed into Xu Xiu Daoist to deceive me must be that Ji Ning the Celestial Immortal ancestors mentioned."

This man was the second incarnation of the Fufeng Old Demon!

The Fufeng Old Demon was powerful; his true body sat in the Chenyu Mountains, enjoying countless pleasures, while his second incarnation roamed the Three Realms, making his strength even greater.

Having lived for over a million years, he still hadn't died.

Even the million-year tribulations of wind, fire, and thunder were not much of a threat to the Fufeng Old Demon.

"Ji Ning?" The Fufeng Old Demon's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "You destroyed my true body—do you think I'll let you off easy?"

Swoosh.

The Fufeng Old Demon directly tore through the void and reappeared in the Chenyu Mountains. He was familiar with the Chenyu Mountains, and soon entered through the formation restrictions, arriving where a group of loose immortals and earth immortals were gathered.

"Brother Fufeng."

"Brother Fufeng."

The loose immortals and earth immortals greeted him politely.

But the Fufeng Old Demon quickly said, "I am ashamed. That Ji Ning launched a surprise attack, and my true body was killed in a single exchange."

"Don't blame yourself, Brother Fufeng. That Ji Ning's strength is formidable. The Celestial Immortal ancestors have strictly ordered us not to engage. With Brother Fufeng's strength being killed in one exchange, even if we loose immortals and earth immortals joined forces... we would only end up dead. I really don't know how this Ji Ning cultivates," said the green-haired immortal.

"Let Ji Ning be proud for a while. Once the ancestors arrive, it will be his death."

"The ancestors are here."

All the scattered immortals and earth immortals sensed the spatial fluctuations and looked up, seeing five figures appear in the distance.

"Five celestial immortal ancestors?"

"Our Shaoyan clan actually has five celestial immortal ancestors?" These scattered immortals and earth immortals were extremely excited. The number of celestial immortals in a tribe had always been a secret! Previously, even the current tribal leader, Yüshen Gong, only knew of three...

"With a full five celestial immortal ancestors making a move, Ji Ning is doomed."

Each one was excited and expectant.

...

Those scattered immortals and earth immortals only dared to hide within the formations and restrictions; they were nothing but clowns, and Ji Ning paid them no heed. He was manipulating the Ten-Thousand-Li River of Stars, doing his utmost to destroy. If he manipulated a magic treasure, he might at most destroy a hundred li at a time, but with the Ten-Thousand-Li River of Stars, the efficiency was much higher.

"Fortunately, I have the Thousand Ox Sword, otherwise my plan wouldn't work." Ji Ning was destroying at top speed.

Rumble~~~

Mountains shattered, the ground churned.

Even some small peaks that had been refined into formation bases did not break under the River of Stars' assault. The River of Stars discovered a large number of formation plates and bases, and Ji Ning directly waved his hand to collect them all. As long as a single formation base was missing, a great formation would be ruined. Ji Ning didn't know how many formation bases he had collected; it was likely that within this hundred-thousand-li region, it would be hard to find another great formation.

"Crash!" As a hundred-zhang-wide stone plate was swept up,

"Eh? This is..." Ji Ning's expression changed.

Originally, in his divine sense scan, the underground was just rock and soil, perfectly normal.

But after that stone plate was taken away, the scene underground changed dramatically! Clearly, a formation had been maintained there for a long time, deceiving even divine sense and heartforce scans.

Ji Ning's divine sense now clearly detected—

A fiery red copper pillar, fully ninety-nine zhang thick and over a thousand li long, was deep underground, plunging into the depths. Because this fiery red copper pillar was buried extremely deep, Ji Ning's divine sense could only detect a part of it, but that part alone was over a thousand li long!

The fiery red copper pillar was covered in countless runic patterns.

"What the hell is this?" Ji Ning sensed it was no ordinary object. When his divine sense touched it, his heart involuntarily tightened.

"Hm?" Ji Ning abruptly looked up.

Five figures appeared in the distant midair.

Ji Ning had no time to study the fiery red copper pillar: "This fiery red copper pillar has been buried underground all along, not taken away. It probably can't be taken away! Who knows how long it's been buried. No rush to explore it... After I kill these Shaoyan scoundrels, I'll secretly investigate the mysteries of this fiery red copper pillar."

Whoosh!

When those five celestial immortals appeared, Ji Ning immediately stopped his destruction and directly teleported through the void, returning in an instant to the location of the former Spring Sun Hall of the Wind Demon.

Mu Zishuo had also returned there. The cultivators were already all dead; as for the mortals, thanks to Ji Ning's intervention, he had finally stopped. Nearby were Whitewater and Xiaoqing.

"Uncle White, how is it?" Ji Ning looked down at Uncle White, who had transformed into a snow-white dog.

"Seventy-one layers of formations have been set up," Uncle White communicated mentally. "Although not all the great formations have been completed, these seventy-one layers... are enough."

"Good," Ji Ning transmitted. "Activate the great formation once those five celestial immortals enter it."

By now, Ji Ning had returned to his original appearance.

The appearance of the winged immortal puppet meant his identity could no longer be hidden, and since his goal had been achieved—clearing a safe zone of over a hundred thousand li—there was no need to conceal his identity.

...

In the ruined wasteland, Ji Ning stood alone, with the winged immortal puppet, a snow-white dog, and a green snake beside him.

"You few lousy celestial immortals of the Shaoyan clan," Ji Ning laughed uproariously, looking up. "You wanted to kill me so badly, first hiring the Bloodcloud Hall to assassinate me, then four celestial immortals joining forces to ambush me. What a pity, you're all so incompetent!"

"What?"

"Four celestial immortals ambushed Ji Ning?"

The scattered immortals and earth immortals hiding in the formations were all shocked. In their minds, celestial immortal ancestors were lofty and exalted. Four celestial immortal ancestors ambushed him and still couldn't kill Ji Ning?

Among the scattered immortals and earth immortals, the Wind Demon squinted his eyes, watching silently.

"You want to kill me so badly, so I'll satisfy you. I've come, to your Shaoyan clan's territory." Ji Ning's voice boomed, infused with elemental power, spreading in all directions, even reaching countless mortals. "I, Ji Ning, am right here. You lousy celestial immortals of the Shaoyan clan, if you have the guts, come kill me! Hahaha, but you'd better be careful—you want to kill me, but I'll kill you too. Watch out, I might kill all five of you. Hahaha..."

Ji Ning's laughter spread, covering everything.

Even the mortals in countless cities heard it.

"A few lousy celestial immortals of the Shaoyan clan?" Countless mortals were shaken.

"Who dares to speak of celestial immortals like that?"

To mortals, celestial immortals were truly noble.

In the entire Great Xia Dynasty, it was rare to produce a celestial immortal in a million years. How exalted were celestial immortals? Yet now, this person didn't even put celestial immortals in his eyes, actually daring to fight five celestial immortals alone?

"Watch out, I might kill all five of you!" Those words were too domineering.

Countless mortals were stunned.

And worshipped him.

"When will I dare to say such things to a celestial immortal?" Many youths and maidens, though knowing that this 'Ji Ning' was an enemy, couldn't help but envy and admire him.

...

Ji Ning stood on the ruins, cursing freely. He was waiting for them to make a move. Normal magic treasure attacks couldn't strike from thousands or tens of thousands of li away. To kill him, Ji Ning, they had to get close. And once they got close enough to use their treasures, they would inevitably fall into the formations Uncle White had set up. The formations covered a ten-thousand-li region; once activated,

then, within that ten-thousand-li region, it would be his home ground!

Though it was the Shaoyan clan's lair, it would feel like his own mountain gate!

"Come on, come on, kill me! You lousy celestial immortals, scared to death?" Ji Ning laughed wildly, his divine demon's voice truly loud.