Chapter 6 The Plucking Star Great World

Ji Ning, holding his daughter, rose and said, "Everyone, please rise quickly."

The seven Celestial Immortals and the yellow-furred bear stood up, their eyes filled with excitement.

"Don't kneel to me again," Ji Ning said, shaking his head while holding his daughter. "I merely obtained the legacy of my master, Daoist San Shou, and became the master of the Plucking Star Estate by luck. In terms of cultivation time, each of you has far longer than I. In terms of strength, you and I are both merely Celestial Immortals."

"The estate master is the estate master," the enchanting white-browed woman 'Snow Scorpion' said with a smile. "You lead us, the Plucking Star Estate. We are your subordinates, so naturally there must be rules."

"Yes, estate master," the bald old man Nine Fangs laughed. "Back then, when the God King gave the order, countless gods and demons knelt in submission... Haha, just thinking about it makes my blood boil. I wasn't even a Celestial Immortal back then."

"Estate master, don't..." the Dove Snake Celestial Immortal began.

"My rule is..." Ji Ning's gaze swept over them. "No more kneeling."

Red Snow and the other six Celestial Immortals exchanged glances, sensing Ji Ning's will. They did not defy him and respectfully replied, "Yes."

At Ji Ning's level, his Dao-heart was utterly pure. He liked what he liked and disliked what he disliked. The old rules of the Plucking Star Estate could not bind him. Ji Ning was different from Daoist San Shou; San Shou enjoyed conquering the world, but Ji Ning did not. He pursued personal strength.

With sufficient strength, one could sweep away everything.

Like Nuwa... unrivaled in the Three Realms.

Ji Ning sought to become like Pangu or Nuwa, or even higher—assuming the level of a Pangu God was not the end of cultivation.

"Junior apprentice-brother."

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning."

The onlookers in the distance were shocked. Among the many spectators from the Mountain of Square Inch, except for a few like Ji Dian, who had just learned from Patriarch Bodhi, most had no idea about the relationship between Ji Ning and Daoist San Shou.

Even Mu Zishuo and Qiuye did not know.

"Daoist San Shou? He was a True God born from the endless chaos. It is said that his self-created divine ability, 'Plucking Star Hand,' was as terrifying as Hou Yi's archery."

"Senior apprentice-brother is actually Daoist San Shou's successor."

They were utterly astonished.

Since Red Snow and the other six Celestial Immortals had acted in the realm war, information about their past following Daoist San Shou had spread. Daoist San Shou was remembered and talked about again by many immortals and demons in the Three Realms. Naturally, Mu Zishuo, Uncle Bai, and others had heard the stories of Daoist San Shou.

"Yes."

Ji Ning's gaze swept over his familiar family and fellow disciples. He nodded. "Daoist San Shou is also my master. When I was young, I obtained his legacy by chance. From today on... I am also of the Plucking Star Estate lineage. Red Snow and the other six are Celestial Immortals of my Plucking Star Estate."

Under the Mountain of Square Inch, there were multiple factions.

For example, the powerful Flowerfruit Mountain lineage among the demons.

Ji Ning now led the Plucking Star Estate lineage.

"Then am I also of the Plucking Star Estate lineage?" Mu Zishuo laughed.

"I'll count you in reluctantly," Xiao Qing teased. "I am my master's spirit beast, so I am definitely of the Plucking Star Estate lineage."

"Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, you have suddenly become the noble master of the Plucking Star Estate. In the future, your senior apprentice-brother may have to ask for your help," senior apprentice-brother Silver Moon said with a smile.

"My Plucking Star Estate's foundation is still weak. Senior apprentice-brother, how about joining my Plucking Star Estate?" Ji Ning laughed.

Master Bodhi had twenty disciples.

The eldest disciple was Woodcutter.

The second disciple was Ji Dian. Both the eldest and second were Dao Ancestors.

The third disciple, Golden Light Chan Master, was a Golden Crow born from the Sun Star. He was immensely talented and astonishingly powerful, but he wandered the Three Realms, his whereabouts hard to track.

The fourth disciple, North River Sect Leader, was originally an ancient human. Now, he occupied the North River, a celestial river in the Heavenly Court, and established the North River Sect. He had over a dozen Celestial Immortals under him and was a regional overlord.

The fifth disciple was senior apprentice-brother Silver Moon. He was also a demonic beast, a true great demon who had once caused bloodshed in ancient times. Later, he restrained himself and lived in seclusion on the Mountain of Square Inch, willingly serving as a guardian in the Immortal Palace.

The sixth disciple was Sun Wukong, the demon leader of Flowerfruit Mountain. He was born from one of the 'Five-Colored Stones' left by Nuwa when she mended the heavens, which had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth over endless years. He was a natural prodigy, cultivating for an even shorter time than Ji Ning! He became a Celestial Immortal in one go and later broke through to become a True God, gaining considerable fame among demons.

Among Bodhi's disciples, the first six were all extraordinary, not to mention the rest.

"Join your Plucking Star Estate?" Silver Moon waved his feather fan, a hint of hesitation on his handsome face. "Sounds... not bad."

"If you join, senior apprentice-brother Silver Moon, each of us can command a Three-Eyed Celestial Immortal," Red Snow Celestial Immortal also laughed.

Though confident, Red Snow did not dare claim to be stronger than Silver Moon.

"Two junior apprentice-brothers," Silver Moon said after a moment of thought, smiling at Ji Ning. "I'm not joking. Now that the great calamity has arrived, my peaceful days may truly end. I'm not in a hurry yet; I need to observe more. If I decide to enter the world... I will join your Plucking Star Estate."

Ji Ning and Red Snow were overjoyed.

They had only casually invited him, never expecting Silver Moon to actually agree.

...

The space was hazy.

Ji Ning and the seven Celestial Immortals stood in midair.

"We have entered the Plucking Star Great World," Red Snow Celestial Immortal said, pointing below. "This is the endless Plucking Star Great World, the current foundation of our Plucking Star Estate."

"Mm."

Ji Ning's mind stirred.

Boom~~~

His divine sense directly released, expanding wildly and soon enveloping the entire Plucking Star Great World.

"The estate master's divine sense is so strong, covering the entire Plucking Star Great World," the enchanting woman Snow Scorpion exclaimed in admiration.

"Completely covered?" Nine Fangs Celestial Immortal was also astonished. "The estate master has only cultivated for a hundred years, yet his divine sense has grown to this level?"

Divine sense depends on the soul!

The stronger one's strength, the faster the soul improves. For example, at the Nascent Soul stage, the soul is nurtured more strongly. At the Return to Void stage, improvement is faster. When one becomes a Celestial Immortal and forms a 'Golden Core,' the soul is completely integrated into it, and improvement is astonishing. The 'Pure Yang Golden Core' of a Pure Yang True Immortal nurtures the soul even more.

But such nurturing takes time. Ji Ning's true body had only just become a Pure Yang True Immortal! If another thousand years passed, his soul, nurtured by the Pure Yang Golden Core, could reach a very high level. Then, such astonishing divine sense would not surprise them.

But Ji Ning had just overcome the tribulation and broken through, and he had only cultivated for a hundred years since birth.

"Don't forget, the estate master is at the fourth level of heartforce," Red Snow said.

Ji Ning did not say much.

Even with just heartforce, he could cover a great world. Releasing divine sense through heartforce... the range was even broader. But this was nothing; every Dao Ancestor could cover the Three Realms with their full divine sense, though only for a short time, as it placed a heavy burden on the soul.

"Mm?" Ji Ning nodded slightly. "The Plucking Star Great World has over sixteen thousand Celestial Immortals, over one and a half million Sanxian, and over a hundred thousand Return to Void gods and demons... Indeed, it rivals the Great Xia."

"Those Return to Void gods and demons have lived since ancient times," Red Snow shook his head. "Over the endless years, only Nine Fangs broke through. None of the others did. As for the over ten thousand Celestial Immortals... not a single Pure Yang True Immortal has appeared."

Ji Ning was surprised. "Why is that?"

"They are cut off from the outside world," Yuan Guang Celestial Immortal said solemnly. "They cannot undergo true tempering. Without sufficient tempering and pressure, breakthroughs are harder. For example, the Celestial Immortals of the Great Xia world can roam the Three Realms, fighting and struggling with experts from the Three Thousand Great Worlds and even the Heavenly Court, so occasionally some break through."

"But the Plucking Star Great World has always been sealed," Yuan Guang Celestial Immortal shook his head.

"We have been waiting for a new estate master to appear. Until the estate master appears, our Plucking Star Great World will never emerge," Red Snow also said.

Ji Ning deeply admired Red Snow and the other six.

Back then, Daoist San Shou's fate was unknown, and he had not forced them to be loyal. Many of his subordinates had left, but these few persisted and held on. All of this was voluntary; no one could force them. So Ji Ning never regarded them as subordinates but as companions.

"The Celestial Immortals and Sanxian of our Plucking Star Great World are not many, but they are enough..." Red Snow Celestial Immortal stopped mid-sentence. The yellow-furred bear appeared in the void beside them, looking at Ji Ning pitifully.

"Big Bear," Ji Ning was startled. "Why are you here?"

The yellow-furred bear's eyes were full of anticipation. "About the master's treasures. The master left many treasures in the Treasure Hall for successive successors. After all, the master didn't know how many generations it would take for a true Celestial Immortal and new Plucking Star Estate master to appear. Ji Ning... now that you are the estate master, you can go and retrieve the three treasures the master left for you. That space can only be entered by the new estate master. Even I can't enter. All these endless years, I've been wondering what those three treasures are. I'm dying of curiosity. Go and get them and show me. I swear I won't tell anyone."

The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning expectantly.

"Three treasures?" Ji Ning was surprised. "Didn't Master Daoist San Shou leave only sets of Pure Yang magic treasures?"

"Those were for successive successors. Now that you are the estate master, all the treasures are yours to dispose of, and there are also the most important treasures," the yellow-furred bear said quickly.

"I've heard of this too. The God King mentioned it to us," Red Snow Celestial Immortal said, looking at Ji Ning. "The God King's Plucking Star Hand had reached the sixth turn, stronger than any innate spirit treasure, reaching the legendary Chaos Treasure level! The God King even exchanged his treasures with other True Gods and Dao Ancestors to leave you three treasures. They were preparations for the rise of our Plucking Star Estate."

"Estate master, go and get them quickly. Father didn't tell us what they were. We're also curious," Yuan Guang Celestial Immortal urged.

"Alright."

Ji Ning was also curious about what Daoist San Shou had left. He looked at the yellow-furred bear. "Big Bear, lead the way."

...