Chapter 6: Returning Home

Ji Ning's heart stirred.

Snowdragon Mountain? Bei Zishan? This Bei Zishan was a Zifu Disciple of Snowdragon Mountain?

Ji Ning suppressed this thought for the moment and immediately pleaded, "My mother is critically ill, and I fear our Ji clan has no means to save her. I beg you, Real Person Mu, to go to our Ji clan's West Prefecture City and save my mother's life."

Real Person Mu Xiao looked at Ji Ning's expression and couldn't help sighing, "I am not skilled in healing, but I will go and take a look. If I can save her, I naturally will; if I cannot..."

"I am already deeply grateful that you are willing to go, Real Person," Ji Ning said quickly.

"Beast, come here!" Real Person Mu Xiao suddenly turned and shouted into the distance. The black-haired zombie, whose body was wreathed in corpse aura, obediently walked over, its green eyes showing a hint of fear when it looked at Mu Xiao.

Real Person Mu Xiao waved his hand, and a purple coffin appeared before him.

"Get in." Real Person Mu Xiao commanded.

The black-haired zombie obediently opened the coffin, leaped in, and lay flat, then closed the lid.

"This is a Corpse-Nurturing Coffin," Real Person Mu Xiao said, waving his hand to store the coffin away. He explained to Ji Ning, "This black-haired zombie just lost its master; if left to roam, it would only bring disaster. So while I was speaking with you, I sent a strand of primal energy to refine and control it."

Ji Ning nodded.

"Rest assured, you killed Bei Zishan, so I will not take any of his belongings," Real Person Mu Xiao said. "But since you are not yet strong enough to refine and subdue this black-haired zombie, I am taking it away."

As he spoke, Real Person Mu Xiao looked toward Bei Zishan's corpse in the distance. The corpse, along with the boat magic treasure, the whisk magic treasure, the blood-red cloth banner magic treasure, and the beehive containing poisonous insects, all flew over. Mu Xiao reached out, and a bracelet detached from Bei Zishan's arm and flew into his palm.

"This is a ranked storage magic treasure," Real Person Mu Xiao said. "You cannot refine it yet, so I will help you remove the items inside."

Whoosh~~~

Soon, Real Person Mu Xiao refined the storage bracelet, and a large pile of miscellaneous items appeared on the ground. Among them were Dao-soldier armor, grain and food, some gold and miscellaneous items, some materials, and various bottles and jars.

"Judging by your complexion, you must have been poisoned with Erosion Heart Powder," Real Person Mu Xiao said. He waved his hand, and one of the small bottles on the ground, which had the words 'Erosion Heart Antidote' written on it, flew to him. Clearly, with so many bottles and jars, Bei Zishan had labeled them to avoid taking the wrong one himself.

Real Person Mu Xiao pulled out the stopper, looked inside, and nodded. "This is the antidote. Take one pill. Gather up these miscellaneous items and the ranked magic treasure... For now, you cannot refine them, but once you become a Zifu Disciple, you will be able to. Don't overthink it; these are treasures to you, but they mean nothing to me."

"Thank you, Real Person," Ji Ning said gratefully.

Although he knew these items were insignificant to the other, Ji Ning couldn't help but feel grateful that Real Person Mu Xiao acted so decisively and treated him, a mere Xiantian lifeform, with such courtesy.

"I will repay this debt of gratitude someday," Ji Ning silently vowed.

Ji Ning swallowed a pill that emitted a fragrant scent and was like a sugar ball. As soon as the pill entered his stomach, it dissolved, and soon his whole body felt warm. The Erosion Heart Powder poison that had been lurking in his body melted away like snow under the sun, quickly dissipating completely. The pain that had been all over his body vanished, and the red spots on his face disappeared.

"This insect nest," Real Person Mu Xiao said, pointing to the nest where the many poisonous insects lived. "The nest itself is an unranked magic treasure, which you can refine. However, to control the many poisonous insects within as you wish, you will need to become a Zifu Disciple and slowly refine them with primal energy. Until then, remember to regularly send food in to feed them, so they don't starve. If they get too hungry, they will devour each other."

Ji Ning quickly nodded. "Understood."

"Refine the insect nest quickly. Oh, here is also a manual on refining poisonous insects, a Snowdragon Mountain text. It's not particularly valuable, but it contains the basics of refining gu insects." Real Person Mu Xiao spotted a leather-bound book among Bei Zishan's belongings. "Refining poisonous insects is simple, but finding and cultivating them is difficult. You don't need to read it now; these are things you'll need to learn once you become a Zifu Disciple."

Ji Ning took the book, which bore three characters—"The Gu-Refining Record."

"Because this insect nest contains poisonous insects, it cannot be stored in a storage magic treasure," Real Person Mu Xiao said, handing the nest to Ji Ning. "But the nest itself can be shrunk or enlarged. Shrink it and carry it with you."

"Yes," Ji Ning replied, taking the large black insect nest. Real Person Mu Xiao had already broken the magical power within it before handing it over, so Ji Ning could refine it immediately. Otherwise, just breaking through the residual power left by Bei Zishan would have taken Ji Ning a long time.

"Shrink, shrink, shrink." Ji Ning watched as the black insect nest rapidly shrank to the size of a finger. He took out a small cloth pouch, put the nest inside, and placed the pouch in his bosom. The magic armor he wore shifted slightly to accommodate the pouch.

"Collect."

Ji Ning waved his hand, and the large pile of miscellaneous items on the ground, including some books and poisons left by Bei Zishan, were all gathered up. As for Bei Zishan's ranked magic treasures, Ji Ning did not touch them.

"As for these ranked magic treasures," Real Person Mu Xiao said, pointing to the blood-red cloth banner, "I will take this Ten Thousand Ghost Banner. It is a treasure born from sin, and I need to bring it back... as proof that I have completed my mission. The rest you may keep."

"Mm-hmm." Ji Ning then put away all the acquired magic treasures.

These acquired magic treasures—he couldn't use them now, so he had to store them.

"This Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner..." Mu Xiao the Daoist picked up the blood-red cloth banner, on which black light was still faintly visible. "It must have tormented countless people to death. Such grievous sin! Bo Zishan was fated to die. He actually used this banner against you, but your soul has already reached the level of divine will—how could this half-finished banner shake it?"

Mu Xiao thought Ji Ning had relied on his powerful soul to slay the fierce ghosts one by one, not knowing that Ji Ning had actually visualized the Nüwa Diagram to liberate them.

"Look, this is sin. Grievous sin can be seen with the naked eye, while boundless merit is hard to see." Mu Xiao pointed at the black light on the blood-red banner. "Sin visible to the naked eye—you can see how deep it is. With such grievous sin, of course the Yinglong Guard must eradicate him."

Ji Ning nodded.

…

Inside the mountain hollow, Meng Yu and the others were wrapped in clothes, covered in blood.

"Quick, carry them."

"Hurry."

Black Snake and Blue Flame Bird berated the servants, who dared not disobey and obediently carried, bore, and lifted those who couldn't walk on their own.

"Where is the young master?"

"Where is Young Master Ji Ning?" Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu, and others asked.

Black Snake said, "The young master is just outside."

Meng Yu could still walk on his own, while Ji Wuyu was carried. They all emerged from the mountain hollow and saw the thousands of terrified Dao-soldiers, the corpses strewn across the ground, and Ji Ning and Mu Xiao talking in the distance.

Ji Ning turned to look. Seeing Meng Yu covered in blood, and Ji Wuyu and the others being carried out, his heart ached. He couldn't help calling out, "Master Meng Yu."

"Young master." Meng Yu also spoke.

"You, you..." Ji Ning didn't know what to say.

"Thank you, young master."

"Thank you, Young Master Ji Ning." Not only the Ji clan, but also the Bianhe, Tiemu, Kou, and other tribes' crippled Xiantian lifeforms expressed their gratitude. Though they were now cripples, being able to see the light again and return alive to their tribes filled them with endless thanks.

Ji Ning's heart was filled with endless bitterness. Among them were enemies of the Ji clan, but they had once been glorious Xiantian lifeforms, now all crippled.

The brief joy from acquiring so many treasures left by Bo Zishan vanished. Ji Ning turned to the servants and barked, "How many people are still imprisoned in these mountains?"

"There must be over a million imprisoned. Whether half are still alive is hard to say," a servant said nervously.

Ji Ning choked.

A million?

"Such sin." Mu Xiao shook his head and sighed. "Ji Ning... leave these thousands of Dao-soldiers and the hundreds of thousands of surviving mortals to your two spirit-beasts. You two remember, those thousands of Dao-soldiers are innocent—they were forced by Bo Zishan. Do not kill again."

"Yes." Black Snake and Blue Flame Bird nodded quickly. They had seen the power of the Flood Dragon Dao-soldiers; even if they spared the Dao-soldiers, they would still take their armor.

"I leave everything here to you." Ji Ning instructed.

"Rest assured." Black Snake and Blue Flame Bird replied.

"Ji Ning, let's go to your Ji clan's West Prefecture City." Mu Xiao said. "I can take some people along."

With a wave of his hand, a leaf appeared, growing larger until it became a giant leaf dozens of zhang long. Ji Ning quickly had Master Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu, and the other Ji clan members board the leaf. As for the Kou, Bianhe, and other tribes, they would rest here for now, waiting for their tribes to come and fetch them.

"Let's go."

Mu Xiao, Ji Ning, and the crippled Xiantian lifeforms of the Ji clan, including Meng Yu, all stood on the leaf. The dozens-of-zhang-long green leaf swiftly rose, soon soaring over the mountains and disappearing into the sky.