The Severed Path

The six of them exchanged glances.

The mist churned around them. Ji Ning observed his five elders. Whether it was the Patriarch or his own father, every single one of them was calm. They had clearly made their decision in an instant.

"I am the Patriarch," Ji Jiuhuo said calmly. "For the sake of my Ji Clan's people, for the sake of the Ji Clan's reputation, I have to stand up and face Snowdragon Mountain."

Granny Shadow's voice was hoarse. "I've lived for nearly four hundred years. Am I to let the clan fall into danger just so I can keep clinging to life? And to be able to face death alongside my elder brother… it truly makes me happy."

"Where my master goes, I go," Old Servant Axing said, breaking his usual silence.

"The three old ones, then." Ji Jiuhuo smiled.

"Patriarch!" Ji Liuzhen spoke up. "I know my own talent. Among the Zifu Disciples of the Ji Clan throughout the generations, I am merely average. My chances of becoming a Wanxiang Adept are virtually nonexistent. This battle… is the pivotal battle for the fate of the Ji Clan. I cannot retreat."

Ji Yichuan gave a faint smile. "The Patriarch knows my situation. My path of immortality is severed. I do not wish to die in obscurity. I must participate in this battle."

"You two are being stubborn—" Ji Jiuhuo shook his head.

Ji Ning, however, was stunned.

Severed?

Hadn't his father said he was wholeheartedly pursuing the path of immortality? How had this changed?

"Father, your path is severed?" Ji Ning looked at his father in disbelief.

Ji Yichuan looked at his son, his expression complex. "In truth, I already broke through to become a Zifu Disciple while I was adventuring in the North Sea. By the time your mother was pregnant with you, I was already at the middle Zifu stage. I was bringing your mother back to the Yan Mountains, and your maternal uncle was uneasy, so he escorted us."

Ji Ning listened carefully.

He knew there had been a disaster on their return journey.

"We encountered a calamity on the way," Ji Yichuan said. "After your mother was injured, she escaped with your Uncle White. Your uncle and I both used forbidden arts to desperately hold off the enemy. In that battle, your uncle died on the spot. I was severely wounded. Because I maintained the forbidden art for too long, the damage to my Zifu was too great. My internal Zifu withered, unable to expand even a single bit. In other words, I can never advance again. I will forever remain at the middle Zifu stage."

"Because my Zifu has withered, I can only draw out a sliver of the elemental ki within it." Ji Yichuan shook his head. "With such a sliver of ki, I cannot control any graded magic treasures. So when I execute my sword arts, I use that sliver of ki as a foundation to draw upon the power of Heaven and Earth, manifesting sword-light."

"Of course," Ji Yichuan said in a low voice, "I can still use the forbidden art. I can forcibly draw a massive amount of ki from my Zifu. But my Zifu is already withered and cannot bear the strain. If I use the forbidden art again, I would be lucky to last half an hour before my Zifu shatters. I would become a cripple. In other words… your father can only be a Zifu Disciple one more time. After a moment of glory, I will be a cripple."

Ji Ning was dumbfounded.

So that was why his father's sword arts were so powerful. So that was why his father had never used a graded magic treasure!

"My immortal path is over. I have only one chance to use the forbidden art," Ji Yichuan said, looking at his son. "I had kept this chance for you, to protect you. I gave you that jade sword. If you ever faced danger, you could crush it, and I would arrive immediately. Even if you faced a Zifu Disciple, I would do everything in my power to save you. For my son, it was all worth it."

Ji Ning's heart trembled.

So this was the resolve his father had been carrying.

"But you no longer need my protection," Ji Yichuan said, smiling. "Your mother is dead. My immortal path is over. You have grown up. I have no more attachments. This time, I will not retreat. This will be the final battle of my life, and my most glorious one. If I am to die, I would rather die in this battle, dying for the Ji Clan!"

Ji Ning looked at his father's smile. His father rarely showed such an expression, but right now, his smile was one of relief. Though Ji Ning's heart ached, he did not try to persuade him otherwise.

Six people. Five elders had already resolved to fight.

"I—" Ji Ning began.

Ji Jiuhuo roared, "The rest of us are going to fight to the death! And you, Ji Ning, you are the hope of the Ji Clan! Your talent is something the Ji Clan has never seen since its founding! You must survive!"

"Patriarch, I understand your meaning," Ji Ning said, shaking his head. "But I am unwilling to hide in the shadows while you all risk your lives for me. Unwilling!"

"You—" Ji Jiuhuo was furious.

"But rest assured, Patriarch. I am not one to act recklessly. If I see that the situation is hopeless, I will also leave and preserve my life," Ji Ning said, looking at the Patriarch. "I have a Ten-Thousand-Mile Trace-Away Talisman. The Patriarch must know its power. Once I activate it, I can instantly teleport to a location ten thousand li away." Ever since his mother's death, his father had given him that talisman.

Ji Jiuhuo was stunned.

The Ten-Thousand-Mile Trace-Away Talisman? Of course he knew of this treasure of the Ji Clan's Western Prefecture. He had coveted it himself. But the Ji Clan had its own rules, and no one could violate them.

"Since that's the case," Ji Jiuhuo nodded. "Alright. You may accompany us. But if the situation becomes hopeless, you must leave."

And so, in this desolate wilderness, within this mist-filled maze formation, the six members of the Ji Clan made their decision. Together, they would face Snowdragon Mountain.

"There are only six of us," Ji Jiuhuo said, his eyes blazing with battle intent. "But Snowdragon Mountain's Yan Mountain branch has suffered a massive loss this time. They will definitely invite fellow disciples from other nearby branches. A group of Zifu Disciples will come charging over. Perhaps even a Wanxiang Adept will come. It would be the height of foolishness to meet them head-on. What we need to do is buy time. So we must set up layer upon layer of formations."

"Yes, formations. The Patriarch is the most skilled at formations," Ji Liuzhen said, his voice filled with anticipation.

"I will set up multiple layers of formations." Ji Jiuhuo looked at the other five. "Leave the formations to me. All of you should now find ways to improve your own methods. For example, the clan-protecting treasures held in each prefecture…"

Everyone nodded.

"Also!"

Ji Jiuhuo looked down at the ground. "Beneath this wilderness, stretching for thousands of li, lies a massive vein of elemental ore! But strangely, no one had ever discovered it before. Such a shallow vein, undiscovered until now. And before this, there was that violent fluctuation of natural energy."

"Mn." Ji Ning nodded.

Yes, the energy fluctuation that had drawn them here was bizarre.

"Perhaps a rare treasure of Heaven and Earth has emerged," Ji Jiuhuo said. "The energy fluctuation was caused by its emergence, and it has created this elemental ore vein around itself."

"Or perhaps an Immortal was cultivating here. When an Immortal cultivates, they absorb a massive amount of natural energy. Over a long period, it could also form an elemental ore vein," Ji Jiuhuo mused.

Granny Shadow frowned. "Elder Brother, what are you suggesting?"

Ji Ning and the others all looked at Ji Jiuhuo.

"I suspect," Ji Jiuhuo said, a glint of desire in his eyes, "that this ore vein's appearance is too strange. There might be some secret hidden here. Perhaps some treasures, or even treasures left behind by an Immortal. Even a random leftover from an Immortal would be enough to greatly increase the Ji Clan's power."

"You mean, Patriarch?" Ji Liuzhen grew excited.

"Treasures?" Ji Yichuan and the others all looked at the ground.

Ji Jiuhuo nodded. "Let's drill into the earth and carefully investigate. We might find something."

"Yes."

"Let's go."

Everyone felt that the Patriarch's reasoning was sound. The previous energy fluctuation was indeed bizarre, and the fact that this ore vein had never been discovered was also strange. There might be some treasure hidden here.

"Ji Ning."

Ji Jiuhuo looked at Ji Ning. "Your protective lotus technique seems to be very fast at digging through the earth. We'll follow you."

Ji Ning nodded. "Alright, I'll begin."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh...

Ji Ning manipulated his Water-Fire Lotus, spinning as it continuously bored into the earth. The elemental ore was easily torn open, creating a passage. Ji Ning quickly advanced, going deeper and deeper. Behind him were Ji Jiuhuo and the other five.

"What speed," Ji Liuzhen exclaimed from behind.

"We could be this fast at the start too, but our elemental ki would run out quickly, and we'd have to slow down. Ji Ning, however, is completely using the power of Heaven and Earth." Ji Jiuhuo could see that Ji Ning's Water-Fire Lotus was formed by utilizing the power of the natural world.

They continued to drill deeper.

"Ji Ning, head towards the areas with the highest quality ore," Ji Jiuhuo said. "If there's a treasure, it will most likely be where the energy is the most concentrated."

Ji Ning nodded.

He had noticed… the quality of the ore varied from place to place. Some areas only had low-grade elemental stones. Others had a considerable amount of high-grade elemental stones.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh... The Water-Fire Lotus drilled through the earth like a swimming dragon, charging through the ore vein, heading towards the place with the highest quality ore.

After about half an hour.

"There are mostly high-grade elemental stones here. A bit of refining and they're ready to use."

"A treasure trove."

"So many high-grade elemental stones."

Although they had known it was a rich vein, they hadn't expected such a dense concentration of high-grade stones.

"Boom!" A sudden explosion rang out.

Ji Ning came to an abrupt halt, startling the five people behind him, who hurriedly stopped as well.

"What's wrong?" Ji Jiuhuo asked quickly.

"There's a very hard rock up ahead. My Water-Fire Lotus couldn't break through it," Ji Ning said, puzzled. His Water-Fire Lotus was incredibly powerful now, capable of shredding even well-made weapons, let alone ordinary rocks. "Very strange."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh...

The Water-Fire Lotus swept away the surrounding ore, allowing Ji Ning to clearly see a smooth, flat stone surface in front of him.

"What is this?" Ji Ning was confused. The five behind him, Ji Jiuhuo and Ji Yichuan, were also puzzled.

Ji Ning continued to manipulate the Water-Fire Lotus, clearing away a large amount of the surrounding elemental ore… Soon, what appeared before them was part of a massive stone chamber, and in one section of it, a door.

"This, this…"

"It's a stone chamber! Man-made! Not even Ji Ning's Water-Fire Lotus could break it. This isn't an ordinary chamber. It must have been left behind by an Immortal!"

The Ji Clan members all showed ecstatic expressions.

At a depth of over a hundred li beneath the surface, at the very core of an elemental ore vein, a stone chamber had appeared. Who could believe it was a mortal creation?

"Ji Ning, don't get too close. Be careful of traps," Ji Jiuhuo said. "Stand back and use a magic treasure to push the door open from a distance."

"Understood," Ji Ning nodded.

The group retreated. Ji Ning then manipulated a flying sword treasure, sending it towards the stone door. Rumble~~ The stone door slowly swung open, revealing an entrance. From within, an incredibly dense surge of natural energy erupted, making all six of them feel a wave of comfort wash over their bodies.

"There must be an Immortal's treasure inside!" Ji Jiuhuo shouted eagerly.