The Five-Year-Old Fiendgod

The vast, ancient main hall was just as it had been for hundreds of millions of years. The enormous meditation mats were still in their places. A black ox had already appeared, its eyes brimming with a smile as it watched Ji Ning suddenly materialize.

"The main hall," Ji Ning murmured, taking in the sight.

"Congratulations," the black ox said, walking over, its voice full of joy. "It's only been a few years, and you've already broken through to the Zifu stage. Much faster than I expected."

Ji Ning's heart was heavy with the looming threat of the Snowdragon Mountain experts. He felt little joy. "It was merely luck."

"Passing the three trials of the corridor was not luck," the black ox said with a sigh of admiration. "Now that you've refined the token talisman, you can enter the most important areas of this aquatic palace. With these places, you'll have the foundation for a true rise. Ji Ning, I can already see the day you become a top figure of the Grand Xia Dynasty."

Ji Ning was startled. He hadn't expected the artifact spirit, this black ox, to be so good at hyping him up.

"I'm not lying to you," the black ox insisted. "Back then, the mere fact that Celestial Immortal Juhua was taking on disciples drove countless people in the Grand Xia Dynasty wild with frenzy. If they knew that Celestial Immortal Juhua was merely the third master of this aquatic palace, it would stir up an even greater storm."

"What makes this aquatic palace so special?" Ji Ning asked eagerly.

What he cared about most right now was whether this palace could increase his strength, giving him a better chance in the coming battle.

"This aquatic palace is quite mysterious," the black ox said. "Celestial Immortal Juhua and I spent a very long time here. If our推测 is correct, this palace was built to nurture the descendants of Fiendgods."

"To nurture the descendants of Fiendgods?" Ji Ning was taken aback.

The black ox nodded its massive head. "The first master of this aquatic palace was likely an incredibly powerful Fiendgod! Looking at these meditation mats in the main hall, you can imagine that many Fiendgods once sat here, listening to his commands and receiving his teachings on cultivation methods."

Ji Ning looked at the enormous meditation mats surrounding him, then at the single, solitary mat on the dais, and nodded slowly.

"The first master established a method for taking disciples, using two corridors. One corridor was for Fiendgod Body Refiners at the Xiantian stage, and the other for Fiendgod Body Refiners at the Zifu stage," the black ox explained. "It wasn't enough to be just any Fiendgod Body Refiner. One had to have naturally undergone a transformation and possessed a true Fiendgod body. That's essentially the same as being a true Fiendgod, isn't it?"

Ji Ning nodded.

His own body had been born from the descent of water and fire from the heavens, making it a true Primordial Fiendgod body.

"And the various side halls within this aquatic palace were clearly also intended to nurture Fiendgod descendants," the black ox continued. "It's a pity that the path of the Fiendgod is too difficult. Although Celestial Immortal Juhua also trained in Fiendgod Body Refining in the beginning, he found the Fiendgod path progressively harder. He advanced much faster on the Ki Refining path, and in the end, he failed his tribulation and became a Loose Immortal."

Ji Ning understood. Even though he himself poured almost all his effort into Fiendgod Body Refining, he had still opened his Zifu through Ki Refining first!

Ki Refining was simpler; Body Refining was far harder.

It was entirely possible that he would become an Earth Immortal through Ki Refining before his Fiendgod Body Refining even reached the Primal or even the Wanxiang stage. He might even undergo his tribulation through Ki Refining first and end up as a Loose Immortal, following the exact same path as Celestial Immortal Juhua.

"Let me give you a warning," the black ox said, looking at Ji Ning. "This is something Celestial Immortal Juhua once said to his disciple, Lei Zhan."

"Please, speak," Ji Ning said immediately.

"This aquatic palace was meant to nurture Fiendgod descendants. So you should try your best to walk the path of the Fiendgod," the black ox advised. "Even if you reach the Void stage and become an Earth Immortal, it would be better to stop cultivating in Ki Refining altogether. Absolutely do not undergo the tribulation! Instead, focus on training your Fiendgod Body Refining, and let your Fiendgod body undergo the tribulation first."

Ji Ning frowned.

"According to Celestial Immortal Juhua's guesses, the further you walk on the Fiendgod path, the more help this aquatic palace will be able to provide you. Celestial Immortal Juhua always felt that this palace held some hidden secrets! Secrets that the first master likely concealed. Unfortunately, Celestial Immortal Juhua was unable to uncover them," the black ox said.

"Thank you for the warning, senior. I will remember it well," Ji Ning said quickly.

"As for the first master, his divine abilities were vast, and his strength far surpassed that of Celestial Immortal Juhua," the black ox said. "Once you go to the Starseizing Hall, you'll understand."

"The Starseizing Hall?" Ji Ning was confused.

Suddenly—

A phantom began to coalesce out of thin air. It quickly solidified into a large, upright bear with yellow fur. Its gaze fell upon Ji Ning… and instantly gave him a feeling of eternal antiquity. It was much like the feeling he got from the Nuwa Diagram when he visualized the goddess Nuwa.

An eternal existence that stood firm against the passage of time! This bear gave Ji Ning the same feeling, though it was more模糊 and not as strong as what he felt from the Nuwa Diagram.

"Big brother," the black ox said, its voice suddenly fawning and obsequious. It quickly said to Ji Ning, "This is the manor spirit of this aquatic palace."

"The manor spirit?" Ji Ning looked at the bear, which was about ten feet tall. Its head was very much like the phantom bear's head that had teleported him here earlier.

"Ji Ning pays his respects to the senior," Ji Ning said respectfully.

The yellow bear glanced at him. "Another one who breaks through to Zifu through Ki Refining first. You are cultivating the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, the number one Fiendgod Body Refining method. Your Fiendgod bloodline is extremely rich. Focus more of your heart on Fiendgod Body Refining. Do not squander your talent and fortune."

"Yes," Ji Ning said, feeling the invisible pressure emanating from the yellow bear.

Just the aura of eternal antiquity alone… Ji Ning felt that this was not something an ordinary cultivator could possess. And the manor spirit's ability to teleport people through space was a mysterious technique in itself.

Celestial Immortal Juhua was already a powerful figure from the late Primordial Fiendgod Era.

But this manor spirit? It had followed the first master. How ancient was it? How powerful? Ji Ning knew he had to remain humble and respectful.

"Follow me," the yellow bear said, walking ahead.

"Hurry up and follow," the black ox urged from beside him, trotting along as well.

Ji Ning followed behind, and under the yellow bear's guidance, they entered the entrance of a corridor to the right of the main hall. The corridor was a thousand zhang high.

The yellow bear spoke as they walked. "Now that you've refined the token talisman, you are considered a预备 master. Aside from the main hall, you are permitted to enter this corridor. This corridor has four side halls. You may enter all four of these side halls… Of course, for now, you can only enter these four. To enter more side halls, you must first become a Primal Daoist."

Ji Ning understood.

Becoming a Zifu Disciple and refining the token talisman was only the first step.

Becoming a Primal Daoist and refining the entire aquatic manor was the second step. And even then, it would likely only be a simple refinement, just enough to allow him to carry the manor with him. He suspected he still wouldn't have complete control over it. Otherwise, Celestial Immortal Juhua wouldn't have said he suspected there were still many secrets left to uncover.

"Look," the yellow bear said, pointing into the distance. There was an ancient bronze door, wide open.

Ji Ning walked over quickly and peered through the bronze door.

Wow.

Ji Ning's eyes went wide. Inside the door was a massive hall. High in the air above the hall, countless strange treasures and ancient magic treasures flickered with powerful auras. He saw a large hammer surrounded by a three-colored aura. Just looking at it made his heart pound violently, as if it might explode.

He also saw four formation flags of different colors. The mere sight of them made him feel as if he were falling into an endless world.

"This is the Treasure Hall, one of the four side halls you may enter," the yellow bear said. "The Treasure Hall contains countless treasures gathered by the master. They range from strange, mundane objects to chaotic, primordial items from the era when Pangu split open Heaven and Earth. The master has set rules for all of these treasures. As long as you meet the conditions he has laid down, you may obtain them."

Ji Ning held his breath.

Chaotic, primordial items from Pangu's creation of the world? What kind of things were those? But Ji Ning also knew that the Fiendgods had been born from the natural world. After Pangu split open Heaven and Earth, many Fiendgods had appeared.

It seemed this aquatic palace really might have been left behind by an incredibly powerful and ancient Fiendgod.

"How can I obtain these treasures? What are the conditions?" Ji Ning pressed.

"When you enter the Treasure Hall, you can look around slowly. The conditions set by the master are all marked on them," the yellow bear said.

Ji Ning nodded slowly.

The two corridors for accepting disciples had been set by the first master. The rules for the Treasure Hall were also set by the first master… The greatest influence on this aquatic palace was still its first master. Celestial Immortal Juhua was merely a passerby.

"Keep walking," the yellow bear said as they continued. "The next side hall… is the Divine Ability Hall, one of the four halls you may enter."

"Divine Ability Hall?" Ji Ning was stunned.

Divine abilities?

He only knew one divine ability right now, the Windwing Evasion. He was well aware of how precious divine abilities were. They weren't something just anyone could obtain.

"We're here," the yellow bear said after a short walk, pointing to another bronze door. An ancient bronze door, this one bore the carving of a single hand. That hand seemed to blot out the sky, radiating an infinite, overwhelming pressure.

"This is the Divine Ability Hall," the yellow bear said. "Only Fiendgod descendants who meet two conditions may enter. First, their Fiendgod Body Refining must have reached the Blood-Drop Rebirth level. Second, they must be under ten years of age. Ten years is the maximum."

Ji Ning was stunned.

Blood-Drop Rebirth? That was the Zifu level for Fiendgod Body Refining. He hadn't reached that yet.

Ten years old?

He was already well past ten.

"Back then, Juhua was already over ten, so he couldn't enter the Divine Ability Hall," the yellow bear said. "If he had been able to enter, he might have walked an even longer path and become even stronger. Maybe… he wouldn't have become a Loose Immortal." The yellow bear clearly had some affection for Juhua, who had controlled this immortal manor for millions of years.

The black ox sighed beside him. "My master always regretted not being able to enter the Divine Ability Hall. Each of these four side halls was extremely important. My master entered the other three, but he couldn't enter this one. By the time he passed the corridor trials, he was already over ten."

Ji Ning's heart sank.

Even counting by full years, he was already over ten! Was he also going to miss his chance to enter the Divine Ability Hall?

"It's still okay for you. You're only five years old right now," the yellow bear said, glancing at Ji Ning.

"Five?" Ji Ning stared, wide-eyed.

The black ox understood Ji Ning's confusion and spoke up. "A Fiendgod is born as a Xiantian lifeform. You really are only five years old."