The Arrival of a Wanxiang Adept

“True Immortal Xu Li?” Nong Zidao was shocked. As a key disciple of Snowdragon Mountain, he was naturally familiar with True Immortal Xu Li, and he knew that Xu Li was not particularly skilled in the art of formations. In truth, most promising Immortal cultivators were not skilled in formations, as they preferred to focus their energy on cultivation, comprehending the Dao, and mastering techniques and treasures.

“How long ago did he leave?” Nong Zidao asked hurriedly.

“Just now,” Dong Fanyu replied quickly. “It hasn’t even been the time it takes to finish a cup of tea. True Immortal Xu Li and the others just left, and then you, Senior Apprentice-Brother Nong, arrived.”

Nong Zidao was frantic. “Remember this. If any other Zifu Disciples arrive, you can let them go to Oxhorn Mountain, but you must warn them… absolutely do not enter the grand formation on Oxhorn Mountain. Senior Apprentice-Brother Tongyu and the others died inside it.”

“I will certainly warn any later-arriving junior apprentice-brothers,” Dong Fanyu promised.

“Good.” Nong Zidao had no time to waste. He immediately urged his ship forward, tearing through the air once more towards Oxhorn Mountain.

…

On Oxhorn Mountain.

Ji Jiuhuo and the others were refining their acquired treasures while keeping a close watch on the area outside the formation. From their high vantage point, through the now-thinning mist, they could clearly see the desolate wilderness below.

“Aside from Nong Zidao, all those Zifu Disciples who came earlier are dead. We even gained two Zifu-level spirit beasts for the Ji Clan.” Ji Liuzhen was refining a flying sword he held, his face full of joy. “The nearby Snowdragon Mountain branch had a limited number of elites. With so many dead, I doubt they have any more formidable figures to send.”

“Mm.” Ji Jiuhuo nodded, a smile on his face as well.

“There is hope for the Ji Clan,” Granny Shadow said, her voice hoarse with emotion.

According to conventional logic, their speculation was sound.

The Grand Xia Dynasty’s envoy would arrive in just two days. The Yan Mountain branch simply didn’t have time to summon help from distant branches. At most, they could have gathered forty or fifty Zifu Disciples from the surrounding area, the most famous of whom were Tongyu and Nong Zidao. One was dead, the other had fled. Who else would dare enter?

Their only option was to report this to the main sect, but the main sect was far away. By the time they received word, the Ji Clan would already be under the Grand Xia Dynasty’s protection.

“We have Ji Ning to thank for this,” Ji Jiuhuo said, sighing as he looked at Ji Yichuan. “Yichuan, you raised a fine son.”

Ji Yichuan couldn’t help but smile. With a son like this, how could he not be proud?

“Once this tribulation is over,” Granny Shadow said, her voice raspy, “Ji Ning will definitely leave our clan to explore the world. With his monstrous talent… he should be able to take a powerful figure as his master. When that happens, why would we fear Snowdragon Mountain?”

“Ji Ning’s future is limitless!” Ji Liuzhen exclaimed in admiration.

They were all the absolute elites of the Ji Clan, yet compared to Ji Ning, they felt a vast, unbridgeable gap.

“Someone’s coming.” Ji Jiuhuo suddenly shouted.

“What?”

Everyone was shocked. They peered through the thinning black fog, and in the distant sky they saw a sailing ship flying through the air, with several Immortal cultivators gathered upon it.

“Who is it?”

“I’ve never seen any of them before.”

“I recognize one of them. That short old man is an Immortal cultivator of the Huan Clan. I met him once, but I don’t know his name.” As Ji Jiuhuo and the others looked, they saw a total of eight Zifu Disciples on the ship, none of whom they could name. Ji Jiuhuo only managed to identify one.

“What do we do?” Ji Liuzhen asked quickly. “Should we call Ji Ning?”

“Ji Ning is cultivating within the formation,” Ji Jiuhuo shook his head. “Besides, there are only eight of them. There’s no need to panic.”

…

The sailing ship dove down from the sky, vanishing into thin air as it neared the ground. The eight people on the ship stepped off, and they saw a wooden puppet standing not far away. The puppet’s eyes glowed with green light as it curiously looked at the newcomers.

“A puppet,” Lu Huang said quickly. “Uncle-Master, let me go take a look.”

Lu Huang stepped forward, but before he could speak, the wooden puppet said, “Are you disciples of Snowdragon Mountain?”

“That’s right,” Lu Huang nodded. True Immortal Xu Li and the other cultivators also walked over. The wooden puppet obediently continued, “I am at my master Nong Zidao’s orders to wait for any later arrivals from Snowdragon Mountain. I am to tell you that my master, Nong Zidao, Senior Apprentice-Brother Tongyu, and sixteen other Zifu Disciples, as well as two Zifu-level spirit beasts, have all entered the grand formation.”

“Is there any other news?” True Immortal Xu Li pressed.

“I know nothing else,” the wooden puppet shook its head.

“Has anyone come out?” True Immortal Xu Li frowned. “Have you felt the ground tremble?”

The wooden puppet said, “No one has come out. I felt the ground tremble several times earlier, but now, there hasn’t been a single tremor.”

The faces of True Immortal Xu Li and the other eight all changed. Some formations could isolate sound, but the ground tremors caused by battle, transmitted through the dirt, were very difficult to block. At least, they had never heard of a Mortal-ranked formation that could isolate ground tremors.

“The earlier tremors indicate they fought multiple times. But now, there isn’t a single tremor. And we’ve received word… including Dongzi Qi, many Zifu Disciples’ life-tablets have shattered.” True Immortal Xu Li said softly, “The most likely possibility… is that they are already dead.”

“True Immortal, what should we do?” The others all looked at True Immortal Xu Li.

The seven of them… some had been met on the road by True Immortal Xu Li, while others had gathered in Snowdragon City.

Earlier, a full nineteen Zifu Disciples and two Zifu-level spirit beasts had vanished without a trace into that grand formation.

“Do not enter lightly,” True Immortal Xu Li said softly. “Junior Apprentice-Nephew Nong Zidao is extremely skilled with formations. Even I cannot compare to him. And Junior Apprentice-Nephew Tongyu has a divine ability, is a formidable combatant, and his Fiendgod body is incredibly resilient… The two of them joined forces and entered, yet now there is no word from them. We absolutely must not enter lightly.”

The other seven nodded in agreement.

“Let me first try to break the formation with raw force, and see if we can shatter it.” True Immortal Xu Li looked at Oxhorn Mountain in the distance. He flipped his hand and a large seal appeared in his palm. The seal flew out of his hand and rapidly grew larger, soon becoming a seal a hundred zhang long and wide, hanging high above Oxhorn Mountain.

“Fall!”

True Immortal Xu Li pointed into the distance.

Instantly, the world around them changed. The brilliant sun in the sky vanished, and the skies turned pitch black. Within the black sky, countless bright stars appeared. Amidst the countless stars, there was an even larger, brilliant moon. From the moon, a giant hand of moonlight extended, grabbing hold of the hundred-zhang-long seal.

Then, it fiercely smashed downwards.

Boom!

It crashed directly into the black fog at the base of Oxhorn Mountain, causing the entire earth to tremble. The moonlight hand then lifted again, raising the hundred-zhang seal.

…

When Ji Jiuhuo and the others saw the world change, the sunny sky replaced by a starry firmament, they were shocked. “A Wanxiang Adept!”

“How can there be a Wanxiang Adept? The other branches of Snowdragon Mountain around Mount Yan… those are all just local branches. They only have Zifu Disciples. How can there be a Wanxiang Adept? A Wanxiang Adept is a core member of Snowdragon Mountain’s main sect. How can one be here?” Ji Liuzhen’s eyes were wide with shock.

Everyone in the Ji Clan was stunned.

They couldn’t believe it.

“Quickly, go to the subsidiary formations,” Ji Jiuhuo commanded. “That Wanxiang Adept is trying to destroy our formation with a seal from the outside. It’s a fool’s dream. Using an attack from such a distance… relying on his Wanxiang Projection to cast a spell, he can probably only unleash a tenth of his true power. With that level of power, if we join hands, we can definitely withstand him with the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation.”

“Should we call Ji Ning?” Granny Shadow asked.

“No need. Flood Dragon, follow my guidance to the northern node.” Ji Jiuhuo ordered. “From now on, you will temporarily serve as the Tail node of the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation.”

“Understood.” The azure-armored giant acknowledged.

For monsters, their bodies originally contained demonic power. But once they opened their Zifu, their bodies would contain Zifu Yuan power as well. This Flood Dragon was even a Zifu Disciple at the peak of his level… his Yuan power was even more profound than Ji Ning’s!

…

“Fall!” In the distance, True Immortal Xu Li pointed again.

The hundred-zhang-long hand of moonlight grabbed the seal and once again smashed it down towards Oxhorn Mountain. But this time, a dragon’s roar suddenly echoed out. An enormous black dragon tail rose up, appearing from the black fog and directly meeting the descending seal.

Boom!

The seal crashed into the dragon tail. The dragon tail trembled once, its entire length shuddering, but it still managed to block the blow.

“A black dragon tail?” True Immortal Xu Li frowned. “It can actually block my Dharmic Projection’s spell…”

An Immortal cultivator’s ability to control a magical treasure to attack was limited by range. The further the range, the weaker the power. A Wanxiang Adept, by relying on their own ‘Wanxiang Projection,’ could perform ultra-long-distance spellcasting, but of course, the power was far less than a short-range attack. Back then, Daoist Mu Xiao had used his Wanxiang Projection to grab hold of Dongzi Shan’s Gu insects from an ultra-long distance.

“What kind of formation is this?” True Immortal Xu Li frowned. “A group of Zifu Disciples using a single formation can block my Dharmic Projection’s spell… this formation…”

Even with his knowledge, he couldn’t identify the formation.

The seven other Zifu Disciples beside him were also full of confusion and unease. What kind of formation could reveal that black dragon tail?

…

Ji Jiuhuo and the others, relying on the Darkflame Dragon created by their formation, had managed to block the giant seal, but they were feeling the strain.

“I wonder how Ji Ning’s cultivation is progressing. He might be at a critical juncture.” Ji Jiuhuo grew anxious, wanting to wake Ji Ning, but worried about interrupting his training.

…

Within the formation, dark infernal energy filled the air.

Ji Ning sat cross-legged, completely immersed in the profundities of Yin-Yang transformation. He analyzed it continuously, his deep level of comprehension carrying him to a state of complete self-oblivion. He hadn’t even noticed the slight tremors caused by the seal striking the ground earlier. The enormous Darkflame Dragon being controlled by Ji Jiuhuo and the others also enveloped the surrounding area, acting as his protector.

“Yin does not leave Yang.”

“Yang does not leave Yin.”

“Even the arrogant dragon must eventually feel regret. After the peak comes the trough…”

“Only through the inter-transformation of Yin and Yang can one continuously generate life.” Ji Ning was suddenly enlightened.

The Taiyin Divine Tattoo and Sunstar Divine Tattoo on his back blazed with intense light, resonating across countless layers of spatial barriers with the two massive, deep-space stars. The Sunstar and the Taiyin Star immediately sent down Sunstar True Fire and Taiyin True Water, crossing endless worlds and endless void, descending directly to Ji Ning’s side.

“Boom~” “Boom~” The space around him was instantly transformed into a world of water and fire.

A massive Water-Fire Lotus emerged as a single, tight flower bud, completely wrapping Ji Ning within. Using the Taiyin True Water and Sunstar True Fire as its core, it drew upon the vast power of water and fire to form a gigantic flower of water and flame, with Ji Ning as its very stamen.

Even True Immortal Xu Li and the other Zifu Disciples out on the desolate plains could see the enormous flower emerging from the black fog, its tip just peeking out from the mist.