The One-Shot Gamble

“Oh?” Within the white flood dragon’s head, Immortal Xu Li frowned slightly. He had set up the sealing formation himself, so of course he could sense it. “Someone is attacking my sealing formation from the inside? It seems some of the Ji Clan are trying to escape. Pity… without the support of the Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation, not even the strongest among them, Ji Ning himself, could break through this seal.”

“They can only wait for death now.”

A cold killing intent flickered in Immortal Xu Li’s eyes.

Although he had injured Ji Ning with his Earth-ranked treasure, the Blackblood Nail, he could not actually sense Ji Ning’s position. His earlier declaration that he could was a complete bluff. If other members of the Ji Clan came to harass him, the pressure was manageable. But if Ji Ning came to ambush him, the threat was far too great. He was certain the Ji Clan treasured Ji Ning deeply, so he deliberately spoke those words…

And the effect was indeed good. Those elders of the Ji Clan would never let Ji Ning take such a risk again.

…

The icy waters of Winged Serpent Lake.

Splash~

Faint spatial ripples spread through the deep lake water, and Ji Ning appeared out of thin air.

“This is?” Ji Ning looked up at the endless water above him, sensing the presence of the aquatic palace. “This is Winged Serpent Lake?”

He had relied on a vague sense of direction, using the Ten-Thousand-Mile Trace-Away Talisman to teleport to the approximate area of Winged Serpent Lake. The lake itself spanned a hundred li in circumference. This teleportation… had dropped him directly into the deep water of the lake.

“Aquatic palace, enter!” Ji Ning sent out a thought.

As long as he could sense the aquatic palace, he could enter.

A massive spectral bear’s head appeared in the water beside him, swallowing Ji Ning in a single gulp.

Within the main hall of the ancient aquatic palace, enormous prayer mats were scattered around, just as they had been when Ji Ning last visited.

“Hmm?” Ji Ning appeared in the hall and immediately spotted the Black Ox and the Yellow Bear in the distance.

“I can sense that your Fiendgod Body Refining has already broken through to the Blood-Drop Rebirth level. Have you come to enter the Divine Abilities Hall?” The Yellow Bear looked at Ji Ning, then a flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes. “Ji Ning. I can feel the boundless rage, desperation, and murderous intent filling your heart. What exactly has happened to you?”

Ji Ning’s heart was still wrenched by the fate of his father, Uncle White, the Patriarch, and the others on Oxhorn Mountain. The Yellow Bear’s words suddenly jolted him awake.

Right!

The artifact spirit!

The Black Ox was already the spirit of an Immortal-ranked treasure, and the Yellow Bear was even more unfathomable, barely deigning to acknowledge even Celestial Immortal Juhua. Moreover, the Yellow Bear radiated an aura of eternity, very similar to the eternal, indestructible aura of the Goddess Nuwa statue he visualized.

This aquatic palace could teleport him through space even without a master controlling it? Such means… were simply inconceivable.

“Senior,” Ji Ning said hurriedly, briefly summarizing the situation. “My Ji Clan is facing a great calamity. Our enemy has the strength of an early Wanxiang Adept and possesses at least three Earth-ranked treasures! I fought him using the Windwing Evasion technique, but I was ultimately defeated and forced to flee… Might I ask, Senior, is there a way for me to defeat this Wanxiang Adept and save my family?”

The Yellow Bear glanced at Ji Ning. “Although you possess the Windwing Evasion technique, it is a simplified, crude version of a divine ability. It only greatly increases your speed and agility! Your true power has not increased at all… Your weakness is very obvious. A Wanxiang Adept only needs to surround you with a large number of magic treasures, restricting your speed, and your defeat is certain.”

Ji Ning nodded. “What the Senior says is true. How can I defeat him now? If I enter the Divine Abilities Hall now and obtain a divine ability, will it allow me to defeat that Wanxiang Adept?”

“The Divine Abilities Hall contains many divine abilities,” the Yellow Bear said. “If you learn a superior one, killing a mid-stage Wanxiang Adept would be an easy task.”

Ji Ning could barely contain his excitement.

The pain and desperation in his heart instantly transformed into burning desire!

He must learn a divine ability!

Then he would go back and save his father, Uncle White, the Patriarch, and everyone else!

“My Fiendgod Body Refining has reached the Blood-Drop Rebirth level, so I can claim a Human-ranked treasure from the Treasure Hall,” Ji Ning said quickly. “Please, Senior, let me pick one. I will choose quickly, selecting a powerful treasure so I can better attempt the Divine Abilities Hall.”

The stronger he was, the greater his chance of success in the hall.

“There is no need,” the Yellow Bear shook his head. “The Divine Abilities Hall is a trial for Fiendgod descendants. It is forbidden to use ki refining power or any magic treasures! You must rely solely on the power of your Fiendgod body… As for weapons, the Divine Abilities Hall will provide them for you.”

“No ki power, no magic treasures?” Ji Ning was momentarily startled, then understood.

This was a trial.

It tested the Fiendgod Body Refining aspect; it was not strange that ki refining was completely banned.

“You are only five years old now,” the Yellow Bear said, looking at Ji Ning. “You could wait until you are ten. By then, your strength will be far greater. If you enter the Divine Abilities Hall, you would likely obtain a much stronger divine ability. You may only enter this hall once in your life. Are you certain you want to go in now?”

“I will enter,” Ji Ning nodded firmly. “I want to enter the Divine Abilities Hall now.”

Perhaps, in five years, he could obtain an even more powerful divine ability.

But his father, Uncle White, and the others could not wait that long.

His father was likely already using forbidden techniques to buy time against the Snowdragon Mountain forces. He probably had at most half an hour.

“If I can return to Oxhorn Mountain within half an hour, I might still be able to save my father,” Ji Ning yearned.

Every second counted.

“Since you have decided, then come.” The Yellow Bear walked directly towards a corridor on the side. Ji Ning quickly followed. The Black Ox muttered from the side, “What a pity. If he waited another five years, he could definitely obtain a much stronger divine ability in the hall.”

…

The bronze doors of the Divine Abilities Hall were closed. Carved onto the surface of the doors was a single, enormous hand. This hand seemed to blot out the sky and cover the sun, radiating boundless power.

The Yellow Bear traversed from the main hall to the door of the Divine Abilities Hall in just three steps, clearly aware of how tight Ji Ning’s time was. He turned his head to look back at Ji Ning, who was rushing over as a streak of light.

“Follow me in,” the Yellow Bear said.

Boom~~~

The doors rumbled open, revealing endless grey light within. The light washed over the Yellow Bear and Ji Ning, and they both vanished from sight.

“Boom.” The doors closed once more.

The Black Ox outside the doors looked up at the Divine Abilities Hall, sighing emotionally. “This Ji Ning’s talent is even more monstrous than Juhua’s. And he entered this aquatic palace at a very young age… far better off than Juhua back then. By the time Juhua entered the aquatic palace, he was already far past the age of ten, unable to enter this Divine Abilities Hall.”

“If Juhua had been able to brave the Divine Abilities Hall and obtain a powerful divine ability, he might not have ended up as a Loose Immortal,” the Black Ox murmured. “I wonder what divine ability this Ji Ning will obtain.”

The Black Ox himself did not know what divine abilities were stored within the hall.

A grey, boundless space, like the void itself.

Ji Ning and the Yellow Bear appeared out of thin air within it. Ji Ning looked around; everything was an empty vacuum.

“This is perhaps the most important place in the entire grotto,” the Yellow Bear said, looking at Ji Ning with a sigh. “I know your family is in mortal danger right now, but you only have one chance to brave the Divine Abilities Hall. I would even advise you to wait another five years. When you are stronger, you can challenge it again.”

“My mind is made up!” Ji Ning declared.

“Even if all of your family members die, it would still not compare to the importance of this opportunity,” the Yellow Bear pressed. “You don’t understand yet what the divine abilities within this hall represent. There are seven supreme divine abilities here. If you obtain the strongest one, it is possible for you to dominate the Three Realms in the future. By then, finding your reincarnated family members and even awakening their past life memories would not be a difficult matter.”

The Yellow Bear looked at Ji Ning urgently. “Your talent is the greatest of all the successors my master has left this aquatic palace for. Do not waste it. I can tell you… the first of the seven divine abilities in the Divine Abilities Hall was left by my master himself.”

“The other six were left by his six disciples.”

“If you can obtain my master’s divine ability…”

“You have a great hope of transcending the Three Realms, becoming a Celestial Immortal, and even dominating them all,” the Yellow Bear pressed anxiously. “In the future, establishing a dynasty as vast as the Grand Xia Kingdom, one that lasts for endless eons, would not be a difficult task for you.”

Ji Ning was shocked.

The Yellow Bear had not paid him much attention at first, but his attitude had changed completely after Ji Ning comprehended the Water-Fire Sword Domain.

Now that Ji Ning wanted to brave the hall, the Yellow Bear clearly did not want him to waste the opportunity.

“What was the origin of the First Master?” Ji Ning pressed.

“From an unfathomably distant age, after Pangu split Heaven and Earth, when the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man were not yet settled, when the Three Thousand Major Worlds and the countless Minor Worlds had not yet come into being,” the Yellow Bear said, looking at Ji Ning. “The First Master left this grotto behind, intending to pass down his divine abilities and techniques. Although the Master had six disciples, none of them met his conditions to learn that one great divine ability.”

“After leaving the grotto, the Master vanished without a trace.”

“Then, endless ages passed, through the Primordial Fiendgod War, through the birth of the Three Thousand Major Worlds and the countless Minor Worlds…” the Yellow Bear looked at Ji Ning. “It was only by a twist of fate that this grotto came to be adjacent to your vast world.”

The Yellow Bear spoke solemnly. “I can tell you this: with your current strength, you can barely obtain the third divine ability. As for the Master’s divine ability, your chances of obtaining it are less than one in ten thousand.”

Ji Ning was taken aback.

He had guessed that the First Master of this aquatic palace was no ordinary figure. There were many Pure Yang-ranked treasures, which were above Immortal-ranked, in the Treasure Hall. This showed the Master’s origins… It seemed that this Master was likely a major figure of the Three Realms. What the Yellow Bear said was true; he only had one chance to brave the hall… This was his one and only opportunity to obtain such a great divine ability.

The Yellow Bear said, “If you miss this chance… you likely won’t encounter such a mighty figure again until you become a Celestial Immortal.”

Ji Ning hesitated for a moment, then asked, “May I ask, Senior, what kind of divine ability would I need to obtain to kill that mid-stage Wanxiang Adept?”

“Any of the top three divine abilities would be sufficient.”

The Yellow Bear said, “If you could obtain the great divine ability left by my master, with your current strength as a late-stage Zifu Fiendgod Body Refiner, killing that mid-stage Wanxiang Adept would be a matter of a single strike. However, with your current strength, your chances of obtaining this great divine ability are less than one in ten thousand. Will you still brave the hall? Remember, this is your only chance.”

“I will brave it,” Ji Ning said without hesitation.

Perhaps, if he waited five years, he could obtain that great divine ability, allowing him to achieve even greater heights in the future, even dominating the Three Realms and finding his reincarnated parents, awakening their past life memories.

But…

Would his parents, after being reincarnated, still be the same people, even with their memories awakened?

If he missed this chance, it would be gone forever!

“Even if I do not obtain that great divine ability, I, Ji Ning, will still dominate the Three Realms in the future. I even look forward to meeting Judge Cui again someday.” Ji Ning’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit. “Besides, who says I definitely won’t get it? A chance of less than one in ten thousand is still not zero!”

“Sigh! Miss it, and it’s gone forever!” The Yellow Bear shook his head, then vanished from the void.

The grey, hazy void was left with only Ji Ning.