The Primal Ascension and the Hunt Begins

As Ji Ning and Mu Northson sat within the icy layers, absorbing strands of cold sha and painstakingly planting them into their Violet Palaces… above ‘Whale Mountain’ in the Mount Yao territory, the winds and clouds were gathering. A massive amount of natural energy converged, and in the sky there faintly appeared a grand image of a tortoise entwined with a serpent.

“That is…”

“A tortoise and serpent! It’s a tortoise and serpent!”

The countless monsters on Whale Mountain raised their heads, staring in shock at the scene in the sky. The energy was coalescing, and the tortoise and serpent were appearing. Those monsters who had stepped onto the path of cultivation naturally understood what this meant.

“Primal!”

“A Primal Daoist has been born on our Whale Mountain! A Wanxiang Adept has broken through to the Primal Daoist stage!”

“It’s the Primal Daoist stage.”

They were both terrified and excited.

Once a Ki Refiner stepped into the Primal stage, regardless of whether they were a Fiendgod, a human, or an妖族, anyone who reached this stage through Ki Refining would manifest a ‘Tortoise-Serpent Primal.’ The tortoise and serpent coiled together, naturally generating an endless flow of ‘Primal Fire’. The Tortoise-Serpent Primal itself contained the supreme mysteries of Heaven and Earth.

“Who reached the Primal stage? Our Whale Mountain had quite a few Wanxiang Adepts. There were even several who were at the peak of Wanxiang.”

“I heard that last time, the King led a group of Wanxiang Adepts out, but he was the only one who returned. I heard that all the other Wanxiang Adepts who went died.”

“All dead?”

“Yeah. Our Whale Mountain, including the King, only has two or three Wanxiang Adepts now. The one who just broke through must be the King.”

As the monsters were murmuring amongst themselves, the most powerful leader of the Mount Yao region, the ‘Dragon Whale great demon’, walked out of his secluded meditation chamber.

“Hahaha…” The tall, burly Dragon Whale great demon laughed heartily. His laughter boomed like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the entire Whale Mountain.

Upon hearing such laughter, how could the monsters not understand? Their King had broken through!

“Congratulations, King! Congratulations, King!”

The group of monsters in front of the Dragon Whale great demon all knelt down and said loudly.

“Congratulations to the King! Congratulations to the King!” The monsters further away also began to shout, and even further beyond… in short, the voices of the monsters on the entire Whale Mountain rose and fell, one after another, as they all cried out, “Congratulations to the King! Congratulations to the King!”

The sound was thunderous, piercing the clouds.

The Primal stage?

Once one stepped into the Primal stage, even within the entire Anchan Commandery, they could be considered a figure of influence. Moreover, with the Dragon Whale great demon’s innate talent, although he had just broken through, his combat power was still astonishingly fierce.

“The King has toiled in cultivation for over ten thousand years. Now, with this single breakthrough, you have achieved the Primal stage and attained longevity. Achieving immortality in the future will certainly be no problem at all.” A sharp-faced, thin-cheeked monkey monster flattered from the side.

Once one became a Primal, their lifespan was indeed endless. However, the increasingly powerful ‘Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations’ would eventually cause even Primal Daoists to perish.

Thus, only by becoming a Celestial Immortal could one truly be considered to have achieved immortality.

But flattery was flattery, and the words were not incorrect.

“The King’s talent is extraordinary. You are a Dragon Whale, and you have a Fiendgod Body as well… I fear that even an Immortal would be helpless against you.” A seductive female monster beside him also began to flatter.

“King…” One after another, they flattered him.

The Dragon Whale great demon looked at the group of minor monsters around him and sighed internally. In the past, his Whale Mountain, as the leading mountain of the Mount Yao region, had always had over a dozen Wanxiang Adepts. But that human child, Ji Ning, had slaughtered a large number of them. Only two Wanxiang Adepts remained, and they lived separately on two other peaks of Whale Mountain. The ones before him now were all just Zifu-level minor monsters, only capable of flattery.

“Immortal?” The Dragon Whale great demon shook his head to himself. He was very clear about his own strength. “This time, I broke through in Ki Refining, but my Fiendgod Body Refining did not. Having achieved the Primal stage… although my strength has increased a lot, I am still far from an Immortal. But if I were to encounter that human child, Ji Ning, again, I would definitely be able to slay him.”

A vicious light flickered in the Dragon Whale great demon’s emerald-green eyes.

“Big brother!”

“Congratulations on your breakthrough, big brother!”

Two streaks of light flew over from the distance. They were the other two Wanxiang Adepts of Whale Mountain.

The Dragon Whale great demon looked at them and said in a booming voice, “Good that you have come, brothers. I have just broken through, but I think back to how my other brothers and sisters were slaughtered by that human child… my heart aches, and I deeply regret it. I was just about to issue an order, inviting some of the old great demons from the Mount Yujue Wasteland and the Mount Yao region who owe me favors to help search. We must find those two human children.”

“Well said, big brother.”

“Yes, we must take revenge.” The two great demons landed. They were both tall, pitch-black, and had curved horns on their heads. They were a pair of wild bull great demons, the most trusted subordinates of the Dragon Whale great demon. Even when he went out to battle, he would leave these two to guard the lair…

The Dragon Whale great demon nodded. “I will send men to deliver letters to all the various demon kings, asking them to help in the search.”

“Now that big brother has broken through, the various demon kings will have to give you face.”

“I believe we will find them soon.”

Both wild bull great demons spoke.

The Dragon Whale great demon casually took out a piece of beast hide and wrote on it. He drew the human forms of Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and Qingqing, lifelike in every detail. He also described the dragon-headed warship and other characteristics. The beast hide also carried his powerful aura of Yuan power.

“Water Seal Art.” As a water-type great demon, the Dragon Whale great demon was very skilled at the Water Seal Art. He cast it several dozen times in a row, producing dozens of copies of the beast hide.

He then ordered a large group of his Zifu-level monster subordinates to deliver the letters.

Soon, a host of Zifu monsters transformed into streaks of light, heading towards the territories of other monster factions.

“Every time I think of that human child, I wish I could eat his flesh and drink his blood,” the Dragon Whale great demon said through gritted teeth. “The blood-debt of my sworn brothers has not yet been avenged, and there were also many other brothers and sisters who followed me for years. The more I think about it… the more infuriated I become! How hateful!”

“Calm yourself for now, big brother. I believe news will arrive in just a few days.”

“Once we discover the human child, it will not be too late to go and slay them then.”

Both wild bull great demons tried to persuade him.

“Hmph.” The Dragon Whale great demon nodded. “I’ll endure for a few more days. Then I’ll go kill them.”

—

The Peacock Demon King sat high upon his throne.

He casually took a glance at the beast hide, and his expression immediately shifted. He looked down and said, “Your King has broken through to the Primal stage?”

“Yes. Our King just broke through today,” the Zifu-level monkey monster below replied, somewhat smugly.

The Peacock Demon King nodded. “I understand. I will instruct my subordinates to help search for these two humans and the Skygreen Serpent. You may go back and report.”

One after another, the factions of the monster world received the message from the Dragon Whale great demon. From the letters, they could all tell that he had broken through to the Primal stage. Those powerful great demons who had once been on equal footing with the Dragon Whale great demon instantly dared not be negligent. One by one, they issued orders, beginning the search for the two human youths and the Skygreen Serpent.

Ji Ning and the other were still completely unaware of what was happening outside.

—

Within the ice layer.

Inside the ice-cold secret chamber, the two of them sat cross-legged in front of the cold sha vein. The vein, which had originally been over a hundred zhang long, was now less than a hundred zhang, having clearly shrunk by a large margin.

“Absorb.”

Thread after thread of cold sha continuously poured into the mouths of Ji Ning and Mu Northson.

It was obvious that Ji Ning’s absorption speed was much faster.

“Almost there.” Ji Ning focused all his mental energy on his Violet Palace, not daring to be distracted in the slightest. On the island within the Yuan power ocean of his Violet Palace, the cold sha had already coalesced into a rough shape.

At this moment, the cold sha within the Violet Palace space was like a malignant tumor that could explode at any moment, injuring the entire Violet Palace!

It was extremely dangerous!

Because these cold sha had not yet been set. The more Ji Ning absorbed, the more dangerous it became. He had to wait until the ‘planting’ was complete before it would be safe.

“I’ve absorbed enough cold sha. I should be able to condense a seed now.” Ji Ning prepared for a moment, then with a thought, the countless stars, the Moon Rabbit, and the Golden Crow in the sky of his Violet Palace shot out beams of light, all aimed at the cold sha island. These beams were pure Yuan power. The moment they landed on the cold sha island, they merged together, becoming extremely clear and pure, directly suppressing the cold sha.

Boom!

It was as if a layer of soil was directly spread over the cold sha, completely enveloping it.

The entire cold sha island was now crystalline and translucent. Strange runic patterns covered its surface, and the cold sha had permeated every single line of those runes. These runes were like the root hairs of a great tree…

After a short while.

Tch!

Like a weed breaking through the soil, a very thin wisp of cold sha emerged from the surface of the island, trembling and unsteady. But it continued to grow.

A ‘cold sha vein’ had been successfully rooted within the Violet Palace.

“It’s done!” Ji Ning showed a look of joy and opened his eyes. He immediately saw Qingqing, who was carefully guarding the area in the distance, and also Mu Northson, who was still absorbing the cold sha beside him.

“Master, are you done?” Qingqing asked excitedly.

“Mn.” Ji Ning nodded. “Has nothing happened to my junior apprentice-brother?”

Qingqing shook her head. “No. It’s just that his absorption speed is much slower than yours. You finished planting in a single day. At his rate, he’ll probably need three days to refine it.”

Ji Ning nodded.

His own Violet Palace space was more stable than his junior apprentice-brother’s, his divine sense was stronger, and he could control the cold sha more easily. It was within his expectations to plant it so quickly.

“Master, I have a gift for you, to congratulate you on successfully planting the cold sha.” Qingqing smiled.

“A gift? Between you and me, there’s no need for such formalities.” Ji Ning laughed.

“I think you’ll like it, Master.” Qingqing smiled mysteriously. She then waved her hand and produced a huge wooden box. The box was a dark grey and emitted a fragrant aroma.

“You’re keeping it in a box of sinking wood?” Ji Ning asked, confused.

“Look.” Qingqing proudly opened the sinking wood box. Inside was a block of ice about two feet long, one foot wide, and one foot thick, shimmering with a faint green light. The moment the ice was revealed, the temperature around them began to drop. Remember, they were already inside an ice-cold secret chamber within the icy layers. For it to cause the temperature to drop again… what kind of ice was this?

“This is Ten-Thousand-Year Frigid Ice.” Qingqing said proudly, “I found it in the Mount Yujue Wasteland. There was a frozen pond there. I was lying very comfortably in the pond, absorbing the cold energy to nurture my own cold sha. Who would have thought some cultivators would show up… so I dug up the Ten-Thousand-Year Frigid Ice and ran away.”

Ji Ning was indeed filled with pleasant surprise.

Qingqing was truly a little treasure trove.

The cold sha within his body was just a young seedling, only a ninth-grade cold sha. It needed constant nurturing. Nurturing it with Yuan power was possible, but it would be very slow. Using special treasures to nurture it was much faster. Ten-Thousand-Year Frigid Ice was one of those treasures…

“Don’t you need it yourself?” Ji Ning asked. “Keep it for yourself. I’m not in a hurry.”

Qingqing looked a bit embarrassed. “Hehe, I dug up a lot. What I gave you is just a small piece.”

“How big is your own Ten-Thousand-Year Frigid Ice?” Ji Ning asked.

“Over three zhang high,” Qingqing said, lowering her head. She stretched out her delicate hand, and a huge block of ice suddenly appeared in the air, like a small iceberg. Then it vanished, apparently taken back by her.

Ji Ning blinked. Over three zhang high? And the congratulatory gift he was given was only a two-foot piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Frigid Ice…

Ji Ning shook his head with a smile and took it. He then began to use the Ten-Thousand-Year Frigid Ice to nurture his own cold sha.

(There is still a third chapter! Expected around midnight!)