The Powder Keg

Inside the secret chamber.

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, Yu Wei, Nine Lotos, Cangjiang Realperson, as well as Uncle White and Qingqing, all stared at Xue Hongyi.

The temptation of an Immortal-ranked magic treasure was utterly astonishing. Even Cangjiang Realperson, despite having been a Loose Immortal in his past life, had never obtained a single Immortal-ranked treasure… For the sake of one, it was common practice for cultivators to wipe out entire tribes and sects.

“We could kill him, take the Immortal-ranked treasure to Heavenly Treasures Mountain, exchange it for Primordial Liquid, and split it amongst ourselves,” Cangjiang Realperson sent mentally, his eyes filled with icy calculation.

“Kill him?”

“Do we kill him or not?”

Everyone hesitated. Only Cangjiang Realperson was unwaveringly firm.

Ji Ning had never had a good relationship with Xue Hongyi. Back then, Xue Hongyi had even tried to capture Ji Ning, only to be blocked by Beishan Baiwei. Ji Ning felt no compunctions whatsoever about killing Xue Hongyi… But they had all come to this Celestial Immortal’s immortal manor together. On the way here, Shaoyin Nong had made his threats clear.

“What are you doing?” Xue Hongyi barked. “Earlier, on that great ship while traveling to this Wu Jiang Immortal Manor, Young Master Shaoyin clearly stated that we were forbidden from fighting amongst ourselves!”

Xue Hongyi’s heart was pounding with panic. Although Shaoyin Nong had made threats before, to Shaoyin Nong, these five Black-White College disciples were obviously more important. If he, Xue Hongyi, were killed, Shaoyin Nong would probably not make trouble for them.

Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances.

Earlier, Shaoyin Nong had said: “All of you must work together in the Wu Jiang Immortal Manor. No fighting amongst yourselves. If anyone disobeys, don’t blame me, Shaoyin Nong, for being ruthless.”

“What is there to fear? The five of us from the Black-White College are more valuable to Shaoyin Nong,” Cangjiang Realperson sent mentally. “If we kill Xue Hongyi, Shaoyin Nong definitely won’t cut off his own limbs by moving against us.”

“He won’t act against us now, but after he refines this immortal manor and we’re no longer useful to him, he will,” Nine Lotos sent mentally.

“Act against us? We’re not so easy to deal with. Besides, Nine Lotos, you are the next leader of the Dongyan clan. Shaoyin Nong wouldn’t dare act recklessly. He’s just a disciple of the Shaoyin clan, after all. He only has a high chance of becoming the next Yuleng Gong, not the actual one. If he dared to act against you, he might even lose his right of inheritance,” Cangjiang Realperson said.

“He won’t act against little sister Nine Lotos, but he’ll act against us,” Yu Wei sent mentally. “If we don’t kill Xue Hongyi, he has no excuse to make a move, because he made us a promise. But if we do kill Xue Hongyi, he’ll have an excuse to target us.”

Having an excuse — or not — was extremely important.

Everything had to be done in the name of righteousness.

After all, behind Ji Ning and the others stood the Black-White College, the Dongyan clan, and other powerful forces.

If Ji Ning and the others were weak and powerless, killing them would be no big deal. But because they had backing… everything had to be justified!

“We can’t give him an excuse. That Fiendgod, Xiangliu Fang, is far too powerful for us,” Yu Wei said. “As for Xue Hongyi… we’ll find a chance to deal with him after we get out.”

“I agree with Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei.” Ji Ning also sent his stance.

Cangjiang Realperson frowned. The three strongest among them didn’t agree. He alone could be confident in defeating Xue Hongyi, but killing him? He had no guarantee.

“Hmph.” Cangjiang Realperson turned and walked away.

Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances before also walking out.

Only Xue Hongyi remained in the secret chamber. He let out a sigh of relief.

“At least Shaoyin Nong’s threats managed to intimidate them,” Xue Hongyi thought to himself. “Once I leave this Wu Jiang Immortal Manor, I’ll immediately latch onto Young Master Shaoyin’s side, and then the first chance I get, I’ll use a Small Teleportation Dao Talisman to flee.”

He understood that escaping would be risky.

But he had to gamble. For this Immortal-ranked magic treasure, he had to gamble!

He didn’t even dare to trust the three Primal Daoists from his own Snowdragon Mountain. On the path of cultivation, betraying one’s master and ancestors was not uncommon; killing one’s own disciples was even more frequent. For an Immortal-ranked treasure… anything could happen.

Ji Ning and the others scattered throughout the Treasure Hall, continuing their search for treasures. After all, this was a Celestial Immortal’s collection; any single treasure here was worth more than the total possessions of an average Wanxiang Adept.

They searched carefully for nearly half an hour.

Each of them had combed through the entire Treasure Hall, all of them thinking… there might be something they missed in the areas others had already searched.

“I’m done searching, master. I didn’t find a single thing. Not one treasure,” Qingqing sent mentally from a distance.

“Not even one? That’s too pitiful,” Ji Ning teased.

“Go ask Uncle White if he found anything,” Qingqing said mentally.

“Alright, I’ll ask.” Ji Ning sent a mental message to the Whitewater Hound. “Uncle White, have you finished searching?”

“I have.” The Whitewater Hound’s mental voice was quite cheerful. “I was lucky. I found a corpse with some magic robes and other treasures. I can’t tell if it was a Loose Immortal or a Primal great demon, but the treasures are good. I can’t refine any of them, so they should all be Heaven-ranked.”

Ji Ning was delighted.

The Treasure Hall was arguably the most important of the five halls in the immortal manor, housing the most treasures. It was often guarded by powerful demons, including Primal Daoists and even Loose Immortals.

Even Loose Immortals generally didn’t own Immortal-ranked treasures, so looking at the treasures left behind by a corpse, it was hard to tell if it was a Loose Immortal or a Primal great demon… Only by refining the storage treasures and seeing how much treasure was inside would they know.

“Master, master! How did Uncle White do? Did he also come up empty-handed?” Qingqing asked mentally.

“Uncle White was luckier than you. He got some treasures from a corpse.”

“A corpse? How is he luckier than me? I’m a Skygreen Serpent who gets into adventures as easily as eating and drinking! I’m blessed with thick luck! How does a Whitewater Hound have better luck than me? Master, what about you? Did you also get nothing?”

“I got even more than Uncle White,” Ji Ning replied.

“Even more? How is that possible?!”

In the largest hall of the Treasure Hall, Shaoyin Nong was sitting cross-legged on a jade bed, refining it. Xiangliu Fang stood guard at his side.

Ji Ning and the others had all gathered there.

“This is the Treasure Hall, the primary treasure repository of the Wu Jiang Immortal Manor. It should have the most treasures of all. It looks like you’ve all had some good harvests,” Shaoyin Nong said from his high seat, a smile on his face. “And it seems I sensed a fluctuation just now. An Immortal-ranked treasure has appeared. I wonder who was lucky enough to obtain it.”

Ji Ning and the others all turned their heads in unison, staring at Xue Hongyi.

Xue Hongyi was stunned.

“Oh, so it was you, Xue Hongyi?” Shaoyin Nong raised an eyebrow. Back when they were trapped in the formation, Xue Hongyi had abandoned Shaoyin Nong and fled far away, an act that still rankled.

“Young Master Shaoyin, I wish to present this Immortal-ranked treasure to you,” Xue Hongyi quickly said. In front of Ji Ning and the others, he could still threaten and try to fight, but Young Master Shaoyin was far too powerful. In terms of background and influence, he was completely crushed. In terms of combat strength, that Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang could probably kill him with a single blow.

Ji Ning and the others were stunned. Present it to Young Master Shaoyin?

“Treasures should belong to the virtuous!” Xue Hongyi said hurriedly. “I consider myself lacking in virtue; a treasure like this is a curse, not a blessing to me. I would rather present it to Young Master Shaoyin. For a noble young master like you, owning such a treasure is only natural.”

Shaoyin Nong laughed.

He enjoyed flattery, especially from a relatively powerful genius. Ji Ning and the others, being from the Black-White College, were all too proud to stoop to such sycophancy. But Xue Hongyi was able to lower his head and bow, truly humbling himself.

“I, of the Shaoyin clan of my tribe, have already said that any treasures you obtain are your own. I will not seize them, nor will I demand you present them to me,” Shaoyin Nong announced.

“This is not a seizure, nor a presentation… It is a normal transaction,” Xue Hongyi said quickly. “This Immortal-ranked treasure, the Black Silk Divine Fire Lamp, is of little use to me. I wish to trade it with Young Master Shaoyin for some other treasures. Young Master, you can just give me a few Heaven-ranked treasures or the like.”

“Don’t overthink this.”

Shaoyin Nong shook his head. “No matter what, I will not accept this Immortal-ranked treasure.”

Xue Hongyi finally relaxed.

He had offered it so proactively, and Young Master Shaoyin still refused. He felt relieved.

“This Xue Hongyi does have some tact,” Shaoyin Nong thought to himself. “I can’t accept it now, or else it will cool the hearts of Ji Ning and the others. They’re still very useful to me. Once I’ve refined the immortal manor… then I’ll have Xue Hongyi present it to me again. I’ll just give him a few treasures in return.”

It took nearly an hour before Shaoyin Nong finally finished refining the jade bed.

“Haha, it’s done.” Shaoyin Nong stepped down from the jade bed, a wide smile on his face.

“Young Master.” Xiangliu Fang, who was beside him, frowned. “Outside, the two most powerful demonic forces in the entire immortal manor realm are waiting. Once we go out, they’ll likely attack us immediately.”

“The two most powerful demonic forces?”

Ji Ning and everyone else were shocked.

Were they referring to the ten-thousand-strong demon army that formed a tidal wave, and the Wu Jiang clan’s massive Yaksha Dao-soldiers? They were both forces that could completely suppress Xiangliu Fang! Xiangliu Fang could only rely on his incredible regenerative abilities and escape techniques to survive. He couldn’t fight head-on at all.

“I can keep myself alive, but I’m not confident I can protect you, young master,” Xiangliu Fang said with concern.

“Oh?” Shaoyin Nong frowned. “You say they’re waiting outside?”

“Yes, they’ve been waiting all this time,” Xiangliu Fang said in a low voice. “They’ve been trapped in this immortal manor realm for endless years, generation after generation dreaming of getting out and going to the vaster Grand Xia Dynasty. They’ll stop at nothing to seize your immortal manor key, young master.”

Shaoyin Nong nodded.

He could understand the burning desire of those two demon forces. It was a longing for a wider world. They would give everything to deal with him.

“Troublesome.” Shaoyin Nong clenched his teeth.

Ji Ning and the others were all racking their brains. What could they do?