The Rage of an Old Fiendgod

The old man stared at the gold-robed man, his voice sharp and thin, grief etched into his eyes. “Nong’er is dead?”

“Reporting to Ancestor, Shao Yanong’s Life Tablet in the ancestral hall has shattered,” the gold-robed man said with the utmost reverence, not daring to show a shred of negligence.

“Li Shui… your master has failed you.” Ancestor Xuanji closed his eyes, faint tears glistening at their corners. Li Shui the Immortal was the female disciple he doted on the most; their temperaments were perfectly matched, and he treated her almost like his own daughter. It was a pity that the Li Shui Immortal had been far too reckless during her tribulation, ultimately perishing with her soul scattered!

The Heavenly Tribulation was an unprecedented great calamity. Survive it, and you became a carefree Celestial Immortal. Fail, and with luck you might become a Loose Immortal. With worse luck, your soul was instantly obliterated.

The Li Shui Immortal had been too proud. At the very final moment, she had refused to admit defeat and had chosen to stubbornly press on. And so she died!

Ancestor Xuanji had grieved bitterly for a long time. Fortunately, the Li Shui Immortal had a son named Shao Yanong. From the moment of his birth, Ancestor Xuanji had protected and cherished him, trying to make up for his failure toward the Li Shui Immortal through the boy. He had even pressed relentlessly, pushing Shao Yanong all the way to the throne of the Feather-Sovereign Duke.

And now Shao Yanong was dead! In the Wanxiang stage, he was dead!

“I assigned a Fiendgod to protect him, one capable of stopping even the greatest Loose Immortals. How could he die? How is it possible? Who killed him?” A terrifying, savage glare suddenly erupted from Ancestor Xuanji’s eyes. “And he carried the Greater Spatial Teleport Dao Talisman I bestowed upon him. Even if he were in another dimension entirely, he could have teleported straight back!”

The gold-robed man quickly replied, “Ancestor, Shao Yanong should have died within the Wu Jiang Immortal Estate.”

“The Wu Jiang Immortal Estate?” Ancestor Xuanji’s face twisted with rage. “A trial! A mere trial! It was only for the position of Feather-Sovereign Duke!”

Furious though he was, Ancestor Xuanji also knew this was a clan law that could not be easily changed.

“Where is the Wu Jiang Immortal Estate?” Ancestor Xuanji demanded.

“Within the borders of Anchan Commandery. This one will lead the way, Ancestor,” the gold-robed man said respectfully.

“Good. Let us go.” Ancestor Xuanji gave the order.

Soon, the immortal carriage drawn by nine flood dragons was in motion. Ancestor Xuanji sat inside, while the gold-robed man took his place in the front—the seat reserved for servants, drivers, and guards.

Whoosh!

The carriage tore through the air, leaving the volcano behind.

The Celestial Immortal’s estate was hidden in a separate pocket dimension, with only a single connection point to the Grand Xia Dynasty’s world. Without knowing that point, even a Celestial Immortal who came would not be able to enter that pocket dimension.

Since the Shaoyan clan had sent ‘Shao Yanong’ to undergo the trial, the clan’s elders had naturally sent someone bearing the estate’s key to investigate it beforehand. After a cursory inspection, they had determined that the ‘Wu Jiang Immortal Estate’ would be quite difficult for Shao Yanong, but absolutely not life-threatening. Thus, they bestowed the key upon him and sent him off.

Therefore, the Shaoyan clan possessed an accurate record of the Wu Jiang Immortal Estate’s location.

Riiip!

High above the Tianyou Mountains, an immortal carriage drawn by nine flood dragons appeared.

Inside the carriage, the gold-robed man unfurled a scroll and said, “This scroll maps the Tianyou Mountains and also marks the connection point between the Wu Jiang Immortal Estate and this mountain range. It is up ahead.”

They carefully compared the map.

Soon, the carriage arrived at a gorge.

“It’s on the cliff wall of this gorge,” the gold-robed man said.

Ancestor Xuanji sat in the carriage with a dark expression. He barked, “This cliff wall is enormous. Which exact spot is the connection point? The Wu Jiang Immortal Estate is in another world. Without finding that point, we can’t even enter.”

“Please wait a moment, Ancestor.” The gold-robed man immediately executed a secret art. A golden light sigil appeared in his palm.

Buzz.

A golden light sigil also appeared on the cliff wall ahead.

“There. That’s the connection point between the Wu Jiang Immortal Estate and our Grand Xia Dynasty’s world.” The gold-robed man pointed. “The senior generation of the clan left a hidden mark here long ago.”

“Open for me!” Ancestor Xuanji’s gaze suddenly turned razor-sharp as he mobilized his Immortal power, going all out. Breaking through the barrier of an Immortal estate was no easy feat. Points of starlight began to coalesce around him, forming a dreamlike starfield. Two enormous hands of condensed starlight appeared, grasping that single point and tearing it apart in opposite directions.

Riiiiip!

Space itself was torn open, ripping open a passageway. The Immortal estate world on the other side was faintly visible.

If this had not been the connection point, tearing open space here would have revealed nothing but the void.

“The Wu Jiang Immortal Estate? So it is here.” Ancestor Xuanji’s voice was frigid. “You, remain here.”

“Yes,” the gold-robed man replied with obedient respect.

Whoosh. Ancestor Xuanji rose to his feet, took a single step, and entered the Immortal estate world through the torn passage.

The Immortal estate world was empty and desolate.

Ancestor Xuanji sent his divine sense outward, covering the entire world in an instant. Every single detail was laid bare before him.

“Not a single living creature?” Ancestor Xuanji was stunned.

How could he know that, after Ji Ning had escaped, he had warned the monsters that a Celestial Immortal might arrive at any moment and that they should leave before things went wrong? Terrified, the monsters had forcefully seized all the other monsters, yanking them aboard their warships as quickly as a cup of tea could be consumed, before fleeing the world entirely.

“But on the monster mountains and lakes, the estates and their furnishings… even the wine and fruit are still laid out. They clearly left only moments ago.” Ancestor Xuanji’s gaze fell upon a golden pillar of light in the distant sky. “The Wu Jiang Immortal Estate has five branch palaces. When Nong’er came, he would have had to enter these five palaces. The place of his death must also be within one of them!”

He took a single step.

Ancestor Xuanji arrived before the Dao-Repository Hall. Then, he raised a finger and pointed into the distance. “Reverse the flow of time!”

The Time Rewind technique was an incredibly powerful divine ability. Only those Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals who had achieved a profound level of insight into the ‘Dao of Time’ could execute it. If one’s insights into the ‘Dao of Time’ were not deep enough, one had to become a Celestial Immortal—one who had transcended the Three Realms—before one could use this technique.

“Hua…” The scene in the surrounding space shifted, time flowing rapidly backward.

It stopped at the point where Shao Yanong, using the Desolate Heart and the Stasis Scroll, had just barely managed to enter the Dao-Repository Hall while pursued by the monster soldiers. Then the scene began moving forward again at a normal pace. Very quickly, Shao Yanong, leading Ji Ning and the others, left the Dao-Repository Hall.

“Nong’er entered this branch palace and also left it. He did not die here.” Ancestor Xuanji followed Shao Yanong’s warship.

The past began to replay itself.

Shao Yanong, Xue Hongyi, Ji Ning, and the others rode their warship toward the fifth branch palace, the ‘Wu Jiang Hall’. The monsters were arrayed in full battle formation.

Ancestor Xuanji followed behind the flying warship.

Then, Shao Yanong used the black-and-white disc and directly entered this fifth palace.

“All of the monsters have gathered here, not spread across the other palaces. And Nong’er, at any cost, forced his way into this palace. It seems this is the last palace he entered.” Ancestor Xuanji’s form blurred as he immediately arrived within the fifth palace, the Wu Jiang Hall.

Inside the Wu Jiang Hall.

Ancestor Xuanji once again cast the Time Rewind technique, sending the scene back to the moment when Shao Yanong and the others had first entered the Wu Jiang Hall. Everything began to replay…

Breaking the illusion formation, entering the main hall, holding a celebratory banquet, even forcing Nine Lotos to dance, provoking Ji Ning’s fury, the wave of puppets attacking, Ji Ning using the Windwing Evasion technique… scene after scene, conversation after conversation, all played out.

“Hmph.” Ancestor Xuanji suddenly frowned. “The Windwing Evasion.”

Back when he had tried to complete this divine ability, Ancestor Xuanji had personally soul-searched several members of the Yuchi clan. Naturally, he was extremely familiar with the Windwing Evasion. He recognized it at a single glance as Ji Ning executed it.

The scene continued to unfold.

Shao Yanong pressured Ji Ning, forcing him to lock himself with the Soulchain. Then Xue Hongyi suddenly called out that Ji Ning’s mother was ‘Yuchi Snow’. In that instant, a great battle erupted!

Xiangliu Fang alone held back Mu Northson, Nine Lotos, Yu Wei, and Cangjiang Realperson.

Xue Hongyi went to deal with Ji Ning.

But then… Ji Ning’s power exploded in an instant. The entire main hall was filled with boundless sword-light. A single flash of blindingly dazzling sword-light beheaded Xue Hongyi in one stroke.

“A Domain of the Dao?” Ancestor Xuanji continued to watch, his Immortal power draining precipitously. The Time Rewind technique was no ordinary spell. “This boy named Ji Ning, who knows the Windwing Evasion, is merely at the Wanxiang stage. Even if he’s comprehended a Domain of the Dao, he is still far from a match for Nong’er’s Fiendgod protector.”

Indeed, Ji Ning had been defeated by Xiangliu Fang with a single hand.

But it was at this moment that a black circlet had flown out.

The souls of Shao Yanong, Xiangliu Fang, and the Crimsonscale Flood Dragon were all sucked in and annihilated.

“This, this, this is…” A look of shock and fury filled Ancestor Xuanji’s eyes. “A Soulseizing Ring? How could such a treasure fall into the hands of this brat? Was it lost during a great battle in the Primordial Fiendgod Era when some mighty figure perished, and he just stumbled upon it?”

Luck was impossible to predict.

A backwoods brat might, through sheer luck, stumble upon an earth-shattering treasure! Or perhaps an old man he showed kindness to with a bowl of water might turn out to be a supreme power of the Three Realms.

“Nong’er’s fortune was not poor. To die at the hands of this Black-White College disciple, Ji Ning… and for Ji Ning to acquire such a treasure… it seems he is favored by great fortune. But no matter how great one’s fortune, it cannot overpower divine abilities and secret arts.” There was nothing but cold light in Ancestor Xuanji’s eyes. “Those who are still alive—Yu Wei, Mu Northson, Cangjiang, and Nine Lotos—are all Black-White College disciples.”

“The Black-White College.”

Ancestor Xuanji turned and tore open another spatial passage, one connected to the outside world of the Grand Xia Dynasty.

Whoosh!

Within the Tianyou Mountains, the gold-robed man had been waiting all this time. Ancestor Xuanji emerged directly from the torn spatial passage.

“Ancestor,” the gold-robed man said.

“The murderer is the Black-White College disciple Ji Ning.” Ancestor Xuanji looked at him. “Do you know this boy, Ji Ning?”

The gold-robed man, elevated to the rank of Feather-Sovereign Duke, knew nothing of a genius from a backwater commandery like Anchan. He shook his head. “No.”

“Then we go to Anchan City. First, to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain to investigate all information regarding Ji Ning. Then to the Black-White College. Those disciples are probably in the college right now.” Ancestor Xuanji’s voice was cold.

“Yes.” The gold-robed man immediately took control of the immortal carriage.

The nine flood dragons pulled the carriage as it rapidly departed the Tianyou Mountains, tearing through space itself on its way toward Anchan City.