Refining the Aquatic Palace

Within the quiet great hall.

Ji Ning, dressed in his black Daoist robe, sat cross-legged. Before him was a jade bottle. The Primordial Liquid within the bottle flew directly into Ji Ning’s mouth.

“Tsk, tsk.” The black ox watched from the side, quite excited; after all, it had been lonely for far, far too long.

The yellow-furred bear waved a claw, and the two large pouches automatically untied. Instantly, Qiongqi puppets flew out—a full thirty-six of them, along with one black-armored humanoid puppet. As soon as these puppets emerged, they began to struggle madly, wanting to resist.

“Be good, all of you. Behave.” The yellow-furred bear said with a smile. The thirty-six Qiongqi puppets and the black-armored man floated in midair. Although they struggled, they could not move, which caused all of them to reveal looks of terror.

“Who are you?” The black-armored man stared at the yellow-furred bear and shouted, “Why are you imprisoning us?”

“Oh? You actually have souls implanted?” The yellow-furred bear shook his head. “The one who made these puppets had truly crude methods.”

Crackle…

The thirty-six Qiongqi puppets and the black-armored man in the air actually disassembled, separating into tens of thousands of parts.

“I’ll put these away first and study them slowly.” The yellow-furred bear’s eyes held anticipation. With a wave of his claw, swish, the tens of thousands of puppet parts all vanished, teleported away.

“Little child Ji Ning.” The yellow-furred bear spoke up. “Let me study these puppets for a while first, erase the marks left by the previous refiner, and then I’ll give them to you.”

“No rush.” Ji Ning laughed.

Ji Ning himself was not cultivating; it was his Primaltwin, the ‘black Daoist robe Ji Ning,’ who was cultivating.

Time flowed on.

Finally, the hundred thousand catties of Primordial Liquid within the jade bottle were completely consumed. The black-robed Ji Ning opened his eyes, a hint of joy within them.

“Ji Ning, how did it go?” The black ox asked, full of anticipation.

“I barely reached the late Primal stage just as the Primordial Liquid ran out.” The black-robed Ji Ning said. “Let me first test the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation.”

Whoosh.

Over seven hundred flying swords once again appeared around him. The numerous Earth-ranked flying swords, led by the Coldvein Sword Formation, began to float. Ji Ning struggled mightily for a long time, but he still couldn’t control them all perfectly; he could only execute the eighth layer of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation. “My ki is much purer than before, and I can only reach the eighth layer?”

“Ji Ning, now that you have formed a Primaltwin, you can use it to refine and bind this aquatic palace.” The yellow-furred bear spoke up.

“Refine the aquatic palace?” With a thought from Ji Ning, his Primaltwin transformed into a stream of light and flew into his bosom.

“Follow me.” The yellow-furred bear walked ahead.

Ji Ning was filled with anticipation. He had been waiting for this day for a very, very long time. Back when he first became a Zifu Disciple, he had only refined a single token talisman. Now that he had formed a Primaltwin, he would finally be able to refine the aquatic palace. From then on, he could carry this aquatic palace with him wherever he went, just like Celestial Immortal Juhua had.

Following another wide corridor, they walked. Ji Ning had been unable to enter this path before.

“From today on, you will be able to enter over ninety percent of the aquatic palace’s areas.” The yellow-furred bear said. “Once you refine the palace later, you can even carry it with you.”

“Over ninety percent of the areas? Senior, do you mean there are still some places I can’t enter?” Ji Ning asked.

“That’s right. For example, the Divine Abilities Hall. You cannot enter that anymore. And some other places as well.” The yellow-furred bear glanced at Ji Ning. “I imagine you’ve already guessed… merely reaching the Primal Daoist stage only allows you to perform a basic refinement so you can carry it. If you want to truly control the many mysteries of this Immortal estate, wait until you become an Empyrean God and officially become the master’s disciple.”

Ji Ning nodded.

He had already expected this. Just now, he had seen the yellow-furred bear casually cause that ‘black-armored man’ puppet, which was comparable to an ordinary Loose Immortal, to be suspended in midair without being able to struggle free. Moreover, Ji Ning could sense from the yellow-furred bear an eternal, ancient aura, one that filled him with even more apprehension than the aura of that Fiendgod he had seen long ago in the Mount Yujue Wasteland. He himself felt that wanting to control everything in the aquatic palace with just a Primal Daoist’s power was still far from enough.

“Empyrean God?” Ji Ning thought to himself. “Daoist Threelives, what exactly did you leave behind that can only be fully inherited when one becomes an Empyrean God?”

They walked along corridors and side paths.

Soon, they arrived at a simple and unadorned meditation chamber. The moment Ji Ning entered, he felt an unprecedented stillness in his heart.

“This is the meditation chamber. Back then, the master personally set up the Buddhist ‘Bodhi Mind-Quieting Grand Formation’ here. Among the formations used in the Three Realms for calming the mind, this Bodhi Mind-Quieting Formation ranks near the top. The name is ordinary, but its power is extraordinary.” The yellow-furred bear pointed around the vast, spacious chamber. As his claw pointed, an incredibly complex golden formation appeared on the walls. Just looking at it made Ji Ning’s eyes blur and his head spin. “This formation is not something you can comprehend. One glance is enough; don’t stare at it like a fool.”

The complex golden formation that covered all four walls then faded away.

“Look.” The yellow-furred bear pointed to the center of the chamber. There were layers of steps, and atop the steps was a simple ink-black jade bed that emanated a bone-chilling coldness. “This is ‘Netherwater Jade,’ taken from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds. It is extremely cold. When you first sit on it, you’ll feel very cold, but soon you’ll feel very comfortable. It also has the effect of calming the mind. This single jade bed alone is worth a Pure Yang treasure.”

Ji Ning’s heart spasmed.

A Pure Yang treasure?

Daoist Threelives really was generous.

“But don’t think about selling it. This bed is already one with the entire aquatic palace and cannot be removed.” The yellow-furred bear’s lips curled, a hint of triumph in his smile. “Haha, I won’t tease you any longer. This entire meditation chamber is the core nexus of the aquatic palace. You only need to refine this chamber to gain a fundamental level of control over this aquatic palace. Begin. Go ahead and refine it.”

Ji Ning nodded and walked directly to the ink-black jade bed.

As soon as he sat down, he felt a bone-piercing chill instantly fill his entire body. Even his soul seemed to freeze solid. But then, he felt an unprecedented serenity.

Emptiness!

His soul possessed an absolute transcendence. Everything he had encountered during this period, Ji Ning recalled clearly and analyzed it. During this process of recollection and reflection, even Ji Ning’s Dao-heart gradually grew more resolute.

“So this is a true meditation chamber. This Buddhist ‘Bodhi Mind-Quieting Formation’ and the ‘Netherwater Jade’ truly are extraordinary.” Ji Ning hesitated no longer. With a thought, a black-robed Ji Ning appeared beside him. This black-robed Ji Ning also sat down on the Netherwater Jade, and then a surge of powerful ki began to seep into the meditation chamber, starting the process of refinement.

This meditation chamber was gradually being refined.

Time flowed on…

This refinement process lasted a full six days! And this was merely a simple refinement of the aquatic palace.

“What a wonderful feeling.” It seemed as if every part of the aquatic palace was now under his control. However, what puzzled Ji Ning was that although he had a feeling of controlling every place, the Divine Abilities Hall seemed to have vanished completely; it was no longer within his perception.

“Strange.” Ji Ning returned to the great hall.

Inside the great hall.

The yellow-furred bear and the black ox were both there.

“Senior, haven’t you forgotten something?” Ji Ning asked.

“Something?” The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning.

“The treasures left behind by Celestial Immortal Juhua.” Ji Ning couldn’t help but say. “I’ve already refined the aquatic palace. Where are Celestial Immortal Juhua’s treasures?” Whether it was Celestial Immortal Juhua’s treasures or the puppets he had disassembled earlier, although Ji Ning could sense the entire aquatic palace, he could find no trace of them. Also, Ji Ning now had no sense of control over the ‘yellow-furred bear’ at all.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” The yellow-furred bear waved a claw.

Whoosh!

Instantly, a massive pile of treasures appeared in the great hall, forming a mountain of treasure. It was truly a mountain, hundreds of zhang tall. Ji Ning’s eyes lit up at the sight.

“Having lived for millions of years, that Juhua fellow certainly accumulated quite a hoard of treasures.” The yellow-furred bear shook his head. “Celestial Immortal Juhua left behind three Immortal-ranked magic treasures. And each of them is considered top-grade even among Immortal-ranked treasures.”

Ji Ning’s eyes lit up.

Three?

All top-grade?

As expected of a Loose Immortal who had survived for millions of years, someone even stronger than Immortal Beixing. A Celestial Immortal probably had an Immortal-ranked treasure collection on par with this.

“But now, only one remains.” The yellow-furred bear added, then pointed at the black ox. “It’s him.”

“Only one remains?” Ji Ning was stunned. “Weren’t there three? Didn’t Celestial Immortal Juhua leave three? The fourth master of this aquatic palace only reached the Wanxiang level before dying. It’s impossible for him to have taken the Immortal-ranked treasures. Where did the other two Immortal-ranked treasures go?”

This was ridiculous. They were all top-grade Immortal-ranked treasures, and two of them were gone?

“Don’t panic. Losing two is a good thing for you.” The black ox said smugly. “Aren’t I still here? Little child Ji Ning, old Ox here will follow you from now on. Having me with you is your great fortune.”

Ji Ning was filled with confusion. Where had the other two Immortal-ranked treasures gone? The spirit of this aquatic palace couldn’t have embezzled them, could it?

The yellow-furred bear said, “The three Immortal-ranked treasures of Celestial Immortal Juhua were the ‘Thousand Ox Sword,’ the ‘Su River Scroll,’ and the ‘Nine Realms Seal.’”

“The Su River Scroll was the top-grade Immortal-ranked treasure that Celestial Immortal Juhua selected after passing the seventh floor of the War God Hall. It contains an ancient river called the ‘Su River,’ which existed before the Three Thousand Major Worlds were born. If you can trap an enemy inside, they will enter your domain. Within the Su River Scroll, the enemy’s power is greatly weakened, while the scroll’s master can borrow the might of the entire Su River. It was on this treasure that Celestial Immortal Juhua built his great reputation.” The yellow-furred bear said.

Ji Ning’s jaws dropped.

What a treasure, what a treasure!

Compared to the Su River Scroll, the Green Silk Divine Flame Censer was far inferior. Had his senior not heard that the Su River was an ancient river that existed before the Three Thousand Major Worlds were born?

“The Nine Realms Seal was crafted by Celestial Immortal Juhua after he traveled through nine major worlds, collecting a vast amount of precious materials and condensing them into a single great seal. This great seal, of course, was used for smashing things. The precious materials expended were countless, as he forcibly piled materials into this top-grade Immortal-ranked seal. In his later years, Celestial Immortal Juhua loved using this seal to smash people.”

“As for the Thousand Ox Sword, it was forged when Celestial Immortal Juhua encountered the Thousand Sword Immortal. The two were evenly matched. After slaying the Thousand Sword Immortal, he obtained those several hundred precious flying swords. He exchanged some for precious materials, and together with the treasures he had accumulated in the past, he forged this single flying sword. Celestial Immortal Juhua was also a Sword Immortal. The most important thing for a Sword Immortal is the flying sword. This Thousand Ox Sword was Juhua’s reliance as he dominated the world.”

Ji Ning listened, utterly fascinated. He couldn’t help but ask, “Where did the Su River Scroll and the Nine Realms Seal go?”