The Eight-Nine Arcane Art

Is There Someone Else?

Ji Ning was startled. He hurriedly retreated several zhang, and the lightning bolts crashing toward him lessened slightly, allowing him to spare a moment to look carefully.

“Hm?” Ji Ning’s brow furrowed. Amidst the gaps between the falling lightning strikes, he could see a black-robed youth standing at the entrance of the distant gorge.

“Swoosh.”

Ji Ning instantly retreated explosively, quickly withdrawing from the domain of lightning.

All the lightning bolts vanished. Without the obstruction of the lightning, Ji Ning could now clearly see the figure at the gorge entrance. This black-robed youth was about the same height as his junior apprentice-brother Mu Northson, slightly smaller than himself. And yet, Ji Ning had a faint feeling that this black-robed youth had lived for an extremely, extremely long time.

The black-robed youth’s gaze was similarly terrifyingly sharp. His expression was cold, the sort of person who was born cold and indifferent.

“Who are you?” Ji Ning asked.

“Me?” The black-robed youth’s voice was thin and sharp. He looked at Ji Ning with a contemplative expression. “Even if I told you, little child, you wouldn’t know. It looks like you’re merely at the early Void stage, and yet you were able to break through that first forbidden region. You even advanced a hundred zhang into this second lightning forbidden region. Your strength can barely be considered at the Celestial Immortal level. To have such power at the early Void stage… what sect are you from? Who is your master?”

Ji Ning was secretly shocked.

Celestial Immortal?

This black-robed youth had already reached the gorge entrance, meaning he had clearly broken through this lightning domain. That meant his strength far exceeded Ji Ning’s. Even with his Primaltwin’s full explosive power, Ji Ning was barely at the middle-tier Celestial Immortal level. There were some truly formidable Celestial Immortals, even some monstrously talented ones who were far more powerful.

“My master’s name is not something you need to know,” Ji Ning said.

“Could it be a True Immortal or an Empyrean God?” The black-robed youth chuckled softly, carefully observing Ji Ning’s expression.

Ji Ning, however, remained perfectly calm.

The black-robed youth shook his head. “Leave now. Hurry up and go. Even I haven’t managed to get my hands on the treasure yet. With your strength, even if you were ten or a hundred times more powerful, you still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Ten or a hundred times more powerful and still not enough?” Ji Ning frowned, refusing to believe it.

“You don’t believe me? Let me tell you, this treasure ground is divided into three forbidden regions. The first forbidden region only had some smashing force. It’s the safest. The second forbidden region is the lightning domain, a hundred and eighty zhang wide. The third forbidden region contains the sealed treasure. Even I can’t break through it.”

The black-robed youth looked at Ji Ning with disdain. “And you? You haven’t even crossed your Heavenly Tribulation. You might be a peerless monster genius, but you only advanced a hundred zhang into the lightning domain before you were stopped. You should know that with every step forward in this lightning domain, the lightning grows far more powerful. Your strength needs to increase at least tenfold before you have any hope of breaking through this second forbidden region. And that’s just the second region. The third forbidden region is the most terrifying; I doubt even many Celestial Immortals could break through it.”

“What is the third forbidden region?” Ji Ning couldn’t help but ask.

“You don’t need to know that,” the black-robed youth said.

“Then why aren’t you leaving?” Ji Ning asked.

“I am a Celestial Immortal with an endless lifespan. Since the treasure is here, I’ll just wait here quietly and cultivate. Perhaps an opportunity will appear, and I’ll be able to obtain the treasure,” the black-robed youth said.

Ji Ning’s heart grew troubled.

He could also sense the faint fluctuations coming from the gorge. They carried a very ancient and incredibly powerful aura. “Even the Thousand-Niu Sword, which is nearly on par with a Pure Yang treasure, is nothing compared to this fluctuation. That treasure is definitely an extremely powerful item left behind from the Primordial Pangu World.”

“But with three forbidden regions, I can’t even get through the second. What can I do?”

Ji Ning stood by the stream outside the lightning domain. He was silent and hesitant for a moment. Then, gritting his teeth, he turned around and left.

“Whoosh.”

Ji Ning quickly entered the oppressive pressure zone and began to arduously push his way back out.

“He left?” The black-robed youth shook his head. “Little brat. His strength is too weak. With his talent, perhaps after becoming a Celestial Immortal, he might have a chance.”

The black-robed youth then turned and walked back into the gorge.

“Daoist Darknorth, you’ve returned?” On his way back, Ji Ning encountered the Golden-Furred Bear King again. The Golden-Furred Bear King was once more advancing, but he had only progressed about another half a kilometer from where they had last met.

“My strength was insufficient, so naturally I turned back.” Ji Ning, using his Three Heads, Six Arms technique to wield six Immortal-ranked flying swords, continuously cleaved through the pressure as he charged outward.

“Insufficient strength?” The Golden-Furred Bear King muttered to himself. “Could it be that this Darknorth has already gotten his hands on the treasure? But judging from his expression, it doesn’t seem to be a lie.”

Although he was grumbling to himself, the Golden-Furred Bear King had no confidence in forcibly taking the treasure from Ji Ning.

He emerged from the Quya Mountain Range.

Ji Ning turned his head to look at the mountain range, permanently shrouded in mist. He murmured to himself, “Once I have mastered the divine ability, I will return to explore further.”

“Whoosh.”

Space rippled around him, and Ji Ning vanished into thin air. He reappeared in the void beneath the floating mountain, ‘Mount Innerheart,’ and a cloud formed beneath his feet.

“Come out.” With a thought from Ji Ning, a white-robed maiden appeared beside him. She was his disciple, Qingya Xiaoyu.

“Master.” Qingya Xiaoyu stood on the cloud, looking around. “Where is this?”

Ji Ning looked at his disciple, then raised his head to gaze at the floating Mount Innerheart above them. It had only been a little over a month since he had accepted a disciple and slain ten great sinners. His disciple, Qingya Xiaoyu, possessed a Karmic Merit aura a full three hundred zhang tall. As for himself, the Karmic Clarity Aura he had before had transformed into Karmic Merit Light!

However, when he used his divine sense to inspect his own body, the Karmic Merit Light was only three feet long.

In truth, after accepting his disciple and killing that demon king, his Karmic Clarity Aura had become very dense. It wasn’t until he killed that evil Patriarch that it had suddenly transformed into Karmic Merit Light.

“Three feet of Karmic Merit Light, yet my disciple has three hundred zhang.” Ji Ning laughed. He took his disciple, Qingya Xiaoyu, by the hand and flew upward.

“Xiaoyu, above us is Mount Innerheart, and also your master’s sect,” Ji Ning said with a smile.

Qingya Xiaoyu stared, dumbfounded, at the mountain floating above. She then looked down at the boundless world below.

“Master’s sect?” Qingya Xiaoyu was a bit dazed.

They flew into Mount Innerheart and followed the mountain path until they soon arrived at the sect gate. Since Qingya Xiaoyu was merely a disciple he had accepted, Ji Ning did not take her to meet his senior apprentice-brother.

Two Daoist pages in green robes were at the sect gate.

As soon as these two pages saw Ji Ning, they immediately became reverently respectful, offering a formal bow. “Grandmaster.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded.

Qingya Xiaoyu, stunned, was being led by Ji Ning by the hand as they walked inside. Only after they had passed through the sect gate did she come to her senses. She lowered her voice and asked, “Master, those two pages at the gate… they seem very powerful?”

“They are all Earth Immortals of the Void stage,” Ji Ning said casually.

No sooner had Ji Ning spoken than two ancient Fiendgod Body Refiners of the Void stage walked over from the side. Both of these ancient Fiendgods immediately bowed with extreme respect. “Grandmaster?”

These two ancient Fiendgods made Qingya Xiaoyu tremble. She felt that these two Fiendgods were even more terrifying than demon kings!

And they called her master ‘Grandmaster’?

As they walked along within the Tristar Crescent Abode, everyone they passed—humans, demons, and even Fiendgods—all possessed auras that were incredibly powerful. Some were even more terrifying than demon kings. Yet, when they saw Ji Ning, every single one of them was filled with respect, either calling him ‘Grandmaster’ or ‘Uncle-Master.’

“It seems my master holds a very high position in this sect. We’ve walked all this way, and I haven’t even seen a single fellow disciple of my master. It seems his seniority is the highest,” Qingya Xiaoyu thought to herself.

“Ahead is the Palace of Immortals,” Ji Ning said.

“The Palace of Immortals?” Qingya Xiaoyu looked curiously at the nine-story building. A large number of disciples from the Mount Innerheart lineage were gathered outside it, all of them bowing respectfully to Ji Ning, calling him ‘Uncle-Master’ or ‘Grandmaster.’ Little Qing and Uncle White had long since come forward to greet him; they could sense him through their spiritual connection and knew he had arrived.

“Master.”

“Ning, child.” Little Qing and Uncle White came over.

Just then, a handsome, white-robed man walked out of the Palace of Immortals. He was naturally Silvermoon, the administrator of the Palace. Silvermoon smiled as he walked over. “I heard that Junior Apprentice-Brother had gone down the mountain to accept a disciple and subdue demons. This must be the disciple you have accepted. What a lovely young girl.”

“Finally, I see a fellow disciple of my master. He looks very friendly and doesn’t have any terrifying aura at all,” Qingya Xiaoyu thought to herself.

“Xiaoyu, you should pay your respects to your Uncle-Master,” Ji Ning instructed.

“Greetings, Uncle-Master,” Qingya Xiaoyu said respectfully.

“Calling me ‘Uncle-Master’ means I have to prepare a meeting gift.” Silvermoon shook his head with a laugh. “A little thing like you would have trouble using any real treasures. Mm, keep this little pendant on you. Even if a Celestial Immortal wants to kill you, it can hold out for the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.”

As he spoke, Silvermoon handed a jade pendant to Qingya Xiaoyu.

Qingya Xiaoyu was a bit dazed.

Even if a Celestial Immortal wanted to kill her, it could hold out for the time it takes to finish a cup of tea? Just this small jade pendant? Even the treasures her master had given her weren’t this powerful.

“This, this…” Qingya Xiaoyu felt the pendant was too hot to handle.

“Put it away properly.” Ji Ning said with a beaming smile. “That jade pendant is nothing much to your Uncle-Master. He kills Celestial Immortals like they were chickens.”

“Junior Apprentice-Brother, your words are a bit much. Well, that jade pendant was indeed casually refined by me. I’ll give you another Greater Teleportation Dao Talisman. I couldn’t refine this one myself; I had to trade for it with some treasures.” Silvermoon handed over another Dao talisman.

Ji Ning’s smile grew even brighter.

His senior apprentice-brother was an Empyrean God. A Greater Teleportation Dao Talisman was a treasure to Ji Ning, but to his senior apprentice-brother, it was nothing. If he didn’t take advantage of this opportunity to squeeze a bit more out of him, the heavens would not allow it.

Qingya Xiaoyu blinked.

Two treasures? Just given away?

Kills Celestial Immortals like chickens?

What… what kind of sect was her master’s sect?

“Little Qing, take Xiaoyu around the Tristar Crescent Abode for a while. Let her get familiar with the place. You can also tell her what kind of sect the Tristar Crescent Abode is,” Ji Ning said with a laugh.

“Yes, Master.” Little Qing said excitedly.

Ji Ning then said, “Senior Apprentice-Brother, I’ll be going to the Three Realms Palace now.”

“Go on, go on.” Silvermoon nodded with a smile. “It seems Junior Apprentice-Brother is almost ready to graduate from his apprenticeship.”

In the Three Realms Palace.

Second Senior Apprentice-Brother, Jidian, was already waiting for Ji Ning with a smile.

“Senior Apprentice-Brother.” Ji Ning bowed.

“Master has informed me that you have passed the trial. This is the complete manual of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. Junior Apprentice-Brother may learn it.” Jidian held a fan in one hand and handed over a rolled-up bamboo slip with the other.

Ji Ning’s eyes lit up.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Art? Once he had made some minor progress in the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, his body would become as tough as an Immortal-ranked magic treasure. He would definitely return to the Quya Mountain Range for another try.

“Thank you, Senior Apprentice-Brother.” Ji Ning accepted the bamboo slip. He immediately sent his divine sense into it, and a vast, overwhelming flood of profound information surged into his soul.