The Cost of Failure

Ji Ning stared at the dark mist before the cave entrance, hesitating for a brief moment. This was clearly no ordinary cave. Neither his Candle Dragon's Eye, his divine sense, nor even that intangible feeling of resonance could detect what lay within the depths. And yet, Ji Ning desperately wanted to know who was trying to kill him!

“The Grand Xia world is currently seething with undercurrents. It would be wise to be cautious. If I can't be certain of what's inside, the best course is not to enter.” Previously, Ji Ning had been bold and unrestrained because he had maintained control over everything. But plunging into that black mist cave… that would be stepping far beyond his control.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning flickered and immediately distanced himself from the region.

The area was layered with interlocking formations.

He casually chose a mountain peak, sat down cross-legged, and called out in a loud, laughing voice: “Whatever tricks you have, just bring them on! If you aren't going to attack me, I'll just use a Greater Teleportation Dao-talisman and flee!”

His voice rang through heaven and earth, but no one attacked him.

“Now is not the time to leave,” Ji Ning mused to himself. “Master is still undergoing his tribulation in that minor world. If my would-be killer continues hunting me and can't find me, they'll likely head straight for that minor world. In that case, it's better for me to stay here, out in the open!”

……

“Master, he didn't go in.” The black-robed youth spoke.

“That's because he isn't stupid,” the silver-armored youth replied with a shake of his head. “The Celestial Immortals who entered before were all far too confident. They believed their own strength was enough to keep them safe. Little did they know… that black mist cave leads to our true headquarters. Even a True Immortal or Empyrean God would only be able to barely escape with their lives.”

The black-armored youth and Han Da both nodded.

They had both been there; they knew full well how terrifying that place was. As the organization's home base, it was naturally far more dangerous than this ‘Eastwood Mountain Range’ outpost.

“Master, now that Ji Ning is trapped within the grand formation, should we attack him?” Han Da inquired.

“Would it be useful?” the silver-armored youth shot back.

Han Da gave an awkward laugh. “Of course, our attacks would be useless. If you were to make a move, Master, capturing him would be a simple task.”

“Spare me the flattery,” the silver-armored youth sneered. “I know my own limits well enough. This Ji Ning is a mysterious one. Just the defensive measures he possesses… the fact that all of you swarming him couldn't even scratch him, and even the Nine Heavens Divine-Poison Flame couldn't harm him, speaks volumes. I may not care for the Bloodcloud Hall, but they have real power. Their Di-9 squad formed the ‘Ba Serpent Formation’ and still couldn't injure him in the slightest. Killing him? That's beyond me.”

Han Da chuckled knowingly.

He knew that his master was very low-key; his master's strength was unquestionably formidable. More than ten Celestial Immortals had died by his master's hand.

The silver-armored youth gazed silently at the distant Ji Ning and thought to himself: “This Ji Ning has a deep background. If he's training in the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, his backing is even more astonishing. I wonder whose disciple he is… When gods do battle, mortals suffer. In the eyes of those great powers, they are the gods. I am merely a mortal.”

“Stay low-key. Stay low-key.” The silver-armored youth had lived for a very long time and had experienced a great deal.

He understood this very well—

A Celestial Immortal? They might seem impressive, but within the Three Realms, a Celestial Immortal was ultimately just a ‘chess piece.’ There were countless dangers capable of ending a Celestial Immortal's life. If someone like Ji Ning with a terrifying background were killed, a Daofather wouldn't lower themselves to kill a Celestial Immortal in retaliation. After all, a Celestial Immortal killing Ji Ning couldn't quite be considered ‘the strong bullying the weak.’

But the Three Realms were home to some madmen—unreasonable madmen. If a disciple died, they would go on a frenzied rampage of revenge!

“Even though madmen are rare, Ji Ning might have a madman among his uncles or senior apprentice-brothers,” the silver-armored youth muttered to himself. “I've endured for so many years. I've gone through countless dangers and barely managed to become a Celestial Immortal. I still want to survive this great tribulation. Be careful! Be careful above all!”

“Master, now that Ji Ning is trapped in the formation, what should we do?” Han Da looked at the silver-armored youth.

“Keep him trapped. Let him stay inside the formation. If the Bloodcloud Hall wants to assassinate him, let them continue trying. We won't get involved,” the silver-armored youth said calmly. “If he uses a Greater Teleportation Dao-talisman to leave, we won't stop him. As for attacking him, forget it. Attacking him would just waste a lot of elemental energy.”

“Understood.” Han Da acknowledged respectfully.

Days passed, one after another.

On the third day after the failed assassination, Ancestor Xuanji was once again summoned to the Bloodcloud Hall. He was led to the same quiet garden, where the same silver-robed maiden received him.

“Well?” Ancestor Xuanji sat down, staring at the silver-robed maiden across from him. “Have you killed Ji Ning yet?”

“No,” the silver-robed maiden replied with a shake of her head.

“No?” Ancestor Xuanji was shocked, then enraged. “I've already given you the treasures! You were supposed to kill Ji Ning. If your first wave failed, you should have sent a second wave of assassins. According to our original agreement, you were to kill him within one year. I don't care how you do it, but you gave your word and you should keep it. This is business. My Shaoyin clan has paid, so you must deliver.”

The silver-robed maiden nodded. “You are correct.”

Ancestor Xuanji was taken aback.

“According to our contract, if the Bloodcloud Hall fails to complete an assassination, we return the treasures you gave us.” The silver-robed maiden directly handed over a storage ring. “This is what you gave me before. It's all inside. Our Bloodcloud Hall has taken a loss on this transaction. Everything is returned to you.”

“You… you…” Ancestor Xuanji couldn't believe it.

There was indeed a clause in the contract.

If the assassination could not be completed, all treasures would be returned! This was the ‘pride’ of the Bloodcloud Hall, though they rarely resorted to this measure.

“Is Ji Ning that difficult to kill?” Ancestor Xuanji frowned.

“If we truly wanted to kill him, the Bloodcloud Hall could certainly do so,” the silver-robed maiden nodded.

“Then why didn't you?” Ancestor Xuanji pressed.

“The price was insufficient,” the silver-robed maiden said, looking at Ancestor Xuanji.

“What price?”

“Twenty Immortal-ranked supreme-grade treasures.” The silver-robed maiden spoke. “If you pay treasures of that value, our Bloodcloud Hall will go kill Ji Ning. Our initial assessment of Ji Ning's strength was inaccurate, so we set the price too low.”

Ancestor Xuanji's old face flushed red with anger. “Why don't you just go rob someone?! Twenty Immortal-ranked supreme-grade treasures! You dare to ask for that much?! That's equivalent to two Pure Yang treasures! You could hire a True Immortal or Empyrean God with that! How dare you ask for such a price!” The price was truly exorbitant, an enormous burden even for the Shaoyin clan.

“Hire a True Immortal or Empyrean God?” The silver-robed maiden sneered. “Go ahead and try. See who's willing to help you kill Ji Ning.”

Ancestor Xuanji gritted his teeth.

He knew this all too well. The mightier a cultivator, the more cautious they were. A Celestial Immortal killing Ji Ning might not be considered ‘the strong bullying the weak.’ But if a True Immortal or Empyrean God made a move, it would undoubtedly be ‘the strong bullying the weak.’ If, before Ji Ning died, his supposed Daofather backer discovered the plot and saved him, then the matter would end with a mere punishment.

But if the Daofather was too late to save him and only learned of Ji Ning's death afterward, an enraged Daofather would likely just kill that True Immortal or Empyrean God outright!

Would any True Immortal or Empyrean God risk their life for two low-grade Pure Yang treasures?

“Some powerful Celestial Immortals should be able to kill Ji Ning, right?” Ancestor Xuanji said in a low voice.

“If you want to hire the Bloodcloud Hall to kill Ji Ning, pay twenty Immortal-ranked supreme-grade treasures or their equivalent. If you're unwilling, please leave. Our transaction is concluded.” The silver-robed maiden said.

Ancestor Xuanji gritted his teeth in fury.

Twenty…

Suppressing his rage, Ancestor Xuanji said in a low voice, “Just how powerful is this Ji Ning?”

“You want to know?” The silver-robed maiden said, “That is valuable intelligence. If you give me all the treasures in that storage ring, I can tell you.”

“Hmph.”

Ancestor Xuanji rose in fury and turned to leave.

Was she joking? One piece of intelligence for three Immortal-ranked supreme-grade treasures?

As he watched Ancestor Xuanji depart, the silver-robed maiden shook her head. “Fool. If you rely on our Bloodcloud Hall to kill Ji Ning, your Shaoyin clan merely pays a large number of treasures. If you rely on your own Shaoyin clan… even if that ancestor of yours from the Primordial Fiendgod Era emerged from seclusion and went all-out, he might be able to kill Ji Ning. But the cost would be something your Shaoyin clan could never bear.”

“Master wouldn't lie to me. A suspected Eight-Nine Arcane Art… even Master himself wasn't qualified to learn it.” The silver-robed maiden was deeply shaken.

From the detailed intelligence analysis of the previous assassination attempt, she deduced that Ji Ning possessed either some heaven-defying protective treasure or the Eight-Nine Arcane Art divine ability. Either possibility carried extraordinary implications.

Still…

The Bloodcloud Hall made its living doing heaven-defying things. As long as the price was right, they dared to do anything!

Days passed, one after another.

Within that minor world, the parched, withered land was enough to drive a person to despair just by looking at it.

“Why hasn't Master woken up yet?” The black-robed Ji Ning stared at the Diancai Immortal, who was seated not far away.

“The Heart Demon Tribulation lasts at least seven days, but it's hard to say how long the maximum duration is.” Wufeng Immortal shook his head. “Your master has only been enduring the Heart Demon Tribulation for ten days. Don't worry. Don't worry.”

“Mm.” The black-robed Ji Ning nodded.

“By the way, is your true body truly out of danger?” Wufeng Immortal asked worriedly. The Whitewater Hound also looked at Ji Ning.

The black-robed Ji Ning smiled helplessly. “Rest assured. He's truly not in any danger.”

Wufeng Immortal and the Whitewater Hound were still uneasy. If it were truly absolutely safe, Ji Ning's true body would have returned to this minor world. But his true body had never come back. They didn't know… Ji Ning's true body remained in the Eastwood Mountain Range precisely to draw the enemy's attention, hoping not to bring calamity down upon his master.

“Let me out! Ji Ning! Wufeng! Just let me out already! Since you can't kill me, what's the point of keeping me trapped here?” Within the grand formation, aboard the small black boat, the Bloodfiend Church's ‘Bloodfiend Son’ was shouting loudly. Bloodfiend Son bitterly regretted this. Although he relied on his treasure ship to keep them from harming him, he was also trapped within the formation and couldn't escape. He had never expected them to have such a skilled formation master.

The black-robed Ji Ning, Wufeng Immortal, and the Whitewater Hound couldn't be bothered to even glance at the Bloodfiend Son.

Just keep him locked up!

If they let him go, he might stir up trouble again. Trapping him within the formation was the best course of action! There was no need to worry about him disrupting his master's tribulation.

“Mm?” Suddenly, the black-robed Ji Ning, Wufeng Immortal, and the Whitewater Hound all turned their heads simultaneously, staring at the seated Diancai Immortal.

At this moment, the Diancai Immortal had already opened his eyes. There was an endless vicissitude in his gaze, and a single tear glistened at the corner of his eye.

“Master!” The black-robed Ji Ning cried out excitedly.