The Cage Closes on Five Immortals

High in the sky above, the five Celestial Immortals—Huoba, Chixin, Jingyu, Kuumu, and Jinzhong—gazed down at the youth standing amidst the ruins below. Fury blazed in their hearts. This place was the ancestral lair of the Shao'yan clan, and now, a region spanning a hundred thousand li had been reduced to rubble.

"Youngster, you are far too audacious," Celestial Immortal Jingyu said, his laughter cold with rage.

"Ji Ning, you have barged into the gates of hell itself," Celestial Immortal Chixin said, his voice dripping with ice.

"Kill."

Killing intent billowed from the five Celestial Immortals, their only desire to slay Ji Ning then and there. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The five figures transformed into a single, five-colored mountain peak in midair, leaving a trail of light as they shot towards Ji Ning.

Ji Ning’s heart rejoiced at the sight.

They came in.

It was a straightforward gambit. Ji Ning was causing havoc and shouting defiance in the very lair of the Shao'yan clan. Could the Celestial Immortals of the clan simply watch? The entire Grand Xia Dynasty would laugh at them! To attack Ji Ning, they had to close the distance to a range where their treasures could be effective, which meant within ten thousand li.

"Uncle White, activate the formation," Ji Ning communicated telepathically.

"Good." Uncle White had been waiting. The five Celestial Immortals, still in the form of a five-colored peak, were now less than a thousand li away from Ji Ning.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three pillars of light shot into the sky at the edge of a ten-thousand-li radius around Ji Ning. A vast number of other formation bases were also activated, though with far less fanfare. In the blink of an eye, the entire area within ten thousand li of Ji Ning was shrouded in a hazy, misty formation.

"What's happening?"

"We can't see anything anymore."

The Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals hiding in their own formation barriers watched in shock. Old Fiend Fufeng just said, "Don't worry. What are five Ancestral Patriarchs afraid of? A trifling formation like this is nothing to them."

...

Inside the formation.

The five Celestial Immortals were indeed not flustered. They had anticipated that Ji Ning might set up a formation around the area. They knew it, and yet they still had to charge in. They had no choice. They couldn't let Ji Ning run rampant in their ancestral home. Furthermore, they believed that in such a short time, no truly terrifying formation could be deployed.

Their logic was sound.

Even formations as famous as the Three Great Killing Formations of Yan Mountain, even if designed by a grandmaster like Uncle White, could not be created in an instant. However, with the enormous amount of precious materials prepared for this operation, they were able to set up many formations that could threaten Celestial Immortals, relying on quantity to overwhelm quality.

"My divine sense can't penetrate it," Celestial Immortal Jinzhong said, sweeping his gaze around as he tried, unsuccessfully, to probe the area with his divine sense.

"It seems Ji Ning has brought a truly formidable formation master," Celestial Immortal Chixin said calmly. "But every formation has a weakness. I doubt a formation thrown together in such a short time is truly profound. We need not rush. We'll proceed slowly, consolidating our position step by step. We won't give Ji Ning any openings."

"Chixin is right."

The five Celestial Immortals formed a massive, five-colored mountain peak around themselves, forcing back the mist so they could see for several hundred zhang in every direction.

...

"They're in the formation," Ji Ning said, a smile spreading across his face as he stood alongside Mu Northson, Whitewater Hound, and Little Qing.

"The formation they're using now is called the 'Mountain of Five Elements Defensive Formation,'" Uncle White said. "It's a widely-known defensive formation in the Three Realms. When five people join forces, its defensive power is immense. It will be very difficult to break through with just the power of our own formation."

Ji Ning laughed. "I never planned on using the formation to kill them. The formation is just a support tool! Now that they're trapped inside, with no divine sense and able to see only a few hundred zhang with their eyes, I can attack when I want and retreat when I want. The initiative is entirely mine. This has already greatly increased my chances of victory."

"Do you need my help?" Mu Northson couldn't help but ask, a fierce killing intent and longing visible in his eyes. After all, it was Celestial Immortals Chixin, Jinzhong, Xuanji, and Kuumu who had caused his beloved's soul to be destroyed. Among the original four, three were present this time.

"Stay hidden in the formation. Don't get close. But you can release the Seven Wheels Wind-Thunder," Ji Ning said with a smile. "Don't worry about it hitting me. That wind-thunder can't hurt me, but it will pose a threat to them."

"Mm." Mu Northson was excited and eager.

Ji Ning smiled, then turned his gaze to the five Celestial Immortals in the distance. "Celestial Immortals are the true pillars of a clan like the Shao'yan. Today, I'm going to slaughter a few!"

Whoosh.

Ji Ning instantly transformed into a streak of light, charging forward.

The five Celestial Immortals remained calm, maintaining their 'Mountain of Five Elements Defensive Formation' while carefully probing the formation's mysteries.

"This formation is extraordinary," Celestial Immortal Chixin said after a brief inspection, his brow furrowed. "It would take at least a day or two to break it."

"Then what do we do?" Celestial Immortal Jinzhong asked anxiously. "The longer this drags on, the more powers throughout the Grand Xia world will learn of this. Our Shao'yan clan will truly lose face."

"Forget about losing face for now. If we can kill Ji Ning, everything will be worth it," Celestial Immortal Chixin said.

"Don't rush."

Celestial Immortal Huoba chuckled, stroking his long beard. "Ji Ning set this formation and shouted his challenges to lure us in. Now that we're here, he naturally wants to deal with us. Otherwise, we could have just used our Greater Teleportation Dao-talismans to leave immediately. All we need to do is wait. Ji Ning will soon come to us. When he does, we use the 'Lesser Yin Demon-Sealing Formation' to bind and suppress him. Simple."

"Reasonable," Celestial Immortal Jingyu said with a cold laugh. "The moment he attacks is the moment he is suppressed. Once we suppress him, we'll use our Greater Teleportation Dao-talismans to leave."

The five Celestial Immortals flew forward, probing the formation as they waited for Ji Ning.

Suddenly—

A golden hand, formed into a sword-finger seal, shot out from the mist in the distance, as fast as lightning, and in an instant, it was upon them. The golden finger was a hundred zhang long, like the finger of a god, carrying an unmatched, sharp sword-intent. With a thunderous BOOM, it stabbed into the five-colored mountain.

The five-colored mountain shook violently, as if it were about to shatter.

"Be careful!"

"Impressive."

"Fight back!"

The five Celestial Immortals were shocked. They hadn't expected that a single strike from Ji Ning would nearly break through their defensive formation. They immediately channeled a torrent of Immortal power, rapidly stabilizing the five-colored mountain.

"Break for me!" A youth appeared. He had three heads and six arms. His six arms tore through the air, his massive hands forming sword-finger seals that he used as Immortal swords! The power of these finger-sword seals was far, far greater than that of immortal-grade swords like the Qianniu Sword.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Six finger-sword seals attacked the five Celestial Immortals with wild abandon.

"Formation!"

One of the Celestial Immortals, Huoba, whose face was covered in scales, let out a loud bellow. A black chain appeared in his hand, instantly expanding to a thousand zhang in length. Then, a second, third, fourth, and fifth Celestial Immortal each produced a black chain. At first glance, they looked identical, but their auras were completely different.

"Seal the demon!" Celestial Immortal Huoba roared.

Clang! Clang! Clang~~~

The five enormous black chains, like the tentacles of a monstrous beast, covered the sky as they snaked toward Ji Ning from every direction. Spirals of flowing water began to circle around each of the chains.

"What is this?" Ji Ning was startled. Not daring to be careless, he waved his hand, which rapidly expanded to over a hundred zhang in size, and slammed it directly against one of the thick black chains.

BOOM!

The collision between the golden palm and the black chain sent a tremendous shockwave rippling outwards. Ji Ning was forced back three steps, each step cracking the earth.

"Capture him!" Celestial Immortals Chixin, Huoba, Jinzhong, Kuumu, and Jingyu watched with eager anticipation. The other chains also swept in to surround him. These chains were treasures in their own right, and when combined, their power was even greater. They twisted and coiled in unpredictable ways. Once they trapped a target, escape would be impossible.

During the Primordial Fiendgod Era, the Shao'yan clan had often used this 'Lesser Yin Demon-Sealing Formation' to capture powerful Void-level Fiendgods.

Void-level Fiendgods varied in strength. Some had reached incredibly high levels of enlightenment, granting them power comparable to Celestial Immortals like Jinzhong or Kuumu. Capturing them required formidable methods. The Shao'yan clan was using this formation now to seize and suppress Ji Ning!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Ji Ning waved his palms, knocking the black chains flying time and time again, but his expression grew serious. "These chains are tricky. When I try to strike them, they sometimes dodge my palm to wrap around me. They are treasures, after all, and they dodge incredibly fast. If I'm not careful, I'll be bound."

"It seems I'll have to rely on a treasure as well."

The Qianniu Sword appeared above Ji Ning's head. He let out a loud cry: "Suhe River, arise!"

The Ten-Thousand-Li Suhe River, under Ji Ning’s control, shrank to a length of merely ten li. This ten-li-long river was like an enormous serpent, writhing and coiling around the surrounding area. Naturally, it completely enveloped the five black chains. 'Cutting water with a sword only makes it flow faster.' The writhing of the Suhe River was the most difficult thing to deal with.

Even the basilisks formed during the Bloodcloud Hall assassination attempts had found the Suhe River’s entanglement incredibly troublesome. Although these five chains were more powerful, they were still slowed down and had their agility greatly reduced by the river's restraint.

"Hahaha!" Ji Ning was now in his element. The five chains, now far less nimble, were no longer a match for him.

Sometimes he struck with his palm.

Sometimes his sword-finger seals swept across!

The five chains were sent flying, completely out of control. The five-colored mountain peak was also beginning to totter, and the faces of the five Celestial Immortals within had turned pale.

"Defend!" The five Celestial Immortals unleashed a surge of Immortal power, focusing more of their mental energy on defense. In an instant, countless rune patterns appeared on the surface of the five-colored mountain.

"How is Ji Ning's strength so much greater than your previous reports claimed?" Celestial Immortal Huoba shouted in anger and alarm. "How can he so easily resist the 'Lesser Yin Demon-Sealing Formation'? Chixin, didn't you say his power was even slightly inferior to Jinzhong and Kuumu?"