Chapter 9 Within the Celestial Firmament Palace

Whoosh.

Ji Ning and his companions rode clouds and mist, flying toward the Celestial Firmament Palace.

“I have already informed the other brothers of our Celestial Firmament Palace through my divine sense,” Dong Mu said.

“Mm.” Ji Ning gazed into the distance.

Dan Bao and Su Youji were quite curious—what exactly was this place their master had always wanted to come to?

As for the Kanque couple, they were extremely nervous; to them, the Celestial Firmament Palace was the sacred ground of the absolute lands.

“That is…” As they flew closer, Ji Ning saw many figures gathered at the palace gate, with three cultivators exuding the aura of Daolords standing at the forefront.

“Brother Tianyi?” Ji Ning immediately recognized the foremost Daolord Tianyi, “But the aura seems slightly different. Mm, it must be Brother Tianyi’s divine projection.”

“Ji Ning!” Daolord Tianyi laughed heartily, his voice echoing through heaven and earth.

“Brother Tianyi.” Ji Ning, full of joy, descended with Dan Bao and Su Youji.

“Long time no see. You’ve already reached the World level.” Daolord Tianyi looked at Ji Ning, nodding in admiration, then his gaze fell on Dan Bao and Su Youji behind Ji Ning. He couldn’t ignore them, as both were already Daolords.

Daolord Tianyi said, “Youji, it hasn’t been long, yet you’ve cultivated even faster than Ji Ning and become a Daolord.”

Daolord Tianyi and Su Youji were old acquaintances; when he had guided Ji Ning, he had also guided Su Youji.

“It is also thanks to my master’s help that I am where I am today,” Su Youji said. “But my master’s strength has always been greater than mine. Even now that I am a Daolord, I am still no match for him.”

“Brother Beiming is incredibly skilled,” Dong Mu interjected. “I haven’t had time to elaborate since returning, but this time I was hunted by five World-level cultivators from the Clearwind Sacred Hall. Fortunately, Brother Beiming intervened and saved me. He merely manifested his sword-intent and effortlessly captured those five World-level cultivators.”

“Clearwind Sacred Hall?” The white-robed, blue-haired man beside Tianyi frowned.

“Yudou, we’ll discuss this trivial matter later,” Tianyi interrupted. “Today, the most important thing is to welcome Brother Ji Ning.”

Ji Ning was quite moved.

Although he hadn’t spent much time with Tianyi, Tianyi treated him sincerely.

“Ji Ning, traveling all the way from the Domo Territory to here must have been no easy feat. Even Youji, who was only a Ancestral Immortal back then, has become a Daolord. You must have experienced much,” Tianyi said.

“Mm.” Ji Ning shook his head, sighing. “After learning that you were trapped in the Yi Bo Realm, I left the Domo Territory not long after. I should have arrived at the Celestial Firmament Palace long ago, but on the way, I was suddenly abducted by the mighty Lord of the Mangya Kingdom and taken into the kingdom.”

Ji Ning didn’t hide this, because as his strength grew, such news couldn’t be concealed. For instance, anyone in the endless territories with even a little information knew that Li Xinggong was the lord of the Blade Palace, one of the twelve palaces of the Mangya Kingdom.

“Mangya Kingdom?” Daolord Tianyi was astonished. As one of the six major powers, the Mangya Kingdom’s Lord was recognized as the foremost of the three supreme Lords. That the Mangya Kingdom occasionally abducted cultivators was no secret to a great power like Daolord Tianyi, who was on the verge of merging with the Dao.

“Being abducted by the Mangya Kingdom is very dangerous, but it seems you’ve had some good fortune, Ji Ning,” Tianyi said.

“Haha, yes. In the Mangya Kingdom, I also met Dan Bao.” Ji Ning glanced at Dan Bao beside him.

Dan Bao felt somewhat ashamed and quickly said, “I should be considered the first in the Mangya Kingdom to fight my master, but unfortunately, I was easily defeated. In truth, both I and Fire Fairy gained our freedom with my master’s help.”

…

While Ji Ning and his group conversed with Tianyi, the other brothers of the Celestial Firmament Palace were also observing this new brother. Hearing two Daolords address Ji Ning as “master,” they were deeply shaken.

Such a monstrous prodigy was something only heard of in legends, yet they were witnessing it with their own eyes.

“Brother Ji Ning has extraordinary talent but has never had a good teacher,” Tianyi said with a laugh. “After going to the Mangya Kingdom, he truly soared. Haha, I’ve been so busy talking with Ji Ning that I forgot to introduce everyone. Come, come, this is Daolord Yudou of our Celestial Firmament Palace, a four-step Daolord.”

Ji Ning looked at the blue-haired man in white robes, who had a gentle smile and an extraordinary bearing, and immediately bowed: “Beiming pays respects to Brother Yudou.”

A four-step Daolord represented almost the pinnacle on a path; the next step would be an Eternal Emperor. Every four-step Daolord was not to be trifled with.

“I once divined your fate, Brother Beiming, and found it completely blurred, far beyond my ability to predict,” Daolord Yudou said with a smile. “Seeing two Daolords following you today, I understand even more your extraordinariness. If my divination is correct, these two Daolords achieved breakthrough on their own, not through the Heaven-Stealing Life-Death Pill.”

“Daolords who broke through on their own?” The other brothers of the Celestial Firmament Palace were stunned.

They had thought the appearance of two one-step Daolords was due to the Heaven-Stealing Life-Death Pill.

“The stronger Ji Ning is, the better. Our Celestial Firmament Palace gains a formidable brother,” Tianyi continued introducing. “Beside me is our Celestial Firmament Palace’s newly advanced Daolord Yucan, now a two-step Daolord.”

“Beiming.” Daolord Yucan smiled slightly.

Ji Ning was inwardly startled but replied normally, “Brother Yucan.”

This Yucan was extraordinarily beautiful! His beauty was in no way inferior to Su Youji’s. Su Youji had cultivated the method of the ‘Flying Immortal Saint,’ and every smile and frown carried astonishing allure. Although Daolord Yucan lacked that allure, his features were stunningly beautiful, his figure slender and curvaceous. Yet from the aura Ji Ning sensed, Yucan was clearly male!

Features and figure like a peerless woman, yet clearly male? No wonder Ji Ning was taken aback.

“This is Yucan’s divine projection,” Tianyi said. “Yucan is currently wandering outside. He is far more monstrous than me or Yudou.”

“Brother flatters me,” Daolord Yucan quickly said.

Tianyi laughed heartily: “No flattery, no flattery. Ji Ning, as for the other brothers… we’ll drink and chat slowly later, and you’ll naturally get to know them all.”

Ji Ning nodded, then couldn’t help asking, “What about the Black Flood Dragon Three Divine Beasts?”

The surroundings fell silent.

Daolord Tianyi sighed: “Beixiu… alas, the Black Flood Dragon Three Divine Beasts caused Beixiu’s death. Our Celestial Firmament Palace naturally would not let them off. Although they fled early, under Yudou’s divination, the three were still slain by our Celestial Firmament Palace.”

Ji Ning felt a knot in his heart untied.

…

At the subsequent welcoming banquet, all the brothers of the Celestial Firmament Palace gathered.

Everyone drank and talked freely. Within the Celestial Firmament Palace, there was no hierarchy; all were good brothers. Even Daolords were only addressed as “Brother” out of respect for their strength. Ji Ning liked this atmosphere; he could feel everyone treated him sincerely.

At this banquet, Ji Ning met most of the Celestial Firmament Palace brothers; some were still wandering and adventuring outside.

After the banquet ended.

“Ji Ning, our Celestial Firmament Palace is vast with many residences. Many caves are unoccupied. This, this, this, and that… you can choose any one you like.” After the banquet, Tianyi personally escorted Ji Ning.

“I’ll choose that one.” Ji Ning selected a cave.

“By the way, when do you plan to hold the initiation ceremony?” Tianyi looked at Ji Ning. After all, Ji Ning only had an invitation token and had not yet formally joined the Celestial Firmament Palace.

“One month from now,” Ji Ning said. His most important task now was to revive his parents.

“Alright.” Tianyi was not in a hurry; to cultivators, a month was nothing.

…

Within the Celestial Firmament Palace, Beiming Cave.

“Dan Bao, Youji, I need to go into seclusion for a while. Do not disturb me unless there is something urgent.” Ji Ning instructed.

“Yes, master.” Dan Bao and Su Youji both replied.

Ji Ning nodded, then entered a quiet room.

Rumble.

The door closed. Ji Ning sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, his mind entirely focused on the distant Three Realms.

…

In the chaotic void outside the Three Realms.

A Ji Ning in black robes was walking in another dimension of space. Soon, he emerged from his cave in the chaos and arrived in the void of the Three Realms.

“Whoosh.”

The black-robed Ji Ning stepped out of the other dimension, standing in the void of the Three Realms, feeling its fluctuations.

It had been a long time.

It had been a long time since he had entered the range influenced by the origin of the Three Realms. In the past, this place had been a forbidden land for him; daring to take even half a step would have meant his death.

“Three Realms.” The black-robed Ji Ning swept his gaze, taking in the three thousand major worlds, the billions of minor worlds, and even the Heavenly Court and the underworld, all within his sight.

…