Chapter 7: The Ji Clan Gathers

Seeing this great formation that guarded the clan and tribe, Ji Ning's heart howled with excitement, but he still forced down his joy and continued reading.

Maybe there were even better ones!

Ji Ning kept flipping through the golden book, and one after another, treasures and strange items appeared, making his heart twitch each time. Truly... truly mouthwatering. But what a pity—he could see them but couldn't get them! This time, he could only choose one.

"The Coiled Serpent Nine Heavens Ring Formation!" Ji Ning's eyes lit up, and he carefully read the description. "This formation is even more complex than the Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation, and its power is even greater, but it requires at least nine Zifu Disciples."

Ji Ning shook his head.

...

"Huff." Ji Ning closed the golden book. Among the formations in the book, the most suitable for the current Ji Clan was naturally the formation! There were several that rivaled the Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation, and even two that were slightly better. But given the Ji Clan's current conditions, the Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation was still the best choice!

The Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation consisted of five sub-formations. A single Zifu Disciple could control it, but if five Zifu Disciples joined forces... the formation's power would reach its maximum!

As for the Ji Clan's Zifu Disciples, counting his father, there were only six! And his father had to use forbidden techniques to unleash sufficient strength. Strictly speaking, the Ji Clan had only five Zifu Disciples. Under this premise... the Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation was naturally the best.

"Have you chosen?" the yellow-furred bear asked.

"I have," Ji Ning nodded. "The Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation!"

The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning in surprise. "The Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation? Are you sure you didn't choose wrong? This is a great formation suited for guarding a clan. Once set up, it cannot be moved. Even if you want to fight... the formation must be set up in advance! In the future, you are destined to roam and take risks. If you suddenly encounter danger in battle, there will be no time to set up the formation. Moreover, when controlled by a single person, its power is only average. It requires five people working together to reach maximum power! I advise you to think carefully. The chance to choose a treasure in the Treasure Hall is very rare. Once you choose, there's no going back!"

"This one it is," Ji Ning said without hesitation.

"Fine." The yellow-furred bear said no more.

"Come."

The yellow-furred bear pointed upward into the high sky. Among the countless treasures and strange items floating in the dark sky, in a corner invisible to the naked eye, a streak of light flew down like a meteor, quickly passing through obstacles and landing on the ground.

Ji Ning looked closely and saw four black scales surrounding a central black pearl.

"This is the Dragon Pearl." The yellow-furred bear waved a hand, and the black pearl floated over. The black pearl was covered with numerous runes, and a faint dragon-shaped shadow roamed within. The complex runes gave an extreme sense of beauty, unlike the rough and simple talismans of ordinary mortal-ranked treasures.

"The Netherwyrm Heaven Lock Formation has five parts: the core Dragon Pearl! And the four parts: Dragon Head, Dragon Body, Dragon Claws, and Dragon Tail!" The yellow-furred bear waved again, and the four scales flew over. "These scales from the dragon's body are the foundation, from which four formation plates were made. One Dragon Pearl and four formation plates make up the five parts of the entire Netherwyrm Formation. As for the mysteries within, you will understand after refining and carefully experiencing them."

Ji Ning nodded.

He immediately waved his hand and collected the Dragon Pearl and the four formation plates.

"You have entered the War Hall, Treasure Hall, and Star Hall. Only the Divine Abilities Hall remains." The yellow-furred bear said, "You must strive to break through as soon as possible, no later than before you turn ten. Then you can come and challenge the Divine Abilities Hall."

"Understood," Ji Ning nodded.

"And now?" The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning.

"I'll leave," Ji Ning said without hesitation.

The yellow-furred bear nodded slightly. Whoosh! Its head rapidly enlarged, became ethereal, and directly swallowed Ji Ning, who then disappeared.

...

On Serpentwing Lake, under a pavilion on Brightheart Island, a lantern hung nearby, casting faint light in the deep night.

"Why isn't the young master coming out?" Qiuye stood behind Ji Yichuan holding a jug of wine. Ji Yichuan sat under the pavilion, with a snow-white dog, the divine beast Whitesnow, lying behind him. Qiuye's eyes showed a hint of anxiety, because Ji Yichuan had been waiting here for a long time. "The young master said no one is to disturb him, and he locked the meditation room tight."

Qiuye had no choice. She knew Ji Ning's temper; if he said no one was to disturb him, absolutely no one dared to.

All they could do was wait.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of time," Ji Yichuan said softly, holding a cup of fruit wine. He was very calm, because the upcoming battle would be the most brilliant moment of his life.

"Rumble~~" A faint tremor came from the distance. Qiuye's face lit up with joy. "The young master must have left the meditation room."

Then, creak!

The door of a distant house opened, and a youth in animal skins walked out.

"Hah!" Ji Yichuan stood up, frowning slightly as he looked at Ji Ning. Having watched Ji Ning grow up, he could detect subtle changes. He noticed that now Ji Ning... had lost some of his sharpness and gained a hint of water-like tranquility.

"Did you cultivate just now?" Ji Yichuan asked.

Ji Ning nodded lightly. "I made a breakthrough!"

Ji Yichuan's eyes could not hide a trace of joy and satisfaction. This would be his final battle, and he was prepared to die. To see his son's strength improve before his death filled him with boundless happiness. He could even foresee that his son, with such monstrous talent, would one day be renowned across the endless lands.

"Good," Ji Yichuan said only that one word.

"Uncle White is coming too?" Ji Ning looked at the Whitesnow beside him.

Whitesnow nodded at Ji Ning.

Ji Yichuan glanced at Whitesnow beside him. "Your Uncle White and I are sworn brothers. In this battle, I am prepared to die. Even if I survive by luck, I will only be a cripple. Earlier, I gave your Uncle White and Uncle Black their freedom... Uncle Black has returned to the mountains, but your Uncle White insisted on following me, even to death. I couldn't drive him away, truly couldn't. In this life, to have such a sworn brother is enough to make me proud."

Ji Ning was deeply moved, and he saw the faint tears in his father's eyes and the unwavering, steadfast gaze of Uncle White beside him...

"Alright, let's go together." Ji Ning walked over and hugged Whitesnow, just like when he was little and used to go out to practice archery, often hugging him. "Uncle White, let's go together." Whitesnow looked at Ji Ning, his eyes full of deep affection. He had watched Ji Ning grow from a baby. As the son of his sworn brother Ji Yichuan, he naturally regarded Ji Ning as a child of his own.

Whoosh.

A boat appeared out of thin air, floating and rapidly growing to over ten zhang in length. Ji Ning, Ji Yichuan, and Whitesnow all boarded.

"Go." Ji Ning willed it.

The boat immediately soared into the sky, flying swiftly northward through the endless night.

...

Still that same wild mountain forest.

Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Ying, the old servant A Xing, and Ji Liuzhen had all arrived. They had even set up a maze formation nearby. Ji Ning had been delayed by his meditation in the Star Hall. The others, handling various trivial matters at the speed of Zifu Disciples, had naturally finished everything.

"Why did you bring your spirit beast?" Granny Ying said hoarsely.

Ji Liuzhen stroked the black goshawk beside him. "I didn't want it to come, but it insisted on following. It has been with me since it was a fledgling. All these years, it has never left me. This time, it refused to leave even in death. Forget it—we've known each other for a lifetime. It is even closer and more familiar to me than my wife and children."

Ji Jiuhuo and the others looked on and nodded lightly.

To have a spirit beast willing to accompany you on an adventure was rare.

"Why haven't Yichuan and the others arrived yet?" Ji Liuzhen stroked the goshawk, looking up. The maze formation had not been activated, so it didn't obstruct vision. Even in the night, the faint moonlight was enough for Zifu Disciples to see far with the naked eye.

"Don't worry," Ji Jiuhuo said. "We still have plenty of time."

"If only that boy Ji Ning wouldn't come," Granny Ying sighed hoarsely. "He insists on coming. He is the true hope of our Ji Clan. With his talent and potential, becoming a Wanxiang Adept would not be difficult. But his temper is too stubborn."

Ji Jiuhuo smiled and comforted her. "Don't worry. He has the Ten Thousand Mile Escape Talisman. When danger truly comes, if he won't leave, we'll force him to."

"Right, force him to leave," Granny Ying nodded. "If he won't leave at the critical moment, I'll kill myself in front of him."

"Alright, he knows what's important," Ji Jiuhuo said. Suddenly his eyes lit up. "They're here."

Everyone looked up.

A streak of light flew from the distant sky. As it dove and slowed down, they could see it was a boat. The small boat flew down rapidly from the sky, then disappeared ten zhang above the ground. Ji Ning, Ji Yichuan, and Whitesnow landed directly.

"You brought your Whitesnow too?" Ji Liuzhen laughed.

Ji Yichuan looked in surprise. "Your Thunderhawk came too?"

They looked at each other and smiled, both understanding why.

"Alright, everyone's here," Ji Jiuhuo said. "We should arrange how to deal with the Snowdragon Mountain matter."

"Mm." Everyone's expression became more serious.

Ji Jiuhuo spoke. "Earlier, I went to Yanshan City to see General Dong, the garrison commander."

"How did it go?" Everyone asked expectantly.

A trace of anger appeared in Ji Jiuhuo's eyes. "As you all know, General Dong is a member of a distant great tribe, the Dong Clan. That's how he became a garrison commander in the Grand Xia Dynasty's Yanshan City."

Ji Ning and the others nodded. They already knew this intelligence. To become a garrison commander in the Grand Xia Dynasty's army... was not something small tribes like the Ji Clan could aspire to. It was definitely a good position, backed by the Grand Xia Dynasty's authority. Who would dare to offend him?

"I didn't want to offend General Dong," Ji Jiuhuo said. "But when I tried to report, he said he was in seclusion and couldn't see guests. When I tried to see the deputy commander, he said he had left Yanshan City and was temporarily away."

"What!"

Everyone grew anxious.

"They're definitely stalling, deliberately avoiding us."

"Snowdragon Mountain must have interfered," Ji Ning said urgently. They had set up the formation to buy time, waiting for the Grand Xia Dynasty's envoy. But if no report was made, how could the envoy come?

Ji Jiuhuo said, "I had no choice. This concerned the life and death of our Ji Clan, so I didn't care about offending General Dong. I shouted loudly throughout Yanshan City, saying that our Ji Clan was willing to offer a giant yuan stone mine to the Grand Xia Dynasty! My voice naturally spread throughout the city. Everyone in Yanshan City, including the garrison, heard it. Only then did General Dong dare not delay any longer. He came out with a dark face, angrily drove me away."

...