Chapter 4: Seize It!

The Tianyou Mountain range stretched vast and boundless, spanning over a hundred thousand li.

"The Wujiang Immortal Mansion is hidden within the mountains; even with divine sense searching, it would take ten days to half a month," Shaoyan Nong said, his eyes filled with anticipation. "But I have the Mansion Key—as long as I get close, I can sense it. Everyone, prepare yourselves; once we enter the mansion, it will be fraught with danger."

The cultivators beside him all nodded.

"Finally going in," Mu Zishuo said, his eyes lighting up.

"Yes, a celestial immortal's residence," Ji Ning said, also looking forward to it.

"Ji Ning." The nearby Jiujing sent a silent transmission.

Ji Ning turned to look at Jiujing, smiled, and transmitted back: "Senior apprentice-sister, what is it that requires a private message?"

"Once we enter the mansion, you must display your skills well and also get closer to Young Master Shaoyan. Meeting him is a rare opportunity; if you miss it, it will be hard to encounter him again," Jiujing advised. "You've wasted the past two days. After entering the mansion, you must not slack off any longer."

Ji Ning frowned: "Senior apprentice-sister!"

"Don't be angry," Jiujing said. "I know your temperament; you don't like flattery. But I'm not asking you to flatter him. I'm just telling you to get closer to him... Ji Ning, you must understand that your strength is definitely greater than Xue Hongyi's. Yet these two days on the warship, Xue Hongyi often spoke with Young Master Shaoyan, building a much closer relationship. Meanwhile, you stood aside, barely saying a word... This really is..."

"Senior apprentice-sister, I—" Ji Ning tried to explain.

"Let me finish," Jiujing said, looking at Ji Ning. "Friendship, why is it called 'friendship'? It's because people interact and exchange with each other, thus creating a bond. It's not that helping him once creates a deep friendship; at most, it's a favor, nothing more."

"A favor is used up and gone, but friendship lasts!"

"You are proud and aloof, disdainful of flattery. But Young Master Shaoyan is even prouder than you! As a result, you two barely speak. Let me ask you—if you were Young Master Shaoyan, would you have much friendship with someone who barely talks to you? Even if he helped you, you probably wouldn't think much of him."

Ji Ning was taken aback.

What Senior apprentice-sister Jiujing said did make sense.

"The closeness between people can be divided into strangers, acquaintances, friends, confidants, and life-and-death friends," Jiujing said. "With just a few words, you and Young Master Shaoyan haven't even become 'acquaintances'; you're still strangers. But Xue Hongyi often talks with Young Master Shaoyan and will risk his life for him; they might become friends."

"Once inside the mansion, perhaps your contributions will be greater than his."

"But in Young Master Shaoyan's heart, he will be closer to Xue Hongyi than to you. Right now, because he needs your help for his tribe's trial, he treats you politely. But once he passes the trial, especially when he becomes the new Yüshen Gong, he probably won't even bother to look at you. If you ask him for a small favor, he might nod and repay the favor. But if it's too troublesome, he might not even see you. For the new Yüshen Gong, even immortals find it hard to meet him." Jiujing looked at Ji Ning.

"Senior apprentice-sister, I admit what you say is reasonable," Ji Ning transmitted. "A favor is used up and gone, but friendship lasts."

"But... I am me, not you."

"I don't like deliberately getting close to others; everything should be natural," Ji Ning transmitted. "If I can become friends with Young Master Shaoyan, that's good. But if not, it's no big deal."

"Opportunity! When opportunity comes, you must seize it!" Jiujing transmitted anxiously. "In a lifetime, you meet few great figures; miss them, and they're gone."

"On the path of cultivation, one still relies on oneself," Ji Ning shook his head.

"But at critical moments, a helping hand from others can take you further on the path," Jiujing transmitted.

"Senior apprentice-sister, deliberately getting close to others and currying favor will only affect my Dao-heart... it's not worth it," Ji Ning said.

"You..." Jiujing was exasperated.

"Each person has their own Dao; Senior apprentice-sister, don't force it," Ji Ning said. "Senior apprentice-sister, I have never forced you, and I hope you won't force me. This is already the second time!"

Jiujing was stunned.

Yes, not long ago on Mingxin Island, they had argued about status and hierarchy, which was the first time they had been unhappy with each other.

"I only want you to achieve higher," Jiujing said, her eyes reddening.

"Alright," Ji Ning said, taking Jiujing's hand and smiling at her.

...

Yu Wei, who was nearby, noticed Ji Ning and Jiujing holding hands. She frowned slightly, then turned to look at the vast mountain scenery outside.

"That Ji Ning really doesn't know what luck he's had," Xue Hongyi muttered, glancing at Ji Ning and Jiujing holding hands. "Clearly, Young Master Shaoyan's exploration of the mansion had nothing to do with Ji Ning, yet now he's on the ship. And he's even become Dao-companion with Dongyan Yun."

Xue Hongyi hadn't known Jiujing's background at first.

But over the past two days on the ship, during the banquets, the conversations between Shaoyan Nong and Jiujing had revealed to Xue Hongyi that Jiujing was the next leader of the Dongyan clan. This filled Xue Hongyi with intense jealousy!

"A mere kid from the Ji clan has come this far," Xue Hongyi couldn't help feeling envious.

When news spread that Ji Ning had repelled Xue Yu Daoist, Xue Hongyi found it hard to believe. He couldn't accept that the kid he could have crushed back then was now stronger than him.

Now Ji Ning had also befriended Shaoyan Nong and become Dao-companion with Jiujing...

"May Ji Ning die in the Wujiang Immortal Mansion!" Xue Hongyi thought darkly.

...

The great ship flew over the Tianyou Mountains for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Then Shaoyan Nong, dressed in green, his eyes bright, looked down and shouted: "The mansion is below. Everyone, follow me inside."

"Found the mansion?"

"Below?"

Everyone who had been chatting now focused their attention downward.

Boom!

The great ship dove straight toward the mountains below, quickly passing over several peaks before flying into a deep, secluded canyon.

"Stop."

The ancient ship halted in midair before a cliff face in the canyon.

"Let me open the mansion first." Shaoyan Nong produced a golden token in his hand, aimed it at the cliff face, and infused it with Yuan power. Hummm... the golden token emitted a hazy golden beam that shone on the cliff. The surface of the cliff began to distort, and soon a huge watery ripple appeared.

"Enter." Shaoyan Nong showed a delighted expression.

Whoosh!

The great ship flew forward, straight into the watery ripple, and vanished within. Then the ripple dissipated, and the cliff remained as before, with nothing unusual.

...

As Ji Ning and his group passed through the ripple on the warship, the scenery before them rapidly changed.

"This is?" Everyone on the warship saw a series of barren peaks around them, almost devoid of vegetation, with a desert covering the ground.

The Tianyou Mountains were lush and verdant.

But upon entering the mansion...

What met their eyes was a desolate desert and peaks rising from it.

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

In the distance came a thunderous sound that shook heaven and earth, emanating from the most towering peak. On that desolate peak, a dense patch of white could be seen—actually a mass of monsters clad in white armor, gathered together.

These great monsters in white armor all had huge fish tails and human torsos, with scales on their faces.

"Hmm?"

"Over there?"

The densely gathered monsters all turned to look in Ji Ning's direction, alerted by the disturbance caused by the warship passing through the ripple.

"Humans!"

"They're humans!"

The thousand or so mermen monsters who had been drilling exclaimed in surprise. For countless years, since their ancestors were trapped here and could not leave, generation after generation had bred... Within the entire mansion realm, there were only monsters, not a single human. Even the original celestial immortal, 'Wujiang Immortal,' was of monster origin!

"Hmm?" The leader drilling the monsters was a seductive, bare-chested mermaid. She was startled at first, then let out a sharp roar: "Humans! Humans have entered the mansion! They must have the Mansion Key. Quick, quick, seize it! Seize the Mansion Key!"

"Seize!"

"Seize!"

"Charge with me!" A layer of golden armor immediately appeared on the mermaid's body.

As the mermaid soared into the air, the thousand mermen monsters in white armor followed suit. The runes on their Dao-soldier armor lit up, and with a rumble, the thousand monsters transformed into a towering wave, a surging flood rolling forward, charging straight at Shaoyan Nong and his group on the distant warship.

"Seize the Mansion Key, and we can get out! Seize it!" the mermaid transmitted, her roar spurring the other mermen to bellow in response.

The peak was only a few dozen li from Ji Ning's group, close enough for the mermen to see clearly and confirm they were humans. It was the first time humans had appeared in the mansion in countless ages.

A few dozen li—crossed in an instant!

Shaoyan Nong, Ji Ning, Xue Hongyi, and the others on the warship were all greatly alarmed.

"Dao-soldiers!"

"Monster Dao-soldiers!" Ji Ning and the others were shocked. From a distance, they could tell that among the monsters, there were several Wanxiang-level great monsters, and the mermaid leader might even be a Yuanshen-level monster. The weakest were at the Zifu level. And they were Dao-soldiers...

"These Dao-soldier armors must have been left behind by the celestial immortal Wujiang when he trained his Dao-soldiers," Ji Ning and the others realized they were in serious trouble.