Chapter 11: The Celestial Immortal's Hidden Treasure

"Don't rush." Shao Yan Nong naturally understood what Ji Ning and the others were thinking. Smiling, he said, "The treasures are right there; they won't disappear in a moment. And as I said, even with my Shao Yan clan's promise, whatever you obtain is yours to keep."

Ji Ning and the others nodded.

"And these." Shao Yan Nong pointed to the ground not far away, where some magic treasures left by Bu You the Real Person and the ten Wanxiang Adept death warriors lay.

"This time, we were trapped in the immortal estate's grand formation. Thanks to Ji Ning's spirit-beast for helping us break it. These treasures are nothing much; Ji Ning, you may take them." Shao Yan Nong looked at Ji Ning. Seeing this, Ji Ning did not decline and directly collected all those treasures. After all, they were the belongings of eleven Wanxiang Adepts, one of whom was a two-clawed Yinglong Guard—no small wealth.

Xue Hong Yi glanced at Ji Ning and thought to herself, "What luck! Let's see how long your luck lasts!"

Though jealous, Xue Hong Yi also understood that the five disciples of the Black-White College now held the upper hand.

"Let's go." Shao Yan Nong now appeared much more relaxed.

With Xiang Liu Fang following close behind, Shao Yan Nong walked leisurely ahead.

The branch hall was also enormous.

But Xiang Liu Fang was a true grandmaster of formations. Following a series of corridors, he naturally headed toward the center of the entire branch hall. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ji Ning and his group arrived at a vast, grand hall. Above the hall was a jade bed, and below were many meditation cushions.

That jade bed was likely where the Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang had once sat cross-legged.

"It's here!" Shao Yan Nong's gaze suddenly fixed on the jade bed. His immortal estate key sensed the central hub of this branch hall strongly.

"That jade bed is the branch hall's central hub." Shao Yan Nong said.

"Young master, let me have a look." Xiang Liu Fang directly reached out his hand. His palm instantly enlarged, and his ten fingers transformed into ten great snakes, covering the area like a canopy. After sweeping through it once, he nodded and said, "Young master, there is no danger there."

Shao Yan Nong then shot forward with a whoosh, landed on the jade bed, sat cross-legged, and began to infuse his elemental energy into the jade bed to refine it.

This jade bed was the central core of one of the five branch halls—the 'Treasure Hall.'

Each branch hall had a core. Once all were refined, the immortal estate would be refined as well... The Shao Yan clan's test for 'Shao Yan Nong' was to refine this immortal estate.

"Alright, you may go." Sitting on the jade bed, Shao Yan Nong said directly, "Feel free to search for the treasures left by Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang in this Treasure Hall. I won't be going."

Xiang Liu Fang also stood by the jade bed, silently guarding.

Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances, secretly delighted.

It was a great boon that the strongest, the Fiendgod Xiang Liu Fang, would not compete with them.

"I've begun refining this branch hall's core. No formation or restriction in the branch hall will be triggered now. The only thing you need to worry about is any lurking puppets." Shao Yan Nong laughed heartily. "But I suspect there are no puppets left in this Treasure Hall. If there were, they would have attacked us earlier."

"Young master Shao Yan, we'll go search for treasures now." Ji Ning and the others did not linger and immediately left.

Once in the corridor, Ji Ning and the others quickly dispersed.

"Senior apprentice-brother, finding treasures depends on each person's luck." Mu Zi Shuo was extremely excited.

"Maybe there will be Immortal-ranked treasures." Cang Jiang the Immortal was also full of anticipation.

"Let's see our respective fates." Jiu Lian said.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

They all quickly scattered, and even the Whitewater Hound and Little Qing went off separately to search.

"I don't believe you're all that lucky." Xue Hong Yi, walking at the rear with a cold face, also chose a route and began to investigate.

...

The Treasure Hall, one of the five branch halls, was far too vast.

"And my divine sense can't even penetrate the walls?" Ji Ning had no choice but to use the dumbest and simplest method—push open each secret chamber and check.

"Boom." The stone door was pushed open.

Ji Ning swept his divine sense inside and also took a careful look with his eyes: "Not this one."

"Boom." Another stone door was pushed open. Ji Ning checked again: "Not this one either."

"Not this one."

"Not this one."

Ji Ning quickly inspected one secret chamber after another.

"Boom!" Ji Ning pushed open the sixth secret chamber. "Not this—ah, this is!!!"

Ji Ning's eyes instantly turned red. He quickly closed the chamber door again and stepped inside.

Waves of magic treasure ripples spread out.

Feeling these ripples and looking at the magic treasures laid out before him, Ji Ning felt as if he were dreaming.

"I actually found the real treasure room. It seems I truly have luck." Ji Ning swept his gaze across the room. On the huge shelves were placed magic treasures of all kinds: ropes, flying swords, bells, plates, nails, long shuttles, fine needles, pouches, great hammers, great seals, long staffs, ribbons, flywhisks, mist, jade bottles, colored robes, sand grains, bracelets...

Densely packed, astonishingly numerous.

The intensity of their auras also varied.

The row closest to him had weaker ripples, the next row stronger, and those farther away even stronger. Clearly, these treasures were arranged by power.

"So many treasures. Could Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang have used them all?" Ji Ning murmured. Then he recalled the so-called 'Wu Jiang tribe' he had encountered earlier in the immortal estate world. "Right, as a Celestial Immortal, Wu Jiang naturally had countless demon followers. He had to treat and nurture his fellow tribesmen well."

Just as he himself had to plan for the Ji clan.

Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang also had to plan for his descendants. And as a Celestial Immortal, his tribe and descendants would be far larger than the Ji clan. Granting treasures would require even more rigor. Building a special 'Treasure Hall' to bestow treasures on those with merit or high talent—that was only natural.

"Refine!" Ji Ning's body instantly emitted countless strands of elemental energy, forming dense light ribbons that directly invaded each magic treasure.

After endless ages, even if these treasures had owners before, they were now masterless. There was not a trace of residual magic power inside, making refinement incredibly easy.

"Mortal-ranked, Earth-ranked... this one can't be refined—at least Heaven-ranked." Even as calm as Ji Ning was, he couldn't help but be ecstatic.

He had struck it rich.

This opportunity was truly enormous. He had initially thought that the most powerful treasures would be carried by Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang himself, and that the treasures left in the Treasure Hall would not be many. But who would have guessed that this treasure room contained such a vast sea of magic treasures, all prepared by Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang for his Wu Jiang tribe.

Poor Wu Jiang tribe. After Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang's death, some of their elders were trapped in the Treasure Hall and died of old age. The descendants outside, fortunately, had other treasures and could only dominate within this immortal estate world.

It took a full cup of tea's time before Ji Ning had refined everything he could.

"My heavens."

Ji Ning gasped, his heart pounding so hard he could hear the thumping in his ears.

It was simply too staggering.

"Over 180,000 Mortal-ranked treasures, over 16,000 Earth-ranked treasures, and over a hundred treasures I can't refine." Ji Ning was a bit dazed. This, this, this was too shocking. Although he was considered quite wealthy among Wanxiang Adepts, compared to this sea of treasures, he was far behind.

"Even a Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal probably doesn't have such wealth." Ji Ning marveled. "As expected of a Celestial Immortal. Even a small portion of a Celestial Immortal's treasures can surpass those of ordinary Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals."

"Collect."

"I collect."

"Treasures, treasures, come to me." Ji Ning was overjoyed. He stored all the Mortal-ranked treasures into his storage treasure, and all the Earth-ranked treasures into his Zifu space.

His Zifu space was vast and boundless. The tens of thousands of Earth-ranked treasures entering it only occupied a tiny corner.

Swoosh!

Ji Ning flickered and appeared before the widest long table. On this table were placed treasures emitting powerful ripples—the ones he couldn't refine.

"Barring accidents, these should be Heaven-ranked treasures." Ji Ning murmured. Although the fact that he couldn't refine them meant they could be Immortal-ranked, reason told him... these unrefinable treasures were placed on a single long table. Though their ripples varied in strength, they were likely of the same tier.

Some were probably mid-grade Heaven-ranked, some high-grade, even top-grade.

"Even a Primal Daoist usually has only a few Heaven-ranked treasures. But I have over a hundred, and from a Celestial Immortal's hoard, their quality shouldn't be too poor." Ji Ning felt his blood boil.

Even the cheapest low-grade Heaven-ranked treasure cost a thousand catties of liquid elemental essence.

A slightly better one with higher quality cost tens of thousands of catties.

Suppose...

These hundred-plus treasures were all Heaven-ranked, all of decent quality. Even if none were top-grade, their total value would be over a million catties of liquid elemental essence—a treasure that would make even Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals tremble.

"A Celestial Immortal plucking a single hair is thicker than my thigh. And this isn't just a hair—it's a whole leg." Ji Ning was so excited he started babbling nonsense. He carefully caressed these Heaven-ranked treasures. The powerful ripples from each one filled him with joy, especially a few with exceptionally strong ripples that made him anticipate even more.

"Haha, the Thousand Sword Formation? Just over seven hundred Earth-ranked treasures? A piece of cake." Ji Ning was elated. "For the second stage of the 'Six Cycles of the Star Picking' technique, I need treasures containing the essence of the Five Elements. I can trade for them at the Heavenly Treasures Mountain."

Before, he had been strapped for resources.

Feeling poor, lacking this and that.

Now he suddenly felt incredibly wealthy. Even ordinary Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals might be poorer than him—though some top-tier ones still surpassed him.

"Collect." Ji Ning savored the thought for a while, then quickly stored all these powerful Heaven-ranked treasures into his storage treasure, as he couldn't refine them yet.

"Coming to this Celestial Immortal's estate with Shao Yan Nong was truly worth it. Celestial Immortal, Celestial Immortal... truly worthy of the name." Ji Ning swept the entire treasure room clean. Suddenly he blinked. "Eh, the wood of these shelves and tables seems unusual. Is this Netherworld Sinking-Wood? One catty of Netherworld Sinking-Wood is worth one tael of liquid elemental essence. There must be at least a million catties here. Tsk, tsk. Right, Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang's display tables for his treasures were meant to impress his demon tribesmen, so of course he'd use good wood. I'll take them too! Collect!"

Ji Ning even collected all the shelves and tables in the treasure room.

The entire treasure room was now empty, with nothing left.