Chapter 18 Leaving Tianbao Mountain

The set of pure yang treasures 'One Qi Nine Yuan Pearls' that Ji Ning took out had been carefully selected from the Treasure Hall, and could be considered the most valuable among the pure yang treasures available to Ji Ning at the time. Back then, the San Shou Daoist had left some powerful pure yang treasures in the Treasure Hall, so naturally they were not inferior—at the very least, they were top-grade pure yang treasures.

However, the number of pure yang treasures was limited after all. Even what San Shou Daoist had collected was not much. After Ji Ning passed the ninth level of the War God Hall, when he went to choose, he could only pick from among eighteen pure yang treasures.

Thus...

He chose the most expensive One Qi Nine Yuan Pearls. Among these nine pearls, eight were top-grade pure yang, while the core pearl was supreme-grade pure yang! Moreover, this set of treasures was an extremely precious 'world-type' treasure. It could be used to smash enemies directly, like a small world crashing down, or it could unleash layers of world power to suppress and bind enemies, making them feel as if trapped in a swamp. This was far stronger than the ancient river of the Thousand Bull Swords. Such 'world-type' pure yang treasures were rare and precious; this single set of pure yang treasures was estimated to be comparable to four or five ordinary supreme-grade pure yang treasures!

"The Fuxi staff formation, the oddities on the beast hide, and the arrows are all trivial matters," the celestial fox said helplessly. "You want twenty supreme-grade pure yang elixirs, and my master can gather them for you. But this bowstring... your demand is too high. Such a bowstring is not easy to find."

"Among the treasures I ask for, the pure yang elixirs could probably be gathered by any true immortal or celestial god by calling on friends. The most important is this bowstring. If not for the bowstring, I wouldn't be willing to exchange this set of pure yang treasures," Ji Ning said. "The Xia Emperor is of the ancient imperial clan. Ordinary true immortals or celestial gods cannot produce such a bowstring, but I believe the Xia Emperor can."

Ji Ning had stayed at Mount Fangcun and knew well the power of the ancient imperial clan.

In the ancient Pangu World...

At that time, there was no talk of three thousand major worlds or billions of minor worlds! There was only one ancient Pangu World! Back then, the 'ancient imperial clan' ruled all of humanity! There were many great beings at the Dao Ancestor level alone. Although the ancient Pangu World shattered and the ancient imperial clan lost its former might, the Xia Emperor was merely a member of the ancient imperial clan, and the Xiamang clan was just a branch of it! Even so... the Xia Emperor's foundation was still not something ordinary true immortals or celestial gods could match.

...

In the dark space.

A black-robed imperial emperor sat cross-legged. He opened his eyes: "One Qi Nine Yuan Pearls? They ended up in Ji Ning's hands! How could a little fellow who hasn't even crossed the heavenly tribulation produce a set of pure yang treasures? And such a fine set of pure yang treasures! Strange, truly strange..."

Such a bizarre matter could be explained by a simple word—karma!

With strong karma, one could defy heaven like this!

"The great calamity is approaching. Pure yang treasures like the One Qi Nine Yuan Pearls will attract the envy of many true immortals and celestial gods," the black-robed emperor mused. "The bowstring... it seems I must go see my uncle."

The Xia Emperor had long since broken away from the ancient imperial clan and established the Xiamang branch.

Thus, he rarely visited other members of the ancient imperial clan.

...

"My master has spoken," the celestial fox said, looking at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning listened attentively.

"Everything else can be agreed upon, but this bowstring will take a while," the celestial fox explained. "My master is trying to find one. As you know, the bowstring you demand is among the finest in the Three Realms."

Ji Ning nodded lightly: "No rush."

Under normal circumstances, whether a set of One Qi Nine Yuan Pearls could be exchanged for these treasures was uncertain. But with the great calamity approaching, the One Qi Nine Yuan Pearls could be used immediately, while a bowstring required a truly excellent bow to match. Among the top archers in the Three Realms, who didn't have their own customary bows? So at this time, Ji Ning believed the Xia Emperor would help.

"As a member of the ancient imperial clan, a disciple of the Redbright Dao Ancestor, and rumored to be a sworn brother of the Yinglong Dao Ancestor. Such a bowstring is hard to find, but the Xia Emperor should be able to obtain it," Ji Ning waited.

The celestial fox also took his leave for the time being.

Time passed.

Only two hours later, at dusk, the celestial fox arrived again.

"Seeing Senior Celestial Fox, I guessed that the bowstring has been found," Ji Ning said with a smile.

"My master went to great trouble and finally found this bowstring for you," the celestial fox said with a smile, tossing a golden gourd to Ji Ning. "All the treasures you asked for are inside this gourd. Take a careful look." In the Great Xia imperial capital, he wasn't worried about Ji Ning taking the treasures and fleeing.

Not to mention Ji Ning, even true immortals and celestial gods from the Netherworld Gate or the Ten Thousand Demon Cave dared not provoke the Xia Emperor in the Great Xia imperial capital!

"What a generous gesture. This gourd itself is a supreme-grade immortal treasure, containing a small space," Ji Ning said with a laugh.

"It's yours," the celestial fox said casually.

Ji Ning held the golden gourd and carefully examined it. Inside floated elixirs with dense auras, each containing astonishingly pure and vast energy—all pure yang elixirs. There were also many oddities for Uncle Bai's formations, and a set of Fuxi staff formations, also prepared for Uncle Bai! The more advanced the Fuxi staff formation, the greater its power.

"The bowstring... the arrows..." Ji Ning looked with immense satisfaction.

A black bowstring floated inside the golden gourd, along with several hundred fiery red arrows, though these arrows were only top-grade immortal rank.

...

Inside the Water Mansion.

"Haha, another bowstring has arrived!" the black-robed youth beside him exclaimed excitedly. "Master, you're truly formidable. You haven't even become a celestial immortal, yet you've managed to obtain such an excellent bowstring. Though it's just a bowstring, it's rarer and more precious than an ordinary supreme-grade pure yang treasure!"

Ji Ning smiled and began to attach the bowstring to the bow.

When it was fully connected.

"Humm~~~"

The black great bow floated in midair, and waves of black watery light began to emerge on the bow. Though the bow emitted black watery light, when it reached the bowstring, it turned into fiery light.

"Hahaha... with this bowstring, even compared to ancient times, it's almost the same!" the black-robed youth said excitedly.

Ji Ning nodded with a smile.

The Luohou Bow was a top-grade innate spirit treasure. Normally, a top-grade innate spirit treasure shouldn't be easily damaged! But its bowstring had broken because the bow and the bowstring were fundamentally different—the bowstring was relatively more fragile. Even for true gods, it was possible to snap a divine bow's string by pulling too hard. When one's power increased greatly, a sudden pull could snap the string! After snapping, one would replace it with a better one. This was why, even with a broken string, the Luohou Bow could still draw upon the power of heaven and earth to attack Ji Ning.

"Now I have my divine bow, arrows, and my Star Picking Hand has reached the fourth stage. Although my 'Houyi Archery' is only at the beginner level, it's enough to unleash tremendous power," Ji Ning thought with anticipation.

His archery was only at the beginner level, but that was compared to Houyi Archery. In the Three Realms, Ji Ning was already a skilled archer, as he could use 'heartforce'.

Heartforce was mysterious and unfathomable!

Unlike all other forces, it was even difficult to grasp, yet 'heartforce' was extremely powerful. In the Three Realms, to become a divine archer, being able to use 'heartforce' was a threshold. Ji Ning had clearly crossed that threshold, and he also understood the mysteries of divine power circulation in Houyi Archery.

Combined with a top-grade innate divine bow and the power of the Star Picking Hand!

"When I cultivate Houyi Archery to a profound level, I'll be able to easily kill enemies from a million miles away," Ji Ning anticipated.

...

Then Ji Ning entered the Water Mansion's secret chamber to cultivate the *Eight Nine Mystic Art*. His battle with the Red Snow Demon had made him realize that although he seemed invulnerable, if he encountered a true immortal or celestial god, they could easily crush him. So he needed to improve quickly... After all, with the great calamity of the Three Realms, having more means was never wrong.

This time, he was about to truly clash with the Shaoyin clan—how could he lack some life-saving measures?

"Gulp." Ji Ning swallowed elixirs like candy, continuously refining them.

To reach the third stage of the *Eight Nine Mystic Art*, one needed one hundred supreme-grade immortal elixirs.

To reach the sixth stage required about a thousand times that—a full one hundred thousand supreme-grade immortal elixirs! That was roughly equivalent to one hundred supreme-grade pure yang elixirs! If exchanged for treasures, a single set of One Qi Nine Yuan Pearls wouldn't be enough. This time, Ji Ning had only obtained pure yang elixirs equivalent to twenty supreme-grade pure yang elixirs in energy.

"Rumble~~~"

Ji Ning's body rumbled continuously. His bones clashed like great mountains, his muscles collided like two continents, and his divine body was constantly tempered to become stronger.

Fourth stage of the *Eight Nine Mystic Art*—achieved!

Fifth stage of the *Eight Nine Mystic Art*—achieved!

"Phew." Ji Ning stopped.

"Using half of the elixirs, I've reached the fifth stage. I'll keep the remaining elixirs... In life-and-death battles, divine power consumption is too fast, and these elixirs can easily replenish it. Now my divine body is comparable to a top-grade immortal treasure," Ji Ning felt that every move he made possessed terrifying power.

His divine body itself was a treasure!

Even his movements were swifter.

...

Ji Ning left Tianbao Mountain. Although only two days had passed since he entered, his strength had undergone astonishing improvements! The fourth stage of the Star Picking Hand, the fifth stage of the *Eight Nine Mystic Art*, the restored Luohou Bow... and the formation master Uncle Bai's power had also greatly increased.

Yan Manor.

Ji Ning arrived outside Yan Manor. This time, when moving against the Shaoyin clan, how could he forget his cousin Wei Chi Xiyue, who hated the Shaoyin clan the most and would go to any lengths for revenge?

Without needing an announcement, Ji Ning entered the manor and soon saw Wei Chi Xiyue.

"Cousin." Ji Ning and Wei Chi Xiyue were alone under a pavilion. With a thought, he completely sealed off the surroundings.

"What's wrong?" Wei Chi Xiyue asked, seeing Ji Ning's demeanor.

"The Shaoyin clan—it's time to repay their blood debt," Ji Ning said in a low voice.

Wei Chi Xiyue was startled and stood up abruptly.

...