Chapter 82

On the day Mu Xiao Zhenren left for Anpan City, he specially instructed Ji Ning alone before he went: "Ji Ning, you have extremely high talent, destined to tread the path of immortality! Cultivators have long lifespans, unless your relatives and friends also cultivate, you will only watch them grow old and die one by one. This is actually a test of your Dao heart. Since you have chosen to cultivate... you must be prepared for these things. Even if you are in deep sorrow, you must rise above it. Otherwise, you will not be able to escape death in the future calamities and tribulations."

...

After Mu Xiao Zhenren left, Ji Jiu Huo immediately went to the mountain where Bo Zi Shan had been hiding, as there were the armor and weapons of the dragon there.

Ji Ning, on the other hand, went to the Winged Snake Lake alone.

"There is still hope, my mother still has a chance to live." Ji Ning ran wildly through the mountains and wilderness, occasionally using the Wind Wing Escape Technique to move forward, running much faster than a black sly beast. He consumed a large portion of his divine power, and in just an hour, he arrived at the Winged Snake Lake.

"That ancient water palace has had several generations of masters. Ju Hua Immortal was the third master. Even if we don't talk about the other masters, Ju Hua Immortal alone lived for several million years as a wandering immortal. He must have had many elixirs, including those that can extend the lifespan of mortals." Ji Ning stepped onto the island.

"Master."

"Welcome, Master."

There were already many people on the island building mansions. Qiu Ye and the young boy Qing Shi were also there. They greeted Ji Ning as he stepped onto the island.

"I have something to do, all of you step back." After giving the order, Ji Ning vanished in a flash, leaving Qiu Ye and the servants puzzled.

He quickly arrived at the entrance of the nest cave, delved deeper, and soon reached the spot where he had been teleported last time.

"Senior."

Ji Ning called out anxiously, "Let me into the water palace quickly, I have an urgent matter."

The dark nest cave passage was silent, with no response, making Ji Ning even more anxious. The black old ox had said... wait until Ji Ning refined the talisman to come back. But now he was only at the early stage of innate spirit, and it would take a long time to reach the stage of opening the Purple Mansion. His mother only had three months left, and with no other options, he could only plead!

"Senior, I have a matter of life and death, please let me in." Ji Ning pleaded anxiously.

Silence.

Whoosh~~

The surrounding space suddenly distorted, and a huge bear head shadow appeared in the cave. The bear head opened its mouth and swallowed Ji Ning, who disappeared in the cave.

******

The space changed, and then everything was calm.

Ji Ning looked around and saw the magnificent ancient hall. Inside the hall were enormous cushions, and a black old ox walked over, sighing, "Ji Ning, didn't I say before that after you refine the talisman, you will naturally be able to sense the water palace and can enter at any time? You are only at the innate spirit stage, why did you come in now?"

"Senior." Ji Ning said, "My mother is critically ill, I have no other choice but to come here for help."

"Your mother is critically ill?" The black old ox shook his head, "Since you have chosen the path of immortality, you must be prepared for these things."

Ji Ning shook his head, "Senior, my mother is still young, she shouldn't die early! I had a Wuxiang Zhenren examine my mother... He said that my mother used a secret technique to save me, which consumed her vitality. Now her vitality is almost depleted, and she has only three months left. To save my mother, I need an elixir that can extend the lifespan of mortals. This kind of elixir, even the Wuxiang Zhenren has only heard of, and it is likely only possessed by immortals. I have no other choice but to come to this water palace."

"An elixir that can extend the lifespan of mortals?" The black old ox sighed, "That is already considered a divine elixir, which only ordinary wandering immortals and earth immortals can produce."

"Ju Hua Immortal is not an ordinary wandering immortal, he must have such an elixir, right?" Ji Ning asked urgently.

The black old ox looked at Ji Ning and shook his head, "Ju Hua Immortal lived for several million years, and his relatives have long since died. He has no need for such elixirs, so he does not have them."

Ji Ning's heart trembled.

"Then..." Ji Ning said, "The treasures left by Ju Hua Immortal must be numerous. I can exchange one of them for the divine elixir—"

As soon as he spoke, Ji Ning knew he was wrong.

Because of his desire for his mother to live, he had lost his composure and spoke without measure.

"Foolish!" The black old ox shouted, "You just said that even the Wuxiang Zhenren has only heard of such a divine elixir. Who are you going to exchange it with? You, a mere innate spirit, if you take out such a treasure, powerful cultivators will likely kill you to take it. How can you exchange it without any power?"

"Moreover! You haven't even refined the talisman, you can only stay in the hall, and you can't go anywhere else in the water palace. Why should I give you one of Ju Hua Immortal's treasures?" The black old ox shook his head, "And this is not something I can decide."

"Not something you can decide?" Ji Ning was stunned, "Then..."

The black old ox sighed, "I am merely the spirit of a treasure that Ju Hua Immortal carried with him! The true master of the entire water palace is the spirit of the water palace!"

"The spirit of the water palace?" Ji Ning was puzzled.

The black old ox said, "The entire water palace was created by the first master, and it is very mysterious. Even Ju Hua Immortal felt there were secrets in the water palace that he had not discovered. The spirit of the water palace... strictly follows the rules set by the first master and will not violate them in the slightest."

"Teleporting outsiders into the water palace, the spirit of the water palace can do. But letting you go to other places in the water palace? Without refining the water palace, it is absolutely impossible." The black old ox said, "It will not give you one of Ju Hua Immortal's treasures either, as it absolutely follows the orders of the first master."

Ji Ning was stunned.

"Even if the fourth master died outside, the water palace would simply find the next master." The black old ox shook his head, "The spirit of a treasure is different from your human race. You can adapt, but we strictly follow the will of our master."

Ji Ning understood that there were many talisman patterns and restrictions on treasures. Like some puppets... even if the master has been dead for a long time, the puppet must still follow the master's orders. The same applies to cave-type treasures. After the cave master dies, the spirit of the cave will strictly follow the rules set by the master.

Realizing this, Ji Ning felt a deep sense of despair.

The black old ox looked at Ji Ning, "On the path of cultivation, you will watch your relatives grow old and die, and you will watch your friends die in battle... You must learn to bear all this! Go!"

Whoosh!

A bear head shadow appeared and swallowed Ji Ning.

...

Ji Ning returned to Xifu City and to his mother's side. It was already dark.

"Ning'er." Wei Chi Xue, lying on the chair, her eyes lit up when she saw her son, "Where did you go? I couldn't find you earlier."

"Mother." Ji Ning approached and knelt beside her, holding her hand, "I went out for a while, but I won't go out again. I will stay with you, always with you."

Wei Chi Xue gently stroked her son's hair and smiled, "It's fine, if you have something to do, just do it. Remember to come and see your mother."

"Okay." Ji Ning nodded lightly, trying hard not to cry.

All he could do was stay by his mother's side for the last three months, which was the greatest filial piety he could show.

...

Night.

His mother had already fallen asleep, and Ji Yichuan and Ji Ning, father and son, were in the hall.

"Father." Ji Ning looked at his father, "It's time to tell me, what exactly happened back then?"

Ji Yichuan looked at his son and recalled the story of Ji Ning in the mountain as told by Meng Yu and others. He understood that his son had grown up and sighed, "Back then, when your mother was pregnant, we decided to return to the Ji Clan. Your uncle was worried and insisted on escorting us."

"Uncle?" Ji Ning had never heard of having an uncle.

"Your uncle's name is Wei Chi Shan." Ji Yichuan's eyes were filled with reminiscence, "Your uncle was very smart, knew how to get along with people, and had many friends. He became a Purple Mansion cultivator at a young age. If it weren't for escorting us, your uncle might have had a chance to rebuild the Wei Chi Clan. Unfortunately, your uncle died, sacrificing his life to save our family of three. Our lives were bought with his life! This great kindness... is hard to repay!"

Ji Ning felt a heavy weight.

Uncle! Wei Chi Shan!

A name he had never heard before, now deeply etched in his heart.

"I only heard that your uncle had a daughter, your cousin. Unfortunately, I don't know where she is." Ji Yichuan shook his head and sighed, "There is no way to repay, no way to repay."

"What exactly happened back then? Who killed your uncle and left my mother with a lingering illness?" Ji Ning asked urgently, "Who is it?"