Ninth In the World

Panda Novel

When Di Jiu took a look at everyone else, he realized that none of them knew Ji Rui.

Huan Mingzi said, “Di Jiu, if you want the Embodiment of Truth Fern Fruit, I would suggest that you wait here one more day. Usually, after the closing of the Small Central Planet, an auction is held on the Small Central Planet Square. You could take a look at the auction. Various rare top-notch spiritual herbs will be sold there.”

Di Jiu was about to ask where the auction would be held when Yu Jie said anxiously, “I saw that person…”

“Who?” asked Di Jiu immediately.

Yu Jie pointed to a sect occupying a relatively large piece of land a distance away and said, “I saw Ji Rui enter the Ax Overlord Palace. I suspect that he also saw me and Beizi.”

Di Jiu nodded his head at Huan Mingzi and said, “Senior Huan, you and Senior Xi can take Yu Jie and everyone else and get a cave abode. Stay there first. I will find you and discuss the True Dominion Genius Tournament after I’ve settled everything here. Geng Ji and Junior Sister Beizi will follow me to the Ax Overlord Palace’s encampment.”

“Do you need either Senior Brother Huan Mingzi or me to head over with you?” Xian Ze asked hurriedly.

Huan Mingzi chuckled. “The Ax Overlord Palace is a mere level-eight sect. If Di Jiu and Geng Ji could not even handle this, we’d need not consider participating in the True Dominion Genius Tournament. Let’s go, everyone. I will get us a cave abode. Everything else can wait until Di Jiu comes back.”

Xian Ze chuckled. “That’s true.”

Even if Di Jiu’s strength was insufficient, given Geng Ji’s fourth-stage Life Tribulation Realm cultivation base, they should have no trouble retreating unscathed.

Di Jiu led the Guild Master and Ceng Beizi, who was missing an arm, to the Ax Overlord Palace’s encampment. The reason he brought Geng Ji along was because he knew very well that they would most likely have to kill Protectorate Lord Level Experts when the two of them arrived at the True Dominion. They needed to get used to battling together so that they would develop a tacit understanding.

…

Although the Ax Overlord Palace was inferior to the five large sects, it was still considered a top-notch sect on the Small Central Planet. There were not many eight-star sects on the entire Small Central Planet. The Ax Overlord Palace was not an ordinary eight-star sect, for it was said that it could attain a nine-star ranking during the next star competition.

The Ax Overlord Palace wanted to enter the ranks of nine-star sects. All three palace masters of the Ax Overlord Palace had come to the Small World Planet after it had opened.

When Yu Jie had seen Ji Rui, Ji Rui had spotted her too and realized that he had been seen.

If it had not been for that Ice Vine, the fact that Yu Jie and Ceng Beizi had escaped from him would not have mattered. However, that Ice Vine was simply too valuable, which was why he was constantly thinking about eliminating the two of them.

When he saw Yu Jie and Ceng Beizi standing beside Di Jiu, he felt goosebumps all over his body.

He had heard of Di Jiu’s name before. Di Jiu had defeated Jin Xun a few years ago and entered the Sea Roll. If he’d faced Jin Xun now, he would probably have been no match for him. Needless to say, he would not be able to beat Di Jiu, who had defeated Jin Xun.

At the moment, the news that Di Jiu had killed Yue Henghe, who had ranked second on the Tripod Roll, had yet to travel. Otherwise, Ji Rui would most likely have been way more frightened.

What concerned Ji Rui even more was that Di Jiu seemed to be backed-up by Huan Mingzi. Although he had heard that Huan Mingzi had been exiled from the Prophecy Island, he was still halfway to the Domain Realm. It did not matter much that he had been exiled, for Huan Mingzi remained an existence that the Ax Overlord Palace, including Ji Rui, could not provoke.

Ji Rui’s only thought was that he could not keep the Ice Vine in his possession any longer. He needed the sect to back him up.

The Ax Overlord Palace was having a meeting at the moment. The three palace masters and the various inner sect elders were all present. The main reason for this meeting was that the sect had gained a lot this time. The three palace masters had all been to the Small World Planet and obtained mountainous piles of high-level spiritual herbs. Besides high-level spiritual herbs, other items were also necessary for the further development of the sect. The main objective of this meeting was therefore to make preparations to take out a portion of these herbs and exchange them at the auction.

It was at that moment that Ji Rui rushed into the temporary conference hall. The elders and the three palace masters, who had all been talking heatedly, looked at Ji Rui in surprise, incapable of understanding how he could have the guts to do such a thing.

Ji Rui could be considered a genius of the Ax Overlord Palace. Furthermore, he was a direct descendant of the third Palace Master, Huang Chuanlun, and had attained the sixth-stage Pioneer Sea Realm on the Small World Planet. He would most likely be promoted to an outer sect elder once they returned to the sect.

Huang Chuanlun’s face sank when he saw Ji Rui crash the conference so disrespectfully. “Ji Rui, we are in the midst of a conference. Why did you barge in without a reason?”

Only inner sect elders and higher officials could attend this meeting. Ji Rui was an inner sect disciple, so he did not qualify to participate. However, Ji Rui was also the direct descendant of Huang Chuanlun, so despite the dark expressions on their faces, the eldest Palace Master and the second Palace Master said nothing.

Ji Rui bowed hastily and said, “I came here to ask for forgiveness.”

Ask for forgiveness? All the cultivators in the conference hall stared at Ji Rui questioningly. Did people still ask for forgiveness in this day and age?

“I obtained an Ice Vine on the Small World Planet…”

As Ji Rui’s words exploded in the conference hall like a bomb, almost everyone stood up.

The Ice Vine was a treasure that could refine the True Vine Elixir. This treasure was considered extinct both in the Small Central World and the True Dominion.

The True Vine Elixir was an elixir that could give a Life Tribulation Realm cultivator a 40 percent chance of attaining the True Form Realm. The effects of the True Vine Elixir were twice as strong as those of the True Spirit Elixir.

When combined with a good cultivation foundation, a good cultivation technique and some cultivating resources, using a True Vine Elixir could give a Life Tribulation Realm cultivator a 90 percent chance of attaining the True Form Realm. Anyone who heard that Ji Rui had obtained an Ice Vine would be shocked.

“Did you truly obtain an Ice Vine?” Huang Chuanlun was so excited that his voice had started quivering. He was at the eighth-stage Life Tribulation Realm himself. Thanks to what he had acquired during this trip to the Small Central Planet, he would be attaining the ninth-stage Life Tribulation Realm soon enough. Once he achieved that, he was going to prepare to break through to the True Form Realm.

No True Form Realm Cultivator had appeared in the Small Central World for many years, partially because the Dao runes of the Small Central World had started to become indistinct. However, it was mainly because cultivating resources in the Small Central World were scarce. How could one rely on their potential to attain the True Form Realm without an elixir that could allow one to gain insight into the True Form Realm?

“I truly did obtain an Ice Vine,” Ji Rui said hastily. “I was too selfish, so I only thought of keeping it for myself. When I thought through it clearly, I decided to give this Ice Vine to the sect. I will only become stronger if the sect grows stronger. I would do anything for the sect.”

“Good!” The eldest Palace Master Ji Hang slapped the jade table beside him, looking extremely excited. He did not understand why Ji Rui would offer up the Ice Vine. However, if the Ice Vine was turned into a True Vine Elixir, the Ax Overlord Palace could become a nine-star sect no weaker than the five large sects.

Boom! The door of the conference hall was kicked open, as though seconding Ji Hang’s excitement.

Only a noise-isolation restriction had been set up in this temporary conference hall. Thus, one could enter the hall with just a push of the door. As a result, someone had kicked open the door and destroyed it. This was evidently a deliberate act.

Almost everyone took out their Dharma treasures and stared at the three cultivators who walked in.

Ji Hang did not need to look at the face of the person walking ahead to know who it was. He recognized the saber with the red embellishments on the man’s back. Di Jiu had earned quite a reputation recently after all. Behind Di Jiu was a tall, sturdy man and a lady who was missing an arm.

Ji Rui looked at Di Jiu in disbelief. He had imagined that Di Jiu would deal with him in secret, which was why he had been planning to head back to the sect and let the sect masters use the Ice Vine as an excuse. By offering up the Ice Vine, he would be able to remain in the sect and enter reclusive cultivation, even if he did not leave the sect. He refused to believe that Di Jiu would dare provoke the Ax Overlord Palace while he was in seclusion.

However, he had not expected that Di Jiu would destroy the sect’s encampment door with a kick before he could even bring up his request. This was too bold an act, even though Di Jiu had Huan Mingzi’s support.

“It’s you?” When he saw Di Jiu, Ji Hang, who was filled with killing intent, frowned and gave up any notion of attacking.

He was not afraid of Di Jiu. However, Di Jiu was a little strange. Rumor had it that he had been involved in the disappearance of the Genesis Sect Master. It was already curious that one of the 36 Kings of the True Form Realm would get involved with a nobody. However, it was even stranger that Huan Mingzi was backing up Di Jiu.

That was right. In Ji Hang’s eyes, Di Jiu was a nobody.

Fortunately, Huan Mingzi had not come along this time. Although there was a fourth-stage Life Tribulation Realm cultivator present, that kind of strength was insufficient for him to cause any trouble for the Ax Overlord Palace.

“Di Jiu, our sect has not offended you. Did you think that our sect was easy to bully? Is that why you destroyed our door without a reason?” By the time Ji Hang completed this sentence, two elders were already blocking Di Jiu’s path of retreat.

Publicly kicking open the Ax Overlord Palace’s door was akin to tarnishing the sect’s reputation. The Ax Overlord Palace would not be able to become a nine-star sect in the future if matters of such a nature were not settled properly. Ji Hang was waiting to see Huan Mingzi’s attitude towards this matter. If Huan Mingzi did not show up, he would kill Di Jiu.

A sly old fox like Huan Mingzi would definitely not become enemies with the Ax Overlord Palace over a dead cultivator.

Ji Hang’s Spiritual Force was not on Di Jiu. Instead, he was paying attention to the situation outside. He was surprised when he confirmed that Huan Mingzi would not be coming. What was Di Jiu relying on? How could he be so arrogant without Huan Mingzi’s support? Did he truly think that he was infallible because he was the Young Master Red Embellishment?

Although Di Jiu sensed Ji Hang’s killing intent, he paid no heed to it. His gaze scanned the temporary hall once before he said slowly, “There is someone called ‘chicken’ something here [1. The hanyu pinyin of chicken is also ‘ji’]. I don’t care whether you are a female chicken or a wild chicken. Step out and let me take a look at you.”

Di Jiu had actually seen Ji Rui, who was standing aside. He was just waiting for Ji Hang to attack. The moment Ji Hang took action, he would have an excuse to exterminate the Ax Overlord Palace. Otherwise, he would only be able to teach Ji Rui a lesson.

The five large sects and the eight-star sects were nothing. Di Jiu knew very well that nothing was more important in this world than strength.