Ninth In the World

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.”

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.