Taken Away, Nine Years Later

"Bring Xiaoyun back!" The patriarch of the Dongyan Clan personally gave the order.

"Yes, sir."

The Loose Immortal Beiqu respectfully accepted the order and led a large group of cultivators away from the Dongyan Mountain Range of Shangshui Commandery that very day.

This day marked only two days since Chen Jin's sudden death.

The news of Chen Jin's death was kept strictly confidential. Apart from the core members of the Black-White College and the Chen Clan, no one outside knew that he had fallen.

The next day, the sun shone brightly.

Since Ji An's return, and with the Circumferential Spirit-Gathering Formation being fully completed within the past year, the Ji Clan West Prefecture has become a completely different place, leaping to become one of the only two core areas in the entire Yan Mountain region and even the surrounding territories, on par with Myriad Swords City.

If the Ji An family had not always been indifferent to power and had no interest in vying for empty fame, the Ji Clan West Prefecture would probably have long since replaced Myriad Swords City as the unique center of the Yan Mountain region.

"Um?"

On the street, Ji Ning was walking side by side with Nine Lotus when he suddenly frowned and subconsciously looked up at the sky.

Nine Lotus also sensed something and looked up following Ji Ning's gaze.

The once clear, cloudless blue sky was suddenly shrouded in a huge shadow.

The shadowy figure blotted out the sky; it was a jet-black warship, its hull towering like a mountain, resembling a war fortress suspended high in the sky.

On the warship, battle flags fluttered in the wind, the two characters "Dongyan" on the flags flying in a flamboyant style, clearly indicating the identity of the newcomers.

What's even more chilling is that the entire warship is permeated with a terrifying aura that makes Heaven and Earth and earth tremble.

On both sides of the ship's side, rows of cultivators dressed in standard Daoist Soldier Armor stood solemnly, their auras calm and steady, each one clearly at the Wanxiang Adept realm.

The massive warship slowly descended, eventually hovering steadily above the Ji Clan West Prefecture, its hull positioned directly in front of Ji Ning and Nine Lotus.

Before this colossal vessel, exceeding a thousand feet in length, Ji Ning, Nine Lotus, and the ordinary people who were passing by on the street all appeared so small, like ants.

"My God! What is that? It's so big it blots out the sky! Whose warship is that?!"

"Look at those ten soldiers, they're all Wanxiang Adept! Could it be that the Ji Clan's Zhou Circumferential Spirit-Gathering Formation has angered some top-tier power?"

"The Dongyan Clan —I've never heard of that name before?"

These cultivators from Yan Mountain had never seen such a scene before, and they were immediately thrown into an uproar, with voices of discussion rising and falling.

Just then, a loud "whoosh" was heard.

The deck at the bow of the warship slowly separated, revealing a wide white jade passageway that descended directly onto the street surface, extending in front of Ji Ning and Nine Lotus.

A man dressed in a golden Daoist robe stepped forward from the passage. His expression was stern; he was none other than the Immortal Beiqu was leading the group.

Behind him followed nine cultivators with overwhelming auras, all of whom were clearly powerful cultivators at the Primordial Spirit Daoist level!

Further behind was a group of guards also clad in imposing armor, their auras refined; they were none other than the renowned Xuanming Guards of the Dongyan Clan, each possessing the cultivation of Wanxiang Adept.

This group of cultivators walked in together, and an invisible pressure spread out like a tide. Wherever they passed, even the surrounding space seemed to freeze, and the air was so stuffy that it was almost impossible to breathe.

Such terrifying martial power would be enough to wipe out even a major sect like Snow Dragon Mountain in the blink of an eye.

"Leading the group is Immortal Beiqu of my Dongyan Clan, a renowned Loose Immortal. Behind him are his nine Nascent Primordial Spirit Daoist disciples, and further back are the Xuanming Guards of my Dongyan Clan, each of them at the Wanxiang Adept realm." Nine Lotus's expression changed slightly as she transmitted her voice.

"It's nothing," Ji Ning said in a deep, steady voice.

Just now, Immortal Beiqu and the nine Primordial Spirit Daoists simultaneously released their Divine Senses, crushing towards Ji Ning, determined to give this native tribe brat a taste of his power.

Ji Ning felt a violent tremor in his Sea of Consciousness, as if a thousand thunderbolts were exploding. He immediately visualized the Nuwa Painting to stabilize his soul and barely withstood the impact of this Divine Sense.

The golden-robed Immortal Beiqu frowned almost imperceptibly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He thought this attack would be enough to intimidate his opponent, but he didn't expect that this seemingly unremarkable young man would have such a powerful soul at such a young age.

"Master, this kid—could he be a reincarnated immortal?" A disciple of the Primordial Spirit Daoist beside him asked in surprise and doubt.

"Even if he is truly a reincarnated immortal, so what?" Immortal Beiqu replied calmly via telepathy, his tone tinged with disdain. "A reincarnated immortal is nothing more than someone who failed to transcend tribulation in his previous life and thus re-entered the cycle of reincarnation. To achieve the status of Heavenly Immortal again in this life is as difficult as ascending to heaven! To my Dongyan Clan, he is utterly insignificant."

As the Divine Sense slowly receded, Ji Ning's heart suddenly tightened.

This person is up to no good! The Dongyan Clan is clearly here for me, or for Nine Lotus!

The Divine Sense impact on the Dongyan Clan had just subsided when a furious roar suddenly erupted.

"Presumptuous!"

Immediately afterward, a burly, crimson figure appeared beside Ji Ning as if by teleportation.

The figure was tall and imposing, with a resolute face; it was none other than Zhu Yan, the guardian of the Ji Clan West Prefecture!

Zhu Yan's eyes blazed with fury, giving the other party no chance to explain.

With a roar that shook the Heaven and Earth, his figure suddenly swelled, revealing his divine and demonic form, which was a thousand feet tall!

Its body was covered with lava-like crimson patterns, and flames rose all around it, its terrifying aura sweeping across the surroundings like a tsunami.

If Ji An hadn't quietly moved the surrounding mortal cultivators to safety the instant he appeared, that dissipated aura alone would have been enough to annihilate their souls!

Without any fancy moves, Zhu Yan raised his giant hand, which was burning with dark red flames, and with a devastating force, he slammed it down on the Dongyan Clan!

"Form ranks!"

Immortal Beiqu's expression suddenly changed drastically. He never expected that such a terrifying existence was hidden in this small Ji Clan West Prefecture!

He roared, and at the same time, the nine Primordial Spirit Daoist disciples behind him and the Xuanming Guards dared not be negligent in the slightest. They all activated their full magical power and joined forces to set up a defensive array to resist desperately.

However, in the face of absolute power, all resistance seems so pale and laughable!

"Boom!!"

A deafening roar resounded through the Heaven and Earth. The massive, black warship, comparable to a war fortress, was instantly shattered and disintegrated like a child's toy under Zhu Yan's palm strike.

Those Xuanming Guards, clad in standard Soldier Armor, didn't even have time to utter a scream before being reduced to dust and vanished into the Heaven and Earth by that terrifying palm force.

Only the Immortal Beiqu, with his formidable cultivation as Loose Immortal, and the combined efforts of his nine Primordial Spirit Daoist disciples to activate their protective magic treasures, managed to barely survive this palm strike.

Even so, all ten men were spitting blood and were weak, clearly suffering serious injuries.

"Void Returning: God and Demon!"

Immortal Beiqu gazed at Zhu Yan's thousand-foot-tall divine and demonic form, he exclaimed in shock, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "It's actually a naturally formed, Void Returning Demon?!"

He simply couldn't believe his eyes!

The Void Returning God-Demon is a terrifying existence comparable to Heavenly Immortal!

How could someone of such stature condescend to govern the small Ji Clan Yan Mountain?

It should be noted that even within the Dongyan Clan, there has never been a Void Returning God or Demon!

Zhu Yan's attack was merely a casual gesture, yet it nearly wiped out their entire group.

You must know that he, Immortal Beiqu, is a top-tier Loose Immortal who has lived for 100,000 years. Even ordinary Primordial Spirit Daoists are nothing but ants in his eyes. Yet, in the hands of this Void Returning God and Demon, he is so utterly vulnerable!

Zhu Yan's eyes still held killing intent, and he slowly raised his giant hand again, clearly intending to kill Immortal Beiqu and his nine heavily injured disciples as well.

He knew very well that his master, Ji An, valued his family, and Ji Ning was his younger brother. These people dared to put pressure on Ji Ning in his own territory; they were simply courting death!

"Senior Zhu Yan, please show mercy!"

At this critical moment, Nine Lotus hurriedly shouted, "They—they are my people! I beg you, senior, spare their lives!"

Everything that just happened happened in the Lightning Flash, in a mere instant.

Only now did Nine Lotus truly realize that this usually taciturn, crimson-haired giant who only knew how to follow Ji An was actually a Void Returning God-Demon comparable to a Heavenly Immortal!

This information struck her like a thunderbolt, making her suddenly realize that Ji An, described in the intelligence as an "ordinary Earth Immortal," was truly just an ordinary Earth Immortal?

The strength of someone who could make Void Returning God-Demon willingly submit to them must be far beyond her imagination!

At this moment, in Nine Lotus's eyes, the Ji Clan West Prefecture was no longer that remote and impoverished little tribe, but a terrifying force that might be even more powerful than the Dongyan Clan!

A strong sense of panic welled up inside me for no apparent reason.

This panic wasn't because the Dongyan Clan had lost a few Xuanming Guards of the Myriad Wanxiang Adept. To the Dongyan Clan, these were merely consumables that could be replenished at any time, and didn't amount to much of a loss.

She couldn't explain where this panic came from; she only felt that the situation, which had been under her complete control, seemed to have completely spiraled out of control at this moment.

Just as Zhu Yan's giant hand was about to strike, a calm voice suddenly rang out in the arena.

"Alright, Zhu Yan, stop."

The space rippled slightly, and a figure dressed in silver and gold robes slowly walked out and stood in front of Zhu Yan.

The figure was tall and slender with a handsome face; it was Ji An.

His figure appeared so small, like a speck of dust, compared to Zhu Yan's towering, god-demon form.

But his appearance caused Zhu Yan to instantly suppress all his killing intent and oppressive aura.

Zhu Yan lowered his massive head slightly, the ferocity in his eyes vanishing completely, replaced by utmost respect, and replied in a deep voice.

Response: "Yes, Master."

As soon as he finished speaking, his thousand-foot-tall divine and demonic form rapidly shrank, eventually transforming into human form and reverting to the burly, crimson-red giant who stood behind Ji An with his head bowed, as if the world-destroying being from just moments ago was not him.

Upon seeing this, Immortal Beiqu felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly struggled to his feet and bowed deeply to Ji An, his posture extremely humble, his tone filled with undisguised awe and lingering fear. "Senior—please calm your anger! This junior, Bei Qu, was sent by the ancestor of my Dongyan Clan to invite our young patriarch, Nine Lotus, back to the clan. Just now—just now I used my Divine Sense on young friend Ji Ning test his strength, and I had absolutely no intention of harming him. I humbly beg you, senior, to be magnanimous and forgive our offense!"

He no longer dared to show the slightest arrogance, and even changed his address from "young man" to "young friend."

Compared to the Void Returning God and Demon, this Loose Immortal was utterly insignificant.

He knew in his heart that if they couldn't quell this senior's anger today, they would all likely perish here.

It should be noted that even the ancestor of the Dongyan Clan never revealed his Heavenly Immortal cultivation. Although the clan's higher-ups all speculated that the ancestor was Heavenly Immortal, the ancestor never admitted it himself.

That ancestor was the true leader of the Dongyan Clan, an ancient being who had lived for hundreds of millions of years. His strength was unfathomable, far surpassing that of Loose Immortal. Occasionally, when he made a move, even Loose Immortal would be no match for him. However, the ancestor lived in seclusion for many years, not concerning himself with clan affairs, yet his word was law. Even dismissing a tribal leader was just a matter of a word, demonstrating his extraordinary status.

Even such an ancestor would probably have to think twice before facing a Void Returning God-Demon, right?

Ji An ignored Immortal Beiqu's explanation, his gaze sweeping over him indifferently before turning to Nine Lotus, whose expression was complex. His voice was calm. "Nine Lotus, this is the Ji Clan West Prefecture. As long as you don't want to go back, you can stay here in peace. No one in this world can force you to return."

He was well aware that the ancestor of the Dongyan Clan was a rare True Immortal powerhouse in the entire Great Xia World.

But so what? That ancestor has concealed his strength for so long, he absolutely does not believe that the other party would reveal his true cultivation level for such a trivial matter.

"The ancestor—" Nine Lotus bit her lower lip tightly, her delicate brows furrowed, her heart in turmoil.

She was chosen as the next leader of the Dongyan Clan thanks to the ancestor's favor. The ancestor had always doted on her, and in the Dongyan Clan, the ancestor's words were orders that could not be disobeyed.

After a moment's hesitation, Nine Lotus finally raised her head. "I'll go back with you."

Upon hearing this, the Immortal Beiqu nodded slightly.

He never doubted that Nine Lotus would dare to defy the ancestor's orders—in the Dongyan Clan, no one dared to disobey the ancestor unless they intended to betray the entire tribe.

Nine Lotus turned around, looked at Ji Ning beside her, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions, and whispered, "Wait for me."

Ji Ning looked into her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded slightly. "Mm."

"Then, senior, we—we'll take our leave." Immortal Beiqu said cautiously to Ji An, afraid of displeasing this fierce god.

Ji An nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

His gaze swept over Nine Lotus, and he understood.

From this moment forward, perhaps in Ji Ning's heart, this relationship remains pure and without any cracks. But in the heart of this young patriarch of the Dongyan Clan, an irreparable rift has already appeared in this relationship.

This Nine Lotus probably doesn't even realize that she has long been accustomed to controlling everything.

In her heart, the interests of the tribe always came first.

What she wants is for everything around her to be under her control.

Over the years, her dislike for Chen Jin was not because Chen Jin a bad person, but because the Chen Clan behind Chen Jin was so powerful that she could not control it. Therefore, she subconsciously and instinctively resisted Chen Jin.

The reason she fell for Ji Ning was precisely because Ji Ning's tribe, the "Ji Clan," was weak and powerless, and completely under her control.

Even though Ji Ning was exceptionally talented and had an older brother, Ji An, who was rumored to be a "reincarnated immortal," in her eyes, as long as the two of them failed to cultivate into Heavenly Immortals, they would never escape the grasp of her, the future leader of the Dongyan Clan.

But now, everything is different.

Ji An, who was originally described in intelligence as having only the combat strength of an ordinary Loose Immortal, was actually able to command a Void Returning God-Demon! His own strength was probably already comparable to or even surpassed that of Heavenly Immortal!

Such people and such a tribe are definitely not something that the Dongyan Clan can control.

Thinking of this, Nine Lotus felt a mix of emotions.

Without further hesitation, she slowly walked towards the severely injured Immortal Beiqu.

Immediately, she raised her hand and summoned a palm-sized white jade flying boat. The flying boat expanded in the wind and instantly grew to several meters long, landing steadily beside the Dongyan Clan.

The Dongyan Clan felt as if they had been granted a pardon and hurriedly boarded the flying boat, fearing that if they were a step too late, they would lose their lives.

The flying boat slowly rose into the air, Nine Lotus stood at the bow, looking down.

On the ground, Ji Ning stood with his head tilted back, looking up.

Their eyes met in the air, a thousand words unspoken.

"Boom--"

With a soft sound, the white jade flying boat transformed into a streak of Flowing Light, pierced through the clouds, and instantly disappeared above the Ji Clan West Prefecture.

Ji Ning stood still, gazing in the direction the flying boat had gone, without moving an inch for a long time.

He felt empty inside, as if something important was about to leave him.

"Unwilling to accept it?"

Ji An's voice rang out behind Ji Ning.

He walked slowly forward, patted Ji Ning on the shoulder, and said calmly, "Xiao Ning, in the end, it's still because your current strength is too weak."

"If you had my strength now, even if you were the daughter of the Great Xia Emperor, you could keep her without any obstacles."

Ji Ning nodded slowly without speaking, but a fierce flame ignited in his dark eyes.

He knew his brother was right.

In this world where strength reigns supreme, only by becoming powerful can one control their own destiny and keep the people they want to keep.

In the days that followed, Ji An and Ji Ning continued to live in the Ji Clan West Prefecture.

A few days after Nine Lotus left, her personal servant came to the Ji Clan West Prefecture to deliver a message.

The message conveyed was exactly the same as in the original work.

However, this time, whether the phrase "think it over carefully" was instigated by other members of the Dongyan Clan or Nine Lotus's own true thought remains unknown.

Ji Ning's reaction was just like in the original novel.

He couldn't believe that Nine Lotus would say such a thing, and he was filled with resentment. He became even more diligent in his cultivation, almost to the point of neglecting to eat and sleep.

Time flies, and years pass quickly.

Nine years have passed in the blink of an eye.

During these nine years, Ji An spent most of his time in the Ji Clan West Prefecture and rarely even went to the Water Manor.

For Ji An, who possessed the "Universe" cultivation technique, the Water Manor, apart from providing some treasures, did not offer much benefit to his cultivation.

Even the Stars Hall, which contains endless mysteries, is far less effective at comprehending the Grand Dao than directly comprehending the "Universe".

During these nine years, Ji An devoted himself wholeheartedly to comprehending the "Universe," and his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. His understanding of the two Grand Dao, "Heaven and Earth" and "Gengjin," was even more remarkable.

In his first year, he successfully grasped the first level of Spatial Power!

It should be understood that the Spatial Power is extremely mysterious, and it is a power that ordinary cultivators can only access after they have cultivated the "Heaven and Earth Great Dao" to a high level.

Ji An's "Heaven and Earth Great Dao" has not even reached the peak of the Domain Stage.

In the second year, Ji An continued to refine his Spatial Power and successfully broke through to the second level.

This level of Spatial Power is already beyond what ordinary True Immortals can achieve.

In the following years, the "Universe" cultivation technique did not disappoint Ji An. His understanding of Spatial Power and the "Heaven and Earth Great Dao and Earth" became increasingly profound. His Spatial Power broke through to the third level, and his understanding of the "Heaven and Earth Great Dao" reached the peak of the Domain Stage. He was only one step away from fully comprehending the "Heaven and Earth Great Dao"!

In terms of cultivation level, his Qi Refining cultivation level remained at the late stage of Void-Returning Earth Immortal.

Despite Ji An's current immense strength, there is still considerable danger in him attempting to undergo tribulation and break through to the Heavenly Immortal realm.

Therefore, during these nine years, Ji An even stopped cultivating the "Golden Origin Scripture," fearing that his cultivation would break through to the peak of the Returning to Void-Returning Earth Immortal, attracting Heavenly Tribulation and catching him off guard.

However, the Godfiend Body Refinement Method, "Crimsonbright Nine Heavens Diagram," is incredibly smooth to cultivate.

This cultivation technique has no bottlenecks in its minor realms. As long as one continuously absorbs the Power of the Sun and the Power of the Taiyin, one's cultivation level can rise steadily.

Even breaking through to a higher realm was not difficult for Ji An at all.

After nine years of dedicated accumulation and diligent practice day and night, Ji An has now cultivated this technique to the sixteenth level.

Afterwards, he made a special trip to the Water Manor. With his current strength, he easily passed the ninth level of the War God Hall. However, he did not claim the treasures in the palace - after all, he had not yet broken through to the Heavenly Immortal realm, and he could not use the Pure Yang Treasures.

As for the third Immortal Rank treasure he received after breaking through to the Void Returning Realm, Ji An chose the Stars Circumference Sword Formation, which appeared in the original work.

This Stars Circumference Sword Formation inherently contains the power of the ancient Stars Circumference Grand Formation.

Three hundred and sixty top-grade immortal -Immortal Rank flying swords were specially crafted. Once this formation is activated, the three hundred and sixty flying swords will transform into three hundred and sixty dazzling Stars, carrying the majestic power of heaven, and crash down on the enemy with boundless power.