Book 25, Novessence Thunder, Chapter 22 – Treasury
The great door was sixty meters tall and completely black. It was covered with complex silver runes that emanated ripples of might.
Ji Ning and World G.o.d Dragonbinder moved to stand directly in front of the great door.
“This is my first trip to the AllG.o.d Estate.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder let out a sigh. “Just by looking at this door, I can tell that the legends of Daolord AllG.o.d were probably all true! How could a mere door be this complex and profound? This is just one of ten thousand treasures located within these mountains, and yet its restrictive spells are incredibly complex.”
“Let’s go in,” Ning said with a laugh.
“Right.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder nodded.
The two advanced together into the deep, dark hallway past the door.
Rumble…
Ning glanced backwards. As expected, the great door had already closed behind them.
Based on the information Ning had previously purchased, there were ten thousand mountains here and every single mountain had a treasury within it. If anyone pa.s.sed through a treasury door, the door would temporarily swing shut behind them so as to bar any other cultivators from entering! If Ning and World G.o.d Dragonbinder failed in acquiring the treasures located in the treasury, the door would swing open and release the two of them.
If they successfully acquired the treasures, then the entire treasury region would crumble apart and reveal a different hallway that would grant them safe departure.
“There is light up ahead.” Ning sped up just slightly.
“There shouldn’t be any traps.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder was quite excited as well.
The two quickly reached the end of this first hallway. Before them was a s.p.a.cious region that was roughly thirty kilometers in size and filled with a layer of blurry light.
“This is the treasury region.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder revealed a look of excitement. “This treasury region is still intact. That means it still holds its treasures.”
“The treasures are hard to win. Less than one in ten thousand cultivators will succeed in their attempts.” Ning couldn’t help but sigh. Although the trials were quite difficult, so long as the door remained open and a steady stream of cultivators continued to enter this place, sooner or later there would be a successful trial-taker.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Ning and World G.o.d Dragonbinder entered the treasury region of blurry light. Both of them grew more cautious as they did so, because this place had restrictive spells which had been emplaced by Daolord AllG.o.d. Once those spells were triggered, even Daolords might peris.h.!.+
“A corpse.”
Ning stared at the very center of the treasury region. A stone coffin was located there, and a corpse could be made out inside of it. Above the stone coffin hovered a globe of light.
Thanks to their intelligence reports, both Ning and Dragonbinder knew that the light globes were where the treasures were stored! The ten thousand treasures in the mountains were all different. Some had a single powerful treasure, such as an Eternal weapon, while others had eight or nine different Dao weapons. Some even had extremely formidable techniques, forbidden arts, divine abilities, or special legacies…
In short, everything was possible.
“You try first, senior apprentice-brother Dragonbinder,” Ning said.
“Alright, I’ll try first.” Dragonbinder nodded as he strode forward. When he reached a distance of three hundred meters from the stone coffin, the globe of light expanded in size to instantly become more than three hundred meters large!
Everything within that region transformed into a blur. Ning could no longer see World G.o.d Dragonbinder at all.
“I wonder which treasury this is.” Ning waited quietly to one side. The reason he let World G.o.d Dragonbinder make the first attempt was because Dragonbinder was quite powerful! Even if Ning unleashed all of his power, he still would probably be forced to flee in the face of Dragonbinder’s power. Dragonbinder was a true master-cla.s.s World G.o.d, after all, and he had some special treasures of his own. He was definitely a match for the Starlord of Fogstone and arguably even a bit more powerful.
A period of time pa.s.sed, enough to boil a kettle of tea.
“Whew.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder emerged from that region of blurred s.p.a.ce. The blurred s.p.a.ce quickly shrank in size as the light was retracted back into the globe of light.
“Ugh.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder shook his head. “That was ridiculously hard. Way too hard! Even if I spent another chaos cycle training for it, I still wouldn’t have any chance of taking over this treasury.”
“What was the trial?”
Every single treasury had its own trials as set down by Daolord AllG.o.d. You would only gain the contents of the treasury if you succeeded in pa.s.sing the trial. Everyone had to follow the rules of the game which Daolord AllG.o.d had set down! Perhaps some ancient powers who had become Eternal Emperors might be able to forcibly plunder a few treasures, but those figures generally disdained from acting in such a manner.
In addition, Daolord AllG.o.d’s fame was so great that even many of those Eternal powers were afraid of him.
“It pertained to the mysteries of the Dao of Fire.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder explained, “Although I’m quite talented in Fire and in Water, I’m not even close to being able to solve this trial.”
“Fire?” Ning just stared.
Although he had some insights into Fire, he was still quite weak in this regard. He hadn’t even mastered the Heavenly Dao of Fire! To pa.s.s Daolord AllG.o.d’s trial was quite unlikely.
Although Daolord AllG.o.d gave trials to Elder G.o.ds and Ancestral Immortals which were easier than the trials he gave to World-level experts, Ning clearly wouldn’t be able to succeed in this particular trial. If it was a trial over the Dao of the Sword, Ning would’ve given it a shot, but Fire?
“I’m very weak in the Dao of Fire.” Ning shook his head. “I’ll let one of my retainers give it a shot.”
“Oh, Youji?” World G.o.d Dragonbinder grinned. It had been Flamefairy Su Youji who had informed the others that Ji Ning was heading to the AllG.o.d Estate.
“Yes.” Ning nodded, then willed her to emerge. Whoosh. An incomparably beautiful woman dressed in fiery robes appeared by his side. It was Su Youji, the Flamefairy.
“Master.” Su Youji revealed a smile, then glanced at World G.o.d Dragonbinder. She said in a rather unhappy manner, “Senior Dragonbinder, you accompanied my master to this place but refused to let come out as well.”
“That’s because we wanted to wait until we could give you something nice, such as right now.” World G.o.d Dragonbinder grinned at her.
“Something nice?” Su Youji was puzzled.
“Youji.” Ning pointed at the distant light globe which hovered above that stone coffin. “We are in one of the treasury regions of the Ten Thousand Mountains of the AllG.o.d Estate.”
“A treasury? I heard that Daolord AllG.o.d left behind ten thousand treasuries.” Su Youji looked at the globe of light, a heated look in her eyes. She then glanced at Ning. “Master, you let me out because…?”
“Senior apprentice-brother Dragonbinder gave it a shot but failed. The trials of this treasury pertain to the Dao of Fire,” Ning explained. “You are quite skilled in the Dao of Fire. You can be considered one of the most elite Elder G.o.ds or Ancestral Immortals in this regard, and you are very close to becoming a World-level expert yourself. You might have a chance at pa.s.sing this trial.”
Su Youji began to grow rather excited.
She had heard others speak of this place before…
Every single trial in the AllG.o.d Estate was incredibly difficult for World-level experts, but they were generally a bit easier for Elder G.o.ds and Ancestral Immortals. However, the trials were all different in nature. A Trial of Fire would test everyone in the Dao of Fire, whereas a Trial of Lightning would test everyone in the Dao of Lightning.
“Should I give it a try?” Su Youji looked at Ning.
“Go.” Ning nodded.
Su Youji eagerly and nervously walked forward towards the stone coffin. Once she reached three hundred meters of it, the globe of light once more expanded to completely encompa.s.s her within it.
“Ji Ning, do you think Youji will be able to acquire the treasures?” World G.o.d Dragonbinder asked.
“She should have at least a 20% to 30% chance,” Ning posited. After Daolord Solesky had given Su Youji some guidance, she had improved quite dramatically. She was just a hair away from becoming a World-level expert and could break through at any moment. Given how talented she was in the Dao of Fire, it was likely that she stood a very good chance.
Time continued to pa.s.s, one minute at a time.
“She’s been inside for longer than me,” World G.o.d Dragonbinder said expectantly.
“Yes.” Ning nodded. He was rather excited as well. It would be wonderful if the treasury’s contents ended up in one of their hands. If the treasures Su Youji acquired were of limited use to her but of tremendous use to World G.o.d Dragonbinder, she could trade them to him.
Whoosh. The Flamefairy suddenly emerged from that blurry region. The field of light quickly retracted and returned to the globe.
“I failed.” Su Youji looked at Ning, a hint of disappointment and helplessness in her eyes. “I was so close! Just a bit more and I would’ve succeeded. If I had just slightly deeper insights into the Dao of Fire, I would’ve succeeded. Unfortunately, when that happens I’ll probably reach the World level.”
“The Daolord’s trials must include a different component as well,” World G.o.d Dragonbinder said.
“Mm. Perhaps. Based on the records I read, less than one in ten thousand cultivators will succeed in pa.s.sing one of these trials. Most likely, you have to have certain special insights into the Dao of Fire in order to succeed.” Su Youji nodded.
Ning nodded as well. “Now you two have gotten me interested. I want to give it a shot as well.”
“You, Master? But your Dao of Fire…?” Su Youji looked at Ning. She had followed Ning for some time now and knew him to be very weak in the Dao of Fire.
“I can at least give it a try, right?” Ning also knew that he was quite weak in the Dao of Fire, but he had never tried one of these trials before. He wanted to at least experience it for himself. It was quite safe; no one had ever lost their lives in the treasuries before.
Whoosh.
Ning stepped into the range of the stone coffin as well. That globe of light emitted a large wave of light and quickly encompa.s.sed a region of three hundred meters with it.