Three days later, on a clear morning, Ji Ning arrived at Long Fortress with his parents.
Long Fortress is a massive structure, one hundred feet wide and three hundred feet long, divided into two parts: the Cage and the Beast Den. The Cage is where life-and-death battles occur, while the Beast Den holds numerous demon beasts. Due to the dangers posed by the many captured beasts, the fortress was built in a remote area of the inner city.
...
Inside the Cage of Long Fortress, Ji Ning looked around. The space had a diameter of two to three hundred meters, and the walls were made of solid black metal. Above him, dense black iron chains connected to a mesh, making escape impossible.
"This is completely enclosed," Ji Yichuan said, exuding a chilling aura. "The walls are made of blackwater iron, which, while not particularly precious, is so thick that even a typical innate-level warrior would struggle to break through. The chains above are also made of blackwater iron. With your strength… if you use the 'Chiming Nine Heavens Diagram' at full power, you might cut through a few chains, but it could take you ten breaths to sever enough to escape."
Ji Ning nodded.
"Look," Ji Yichuan pointed at the chain net above, where a viewing platform was situated.
"Your mother, Uncle Bai, and I will watch from up there," Ji Yichuan said coldly.
"Be careful," Wei Chixue encouraged her son.
"Woof!" The white dog looked at Ji Ning, its eyes filled with encouragement. This white dog, Ji Yichuan's brother in life and death, was his Uncle Bai. Ji Yichuan had tamed two powerful beasts: a black serpent, known as Black Uncle, and this white dog, Uncle Bai.
Once a beast gains intelligence, it absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, becoming a demon beast. After a difficult transformation, it enters the innate realm, becoming a true demon. Generally, true demons can take human form, like Black Uncle. However, there are also special existences among demon beasts—divine beasts.
Divine beasts possess ancient divine bloodlines and are born intelligent, with exceptional talents and strength far beyond ordinary demon beasts. Transforming into human form is much harder for them, with requirements varying by species.
Uncle Bai is a divine beast called 'Bai Shuize', which needs to reach the purple mansion realm to take human form and speak. Ji Ning shares a deep bond with this divine beast, as he had practiced archery with Bai every morning after being taught by the master, Meng Yu. This was also why Ji Yichuan was uneasy about letting his son leave the city alone, relying on the protection of the innate being Bai.
An innate divine beast possesses terrifying power! Ji Yichuan held a transcendent status in the Ji family of Xifu, and Bai's presence contributed to that.
"You just watch," Ji Ning said with a grin.
"Woof," Uncle Bai responded before following Ji Yichuan and Wei Chixue through a narrow passageway to the viewing platform above.
Ji Ning took a deep breath to calm himself, surveying the surroundings.
"Feels like the Roman Colosseum," Ji Ning muttered to himself, noting the battleground and the viewing area. He understood that those who fought in the Cage were typically important members of the clan, so family elders would also be present in the stands.
"Clang—Clang—Clang!" The sound of chains clanging echoed from a distant passage, drawing Ji Ning's attention. A low, furious growl reverberated, shaking the entire Cage, making the heavy iron chain net tremble.
A gigantic silver-haired head gradually emerged from the dark passage.
"What is that?" Ji Ning observed closely.
"Ji Ning," Ji Yichuan called from the platform above, looking down coldly. "You practice the first method of the divine demon body refinement, so I've specifically chosen a formidable demon beast for you: the howling moon wolf, which possesses divine blood."
Ji Ning's eyes widened in shock at his father's words.
Divine blood? That means it's a divine beast! Indeed, divine beasts are a type of demon beast. Many innate-level divine beasts exist, like the Earth Armored Dragon, Shaking Mountain Rhino, Howling Moon Wolf, Red Claw Golden Crow, Thunder Sea Owl, and Bai Shuize. However, only a few hundred or thousand can break through to the innate realm.
"Clang—Clang!" The sound of chains continued.
Ji Ning focused, keeping his eyes on the massive passage. He knew the chains were being unlocked, and once they were fully undone, the howling moon wolf would be released.
"Bang!" The chains fell to the ground with a loud crash.
"Howl!" A triumphant wolf howl erupted as Ji Yichuan and his wife, along with Uncle Bai, closely watched the scene below.
Ji Ning held his breath.
From the distant passage emerged a colossal beast, its beautiful silver fur glistening. Standing two meters tall, it approached with grace, looking down at the tiny human boy before it. As a special type of demon beast, a divine beast possesses intelligence comparable to humans.
It understood that entering this Cage would lead to one of two outcomes: either it kills the human and survives or it gets killed by the human boy.
"First time facing a divine beast," Ji Ning said, extending his right hand to conjure a sword that shimmered coldly. "Then let's fight."
The howling moon wolf, weighing nearly ten thousand jin, advanced with surprising lightness, its elongated eyes scrutinizing the human boy.
Ji Ning stepped forward, sword in hand.
The distance between them closed rapidly.
"Bang!" The howling moon wolf, once elegant, now turned vicious, darting toward Ji Ning like a blur, its claws poised to strike.
Whoosh!
In a critical moment, Ji Ning shifted his footwork, evading the wolf's pounce, and thrust his sword diagonally. The strike was decisive and fast as lightning; piercing the wolf's body would harness its momentum to slash through.
"Hmm?" As Ji Ning thrust, his expression changed; the sword met great resistance, unable to penetrate the wolf's tough fur.
At the same time, the wolf's tail swept across, catching Ji Ning off guard, who raised his sword in defense.
Bang!
The wolf's tail struck the sword like a heavy steel whip, sending Ji Ning flying against the thick blackwater iron wall, which trembled from the impact.
"Roar!" The howling moon wolf lunged again, its claws aimed directly at Ji Ning.
Ji Ning dodged and leapt.
Szz! Szz! Szz! Deep claw marks appeared on the blackwater iron wall. The wolf paused, eyeing Ji Ning, realizing the boy had dodged its lethal tail swipe. It understood this human had significant combat power.
"Any ordinary nine-fang warrior would have had their insides shattered by that tail swipe," Ji Ning frowned, assessing the howling moon wolf. "Looks like I need to rely on the power of the divine demon body refinement."
Over the years, he had also refined his energy, achieving the perfected postnatal level.
However, if his sword couldn't even pierce the wolf's fur, how could he fight?
"Hmph!"
Ji Ning let out a low grunt, visible air currents flowing from his nostrils. The air trembled as the hidden power within his seemingly weak body erupted, the lunar and solar energies within him igniting, causing his skin to faintly glow red.
He swung the sword in his hand, cutting through the air, creating a gash in the solid earth beneath.
The howling moon wolf emitted a low growl, fixating its gaze on the boy.
...
"This kid has finally used the 'Chiming Nine Heavens Diagram,'" Wei Chixue smiled. "He was so reluctant before."
Ji Yichuan nodded. "The howling moon wolf has divine blood, and its fur is incredibly tough. Generally, perfected postnatal warriors can't penetrate it. I specifically chose the howling moon wolf to force Ji Ning to unleash all his strength and see how far he can push himself in a real life-and-death struggle."
"Now that Ning'er is performing, what do you think?" Wei Chixue asked.
"Average," Ji Yichuan replied, watching closely. "He's still relatively calm."
...
Ji Ning circled the howling moon wolf, sword in hand, moving in a wide arc.
The wolf kept its gaze locked on him, hesitant to attack. It understood that any attack could reveal openings, and life-and-death often hangs on a fleeting moment.
"Hmph." Without warning, Ji Ning became a blur, closing in on the howling moon wolf.
The wolf roared and leaped, baring its fangs, claws descending upon Ji Ning.
Whoosh!
A flash of sword light!
As Ji Ning struck, the sword's shadow flickered and shifted nine times in quick succession, reaching a terrifying speed that seemed to cut through the air itself. The sword struck the wolf's chest, leaving a massive gash that sent blood spraying.
Clang! Ji Ning turned the sword to block the wolf's paw just as he was propelled backward by the impact.
The howling moon wolf snarled in anger, staring at Ji Ning, feeling the looming presence of death.
"The 'Lightning and Fire Sword Remnants' technique is truly remarkable," Ji Ning murmured.