The Azure Flame Bird landed in the courtyard, and Jiǔ Huǒ, dressed in a grey robe with fiery red hair, strolled down, but only took two steps before reaching the door of the house.

  "A river." Jiǔ Huǒ's smile was soothing, and it was said that in his youth, he had a fiery personality. However, since Jiǔ Huǒ has lived for nearly four hundred years, while the oldest member of the Ji family's Western Manor is only over a hundred years old, stories about Jiǔ Huǒ's youth are merely legends.

  "Tribe leader." Ji Yichuan looked at the tribe leader with a worried expression, "Xue'er she..."

  "I've already heard Hong Hua say it." Ji Jiu Huo nodded, "Let me take a look first."

  "Hmm." Ji Yichuan immediately walked ahead, while at this moment Wei Chi Xue had already gotten out of bed and was paying respects: "Wei Chi Xue has seen the clan leader."

  Jiǔ Huǒ Dào said: "You are weak now, lie down first, don't bother with formalities."

  Wei Chi Xue was half-reclining on the bed, while Ji Jiu Huo sat down on a stool beside him, stretching out a hand to place his fingers on Wei Chi Xue's wrist. His fingers lightly touched... and instantly a fiery red glow enveloped Wei Chi Xue's entire body. At this moment, Wei Chi Xue seemed to be shrouded in flames.

  Ji Yichuan watched anxiously from the side, while Ji Jiu Huo closed his eyes.

  Just as the tea was served, the fiery glow that had enveloped Jiǔ Huǒ's body finally dissipated, and he slowly opened his eyes to face Ji Yīchuān, whose eyes were filled with anticipation. Jiǔ Huǒ couldn't help but let out a soft sigh and shake his head: "The root of the disease is too deep, it's impossible to turn back the tide."

  "Ah." Ji Yichuan's face turned white.

  Jiǔ Huǒ said, "Your wife was also a congenitally perfect cultivator back then. She suffered a severe injury in that calamity and didn't have time to recover. However, she still used the secret technique of consuming her life force... On top of her already severely injured body, she added another blow, deeply planting the root of her illness! Unless there's an elixir suitable for mortals to extend their lifespan, there's no other way."

  "Is there an elixir that can prolong the life of ordinary people?" Ji Yichuan looked at his wife, Wei Chixue also looked over, their eyes met, and Wei Chixue said softly: "Yichuan, I know about my illness."

  If it were just an elixir that prolongs one's lifespan, although extremely precious, Ji Yi could have afforded to buy one by selling off the thousands of low-grade magical artifacts he had given to Ji Ning and borrowing some from the Ji family. But if a condition was added - 'suitable for use by ordinary people' - its value would instantly increase by several orders of magnitude.

  The more powerful the elixir, the stronger its medicinal properties, and the longer it can prolong one's lifespan. Such an elixir is a heavenly defying pill. And as for an elixir that allows the fragile body of a mortal to withstand it, its preciousness far surpasses what a clan like the Ji Clan could ever hope to attain.

  "A river." Ji Yu said slowly, "I have also refined some elixirs, and I will arrange for someone to deliver them immediately. Your wife should still have three months of life left."

  "Three months!" Ji Yichuan's face changed color.

  Wei Chi Xue smiled and said, "Yi Chuan." Ji Yi Chuan turned his head to look at his wife, Wei Chi Xue laughed and said, "It's been three months better than I expected, I don't regret it. Back then, I did it for Ning Er to be born. If Ning Er wasn't born, maybe I could have lived twenty years. But those twenty years would have been spent in regret. Now, I'm happy to have spent ten good years, that's enough, enough! You go bring Ning Er back, I want to see him, with him by my side, everything is fine!"

  "Uh-huh." Ji Yichuan nodded repeatedly, thought for a moment, and then said, "Hei Xiong, Qing Yan Niao."

  Suddenly, a black-clad figure and a woman in green walked in from outside, who were the transformations of the black giant snake and the green flame bird.

  "Brother Hei." Ji Yichuan said, "Your voice is easily distinguishable by Ji Ning. So now you can ride the Qingyan bird to the border between our Ji clan and the Tiemu clan." As he spoke, a map appeared in Ji Yichuan's hand, and he glanced slightly towards the outside of the door to confirm the direction before carefully sensing the location of the jade sword carried by Ji Ning.

  Ji Yichuan looked at the map, quickly determined a point, his finger lightly touched a mountain peak on the map, and a blood stain appeared: "Ji Ning's current location has not moved. According to my intuition, although the distance is far away, it must be within a hundred miles of this mountain. As long as you ride the Qingyan bird to the sky above that mountain, then shout loudly for Ji Ning, tell him his mother is critically ill and ask him to return. He will definitely hear it."

  "Yes." The man in black replied consecutively, "Don't worry, Yichuan. With one shout from me, Ji Ning's hearing is far superior to ordinary people, and it's likely that he can hear within two or three hundred miles."

  The sound travels a hundred miles, which is something ordinary people can't do, but it's easy for the prenatally born spirits. Like when Ji Ning shouted at the Winged Snake Lake that day, his voice also spread throughout the lake.

  "Green Flame Bird, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again." Ji Yichuan looked at the woman in green.

  "It's just a small matter." Qingyan bird's voice was soft and gentle. "This matter can't be delayed, I and Hei Ge will set off immediately."

  "Go." The man in black also nodded repeatedly.

  Soon, carrying a map, the man in black stood on the back of a giant Qingfeng bird and flew swiftly to the border between Ji Shi and Tie Mu.

  "Ning'er." Wei Chi Xue gazed out at the distant sky where a Qingfeng bird flew by, her heart even more worried about her own son. The closer she got to death, the more she wanted to see her beloved son.

  ……

  The Qingyan bird flew incredibly fast, and in less than an hour, it had already arrived above that mountain.

  "It's this mountain." The black snake nodded, it was much easier to identify landmarks from high altitude.

  "Hei Ge, shout now." The Green Flame Bird also urged.

  "Hmm." The black snake looked down and immediately shouted in a loud voice with a hint of magic: "Young Master Ji Ning, the mistress is critically ill, return home."

  "Jining Gongzi, the mistress is critically ill, return immediately." This shout spread from high altitude and quickly spread throughout the surrounding 200 miles of mountains. And just below them in this deep mountain... these two spiritual beasts did not realize that there were actually hundreds of thousands of ordinary people here.

  ……

  Mountain belly

  Those innate spirits bound to the iron pillar are suffering from endless torture, and they also want them to suffer endlessly while keeping them alive. Because the longer the torture lasts, the greater the resentment of these innate spirits! The stronger the resentment and hatred, the more powerful the fierce ghost that forms.

  "Jining Gongzi, the mistress is critically ill, go back." A voice came from afar in the high sky.

  Although the Great Mountain is surrounded by a large array, the cries and curses of millions of ordinary people inside the array cannot be transmitted out. However, external sounds can still penetrate... just like in the case of the Zi Fu Xiu Shi 'Benzi Shan' in the depths of the mountain's secret chamber, where no sound from within the chamber can escape, yet external sounds can still enter.

  This way is also better to distinguish the external situation clearly.

  "Jining young master, the mistress is critically ill, go back." The voice echoed in the belly of the mountain, shocking people with its loudness.

  "What a loud voice."

  "Who is shouting upstairs."

  Six men and women in magnificent attire all looked up at the outside of the mountain, one of whom was a man with a goat beard who said repeatedly: "Fellow disciples, did you hear that? It's Ji Ning shouting."

  "Ji Ning, is your mother in critical condition?" Scorpion Girl exclaimed in surprise, "Has Ji Ning's mother fallen critically ill?"

  "Hahaha……" A robust man with thick, green hair laughed, "That Ji Ning is also a genius-like figure, let him grow up and his future achievements will be unimaginably terrifying. But now he can't even live for three more days, trapped in the grand formation. His mother is critically ill above, but no matter how loudly he shouts, his voice can't get out!"

  "Yes." The handsome young man sighed, "I'm afraid he's also furious now and has a heart attack."

  "Can't help but say, this Ji Ning is an extraordinary figure, able to kill our senior master at the age of eleven or twelve. But the ending was so tragic, dying in despair, anger, pain, and regret. Haha... This is the end of a genius!"

  These brothers and sisters sighed in unison, they could all imagine Ji Ning's mood at this moment, and felt even more delighted.

  "Is your wife in critical condition?"

  "Is Wei Chi's illness critical?"

  The people of the Western Mansion, including Meng Yu, Ji Wuyu and Wa Qiong, were also extremely shocked, angry and resentful. They couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for Ji Ning. After all, he would not live past three days, his mother was critically ill, yet he could not return... What kind of pain was this?

  ……

  Yes, everything was just like the imagination of those senior brothers and sisters in the mountain belly, and also like the worries of Meng Yu, Ji Ning felt a heart-wrenching sorrow at this moment.

  "Mother!"

  "Mother!" Ji Ning's tears were uncontrollable, his whole body trembling with pain, his heart like a knife twisting. The woman who had loved him since childhood, the woman who treated him as everything...the woman who always couldn't help but reveal a loving and doting smile when facing him, was actually critically ill? Critically ill?!

  "Ah!!!!!" Ji Ning suddenly threw his head back and let out a mournful howl, the sound echoing throughout the entire mountain, but somehow it couldn't be transmitted.

  The six men and women inside the cave heard this wail, and not one of them felt a tremble in their hearts; they all sensed the endless pain contained within the wail.

  "Your Highness."

  "Prince Ji Ning." Meng Yu shed tears again, that four-year-old genius who learned archery with him, how could he end up like this? This is more painful and terrifying than the torture of **.

  ……

  "I want out! I want out! I want out!" Ji Ning's voice trembled. "Break the formation! I want to break the formation!"

  Ji Ning forcibly closed his eyes.

  An overwhelming emotion filled his entire body, filling his whole soul. He had to break through!!! He must go out, he wanted to see the woman who was his life, he wanted to see her!!! Otherwise, even if he died and went to hell, he would regret it for eternity!

  "Break the formation, I want to break the formation." Ji Ning closed his eyes, his body trembling violently, his soul reaching its peak in this extremely strong and transcendent emotion that surpassed life and death, crazily deducing the formation.

  Ji Ning's nostrils were bleeding profusely, and his ears were also bleeding.

  It's clear that this intense emotion has already taken a toll on his body.

  "It's it!" Ji Ning's soul suddenly stopped changing, a complex large array model appeared in his mind, with all factors included.

  Ji Ning opened his eyes.

  "Mother!" Ji Ning let out a frantic howl, "I'll be back to see you, I definitely will be back to see you! Wait for your child!"

  He immediately got up and transformed into a phantom, passing through the large formation. Ji Ning's movements were like a ghost, and he quickly arrived at a place where black fog was still swirling. However, on the ground, a black flag was inserted upright, with the symbols on it shining brightly. Ji Ning directly stretched out his hand and grabbed the flag, pulling it out fiercely.

  In an instant, the originally overcast and gloomy black fog suddenly vanished, revealing a clearly visible grand mountain scenery, while in the distance, many attendants were staring over here in shock.

  "What." Only six men and women also rushed out of the mountain belly, looking at this side in shock, "The formation is broken!"

  Ji Ning held the banner in his hand, with a mad gleam in his eyes.

  "Kill! Kill him! Spare no effort to kill him! Can't let him leave alive!" Suddenly a sharp, fine voice filled with boundless anger came from the ground.

  ——

  The climax is about to begin, if you're satisfied with what you've seen so far, please vote for Tomato by clicking the 'Recommend' button below!