Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

"Little Wang, you’re pretty capable, carrying a treasure like this with you!"

Deep in the dense forest, Ning Xuan’s eyes widened when he saw Wang Ao actually use a scroll to form and project a secret realm into this very spot.

Wang Ao felt the hairs on his neck stand up under Ning Xuan’s intense gaze. He hurriedly explained, "This isn’t mine. It’s a supreme treasure of my family, and it contains a wisp of our ancestor’s Divine Soul. Otherwise, with my ability, I couldn’t construct and manifest a secret realm even in another hundred years."

"Why are you so nervous? I’m not going to covet it. Little Ao, we’re friends, right?" As Ning Xuan spoke, he slung an arm over Wang Ao’s shoulders.

Wang Ao glanced at Cheng Dabao, who was still beaming with joy nearby, and immediately nodded. "Yes!"

"Even though your ancestor’s Divine Soul is in the scroll, it must still take a toll on you, right? It looks like you’ve completely drained your Element Force."

As soon as Ning Xuan said this, Cheng Dabao immediately turned to look at Wang Ao in surprise.

Wang Ao felt his spirits lift and promptly thumped his chest. "As long as I can help you and... Miss Cheng, I’m fine!"

"Mind your manners. Call her Sister Bao!" Cheng Dabao snorted, frowning.

"Yes, yes, Sister Bao, Sister Bao."

Seeing him act this way, Ning Xuan was speechless.

This guy came from Chi Ming, yet he’s so naive. To think he’d become Cheng Dabao’s lapdog. Is he blind? Then again, this is even better.

Ning Xuan immediately asked, "You seem very skilled at this. You must have constructed these realms quite a few times before, right?"

"Yes, but the previous times were just for fun. This time, I truly put my heart into it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have exhausted all my Element Force," Wang Ao quickly explained after glancing at Cheng Dabao.

He’d constructed it many times before but still ran out of Element Force. If he didn’t explain this, Sister Bao might misunderstand, and all his efforts would have been for nothing.

"How did you charge people to enter for training before?" Ning Xuan asked again.

"Previously, each person... But we’re brothers! It would be too distant to talk about money. No charge!" Wang Ao declared generously, intending to waive the fee for Ning Xuan.

What he didn’t know was that Ning Xuan had never intended to give him anything in return. Ning Xuan was thinking beyond just getting in for free. This was a great opportunity. He could make a fortune while he cultivated!

"What I mean is, this secret realm looks magnificent. It would be a waste for me to train in there alone. You should find more people to join."

At Ning Xuan’s suggestion, Wang Ao’s eyes lit up.

The prodigies of Chi Ming are unlikely to come, but what about the victims whose places they had usurped? They must all be seething with resentment. If they learned of an opportunity to increase their strength, they would probably be willing to pay any price!

"Big Brother, you’re a genius! I almost forgot about that possibility! I’ll go make the arrangements right now!" After speaking, he turned and ran off.

"Don’t mention I’m in there too," Ning Xuan couldn’t help but remind him.

"Alrighty!" Wang Ao’s reply echoed from the distance.

"Dabao, go back first and wait for my good news." Having witnessed Cheng Dabao’s capabilities earlier, Ning Xuan was no longer worried about her safety.

"No way. I have to follow you to make sure you don’t slack off!" Cheng Dabao refused.

"You’re too powerful. If you come in with me, how am I supposed to improve?" Ning Xuan said, having already prepared his excuse.

"Fine." Since Ning Xuan had put it that way, Cheng Dabao immediately relented. Then, without another word, she vanished.

Ning Xuan shrugged and headed straight for the secret realm.

He had to get in there and scour the place for goodies before anyone else arrived.

BOOM!

The moment he entered, a rich spiritual aura of heaven and earth enveloped him. At the same time, it gave him an immediate show of force.

A ten-thousand-ton boulder thundered toward him like a falling planet. The might it carried was terrifying.

Ning Xuan’s pupils contracted. He unleashed the Tyrant Annihilation Fist.

BANG!

The massive boulder exploded before him. Although his reaction was swift and he retreated in time, he was still nearly covered in dust and grime.

Amidst a strange cackle, Ning Xuan was startled to see a monkey on a mountain peak several miles away, pointing at him and laughing so hard it was doubling over.

Ning Xuan snorted coldly and vanished from the spot.

The monkey shrieked and leaped into the air. By the time Ning Xuan appeared where it had been, it had already jumped hundreds of feet away, landing in a different spot!

Without a second thought, Ning Xuan gave chase. The wily monkey, however, led him straight into the territory of a massive python.

After a great battle, Ning Xuan obtained some fresh ingredients and found the Strange Mushroom the python had been guarding.

Not far away, the monkey peeked its head out, scratching its ears in frustration.

It had been coveting that Strange Mushroom for ages, trying all sorts of methods without success. For a human to get it so easily... this was simply outrageous!

"Do you want this?" Ning Xuan’s voice suddenly sounded right beside it.

The spirit monkey was about to nod but immediately tried to tear through space to escape. Unfortunately, this time, it couldn’t flee from Ning Xuan’s grasp.

The spirit monkey bowed and gesticulated wildly. After much wild gesticulating and a great deal of guesswork, Ning Xuan finally understood. It was telling him it had something even more useful to him and wanted to trade it for the Strange Mushroom.

"That’s not impossible, but you’re a wily one. I need to know if you’re telling the truth first. Lead the way."

The monkey scratched its head, looking conflicted.

"Then forget it, I’m leaving," Ning Xuan said, feigning retreat.

As expected, the monkey panicked and readily agreed.

It led the way, soon bringing Ning Xuan to a waterfall before diving through the curtain of water.

A thought struck Ning Xuan, and he followed it inside. As expected, a cave was hidden behind the water. After many twists and turns, the path ahead suddenly opened up into a bright cavern.

The air was fragrant with the scent of exotic fruits, and rare flowers vied for attention. A troop of small monkeys had been frolicking about, but the moment they saw Ning Xuan, they vanished without a trace.

"Well, I’ll be. It’s like a scene out of *Journey to the West*," Ning Xuan murmured.

Beside him, the spirit monkey stood upright like a human and chattered unintelligibly.

Soon, jar after jar of fine wine was brought before Ning Xuan.

"Is this the legendary Monkey Wine?" Ning Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Legend has it that monkeys are fond of wine and would often gather hundreds of fruits and thousands of flowers in a cave to brew it. Monkey Wine was a treasure that couldn’t be bought, even for a mountain of gold! Consuming it was said to be immensely beneficial. If the legend is true, then trading this Strange Mushroom for the wine is definitely a good deal.

"I’ll have to taste it to see if it’s worth the trade," Ning Xuan stated calmly, indicating his desire for a sample.

As the monkey nodded, an intelligent subordinate understood and went to retrieve a fruit shell to serve as a cup.

"Why bother with all that trouble!" Ning Xuan said as he slapped the seal off a jar, threw his head back, and began to chug it down.

The spirit monkey was too late to stop him. The other monkeys chattered excitedly, creating a commotion. Some even began to playfully imitate drunken boxing.

When another monkey arrived with the fruit shell, it saw Ning Xuan gulping down wine straight from the jar. It was so startled that it dropped the shell and fell flat on its face in a clumsy heap.