Ning Fan showed no interest in the so-called ancient Immortal Emperor’s residence.

However, the Shenkong Emperor, holding the Vice Alliance Hierarch title, persistently invited him, insisting on taking him to this ancient Emperor’s dwelling for a look.

The other attendees, including Emperor Xukong, were equally enthusiastic, urging Ning Fan to visit and claiming that numerous secret treasures and Emperor Pills were sealed within, promising to share some with Ning Fan.

This indeed aroused Ning Fan’s curiosity as to why these Immortal Emperors were so eager to invite him to this ancient Emperor’s dwelling to divide its treasures?

Could this be a cunning plot?

Would these Immortal Emperors join forces to harm him once he arrived at the ancient Emperor’s dwelling?

This conspiracy theory flashed in Ning Fan’s mind but was swiftly extinguished by him as he shook his head with a chuckle.

Over the years, he’s encountered numerous schemes, causing him to often suspect the worst in people when events unfold. However, with the Boundary River in chaos, these Eastern Heaven Immortal Emperors shouldn’t be simultaneously betraying Eastern Heaven to conspire against him. Thus, such a conspiracy theory seemed unlikely, and he was probably overthinking it.

The motives of these Eastern Heaven Great Emperors seemed simple; they merely wanted to curry favor by gifting him treasures from someone else’s residence.

Or, perhaps there were treasures inside the dwelling that the likes of Shenkong Emperor couldn’t acquire on their own, hence seeking his assistance to some extent.

Once understanding the nuances, Ning Fan casually agreed to Shenkong Emperor and others’ invitation but didn’t specify when he would visit the dwelling with the other Emperors.

It was somewhat of a passive response as Ning Fan was more concerned about the Ninth Path’s battle situation and temporarily uninterested in the ancient Emperor’s dwelling.

Three days passed in a flash.

At present, the Boundary River experiences pleasant autumn weather. On this day, Emperor Xukong, Shenkong Emperor, Emperor Chituo, and Child of Minghe, four Immortal Emperors, suddenly approached, inviting Ning Fan to visit the ancient Emperor’s dwelling.

Ning Fan felt somewhat helpless, wondering why these people were so devoted to the ancient Emperor’s dwelling? Realizing he couldn’t continue to evade, he nodded, agreeing to accompany the four Emperors on a visit.

The ancient Emperor’s dwelling mentioned by the four Emperors wasn’t far from Wansheng Pass, less than half a day’s waterway. The dwelling was located behind Wansheng Pass, within the Formation’s protection range, rendering its geographical position extremely safe. Visiting this place posed no risk of ambush from different races.

The dwelling was in an independent space, and because of the long duration, a faint space crack opened recently, unexpectedly discovered by the Emperors.

It was an extremely ancient dwelling space, existing for countless years, with the nature’s spiritual energy somewhat decayed. Strangely though, the Formation’s ability within the dwelling still retained two to three parts, not entirely obliterated by time, bearing a hint of mystery.

Initially indifferent to the ancient Emperor’s dwelling, Ning Fan gradually developed interest after witnessing its distinct characteristics.

The terrain of the dwelling space was an endless glacier. Upon the glacier stood eight towering ice mountains reaching the Immortal Clouds, like eight giant guardians standing upright.

Each ice mountain housed an ancient Emperor who established a dwelling here. It was indeed an ancient Emperor’s dwelling space, but not owned by a single ancient Emperor, rather jointly held by eight ancient Emperors.

According to research by Shenkong Emperor and others, these eight Immortal Emperors likely belonged to the era of the Ancestral Emperor from the Eastern Heaven. The eight were fellow disciples, referred to by contemporaries as the "Water Sect Eight Sons," mentioned in numerous ancient Eastern Heaven records.

The origin of this title remains unknown to later generations.

According to ancient records, the most glorious achievement of these eight was joining forces to defeat the Ancestral Emperor from the Eastern Heaven, a peerless figure, employing water-based Divine Skills.

Being able to defeat a peerless figure like the Ancestral Emperor from the Eastern Heaven, even with numbers, was nothing short of pride-worthy. The Water Sect Eight Sons were indeed talented, yet even the greatest couldn’t withstand the tides of time. Ultimately, the eight Emperors fell into the Long River of Time, leaving behind eight dwellings that exist to this day, witnessing the changes of the ages, drawing sighs.

Every ice mountain harbored numerous formations, possessing unfathomable power. Due to different owners, the formation lights of the eight ice mountains varied in color — eight colors, eight-color ice mountains — brilliantly interspersed, portraying a hint of splendor.

Among the eight ice mountains, Shenkong Emperor and others managed to break the formation spells of five, depleting their treasures; unfortunately, the remaining three exceeded their abilities, unable to break them, thus suffering various setbacks due to the formations.

Hence, these individuals devised a plan. Since they couldn’t claim the treasures from the last three ice mountains, why not gift them to Ning Fan to curry favor?

Of course, if there were items among them that proved undesirable to Ning Fan, they didn’t mind taking some. Ning Fan feasting while they sip soup wasn’t a bad idea!

"Younger Brother Ning’s fame is renowned; we’ve admired him for long, without a way to associate. With Younger Brother Ning’s skills, breaking through the formations of the last three dwellings should be effortless. If Younger Brother Ning breaks open the formations, all treasures useful to him amongst the last three ice mountains will belong to him!"

If there were items Young Brother Ning found undesirable, well... you White-Clad Yama hold immense power, your house vast, your insight naturally high, surely many things don’t catch your eye, surely you’ll let us glean some soup...

Shenkong Emperor and others displayed an exceedingly magnanimous expression, as if bringing Ning Fan here granted him a great advantage.

This left Ning Fan quite speechless.

He understood why these individuals were so attentive, inviting him to this place.

Turned out, they just wanted him to exert effort, then trail behind him for some advantages...

Shenkong Emperor and others led the way, guiding Ning Fan to the front of an ice mountain emitting black air.

Among the last three ice mountains, this was the one where the Formation’s ability was relatively weaker, owned by the third member of the Water Sect Eight Sons.

As Ning Fan’s group approached this ice mountain, countless black ice spikes suddenly appeared out of thin air, attacking Ning Fan and the others.

Despite the passage of time, those ice spikes retained one or two parts of their ability, enough to harm lesser Immortal Emperors.

Although familiar with the power of these ice spikes, Shenkong Emperor and others were still somewhat caught in chaos by the spikes. Emperor Xukong, Shenkong Emperor, and Emperor Chituo fared better, being Seventh and Eighth Tribulation individuals; Child of Minghe, however, was less fortunate, with only Six Calamities Cultivation. Despite being prepared, he was slightly careless, allowing one ice spike to breach his defensive Divine Skills and pierce his left shoulder.

Child of Minghe was shocked, instinctively removing the black ice spike without any hesitation. Despite his swift actions, the wound still discharged a large amount of black pus, foul-smelling beyond measure.

Due to just one ice spike’s attack, Child of Minghe’s complexion turned pale, showing notable injuries!

The ancient Immortal Emperor’s formation, even with greatly diminished power, could still easily wound an Immortal Emperor of the Decline. This truly highlighted the disparity between past and present...

"Everyone, step back, I’ll handle these ice spikes," Ning Fan sighed, saying to Child of Minghe and others.

This was indeed out of good intentions. Although these Immortal Emperors intended to use him for breaking formations, he didn’t wish for the other party to suffer grave damages.

The more wounded they were, the weaker the Allied Forces of Boundary River became. For the greater good, he didn’t mind shielding them from all dangers here.

Unfortunately, his good intentions sounded somewhat jarring to the other party.

"Younger Brother Ning underestimates us a bit. Younger Brother’s prowess is unmatched, but we’re not weak either! Why fear these black ice spikes! Enough of this stepping back talk!"

"Minghe Daoist Friend’s injury is merely accidental; rather, Daoist Friend should be more cautious. These black ice spikes are exceedingly fierce, one of the Water Sect Eight Sons’ unparalleled skills. Just a few dozen ice spikes attacking simultaneously could overwhelm even Seventh and Eighth Tribulation Immortal Emperors. Joining forces offers greater assurance!"

"Daoist Friend must not underestimate the enemy!"

The Shenkong Emperor and the others all frowned, feeling that Ning Fan was underestimating them by asking them to step back. Although they were here to curry favor with Ning Fan, which one of them wasn’t proud, and who would want to be looked down upon by Ning Fan like this?

Ning Fan frowned and, seeing the four emperors insist, decided not to persuade them further. Facing the countless oncoming ice spikes, he simply raised the Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree high and swept it across a thousand times.

In an instant, hundreds and thousands of black ice spikes were effortlessly swept away by the light of the seven treasures, the process was not too easy.

The Shenkong Emperor and the others widened their eyes, jaws dropped, unable to close their mouths for a long time.

Just a moment ago, they were blaming Ning Fan for underestimating them, claiming that dozens of ice spikes would be enough to overwhelm a Seventh Tribulation or Eighth Tribulation Immortal Emperor, but the next moment, Ning Fan used facts to show them: these ice spikes were simply insignificant to him, with a wave of his hand, he could destroy thousands...

In an instant, the pride of the Shenkong Emperor and the others was completely shattered, and they were filled with a deep sense of defeat and helplessness.

They knew there was a gap between them and Ning Fan, but they didn’t expect the gap to be so vast, like an unbridgeable chasm!

"... It seems that Younger Brother Ning can easily break this formation alone, we really don’t need to make a move. The young are truly formidable, truly formidable..." The Emperor Xukong seemed to age millions of years in an instant, speaking bitterly.

The Shenkong Emperor and the others were also like beaten eggplants, unable to muster any momentum in front of Ning Fan.

Seeing that with just a casual move, he had struck the proud Eastern Heaven’s four emperors into such a state, Ning Fan sighed even more, unwilling to overly damage their self-esteem. He forced a smile and slightly comforted the four emperors, who then regained some composure.

However, the subsequent formations were all left for Ning Fan to break through alone.

The formations of the Black Ice Mountain had nineteen layers, the first being the black ice spike attack, easily broken by Ning Fan in a few moves.

The second layer was a water poison attack. Ning Fan, possessing the power of Poisonous Yin-Yang, was not afraid of this poison at all, but the Shenkong Emperor and others suffered bitterly under the attack of the water poison and nearly faced fatal consequences if not for Ning Fan’s rescue.

The third formation conjured a water giant with the cultivation of a Sixth Calamity Immortal Emperor, easily slain by Ning Fan’s Seven Treasures Marvelous Tree, leaving the Shenkong Emperor and the others stunned, looking at Ning Fan as if he were a Ghost God.

The fourth formation conjured a massive wave that submerged the entire glacier; the force of the water was so strong that it almost swept the four emperors off their feet, causing their mana to become chaotic. Ning Fan, however, casually took out a slender black iron needle and with a simple point from the needle, all the waves instantly evaporated and vanished...

The fifth formation...

The sixth formation...

The seventh formation...

The Shenkong Emperor and the others grew numb. In their eyes, the formations full of perils were all broken by Ning Fan effortlessly. His endless means were enough to handle every scenario, dazzling them until they were ultimately convinced.

At first, upon witnessing Ning Fan’s true power, they felt defeated, but after seeing more, they grew accustomed to it and felt it was as expected.

Unbeknownst to them, the Shenkong Emperor and the others changed their form of address, no longer calling him Younger Brother Ning, but Brother Ning. Facing Ning Fan, they dared not put on airs due to their seniority; for this trip, they would no longer dare to harbor any thoughts of muddling through.

In less than one incense stick’s time, Ning Fan broke through all nineteen layers of the Black Ice Mountain formations.

Ning Fan entered the interior of the Black Ice Mountain’s cave dwelling, searched around, and found more than ten bottles of expensive pills, including two Nine-Turn Emperor Elixirs, though their potency was half lost; he found three magical treasures, all of which were half-damaged Innate Treasures; and he found one jade scroll of Divine Skills, recording a water attack divine skill called Burial River Technique.

After ages, these pills and treasures were still not entirely devoid of spiritual essence, which greatly surprised Ning Fan, as it was quite rare among the ancient cultivator ruins he had seen, implying the Water Sect Eight Sons were quite adept at preserving things.

The half-damaged Innate Treasure could be used to forge Divine Liquid.

The power of the pills, although half-depleted, could reasonably still be consumed. However, these pills were of little use to Ning Fan.

The Burial River Technique Ning Fan read was not a powerful divine skill; its power wasn’t even one-tenth of that of the Obliteration River, even if he learned it, it would merely add another skill to his arsenal under the Cross Halo.

Ning Fan decided to keep the magical treasures for his own use and distribute the pills among everyone, but the Shenkong Emperor and the others did not want any of Ning Fan’s pills.

It was not that the pills were not good, but they were unwilling and dared not take advantage of Ning Fan anymore.

Seeing the four emperors adamantly refuse to receive the pills, Ning Fan did not insist, merely duplicating the jade scroll of the divine skill into four parts and giving each of them one.

Afterward, he ignored the four people and wandered around the cave dwelling a second time, looking for anything he might have missed. On this stroll, as he inadvertently stopped in front of a peculiar ice sculpture.

It was a strange statue, carved from Xuan Ice and placed deep within the cave dwelling, its purpose unknown.

During the first search of the cave dwelling, Ning Fan’s attention was on its treasures, pills, and jade scrolls, and he missed noticing this odd statue.

In his second investigation, he noticed this strange statue, and he observed that in front of the statue, there seemed to be a pile of weathered grass ashes remaining.

Ning Fan crouched down and carefully examined the grass ashes, discovering that these ashes were actually remains left from the decay of a meditation mat.

This statue was not fully carved, only a silhouette was made. It could barely be discerned that it was a woman’s statue because she had long hair reaching her waist; unfortunately, her face was left uncarved, and the body was also unfinished; yet the statue still had subtle traces of Incense Flame power, indicating that it had been earnestly worshipped by the cave dwelling’s owner.

Although the woman’s body was not completely carved, judging from the statue’s general shape, the woman’s lower half was not intended to be legs, but rather a fish tail.

A woman with a human upper body and a fish tail?

Ning Fan’s mind suddenly conjured up the image of Aflo, silently wondering whether this statue was intended to be a female human shark?

Then the question arose. Why did the cave’s owner—Old Third of the Water Sect Eight Sons—sculpt such a human shark statue and why worship her?

Seeing Ning Fan staring at the strange statue, the Shenkong Emperor and others asked in surprise,

"Is there something wrong with this statue? Daoist Friend, did you notice any mystery in it?"

"No, nothing, it just seems odd that such a perfectly good cave dwelling would contain an unfinished statue of a woman like this." Ning Fan replied.

"What’s strange about this? In the previous five cave dwellings we opened, there were such indistinct women statues. This woman is probably a mentor to the Water Sect Eight Sons, hence someone worthy of their devoted worship."

"So the other cave dwellings had them too..."

Ning Fan shook his head, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, and turned to leave the cave dwelling.

As he stepped out of the cave dwelling, he seemed to feel the unfinished statue of the woman without features smile at him—a smile that was bone-chillingly cold.

He turned sharply, frowning, and stared at the statue.

"Is there indeed something wrong with this statue?" the Shenkong Emperor asked, repeatedly inspecting it but naturally finding nothing wrong.

"Be careful, I feel something is not right here..." Ning Fan transmitted his thoughts.