Desolate Era

by RWX

  …….

  “Even by using my Rainwater Sword Domain, my Darknorth swords aren’t able to split this wooden stake.” Ning immediately retracted his Darknorth swords.

  “Lesser Ten Thousand Swords Formation.”

  Ning retreated by thirty meters, and then out of nowhere, more than seven hundred sword-type magic treasures suddenly appeared. All of the magic swords glowed with a blurry white light, and powerful Zifu-level elemental energy filled each magic sword…after circulating through, the power condensed next to Ning, into the form of an incomparably fierce sword light.

  This sword light could faintly be seen to have the form of a flying sword.

  “Originally, when I fought against Dong Ziqi, I activated these swords with peak Xiantian-level energy. Now that I use Zifu-level elemental energy to activate them, the power of the Lesser Ten Thousand Swords Formation is clearly much enhanced.” Ning could sense the sharpness of this sword light. This sword light’s own power was most likely comparable to the earlier, full-strength close-combat blow he delivered.

  “Rainwater Sword Domain!”

  A drizzling rain suddenly appeared around him as the area within three hundred meters sank into his Rainwater Sword Domain.

  “Go.” Ning willed it, and the sword light by his side instantly vanished, transforming into a line of rain as well. This line of rain instantly traversed the distance of thirty meters, slicing down in the direction of the runes covering the wooden stake.

  Boom!

  A wound immediately appeared atop the wooden stake, as the sword light chopped in nearly to the depth of half a finger.

  “Good.” Ning was overjoyed, and another ray of sword light formed by his side.

  Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

  One ray of sword light after another flew into and completely merged with Rainwater Sword Domain, transforming into thin lines of rainwater. The rainwater sliced directly downwards onto the distant wooden stakes, once more leaving behind wounds.. It must be understood that the wooden stake was harder to cut on the inside than on the outside…the elemental energy within Ning’z Zifu was quickly being used up, as the wound on the wooden stake grew greater and greater.

  Some time later.

  “BANG!” A line of rain sliced across the wooden illar, and the wooden stake snapped in half. The upper half of the wooden stake fell, descending down to and smashing against the ground.

  “Success.” Ning rejoiced. He hurriedly turned his head to look at the incense stick behind him. A majority of the incense stick was already gone.

  “Congratulations on succeeding.” The giant yellow bear walked across. “Do you wish to challenge the second level of the Wargod Hall?”

  Ning was swayed.

  The second level?

  It seemed as though succeeding on the second level of the Wargod Hall only resulted in a Mortal-ranked magic treasure. The benefit was the same as successfully passing the first level. The difficulty level…

  “Senior, how hard is the second level, compared to the first level?” Ning asked. “How is the danger level?”

  “Of course it is much more dangerous.” The giant yellow bear said directly. “You overcame the simplest first level test. But from the second level onwards…it won’t be that simple. It won’t be like just now, where there was only a block of wood that wouldn’t fight back. In addition, I won’t give you any advice at all. All you can do is charge in! Fight! If you feel you are in danger of death, you can immediately use the control talisman to teleport out. Once you teleport out, it means you lost!”

  “Are you willing to use your second chance to challenge the second level of the Wargod Hall?” The giant yellow bear looked at Ning.

  “My second chance?” Ning was stunned.

  The giant yellow bear said, “I recommend you to use it. You are already at the peak as a Fiendgod Body Refiner. You might break through at any moment, and if you do…the two chances you have as a Xiantian-level expert will be gone. If you don’t use it, it will go to waste.”

  Ning pondered for a moment.

  “Then I will try it.” Ning laughed.

  “Go then.” The giant yellow bear said.

  Whoosh!

  Ning disappeared from this first level of the Wargod Hall.

  But just ten seconds later.

  “Bang!” Ning once more appeared at the first level, flying backwards and falling against the the floor. The furs on his body were all torn apart, and there were multiple bloody wounds on him, although some of them healed by the time he landed on the ground.

  “You lost.” The giant yellow bear looked at Ning.

  “Success in either the first or the second level results in just a single Mortal-ranked magic treasure.” Ning rose to his feet and said angrily. The furs on his body automatically repaired themselves. “Why is the second level so difficult?”

  As soon as he had entere, he had instantly been attacked by tens of strange beasts which looked like black panthers. He was caught rather off-guard, and only after he released his power did he realize that every single black panther was comparable to Dong Ziqi! He used everything available to him, but was only able to hold on for ten seconds before being forced to give up. If he didn’t give up, he would have been torn into pieces by that group of black panthers.

  “The Wargod Hall has ten levels, each of which is increasingly difficult.” The giant yellow bear growled. “This was decided by Master. There’s no point to you complaining.”

  “Is there no difference between passing through the second level and the first level?” Ning asked.

  “There is a difference.”

  The giant yellow bear said. “As you have passed the first level, I will give you a large number of Mortal-ranked magic treasures and items of comparable value for you to choose from! Some of them are top-grade Mortal-ranked magic treasures.”

  “If you succeed in challenging the second level, you can choose from any of the Mortal-ranked magic treasures or items of equivalent value which the Treasure Hall holds. There are some very unusual, very unique items there…although they are only Mortal-ranked, they are comparable to some ordinary Earth-ranked magic treasures, or even more valuable.”

  Ning now understood.

  “Go, then. Go to the Treasure Hall.” The giant yellow bear stretched out a furry paw, grabbing Ning by the arm.

  Whoosh!

  The two disappeared into thin air…

  The Treasure Hall.

  The Treasure Hall was an enormous hall, and high above in the air floated one magic treasure and unique item after another. Surges of tremendous power rippled forth…although these ripples were heart-shaking, they were controlled by the restrictive spells of the first master, and didn’t injure Ning at all as he stood down below, preparing to make his selection.

  “There are many magic treasures and unique items.” The giant yellow bear looked down towards Ning. Within the bear’s palms, a golden book suddenly appeared. “This golden book has recorded within it magic treasures of the Mortal-rank. You can choose from them. Choose.”

  Ning accepted the golden book.

  The book only had two Fiendgod characters atop it: [Precious Treasures]. He opened the book, and atop the pages were diagrams of precious treasures and unique items, as well as descriptions of the items.

  “This really is…” Ning was stupefied as he read.

  “Compared with the magic treasures up above me, the treasures which the Zifu Disciples of my Swallow Mountain region are just dogshit.” Ning had a feeling of speechlessness. It was as though he was a farmer militia who encountered a formal military. The equipment was on a completely different level.

  The magic treasures above him were, at very least, high-grade Mortal-rank! Most were top-grade Mortal-rank!

  The Mortal-rank magic treasures the first master was willing to keep naturally were all fine items.

  “Whew.”

  “These Tri-Poison Flags are too vicious. With them, a peak Zifu
Disciple can fight head on against a Wanxiang Adept. The power is most likely no weaker than that of a completed form of the Myriad Wraiths Banner which Bei Zishan was working on. In addition, the Myriad Wraiths Banner needs countless people to be tortured to death, but these Tri-Poison Flags don’t require you to commit such grave sins.” Ning sighed in amazement.

  The evil Daos also had their own incredible magic treasures. It wasn’t always necessary for one to commit any sins, yet still allowed items of incredible power to be made.

  “This one is formidable as well. The Nine Yang Swords Formation?” Ning’s eyes blazed as he looked at it. The most alluring part of it was that this magic treasure was formed from nine flying swords, each of which was a high-grade Mortal-rank flying sword!

  “The Nine Yang Swords Formation is the most suited for you.” The nearby giant yellow bear said. “Choosing this magic treasure is equivalent to choosing nine flying swords. Although they are only high-grade Mortal-rank flying swords, they come from the same source. If you use these nine flying swords as the a base core for your [Lesser Thousand Swords Formation], the power of it will increase threefold or fivefold! These nine high-grade Mortal-rank flying swords alone are worth more than several dozen of your ordinary Mortal-rank flying swords.”

  Ning felt desirous as well.

  This was an excellent item.

  “Yin Fire Bottle?” Ning raised an eyebrow. “How vicious.”

  “Waterflame Mixed Element Staff.” Ning felt his pulse race when looking at this one as well. He controlled fire and water, and was also a Fiendgod Body Refiner. The Waterflame Mixed Element Staff was very suited for Fiendgods.

  “Divine Starpoint Needles? Thirty six needles in a set? My soul is powerful, making it very suited for controlling large numbers of items.” Ning desired these as well.

  One magic item after another.

  Even the ones that weren’t suited for him made him feel desirous. These were all top-grade indeed! Top-grade! He had killed Bei Zishan and Ju San and acquired some magic treasures, but compared to these…there was no way to compare! Ning would be willing to trade dozens of magic treasures like those for a single one of these.

  What Ning didn’t understand was that these items were viewed by the first master as ‘top-grade’ or ‘high-grade’, but if they were to be ranked in the modern era, all of them would be viewed as top-grade! Even those nine flying swords of the Nine Yang Sword Formation…according to modern standards, they would be viewed as nine top-grade flying swords.

  “Wonderful.” Ning felt his heart itch.

  He really wanted to grab a pile of them.

  Ning began to understand Immortal Juhua a bit better. The poor Immortal Juhua could see all these powerful magic treasures, but couldn’t obtain them! If he could pick one as he pleased, he probably would’ve been able to survive his tribulation and become a Celestial Immortal!

  Although the first master wanted to help future generations, he didn’t show them any favoritism. Even if the future generations died…his rules were still unbreakable. You want magic treasures? Then follow the first master’s rules.

  “An ice-sealed Three-Eyed Firebug Larva? It can be used to raise an entire race of Three-Eyed Firebugs. An ordinary adult Three-Eyed Firebug is comparable to a Zifu Disciple? The only flaw is that it requires a large amount of spirit materials as food, and it also takes a long time to grow. However, it can also result in the breeding of incredibly powerful Three-Eyed Firebugs.” Ning’s heart burned.

  “A golem comparable to an ordinary early Wanxiang Adept? An unkillable golem? The only flaw is that it requires a large amount of elemental energy to be used.”

  Magic treasures. Unique items.

  Each of them drove Ning crazy and moved him.

  “Don’t be dazzled.” The giant yellow bear warned. “The Nine Yang Swords Formation is the most suitable for you. Nine excellent swords which come from the same source…it will be very hard for you to find something like them while adventuring outside. Your [Lesser Thousand Swords Formation] needs a core, and the stronger the swords of its core, the better.”

  Ning flipped through another page.

  Formation techniques? Ning’s eyelids shot up. Right now, the Ji clan was under tremendous threat. The best method for dealing with a large group of Zifu Disciples was using formations! It was formations which could create miracles!

  “Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation. A large formation suitable for guarding a clan or a sect. A large formation formed from five component formations…” Ning was moved as soon as he read through this. He hurriedly read through it carefully, and the joy on his face became even greater.

  “This is it, this is it!” Ning was howling in his heart. “With this, my power will greatly increase, and the power of the Patriarch and the others will increase as well.”

  * * *

  Book 6, Chapter 7 - The Ji Clan Gathers

  Seeing this major formation that was could be used to guard an entire clan or sect, Ji Ning managed to suppress his excitement and continue reading, despite the fact that he was mentally howling in excitement.

  Perhaps there would be something even better!

  Ji Ning continued to flip through this golden book, and one magic treasure after another appeared, causing Ning’s heart to clench repeatedly! It was really…really breathtaking. Unfortunately, he couldn’t acquire them all! He only could choose a single item.

  “[Soaring Serpent Formation Loop of the Nine Heavens!]” Ning’s eyes lit up as he carefully inspected the descriptions within. “This formation is even more complicated than the Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation, and the power is actually even greater. Still, it seems it needs nine users who are at least be at the Zifu Disciple level.”

  Ning shook his head.

  …………..

  “Whew.” Ning closed the golden book. The item which was most suitable for the current Ji clan was naturally a formation technique! There were several that were comparable to the Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation, and two that were even better than it. But from the current situation, the most suitable, realistic choie was still the Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation!

  The Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation was formed from five component formations, each of which a single Zifu Disciple could control. However, if five Zifu Disciples joined forces…the power of the Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation would reach the maximum level!

  As for the Ji clan, including Ning’s father, it had six Zifu Disciples! But his father would have to use a forbidden technique to release enough power. Strictly speaking, the Ji clan only had five Zifu Disciples. Given this…the Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation was the best choice.

  “Have you chosen?” The giant yellow bear said.

  “I have.” Ning nodded. “The Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation!”

  The giant yellow bear stared at Ning in astonishment. “Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation? Did you make a mistake? That is a grand formation suitable for protecting a clan; once you set it down, you cannot move. Even if you choose to fight…you still have to set the formation up in advance! In the future, you will definitely go adventuring outside. If you suddenly encounter any danger, you won’t have time to set up a formation, and what’s more, the power of this grand formation when a single person is controlling is very ordinary. You need five people working together to reach a high level of power! I urge you to reconsider. You will have very, very few chances to select an item from the Treasure Hall. Once you make the choice, there’s no way to change it!”

  “I choose it.” Ning didn’t hesitate at all.

  “Fine.” The giant yellow bear said nothing further.

  “Come.”

  The giant yellow bear pointed at a spot in the air far above them, and in the tightly clustered mass of treasures and artifacts, a ray of light flew out from an unassuming dark corner that couldn’t even be seen with the naked eye. It was like a meteor, quickly passing through all obstructions and landing on the ground.

  Ning looked at
it. He saw four black scales that surrounded a central black pearl.

  “This is a dragon pearl.” The giant yellow bear waved his hand, and the black pearl immediately levitated into the air. The black pearl was covered with a large amount of runes, and the faint image of a dragon’s shadow could be seen swimming within it. The complicated runes atop it seemed to be exceedingly beautiful, completely different from the crude scrawlings atop ordinary Mortal-rank magic treasures.

  “The Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation has five parts to it. The core is the dragon pearl! And then, there is the dragon’s head, the dragon’s body, the dragon’s claw, and the dragon’s tail. Four secondary parts!” The giant yellow bear waved his hand again, and those four scales flew over as well. “They are formed from the scales on the dragon’s body, which were forged into four formation disks. One dragon pearl, four formation disks. This forms the complete, five-part Netherwyrm Heavenlock Formation. As for the mysteries within, after you bind it and carefully analyze it, you’ll understand.”

  Ning nodded.

  He stretched his hand out, accepting the dragon pearl and four formation disks.

  “You’ve already entered the Wargod Hall, Treasure Hall, and Stellar Hall. Only the Divine Abilities Hall remains.” The giant yellow bear said. “Work hard to make your breakthrough. At the latest, make your breakthrough at age ten. By then, you can challenge the Divine Abilities Hall.”

  “Understood.” Ning nodded.

  “Then now…?” The giant yellow bear looked at Ning.

  “I’m heading out.” Ning didn’t hesitate.

  The giant yellow bear nodded slightly. Whoosh! The bear’s head dramatically increased and became illusory, swallowing Ning within it. Ning disappeared.

  Serpentwing Lake. Beneath a courtyard within Brightheart Island. There was a lantern hanging nearby, casting a faint light on the surrounding area. It was already late at night.