Desolate Era

by RWX

  As for the Raindragon Guard? One could see from a superficial look as to how powerful they are. In addition, they could ask for the support of the other divisions at any time, and could even request support from the headquarters of the Raindragon Guard in the imperial capital of the Xia Dynasty! To the Raindragon Guard which oversaw the entire Xia Dynasty, sending out a few hundred or even a thousand Immortals was a minor matter.

  “It’s precisely because they are so powerful, being representatives of the Xia Dynasty, that even we desire to join the Raindragon Guard,” Ning said. “Come. Let’s move over.”

  “Right.” Northson nodded. The dragon-headed boat immediately swooped lower, moving directly towards the Crimson Dragon Mountains.

  The Crimson Dragon Mountains were shaped like an enormous dragon, with the head of the dragon being the mountain where guests were welcomed. Ning and Northson directed the construct vessel to swoop downwards, landing directly atop a flat area at the guest-welcoming mountain. After collecting the Azure Dragon construct, Ning, the Whitewater Hound, and Northson all moved over. Right at this moment, two Zifu Disciples who wore fiery red armor walked over from afar. A cold look on their faces, they barked, “Why have you come to our Crimson Dragon Mountains?”

  Ning and Northson both felt as though they were being rather overbearing, but this was the local division of the Raindragon Guard, after all. The two of them couldn’t act too inappropriately.

  “We have come to join the Raindragon Guard,” Ning said. “Oh?” The two fiery-armored Zifu Disciples gave them a glance, and the leader, a tall, skinny cultivator, said in a cold voice, “Then follow me.”

  Ning, Northson, and the Whitewater Hound immediately followed after him. They all moved through the mountainous as easily as though they were moving through flat land, and these crimson-armored Zifu Disciples could be seen throughout this guest-welcoming peak.

  “The two of you, listen up.” The tall, skinny cultivator leading to them said in a cold voice, “Quite a few wish to join our Raindragon Guard. However, you have not yet joined and are not yet Raindragon Guards. And so, you’d best obediently obey the rules here…”

  Northson, upon hearing this, frowned. Ning, however, was more or less calm.

  “Remember this. First of all, you are not Raindragon Guards; thus, within the Crimson Dragon Mountains, you are forbidden from fighting. If you violate this, you will be killed with no mercy!”

  “Second, the only place within the Crimson Dragon Mountains which you may move about in is this place, the guest-welcoming mountain. If you barge into other areas, you will be killed with no mercy!”

  “Third, you are not to touch or damage the restrictive formations set upon the guest-welcoming mouontain. Violators will be killed with no mercy.”

  The tall, skinny man didn’t even look at Ning or Northson. Northson’s face was now turning rather ugly. He sent mentally, “Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, the Raindragon Guard have too many rules, and they are too brash and arrogant. We are disciples of the Black-White College, and yet they treat us like this?”

  “Forget about being disciples of the Black-White College; even if we were members of the Northmont clan of Stillwater, it wouldn’t mean anything in this place.” Ning had read the intelligence reports, and knew a few things about the Raindragon Guard.

  Ning, Northson, and the Whitewater Hound continued to follow from behind. Soon, they arrived at the back of the mountain, where there were wooden houses and stone houses scattered everywhere.

  “Take a look.” The tall, skinny cultivator pointed towards the distant stone and wood houses. “Within those houses are those who wish to join the Raindragon Guard. These houses were built and left behind by others who came to join us. You can choose an empty one and live there for now. When we’ve cobbled together enough people, you’ll be sent to the wild marshes of the Gaol Mountains.”

  After speaking, the tall, skinny cultivator turned and departed, quickly disappearing.

  “Who the hell is he? He’s so arrogant,” Northson muttered. “He’s an auxiliary ‘Keeper’ of the Raindragon Guard,” Ning said. He had met with Baiwei quite a few times, and had learned many things.

  “A ‘Keeper’ of the Raindragon Guard?” Northson said, surprised, “The Raindragon Guard actually has Keepers?”

  Ning nodded. “Of course. Those of us who join the Raindragon Guard are all quite free and unrestrained; we roam about the world, and only when we come to take on missions will we appear! However, the Raindragon Guard also needs some people who are permanently stationed here, or some soldiers who they will be able to trust completely. Thus, the ‘Keepers’ were created!”

  “The Keepers of the Raindragon Guard are like soldiers; they are controlled extremely strictly, and are subject to many rules. They aren’t as free as us,” Ning said. “You should know that the Raindragon Guard has an auxiliary corps! Generally speaking, the Keepers are selected from the auxiliary corps.”

  “Oh!” Northson now understood.

  “Although their freedoms are restricted, they have the highest degree of trust from the Xia Dynasty. Within the Raindragon Guard, they have access to more divine abilities, secret arts, treasures, etc. As for us, even after we become Raindragon Guards, we’ll still need to carry out missions in order to receive such benefits,” Ning said. “To get something, you have to give something.”

  Northson hurriedly nodded. “I don’t want to become a Keeper. There are so many rules; how does it even feel like being an Immortal practitioner? That’s just a form of suffering.”

  “Everyone has their own choices,” Ning said with a laugh, then sighed. “Those who are extremely talented will naturally have the option of choosing to be free and unrestrained. But for those who are less talented, they naturally might give up these things, so as to be able to acquire some top-class techniques, secret arts, and whatnot.”

  “Mm. That’s true as well.” Northson nodded, seeming to have understood something. As the two chatted, they continued to move forward. The stone and wooden residences were all very simply made; generally speaking, they had just a single house and a yard. A number of them already had Immortal cultivators residing in them.

  “This one.” Northson pointed at a grassy area in front of him. As he pointed, instantly, a streak of light flew out, and the streak of light quickly began to transform and expand atop the ground, quickly developing into quite an elegant-looking estate.

  “An estate made from a construct?” Ning was startled. The Dao of Constructs truly was a remarkable one. Carriages, warships, people, beasts, estates, or even cities; all these things could be produced through the Dao of Constructs.

  “Who knows how long this adventure of ours shall last? It’s quite unsafe to stay in an empty, desolate area. Thus, I personally created this ‘Moonwood Estate’, which even a Wanxiang Adept would need to spend quite a bit of time to break into,” Northson said smugly.

  “Not bad, not bad,” Ning laughed as he walked inside. And so, Ning, Northson, and the Whitewater Hound took up residence within the ‘Moonwood Estate’. One day after another passed, and the Immortal cultivators living in the nearby stone and wood houses began to discover that a construct-estate had appeared in their midst. However, none of them commented on it, just waited quietly together.

  Early one dawn, a month after Ning’s group had arrived.

  “Everyone!” A sonorous voice thundered out, instantly filling every single stone room and even wooden room. Even the construct-estate which Northson had created was unable to block out this sound, which blasted forth next to Ning, Northson, and the Whitewater Hound’s ears.

  “It is time to go to the wild marshes of the Gaol Mountains.” The voice continued to echo forth.

  Ning felt his chest grow tight, and his face changed. “Such terrifying power. This level of power…makes me feel as though I cannot resist it whatsoever. It must be an Immortal.” Although he didn’t feel confident in being able to fight a Primal Daoist, he wouldn’
t feel as completely powerless as he did now. Thus, it should be an Immortal.

  Ning and Northson both walked out. Northson waved his hand, and the entire construct-estate was tucked away.

  At this moment in time, figures emerged from the stone and wooden houses as well. These were all people who wished to join the Raindragon Guard.

  * * *

  Book 8, Chapter 10 - The Immortals of the Raindragon Guard

  Ning stared at his surroundings. During the past month, all of the Immortal cultivators had remained in their own stone or wooden houses, training quietly. To them…training and waiting for a month was a very simple matter. Thus, during the past month, he hadn’t really gotten to know any of them!

  “A hundred!” Ning’s gaze swept past them, and he realized that the total number of figures who had emerged numbered exactly a hundred people. Ning then turned his gaze to the front.

  Up ahead, there were three figures who were staring at Ning and the other 99 who wished to join the Raindragon Guard. These three were led by a silver-haired, black-robed elder who carried a desolate, killing aura about him. When he swept his gaze past the prospective recruits, everyone, Ning included, felt an invisible pressure bear down upon them. It was as though a black dragon was staring at a crowd of ants.

  “An Immortal!” Ning said silently to himself. The gaze of the silver-haired, black-robed elder flashed like the gleam of a weapon, causing them all to feel shock in their hearts. He suddenly spoke out. “Your batch of a hundred Immortal cultivators has been completed. Now, you can go to the wild marshes of the Gaol Mountains.”

  Ning and the rest of the hundred all listened carefully.

  “You are not yet Raindragon Guards,” the silver-haired, black-robed elder continued coldly. “Thus, you were assigned to live in this desolate, backwater part of the mountain. Once you become true Raindragon Guards…you will naturally be permitted to enter the depths of the Crimson Dragon Mountains.”

  As he spoke, he pointed towards the distance, to a peak of the Crimson Dragon Moungains. “That place is the place where true Raindragon Guards reside. The Crimson Dragon Mountains aren’t a place for pleasure, and it isn’t as bustling as Stillwater City. The only thing we have here is the endless quiet.” The silver-haired elder continued calmly, “Those who focus on training quietly will generally take over one of the cave estates of the Crimson Dragon Mountains and train within. The number of Immortals who are currently training within the Crimson Dragon Mountains…is greater than twenty!”

  Once these words came out, Ning and the rest of the hundred Immortal cultivators all felt their hearts clench tightly. The Raindragon Guard really did live up to its reputation as being one of the two titans of Stillwater Commandery! More than twenty Immortals?!

  Ning and Northson were from the Black-White College, which was ranked as the third greatest power. And yet, they now understood what a tremendous difference in power there was. Although the College had quite a few Immortals…just the ones training in at the Raindragon Guard’s base numbered over twenty, much less the ones out on assignment or in the other branches spread throughout the Xia Dynasty.

  “In fact, some Celestial Immortals will occasionally come from the imperial capital to expound on the Dao for the Raindragon Guards present.” The silver-haired elder swept his gaze forward. “In terms of power, our division of the Raindragon Guard is comparable to the Northmont clan of Stillwater. In terms of our roots and background, however, the Raindragon Guard vastly outstrips them.”

  “So long as you can enter the Raindragon Guard, divine abilities, secret arts, and even the chance to head to the core of the Xia Dynasty, the imperial capital…all these are possible. You might even have a chance to go to the main headquarters of the Raindragon Guard to learn and be trained.”

  “All of this…requires you to first join the Raindragon Guard!” The silver-haired, black-robed elder stood there, waist as straight as a mountain, his voice reverberating sonorously in each person’s inner heart. “Now, each of you shall tell me of your history and your power. If you wish to join the Raindragon Guard…you must meet the minimum requirements of our Raindragon Guard. If you aren’t even able to fulfill the minimum requirements, then there is no need for you to go to the Gaol Mountains’s wild marshes; you can just go back right now.”

  Whoosh! Instantly, a bronze mirror floated up into the skies, hanging there. “All of you, fully explain your histories and your level of strength. If you dare to lie at all, you will be killed without mercy. You.” The silver-haired elder pointed towards a black-bearded youth, and the bronze mirror turned towards him.

  The black-bearded youth immediately said, “Skysplitter Sword Sect, Ki Refiner, middle-stage Wanxiang Adept, Bu Violetsun!”

  “Alright.” The silver-haired elder nodded. “Next.”

  “Eastriver Clan, Ki Refiner. Late-stage Wanxiang Adept, Eastriver Cloudsoar!”

  ……

  One practitioner after another began to reveal their histories. The Raindragon Guard would naturally want to learn about the backgrounds of those who came to join. After learning their backgrounds and names…given the intelligence networks of the Raindragon Guard, they would quickly be able to obtain detailed reports.

  Not a single person dared to lie. To lie in front of an Immortal of the Raindragon Guard would be suicidal.

  “You.” The silver-haired elder pointed towards Northson. Northson answered, “Black-White College, Ki Refiner. Middle-stage Wanxiang Adept, Mu Northson.”

  “The Black-White College?”

  “Someone from the Black-White College came as well.”

  Instantly, quite a few Immortal cultivators began to pay attention to Northson. Although they also came from extremely top-tier schools, sects, and extremely large clans that were on the same tier as the Black-White College, those tribes and clans had many disciples and descendants. Every single member of the Black-White College, however, was definitely a peerless genius. Not a single one of them was easily offended.

  “You.” The silver-haired elder looked towards Ning.

  “Black-White College, Ki and Fiendgod Body dual refiner. Ninth stage of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]. Ji Ning.” Ning gave his response.

  The silver-haired elder gave Ning a surprised glance. For even an Immortal to be surprised, the reactions of the other Immortal practitioners went without saying. All of them were filled with boundless amazement and curiousity. To join the Raindragon Guard…generally speaking, the early Wanxiang Adept stage was a minimum requirement, but of course, if one trained in the legendary, number one Fiendgod Body Refining Technique, the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens], one would be an exception. Being at the Zifu Disciple level would suffice.

  This situation, however, was extremely rare. Unexpectedly, today they managed to encounter someone who had trained to the ninth stage of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens].

  “The ninth stage of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] is comparable to an ordinary early stage Fiendgod Wanxiang Adept. Upon using a divine ability, the power will definitely be significant; after all, he came from the Black-White College.”

  “He’s too rash. No matter what, he’s only an early stage Wanxiang Adept. Since he didn’t discuss his power as a Ki Refiner, he hasn’t reached the Wanxiang level in it either. He’s a weak Ki Refiner, and just barely qualifies as a Fiendgod Body Refiner…upon encountering a group of enemies, they will trample him to death.” The Immortal practitioners were all thinking this to themselves.

  Those who dared join the Raindragon Guard were all quite self-confident, and could be considered elites amongst their peers.

  ……..

  “Mm…” The silver-haired, black-robed elder looked towards Ning’s reflection in the bronze mirror, then nodded slowly. “You are indeed at the ninth stage. Next.” The silver-haired, black-robed elder looked towards the next person. But, right at this moment…

  A voice suddenly echoed in Ning�
��s mind. “Your name is Ji Ning? The [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] has been publicly acclaimed since the Fiendgod Era as the number one technique, and it has quite a few special aspects. Once you join the Raindragon Guard, you’ll learn how to better unleash your battle power as a Fiendgod. You must return from the wild marshes of the Gaol Mountains alive…and actually, it’d be better if you waited until you reached the tenth stage or the eleventh stage before going to the wild marshes. Then, you will definitely be incomparably safe.”

  The silver-haired, black-robed elder even gave Ning a sidelong glance. Ning understood…this Immortal of the Raindragon Guard was the one who had mentally sent him this message. Ning smiled towards this Immortal of the Raindragon Guard, but he didn’t hesitate at all. Clearly, his mind was set.

  “Special?” Ning pondered this statement. “When I was in the underwater estate, the giant yellow bear also said that my Fiendgod body can be described as ‘perfect’, and capable of learning the [Starseizing Hand] which Daoist Threelives left behind. In addition, even in the Fiendgod Era, the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] was publicly acclaimed as the number one Fiendgod Body Refining Technique. It has spread so far…I imagine that it is quite easy to acquire. Even our Ji clan has a complete copy of the first scroll and the first nine stages of it!”

  Ning had the feeling…as though there must be a tremendously powerful force which was propagating the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]. In addition, this technique had been publicly acknowledged long ago. The Xia Dynasty itself had only been established during the later periods of the Fiendgod Era. This technique had existed even before the Xia Dynasty’s founding…and yet, the Xia Dynasty actively propagated it.

  “There must be some reason for this,” Ning mused to himself. “However, without question, this technique, as one which even the giant yellow bear praised, shouldn’t have any problems. Since the technique itself has no problems…then for now, a kid like myself has no need to worry about the other reasons.”