Desolate Era

by RWX

  “Each of you, please produce your corpses of Wanxiang Diremonsters for my inspection. I’ll review them, one by one.” Daoist Yulan looked at each of them, her eyes filled with a seductive, alluring look. “For those who have not acquired Wanxiang Diremonster corpses, you should stand forward now, so as to help save me some time.”

  Immediately, seven figures walked out. As for Ning and the rest, they produced Wanxiang Diremonster corpses for inspection.

  Diremonster bodies were innately different from human bodies. Humans bodies were, by nature, weak; unless they trained as Fiendgods, their bodies would be incredibly fragile. Diremonsters, however, were different; many of them possessed certain innate abilities that granted them mighty physical strength. Although they were far from being a match for Fiendgods, they could be considered as standing somewhere between humans and Fiendgods. Many monstrous races would even transform some of the deadlier parts of their bodies into intrinsic magic treasures; from this, one could see how extraordinary their bodies were. This was why it was quite easy to tell, from a corpse, if a monster had been of the Wanxiang level or not.

  “Mm.” Daoist Yulan spread out her divine sense, instantly sending it into the heads of each Diremonster corpse. After but a single breath, Daoist Yulan nodded gently. “Very good. They’ve all reached the Wanxiang Diremonster level.”

  “The seven of you, stay over here. Later, someone will come to arrange for you to leave.” Daoist Yulan looked at the seven rather haggard-looking figures, then turned her gaze to Ning’s group. “As for the forty five of you, take your spirit-beasts and bring them aboard my ship.”

  Moments later, the incomparably alluring Daoist Yulan led Ning’s group aboard her ship.

  ……

  “This Daoist Yulan…jeeze…” Ning’s forehead had a faint sheen of sweat, and he even felt a faint fire begin to stir in his loins. In the past, Ning hadn’t been moved by even bewitching figures like Cloudjade or Ninelotus. However, the allure of this Daoist Yulan clearly stemmed from some technique or art which she had trained in. How could the mesmerizing technique of a Primal Daoist be so easily shrugged off?

  The nearby Mu Northson’s face was completely flushed. In fact, some of the Wanxiang Adepts even had bloodshot eyes by now. However, their tempered Dao-hearts allowed them to maintain their calm, in the end.

  As for Daoist Yulan? She swept them with a gaze, then let out a soft laugh. This gaze…this laugh…instantly, quite a few Wanxiang Adepts closed their eyes.

  “Doombringer, what a doombringer,” Ning murmured silently to himself. “No wonder, in my previous life on Earth, there were so many historical records of cases where beautiful women brought doom and destruction to entire nations. These Wanxiang Adepts all have sturdy Dao-hearts, and yet they are all so drawn to her…if she were to go charm a mortal Emperor, she would easily be able to cause that Emperor to no longer care for his empire, and only care for her.”

  ……..

  The ship continued to fly through the clouds. Daoist Yulan waved her hands, and one book after another began to fly towards Ning and the rest of the forty five.

  “Congratulations to you forty five for having become new Raindragon Guards!” Daoist Yulan continued, “Now that you have become Raindragon Guards, you have gained some of the special privileges belonging to the Raindragon Guard. At the same time, you also have some duties and responsibilities to the Raindragon Guard. Take a close look.”

  Ning and the others began to flip through the books. As he did, Ning secretly sighed in amazement. “The Raindragon Guard truly lives up to its reputation. This book’s description of the special powers they possess…the Raindragon Guard truly is incomparably overbearing and dominating! Its Immortal cultivators cloak themselves in imperial authority, and can all but act with impunity.”

  The Northmont clan of Stillwater could only act as they pleased in Stillwater Commandery, but Raindragon Guards could do the same in virtually any commandery in the entire Grand Xia Dynasty!

  “Responsibilities?” Ning gave them a quick glance. They were fairly simple.

  One-clawed Raindragon Guards – Every ten years, they had to complete a mission worth a single karmic point (these were the most ordinary of missions).

  Two-clawed Raindragon Guards – Every hundred years, they had to complete missions worth a total of a hundred karmic points (the value of a normal two-clawed mission).

  Three-clawed Raindragon Guards – Every thousand years, they had to complete missions worth a total of ten thousand karmic points (the value of a normal three-clawed mission).

  Four-clawed Raindragon Guards – Every ten thousand years, they had to complete missions worth a total of a million karmic points (the value of a normal four-clawed mission).

  Five-clawed Raindragon Guards – These were the highest ranking members of the Raindragon Guard. They were able to mobilize the armies of the Raindragon Guard, and were comparable to a Marquis in power.

  ……….

  The book described the basic requirements and responsibilities of Raindragon Guards!

  For Wanxiang Adepts like Ji Ning, carrying out one mission every ten years was enough. For example, if you carried out a minor mission like killing Bei Zishan, upon completion, the Raindragon Guard would no longer bother you for a time.

  Some Loose Immortals would spend thousands or tens of thousands of years between carrying out missions. By comparison, their lives were fairly relaxed.

  “This isn’t so bad.” Northson sent to Ning, “Senior apprentice-brother, being a Raindragon Guard isn’t that hard. Based on what this says…we can just go ahead and carry out a ‘ten karma’ mission. After doing so, we can relax for a century.”

  “We can relax, yes, but in doing so, we won’t be able to acquire any secret arts, divine abilities, or magic treasures,” Ning sent back.

  “Uh…” Northson immediately flipped through a few more pages, then stared. “Whaaat? Divine abilities and secret arts require the exchange of karma points? And also have requirements in terms of rank?”

  Many divine abilities could only be acquired by two-clawed or three-clawed Raindragon Guards. However, there was one exception; if one became a Keeper of the Raindragon Guards!

  ……

  “Done reading?” Daoist Yulan swept her gaze towards this new class of Raindragon Guards. “It can be said that we Raindragon Guards have the most plentiful number of secret arts and divine abilities in this entire world. Even the Northmont clan of Stillwater cannot compare with us in this regard, because we are the most powerful force of the entire Grand Xia Dynasty.”

  “However, these many divine abilities and precious treasures cannot be casually granted to you. After all…it wouldn’t be quite fair or equitable for all of you to simply have to do one mission, then relax for centuries and gain access to all these things.” Daoist Yulan continued, “Thus, you have two choices. The first is to just train slowly; after you become two-clawed or three-clawed Raindragon Guards, you’ll slowly gain chances to acquire divine abilities.”

  Ning and everyone else nodded. Two-clawed Raindragon Guards were comparable to ordinary Primal Daoists in power; Bloodshadow was one such example. Three-clawed Raindragon Guards, however, were probably comparable to Loose Immortals. To wait that long to train…would probably be too late.

  “The second choice is to become a member of the Keepers of the Raindragon Guard, the most incomparably loyal soldiers of the Grand Xia Dynasty! If you do so, the Raindragon Guard will naturally expend quite a bit of effort in training you!” Daoist Yulan swept them with her gaze. “Think well on this. Whether now, a year from now, ten years from now, or a century from now…we will always welcome you to join us as Keepers.”

  Ning and the others understand quite well that ordinary Raindragon Guards were like deputies or retainers! They were quite free, and they had some special powers…but the Keepers of the Raindragon Guard essentially made up the devoted armies of the Grand Xia Dynasty!

  Actually, early on i
n the history of the Raindragon Guard, every single Raindragon Guard was mandated to be governed in the same manner Keepers were now governed. However, Immortal cultivators, by their very nature, pursued carefree, unbound lives! The more talented an Immortal cultivator, the less they liked to be governed. Thus, if the rules were too strict, the only result would be for many of the most peerless, powerful, talented of cultivators to end up leaving the Raindragon Guard.

  Thus, the Raindragon Guard, in order to be able to draw in many elites from around the world, finally set up a stand-alone ‘Keepers’ organization.

  As a result, many lone wanderers and solitary Loose Immortals who had been training in their own private mountains all decided to join the Raindragon Guard. The Raindragon Guard’s power and reputation instantly skyrocketed, and they became the undisputed number one military force of the entire Grand Xia Dynasty! There were many major powers who were secretly members of the Raindragon Guard, and most likely, there were very few people in the entire Grand Xia Dynasty who could enumerate them all.

  No one knew about all of the old freaks and talented figures who lay hidden within the Raindragon Guard. And today…Ning had become a member of the Guard as well. Although, he was of course the most ordinary type; a one-clawed Raindragon Guard.

  * * *

  Book 9, Chapter 2 - Torch Dragons Eye

  Two hours later.

  Ji Ning and the others, after having acquired a Raindragon Guard talisman, were guided by Daoist Yulan towards a beautiful palace, filled with sculptures and paintings. The palace was roughly three hundred meters high, and it took up nearly three thousand meters in length.

  “This is our Dao Repository,” Daoist Yulan said with a smile. “It holds countless techniques, secret arts, and various skills. You can take a good look; your spirit-beasts, however, cannot.”

  “Uncle White, Little Qing, wait for me outside.” Ning and Northson immediately followed the others, entering this palace.

  The Dao Repository of the Raindragon Guard was simply too vast. “It’s far larger than even the Dao Repository Palace of our Black-White College,” Northson said with a sigh. “Yeah.” Ning stared about himself as well as he walked forward.

  “There are 360 different types of Immortal-ranked Ki Refining techniques? This, this is…” A shocked shout rang out from afar. Upon hearing these words, the faces of Ning and Northson changed as well. 360? Even the Black-White College only had 28!

  “There actually are Ki Refining techniques that allows one to reach the ‘Pure Yang’ level? A level which is above even Immortal-level Ki Refining techniques?” Another shocked cry from afar. Upon hearing this, Ning and Northson immediately ran over.

  There was an incomparably, exquisitely carved crystalline table here, and atop it were two books. The covers of the books had starry points of light drifting atop them, and next to the books was a silver-haired youth. The silver-haired youth had one of these starry books in his hands. While reading through the book, he called out in shock, “It actually requires anywhere from a thousand to fifteen hundred kilograms of liquefied elemental essence to break through to the Wanxiang level?”

  “Is it that incredible?”

  “Immortal-level Ki Refining techniques generally only require four hundred to eight hundred kilograms.” Quite a few people ran over, and some of them moved quite quickly. Although Ning and Northson both saw those two books on the table, they were instantly snatched up by the other new Raindragon Guards.

  While reading through it, the other new guards shook their heads and sighed in shock. “If one trains in this Pure Yang-level technique, then one’s chances of reaching the Void stage and becoming an Earth Immortal is several times higher than if one uses an Immortal-level technique. The sturdier one’s foundation is, the better!”

  Many of the people present had never even heard of Pure Yang techniques. They only knew of four levels of techniques; Mortal-ranked, Earth-ranked, Heaven-ranked, and Immortal-ranked; they hadn’t imagined that there was an even more powerful, Pure Yang-rank. It must be understood that not even the Black-White College, which had produced a Celestial Immortal, had such a technique.

  “You don’t understand.” The smug voice of a fairly attractive green-robed woman rang out. “Ki Refining techniques can be divided into Mortal-ranked, Earth-ranked, Heaven-ranked, Immortal-ranked, and Pure Yang-ranked techniques! However, generally speaking, even the most supreme and most firmly established of organizations, such as the Northmont clan of Stillwater and the other Marquisates, will only have access to Immortal-ranked Ki Refining techniques. Only the likes of the Raindragon Guard, the most powerful organization of the entire, vast empire of the Grand Xia Dynasty, has a Pure Yang-ranked technique!”

  “Not even the Stillwater clan of Northmont has one?” Ning mused silently to himself, “Perhaps they do, but don’t dare make it public.” After all, the many Marquisates of this vast world might possess certain special powers and techniques, but they would all have to hide them, for fear that the Grand Xia Dynasty would suspect them of desiring to rebel!

  “What?!”

  “Only Keepers of the Raindragon Guard can train in this? And even Keepers have to have a thousand karmic points before acquiring it?”

  “Ordinary Raindragon Guards like us will never have the chance to learn it? I wanted to switch to training in a Pure Yang-level technique!”

  Soon, these people flipped to the final pages regarding the Pure Yang-level techniques. Instantly, they all began to curse and moan.

  Ning had a thought. Swoosh! He moved directly towards the table containing the 360 Immortal-ranked Ki Refining techniques, immediately beginning to flip through them. The other new Raindragon Guards also seemed to have thought of something, and they, too, came to flip through the books.

  “Keepers of the Raindragon Guard need a hundred karmic points to learn this. One-clawed Raindragon Guards need ten thousand karmic points to learn this. Two-clawed Raindragon Guards need a hundred thousand karmic points to learn this…” Ning flipped through the requirements, then shook his head.

  In the end, Immortal-ranked Ki Refining techniques were still quite precious. For ordinary Raindragon Guards to acquire ten thousand karmic points required them to risk their lives repeatedly. They would probably have to battle for dozens of years before accumulating enough.

  “Cruel.”

  “That’s just cruel.”

  Quite a few cultivators shook their heads. Ning shook his head as well. Originally, he had wanted to switch to training in a water-attribute Pure Yang-ranked technique, but unfortunately, all of those techniques were reserved for the Keepers!

  It was quite common for one to change in techniques. For example, while he was at the Swallow Mountain region, Ning had trained in the quite average [Water Element Art], while after arriving at the Black-White College, he had established his foundations with the [Flowing Watersource]. If he then switched to training in an even-better Pure Yang technique…although it wouldn’t be as good as if he had trained in it from the very beginning, it would still be superb.

  Unfortunately…how could the Raindragon Guard so easily allow this technique to be learned by others?

  ……

  Soon, they arrived at the second floor of the palace.

  “It’s so hard to learn divine abilities as well.”

  “There are 89 divine abilities, but more than half are reserved strictly for Keepers!”

  “The requirements for the Heavenly Transformation technique are the lowest…one-clawed Raindragon Guards only need ten karmic points!”

  Ning and the others flipped through one divine ability manual after another.

  [Heavenly Transformation], [Rainbowflame Evasion], [Moving Mountains, Overturning Seas]…these techniques all caused Ning’s eyes to go red wth lust. Each of them had different requirements. [Heavenly Transformation] was naturally the easiest to learn, while the hardest was a divine ability known as the [Torch Dragon’s Eye]; it required one to be a Keeper, and al
so have accumulated ten million karmic points!

  “Ten million?” Ning was secretly speechless. He had heard of the [Torch Dragon’s Eye] long ago; this was a divine ability that only appeared in the legends, and was a divine ability on par with the likes of [Houyi Shooting the Suns]. He hadn’t expect to encounter it here, today. Clearly, the roots of the Grand Xia Dynasty were incomparably deep, for it to be able to produce such a legendary divine ability.

  “The [Torch Dragon’s Eye]…it’s just here to draw people’s attention.” Ning shook his head. “It requires one to be a Keeper; clearly, one has to be completely loyal to the Grand Xia Dynasty. And it requires ten million karmic points…this would be incomparably difficult for even an Earth Immortal. Clearly, only truly powerful Fiendgod Body Refiners could possibly fulfill these requirements! But would a major power amongst the Fiendgod Body Refiners sell his life into the service of the Grand Xia Dynasty, for the sake of a single divine ability?”

  But of course, Ning also understood that this divine ability was definitely incomparably powerful. “Still, compared to my [Starseizing Hand], it’s probably still a bit weaker,” he mused to himself.

  The [Starseizing Hand]…this was ranked amongst the top ten of the countless divine abilities that had been developed since Pangu had established the heavens. It wasn’t too realistic for the Grand Xia Dynasty to acquire one of the top ten divine abilities.

  ……

  360 types of Immortal-ranked Ki Refining techniques. Three Pure Yang-ranked. 89 divine abilities. 61 divine will techniques. 102 forbidden techniques.

  ……

  There were also a number of other unique treasures as well as countless precious materials. Although they were only recorded in books, the requirements for acquiring them were all noted clearly…and since they were all mentioned, given the Raindragon Guard’s resources, they would surely be able to produce them.