Desolate Era

by RWX

  Most likely, he had been a cultivator in his past life as well; his soul was innately powerful to begin with, and with the aid of the supreme visualization techniques, when his true body had reached the Wanxiang level, he had split his soul, using the created half to possess the Golden Crow’s egg. Afterwards, the egg had hatched, and the Golden Crow had been born.

  This Golden Crow had an extremely pure lineage; only after training to the Void level had he been able to transform into human shape.

  Over the course of many long years, Bu Yi had wandered the great Darknorth Sea, experiencing many life-and-death dangers. Thanks to the Golden Crow Primaltwin body he had acquired through his great stroke of fortune as a youth, he had managed to overcome those dangerous situations and profit from them. After his Primaltwin had experienced the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, he had decided to break through to become a Void-level Earth Immortal. He had more than two hundred years before the next calamity descended; for Bu Yi, this was more than enough time.

  “Although my Primaltwin’s body is that of a Golden Crow and is extremely powerful…” the black-robed Bu Yi shook his head. “But the body is a possessed one. I’m a human, whereas Golden Crows are monsters. Although I possessed the egg… I was at most able to complete a 70% or 80% fusion with it. Training to the Void level is most likely my limit. To overcome the tribulation and become a Celestial Immortal? There’s no hope at all!”

  Possessing a Golden Crow’s egg was a stroke of tremendous fortune. When he had been very weak and young, he hadn’t hesitated at all to make this choice.

  However, a Primaltwin acquired through possession wouldn’t be sufficiently well fused together, and becoming a Celestial Immortal was difficult to begin with. Even creatures such as a Golden Crow Godbird with exceedingly pure Golden Crow lineages would find it hard to overcome the Celestial Tribulation. He, whose soul and body had only fused 70% or 80%, had almost no chance of overcoming it at all. He knew this quite well.

  “I can sense that this Conclave of Immortal Destiny is a chance for me.”

  “I, Bu Yi, have roamed and dominated the Darknorth Seas. It has always been my Primaltwin, ‘Immortal Goldcrow’, who was famous. This time… my true body shall reveal its own brilliance as well at this Conclave of Immortal Destiny.” The black-robed Bu Yi felt tremendous eagerness.

  Three days later.

  Immortal Goldcrow gave instructions to his disciples to train hard, stating that he was going out for some wandering… and then quietly left, heading towards the imperial capital.

  ……

  A small ship was flying through the misty clouds, atop which was a black-robed man seated in the lotus position, a sharp, saber-hacking aura emanating from him.

  “Eh?” The black-robed man suddenly opened his eyes. Previously, his eyes had been closed as he was meditating, but the Conclave of Immortal Destiny had suddenly come to his mind, and as it did, his subconscious began to whisper to him.

  “After bidding Master farewell, I began to rove through the various major worlds to adventure and train. This world of the Grand Xia Dynasty is already my ninth major world. I completely have no interest in this so-called ‘Conclave of Immortal Destiny’; after all, I apprenticed myself to Master long ago. But why is it that I suddenly have a feeling… as though I should go participate? It seems as though if I don’t go, I’ll miss something or will lose something.” The black-robed man was mystified.

  However, he didn’t doubt the premonitions of his subconscious.

  “If that’s the case… then I might as well make a trip to the imperial capital of the Grand Xia and participate in the Conclave of Immortal Destiny. I want to see how formidable the geniuses of this major world are.” The black-robed man willed it, and the air around the small ship began to shimmer. It then disappeared completely; he had used a void teleportation technique to head directly towards the imperial capital.

  ……

  An ordinary tavern within a commandery city of the Grand Xia. A dirty-looking maiden was completely drunk, and there was even some straw in her hair. She continued to call out loudly, “More wine, quick, more wine!”

  “Miss, you’ve used up all your money already,” the tavern waiter hurriedly said.

  The dirty-looking maiden opened her eyes. “Used up?”

  “Listen up, all of you. I’ll let you guys hit or kick me as you please; I definitely won’t fight back at all. Buuut, you have to help me pay some money for wine. You don’t need to pay too much; just a gourd’s worth of wine is enough. Just let me fill up my gourd,” the dirty-looking maiden called out.

  “Beat you as I please?” Instantly, a newcomer was intrigued.

  “Heh, yet another poor bastard is going to fall for it.”

  “That gourd just won’t fill up no matter how you try.”

  Some of the regulars were secretly muttering to each other. The guest who had wanted to give her a kick for fun felt that something was off and immediately stopped himself.

  The dirty maiden, holding that gourd of wine, looked around herself. No one had come to hit her.

  “I’ll let you hit or kick me as you please. I definitely won’t fight back,” the dirty maiden called out.

  “…ugh. It seems I need to switch places again. I can’t swindle too much in a little place like this anyhow. Why don’t I go to a larger place… say, the imperial capital, the largest city of them all?”

  The maiden was suddenly stunned.

  Her blurry, drunken eyes suddenly grew clear.

  “The Conclave of Immortal Destiny?”

  She could feel a powerful call from it.

  Originally, in accordance with the way she trained her Dao, she shouldn’t have participated in the Conclave at all. But her subconscious premonition couldn’t be wrong.

  “As soon as I had the idea to go to the imperial capital, I immediately felt a strong premonition regarding the Conclave of Immortal Destiny… it seems as though I truly will have to go attend. Perhaps this Conclave of Immortal Destiny will be of help to me in overcoming the tribulation and becoming a Celestial Immortal. I’ve reincarnated nine times now… if I fail again, then I truly will have no more hope for the future.”

  Whoosh. The drunken woman suddenly disappeared from within the tavern. As for the ordinary mortals within the tavern, they didn’t notice anything at all. It was as though this maiden had never appeared in their midst before at all.

  ……

  The truly formidable figures who had secluded themselves throughout the vast Grand Xia Empire, including some truly peerless monsters who had originally disdained from attending the Conclave, all felt a call from their subconscious. All of them changed their minds, hastening towards the imperial capital.

  The imperial capital. King Yan’s Estate. Ji Ning’s Immortal estate. There was a lake in front of it, and atop the lake, there was a small ship. Ning was lying down in the middle of the ship, allowing it to drift where it pleased.

  Perhaps because he had grown into a habit of drifting on a boat at Serpentwing Lake, when Ning lay down in a boat and let it drift where it please, his soul felt exceptionally calm and empty. It was even often of benefit to him in pondering secret arts.

  “Young master Ji Ning.” A maidservant, standing at the side of the lake, called out.

  A handsome, slender, fur-clad youth suddenly stood up from within the distant wooden boat. With a single step, he disappeared from the boat and reappeared on the shore.

  “Young master Ji Ning,” the maidservant said respectfully, “A group of people are at the royal estate and wish to meet you.”

  “Meet me? Who are they?” Ning asked.

  “They say… that they are your fellow disciples from your school, or something like that,” the maidservant said.

  Ning’s eyes lit up. He immediately transformed into a gust of wind, howling through the air as he disappeared.

  King Yan’s Estate’s front gate. A gust of wind blew past, and Ning appeared at the entrance.


  “Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning!” A white-robed youth ran over excitedly.

  “Junior apprentice-brother Northson.” Ning, upon seeing his junior apprentice-brother, felt extraordinarily happy as well. The two of them clutched each other in a bear hug before letting go.

  Ning had long ago begun to view Northson as he would a true little brother.

  “Senior apprentice-brother, you truly are amazing. You actually produced a Primaltwin and even killed Immortal Floatcloud.” Northson was extraordinarily excited. “When I was in the Black-White College, I heard the news and was absolutely tickled. Hahaha, you killed Youngflame Nong and that Fiendgod, and then you caused even a Deathsworn sent out by the Youngflame clan to perish. Hehehe, I wonder how infuriated the Youngflame clan is right now?!”

  “Hopefully, they’ll die from their anger,” Ning said. And then he looked at the other three in front of him. “Senior apprentice-brother Vastriver, senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, and eldest apprentice-brother… why have you all come?”

  The figures in front of him were the Sloppy Daoist, Yu Wei, Vastriver, and Northson.

  Yu Wei laughed, “Both myself and our eldest apprentice-brother are participating in this Conclave. Senior apprentice-brother Vastriver and junior apprentice-brother Northson are here to watch. I imagine that once the Conclave truly begins, quite a few other disciples of the Black-White College will come to watch as well. After all, actual participants are quite few in number, but quite a few spectators will be present.”

  “Eldest apprentice-brother, you are attending as well?” Ning was surprised. When he had chatted with Yu Wei and the others about the Conclave, it seemed as though the only member of the Black-White College to attend would be Yu Wei. The others wouldn’t participate, and the leader of the third generation disciples, the Sloppy Daoist, wasn’t planning to attend either.

  “What should happen, will happen,” the Sloppy Daoist said with a laugh.

  “This time, our Black-White College will have a total of three participants in the Conclave of Immortal Destiny. Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, and eldest apprentice-brother. Our Black-White College is definitely going to be famous!” Northson was filled with anticipation.

  Book 11, Chapter 35 - The End Days for Snowdragon Mountain

  Yuchi Xiyue was also aware that Ji Ning’s fellow disciples had arrived, and she arranged a special banquet for them, inviting the disciples of the Black-White College to attend.

  ……

  On this very day. In the distant Stillwater Commandery. A giant warship, covered with flowery golden tattoos, was howling through the air, sending out waves of energy in its wake. Aboard the warship there was a large, tightly clustered group of Golden Imperials. Upon the deck, there were also nine black-armored Captains of the Imperial Guard, each of whom emanated unfathomably mighty auras.

  “Snowdragon Mountain is up ahead,” a black-uniformed man said with a laugh.

  “Sorry to trouble you, fellow Daoist Skyfall,” one of the nine Golden Imperial captains said.

  “This is a small matter. It is the good fortune of myself, Northmont Skyfall, to be able to assist King Yan in handling this matter.” Skyfall spoke in a flattering manner, but in his heart, he sighed to himself. “Oh, Snowdragon Mountain… how could you be so foolish as to offend King Yan? Even though in the past King Yan was in dire straits, he still wasn’t someone which your puny little Snowdragon Mountain sect could afford to offend. This time, King Yan has sent nine full squads of Golden Imperials over. It seems as though he truly harbors hatred for Snowdragon Mountain. I wonder what exactly Snowdragon Mountain did to him in the past.”

  Yuchi Snow, Yuchi Mount; their deaths were caused principally by Dong Seven!

  Ning and Xiyue naturally hated the man deeply. King Yan knew how his granddaughter felt, and so immediately ordered nine squads of Golden Imperials to head towards Stillwater Commandery. He instructed them to first notify Stillwater Commandery’s Northmont clan of the following: “In the past, when our royal excellency was wandering the world, a feud arose between himself and Snowdragon Mountain. Today, we have come to annihilate Snowdragon Mountain; we’d like to ask the Northmont clan to permit this.”

  The Northmont clan’s response: Annihilate Snowdragon Mountain? A little clan which didn’t even have a single Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal? The Northmont clan naturally wouldn’t care about this matter. In addition, given how diplomatic King Yan was by first sending people to notify them, the Northmont clan immediately arranged for Northmont Skyfall to personally lead the way, bringing these Golden Imperials directly towards Snowdragon Mountain.

  “Here we are.” Skyfall pointed towards the area below them. Past the clouds, one could vaguely make out a long, winding mountain range, amongst which were three particularly imposing and tall mountain peaks that vastly surpassed the other three mountains.

  “Snowdragon Mountain?” The nine Imperial Guard captains looked down at the base, all nodding slightly.

  “First capture Dong Seven, then annihilate Snowdragon Mountain,” one of the captains said.

  BOOM!

  The warship immediately flew downwards, carrying boundless might and power as it soared directly towards the area above Snowdragon Mountain’s headquarters. This instantly caused a huge shock within Snowdragon Mountain; who would actually dare to have their warship halt directly above the school? This was too arrogant.

  “I wonder which fellow Daoist has arrived at Snowdragon Mountain?” Boom! Boom! Boom! Three figures soared into the skies; they were the three Primal Daoists of Snowdragon Mountain. Daoist Snowplume, Daoist Coldsun, and Daoist Blackdragon.

  Upon flying upwards, their gazes were immediately drawn to the eye-catching, golden-armored soldiers. The terrifying majesty and aura of power emanating from the soldiers caused their hearts to quail.

  However, upon seeing the black-uniformed Northmont Skyfall, Daoist Blackdragon hurriedly said, “Senior Skyfall, why have you come to our Snowdragon Mountain? If there’s anything you need, just summon us; we will simply go to you. There’s no need for you to personally make a trip.”

  “Senior Skyfall, might I ask why you have come to Snowdragon Mountain? If there is anything you need, just tell us; we will definitely strive to accomplish it,” Daoist Coldsun said hurriedly as well.

  All three Primal Daoists were extremely courteous.

  “Gentlemen?” Skyfall just looked at the nine Imperial Guard captains; all nine of them were Loose Immortals.

  “Found him.” The eyes of one of the captains lit up.

  Whoosh!

  He took a single step, then disappeared from his original location, reappearing inside the Snowdragon Mountain headquarters. In the blink of an eye, he suddenly flew back with a white-robed youth in tow. The white-robed youth’s face was ashen. His entire body was shaking in abject terror.

  “Dong Seven!” Daoist Coldsun called out in shock.

  “Grandpa, Grandpa!” The white-robed youth was utterly terrified. He hurriedly called out, “My Zifu has been destroyed, my Zifu has been destroyed!”

  Daoist Coldsun’s face instantly changed. A hint of rage was now visible, but he forced it down and said angrily, “Senior Skyfall, what’s this all about? Why have you led people here to apprehend disciples of Snowdragon Mountain? If Snowdragon Mountain has offended you in some way, just tell us; those who deserve to be punished will be. Snowdragon Mountain will definitely give you a satisfactory response.”

  “These aren’t my men.” Northmont Skyfall shook his head. “You really have no vision, have you? You aren’t even able to recognize the most formidable soldiers of the imperial capital of the Grand Xia, the Golden Imperials!”

  “Golden Imperials?” Daoists Coldsun, Blackdragon, and Snowplume were all shocked. Imperial Guards? Even in Stillwater Commandery, Snowdragon Mountain was a fairly ordinary sect, located in a fairly distant location, without even a single Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal to their name.
Naturally, they knew very little about the distant imperial capital. Although Daoist Blackdragon would occasionally make a visit to the imperial capital, he had never even seen an Imperial Guard, much less the elite ‘Golden Imperials’ of the Guard. When they saw the golden armor worn by the soldiers, they had taken them to be soldiers of the Northmont clan of Stillwater!

  “Generals,” Daoist Blackdragon said hurriedly, “If Snowdragon Mountain has acted offensively in some manner, please tell us.”

  Daoist Coldsun and Daoist Snowplume were terrified and restless as well.

  “We have come on orders to apprehend Dong Seven and wipe out Snowdragon Mountain,” one of the captains said coldly.

  “Apprehend Dong Seven? Wipe out Snowdragon Mountain?”

  Daoist Blackdragon and the other two felt as though thunderbolts had suddenly come crashing down out of the clear sky. Both were stupefied.

  Wipe out their school?

  Good, good heavens!

  Their school was one which had existed for a very long time. Everything had been perfectly fine; why had the Golden Imperials suddenly come to wipe them out?

  “Coldsun!” Daoist Blackdragon, upon seeing the captured Dong Seven, instantly understood what this was about. He stared at the nearby Daoist Coldsun, then roared furiously, “It is all your fault. You coddled Dong Seven! Dong Seven has harmed countless people in the outside world; even in our own school, he’s harmed quite a few of our female disciples. But you’ve always protected him! Dong Seven must have offended a powerful figure at some point, causing our Snowdragon Mountain to now face complete annihilation.”