Desolate Era

by RWX

  Yu Wei then turned her head, looking at the black-robed youth who was fifty-four meters tall, crackling with lightning, and who had a vertical eye-slit on his forehead. She was both excited and nervous.

  “Senior apprentice-sister.” Ning’s third eye closed. The lightning around his body vanished. He returned to the size of a normal person.

  “Junior apprentice-brother.” Yu Wei spoke out as well, and her eyes glistened like jewels.

  ……

  The main hall of the Skylight Palace.

  “Those three are disciples of my Heavenly Silkworm Sect. That black-robed woman is almost finished; yet another is going to be a slain and vanquished corpse of my Heavenly Silkworm Sect.” An extremely skinny and shriveled Celestial Immortal was laughing smugly right now. Normally, when in front of their own disciples, these individuals would maintain the majestic decorum expected of a Celestial Immortal. Here, however, in front of all of these other Celestial Immortals, they would revealed their true personality, acting with abandon. When it was time to be smug, they would be smug; when it was time to mock, they would mock.

  “That black-robed maiden is quite formidable as well. Look at those two techniques of hers; one is a phoenix of fire, the other a phoenix of ice. As I see it, she has absolutely mastered two complete Dao-Paths.” Next to the first Celestial Immortal was a laughing fat man whose robe was open, revealing his chest.

  “Right. She has mastered two complete Dao-Paths. That’s the only reason why she was able to hold off the attacks of three of my sect’s disciples for a period of time,” the skinny, shriveled Celestial Immortal said confidently.

  “Do you know which school the black-robed maiden comes from?” The bare-chested fat Immortal asked.

  “No idea.” The wizened Celestial Immortal shook his head. “Who knows what minor sect she’s from? Major sects naturally sent quite a few disciples, who would usually travel in pairs or trios.”

  The fat Immortal’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Help has arrived.”

  The shriveled Celestial Immortal’s eyes narrowed. He, too, saw that within the enormous Diagram, a black-robed youth had suddenly appeared to assist the black-robed maiden being attacked by those three Adepts of his.

  The black-robed youth was ridiculously powerful. He instantly defeated the three, as easily as though he were bursting through rotting wood, and in the end all three died.

  “Hmph.” The shriveled Celestial Immortal couldn’t help but frown. He slammed his wineglass against the table, appearing to be quite vexed.

  “Bahaha, didn’t you say the black-robed maiden was going to die?” The chubby Celestial Immortal began to laugh loudly.

  In truth, Celestial Immortals like them didn’t care too much about the deaths of these geniuses; after all, geniuses came every three centuries. Their deaths were minor matters. However, when so many Celestial Immortals were gathered together, they naturally hoped that the disciples of their school would be outstanding and earn some face for them from their peers.

  But of course… that was just a matter of face.

  ……

  The thousand Celestial Immortals down below were chatting amongst themselves. Up high, the Xia Emperor and the other eight Pure Yang True Immortals were chatting as well.

  “Look there!” Lu Dongbin’s eyes suddenly lit up as he pointed towards a corner of the Diagram. “Look at the black-robed girl being attacked by those three. A black-robed youth appeared next to them. Look, quick! See that look in the black-robed girl’s eyes? That look in her eyes that instantly appeared when she looked at the black-robed youth… bahaha, a gaze that is extremely complicated, as though long-suppressed emotions were instantly unleashed! Although it was only for an instant, I daresay that this black-robed woman must have fallen in love!”

  “Fallen in love?” The Xia Emperor, the Bodhisattva of Great Strength, Sovereign Hao, the Immortal Elder of the Northlands… they all were completely speechless.

  They had followed Lu Dongbin’s pointing finger to watch, and they had been paying attention to Ning who had exploded with power. Who would’ve thought that Lu Dongbin, however, was paying attention to the look in Yu Wei’s eyes?

  “That gaze… ahaha… it was really… not only has this woman fallen in love, I daresay that she’s never confessed it to this black-robed youth before.” Lu Dongbin swept his gaze across the other True Immortals, then laughed smugly, “Any of you want to bet with me on this?”

  The Xia Emperor and the others exchanged glances, all feeling quite resigned.

  “Senior apprentice-brother Xiamang, that black-robed youth of yours is rather formidable,” Emperor Hao congratulated.

  The Xia Emperor laughed. “The black-robed youth is named Ji Ning. He numbers amongst the few dozen most famous figures participating in this Conclave of Immortal Destiny. His Primaltwin has even killed a Loose Immortal.”

  “Oh?” The True Immortals present all nodded, but to them, killing a Loose Immortal was an extremely minor matter. They naturally wouldn’t pay too much attention to it. What they cared more about was if any of the many geniuses present at this Conclave would become one of the powerful experts of the Three Realms in the future. And if so… who would it be?

  “One of the few dozen most famous? He lives up to the reputation.” The Bodhisattva of Great Strength smiled and praised him.

  They actually didn’t feel that Ning was particularly outstanding; after all, in the past five days of the Conclave, quite a few members of the hundred thousand-plus competitors had revealed astonishing levels of power. They were all Wanxiang Adepts, but had been capable of exploding forth with power comparable to an ordinary Loose Immortal’s… and in fact, there were two Wanxiang Adept monsters who had comprehended five complete Dao-Paths.

  Comprehended five Dao-Paths? Even this wasn’t enough to shock the Pure Yang True Immortals present.

  This was because they felt that it wasn’t too shocking for some peerless geniuses to have mastered five complete Dao-Paths after having spent three hundred years at the Wanxiang level, all for the purpose of surprising everyone at this Conclave.

  Pure Yang True Immortals like them… they were major figures of the Three Realms, and so naturally their vision was quite broad. If one looked at the Three Realms as a whole, it was indeed not rare for competitors with five mastered Dao-Paths to appear at the Conclave.

  “That little lass is quite interesting, quite interesting.” Lu Dongbin was rather intrigued now, and he laughed in a self-congratulating manner, “Yep… that black-robed maiden’s been hiding her feelings all along. I wonder when she will voice them?”

  The nearby Xia Emperor and the others just pretended not to hear anything.

  Everyone knew that what Lu Dongbin loved to do was play matchmaker. This was one of his favorite hobbies, and in fact, stories about him playing matchmaker were extremely common throughout the Three Realms. They could tell that Lu Dongbin was feeling the impulse to do so once more. He might add a bit of ‘spice’ into the relationship between the black-robed maiden and the black-robed youth.

  ……

  Ninelotus sat in the lotus position behind the Dongyan Forefather. Her head had been raised this entire time as she stared at the Diagram. She was mainly paying attention to the six disciples sent by the Dongyan clan and the three from the Black-White College… but of course, she paid the most attention to Ji Ning!

  “Not good. Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei is in danger.” A look of worry appeared on Ninelotus’ face as her hands clenched around her robes.

  “Ji Ning. Ji Ning is nearby… Ji Ning, hurry up and notice it, hurry!” Ninelotus hoped it would happen.

  And indeed, just as she had hoped, Ning had sensed the ripples from the battle. He had immediately moved in that direction, and had even displayed an astonishing amount of power. All three died, and Ning and Yu Wei were reunited.

  “Whew. The danger is past. Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei is safe.” Ninelotus let out a sigh. “Now, senior apprentice-sis
ter Yu Wei and Ji Ning can move together and support each other. It will be much safer for them.”

  Suddenly, Ninelotus’ heart trembled.

  It was only natural and normal for Ji Ning and Yu Wei to travel together; they were fellow disciples, after all. It was normal for them to support each other. But Ninelotus suddenly realized… Ji Ning and Yu Wei, a single man and an unmarried woman, would be together for most likely an entire year.

  “A single man and an unmarried woman… experiencing life and death together… for nearly a year…” Ninelotus suddenly shook her head gently. “But I no longer have any right to think about such matters.”

  Love was a strange thing.

  They had clearly already separated, but upon seeing Ji Ning with Yu Wei, she felt as though a stone had just hammered against her heart, causing ripples that would be difficult to calm down.

  * * *

  Book 12, Chapter 8 - The Grand Black Tortoise Divine Ability

  Within the Brightmoon Diagram of the Mountains and Rivers.

  “Junior apprentice-brother.” Yu Wei’s emotions and her excitement were all difficult to control right now.

  “Senior apprentice-sister, your earlier battle caused quite a stir, and you fought for a long while. Others are definitely lying in wait in this area, and even more are probably on the way.” Ning had no time to talk; with a wave of his hand, he collected the magic treasures and storage treasures of the silver-haired woman and the black-robed man. The talismans were located in the storage treasures; how could he not take them away?

  Whoosh.

  A ship appeared in front of Ning and Yu Wei. “Senior apprentice-sister, let’s go.” Ning pulled Yu Wei by the hand as he leaped into the ship. The two immediately entered it, and the ship transformed into a streak of light, quickly fleeing. As it fled, Ning spread out his divine sense to sweep the area… and, just as he had expected, quite a few people were present.

  “Who was that black-robed youth? How could he be so powerful?”

  “Given his power, he should be one of those who was ranked as one of the top hundred prior to the Conclave beginning. He seems rather similar to that Ji Ning, mentioned in the reports of the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. He uses twin swords, is very powerful in close combat, and is skilled in lotus techniques. Given the level of his power… it should probably be Ji Ning. However, Ji Ning is usually dressed in furs, whereas that youth was dressed in black robes. It seems that even Ji Ning doesn’t dare to be too bold and brash.”

  “Right. Anyone would recognize him in furs. In black robes… one would have to carefully inspect him.”

  “The top hundred experts of the Conclave truly are formidable. In single combat in close quarters against this Ji Ning, when he activates all his divine abilities… he can probably kill me in just one exchange of blows.”

  “Gotta be careful.”

  All of them quickly and secretly departed. Ning had fled quite fast. In addition, without enough people joining forces, they didn’t dare to try and antagonize Ning.

  ……

  Whoosh.

  The ship flew thousands of kilometers, then hide within a large mountain. Ning put away the flying treasure, then let out a sigh of relief alongside Yu Wei.

  Ning said with a laugh, “Senior apprentice-sister, earlier when we were fighting, there were eight figures within ten kilometers who were watching us, and nearly two hundred people within a thousand kilometers were pressing near. In this Diagram, even if you get into a fight, you can’t continue to fight for too long. Otherwise, the disturbance will definitely attract attention from others. You have to resolve any fights quickly.”

  “Of course I know that, but I was trapped by them and wasn’t able to even flee,” Yu Wei said helplessly. “I was just about to throw out my talismans and prepare to escape.”

  His senior apprentice-sister definitely was a supremely beautiful woman in terms of appearances. This look of helplessness on her face couldn’t help but cause Ning’s heart to tremble slightly, but then he quickly calmed himself.

  “Senior apprentice-sister, earlier you used phoenixes of ice and fire,” Ning said with a sighing laugh. “I have yet to congratulate you on mastering yet another complete Dao-Path.”

  Three years ago, she had already mastered the Dao of the Freeze, but that was but a single Dao-Path.

  “You all call me the Rainbowflame Fairy, right?” Yu Wei laughed softly. “I was more talented in fire to begin with. Thanks to a stroke of luck, I first mastered the Dao of the Freeze. My Dao of the Inferno was just a small step behind that.”

  Ning nodded. He, too, felt as though he was about to make a breakthrough in the Dao of the Inferno… but he continued to be just a hair away from actually accomplishing it.

  “Later on, I’ll need to ask you to help guide me on the Dao of the Inferno, senior apprentice-sister,” Ning said.

  “A minor matter.” Yu Wei naturally was happy to help teach him.

  “Right, senior apprentice-sister. This is the storage treasure of the silver-haired woman. Help me bind it. I’ll bind the other one’s storage treasure. The talismans are all inside.” Ning handed a bracelet to Yu Wei.

  “You go ahead and slowly bind it yourself,” Yu Wei said, looking at Ning. “If I bound it, you definitely wouldn’t accept the talismans inside. Don’t try to trick me.”

  Ning was flabbergasted. Yu Wei was truly quite meticiulous and intelligent. Ning felt that he was a smart man, but compared to her, he was still a bit inferior. For example, just now; all he had done was ask her to help bind the storage-type bracelet, and she had immediately been able to infer that in reality, he was giving the talismans within to her.

  “You killed both of those two. The talismans belong to you. How about we split them?” Ning said.

  “You saved my life, and when I killed them, they were in a dazed state because of you.” Yu Wei shook her head. “Enough. In the future, we are going to continue to adventure in this Diagram. In the future, whoever makes the kill will get the items, but this time, since you saved my life, the talismans should be yours.”

  Ning had no choice but to nod.

  Seeing how Ning was behaving, Yu Wei felt quite happy, and the corner of her lips couldn’t help but curve upwards.

  “Let’s go. Senior apprentice-sister, you battled for a long time earlier; you need to first restore your elemental ki and also calm your mind.” Ning immediately led Yu Wei to quickly find a cave to hide in.

  Time flowed on. The days passed, one by one.

  Together, Ji Ning and Yu Wei truly were much more formidable.

  Yu Wei had mastered two complete Dao-Paths, and was able to combine fire and water together. Her phoenixes of ice and fire were indeed incredibly powerful, and in terms of defense alone, the ice phoenix was comparable to Ning’s Waterflame Lotus! This was the reason why Yu Wei had been able to hold on for so long against the attacks of those three. In terms of offense, the fire phoenix was quite astonishing as well.

  With each other’s support, even if ten or so people attacked them at once, they would still have a chance at winning.

  ……

  “Yu Wei truly is extraordinary; she has comprehended two entire Dao-Paths.” Immortal Fivecraze was quite delighted with the performance of these two disciples of the Black-White College. He often bragged about them to the nearby members of other major powers of Stillwater Commandery. “Ji Ning is even more formidable! One of the ninety-six positions will definitely go to our Black-White College. And the eldest disciple of the third generation; little Sloppy has yet to show his power.”

  “Ji Ning is formidable, but I really don’t see anything remarkable about that Sloppy Daoist of your Black-White College.” A white-haired Loose Immortal of the Skysplitter Sword Sect shook his head and sneered, clearly unhappy at how smug Immortal Fivecraze was acting.

  “You are just jealous!” Immortal Fivecraze stared at him.

  ……

  The Conclave had been going on for more than a mon
th. The Sloppy Daoist was reclining lazily within a cave. Next to him was a pool of water that was both clear and refreshing.

  “The first three months will be the craziest. I’ll relax for three months. Those who survive to the end will all be formidable, and will definitely have many talismans on them. Fighting will only be fun by that point.” The Sloppy Daoist just lay there, producing a large cooked rib and beginning to gnaw on it, covering his mouth in oil.

  Suddenly…

  Whoosh!

  A wind blew past, and eight figures suddenly appeared at the entrance to the cave. One of the eight, a muscular man, said with a laugh, “Eldest apprentice-brother, let’s take a break at this cave and bind the storage treasures we just acquired. I hope there are talismans inside–” But suddenly, the muscular man stared.

  The other seven also stared, flabbergasted, at the sloppy, chubby man lying down in the cave and gnawing on a roast rib.

  The world of the Diagram was clearly quite large; the chances of encountering someone in a cave they randomly selected was very low. For the Sloppy Daoist, despite having often hidden in this cave during the past month, this was his first time encountering someone at the entrance.

  “If you always walk by the side of the river, eventually your shoes will get wet.” The Sloppy Daoist resignedly stood up and muttered to himself, then said with a chortle, “Everyone, I’m resting here. Why don’t you leave? Or perhaps I shall leave?”

  “Little sloppy kid, are you playing dumb or actually dumb?” A youth with triangle pupils said coldly, “Be good and hand your talisman over and we can spare your life. Otherwise, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

  “Nope.” The Sloppy Daoist shook his head.

  “Don’t waste words with him. Attack!” The leader, a youth holding a feather fan, let out a cold laugh and then immediately waved his hand. Feathers instantly began to shoot out from the feather fan in his hands, and hundreds of feathers instantly formed into an enormous Immortal crane. The Immortal crane screeched as it sent its claws tearing towards the Sloppy Daoist, and the surrounding rocky walls of the cave were beginning to shatter from the force of the attack.