Desolate Era

by RWX

  It was incredibly hard to subjugate a major world. One had to remove multiple impediments, and Ji Ning had become one such impediment that she had to resolve.

  That very day, True Immortal Gaudy, Fairy Deadgrass, Celestial Immortal Blackheaven, Immortal Venomfreak, and the three leaders of the Seamless Gate, the Myriad Demons Cave, and Bloodcloud Hall gathered together for a meeting.

  “We’ll primarily be relying on you this time, Exalted Immortals.” Immortal Venomfreak had a very humble attitude, and his ingratiating smile caused his ugly face to look even more savage. “If there’s anything you need me, Venomfreak, to carry out, just tell me. I’m prepared to give my life up over there if needed.”

  “Life?”

  The others all chuckled. Immortal Venomfreak’s ‘life’ was spent cheaply; he had already died countless times! There was no value in killing his clones.

  “I’ll bring six of my aberrations as well. I’ve been nurturing them since the Primordial Era, and they are amongst the most powerful of my children.” Immortal Venomfreak had a delighted look on his face, and the other Immortals present all nodded and smiled. Immortal Venomfreak had many clones spread throughout the universe, and was quite famous within the Three Realms for his abilities in cultivating venomous bug-aberrations. All of them were thick and muscular, and could be used in many ways.

  “When we go to the Grand Xia, we are all risking our lives,” Fairy Deadgrass said. “I’m only going to have one of my incarnations to go.”

  “Right. I’ll send an incarnation as well, and it’ll carry some of my powerful magic treasures. It should have a tenth of my full power,” True Immortal Gaudy said.

  Celestial Immortal Blackheaven let out a cold snort.

  However…even though he wanted to take revenge for Violetgrass more than anyone else, he too was merely going to send a clone over. This was because his specialties lay in his varied, heterodox skills; it didn’t make too much of a difference whether he sent his true body or if he sent his clone. However, when True Immortal Gaudy and Fairy Deadgrass sent over their incarnations, those incarnations would most likely only have at most a tenth of their full power, no matter how powerful those clones were.

  Their incarnations and clones were created through Celestial Immortal techniques; if they died, it wouldn’t impact their strength that much. Their true bodies, however, could not die; they would truly perish if their true bodies were slain.

  Immortal Venomfreak was different. In truth, he didn’t even really have a ‘true body’; he had many clones, each of which could be considered his ‘true body’. Thus, one had to wipe out all of his clones before he would die; otherwise, if so much as a single clone survived, he would be able to quickly recover.

  “Our Seamless Gate shall send the clones of two Empyrean Gods as well,” the azure-robed woman said.

  “Our Bloodcloud Hall will send out a team of Hellsworn,” the skinny elder said with a smile.

  “I will provide a construct to that team of Hellsworn,” the fire-robed man said.

  The addition of these three organizations had caused the power of this team to increase significantly.

  “Now…the only question is, where is Ji Ning undergoing his tribulation,” Blackheaven mused softly.

  “If he ends up running to the Daofather master behind him, there will be nothing we can do. Otherwise…even if though Xia Emperor is protecting him, during the tribulation itself Ji Ning will be helpless. We only need a short period of time to kill him when we attack.” Azurefox said confidently, “Celestial Immortal Blackheaven’s ‘Yin-Yang Arcane Ki Bottle’ will be able to kill Ji Ning effortlessly.”

  Blackheaven nodded. “I’ll bring the Yin-Yang Arcane Ki Bottle, of course.”

  The others couldn’t help but give Blackheaven a glance.

  Blackheaven really did have far too many treasures.

  Some were Protocosmic spirit-treasures, while others were rather unique treasures with extraordinary powers. Once, Blackheaven had set up a trap that caused an Empyrean God of the Celestial Court to accidentally become ensnared within the Yin-Yang Arcane Ki Bottle. He had nearly died within that battle, and in the end had only survived because their respective major powers had negotiated, resulting in that Empyrean God being released.

  ……

  Night.

  The imperial capital of the Grand Xia. The Skylight Palace.

  “Imperial Majesty, Ji Ning requests an audience,” the white-faced elder said respectfully.

  “Ji Ning? Let him enter.” The black-robed Xia Emperor, seated in the lotus position atop his jade bed, opened his eyes.

  Soon, a youth entered the room.

  “Imperial Majesty.” Ning saluted respectfully.

  “Ji Ning, why have you come to speak to me in the middle of the night?” The Xia Emperor laughed.

  Ji Ning said, “To be honest, there’s something I would ask of you, your Imperial Majesty.”

  “Oh?” The Xia Emperor listened.

  “Nine days from now, I’m preparing to have my Primaltwin undergo the Celestial Tribulation,” Ning said. “However…I imagine that the Seamless Gate has had their sights set on me for quite some time now, and they seem to have perfect knowledge regarding the location of every Void-level individual’s tribulation. I believe that no matter how careful I am, they will still be able to find out where my tribulation is. During the tribulation, when the demonheart tribulation begins, even my true body will be unable to fight back. I will be at my weakest at this period of time, and the Seamless Gate definitely won’t give up that opportunity. Thus…I’ve come to ask you to help, your Imperial Majesty.”

  The Xia Emperor laughed. “Haha, don’t worry about this. Undergoing the Celestial Tribulation is an important matter; I’ll naturally protect you with all my might.”

  In truth, Ning felt rather resigned. Unless his master, Patriarch Subhuti, actively reached out to him, there was no way for Ning to contact him, much less return to the world of the Crescent. If that wasn’t the case, he would’ve returned to the Crescent world for his tribulation, which would’ve been much safer. After all, the other major powers were unable to even locate the Crescent world.

  The Starseizing world left behind by Daoist Threelives was also very safe, but until he was acknowledged as the true heir, he wouldn’t be able to enter at all.

  And so, in the end, he had come to ask the Xia Emperor for help.

  One of the reasons why Ji Ning had revealed his sharpness last time was for this.

  “However…it probably won’t be enough for me to guard you during your tribulation.” The Xia Emperor frowned. “When you undergo your tribulation, you will be completely defenseless. Although the Seamless Gate won’t be strong enough to defeat me…they still might be capable of some other tricks, such as tearing through space to arrive at your tribulation area, resisting my forces for a short period of time, then killing you.”

  Ning nodded.

  There were figures within the Three Realms capable of killing him. For example, magic treasures that contained and was able to unleash extremely powerful truefire or truewater would be capable of completely annihilating him. However…under normal circumstances, he would be able to fight back; he wouldn’t be so foolish as to allow himself to be trapped within those treasures.

  “How about this…I’ll take you to the ‘seat of awakening’ [1. A seat of awakening, aka Bodhimanda, is the place where a Buddhist or a Daoist gains enlightenment.] of my master,” the Xia Emperor said with a laugh. “You definitely won’t encounter any problems while undergoing your tribulation at my master’s place.”

  Ning was both surprised and delighted.

  The Xia Emperor’s master? Daofather Crimsonbright?

  If he could receive protection from a Daofather, his tribulation would become far safer. Having a powerful backer really did make a difference! As for his own master, Patriarch Subhuti…sheesh. He was the ultimate arbiter of whether or not his disciples would even be allowed to return to
the Crescent world. By contrast, Daofather Crimsonbright had openly taken control over dozens of major worlds and countless minor worlds.

  However, it was precisely because of how secretive he was that Patriarch Subhuti had become known as the most mysterious Daofather of the Three Realms.

  “But, but…would the Daofather permit me to enter?” Ning hesitated slightly.

  “Let me report this matter to my master, first. If his place won’t work, then I’ll take you to my big brother’s place,” the Xia Emperor laughed.

  Big brother?

  Ji Ning instantly thought of the Xia Emperor’s lifelong friend…Daofather Raindragon! Yet another Daofather!

  * * *

  Book 17, Chapter 18 - Demonheart

  “Thank you, your Imperial Majesty.” Ji Ning was utterly delighted.

  The Xia Emperor nodded. “The Celestial Tribulation is the greatest, most dangerous tribulation any Immortal cultivator will face on his path. One cannot be overconfident in dealing with it. Since you have karmic sinflames around you, your demonheart tribulation will definitely be quite extraordinary…”

  Ning nodded.

  Right.

  Demonheart…

  Last time, when the karmic sinflames had unleashed three rounds of tribulations upon him, Ning had realized how terrifying his demonheart tribulation would be. In truth…he didn’t know for certain if he would be able to withstand it this time.

  “Then I’ll leave now, your Imperial Majesty,” Ning said.

  “Go. I’ll decide upon your tribulation area within the next two days,” the Xia Emperor said.

  Ning immediately left.

  This trip had been worth it. The Xia Emperor’s promise of assistance…if a Daofather truly was going to protect him, then he would have no outside factors to worry about during his Celestial Tribulation.

  ……

  “Damn.”

  The day after Ning had gone to speak to the Xia Emperor. The azure-robed woman had previously been seating calmly in the lotus position atop her jade bed. Now, her face changed. She immediately barked, “Hurry up and invite True Immortal Gaudy, True Immortal Deadgrass, Celestial Immortal Blackheaven, Celestial Immortal Venomfreak, Empyrean God Threesuns, and Empyrean God Beastleave. Also invite the leaders of the Myriad Demons Cave and Bloodcloud Hall.”

  “Alright.” The maid outside immediately acknowledged the order.

  A short while later, everyone had arrived within the palace.

  Empyrean God Azurefox, Empyrean God Threesuns, and Empyrean God Beastleave were of the Seamless Gate. True Immortal Gaudy and True Immortal Deadgrass were both Pure Yang True Immortals, while Celestial Immortal Blackheaven was equivalent to them in status. Immortal Venomfreak had the lowest status of the group.

  Empyrean Gods and True Immortals were major figures of the Three Realms, after all, and when they took on masters, their masters were usually Daofathers. In fact, within the Three Realms, almost all Empyrean Gods or True Immortals had a Daofather or True God supporting them. Thus, even though Ji Ning might have a Daofather master, they wouldn’t really care that much; the only thing causing them some nervousness was the fact that Ji Ning had trained in the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art].

  “The situation has changed.” After everyone arrived, the azure-robed woman spoke out in a solemn voice.

  “What happened?” They all looked at her.

  They knew that she must have invited them all over to discuss matters pertaining to Ji Ning. The faces of Blackheaven and Venomfreak instantly changed; of the people present, these two cared about this matter the most.

  The azure-robed woman said solemnly, “I just received word that the location of Ji Ning’s tribulation has been set.”

  “Where?” Blackheaven immediately asked.

  “He asked the Xia Emperor to protect him. The Xia Emperor, wanting to be cautious, didn’t summon his own forces. Instead, he reported this to Daofather Crimsonbright, asking for Ji Ning to be allowed to undergo his tribulation at Daofather Crimsonbright’s seat of awakening. Daofather Crimsonbright has already given the nod and agreed,” the azure-robed woman said.

  This news was actually top-secret. The Xia Emperor hadn’t even told his subordinates about it, and very few people by the side of Daofather Crimsonbright knew about it. The Seamless Gate, however, had found out right away. The accuracy and lethality of their intelligence…it was the best in the Three Realms! It had reached an utterly terrifying level.

  However, the people present didn’t have any desire to ponder about such matters. All of them knew exactly how formidable the Seamless Gate’s intelligence network was.

  “Daofather Crimsonbright?”

  “If it’s at his seat of awakening, then we have no chance at all.”

  “Are we going to have to invite a major power?”

  They all began to worry.

  Forget about their incarnations and their clones; even if they sent their true bodies in to violate a Daofather’s seat of awakening…Daofather Crimsonbright would probably wipe them all out in an instant.

  “There’s no way our superiors will start a war against Daofather Crimsonbright for Ji Ning’s sake.” The azure-robed woman shook her head. “Once a battle starts, the other Daofathers and True Gods will jump in as well…the end result might be a massive, chaotic war amongst True Gods and Daofathers. We can’t possibly afford to pay such a price.”

  “Right.” They all nodded.

  If a huge storm erupted due to personal grudges between True Gods and Daofathers, that was one thing. But if as a result of their report, a huge storm erupted that claimed the lives of two or three of their Daofathers…they wouldn’t be able to bear that sort of responsibility.

  “Then what should we do?” Blackheaven frowned and barked.

  Everyone was silent.

  However, the horned figure that had been silent up till now suddenly laughed. “I have an idea.”

  “Oh?” All of them looked over to him.

  Immortal Venomfreak laughed, “Exalted Immortals, all of you should know that when Ji Ning battled against my Youngflame clan, he was punished with karmic sinflames.”

  “Yes.”

  “Right.”

  All of their eyes lit up; they were all intelligent people, and only one word was all it took for them to sense what Immortal Venomfreak was saying.

  “Due to the karmic sinflames, when he undergoes his Celestial Tribulation, the power of the wind, fire, and thunder tribulations will increase significantl, but those aren’t that important…what really matters is his demonheart tribulation. That’s when the tribulation shall become the most astonishing and the most terrifying.” Immortal Venomfreak laughed. “I already know exactly what sort of a person this Ji Ning is; he cares deeply about filial piety and loyalty to his loved ones and friends. He’s willing to die for his loved ones, and he’s also willing to die for his brothers.”

  “Right.” The nearby fire-robed man nodded. “To save his junior apprentice-brother, this Ji Ning once launched a major battle within one of the bases of our Myriad Demons Cave, not worrying about offending us at all.”

  “His devotion to his friends is worthy of our admiration; although I, Venomfreak, would never act like him, I still admire him very much.” Immortal Venomfreak chortled. “The greatest strength of a person like him is that his devotion can make his Dao-heart incredibly, terrifyingly strong. But at the same time, his devotion is also his weak spot; once it crumbles, then his Dao-heart will also crumble.”

  “Now, since Ji Ning overcame karmic sinflames, it’s not very likely that we will be able to make the devotion he feels for his loved ones crumble. However…it’s possible for us to fill his heart with boundless rage and hate!”

  “Kill those who he cares about!”

  “Kill that ‘Uncle White’, who he treats as he would a father or a mother! Kill that obedient little spirit-beast of his, that Azure Skysnake!”

  “Kill that Autumn Leaf, who he loves as he would a sister.” />
  “His Dao-companion, Yu Wei.”

  “His junior apprentice-brother, Mu Northson.”

  “Kill them all! Ji Ning will definitely be enraged, and he’ll definitely turn berserk and go mad!” Immortal Venomfreak’s smile began even more brilliant. “Although sometimes madness can increase one’s power…during the demonheart tribulation, going berserk is one of the greatest taboos. There are very, very few berserk demons who are capable of overcoming their Celestial Tribulation, unless they truly have pure Dao-hearts and truly are born demons. However, Ji Ning is not a demon by nature; there’s no way he can have a pure, demonic Dao-heart.”

  “Good idea.” The azure-robed woman nodded. “However, Yu Wei cannot be killed.”

  “Cannot kill Yu Wei?” Immortal Venomfreak nodded. “Although killing the others would also enrage him…Yu Wei is his Dao-companion. Killing her will have the greatest impact on Ji Ning.”

  “No. Yu Wei is Lu Dongbin’s disciple. Our target right now is Ji Ning; I don’t want to pull Lu Dongbin into the mix.” The azure-robed woman swept them with her gaze. “You should all know that if Lu Dongbin gets involved…then our branch of the Seamless Gate probably wouldn’t be able to survive.”

  Everyone turned solemn.

  The Godking had a total of three hundred Seamless Gates under his command. Although their particular branch was strong, Lu Dongbin himself was incredibly powerful, and his friends spanned the Three Realms. He was only friendly terms with more than ten True Gods and Daofathers. One of them treated Lu Dongbin like a son…and that one was one of the most supremely powerful leaders of the Daoist Path. If Lu Dongbin got into the mix…it could indeed cause a tremendous storm. Even if he just called his friends, such as the Eight Immortals of the High Caves, that would be enough to wipe out their Seamless Gate.

  “Fine. We won’t touch Yu Wei.”

  “Don’t touch her.”

  Everyone agreed.

  Immortal Venomfreak secretly smirked. These people only dared to go after the easy targets. It seemed as though in the Seamless Gate…only the most powerful of figures would dare cause trouble for the likes of Lu Dongbin. These Empyrean Gods and True Immortals present today, at least, didn’t have the courage to go up against him.