Desolate Era

by RWX

  ……

  The mood within the main hall was quite depressing. Everyone felt resentful and unwilling to accept this.

  Rumble…

  Suddenly, a ripple began to spread out.

  Ning and the others couldn’t help but look upwards. Through the gates to the main palace, they saw that in the distant skies above them, a tear in the heavens could be seen. Through that tear, out walked a handsome youth who had a red dot in the center of his forehead. The handsome youth was dressed in Daoist robes, and he gracefully flew towards the main palace of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

  “Cloudust greets you, Daofather,” the youth said with a smile as he bowed.

  Daofather Crimsonbright’s eyes lit up.

  “On orders of Human Sovereign Shennong, I have come here to assist you in winning this battle, Daofather.” The robed youth smiled confidently as he spoke.

  * * *

  Book 18, Chapter 44 - The Moment Finally Arrives

  “Human Sovereign Shennong?”

  The Immortals and Fiendgods nearby, Ji Ning included, were shocked. Nuwa was the creator of mankind, and mankind had quickly multiplied. During the Primordial Era, however, mankind was still a very weak race amongst a myriad of races. However, the puny race had given birth to three dazzling, brilliant figures. They were Suiren, Fuxi, and Shennong.

  Under their command, mankind rapidly and steadily began to grow more powerful, rising to prominence amongst the races. Mother Nuwa herself cared deeply about the three of them, and their accomplishments caused the entire Three Realms to feel stunned.

  The most powerful figures of the Nuwa Alliance were, without a doubt, the leader of the Buddhist Sangha and the leader of the Daoist Path.

  The three Human Sovereigns, however, were comparable to these two mighty leaders!

  The likes of Old Man Yuan and Patriarch Subhuti were ranked below them. But of course, that didn’t mean that Old Man Yuan and Patriarch Subhuti were necessarily weaker than them. After all, after countless ages of training, they might’ve made breakthroughs that allowed them to reach brand new levels of power. Without actually engaging in battle, it’d be hard to say…

  But from the power that the three Human Sovereigns had already displayed, there was no question about their might at all.

  It was precisely because the three of them existed that mankind became the masters of the Three Realms!

  Although the Primordial Imperial Clan had successive generations of emperors, only the three of them were truly acknowledged as sovereigns by the entire Three Realms. Even major powers had to bow their heads in their presence. There was nothing for it; the Three Sovereigns were simply too strong.

  “Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns…he’s actually made his move. He is someone who is a true ruler of the Three Realms.” Ning secretly sighed in amazement. “I wonder…now that one of the Three Sovereigns has made a move, what sort of a move will it be?”

  ……

  Upon hearing the youth before him say that he came on the orders of Human Sovereign Shennong, Daofather Crimsonbright was delighted. He deeply trusted and tremendously respected Shennong…but he couldn’t help but ask in puzzlement, “Does the Human Sovereign know what dire straits my Crimsonbright Realm is in? Daofather Ink Bamboo’s army now includes a Daofather golem within it.”

  “The Human Sovereign already knows,” the youth said.

  “Can we win?” Daofather Crimsonbright grew excited.

  Both sides had truly fought viciously in this war. Daofather Crimsonbright truly wished to win as well.

  “I’m confident we can.” The youth nodded. “However, we still need to plan things out carefully, and I need to speak to you in private, Daofather. I have to keep this private and away from the other Immortals and Fiendgods for now.”

  Daofather Crimsonbright nodded. Sweeping his soldiers with his gaze, he laughed. “You can leave for now.”

  “Yes, Daofather.”

  Ji Ning and the others all assented respectfully, then departed.

  ……

  Outside the main palace. The Immortals and Fiendgods were all chatting animatedly.

  “Shennong has actually intervened. He’s one of the Three Sovereigns of Mankind!”

  “We’re definitely going to win.”

  “I wonder what sort of method Shennong is going to employ against that Daofather golem.” Everyone was discussing this matter, and everyone was eager to know the answer.

  Ning was walking by the side with Redsnow and the rest of the seven.

  “Senior Redsnow, do you think we can win?” Ning asked.

  “We should…but nothing is guaranteed,” Redsnow said in a low voice. “Shennong is one of the Three Sovereigns of Mankind. He’s unfathomably more powerful than even Master had been. For him to send people…he must have some degree of confidence. However, our foe is the Seamless Alliance, after all. They have terrifying major powers amongst their ranks as well. You can view it as them competing on a strategic level. It’s hard to say who will win and who will lose.”

  Empyrean God Redsnow knew very well how powerful both sides were, because during that war that ended the Primordial Era…

  It was so, so close.

  Mother Nuwa had been finished. Their side had suffered countless casualties, and even the likes of Daoist Threelives fell during that final battle. Fortunately, Mother Nuwa made a sudden breakthrough and reached Pangu’s level, which was why they had suddenly stormed to victory. Despite that, the ‘king’ of the Seamless Gate had managed to merge himself into the Dao of the Heavens to preserve his life. As for the Lord of All Fiends, he had managed to escape, preventing Mother Nuwa from being able to kill him.

  “For now, let’s just watch as the two sides compete strategically with each other,” Redsnow said. “For this battle to have reached a state like this…this is crazier than I expected.”

  Ning nodded slowly.

  It was indeed quite crazy. There had already been several Realmwars, but they had all occurred within fairly weak Realms. In truth, the Crimsonbright Realm could also be considered a fairly weak world; after all, Daofather Crimsonbright himself wasn’t one of the most powerful figures of the Three Realms. None of the previous Realmwars, hwoever, had reached such a crazy level as the Crimsonbright Realm’s Realmwar had.

  “All we have to do is wait for our orders. In the midst of this great storm…that’s all we can do.” Ning thought of his newborn daughter, his incomparably adorable and naughty daughter. A powerful desire to grow strong filled Ning’s heart. “I have to become even more powerful. In the midst of this tribulation, only growing in power will allow me to have a chance to protect Brightmoon and senior apprentice-sister…”

  What Ning didn’t realize…

  A major reason why this Realmwar had escalated to this degree was because of him, Ji Ning. First, Old Man Yuan had transmitted to Ning the [Heart Sutra], resulting in his Heaven Punisher gaining such extraordinary strength that even the Godking viewed him as a threat that had to be eliminated as early as possible. And secondly…Celestial Immortal Blackheaven wished to gain revenge for Violetgrass. Ning asking the Seven Planets God to help out was yet another new variable that changed this Realmwar yet again.

  But of course, if the Seven Planets God hadn’t appeared, the Crimsonbright Realm would’ve lost long ago.

  ……

  The vast world of darkness.

  The towering throne levitated in the air at the very center of this world. The Godking sat on his throne, his right hand resting on the throne’s armrest and gently tapping on it.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  The sound echoed throughout the entire world.

  “Shennong is intervening as well.” Lightning flashed through the black eyes of the Godking. “It seems our Seamless Gate has pushed too hard, incurring the wrath of the Three Sovereigns. They want to use this Realmwar as an opportunity to frighten and shake the Seamless Gate.”

  “What should I do?”

  “W
hat exactly should I do?”

  The Godking began to worry.

  “True Immortal Cloudust and Daofather Crimsonbright…what exactly are they planning? What is their scheme? Also, Shennong has sent over just one Pure Yang True Immortal…what does he have up his sleeves?” The Godking was extremely worried; these were things which he hadn’t been able to find out yet.

  “Master.”

  The Godking raised his head to stare at the dark sky. His voice was very low. “What exactly is Shennong doing? What is the Crimsonbright Realm planning? Please help me…”

  The Dao of the Heavens was omnipresent in all places…and nothing within the purview of the Dao of the Heavens could be hidden from the ‘king’.

  Rumble…

  A powerful yet incredibly arcane thought-ripple was sent directly to the Godking.

  The Godking was momentarily startled. He instantly revealed a look of delight, then said respectfully, “Thank you, Master.”

  During the war that destroyed the Primordial Era, their king had suffered extremely serious injuries. Nuwa had been unwilling to let up on her pursuit of him, resulting in him being forced to merge himself into the Dao of the Heavens. Even now, the largest part of the king’s consciousness remained asleep. But perhaps because he was part of the Dao of the Heavens, that tiny sliver of consciousness was enough to engage in some degree of communications with the Seamless Gate.

  “It seems that if we are to win…our opportunity lies with ‘Yu Wei’.” The Godking nodded slightly.

  He immediately began to summon Yu Wei.

  A short while later.

  A white-robed woman appeared on the ground within the vast world of darkness. It was indeed Yu Wei. Her aura had changed slightly; she was quite similar to Yuchi Snow, filled with a warm, motherly aura. After arriving, Yu Wei immediately knelt down. “Respectful greetings to you, Godking.”

  * * *

  Book 18, Chapter 45 - Shennongs Medicine

  The Godking sat atop his throne, staring downwards towards her. “Yu Wei, how have I treated you?”

  “The Godking’s benevolence towards Yu Wei has been weightier than a mountain,” Yu Wei responded respectfully from her kneeling position. These words sprang from the bottom of her heart. In her previous life, she had turned into a complete demon, had become as berserk as an Asura. It was the Godking who had guided her out from her berserk state and helped her recover from it, regaining her mind and her sanity. If it hadn’t been for the Godking, she would’ve been lost long ago.

  It had also been the Godking who had patiently taught them all, one by one. They were all filled with the utmost of veneration towards the Godking, and were all willing to die for him.

  Yu Wei was nothing more than one of countless such individuals. When Yu Wei had become apprenticed to Patriarch Lu, her status amongst the countless spies under the control of the Seamless Gate had instantly skyrocketed. The vast majority of the spies were merely at the Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal level, after all. Less than one in ten thousand would be at the Celestial Immortal level, much less have a connection to an important figure like Patriarch Lu.

  And now, Yu Wei was connected to not only Patriarch Lu, but also to Ji Ning. She had become the sole chance the Seamless Gate had at reversing their fortunes during this Realmwar.

  “It is now time for you to sacrifice yourself,” the Godking said.

  Yu Wei couldn’t help but tremble…then she pressed her forehead to the ground and said respectfully, “Please give me your command, Godking.” Every single spy was waiting for the moment where they would be used. Things weren’t so bad for the likes of Sword Immortal Evergreen; even after being exposed, he could flee back to the Seamless Gate. Yu Wei, however, was merely a Celestial Immortal. There was no way she could possibly escape at all. And, to the Seamless Gate, even though Yu Wei was a Celestial Immortal, once her status was exposed she would instantly become much less valuable to them.

  “One of the Three Sovereigns of Mankind, Shennong, has sent True Immortal Cloudust to the Eight Dragons Cloudcity…” The Godking began to narrate things in order.

  Yu Wei listened attentively.

  In her heart, Ji Ning and her daughter were who mattered most to her…but the Godking was very important to her as well. This was partially because of gratitude, but was also also because the Godking had left behind his imprint upon her soul. The Godking was capable of influencing her inner heart without her even knowing about it, causing her to trust him even more and make her feel even more indebted to him for his kindness, to the point where she was willing to give up life itself.

  Within the Violetdawn Pearl’s world.

  Ji Ning, Yu Wei, and their daughter Brightmoon were living a blissful life together.

  “Kneel!” Ning had a hint of anger on his face.

  “Oh.”

  His daughter Brightmoon meekly fell to her knees, her little mouth trembling as though she was about to cry.

  Ning said angrily, “You need to understand the consequences of your actions. Not everyone is an Immortal cultivator. Your mother and I, as well as your Uncle Mu and your Grandpa White are very powerful, and we aren’t afraid of the power of your flames. Most of the servants and attendants of Brightheart Island, however, are mortals. To you, you were just using flames to prank them, but to them, they were just a heartbeat away from death. If I hadn’t noticed in time, you would’ve burned your maid to death!”

  Brightmoon didn’t dare to say a thing.

  Her parents…Ji Ning had always been very gentle, whereas Yu Wei was fairly strict. This time, however…Ji Ning had been truly angered, and his anger had completely stunned and terrified Brightmoon.

  Ning couldn’t be blamed for his anger. Just two days ago, he had picked a pair of female maids for his daughter. Both were of the same age, roughly eleven or twelve years old. The two had naturally been extremely attentive in taking care of their young mistress, and Brightmoon had liked them very much and had been very happy when playing with them. And then…she started to use her flames to tease and prank the maids, just as she often did with the Whitewater Hound.

  That maid had instantly been burned beyond recognition. Fortunately, Ning had reacted very quickly, immediately casting spells on her and providing her with a spirit-pill, allowing her to make a complete recovery.

  “I told you how important it was for you to remember that you live in a world of Immortal cultivators. I told you that you can be tremendously dangerous to ordinary commoners. Have you forgotten everything I told you?” Ning roared.

  “I…I…” Brightmoon quavered.

  “And you are still crying?!” Ning growled, “I want you to stay here on your knees today. You are not allowed to rise until I tell you to.”

  “Let’s go.” Ning led Yu Wei away, leaving behind Brightmoon by herself kneeling there pitiably on the ground inside the room.

  A while later…

  A giant, snowy-white hound padded past.

  “Grandpa White!” Brightmoon hurriedly called out.

  The snowy-white hound gave her a glance, then continued to pad forward.

  After another period of time, an azure-robed woman walked past as well.

  “Aunt Qing!” Brightmoon immediately called out.

  The azure-robed woman revealed a resigned look on her face as she continued to walk forward.

  “Are we being too severe to her?” Yu Wei said worriedly.

  “If I don’t give her some punishment this time…in the future, she’ll cause utter chaos,” Ning said angrily. He then looked towards Yu Wei with surprise. Laughing, he said, “Senior apprentice-sister, usually you are even stricter with her than I am. Why are you so soft-hearted today?”

  “When I see that sad little look on the kid’s face…” Yu Wei shook her head.

  Ning said, “She’s just acting. She knows very well that whenever she puts that look on her face, we’ll feel sorry for her and ease up on her. That’s why she’s acting this way right now. This time, we r
eally do need to teach her a lesson. She’s clearly very talented and innately clever, but she was still born just a short while ago. She’s like a blank sheet of paper. She doesn’t know the consequences of her actions, doesn’t know right from wrong. We have to teach her well.”

  “Yes, we do. It seems as though you are even better suited to teaching her than me,” Yu Wei said.

  “No, senior apprentice-sister, you are a better teacher.” Ning shook his head. “Mothers are usually more careful and attentive when teaching children.”

  Yu Wei nodded blankly, not responding.

  “What is it?” Ning could sense that something seemed a bit off. This was his Dao-companion, who had been by his side for many years, after all. He could naturally sense that her mood was off.

  “Oh.” Yu Wei seemed to come back to her senses. Shaking her head, she said, “It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about the Realmwar going on outside. Now that my child is born…I’ll probably have to take part in the war soon.”

  Ning was startled for a moment, but then he nodded slowly. “Right. All Celestial Immortals must take part in the war. Prior to this, you were pregnant and temporarily exempted…but now, you’ll probably have to participate as well. Still…there’s no rush. As long as the Daofather or the Xia Emperor don’t say anything, for you to delay a while is a minor matter.”

  “It’s best not to make things difficult for the Xia Emperor,” Yu Wei said. “I’ll leave behind an incarnation to accompany our daughter. I had best return to the Eight Dragons Cloudcity and prepare to join the war.”

  “Alright. That works as well. You can stay in my Darknorth army.” Ning smiled. “Go to war by my side.” Ning would only have peace of mind if she was within his own army.

  Yu Wei nodded as well.

  Within the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

  Yu Wei returned to the residence they previously stayed in.

  “Don’t be hasty. Right now, both sides are watching and waiting. The Seamless Gate has a Daofather golem, while we should be receiving assistance from Human Sovereign Shennong. They should be planning things out now…it isn’t time for another battle just yet,” Ning said.