Desolate Era

by RWX

  “Whew.” Ning felt absolutely inconceivable power coming from the perfect Heaven Punisher he commanded.

  “Arise.” Ning began to take control over the power of the Heaven Punisher. He applied heartforce to his soul, then used his Pure Yang energy to go all-out in taking control over the energy within the formation! More and more power began to enter the Heaven Punisher through the formation. Ten percent. Twenty percent. Thirty percent. An absolutely unbelievable amount of energy was coming under Ning’s command.

  Only the energy that he could control was ‘his’; anything he could not control would be just wasted energy.

  Finally, Ning reached his limit.

  “Ninety percent! I can vaguely sense that I’m controlling ninety percent of the power of this perfect Heaven Punisher.” Ning felt stunned as well…because he could sense that just ten percent of the power of the perfect Heaven Punisher was already vastly more powerful than the full power of his old Heaven Punisher, which had merely been powered by three thousand Celestial Immortals and three hundred thousand Loose Immortals.

  Fortunately, his heartforce had reached the fourth stage. Otherwise…with just third-stage heartforce, even if he used his soul heartforce technique he would probably only be able to just barely command a tenth of the power of this perfect Heaven Punisher.

  No one could tell from the surface as to how much control Ning had over the Heaven Punisher Formation. Not even the primordial wargod who created this great formation, Xingtian, would dare to believe that a mere Empyrean God or True Immortal would be able to take almost complete control over a perfect Heaven Punisher.

  “Excellent.” Daofather Crimsonbright’s voice boomed out, his eyes filled with a desire to battle. “It’s time for the final battle. Let’s completely wipe out the Seamless Gate!”

  “Kill!”

  “Kill!”

  “Kill!”

  The countless Immortals and Fiendgods turned frenzied with their desire to kill.

  “Head out!” Daofather Crimsonbright pointed towards the distant Seamless City.

  Instantly, a series of booms could be heard as the entire grand army charged towards the distant Seamless City, blotting out the very skies themselves as they moved.

  ……

  Within the vast world of darkness.

  “What?!”

  The Godking, seated upon his massive throne, was stunned and enraged. “He actually broke through? Broke through to become a Pure Yang True Immortal?”

  “He suffered such a mental blow, then actually made a breakthrough?”

  “His soul heartforce technique had already reached the stage of mastery. Now that he’s become a Pure Yang True Immortal and has a perfect Heaven Punisher under his command…I imagine that his Heaven Punisher, all by itself, is comparable to the three Diremonster Gods of Mount Dragoneater. I predicted that he would be would become a threat, but I was always just one step too slow. One step!” The Godking felt furious, stunned, and regretful.

  ……

  The Seamless City. Daofather Ink Bamboo convened all the Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and army commanders to meet with him.

  Daofather Ink Bamboo stared down at his soldiers, his voice low. “I trust you can see that the Crimsonbright Realm’s army is calling us out to do battle! The reason why they have dared to emerge is because their ‘Ji Ning’…has already broken through to become a Pure Yang True Immortal.”

  “Pure Yang True Immortal?”

  “He’s reached the Pure Yang level? Wasn’t his Dao-companion Yu Wei one of us? He was betrayed by his Dao-companion…but was actually able to break through to become a True Immortal?”

  The Immortals and Fiendgods of the Seamless Gate were all stunned and baffled.

  The Great Sage Who Swallows the Mountains narrowed his eyes, then said, “Ji Ning is extremely skilled in commanding Heaven Punishers. Even before this, he was extraordinarily powerful. Now that he’s broken through, I’m afraid that his Heaven Punisher, just by itself…will be on par with our Three-Eyed Demon.”

  “Right.” The seventh fairy of the Nine Cloudmist Fairies frowned. “Last time, our army collapsed and fled due to the appearance of that Seven Planets God. Quite a few of us were slaughtered. If it wasn’t for the Daofather golem, we would be at a decided disadvantage against them in forces. If Ji Ning and Redsnow use their Heaven Punisher and Seven Planets God to tie down our Daofather golem…we are probably going to lose!”

  “Right.”

  Daofather Ink Bamboo, seated above them, nodded. “Yes. The main issue in this battle revolves around the question of whether or not Ji Ning and Redsnow, when fighting together, can tie down our Daofather golem.”

  “If they can tie it down…they also have another portion of Shennong’s medicine! They outnumber us as well. Although we have the three Diremonster Gods of Mount Dragoneater…we will probably still lose.” Daofather Ink Bamboo looked towards Sword Immortal Evergreen. “Evergreen, we’ll be counting on you in this battle.”

  “Don’t worry, Daofather.” Sword Immortal Evergreen’s eyes flashed with fierce light, and his voice was icy but confident. “The Daofather golem possesses inconceivable power. Even if a true Daofather comes, it will still probably remain undamaged. Under my command, the Daofather golem will be exceptionally nimble and agile. The two probably won’t be able to join forces against me; instead, I’ll break them down one by one.”

  “Right. The Daofather golem won’t be so easily dealt with.”

  “They definitely won’t be able to stop it.”

  The Seamless Alliance wouldn’t easily admit defeat either.

  The Daofather golem…

  Ji Ning’s Heaven Punisher and Redsnow’s Seven Planets God…

  Which would be more powerful?

  Neither side could be completely certain.

  “Evergreen, your mission in this upcoming battle will be the most important one.” Daofather Ink Bamboo looked towards Sword Immortal Evergreen. “No matter what, don’t disappoint me or the Godking.”

  “Daofather, don’t worry at all. I’ll definitely bring back the heads of Ji Ning and Redsnow and offer them to you and the Godking.” A sharp, sword-like aura could be seen within Evergreen’s eyes. He was completely confident in himself.

  “Alright.”

  Daofather Ink Bamboo swept the main hall with his gaze. He growled, “Then…let us go out and fight! This will be the final battle. Break apart the Crimsonbright Realm’s forces and sweep them out like trash!”

  “Yes!” The Immortals and Fiendgods all acknowledged to the order.

  Soon, the air above the Seamless City became filled with White-Faced Flood Dragons, Bifang Cranes, Zhuyan Apes, and other Terrorbeasts, as well as many Empyrean God golems and other powerful figures such as the Three-Eyed Demon. The most dazzling of all figures…was the titanic, crimson-gold figure that hovered in the skies. It looked just like an enormous spider…and it emanated an aura that was no weaker than the aura of a True God or Daofather!

  The two massive armies stared against each other from afar.

  “KILL!” Following an earth-shattering roar, the army of the Seamless Gate charged through the skies, blotting out the sun as they swept towards the Crimsonbright Realm’s forces.

  * * *

  Book 18, Chapter 53 - Cleaving Heaven and Earth

  “Hmph.” Sword Immortal Evergreen could sense that he had become one with the Daofather golem…and the tremendous power which the Daofather golem contained.

  “The aura of that perfect Heaven Punisher is quite strong as well. It lives up to its reputation as a grand formation formed from 9000 Celestial Immortals and 810,000 Loose Immortals. The aura alone is no weaker than the aura of my Daofather golem.” Sword Immortal Evergreen, however, wasn’t worried in the slightest. In fact, he was rather disdainful. “It’s all show and no substance. What’s the use of just having an aura of power? Although it is very strong, taking control over all that power is harder than ascending to the heavens! Even t
he simplest version of the Heaven Punisher is difficult for many Empyrean Gods and True Immortals to command, much less the perfect version.”

  The Heaven Punishers could be divided into three tiers.

  The simplest version had 1000 Celestial Immortals and 100,000 Loose Immortals.

  The expert version had 3000 Celestial Immortals and 300,000 Loose Immortals.

  Only when 9000 Celestial Immortals and 810,000 Loose Immortals were used, however, was the Heaven Punisher ‘perfect’, allowing it to reach an inconceivable level of power. If Ning, as a Pure Yang True Immortal, merely had third-stage heartforce and mastery over the soul heartforce technique…he’d be able to command at most a tenth of the Heaven Punisher’s full power. From this, one could imagine how truly difficult it was for one to take command over the perfect Heaven Punisher’s power.

  “I’m different from him!”

  “I have a Daofather golem, and I have complete control over all of its power. Ji Ning isn’t much of a threat; to the contrary, it’s the Seven Planets God, which seems to have a weaker aura than mine, which is dangerous. It is formed from seven Empyrean Gods, and Redsnow has complete control over all of its power as well.”

  Under Evergreen’s control, the Daofather golem was extremely fast.

  Swish! Swish! Swish!

  Distorted light could be seen in the skies. The Daofather golem looked like a spider crawling upon the vast web of heaven as it charged forward, the first to attack the Crimsonbright Realm’s forces.

  This battle wasn’t just being watched by Daofather Crimsonbright, the Godking, and Daofather Ink Bamboo. In truth, more than 90% of the Daofathers of the Three Realms were watching this battle.

  ……

  The Celestial Realm.

  Mount Ling, in the western region.

  Lord Buddha was seated up high on his honored throne, radiating a boundless aura of light. The light surrounding him was dazzling to behold, and if one looked at it carefully, one would be able to vaguely make out the colors of the Five Elements. Beneath him was seated Amitabha, Kshitigarbha, Maitreya, and other major powers of the Buddhist Sangha. [1. These are all important Buddhas in religious Buddhism. Lord Buddha usually refers to Siddhartha/Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha. Amitabha is the main Buddha of the extremely popular Pure Lands sect of Buddhism. Kshitigarbha is the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as he swore an oath to free everyone who was tormented in hell. Maitreya is the future Buddha who will come to Earth in the future, the successor to Siddhartha/Sakyamuni.]

  Lord Buddha, also known as Tathagata, was the highest-level Buddhist leader of the Three Realms. His power was inconceivable, and the divine abilities he had devised, such as the [Vairocana Guardian Halo] and the [Buddha-Realm Within the Palm] were some of the most supreme divine abilities of the Three Realms. Only Mother Nuwa was more powerful than him.

  The Buddhas seated below him were all extraordinarily formidable as well.

  Amitabha, for example, had created ten million clones of himself. In both the Primordial Era and the modern day, his many clones were constantly spreading the teachings of Buddhism. It could be said that many of the most formidable figures of Buddhism had received some degree of tutelage from Amitabha. There was a widespread saying; more than half of the arhats and bodhisattvas of the Three Realms had been taught by Amitabha and thus succeeded in their cultivation. [2. In terms of enlightenment, in religious Buddhism, it basically goes arhat > bodhisattva > Buddha.]

  The countless bodhisattvas and arhats thus naturally felt tremendous gratitude towards the Buddha Amitabha. Thus, Buddha Amitabha had a very special status amongst the ranks of the Buddhist Sangha. He was often referred to as the ‘Teacher Buddha’, or as the ‘Welcomer Buddha’, which referred to his actions in welcoming his many adherents to his pure land of Sukhavati, the Western Paradise. [3. One of the most important beliefs in the Pure Lands sect of Buddhism is that if you call out Amitabha’s name at least ten times in your life, he will guarantee that you will be reborn into Sukhavati, a ‘pure land’ he created of pure bliss.] The holy light radiating from Buddha Amitabha was a light of infinite kindness and gentleness. Anyone who saw it would feel inner peace, and they would uncontrollably wish to kneel down and listen to his teachings.

  “Multiple Realmwars have occurred within the Three Realms. All the major powers are tiring themselves out for the sake of this great war.” The gaze of Lord Tathagata pierced through the vast Void, allowing him to see the battle within the Crimsonbright Realm. “For the sake of his Realm, Crimsonbright has done everything he can. This Realmwar is a far greater one than the ones which have come before. Welcomer, do you think they can win?”

  Buddha Amitabha’s gaze was kind and benevolent. Clasping his hands together, he said, “The key issue in this battle revolves around the battle between the Daofather golem, which shall battle Ji Ning’s Heaven Punisher and Redsnow’s Seven Planets God.”

  The other major Buddhist powers were watching as well.

  It was only natural that they cared.

  It was a minor matter for a Celestial Emperor to be changed, but a Realmwar would have a major impact on karmic luck! The two sides were currently engaged in a war for karmic luck, with the Endwar only coming once both sides were convinced that no further gains could be made. That was when all of the major Buddhist powers would have to go all out as well.

  “I wonder how many of us shall be at Mount Ling, after the great storm passes.” Lord Tathagata stared downwards, sighing to himself. He could never forget how much blood had been shed when the Primordial Era was brought to an end. Even he had very nearly perished before the might of the Lord of All Things. Fortunately, by relying on his [Golden Nirmana Body], he was able to survive and keep the Lord of All Things tied down.

  That had been a calamitous war.

  The majority of the Buddhas of the Buddhist Sangha had died in battle. Fortunately, Mother Nuwa had made a breakthrough in the end, allowing for a reversal in the war!

  ……

  The Celestial Realm.

  The Dao Palace, in the eastern regions.

  Daoist Three Purities was seated high up upon his throne. Unlike Lord Buddha, Daoist Three Purities had a much more reserved aura. And yet, when one looked at Daoist Three Purities…one would occasionally feel as though one was seeing a terrifying illusion of the destruction of the entire Three Realms.

  Beneath him were seated the major powers of the Daoist Path.

  “We are about to see a result to this Realmwar,” Daoist Three Purities said softly. “Zixiu, who do you think will win?”

  An old man with a long beard who was dressed in loose robes said softly, “Fifty-fifty.”

  This old man was Daofather Carefree. He was also known as Zhuang Zhou…Zhuang Zixiu! [4. Zhuang Zhou is an actual historical figure from the 4th century BC who wrote one of the most important philosophical Daoist books, the ‘Zhuangzi’.]

  Long ago, two True Gods were born from the primordial chaos and became extremely good friends.

  One was Yuanshi Tianzun, the Exalted Celestial of Genesis. The second was Xiaoyao Tianzun, the Carefree Exalted Celestial.

  The two had trained painstakingly, with Yuanshi Tianzun having mastered the Heavenly Dao of Yang and the Heavenly Dao of Destruction. Of the ten Heavenly Daos, however, the Heavenly Dao of Primordial Chaos was the most exalted of Daos. The Heavenly Dao of Life was mated with the Heavenly Dao of Destruction, while the Heavenly Dao of Yin was mated with the Heavenly Dao of Yang. Last came the Five Elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. If one wanted to make a qualitative breakthrough, one would have to gain insights into matching sets of Heavenly Daos…which was incredibly hard. For example, if you gained insights into the Heavenly Dao of Life, then the Heavenly Dao of Life itself would interfere with your efforts to gain insights into the Heavenly Dao of Destruction, preventing you from calmly training in it.

  Or, for example, the Five Elements.

  If one managed to master metal, wood, water, and fire…
then when one began to work on water, one would suffer many interferences. Thus, it was incredibly difficult to master the full set of Five Elements, the duality of Life and Destruction, or the duality of Yin and Yang.

  Lord Tathagata had managed to master the entire Five Elements of the Heavenly Daos, which was why he was able to become the leader of the Buddhist Sangha!

  Yuanshi Tianzun had tremendous willpower and determination. During the Primordial Era, he placed a seal on his own truesoul, one which locked away his memories and prevented him from reawakening them unless he fully mastered the Heavenly Dao of Yin. He then sent himself into the Six Paths of Reincarnation and committed suicide, sending his truesoul into the cycle of reincarnation.

  He was reborn multiple times. On his ninth life, he was reborn as Laozi [5. Also known as Lao-Tzu, Laozi is the historical author of Tao Te Ching and the historical founder of Daoism, much like how Shakyamuni/Siddartha is credited as the founder of Buddhism.]! In this life, he finally embarked on a path of nonstop breakthroughs, culminating in him mastering the Heavenly Dao of Yin and becoming a Daofather. At this moment, his memories were completely reawakened…and with Yin and Yang joined together, his power instantly skyrocketed, resulting in him standing at the very pinnacle of the Three Realms! Back then, of course, Mother Nuwa hadn’t reached the Pangu level yet.

  He devised a technique which allowed him to transform in the Three Pure Ones; Shangqing the Supreme Pure One, Yuqing the Jade Pure One, and Taiqing the Grand Pure One. His three incarnations all had their separate strengths, and they were each very suited to their respective Heavenly Daos.

  Daoist Yuqing was his former, true body; known as Yuanshi Tianzun, it controlled the Heavenly Dao of Yang.

  Daoist Shangqing was known as Lingbao Tianzun, the Exalted Celestial of the Holy Treasure. He controlled the Heavenly Dao of Destruction.

  Daoist Taiqing was the reincarnated Laozi, the master of the Heavenly Dao of Yin.