Desolate Era

by RWX

  In truth, Pangu wasn’t really an ‘Elder God’, he was a World God. However, back then the various Fiendgods didn’t know what ‘World Gods’ even were. Because Pangu was simply far too overwhelmingly powerful, the ten Elder Gods considered Pangu to be in a class of his own, the ‘Pangu level’, a level which surpassed all Immortals, Buddhas, Fiends, and Gods.

  Pangu established Heaven and Earth, then died from his labors.

  Mother Nuwa entered the primordial chaos, never to return.

  Elder God Fuxi had been reborn as a human, becoming Human Sovereign Fuxi.

  Multiple Elder Gods had died during the struggles for supremacy of the Primordial Era.

  The war against the Seamless Chaosworld and the Lord of All Things that destroyed the Primordial Era had resulted in the deaths of even more Elder Gods.

  Thus, the likes of Human Sovereign Fuxi were now forced to laboriously extract Arcane Moonwater from the Lunar Star. Fortunately, Fuxi was a master of the Heavenly Daos of Yin and Yang, which was why he was able to draw upon the supremely Yin-aligned Arcane Moonwater. However, clearly his skill in controlling water was not a match for Suiren’s skill in controlling fire.

  “Fuxi has focused his efforts on the art of formations. If he was to focus his efforts on water…given his power and his insights into the Heavenly Daos of Yin and Yang, he probably would’ve long ago been able to develop a form of arcane water that surpassed the nine types of truewater,” Subhuti said with a sigh.

  “In his past life, he was an Elder God that was a master of the Heavenly Dao of Destruction. In this life, he is a Human Sovereign, but he has decided to focus on formations.” Ning felt extremely curious regarding Fuxi.

  Fuxi was someone who stood at the very peak of the Three Realms, in both this life and the previous one.

  Whoosh.

  After they passed through the flame corridor, they saw an island that was a few hundred meters long hover there in the midst of the primordial chaos. Atop the island was a tall, muscular man dressed in Daoist robes who was seated in the lotus position. His robes were covered with many Taiji diagrams, Eight Trigrams diagrams, stellar diagrams, and other types of formation-diagrams. The area surrounding him was filled with countless swirling runes. Fuxi was staring at the countless runes, occasionally changing them and occasionally moving them around.

  “Don’t be impatient. Wait a bit,” Subhuti instructed.

  “Understood.” Ning nodded.

  After the time needed to boil a kettle of tea, the distant Fuxi finally came to a halt, allowing all the runes around him to disappear.

  Smiling, Fuxi looked towards Subhuti and Ning. “Subhuti, why have you brought your treasured disciple here? Come, sit.”

  He waved his hand, producing a pair of prayer mats in front of him. In front of each prayer mat was a table covered with wine.

  Subhuti led Ning forward. The two seated themselves.

  “Naturally, I come bearing good news.” Subhuti handed the scroll Ning had given him to Fuxi. “Take a look.”

  “Oh?” Fuxi accepted the scroll, then immediately sent his coresense into it to examine it. Upon doing so, he instantly became completely transfixed.

  “Don’t be impatient,” Subhuti said to Ning. “This is just how Fuxi is. Let’s just wait here for now. Come, taste the wine. This is wine which Fuxi personally created using his insights into the art of formations. There’s no other place with wine like this.”

  Ning lifted up his winecup, taking a sip. Instantly, an incredibly comfortable feeling spread throughout his body. Even his soul felt more relaxed.

  “It really is fine wine.” Ning sighed in amazement.

  “No one else can make it,” Subhuti agreed.

  These two, master and disciple, began to chat and drink the wine. The tables were covered with what appeared to be small flagons of wine, but in truth every single flagon contained an enormous lake of Immortal wine within it. The two drank to their hearts content for more than a full day before Human Sovereign Fuxi finally withdrew his coresense from the bamboo scroll.

  “Good. Good. Good!” Fuxi was so excited, he said the word ‘good’ three times in a row.

  “What do you think?” Subhuti looked at him. “The [Jewel Talisman] is nice, eh?”

  “The Dao-seals recorded within the [Jewel Talisman] are all incredibly marvelous. I had to spend six hours to completely comprehend all of them. Once I acquire all the necessary materials, I’ll be able to construct quite a few powerful Dao-seals.” Fuxi chuckled, “Thanks to these Dao-seals, our Nuwa Alliance will have an extra tool to rely on. Although the benefits will be minor…when many minor effects are added together, they’ll be able to influence the overall course of events.”

  Upon hearing the words ‘benefits will be minor’, Ning instantly understood that the Nuwa Alliance had an extremely deep foundation, many of which he had no idea about.

  The Seamless Gate had formidable abilities, but the Nuwa Alliance did as well.

  “At this point in time, there are very few things that can increase the power of our Nuwa Alliance as a whole. This [Jewel Talisman], however, is one of them.” Fuxi shook his head and sighed. “However, as far as I’m concerned, the most beneficial technique of the seven was the [Qiankun Reversing Gestalt-Formation]. The reason I spent so much time just now was primarily because of that formation.”

  “What? The [Qiankun Reversing Gestalt-Formation]? It helped you significantly?” Subhuti was puzzled. “This formation requires eighteen individuals to set up, and it also requires them to be of completely one mind. How could it have been of assistance to you?”

  “Ah, this is where you are wrong.” Fuxi shook his head. “Although this is an excellent formation, the formation that I’m developing is even more astonishingly powerful. I naturally won’t turn towards setting up the [Qiankun Reversing Gestalt-Formation]. However…the mysteries and secrets this formation contains are completely different from those used to set up formations in the Three Realms. In addition, it is especially powerful in the ‘Qiankun Reversal’ aspect.”

  Fuxi sighed. “All these years, I’ve been slowly working on my Waterflame Apocalypse Formation and coming up with ideas on how to better combine these two types of supreme fire and water. The ‘Qiankun Reversal’ in the gestalt-formation gave me many new ideas. Although the [Qiankun Reversing Gestalt-Formation] isn’t that powerful, the person who developed it is most likely much more powerful than even myself in the Dao of Formations.”

  At Fuxi’s level, when he looked at a formation, Fuxi looked at how the formation was constructed. He was able to completely ‘disassemble’ it into its component parts. Clearly, Fuxi had gained what he had needed from this formation.

  And it was true; this [Qiankun Reversing Gestalt-Formation] had indeed been created by a major power within the primordial chaos, expressly for those who trained in the [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods]. However…when Fuxi said that this person was superior to him in the Dao of Formations, Fuxi had been wrong. The major power that had created this formation had lived in a completely different environment, which was why there were naturally many differences in the mysteries this formation contained. This was the reason why Fuxi had gained so many new ideas upon seeing this formation. In terms of actual insight into the Dao of Formations, however, the creator of the [Qiankun Reversing Gestalt-Formation] was just barely on par with Fuxi.

  “Can it help you perfect the Waterflame Apocalypse Formation?” Subhuti was surprised and delighted.

  Eternal Kindlefire, Arcane Moonwater; either of the two were tremendously powerful on their own. But if Fuxi was to successfully and perfectly combine the two of them…the results would be utterly astonishing. It would be extremely useful during the final Endwar, and it would give them better chances of winning it.

  “It was indeed of use.” Fuxi nodded. “However, I’m still far, far away from being able to completely perfect this technique. I still need to spend some more time analyzing this gestalt-formation in detail. Mm. T
hese seven techniques…all of them are excellent. They clearly do not belong to the Three Realms; they should have come from alien Outsiders. Since you brought your disciple over…was it Ji Ning who discovered these seven techniques?”

  “Yes.” Subhuti nodded.

  Fuxi looked towards Ning, then sighed in a gratified manner. “All people are selfish. Petty selfishness is focused on the self; nobler selfishness is focused on one’s family, one’s clan, one’s nation, one’s race, and even one’s entire world. You are merely an Empyrean God and a True Immortal. For you to be willing to hand over these seven precious techniques…this really is quite rare and admirable.”

  Ning felt ashamed upon hearing this. He had indeed given the seven techniques to his master for the sake of the Nuwa Alliance, but he had kept the stone stele for himself. He had hidden it away without telling anyone, partially because he was worried about the Seamless Gate’s formidable intelligence mechanisms, but also because he wanted to keep something in reserve for himself. It was very possible that he might die as a result of this storm that was sweeping the Three Realms. He wasn’t afraid of dying, but if he died, who would protect his daughter?

  “Of the seven techniques you provided, the [Jewel Talisman] will be of benefit to the entire Nuwa Alliance, while the [Qiankun Reversing Gestalt-Formation] is of considerable benefit to me. Mm…I can’t just take these things from you without giving anything back,” Fuxi said.

  * * *

  Book 19, Chapter 36 - Skyrocketing Cultivation

  Fuxi pondered for a moment, then said, “Ji Ning, how much of the perfect Heaven Punisher’s power can you control?”

  “I can already control all of it,” Ji Ning said respectfully.

  “Oh…”

  Fuxi revealed a small smile. “This type of grand formation that involves commanding countless Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals is extremely taxing on both heartforce and Immortal energy, and it also requires a powerful soul heartforce technique. Of all the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals of the Three Realms, you are the one who is best-suited to commanding these formations. Prior to this, there was no one as skilled as you in this regard, which is why the likes of the perfect Heaven Punisher Formation were viewed as the apex.”

  Ning nodded. There were several formations comparable to the Heaven Punisher Formation, and his own master Subhuti had access to some of them. Since their power was on par with that of the Heaven Punisher Formation, Ning hadn’t asked for them.

  “Fourth level heartforce, and a soul heartforce technique…yes, you really are a perfect fit for these formations.” Fuxi chuckled. “Give me a bit of time, I’ll gift you with a formation that will allow you to control even more Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals. Naturally, the maximum power of the formation will greatly increase as well! However, controlling it will also be considerably more difficult.”

  “Thank you, Human Sovereign.” Ning was overjoyed. In truth, he wasn’t interested in any treasures the Human Sovereign could give him, because Ning already had access to Protocosmic spirit-treasures. In addition, two of Ning’s clones were within the prisonworld and were assaulting the various True Gods and True Immortals; he would definitely have plenty of powerful treasures in the future! A Chaos treasure would be excellent, but what were the chances that Fuxi would give him one? Many major powers didn’t even have access to such treasures!

  A formation that was more powerful than the Heaven Punisher Formation was something which Ning was in desperate need of. This was because Ning’s most powerful battle-mode was the Heaven Punisher mode. However, he had already completely utilized all the power available to the perfect Heaven Punisher; there was no way to increase his level of power at all. But alas, there were no superior formations of this type in all the Three Realms, and there were very few individuals who were capable of creating one.

  Fuxi, however, was definitely the most powerful expert in the Three Realms in the Dao of Formations.

  “This won’t be too difficult for me. All I have to do is spend a bit of effort on it when I’m not working on the Waterflame Apocalypse Formation. I imagine I should be able to complete it within ten years,” Fuxi said.

  “Disciple.” The nearby Subhuti looked towards Ning. “You can count on one hand the number of times Fuxi has custom-designed a formation for someone. This is incredibly rare. Fuxi, Ning and I won’t disturb you any further.”

  “Alright.” Fuxi smiled and nodded. “I’ll have to trouble you to leave my formation first.”

  Whoosh.

  A corridor appeared in the endless sea of flames in front of them.

  Subhuti immediately led Ning out through the corridor. Within this Waterflame Apocalypse Formation, not even Subhuti was able to engage in teleportation. He had to first leave the formation area, then teleport. This was a formation that Fuxi had spent countless eons perfecting; its power was truly terrifying.

  They returned to Mount Innerheart.

  “Master,” Ning said respectfully, “I wonder if I can teach this [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods] technique to Uncle White and the others.”

  Subhuti said, “This is a technique that you acquired; by all rights, I shouldn’t stop you from teaching it to others. However, it’s best if you do not. Your spirit-beasts are all too weak, after all. It’s impossible for the Seamless Gate to stealthily steal this technique from your mind, but your spirit-beasts haven’t even undergone the Celestial Tribulation. That ‘Godking’ would probably be able to steal away those techniques from them in their dreams.”

  “How about this? If you want to teach them something, teach them the [Twelve Heavens Fiendgod] technique. There are others in the Three Realms who have mastered it and are able to transform into twelve bodies that each have the power of the original.”

  “Understood,” Ning said. “I’ll go pay them a visit, then I’ll leave the Crescent world.”

  “Go.” Subhuti nodded.

  First, Ning carefully read through the entire [Twelve Heavens Fiendgod] technique. This technique was very similar to the [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods]; both were divided into three levels.

  The first level allowed the true body to divide into twelve clones, with each clone being much weaker in power than the original. This state was actually not a very good one; the only benefit was that it allowed the user to have a much better chance at staying alive.

  The second level allowed for all twelve bodies to rise in power, returning to the level which the original body had been at.

  The third level allowed for all twelve bodies to merge back together into a single true body once more, with the true body instantly and explosively increasing in power.

  This was almost identical to the [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods] formation. However, it was noticeably easier to train in, and it required less materials. In fact, all of the ingredients needed to train to the second level could be located within the Three Realms! But of course, all of those ingredients were still quite rare and expensive. In addition, the more powerful one was, the more of the ingredients would be needed, as the cost of training would increase.

  After soulscouring the prisoners of the prisonworld, Ning had learned quite a bit. Fairy Lilisoft, for example, had been the King of Pangaea’s granddaughter. The other Empyrean God and Celestial Immortal prisoners were similarly extraordinary figures who also knew many things.

  For example, Ning had learned from them that to train to the second level of the [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods], a Celestial Immortal of the first tier would generally need a full bottle of chaos nectar!

  Ning had roughly used up a full bottle as well, but a little was left over. This was because Ning was the lowest-tier True Immortal. In terms of the quality of his Immortal energy, he was merely on par with the highest-tier Celestial Immortals. But in terms of how much energy he had, he actually had much less. This was because first-tier Celestial Immortals formed their Jindans through absorbing the energy of an entire vast world. Their Jindan regions were quite shocking, and the amount of Immo
rtal energy they contained was huge.

  First-tier True Immortals would generally need a hundred bottles of chaos nectar to succeed! In every aspect, be it the Jindan or the soul, first-tier True Immortals were far more powerful than first-tier Celestial Immortals.

  First-tier True Immortals…their coresense was enough to cover an entire chaosworld! In the Three Realms, only True Gods and Daofathers had this sort of power. One could judge the power of one’s soul from the strength of one’s coresense. To split such a powerful soul into eighteen parts, then have all of them return to the power level of the original soul…the amount of chaos nectar that would be consumed was enormous.

  If a first-tier Ancestral Immortal was to train in the technique, the price would increase a hundredfold!

  The more powerful one was, the greater the price one would have to pay to acquire eighteen clones of tremendous power. Thus, even the King of Pangaea had only been able to train to the second stage as a True Immortal. After becoming an Ancestral Immortal, he had wandered through the primordial chaos and experienced many hardships before being lucky enough to acquire the resources to master the third stage of the [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods]. His power level had instantly exploded, making him an absolute hegemon amongst Ancestral Immortals. After he broke through to the World-level, he was thus able to build up an extremely powerful nation and slay other World-level experts, with two such experts electing to follow him.

  In the entire Pangaea chaos-kingdom, only the King of Pangaea had fully mastered this technique.

  ……

  Within a quiet little city.

  A black-robed Ning was seated within a winehouse, staring far away while holding a winecup in his hands. He watched as a woman was leading a girl forward through the distant streets.

  The woman was Autumn Leaf.

  The girl was Brightmoon.

  “Junior apprentice-brother. Uncle White.” Ning looked towards Mu Northson and Uncle White. “Wait here for now. I’m going to make a short trip, but I’ll be back soon.”