Desolate Era

by RWX

“That little kid.” The black-robed Godking suddenly let out a low, cold chuckle.

  “Eh?” Daomother Devilhand looked towards him.

  “Ji Ning.” The black-robed Godking laughed, “Just now, I sent one of my incarnations to go meet with him. I toyed with him for a bit.”

  Daomother Devilhand said calmly, “Given how far the war for karmic luck has advanced, a single Empyrean God like him is no longer a threat to us.”

  “I know. That’s why there’s no way I would possibly give Yu Wei’s soul back to him. Even if it’s useless to me, Ji Ning can forget about getting it,” the black-robed Godking said with a calm laugh. “Don’t worry, aunt-master. I won’t spend too much of my time on that kid. The big picture is what really matters, and the issue before us is the war for karmic luck. As for that Ji Ning? If an opportunity arises, I’ll use it to dispose of him. If no opportunity comes, then I won’t bother with him. Spending time and effort on him is a waste of my energy.”

  “Mm. It’s good that you know what matters.” Daomother Devilhand nodded calmly.

  Boom. Boom. Boom.

  Their army flew through the air in an awe-inspiring horde that covered the skies as they returned to the Seamless Citadel.

  “Eh?” The black-robed Godking raised his head. He saw a distant black bolt of lightning flash in the skies, followed by a streak of light flying into the distant, hovering citadel of the Nuwa Alliance. The Godking cracked his lips into a grin. “It’s Ji Ning.”

  ……

  The Deerchaser world. The hanging citadel of the Nuwa Alliance.

  Ji Ning’s residence.

  Whoosh. The white-robed Ning waved his hand, and the black-robed Ning in front of him was drawn into the portable estate-world.

  The world inside the treasure was an entire world of its own, with mountain peaks soaring into the skies. There were a total of 319 mountain peaks, which served as the ‘foundational pillars’ of this world, ensuring its stability.

  A number of white-robed youths were all seated on their respective mountain peaks, training in the [Icefire Jindan Smelting] technique.

  Whoosh.

  Seventeen black-robed Ning’s appeared as well. As with his true bodies, Ning had only brought seventeen of his Primaltwin clones here. He had left one behind to accompany his daughter, Brightmoon.

  Whoooooooosh. Ninefire Lava and Iceheart Pith began to fly out.

  The seventeen black-robed Ning’s separated from each other, each occupying a mountain peak of their own. They then began to train in the [Icefire Jindan Smelting] technique as well.

  The ‘original’ white-robed Ning remained standing within that distant courtyard. He waved his hand, and instantly a large horde of people appeared within it.

  “Brother Darknorth.”

  “Where is this place?”

  “Brother Darknorth, we’ve been waiting for centuries. You’ve finally let us out.”

  “Eh? Where are we?”

  The throng of Empyrean Gods that had just appeared were Empyrean Gods Sin and Sealthroat, the Seven Dragon Gods, Empyrean God Feiyou, Empyrean God Cloudscar, and the rest of the two hundred-plus Empyrean Gods of Undermoon Lake. Each of them was extraordinarily powerful.

  “Is this…the Deerchaser major world?” Empyrean God Roughpeak suddenly said, stunned.

  “Deerchaser?”

  “The Three Realms.”

  “We’ve returned.”

  The Empyrean Gods quickly grew excited by this revelation. They each began to spread out their coresense, causing the already-present Empyrean Gods and True Immortals of the Nuwa Alliance to notice them…and realize to their astonishment that these coresenses seemed to be of old friends and brothers that they had not seen for a long, long time.

  Soon, quite a few Empyrean Gods hastened to Ning’s place.

  “Ah!? Oddwitch, it really is you! I thought my senses were fooling me.”

  “S-senior apprentice-brother! Y-you…are still alive!?”

  Ning’s residence quickly became quite a lively place…and in the commotion, no one noticed that Ning had quietly departed.

  Traveling alone, Ning headed towards the palace where Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan resided.

  There were guards outside the palace.

  “Empyrean God Darknorth, there are many major powers who are convening inside right now. They must not be disturbed,” a golden-armored guard said.

  “Help me relay a message. Tell them that I have extremely important information for my master,” Ning said.

  The golden-armored guard was slightly startled. If Ning had insisted on seeing Xuan Yuan, he would’ve stopped him, but since Ning just wanted to meet with his own master…it wasn’t really appropriate for him to stand in the way. He immediately nodded. “Empyrean God Darknorth, just wait a moment. I’ll send the word right now.”

  Ning nodded. He stood there quietly, waiting.

  His master, Xuan Yuan, Suiren, and other major powers were all gathered here. If Ning wished to meet them, he naturally would have to act in a proper manner and pay his respects accordingly. He couldn’t just sweep out his heartforce or send a mental message to them from afar; that would be far too brash!

  A short while later, the golden-armored guard returned. He gave Ning a curious look. “His Imperial Majesty said to let you in.”

  When he had made the report, Xuan Yuan, Daoist Three Purities, and the others all said the same thing: ‘Let Ji Ning come in.’ This caused this guard, who was merely a Celestial Immortal, to be extremely puzzled.

  Ning nodded, then stepped forward onto the stairs.

  He walked through the corridor, passing into an extremely wide plaza as he walked towards a great hall. Even before entering, Ning was able to make out the seated figures within the great hall. All of them were major powers of the Three Realms. There weren’t that many of them here. This was mainly because all of the major powers had hastened here after the appearance of the Envoy of All Things. After their day of initial discussions, some of the major powers had left.

  “Come in.” Xuan Yuan’s voice rang out, and Ning entered the palace.

  There really weren’t that many True Gods/Daofathers inside, just eighteen in total. However, the most puissant powers were all present. Daoist Three Purities, Lord Tathagata the Buddha, Shennong, Fuxi, and Suiren were all present. Subhuti was seated there as well, and he nodded towards Ning. He was responsible for keeping watch over the Seamless Gate’s actions, and so he already knew of Ning’s meeting with the Godking and knew what had happened.

  He couldn’t help but sigh. He knew that his disciple’s path was a hard one, but one which only his disciple himself could walk.

  “Ji Ning.” Xuan Yuan smiled. “We learned just a moment ago that you brought more than two hundred Empyrean Gods back from Undermoon Lake. And…I can sense that all of them have extremely powerful auras. All of them are top-tier Empyrean Gods, and some of them are quite shockingly powerful. To gain the allegiance of such a group of Empyrean Gods during the war for karmic luck is helpful for our side.”

  “You came out after six centuries. You were much faster than Jueming,” Lord Tathagata said with a smile.

  “Disciple.” Subhuti spoke out. “Why have you sought me?”

  All the major powers were watching Ning. Even the weakest of these eighteen were elite Daofathers! Before Ning had arrived, they were pondering the question of how to deal with the Envoy of All Things.

  Ning had just brought them two hundred more Empyrean Gods, which was quite a pleasing bit of news to them, as many of these Empyrean Gods were their disciples. But this was just an emotional bit of pleasure. They knew very well that the addition of these Empyrean Gods would have very little impact on the big picture. In the last battle alone, they had lost nearly six hundred!

  As for the Envoy, using Empyrean Gods and True Immortals against it was useless. Empyrean Gods and True Immortals had to rely on formations in order to unleash sufficient amounts of power. True Immortal Jimin, commanding a Pangu G
enesis Formation, had already reached what they believed to be the theoretical maximum level of power that could be unleashed by an Empyrean God or True Immortal when wielding a formation. They couldn’t come up with any better ideas at all.

  “The Envoy of All Things,” Ning said.

  “The Envoy?” Subhuti was startled. All the major powers were startled. The only reason why they had been willing to meet with Ning was to thank him for having rescued so many Empyrean Gods…but now, all of them instantly turned quite serious.

  “Can the Seamless Gate eavesdrop or spy on this location…?” Ning asked.

  “Don’t worry. The many major powers of the Three Realms are all gathered here, and we have each employed our own methods to block out spying. Even the Heavenly Daos themselves have been blocked off,” Subhuti said.

  Ning was startled. A moment later, he realized that this was true. He couldn’t even sense the Heavenly Daos in this place. This was testament to how agitated he was, that he hadn’t even noticed this.

  “Speak.” Subhuti looked at his disciple.

  “The Envoy of All Things is quite formidable. However, your disciple’s clones have departed Undermoon Lake after six hundred years, and all memories have been joined together once more. Your disciple has a way to deal with the Envoy of All Things,” Ning said solemnly.

  “You have a way?” Exalted Celestial Thundregod, seated nearby, frowned. Although he didn’t like Ji Ning, this was something that had to do with the survival of their alliance. He wholeheartedly wanted to come up with a solution for dealing with the Envoy, but none of the major powers present had come up with any ideas. For Ji Ning to suddenly claim that he had a solution caused Thundergod to frown. “Are you aware that the Envoy of All Things is comparable to a elite Daofather in power? You, an Empyrean God, have a method of dealing with it?”

  “When the Envoy of All Things appeared, I was by Master’s side on the city walls,” Ning said respectfully. The meaning of this was clear; he knew exactly how powerful the Envoy was.

  “You really have an idea?” Yu the Great, the founder of the Primordial Imperial Clan, was seated close by. He couldn’t help but ask this question.

  Ning nodded, his eyes filled with unprecedented self-confidence and determination. “Elders, please give me just a month. A month from now, I, Ji Ning…shall go and deal with the Envoy of All Things.”

  “War is not a joking matter. This will have implications for the lives of countless Immortals and Fiendgods.” The commander of their army, Xuan Yuan, spoke out in a solemn voice.

  “This junior wouldn’t dare to make such a joke.” Ning spoke out in an equally solemn manner.

  “Fine.” Xuan Yuan nodded. “I trust that you know that in war, one cannot make idle promises. Since you’ve promised it, a month from now I will order our army to once more battle the Seamless Gate.”

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 14 - True Body

  Ji Ning departed respectfully.

  The supreme figures of the Nuwa Alliance within the hall watched as Ning departed. They then exchanged glances. Clearly, they all had their doubts and concerns.

  “Everyone…do you believe that Darknorth truly has a solution?” Exalted Celestial Thundergod couldn’t but say, “It’s not that I look down on him; rather, we all know exactly how powerful the Envoy is. When the Lord of All Things led his army of Envoys, he nearly wiped out both the Pangu Chaosworld and the Seamless Chaosworld. Fortunately, Mother Nuwa made her breakthrough and swept through all challengers. Although this Envoy before us is merely under the command of an Empyrean God, it still definitely has the power of a elite Daofather. Ji Ning…I really can’t imagine how he can come up with any solution.”

  “Mm.”

  “I can’t imagine it either. What could he possibly do?”

  “Can it be that his swordforce or his heartforce has reached the fifth stage?” Emperor Zhuanxu frowned.

  “The fifth stage isn’t that easy to reach. Swordforce and heartforce increase exponentially in difficulty with each stage. The fifth stage is harder to reach than becoming a True God or Daofather.” Xuan Yuan slowly shook his head. “He’s just returned from Undermoon Lake. My best guess is that he must’ve acquired some sort of treasure in Undermoon Lake. Something which allows him, an Empyrean God and True Immortal, to be able to unleash the power of a elite Daofather.”

  “Can such a treasure truly exist?” Exalted Celestial Thundergod was puzzled.

  “They do. For example…” Xuan Yuan said softly, “The Envoy of All Things! If Ji Ning also had an Envoy, given the power he displayed in overcoming Undermoon Lake, he could probably defeat the enemy.”

  Everyone present blinked.

  “Everyone, we’ve been guessing all along that Undermoon Lake was created by an ancient major power, yes?” Xuan Yuan chuckled. “That major power must have been shockingly powerful; it’s not impossible that he might’ve left behind a golem comparable to an Envoy of All Things. But of course, that’s just a guess. The other possibility is that Ji Ning is so infuriated that he’s completely overestimated himself.”

  “Ji Ning is an Empyrean God and True Immortal; there’s no way he would be that unreliable.” Shennong frowned as he spoke in a calm voice.

  “The person who knows Ji Ning best is his master.” Fuxi looked towards Subhuti.

  Everyone present looked towards Subhuti. Quite a few people had spoken, but thus far Subhuti had yet to say a thing.

  Subhuti frowned, then said slowly, “Xuan Yuan…it’s best if you still make preparations in the event of defeat.”

  “Oh?” Xuan Yuan was startled.

  The hearts of everyone present sunk.

  Subhuti said nothing else. He didn’t want to reveal all of Ning’s secrets to everyone! Still, in Subhuti’s heart, he was indeed a bit nervous. He knew that throughout the course of history, from the Primordial Era to the present day, the word ‘love’ had caused quite a few major powers to be driven mad. Even Houyi, whose heartforce had reached the fifth stage, was unable to escape from this word, ‘love’.

  Subhuti himself wasn’t sure as to how heavy a mental blow Ning had been delivered by what had just happened.

  “Fine. I’ll make complete preparations.” Xuan Yuan nodded.

  ……

  News of the return of more than two hundred Empyrean Gods quickly spread throughout the Three Realms. The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals of the Three Realms all heard that the return of all these people was thanks to Ji Ning.

  Far away, in the Celestial Realm. Mount Ling, in the eastern lands.

  Buddha Jueming’s palace was a simple, plain, unadorned one. There were only two novice monks here, guarding the entrance. He only became truly famous in the Three Realms after returning from Undermoon Lake, then training to become a True God and Daofather. Ever since then, he had never caused much of a stir, as he had lived here in seclusion by himself.

  “Mm?” Buddha Jueming was seated in the lotus position. Slowly, he opened his eyes. “Undermoon Lake? Empyrean God Darknorth overcame Undermoon Lake?”

  “Has Darknorth also acquired [Forlorn World God] and [Nine Elements Annihilation]?” Buddha Jueming mused to himself. The [Forlorn World God]…it was indeed the best Fiendgod Body Refiner technique that World God Northrest had access to which could be taught to others. Right now, Ning was indeed training in the [Forlorn World God].

  The key to this technique lay in the word ‘Forlorn’.

  One would have to search through endless solitude and dullness in order to find the secrets regarding the divine body, then make the breakthrough.

  Thus, in order to train in this technique, what one truly needed was silence and calm. Sometimes, a single ‘forlorn’ meditation session could span ten thousand years or a million years. Buddha Jueming himself was perpetually seated in the meditative posture, and thus he naturally understood the profound secrets to this art. Long ago, it was this art which he used to break through to become a True God.

  �
�So, there is now yet another cultivator of the [Nine Elements Annihilation] and the [Forlorn World God],” Buddha Jueming mused to himself. “The power of this divine ability is truly endless; the only thing one really needs is a long period of time to meditate on it. Unfortunately, Darknorth hasn’t spent enough time cultivating. Otherwise, he would be of tremendous benefit in this war.”

  The longer one cultivated, the more powerful he realized the [Forlorn World God] and the [Nine Elements Annihilation] to be. These two techniques alone were enough to allow one to become an unparalleled expert amongst Elder Gods, and perhaps even break through to the World God stage.

  News that Ji Ning was about to enter the fray was kept completely secret. Even the other major powers of the Nuwa Alliance such as Buddha Jueming were not informed.

  The only ones who knew were the leaders of Daoism and Buddhism, the Three Emperors, and around ten-plus other major powers. Although they were worried that Ning would fail, they still felt a hint of hope. Naturally, they would keep this a tight secret.

  Time passed, one day at a time. In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

  Within the world of the estate-world.

  This was a world of towering mountain peaks. Ning’s seventeen true body clones and seventeen Primaltwin clones had all gathered here, at the very top of one of the mountain peaks.

  “The Jindan smelting process is complete.”

  “Time to train in the [One True Body] technique.”

  The seventeen white-robed youths all sat down in the lotus position together. Slowly, the bodies of two of them began to emit a hazy white light. Their bodies, their Jindans, and their souls were all emanating this hazy white light which was filled with arcane, abstruse divine runes. Ning was completely, slavishly imitating the technique and runes as it had been written down. This technique had been created by a major power of the primordial chaos, and its runes were incredibly profound and mysterious. There was no way Ning could understand these runes at all; all he had to do was memorize them and then replicate them.

  Rumble…

  The two white-robed youths began to slowly draw closer to each other. One of them actually ended up flying into the body of the other, causing the aura of white light to dramatically expand.