Desolate Era

by RWX

  Within Ning’s estate-treasure.

  The black-robed Ji Ning waved his hand and a gourd appeared by his side. Staring at the gourd, Ning said to himself in a soft voice, “It’s time to bind the Envoy.”

  Pop. He pulled the stopper out of the gourd, then pulled out the flame-wreathed, ape-shaped Envoy of All Things. It collapsed to the ground, still bound up by that Protocosmic spirit-rope.

  The Envoy opened its eyes, glaring angrily at Ning. “You captured me…but you can forget about getting the Envoy.”

  “Is that so?” The black-robed Ning replied coldly.

  “So what if you have me all tied up? You have no way of coming in.” The Envoy growled, “Nor can you deal any damage at all to this golem. Forget about you; even the most powerful figures of the Three Realms wouldn’t be able to damage it!”

  Ning shook his head. “I simply can forcibly bind the Envoy, right?”

  “Forcibly bind it? A Daofather, maybe. You?” The Envoy’s controller snorted angrily. “Come and try!”

  In truth, the Envoy was essentially a magic treasure, and the owner of this magic treasure was Empyrean God Bloodwave, located in the heart of it! Bloodwave believed that since Ji Ning was also just an Empyrean God/True Immortal, their divine power and Immortal energy should be on the same level. There was no way Ji Ning would be able to bind the Envoy by force, because he would be constantly using his own energy to resist and counter Ji Ning’s binding efforts.

  “Let’s try and see.” The black-robed Ning waved a finger. Instantly, a torrid flood of energy flowed into the Envoy. As soon as this happened, Ning could instantly sense the control which Bloodwave had over the Envoy. Bloodwave was already the master of the Envoy, and so he had the advantage of incumbency. There was no way that someone on a similar level of power to Bloodwave could possibly seize the golem from under his control. However…Daofather-level energy was clearly vastly beyond the ability of Bloodwave to counteract, and it began to seep into the golem.

  Crackle, crackle, crackle. The energy continued to flow into the golem, taking over more and more parts of it.

  “How can this be?” Bloodwave was stunned. “How could this Immortal energy be this powerful? How could…” He could clearly sense how powerful and pure the invading energy was. It was vastly beyond the Pure Yang True Immortal level.

  “Y-y-you’ve become a Daofather?” Bloodwave didn’t dare believe it. “Impossible. If you became a Daofather, you would’ve had to first master a Heavenly Dao. If that had happened, there would’ve been no way to hide it at all.”

  Ning just chuckled calmly.

  Indeed, there was no way to hide gaining mastery over a Heavenly Dao. The resonance effect this would create with the Heavenly Daos would instantly be discovered by the Lord of the Demonheart, who was himself a part of the Heavenly Daos. However, Ning was ‘only’ a True Immortal who had a Jindan that was comparable to a first-tier Jindan. If his Jindan had actually been a real first-tier Jindan, then when he used the [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods] and [One True Body] techniques, he would’ve become even more powerful than actual first-tier True Immortals.

  Alas, the only way to gain such a Jindan was to manifest it during the Celestial Tribulation.

  “Impossible. You must be a Daofather. How could you have become a Daofather?” Bloodwave simply couldn’t understand it, no matter how hard he tried. Suddenly, he thought of the fact that not even the major powers on his side knew that Ji Ning had become a Daofather. This definitely had to be an important secret.

  Rumble…

  Suddenly, a surge of coresense burst forth from the Envoy’s body, charging outwards and seeking to escape the estate-treasure.

  “You wish to reveal my secret?” Ning laughed calmly. “Don’t even try it. There’s no way your coresense can make it out of this estate-treasure.”

  Not even the coresenses of Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals would be able to penetrate and scan this estate-treasure, to say nothing of Empyrean God Bloodwave’s coresense. So long as Ning did not permit it, there was no way his coresense would be able to escape to the outside world.

  Ning wasn’t worried about Bloodwave revealing his secret.

  Empyrean God Bloodwave…didn’t have a Primaltwin! And if did have incarnations in the outside world, it wouldn’t matter.

  What was an ‘incarnation’? Even Void-level Fiendgods were capable of transforming a plucked bit of hair or a single drop of blood into an incarnation. At the Daofather level, incarnations could be manifested with but a thought. However, incarnations were only capable of surviving so long as the true body was alive. In fact, for Void-level Fiendgods, incarnations had to stay within a certain distance of the true body, as they would otherwise automatically dissipate.

  Even Daofathers had to maintain a continuous connection to their incarnations to maintain them. This was because it was this hidden connection to and support from the true body that gave the incarnation a mind, a will, and the ability to speak and chat with others.

  It must be understood that when one lost a large part of one’s soul, roughly seventy or eighty percent, the surviving portion would eventually crumble apart and die. If the loss was even more significant, one could die on the spot. The incarnation of a Daofather didn’t have any part of the Daofather’s soul within it at all. Why, then, was it able to ‘live’? Precisely because it relied on the true body for its survival.

  And now, Bloodwave was trapped within the estate-world. This estate-world treasure was one which Ning had specially chosen out of the many estate-world treasures he had acquired from the prisoners of Pangaea. It was the most mysterious of all estate-worlds, capable of refusing even the senses of Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals. It was capable of severing all contact between its insides and the outside world!

  Once the connection was severed, any incarnations that Bloodwave might’ve had in the outside world would dissipated due to its inability to connect to the true body.

  No matter how angry and resentful Bloodwave was, all he could do was stare as Ning continued the binding process. And after spending roughly an hour, Ning finally succeeded.

  “Come out.” This was the only thing Ning commanded.

  Whoosh.

  Bloodwave was forcibly teleported out. Eyes completely bloodshot, he charged towards Ji Ning in a berserk manner.

  “Hmph.” The black-robed Ning’s gaze turned cold. The Thirty-Six Heavens instantly appeared around him in the form of flags, and they linked together to instantly and complete surround Bloodwave. Slash! Slash! Slash! Bloodwave cried out miserably and furiously as he was ground to death.

  The difference between a Daofather and an Empyrean God was simply far too great. Unless there was some incredibly special circumstances involved, it would be extremely hard to overcome such a vast gulf in power.

  “The Envoy of All Things.” The black-robed Ning first willed the Thirty-Six Heavens to disappear, and then he blinked inside of the ‘body’ of the Envoy.

  “What a marvelous, intricate golem.” As Ning entered, he continued to explore the Envoy with his senses. Even he, the controller, was not capable of discovering a way to damage the golem in the slightest.

  “Fortunately, this golem is in perfect shape.” Ning secretly rejoiced to himself.

  During the war that ended the Primordial Era, the Lord of All Things had commanded an entire host of Envoys. When he had died, the critical mechanisms inside the Envoys had actually initiated self-destruct sequences. Although Mother Nuwa had defeated him and won his Envoys, they were in reality nothing more than completely useless, shattered bits of metal.

  What Ning didn’t understand was that the Envoys which the Lord of All Things used were completely different from the Envoys which Grandmaster Blackheaven had created.

  The Lord of All Things had used cruel, brutal methods to capture souls of Daofathers, then smelt them into the Envoys, ensuring that every single Envoy was absolutely loyal to him. An unwaveringly loyal army was what the Lord of All Th
ings required, and as soon as he died his loyal Envoys self-destructed, ensuring that their enemies would never have a chance to acquire them. Grandmaster Blackheaven certainly didn’t have the ability to capture a Daofather’s soul or smelt it into an Envoy; all he was able to do was have a living Daofather command it.

  “What a powerful golem…and is this part here the core? These five chaos jewels?” Ning discovered the energy source of the Envoy.

  Empyrean Gods were able to use the Envoy to unleash the power of a elite Daofather. The energy source of an Envoy, however, was of course not the Empyrean God himself. Its power came from these five chaos jewels, which each contained unique attributes stemming from the elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Joined together, they were able to unleash absolutely shocking amounts of power. There was simply no way for an Empyrean God to completely control such power. A Daofather, however, would be able to do so, and a Daofather in control would result in the Envoy having even more power.

  “I feel powerful, even more powerful than when I am in control of a Rahu God. No wonder it is capable of unleashing a level of power close to that of the leaders of Buddhism and Daoism.” Ning was truly stunned. Mostly likely, ten of his Rahu Gods would be needed to match up with this Envoy.

  The difference in power between a Empyrean God controlling it and a Daofather controlling it was simply enormous.

  ……

  The enormous imperial palace. Ji Ning’s residence.

  “Brother Darknorth.”

  “Only now did I have a chance to meet with you, Darknorth. I’m quite embarrassed.” Empyrean God Owldragon and a host of other Empyrean Gods and True Immortals had come to visit.

  The white-robed Ning received them with a smile on his face. He could sense the gratitude, respect, and excitement these visiting Empyrean Gods and True Immortals felt. All of them understood that Ning had been the greatest contributor to their victory in the battle for the Deerchaser world! The greatest hero of them all! In addition, given the power which Ning had put on display today, he would definitely be able to unleash utterly astonishing levels of power during the upcoming final battles in the war for karmic luck.

  Ji Ning’s formidableness meant that their side would have a better chance of winning.

  Of course these Empyrean Gods and True Immortals would feel excited and grateful!

  “They’ve entrusted me with their hopes…but in truth, it doesn’t change anything. Seamless Gate…no matter what, I will use all my strength to fight against it.” After sending these Empyrean Gods and True Immortals away, Ning walked by himself along the railing, staring at the endless, starry skies. “And the Godking.”

  “I’m definitely going to kill him.”

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 24 - Killing Ji Ning

  The distant Allfiend world.

  “Everything needs to be carried out according to the plan.” The Lord of All Fiends sat by himself at the peak of the mountain, staring into the endless Void. His voice passed through the Void, reaching the minds of the major powers spread throughout the other worlds. “In this mission to kill Ji Ning and take back the Envoy, as long as we move quickly enough we should be able to succeed fairly easily. However, there is a chance that the Endwar will begin as a result. Everyone, make your preprations.”

  “Yes, Fiendlord.”

  “Don’t worry, Windfiend.”

  “We’ve all made our preparations.”

  The ten-plus most powerful figures of the entire Seamless Gate all understood that this night was likely to be the most important night they had experienced in countless eons. This was a night where the major powers of both alliances would battle, a night which could well cause the Endwar to erupt. The last Endwar had caused the destruction of two chaosworlds; from this, one could tell how devastating a battle between major powers could be.

  ……

  “So we are about to fight soon…” A violet-robed woman was seated in the lotus position atop a jade bed. Her arms were sparkling white and crystalline, while a faint hint of eagerness could be seen within her eyes.

  Of the supreme powers of the Seamless Gate, she was the one who loved battle the most.

  ……

  “We absolutely cannot afford to lose this battle.” A man dressed in similar violet robes who had a wooden ruler on his back was seated within an ordinary wooden room. He waved his hand, and the wooden ruler on his back fell into his grasp. The Keeper of the Everwood gently stroked the wooden ruler with his hand as he stared at it. He said in a soft voice, “Old friend, we are going to go into battle together once more. The last time we fought together was during the war that ended the Primordial Era.”

  Thrum…the wooden ruler vibrated slightly.

  Keeper Everwood’s face turned solemn and his eyes turned cold. Although he disliked battle, when the time came for them to fight he absolutely would not show mercy.

  ……

  “The Fiendlord is a bit too cautious. He prepared a total of three plans for us, and we’re attacking from ambush. There’s no way Ji Ning will even be able to assemble the Rahu Formation in time. Killing him will be as easy as killing a chicken. The primary plan is more than enough. In fact, there’s no need for us to even involve Shadowless in this. I by myself am more than enough.”

  An icy look flashed through the eyes of this skinny old man who had a hideous, centipede-like scar across his face. This man was Swordfather Darklight.

  He had reached the fifth stage of swordforce, and he could be considered the Seamless Gate’s number one expert in the art of assassinations. His sword was known as the Darklight Sword, and it was named that because enemies were unable to see his sword.

  ……

  The first plan the Seamless Gate initiated only involved a tiny number of major powers. It was kept extraordinarily secret, and so no one in the Nuwa Alliance noticed anything at all.

  The Deerchaser world. The imperial palace.

  The white-robed Ning was seated facing Silvermoon. Both were staring at the countless stars in the skies.

  “Peaceful days are the best.” Silvermoon stared at the starry skies, then said softly, “But I wonder how long this peace will last.”

  “Once the war is over, everything will be right again.” Ning stared at the stars as well. “The tree wishes to be still, but the wind continues to blow. Although we wish to live peaceful lives, there’s a reason for this war. Only when we sever the hand that is manipulating things behind the scenes and slay the major powers who are focused on causing trouble and chaos throughout the Three Realms will peace return.”

  “Haha.” Silvermoon chuckled. “Fortunately, we have you on our side. I really wonder what you experienced in Undermoon Lake, junior apprentice-brother. You are merely an Empyrean God, but you are able to unleash such incredible levels of power.”

  Ning smiled but didn’t reply.

  Everyone who had emerged from Undermoon Lake, including all of the two hundred-plus Empyrean Gods, had been completely silent about their experiences there. Everyone including Silvermoon knew that it wasn’t that they were unwilling to speak, it had to be that they were unable to speak, and so no one tried to force the story out of them.

  “Eh? We’ve finished the wine.” Silvermoon lifted up the canteen, giving it a few shakes before laughing and rising to his feet. “Alright. Now that the wine’s all gone, it’s time for me to leave. No need to send me off.” As he spoke, he took a step forward and flew downwards, then lazily sauntered off into the distance. As he left, he called out in a loud voice, “Just make sure you help me kill a few more of those Seamless Gate bastards.”

  “No problem,” Ning called back.

  In the previous battle, Silvermoon’s capabilities had been tremendously degraded. He had lost more than half of his soul, resulting in him now being extremely weak. There was no way he could take part in battle at all. In truth, Ning could’ve let him quickly recover his soul by giving him just a tiny bit of chaos nectar, but Ning knew t
hat given Silvermoon’s temperament, he would immediately choose to rejoin the war once more upon being healed.

  It was best to let him stay in the back safely for now.

  “And these Nine Chaos Seals are truly unspeakably marvelous.” Ning waved his hand, producing one of the Goldstar Beads of the Heavens. The more insight he gained into the Nine Chaos Seals which each goldstar bead contained, the more marvelous he felt them to be. Meditating on them allowed Ning to more easily understand and master the sword-arts left behind by World God Northrest, and it even made it a bit easier for him to comprehend the Dao.

  Ning had originally thought them to be fairly ordinary chaos seals that had been found in the primordial chaos, but after learning the many techniques transmitted to him by World God Northrest, Ning felt all the more convinced of how extraordinary these Nine Chaos Seals were.

  “Perhaps in the future, when I find Vastheaven Palace in the primordial chaos, I’ll be able to learn the history behind the creation of the Nine Chaos Seals.”

  He continued to hold the goldstar beads in his hands, meditating on them.

  After spending two hours in meditation, it was now very late at night.

  “Eh?” Ning suddenly, inexplicably felt his heartrate quicken, and a shiver flashed through his soul. In fact, his subconscious was now screaming that an utterly terrifying danger was descending upon him, so unfathomably vast and deadly that Ning’s heart was naturally filled with an aura of despair.

  “Not good.” Ning was shocked. Ever since he had mastered the second of the Nine Chaos Seals and became capable of transforming the goldstar beads in the Mirrors of the Heavens, Ning’s subconscious connection to the whispers of fate had become much stronger than before. But this time, things had happened without any warning whatsoever. Only when the danger had already descended upon him did the warning come, filling him with utter terror. Clearly, his foe’s mastery over fate and destiny was far superior to Ning’s, allowing him to even muffle the whispers of fate, which was why Ning didn’t sense anything until the very end.