Desolate Era

by RWX

  Upon mastering one’s own Sword World, one would step into the World-level!

  Different sword-arts would result in the creation of completely different Sword Worlds. Some Sword Worlds would be insidiously cold, others would be bursting with heat, while still others would be seep through every pore in your body. The third stance of the [Nameless] sword-art was clearly quite profound, but this meant that mastering it would also be incredibly difficult. Not even Ji Ning knew how long it would take for him to master the third stance.

  Whoosh. A streak of light flew towards him from afar.

  “Eh?” Ning was seated in the lotus position at the top of his mountain. He quickly turned his head to look over.

  The streak of light came to a stop in front of Ning. It was a thin, gray-robed man with tousled hair. His eyes were dark yellow and filled with cruel coldness, but when he looked at Ning his gaze was filled with veneration and respect. He said respectfully, “Master.”

  Ning nodded.

  This thin gray-robed man was actually the wild dog Elder God in his human form. After Ning had subdued the Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals of the prisonworld, the one who ended up worshipping him the most and being the most loyal was actually Elder God Wilddog! Elder Dog Wilddog, in order to prove his loyalty, had insisted on swearing a second lifeblood oath to Ning which was so stringent, even Ning was shaken by its terms.

  Elder God Wilddog was born as an Elder God in the form of a canine. He was a very solitary, arrogant man, but once he truly accepted someone as his master, he would be completely and utterly devoted to the man.

  Given that even Ning had been shaken by Wilddog’s oath, he often chose to have Wilddog carry out many tasks on his behalf.

  “How did it go?” Ning asked.

  “I looked into this matter carefully. During the past few centuries, the ‘Mindlord’ in the service of God Emperor Blacklotus has been hiding within the imperial capital of the Blacklotus Empire. He hasn’t done any adventuring at all, nor has he led any troops out to do battle.” A look of resentment was in Elder God Wilddog’s eyes. “This Mindlord must be afraid of you, Master…”

  Ning frowned.

  The reason he had joined the Fogstone Dominion was for the sake of killing the Mindlord.

  However, both Ning himself as well as Wilddog had made numerous scouting trips, only to discover that the Mindlord had spent the past few centuries in the imperial capital of the Blacklotus Empire. Or, to be precise – ever since Ning had slain Old Man Yuan, the Mindlord had returned to the imperial capital, never taking so much as a single step out of it.

  “This Mindlord truly is a cautious man.” Ning frowned.

  In truth, the sword-strike which Ning had used to slay Old Man Yuan had completely terrified the Mindlord.

  The Mindlord knew exactly how deep the enmity between the Three Realms and himself ran. So many major powers had died by his hands, many of whom were pioneers and who had assisted, guided, or taught Ji Ning. Houyi, for example, was Ji Ning’s senior apprentice-brother. As long as Ji Ning had the chance, he would definitely come for revenge.

  Given how powerful Ji Ning had been…it would be far too easy for him to slay the Mindlord. It must be understood that Ji Ning’s final sword-strike had pierced straight through his body, which was comparable to a top-grade Protocosmic spirit-treasure!

  “Master?” Elder God Wilddog hunched over. “The Mindlord often visits friends in the imperial capital, and also likes to enjoy life. Why don’t you buy some Elder God slaves and let me lead them into the imperial capital, then kill him? After assassinating him, I’ll immediately flee through teleportation.”

  “Unacceptable.” Ning shook his head.

  “Not even World-level experts can be watching over every inch of their capital at all times. If I can find the right moment to attack, I’ll be able to escape afterwards.” A look of savagery was in Wilddog’s eyes.

  “We are talking about the imperial capital of the Blacklotus Empire…” Ning shook his head. “There’s no rush. We have plenty of time. Let’s take it slow.”

  If they were hasty, they might make mistakes.

  Ning was confident that he was capable of slaying the Mindlord. The only thing he needed was a good opportunity.

  So long as he didn’t rush, opportunities would come!

  The planet of Fogstone.

  A quiet, secluded estate-world. This estate-world was filled with sparkling stars that twinkled with streams of energy.

  A handsome man dressed in an astral robe was seated in the lotus position by the side of a lake. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Glittering divine jewels flew out of his body. These divine jewels were made from crystallized divine power. Once Fiendgod Body Refiners became World Gods, their divine power would crystallize into divine crystals. This was a qualitative transformation.

  The divine jewels twinkled, filled with mysterious auras of the Dao. Every single divine jewel was filled with a slightly different aura of the Dao, but they all came together into a perfect whole.

  Whoooooosh. A large number of divine jewels flew out of his body, swirling around him in circles, then flying back inside of him. As the divine jewels flew in and out of his body, dancing in the air, they glimmered with the light of the stars themselves.

  “The stars…”

  The handsome man murmured softly to himself as his mind was filled with certain memories that he would never forget.

  “I really have to go back. I must. I can’t disobey.”

  “Alright…but you have to come back, Starchild.”

  “I definitely will.”

  Who would’ve thought that with this farewell would become an eternal one?

  He would never forget the sight of his beloved shedding tears as he left.

  Whoosh. Suddenly, the chaos energy began to stir around him as a total of twelve divine crystals suddenly materialized around him.

  Boom!

  The handsome man’s divine body split apart, transforming into a total of 36,000 divine crystals that all swirled around each other. Their Daos were joined together into a perfect whole that gave off a natural aura of completeness.

  “Reform.”

  The 36,000 divine crystals once more gathered together and transformed back into the astral-robed man.

  “Full mastery…”

  “I’ve finally become a master-class World God.” The astral-robed man’s eyes were filled with excitement as he murmured to himself, “Yi…I’ve kept you waiting far too long.”

  Whoosh.

  The astral-robed man disappeared into thin air.

  ……

  A black-robed man was seated at the front of a palace, drinking some wine and watching as a troop of female dancers performed before him. There were musicians present as well, playing some melodies.

  “Mm?” World God Blackmist frowned, then instructed, “All of you, leave.”

  “Yes.” All of the dancers, attendants, and musicians all departed, leaving behind just World God Blackmist within the palace.

  A single person walked into the palace, a man dressed in astral robes with long black hair. It was the Starlord of Fogstone.

  “Starchild.” World God Blackmist smiled. He had watched as the Starlord grew up, and the Starlord truly was an incredible genius. He had grown and improved tremendously fast and had long ago surpassed Blackmist himself. Blackmist had known and protected him for so long that the Starlord viewed himself almost as Blackmist’s son.

  “Second Uncle.” The Starlord seated himself next to him.

  “Mm? What is it?” World God Blackmist could sense that something was off.

  “I’ve already become a master-class World God,” the Starlord said.

  “Master-class? You’ve gained full mastery?” World God Blackmist revealed a look of surprise and delight, but then his face stiffened. “You…”

  “Right. I’ve been waiting and biding my time for far, far too long. When Father left the Badlands Territory and went out adventuring, he ende
d up never returning. Back then, the Fogstone Dominion was very weak. There was no way I could get revenge. All I could do was keep on training…and in the end, I broke through to become a World-level expert. However, that old bastard Owlsoar ended up joining God Emperor Blacklotus. Even if I commanded all of the forces of the Fogstone Dominion against them, the end result would just be that both of our sides would be heavily damaged. As for Owlsoar himself, if he focused on fleeing I might not have been able to capture him.”

  “For the sake of the Fogstone lineage…”

  “I’ve been enduring my hate and biding my time. Now that I’ve become a master-class World God, it is time to act,” the Starlord said.

  “But…” World God Blackmist hesitated.

  He knew of the enmity between the Starlord and Chaos Immortal Owlsoar, of course.

  When the Starlord had been very weak, World God Blackmist had accompanied him as he had wandered the outside world.

  During his wanderings, the Starlord had encountered a female Immortal.

  Both had been quite weak, but they still ended up falling in love with each other. Back then, World God Blackmist had pretended to be nothing more than an old servant.

  Some time after the two met, the Starlord’s father, who had himself been the Starlord of Fogstone at that time, had summoned him. Thus, he had to immediately go back to Fogstone. As for that female Immortal, she was bound by her duty to her clan and so had to remain behind within it.

  And with this parting…their farewell became eternal.

  After the Starlord had returned to Fogstone, his father had completed all of his arrangements and then left the planet, never to return.

  Chaos Immortal Owlsoar had been refining a mighty sin-treasure. He butchered countless innocent cultivators in order to baptize his sin-treasure with their blood…and alas, the clan of the Starlord’s lover was one of the clans that had been wiped out. By the time the Starlord found out, it was far too late…

  The Starlord had cried bitterly before the ruins of his lover’s clan.

  He swore he would take revenge.

  Ever since that day, the Starlord began to improve at a dramatic pace, reaching the World-level in an astonishingly brief period of time! After doing so, he continued to grow tremendously quickly, making repeated breakthroughs without pausing. And now…he had become a master-class World God! Even his sword-arts were now far more profound than World God Blackmist’s.

  “I can no longer wait,” the Starlord growled. “I truly cannot. I’ve already reached the level of full mastery. How much more stronger do I need to become? Am I supposed to wait until I become a Daolord? That’s far too difficult. Even if I waited another hundred chaos cycles, I still might not be able to achieve it.”

  “Now that I’ve reached the level of full mastery, I’m as strong as I possibly can be for now.”

  “We will definitely win this attack! I’ll take part myself. There is no way that Chaos Immortal Owlsoar will be able to escape.” The Starlord’s handsome face was twisted with rage and savagery.

  World God Blackmist couldn’t help but secretly sigh upon seeing this. In the past, the Starlord had always been quite relaxed and nonchalant about cultivation. It was all due to his obsession, his stubborn desire to take revenge that he had transformed into a cultivating fanatic and improved so rapidly. In fact, the only reason why he hadn’t left for revenge a long time ago was because he was worried about protecting the Fogstone lineage. That was why he had waited for so long.

  “Starchild, if you wish to go seek revenge, then I shall definitely help you,” World God Blackmist said. “However…you should first go and convince the other World-level experts of the Fogstone Dominion. The more who stand with us, the better our chances are.”

  “Alright.” The Starlord of Fogstone nodded.

  * * *

  Book 24, Chapter 35 - The Order

  It was often said that the Fogstone Dominion held a total of nine World-level experts. This, however, referred to the ones who permanently resided within this region.

  The Fogstone Dominion held sway over ninety-six chaosworlds. Over the course of many years, it had given birth to quite a few World-level experts. Many of them, such as the Starlord’s father, had ended up leaving the Badlands Territory and adventuring through other lands! In truth, there were many World-level experts who drifted through other territories. Even the Starlord himself had visited quite a few territories, despite being fairly young.

  At present, there were nine World-level experts on the planet of Fogstone. The Starlord, World God Blackmist, and Immortal Skyram were all members of the Fogstone lineage. As for the other six, they were treated something like distinguished guests and honored vassals.

  “If the Starlord wishes it, then I agree to take part in this battle. I will do everything I can to support our side in our campaign against the Blacklotus Empire, but if the situation goes south, I’ll still have to focus on keeping myself alive,” a bald, golden-robed elder said in a slow voice.

  “Let everything happen according to the plan. I agree as well.”

  “Right.”

  “Acceptable.”

  “Haha, I’m reminded of the days when I adventured through the outside world. I’ve been secluded here on the planet of Fogstone for far too long. It is time for a good fight!”

  “Since the Starlord has paid such a hefty price, we naturally are willing to agree!”

  In the end, the nine World-level experts all agreed to join the battle against the Blacklotus Empire.

  The Starlord nodded.

  “Second Uncle, I’ll have to trouble you to pay a visit to the Badlands Everworld and purchase the ‘Minor Thousand Elder Gods Formations’ and the ‘Minor Thousand Ancestral Immortals Formations’,” the Starlord said.

  “Done.” World God Blackmist nodded.

  “Everyone, when the time comes, just follow the plan. It’ll make everything easier for you,” the Starlord said. “I don’t insist on you killing too many foes; I just need you to help me tie them down.”

  “Don’t worry, Starlord.”

  “A minor task for people like us.”

  “Given the price you’ve already paid, Starlord…I can’t see how the Blacklotus Empire can possibly win.”

  These vassal World-level experts, including Chaos Immortal Abyssus, were all couldn’t help but secretly sigh in amazement at how ancient and deep-rooted a lineage the Fogstone lineage was. They were actually capable of purchasing a ‘Minor Thousand Elder God Formation’ for the Fogstone Army!

  In truth, over the course of countless years, the Fogstone Dominion had actually come into possession of three such formations. In order to strengthen their hand even more, they were going to purchase three sets of those formations for Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals. Immortal Abyssus, the most unfathomably powerful of the six vassals, was also loaning one of his own formation sets as well.

  These formations allowed a thousand Elder Gods or Ancestral Immortals to join together in battle. Roughly three hundred cubes of chaos nectar was needed for each. Most World-level experts wouldn’t be able to afford such a price. All their possessions combined wouldn’t necessarily be worth that much.

  A so-called ‘Major Thousand Elder Gods Formation’ actually allowed a total of nine thousand to assemble together in battle. However, those formations were far too expensive; they were worth almost as much as an Eternal weapon! However, these formations were also ridiculously powerful; once a World-level expert was trapped within this formation, he would definitely perish!

  ……

  The Windsource Chaosworld. The Eastcalm mountains.

  Ning was seated in the lotus position within the Heavengazer Tower of Radiance, working on the Seventh Cycle of the [Starseizing Hand].

  Although most of his time was spent on sword-arts, he still needed to alternate through other areas of cultivation as well. During the past few centuries in the Windsource Chaosworld, Ning had been able to use his insights into the [Fo
gstone Apocalypse] and the [Nine Elements Annihilation] to roughly sketch out how the Seventh Cycle of the [Starseizing Hand] would work.

  “Master.” A voice suddenly called out from outside.

  “Eh?”

  Ning opened his eyes. He hadn’t blocked out sound from the outside world, and so he was able to hear what was happening outside the Heavengazer Tower.

  Swoosh!

  Ning appeared out of nowhere within a study. He waved his hand, causing the Heavengazer Tower which had been atop the table to disappear.

  Creeeeak. He pulled the door open. Outside the study stood Elder God Wilddog.

  “Master, orders have come from the planet of Fogstone.” Elder God Wilddog said hurriedly, “The three captains stationed here have all been summoned already.”

  “Orders?” Ning was startled, then nodded. “Let’s go take a look.”

  ……

  “What? Everyone is to return to Fogstone?” The golden-robed Elder God Mountain Eater called out in shock.

  “There’s no longer a need for troops to be stationed here on the Windsource Chaosworld?” The other two captains, Tearwell and Soulflight, were completely shocked as well.

  As for Ning, he looked at the messenger before him.

  The messenger said respectfully to Ning, “General, captains, this order comes from the Starlord himself. You can see it for yourself.” As he spoke, he handed over a glowing golden scroll over to Ning.

  Ning unfurled the scroll and gave it a thorough reading.

  The words on the scroll had been etched with divine power, and their aura was indeed the aura of the Starlord’s.

  “The three of you can take a look as well.” Ning handed the scroll over.

  Elder God Mountain Eater, Immortal Soulflight, and Elder God Tearwell accepted the scroll and looked through it, puzzled. None of them questioned the validity of the order, as there was no way the scroll or the messenger could be faked. Anyone capable of making a scroll that could fool them was powerful enough to not need to do such a thing!