Desolate Era

by RWX

  Ning just stood next to him, not understanding any of this. It had been one of those streams of gray energy that had pulled him into one of the deep abysses.

  “Big brother.” Ning pointed towards a pool of water below them, then said, “When I last entered the Windsource Ruins, I accidentally encountered a little house by that lake. The house held a deceased World God and a tower-shaped Eternal treasure he had.”

  “An Eternal treasure?” Daolord Solesky glanced downwards, two streams of golden light shooting out of his eyes.

  “No, nothing there. There’s no house.” Daolord Solesky shook his head. “The Hundred Streams of the Windsource are constantly changing. The house you encountered last time could well be ten million kilometers away by now.”

  Daolord Solesky wouldn’t mind taking away an Eternal weapon if there was no effort involved, but alas it wasn’t there.

  “Let’s go.” Daolord Solesky shook his head. “When Daolord Windosurce died, many of his World Gods died with him, but only four or five of them held Eternal weapons. All of them are scattered throughout the Ruins, and I’m not able to break apart the formation protecting this place. All I can do is try my luck, but I could spend thousands of years without finding one of the Eternal weapons.”

  Ning agreed with this analysis.

  Daolord Solesky himself had said earlier that when the Hundred Streams of the Windsource Formation unleashed its full might, it would be tremendously powerful. Quite a few Daolords, such as Daolord Waterwind or Daolord Badlands, had visited this place before, but all of them acted with great caution. None of them tried to actually breach the formation! This was a formation which Daolord Windsource had poured all of his heart, soul, power, and Dao into as he lay on the verge of death. When the formation was activated, it would possess as much power as Daolord Windsource himself did when engaging in a last-ditch final attack.

  “I wouldn’t be afraid of fighting Daolord Windsource himself, but…” Daolord Solesky laughed. “Because he was dying, he poured everything he had into this formation. I don’t want to take on an explosive, full-strength from the thing.”

  “Let’s go to the core regions.”

  Daolord Solesky led Ning as they continued to fly forwards.

  He didn’t try to breach the formation or bypass it. Instead he followed its natural flows, resulting in them slowly moving closer and closer towards the core regions.

  Whoooosh. Before them were countless gusts of gray wind. The further they advanced, the more powerful the wind was and the more gusts of them appeared.

  Ning stood by Daolord Solesky’s side, but he still couldn’t help but feel nervous.

  He could sense that if he was by himself here, he would be completely ground apart into tiny pieces.

  “These are all some of Windsource’s killer techniques, but those powerful enough can easily go through them without harm. In fact, they’ll actually form a giant corridor.” Daolord Solesky laughed as he led them through the gray wind.

  Before them were a series of islands.

  “We are now in a core region,” Daolord Solesky said.

  “It is so beautiful here.” Ning saw a large lake that was thousands of kilometers long. In the center of the lake was a single large island surrounded by more than ten smaller islands.

  “Don’t be fooled by appearances. This place is extremely dangerous.” Two streams of golden light shot out from Daolord Solesky’s eyes as he surveyed the region. “The island in the center is the place where Daolord Windsource used to live. The surrounding islands should be places where his disciples and servants lived.”

  “Oh?” Ning swept the area with his gaze.

  Every single island emanated ripples of energy.

  Some emanated ripples of electric.

  Some emanated ripples of frost.

  Some emanated ripples of a bloody aura.

  One island had an aura of sword-ki at its center that soared into the heavens.

  As for the central island where Daolord Windsource had lived, that island emanated multiple rings of ripples. It was as though this island was generating a omnidirectional wind that gently rippled out in waves. In fact, when the wind reached them Daolord Solesky didn’t move to block it, allowing it to gently blow across them. The feeling was quite comfortable.

  However, for some reason, whenever Ning looked at the central island his heart was filled with a sense of fear. “That old bastard.” Daolord Solesky stared intently at the central island, his eyes glowing with golden light as he mumbled to himself, “He died, but he wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t be easy for others to acquire his treasures without paying a price.”

  “I won’t be able to take you inside, and I won’t be able to protect you once I go inside.” Daolord Solesky glanced at Ning. “There are quite a few islands around the big one. Just pick one.”

  Ning felt a surge of joy. He actually didn’t want to go to the central island. It was too dangerous! If he went inside, he would probably die without even realizing what was happening.

  “Alright.” Ning glanced at the small islands before turning to focus on the one which was emanating a towering aura of sword energy. “That one, I suppose.”

  Ning knew that all of the World-level experts here had died, which meant that the treasures they had left behind were all ownerless. Ownerless treasures would naturally emanate ripples of tremendous power…and a treasure which emanated such towering ripples of sword energy was bound to be an extraordinary one.

  “That one?” Daolord Solesky turned his golden gaze towards that island. That island had an Immortal estate built atop it, and it was from this place that the sword-ki was emanating.

  “Ji Ning, you should have the Eternal weapon which Northrest owned, right?” Daolord Solesky looked at Ning.

  “Yes.” Ning nodded.

  “Mm. When I saw you defend against those black lotuses, I could sense that you were quite strong. That’s why I suspected that you were probably using his ‘Violetjewel’.” Daolord Solesky nodded. “Since you have Violetjewel…although that island is filled with danger, you should be able to handle it.”

  “Filled with danger?” Ning was secretly surprised.

  “Go. That island holds three deceased World-level experts.” Daolord Solesky laughed. “The treasures they left behind aren’t bad. They are a good fit for you.”

  “Three?” Ning nodded.

  “Remember. No matter what, don’t move as much as a single step off of that island.” Daolord Solesky said solemnly, “If you touch or activate part of the formations here, you’ll instantly be reduced to dust. I won’t have any chance to save you.”

  “I understand.” Ning nodded.

  “Then go.” Daolord Solesky waved his hand, causing a stream of watery light to immediately surrounding Ning and send him flying towards the small island at high speed.

  Whooooosh.

  Ning landed atop a grassy patch of land. He hurriedly raised his head to stare at the skies, where he saw Daolord Solesky smile and nod towards him. “Just wait here for me on this island.” Daolord Solesky then immediately transformed into a formless stream of water that flew straight towards the large central island.

  The ripples of gentle wind surrounding transformed into ripples of incredibly sharp golden wind that could cut through anything. However, that stream of water was durable and formless; even after being chopped apart, it seeped through the wind and reformed, easily bypassing the barrier and entering the central island.

  When Ning saw Daolord Solesky transform into a stream of water and sensed the terrifying power of the golden wind emanating from the central island, he was once more reminded of the huge gap in power that existed between him and them. They were on completely different levels.

  “I’m still very weak.” Ning turned his head to look at the island he was on.

  The island he was on was a few dozen kilometers in size.

  The island was filled with beautiful flowers and lovely trees, as well as a fe
w small hills. The Immortal estate was located at the very center and was quite dazzling to behold.

  “Is that where the three World-level experts are?”

  “Big brother Solesky told me that although this place is filled with danger, I can handle it.” Ning stretched out his hand, causing Violetjewel to appear within it. The azureflower mist energy began to fill his body as well, further strengthening it.

  Ning carefully walked forward, arriving before the Immortal estate within a few seconds.

  The doors to the palace were open. It was completely silent.

  “Eh?”

  As Ning cautiously advanced through the estate, he could sense how deathly still the entire place was. At the same time, the hallways were all extremely clean and tidy.

  “Nobody here at all?” As Ning walked forward, he saw that the entire place was completely empty. There weren’t even any corpses to be seen. Ning tested out using his coresense and heartforce to scan the place, but the entire region hummed with a gentle wind that blocked out everything. Daolord Solesky was able to scan the place, but clearly Ning was far too weak to do so.

  “Eh?” Just as Ning was wondering why there was nobody to be seen here, his eyes suddenly lit up.

  Ning saw a small mountain off in the distance located just outside the walls of the palace. Midway up the mountain, there was a little pavilion, and there was a golden-robed figure seated in the lotus position within the pavilion.

  * * *

  Book 25, Chapter 3 - Stone Titan

  “I never would’ve thought that the first World-level expert would actually be located outside of the estate.” Ji Ning hopped over the wall, then walked up the mountain. The golden-robed figure seated within the distant pavilion looked as though he was alive. He had a long beard, a peaceful face, and emanated faint ripples of a Chaos Immortal’s energy. However, no signs of actual life could be seen.

  “The sword energy emanating from this island doesn’t come from him.” Ning turned to glance backwards at the Immortal estate. The sword energy was emanating from deep within the immortal estate itself. Ning had spent some time wandering it, but had been careful to stay in the outer regions of the estate. He hadn’t gone deeper inside of it yet.

  If even someone like Daolord Solesky described this place as being ‘filled with danger’, how could Ning possibly dare to take it lightly?

  “Senior.” Ning walked to the pavilion, then clasped his hands as he stood outside of it. “I’ll take the treasures you left behind, but I’ll also give you a proper burial to ensure that you won’t be disturbed again.”

  Just as his words finished…

  Rumble. An aura of power suddenly burst forth.

  Ning’s face changed. He hurriedly retreated at high speed, then turned to stare at the place where the aura was coming from. There were many boulders on this mountain, and an enormous boulder was located right next to the pavilion. Ning hadn’t paid it too much attention, but this boulder was now emanating an aura of power that vastly outstripped Ning himself. In fact, Ning had the feeling that it was even more powerful than most World-level experts.

  Whoosh. The boulder melted into liquid, then reformed anew, transforming to an enormous stone titan. The stone titan had dark yellow eyes and his entire body was formed from stone, and he was staring straight at Ning.

  “A golem?” Ning carefully reached out with his senses. Although this stone titan had an aura of tremendous power, it didn’t have an aura of life; all it had was an aura of energy. It was a construct or a magic treasure of some sort.

  “An Elder God?” The stone titan’s voice rumbled. “Puny Elder God. It is good that you chose to show respect to your seniors. If you dared to desecrate my master’s corpse, I would’ve smashed you into a thousand pieces already.”

  Ning immediately understood. This stone titan had to be some sort of construct which the deceased Chaos Immortal had created long ago. The Chaos Immortal hadn’t chosen to destroy the golem; instead, he had allowed the golem to stay by his corpse’s side and guard him for all these years.

  “So this senior was your master?” Ning said with curiosity, “I imagine you must’ve been trapped on this island for a long, long time. Don’t you want to leave?”

  “What do you care?” The stone titan looked at Ning. “You wish to bamboozle me into accepting you as my new master?”

  Ning smiled, but in his heart he felt rather embarrassed. This golem wasn’t created through a grafted soul and instead had an artificial golem spirit, but it was quite intelligent.

  Generally speaking, intelligent beings who were by themselves for a long period of time would want to leave a place like this. For example, the treasure-spirit of the Eternal-level tower which Ning had encountered in the house by the lake wished to leave the Ruins. Ning could tell that this powerful golem, which had an aura that was mightier than that of most World-level experts, was extremely tough to deal with. Wouldn’t it be nice if Ning could convince the golem to join him and accept him as its new master?

  But alas, Ning was mistaken.

  This golem was fashioned from a type of marvelous ore, and the golem spirit that had emerged from it had a stony personality as well. The golem enjoyed peace and quiet and was perfectly happy with staying in one place without moving for countless years on end. He had taken the shape of a giant boulder and guarded its master’s corpse for countless years without fail. If Ning hadn’t come, he would’ve continued to remain in that form.

  “Yes, I wish you to accept me as your master.” Ning nodded and smiled. “You should be a World-level golem. To leave you here is a complete waste of your power.”

  “You were quite respectful to my master, so I’ll give you a chance.” The stone titan nodded. “Since you are just a puny little Elder God, I won’t make it too hard for you. If you can withstand three of my palm-strikes, I’ll accept you as my new master.”

  The stone titan still remembered the final words of his master.

  His master had known that death was nigh. Before dying, he had said, “After I die, if there are any outsiders who come and act with great respect and propriety, you may follow him after testing him and verifying that he is strong. But if any would act to defile my corpse, slay them! If you cannot slay them, dive into the lake. If they dare to follow you into the lake, they shall surely perish.”

  There were some cultivators who would ransack and defile the corpses of deceased seniors. Any of those who came here would be in trouble!

  “Understood.” Ning nodded.

  “These three palms of mine won’t be too powerful, but there aren’t many Elder Gods who can withstand them. Weak Elder Gods aren’t qualified to be my master. Be careful!” The stone titan looked at Ning. Ning was an Elder God, which was why the stone titan was only going to strike three times. If Ning was a World-level expert, the golem would be fighting with full power.

  “Come.” Ning nodded.

  Whoosh.

  The stone titan suddenly struck out with his enormous, pillar-like arms. His arms stretched out to become many dozens of meters long as his giant palms came crashing down towards Ning!

  “Fast!” Ning was secretly startled. He unleashed his flexible sword, causing it to transform into a black hole that immediately entangled the stone palm.

  Boom!

  Ning took one step backwards.

  Actually, Ning was doing this on purpose. With the azureflower mist energy strengthening him, his body was as tough as any World God’s body. He easily could’ve stood there without needing to take a step back at all. However, Ning was afraid that this might rouse the golem’s fighting spirit, resulting in the next two palms becoming much more powerful. Taming this golem was what really mattered right now; after he became the golem’s master, there would be plenty of time for the two of them to spar. A World-level golem was far more valuable than most Dao weapons; if any danger appeared, Ning could allow the golem to stand in front and protect him.

  “So you have a bit of power.” The
stone titan let out a growl. “Try out my second palm!”

  Whoosh!

  The stone palm easily broke past the speed of light as it instantly appeared before Ning. It was clearly much faster than the previous blow, and as the giant stone palm appeared Ning felt as though the entire world was growing dark.

  Boom!! Yet another massive explosion rang out from the collision.

  This time, Ning took three steps backwards.

  “Eh?” The stone titan frowned at this, and a ‘frown’ appearing on a giant stone face was actually quite an amusing sight. The stone titan had thought that this palm of his would smash the Elder God and send him flying all the way back to the walls of the Immortal palace…but instead, the Elder God had only taken three steps back. Clearly, the man was holding back some of his true power.

  “Final palm!” The stone titan let out a growl, sending his palm down towards Ning in an even more brutal strike. This palm-strike was so fierce that space itself was being crushed in on itself and came slamming towards Ning as well.

  “Let’s do this!” This time, Ning used his Eternal weapon Violetjewel. He unleashed his most powerful strike!

  Boom! It was time for the ‘Heavenbreaker’ stance. Ning lifted Violetjewel up high, transforming it to become three hundred meters long, then chopped down furiously towards the stone titan. It was already the third palm, and so Ning felt that it was time to show the stone titan his real power. He wanted to show the stone titan that he was not a ‘puny Elder God’!

  “Eh!?” The stone titan was caught off-guard. The power of the blow which Ning had just unleashed caused him to feel shocked. His palm had been crashing downwards towards Ning, but now he hurriedly angled it upwards to block Ning’s attack instead.

  BOOM!!!