Desolate Era

by RWX

  She had no idea what an enormous opportunity this was.

  In this alternate universe or in their own universe, even the most talented of geniuses, the ones who could become Samsara Daolords whenever they chose, all dreamed of being able to acquire one of these medallions.

  “Alright. Now follow me out,” Ning instructed.

  ……

  Ning’s group of five had just become a group of eight! Ji Ning, Greatjoy, and Solewind had each arranged for one retainer to join their group. They were Su Youji the Flamefairy, World Goddess Skywolf, and Chaos Immortal Swallowback.

  World Goddess Skywolf was the retainer of Prince Greatjoy. Although her Daoist title was ‘Skywolf’, she was actually an icy, grim woman of incredible beauty who was surrounded by a strong aura of death.

  Chaos Immortal Swallowback was the retainer of Solewind and looked like a young child.

  World Goddess Skywolf and Chaos Immortal Swallowback had both reached extremely high levels of insight into the Dao. Both of them could become Daolords whenever they chose, and both were formal members of the Twelve Palaces! Although they hadn’t been acknowledged by their respective pagodas, they were still extraordinary figures.

  Su Youji was the weakest of the eight, but just like Ning she had only been training for a very brief period of time. She was also the personal disciple of Feixian the Exalted and had tremendous potential.

  After the three ‘newcomers’ joined the squad of five, they all swore oaths not to divulge any information regarding their own universe.

  ……

  The estate-world within the Mirrorsnow Painting.

  Ning’s divine power incarnation descended upon this world, then turned to stare at the muscular golem.

  The golem stared at Ning with its blazing eyes as it growled, “You killed Master?”

  The black-robed Daolord was its master. As soon as the Daolord had died, the golem had regained its freedom. It naturally understand what this meant.

  “Yes.” Ning nodded. “Now… are you willing to submit?”

  The towering golem gritted its teeth, then knelt down and said respectfully, “Moksha pays his respects to you, Master. Please don’t wipe out my mind.”

  The reason why he previously hadn’t been willing to submit was because he felt certain that his master, the black-robed Daolord, would be able to defeat Ji Ning and the others. Now, his original master had perished… and this white-robed youth before him was unquestionably an incredible genius who could easily become a Daolord in the future. By then, the youth could use his Daolord-level energy to bind him by force. In fact, if Ning was irritated enough he could wipe the golem’s mind clean.

  Anything which possessed intelligence and sentience, be it a golem or a magic treasure, would not wish for its mind to be wiped clean.

  “Alright.” Ning revealed a smile. Just like that, he had gained an obedient golem that was the equal of a Daolord of the Third Step.

  * * *

  Book 28, Chapter 18 - The Genesis Lands

  Moksha acted very obediently, actively assisting Ji Ning in binding him. Ning couldn’t help but secretly sigh to himself. He certainly changed his attitude quite quickly.

  When he had been first captured, he had been boastful and held Ning in no regard at all, feeling certain that Ning’s group was going to die soon. Now that he realized that his former master had died, he had immediately knelt down and begged, ‘Please do not kill me.’

  “Master.” After being bound, Moksha immediately smiled ingratiatingly at Ning. “There is something I must tell you.”

  “Speak,” Ning said.

  “I was instructed by Emperor Trisilk to assist my master in mining ore,” Moksha said smugly. “Darkspace flamestone is extremely difficult to mine, but I am extremely strong. Over the course of thirty chaos cycles, I managed to mine quite a bit of ore. For convenience’s sake, I stored it all within an estate-treasure which I carried with me as I mined.”

  Ning’s eyes lit up. “Do you still have the darkspace flamestone?” He had been mining for thirty chaos cycles. How much had he mined?!

  “I do.” Moksha nodded. “However, a good deal of it was taken away by my previous master. I only have on me the ore which I mined in the last nine chaos cycles. Take a look, Master.” As Moksha spoke, he waved his hand and caused fist-sized chunks of fiery-red rocks to appear on the ground. Strange spatial ripples began to fill the surrounding area as well.

  He waved his hand three times in total, causing the fiery-red rocks to pile up into a small mountain that was three thousand meters tall. By this point in time, space had begun to completely twist and distort, causing shimmering ‘curtains’ of folded space to appear in the surrounding area. Because the chunks of stone were all fist-sized, it wasn’t too hard to store them away in that estate-treasure. If this had been a single massive slab of darkspace flamestone, most likely only an Eternal Emperor would’ve been able to store it away.

  “You mined that much?” Ning’s eyes nearly popped out.

  Although golems that were as strong as Daolords of the Third Step were valuable, the amount of ore this particular golem was carrying was even more valuable.

  “So much darkspace flamestone…” Ning swept it with his godsense, carefully calculating how much was present. “This has to be worth nearly ten million cubes of chaos nectar!”

  “My former master had roughly twice as much as this,” Moksha said. “Early on, I wasn’t that skilled in using axes and so was rather slow in my mining. It took about twenty chaos cycles before I got better, and all of the ore I mined during that period of time I gave to my previous master. This pile here consists of the ore I mined during the past nine chaos cycles.”

  “I’m more than satisfied with this.” Ning grinned.

  This ore had to be worth nearly ten million cubes of chaos nectar. As for the twenty million cubes which the black-robed Daolord had, that all belonged to Solewind. In order to save them, Solewind had used up a powerful Dao-seal that was so valuable, it would be almost impossible to find on the open market. Ning naturally didn’t feel any jealousy or envy whatsoever. For him to suddenly earn so much darkspace flamestone was already a stroke of tremendous fortune.

  “What do you know about Emperor Trisilk?” Ning asked. The five of them still felt worried about this matter.

  “Emperor Trisilk has an odd temper and is incredibly savage,” Moksha said. “You must be careful, Master. Based on what I know of the Emperor, he’s the type to avenge every single slight, no matter how petty. Once he locates the five of you… I guarantee he won’t let you off easily.”

  “Oh?” A solemn look appeared on Ning’s face as he nodded.

  But of course, the two of them had no idea that Emperor Trisilk was currently in a far more miserable situation than they were.

  “What about the Genesis Lands? What do you know about that place?” Ning asked.

  “The Genesis Lands is where this entire universe sprang from. All combat is forbidden there,” Moksha said. “When I served the Emperor, I once spent a very long period of time in the Genesis Lands.”

  Ning asked, “Who issued the order forbidding all combat in that location?”

  “The order came from the Church of Annihilation,” Moksha said. “Daolords generally do not dare to violate the commands of the Church. But of course, if someone really does go crazy, they can still choose to break this law. I once saw it happen with my own eyes. A Daolord, for the sake of evading an enemy, chose to hide within the Genesis Lands. However, his enemy was so enraged that he ignored the rules and chased the Daolord into the Genesis Lands, then killed him there! But of course… later on, the killer was wiped out by the Church of Annihilation!”

  Ning nodded.

  “Still… the Paladins of the Church of Annihilation aren’t afraid to violate this law. They are members of the Church itself, after all. Even when they break this law, they will at most suffer some non-lethal punishments,” Moksha said. “I once heard Master say that if
the sixteen Starkings were to violate this law, no punishment would be given. Not even the ruler of the Church of Annihilation would choose to offend and act against his Starkings without a very good reason.”

  “Oh.” Ning chuckled. This golem knew quite a bit!

  Actually, the almighty Hegemon had given them some information regarding this alternate universe before sending them into it, but the amount of information was pitifully small. All Ning knew was that the Archaeus region was filled with danger, but once they reached the Genesis Lands in the center they would be fairly safe. Although the Genesis Lands held its own dangers, all violence was supposedly prohibited there. Supposedly, there was no need to worry about any World-level cultivators or Daolords you encountered within the Genesis Lands.

  Upon hearing the golem speak at length, Ning couldn’t help but sigh.

  A ‘prohibition’ against violence?

  In the end, there was a limit to how far that prohibition would stretch. Suicidally fearless cultivators would violate that prohibition, as would the Paladins and Starkings of the Church of Annihilation, thanks to the extremely high positions they held within the Church.

  “Still… Paladins will be punished if they violate this prohibition. They won’t attack us without a good reason.” Ning nodded slowly. “As for Starkings… I imagine we aren’t even qualified to attract the attention of a Starking, much less offend one.”

  “Our entire universe only holds sixteen Starkings, and almost none of them are in the Archaeus region,” Moksha said. “I heard Emperor Trisilk once say that even he himself has only met three Starkings in his lifetime.”

  ……

  Moksha had been Emperor Trisilk’s golem for quite some time, and thus knew many of the Emperor’s secrets. He had even been in the Genesis Lands, and thus he was able to give Ning a good deal of information regarding that place.

  Time slowly flowed on, and Ning’s group of eight continued their careful advance. The rest of their journey was fairly uneventful, and they did not encounter any more Daolords! In truth, the odds of encountering a Daolord in the Archaeus region were incredibly low to begin with.

  By now, they had spent over 8922 years in the Archaeus region, and they had encountered many dangerous situations and locales. Still, in the end they were able to safely reach the Genesis Lands. All eight of them survived this journey.

  “The Genesis Lands.”

  A flying vessel was soaring through the emptiness of space.

  Ning and the rest of the eight were aboard the vessel, and their heads were raised as they stared at an utterly enormous floating world which was in front of them. This was the Genesis Lands! This was the wellspring of this entire alternate universe, from which all things originally arose.

  “That aura of power…” Ning and the others were all quite shaken.

  An invisible field of power covered the entire Archaeus region. Without an Archaeus medallion, even the likes of Eternal Emperors would be instantly crushed to death! The Archaeus region was almost as large as their homeland, the ‘Endless Territories’. It was incredibly vast, and that field of power stretched out to cover every inch of the region.

  And yet… the incredibly vast world in front of them was the source of that field of power. One could imagine how much might it contained! Not even someone as powerful as the almighty Hegemon could compare to the might of the Genesis Lands of the Archaeus region.

  “Come. Let us enter the Genesis Lands,” Ning said.

  “Brother Darknorth, you told us earlier that the elementary trial we need to pass in order to enter the Genesis Lands is a trial of resolve, correct?” Greatjoy asked.

  “That is what my golem told me. I think he was telling the truth,” Ning said.

  Not just anyone was permitted to enter the Genesis Lands.

  For weaker cultivators, entering the Genesis Lands was an almost impossible task. Any creature which sought to enter the Genesis Lands would first have to pass a trial of resolve. If they were able to endure it, they would be able to freely enter and wander the Genesis Lands. If they failed, they would be knocked unconscious and be teleported away. They would not be qualified to enter this sacred place.

  “The trial isn’t that tough. Daolords and major schools often send their elite disciples to this place. Almost all of the more talented ones are able to gain entry.” Ning could tell that Su Youji, Chaos Immortal Swallowback, and World Goddess Skywolf all looked rather nervous. The three of them were just retainers, after all. Compared to the original five, they were still quite a bit weaker. As a result, they possessed less confidence in their own abilities as well.

  “Alright.” The Flamefairy nodded.

  Whoosh.

  The flying vessel advanced at high speeds, flying towards that utterly massive levitating world. Finally, it began to slow down as it drew closer.

  A web of venerable, almost sacred power descended from on high, covering Ning and the other eight within its grasp. This web of power was grim and unfeeling, and it possessed no intelligence whatsoever. It was a type of power which the Genesis Lands itself naturally possessed. This place was the Genesis Lands. It was not a place for weak creatures to live in.

  Rumble…

  Ning could feel something furiously hammer at his soul. However, Ning’s soul had been nurtured and strengthened by his azureflower mist energy, making it comparable to the soul of a Daolord of the First Step. He was able to resist the pressure with ease.

  Ning turned to glance at the others.

  Prince Greatjoy, Solewind, and Firesurge all seemed to be handling the trial with ease, and they all glanced back at him as well, smiles on their faces.

  “Eh?” Ning and the others all noticed at the same time that Skyfire Brightshore had an ugly look on his face, and his body was trembling slightly. Although he was blessed with incredible natural gifts and had an extraordinary bloodline, he had experienced very few dangerous encounters in his early life. As a result, his soul and his willpower were all somewhat lacking when compared to that of Ning and the others.

  * * *

  Book 28, Chapter 19 - Universe Treasure

  Ji Ning and the other three began to grow nervous. The entire point of this journey was for them to accompany Skyfire Brightshore in an adventure within the Archaeus region. The journey wasn’t going to come to a crashing halt because this Brightshore Imperial wasn’t even able to enter the Genesis Lands, right? That would be an absolute joke.

  “Hm.” Ning turned to glance at the other three retainers. Chaos Immortal Swallowback, World Goddess Skywolf, and Flamefairy Su Youji all had fairly relaxed looks on their faces. It seemed as though Swallowback was the most relaxed; he even grinned at Ning and the others. Skywolf and Su Youji, the two women, had fairly unpleasant l ooks on their faces, and their bodies were shaking slightly. Still, it seemed as though they would be able to endure it.

  A long period of time passed.

  That exalted web of power continued to fill every inch of this world, but it no longer launched any attacks against them.

  “Whew.” Skyfire Brightshore let out a sigh of relief, and World Goddess Skywolf and Su Youji all looked slightly more relaxed as well.

  “That was embarrassing. I was damn near flattened.” Skyfire Brightshore shook his head and laughed. He was born at the World God level of power, and he had been a solitary figure for much of his early life. In fact, shortly after he was born he had been abducted by the almighty Hegemon. As a result, his soul and his willpower were both very weak compared to that of the other five. The only reason he had been able to survive this trial was because of his innate gifts.

  Every single member of his race was blessed with extraordinary powers from birth. His soul was already as strong as that of a Daolord’s, and so although he possessed much weaker willpower than Ning and the others, he was still able to endure the trial and overcome in.

  “All eight of us will be granted entry. This is something to celebrate.” Prince Greatjoy smiled.

 
“Not bad.” Ning glanced at Su Youji and offered her a few words of praise.

  “Master, I feel fortunate that I’ve spent these past few years meditating on the techniques of my master, Feixian the Exalted, within your estate-world. I’ve improved quite a bit with regards to my willpower and my mental strength. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to survive that,” Su Youji sent mentally.

  Ning nodded. Su Youji’s path was a path of charm and control. This was naturally a path that required an extremely powerful mind.

  ……

  The flying vessel flew deeper into the world of the Genesis Lands.

  This was a world of truly incredible proportions. It was trillions of kilometers in size, and it seemed almost endless.

  “How vast.” Su Youji sighed in amazement as she stared at the world.

  “This is the place which gave birth to this entire universe.” Ning stared at their surroundings as well. He could sense that certain locations within this world were filled with auras of incredible power that only strengthened as they flew closer.

  “Quick, look over there!” Prince Greatjoy pointed off into the distance.

  “Eh?!” Ning and the others looked towards the direction in which he was pointing, only to see a powerful expert seated in the lotus position atop a golden carpet. This expert had a single horn on his head and was covered with dark-red scales, while the golden carpet was covered with many delicacies and wine. The man was drinking wine and devouring his food while casually glancing at his surroundings.

  “Hey there, kiddos!” The horned expert suddenly noticed Ning’s group, and he immediately called out to them while flying towards them.

  Ning’s group didn’t try to avoid him, as they knew that all combat was forbidden within the Genesis Lands. Many of the disciples of the mightiest major powers of this alternate universe had all gathered here within this place! It might be rare for them to encounter their peers in the other parts of the Archaeus region, but that was because they were all gathered here within the Genesis Lands. There were quite a few Daolords in seclusion here as well!