Desolate Era

by RWX

  “Those three retainers of mine will never spread this information either. I’ll have them swear oaths as well,” Ning said.

  “Um…” Daolord Thunderheat chuckled. “Then I won’t bother you any further. Whenever you wish to leave, fellow Daoist, you only need to turn back and you’ll be able to depart.”

  “Understood.” Ning nodded, and Daolord Thunderheat departed. Ning chuckled and shook his head. The fewer treasures one had, the more one would value them! Ning had acquired all of Daolord Kongsan’s treasures, and had the Sword Hegemon’s Dao-seal. Although this Void Pathway was a unique treasure, it wasn’t enough to make Ning feel the slightest bit greedy. Ning also knew that the more powerful he became, the more treasures he would have in the future. In the future, this Void Pathway would be even less meaningful than it was right now.

  “But let me take a look and see what’s so special about this thing.” Ning stepped forwards, moving tens of thousands of kilometers in an instant.

  Rumble…

  An enormous globe of golden light suddenly appeared high in the void above the golden region. The globe of light unleashed two streaks of golden light which shot into the bodies of the two armored warriors directly in front of Ning. Golden light immediately began to shine out of the armored soldiers eyes.

  Boom! Boom! The two armored soldiers hoisted their weapons as they transformed into streaks of light, charging towards Ning. “Die!” One of them stabbed out with a longspear, sending it piercing through the skies.

  “Kill!” The other armored soldier lashed out with a long whip which moved like a long, agile serpent. These two armored soldiers worked in concert, one charging forward valiantly while the other moved with crafty agility. They moved in perfect harmony, as though they were part of a greater whole.

  Ning revealed a smile. “Interesting. No wonder Thunderheat said that these soldiers fight in a very unique manner; they actually have employ a battle-formation Dao, and are able to work together wonderfully…”

  Boom! With but a thought, Ning caused his sword-intent to manifest. His sword-intent swept out in an overwhelming wave, smashing against the two soldiers and sweeping them off their feet, then sending them flying.

  The difference in power was simply far too greater. These two soldiers were just barely comparable to ordinary Daolords of the Second Step.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Ning blew through the soldiers like rotting wood, continuing to advance through the pathway. Only after defeating 18,000 soldiers did he finally begin to slow down.

  “What a strange feeling.” Ning was surrounded and being attacked by eight soldiers. These eight soldiers used different weapons and different attack styles. Hard, soft, insidious, straightforwards… every single soldier was extremely dedicated to one type of combat style. And yet, they were able to work together through their battle-formation. Ning felt as though he was fighting a major power who was a mastery of many different types of weapons. This was quite a taxing fight.

  “The Dao of Wind? The Dao of Lightning? The Dao of Water?” Ning was growing increasingly excited by this battle. As for the globe of light, it continued to hang there in the void. Each time Ning defeated a soldier, it would shoot out even more golden light and activate even more powerful soldiers.

  “That light globe should serve as the core of the entire Void Pathway.” Ning lifted his head up to glance at the light globe. All of the soldiers were unliving and inaminate things, but once the light shone down upon them they were given incredible amounts of power.

  “The items that can be found in the Terror Starsea truly are marvelous.” Ning was feeling increasingly curious about the Terror Starsea, but it was simply too dangerous a place; not even the three mighty Hegemons dared to go too deep into that place. It was so terrifying that even they stood a chance of dying if they went too far in.

  ……

  Time flew on. Ten thousand years went past in the blink of an eye. To cultivators, ten thousand years was actually a very short period of time. The entire Eastroad Sect remained in a state of disarray and fear of the Ninedust Sect’s arrival.

  During the past ten thousand years, Pillsaint had focused intently on training in the Dao of Alchemy. As a result, he had finally broken through to become a Daolord of the Second Step. With the first six chapters of the [Seven Leafpill Chapters] serving to guide him, he knew exactly how to progress in his Dao and so made incredibly rapid improvements.

  The main hall of the Eastroad Sect.

  “What will be, will be.” Daolord Thunderheat’s face turned solemn after he heard his disciple’s reports. A group of disciples had already been gathered here within the hall.

  “The Ninedust Sect has finally arrived.” The disciples all felt nervousness in their hearts.

  “Lead him in,” Daolord Thunderheat instructed.

  “Yes.” The disciple who was responsible for bringing word from outside immediately departed. As he did, Daolord Thunderheat’s avatar appeared in front of the sculpture of a mountain, pushed the ‘door’ open, and entered the Void Pathway.

  There was a battle going on in the empty void of space directly above the actually pathway. It was Daolord Naia and Flamefairy Su Youji battling each other! There was a thatched cottage at one end of the area, and Ning was seated in the lotus position within it as he meditated silently. Ning had spent almost the entirety of the past ten thousand years within the Void Pathway. He would often go out to engage in battle, then use his spacetime cottage to train and reflect on his insights.

  “Fellow Daoist Darknorth.” Daolord Thunderheat’s avatar walked over, then called out to to Ning. Within the cottage, Ning opened his eyes and smiled. “What is it, Daolord Thunderheat?”

  “An envoy from the Ninedust Sect has arrived,” Daolord Thunderheat said.

  “The Ninedust Sect? They’ve finally come.” A cold glint flashed through Ning’s eyes. He rose to his feet, walked out of the cottage, then waved his hand and put it away.

  “The two of you can keep training here. I’ll go take a look,” Ning said loudly.

  “Yes, Master.” Su Youji and Daolord Naia both called back loudly.

  “Let’s go.” Ning immediately accompanied Daolord Thunderheat in leaving.

  ……

  One of the side halls of the Eastroad Sect had been set up to welcome the Ninedust Sect’s envoy. A large number of Eastroad Sect disciples had already gathered here. As for Ning, he was brought in through a side door. He quietly sat down in the back row and watched silently.

  “Envoy of the Ninedust Sect, why have you come to the Eastroad Sect?” Daolord Thunderheat spoke out from his position atop the high seat.

  “Simple.” The fiery-armored figure standing before him said coldly, “We’re here giving you a chance to stay alive. If you immediately evacuate the Eastroad Territory, all of you will be able to stay alive! But if you fight back, you will be wiped out.”

  “Damn him.”

  “He dares…”

  Instantly, the disciples within the hall all began to roar and shout with fury. They hadn’t imagined that the Ninedust Sect would act in such a brash manner.

  “It was the Sectlord who personally told me to convey this message. Either you get the hell out of the Eastroad Sect or you die.” The fiery-armored man said coldly, “I’ve delivered my message. It is up to you what choice you will make. Ten years from now, if the Eastroad Sect is still present in this region, then you can simply wait for death.” Message delivered, he turned and left.

  “He wants to leave, just like that?”

  “Stop right th-…” An enraged disciple of the Eastroad Sect moved to block his path.

  “Let him leave,” Daolord Thunderheat said coldly. The Eastroad disciples had no choice but to swallow their rage.

  “Hmph. I train in a cloning technique. Even if you killed me, it would be meaningless.” The fiery-armored man let out a cold laugh, then left with a swagger.

  Daolord Thunderheat just watched him leave silently. He wasn’t
going to get angry with a World-level cultivator; it was the Ninedust Sectlord he was angry with!

  “Fellow Daoist Darknorth.” Daolord Thunderheat looked at the seated Ning.

  “I saw everything.” Ning nodded and smiled. “Let them come. I’ve been waiting over ten thousand years here for the Ninedust Sect to come.”

  Daolord Thunderheat relaxed slightly. “Your words put me at ease, fellow Daoist.”

  * * *

  Book 30, Chapter 6 - Battling Alone

  A towering ray shrine was floating there within the dark void of chaotic space, and an awe-inspiring group of cultivators were inside it.

  At the highest place within the shrine sat a silver-maksed, silver-robed man. He was the Ninedust Sectlord, and his name was known throughout the many territories of the nearby region. Countless living beings prostrated themselves before him and lived on his suffrage, and his vileness and his power had long ago been made known to the cultivators around him, inspiring terror in their hearts.

  Below him stood three figures who were the three vice sectlords of the Ninedust Sect.

  “Sectlord.” Daolord Graceful, one of the three vice sectlords, spoke out. “The ten years have concluded, but the Eastroad Sect has refused to leave. What should we do?”

  “Do you really need to ask? Of course we are going to attack. We’re going to wipe them out!” Daolord Bruteflame, who had a stone-like body, roared angrily, “Without Daolord Eastroad, how can the Eastroad Sect possibly contend against our Ninedust Sect?”

  “Hmph.” The graceful and handsome Daolord Cleversoul frowned as he barked, “Bruteflame, Patriarch Eastroad was an extraordinarily powerful figure, and his lair is undoubtedly filled with many terrifying formations. We gave coercion a shot, and if we succeeded it would have been nice, but… attack by force? Hmph. Only the Sectlord himself has a shot at that. All three of us would be at risk of dying if we tried.”

  The three vice sect-lords were Daolords of the Fourth Step, with Daolord Cleversoul being the strongest and the other two being weaker.

  “Enough.” The Ninedust Sectlord said in a cold voice, “Since they have refused to leave, we’ll take them out.”

  The three vice sect-lords, especially Daolords Cleversoul and Graceful, were all startled. Daolord Cleversoul barked, “The rest of you, retire for a moment.”

  “Understood.” The other Daolords and World-level cultivators standing below them all departed, despite feeling puzzled.

  “Sectlord.” Daolord Cleversoul raised his head to look at the Ninedust Sectlord. “Sectlord, are you perhaps being a bit too fixated on the Eastroad Sect? You first slew one of their Daolords, then moved the entire shrine over to the Eastroad Everworld to keep an eye over it… and now, you plan to attack it by force! The Eastroad Sect is already incredibly weak; we only need to besiege it, not actually attack it. Eventually, they will have to come out, unless they choose to never test themselves and never go out adventuring. If that is the case, then their sect will grow weaker and weaker over time. In a few chaos cycles, they’ll be finished. Why must we take the risk of attacking by force?”

  “Agreed. Sectlord, are we perhaps being a bit too hasty?” Daolord Graceful asked. They all felt that this was a bit too impetuous. They could just take over the entire Eastroad Territory while keeping the Eastroad Sect trapped here! However, the Sectlord insisted on actually attacking.

  “Hm. Now that the old Sectlord has passed away, the three of you must feel that I’m the easygoing, merciful type, yes? You believe there is no need to obey my orders, mm?” The Ninedust Sectlord’s voice was as cold as ice.

  “We wouldn’t dare,” the three vice sectlords said respectfully.

  “Since you do not dare to disobey, go and carry out my orders. Head out to the Eastroad Sect,” the Ninedust Sectlord barked.

  “Acknowledged.” The three vice sectlords had no choice but to obey the order.

  “Head out to the Eastroad Sect.” Soon, the order spread to the entire sect, and the towering gray shrine began to fly ever-closer to the Eastroad Everworld.

  ……

  Rumble…

  The towering gray shrine pierced through the world-membrane of the Eastroad Sect, then soared through its skies like an enormous levitating mountain as it moved straight to the Eastroad Sect. It made no effort to disguise or hide what it was doing at all.

  “That’s the Ninedust Sect’s shrine.”

  “The Ninedust Shrine of the Ninedust Sect.”

  Quite a few cultivators within the Eastroad Everworld raised their heads to stare at it, their hearts filled with shock. They knew that something big was about to happen!

  “Move, move, move! Head out right away!”

  “Let’s go to the Eastroad Sect and watch what happens from a safe distance. This battle between the Ninedust Sect and the Eastroad Sect will be the biggest fight in many chaos cycles in these territories. There’s no way we can miss it.”

  “The Eastroad Sect is probably going to be wiped out. There’s no way we can miss this spectacle. Given what a deep foundation the Eastroad Sect has accumulated over the years, it probably won’t die without a fight. I’m guessing that one or two of the Daolords of the Ninedust Sect will die as well.”

  These cultivators all chatted excitedly amongst themselves as they quietly flew towards the Eastroad Sect, preparing to watch this battle. If they missed a fight like this, they would be filled with endless regrets.

  ……

  “They are coming.”

  “The Ninedust Sect is coming.”

  “The Ninedust Sect has brought its main base, the Ninedust Shrine.” Word quickly spread like wildefire within the Eastroad Sect, and it was filled with a hubbub of commotion. Many of its disciples were shocked and restless. Although they had long ago known that a day like this would come, and that someone known as Daolord Darknorth had come to assist them… they couldn’t help but feel nervous and fearful now that the day had finally arrived.

  The Ninedust Sect’s power was simply too great! Its fame and its might were all legendary throughout the nearby territories.

  “Fellow Daoist Darknorth! Fellow Daoist Darknorth!” Daolord Thunderheat headed straight to the Void Pathway to ask Ning to assist.

  “Have they arrived?” Ning, Pillsaint, Su Youji, and Naia all came out.

  “The main base of the Ninedust Sect, the ‘Ninedust Shrine’, is flying straight towards us.” Daolord Thunderheat cleared his throat, obviously rather nervous. “They aren’t trying to do a blitzkrieg through teleportation or anything sneaky; they are just flying straight towards us! I imagine many cultivators have already noticed them. The Ninedust Sect is completely confident in its chances.”

  Ning nodded. “No need to panic. From this moment forwards, you must obey all my orders.”

  “Alright.” Daolord Thunderheat nodded.

  “I’ll go meet the Ninedust Sect outside our sect.” Ning smiled.

  “Outside the sect?” Daolord Thunderheat was shocked. “You can’t. If you go outside, you won’t be protected by the formations.”

  “If I am not a match for them, then I’ll naturally retreat into the protective embrace of the Eastroad Sect’s formations.” Ning smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t get in over my head.”

  Unable to dissuade Ning, Daolord Thunderheat could only say, “Fellow Daoist Darknorth, you must be careful.”

  “I’ll leave the defenses and formations protecting the Eastroad Sect to you, Daolord. Maintaining control over its formations will be critical to this fight,” Ning said.

  “Don’t worry about that at all,” Daolord Thunderheat said.

  Ning turned his head to glance at Naia, Pillsaint, and Su Youji, then smiled. “There’s no need for the three of you to participate in this fight. Would you like to enter my estate-world, or to watch from the outside?”

  “I’m watching, of course,” Su Youji said hurriedly.

  “How could I miss a fight like this?” Pillsaint shook his head.

&nb
sp; Daolord Naia didn’t say anything. She just stood next to Su Youji and looked at Ning.

  Ning chuckled. “Might as well. However, if things get dangerous you need to enter my estate-world. All of you are too weak, after all; once the real fight starts, the Ninedust Sectlord will probably wipe you all out with a single strike.”

  In the end, they just weren’t strong enough. Ning had both the Hegemon’s armor as well as a powerful protective divine ability, and he also had his nine novessence arts. This was why he dared to clash against figures like Kongsan and the Ninedust Sectlord. Daolords like Naia would be finished in one blow. The difference in power was simply too great.”

  “All of us will listen to your orders, Master,” Su Youji promised right away.

  “Then I’m going to go now.” Ning nodded as he flew away.

  Daolord Thunderheat, Su Youji, and the disciples of the Eastroad Sect all watched as Ning left, their hearts filled with nervousness.

  “I’m just worried that this Daolord Darknorth will be killed by the Ninedust Sect in an instant. If that happens, we really will be doomed.”

  “There’s nothing else we can do. We have to place our faith in Daolord Darknorth.” The Eastroad Sect’s disciples really were out of options.

  ……

  Ning walked out of the Eastroad Sect, then scanned the surrounding area. Upon seeing a distant mountain peak a few hundred kilometers away, he took a single step forwards and moved to stand at the very top of that mountain.

  “So this battle has finally come.” Ning sat down upon a boulder atop the mountain peak, staring at the distant horizons. A hint of fire could be seeing flickering in his eyes… a burning desire to do battle.

  “I’ve now made breaks through in all five Supreme Daos that comprise my Omega Sword Dao. However, I’ve failed with each attempt I make to merge them together into an even stronger Omega Sword Dao.” Ning frowned. The Void Pathway had actually been quite helpful to him. Prior to coming to the Eastroad Sect, Ning had only made breakthroughs in two of his Supreme Daos: the Blood Drop sword-intent and the Yin-Yang sword-intent.