Desolate Era

by RWX

  It would take him very, very long to advance from the third step to the fourth step as a Daolord. He would have plenty of time to work on the [Heartsword] art.

  “Talk is cheap. All the talk in the world won’t make you one whit stronger. Show me what you actually have.” Ning immediately manifested [Three Heads, Six Arms] and held six Northbow swords in his hands.

  Boom! Ning unleashed his nine novessence arts and his heartworld projection at the same time. Ning and Winesage quickly began to move closer and closer to each other, their secret arts and heartworld projections crashing against each other like two worlds colliding.

  “Fuck off!” Ning was incomparably valiant as he charged straight towards Winesage, immediately using his Omega Sword Dao – Heavenbreaker. His six Northbow swords were filled with seemingly inexhaustible power, and all of that power exploded like a series of volcano towards Winesage.

  * * *

  Book 32, Chapter 25 - A Duel of Supremes

  Winesage continued to stand there. His face remained placid, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He didn’t move to dodge the Omega Sword Dao – Heavenbreaker. Instead, he manifested a total of six arms and slowly raised them up high. All six of his hands seemed to contain a strange, marvelous amount of power within them. If mere World-level cultivators were present, their souls and truesouls could well be wiped out just via watching this attack.

  Ji Ning, being a major power on the same level as Winesage, naturally didn’t have to worry about this.

  “Exterminate!” Winesage’s six hands simultaneously flipped open and struck outwards.

  Bang! Ning’s six Northbow swords furiously struck down as well. It was a head-on collision of frontal attacks.

  Boom! Ning and Winesage were both knocked backwards. A terrifying shockwave of power swept out in every direction, causing even distant spectators like Palace Lord Dawnstar to be affected by it. Dawnstar revealed a look of surprise: “Winesage’s [Extermination Palms] are incredibly dominating, but Darknorth was actually able to block it head-on. The two actually fought to a standstill?”

  “Not bad at all. Take another attack from me!” Winesage found his footing atop the water, then charged forwards once more as his six arms spread out in a slow, gentle manner like the wings of a roc.

  Whoosh. Winesage moved closer and closer to Ning, carrying a surge of ghostly power with him. His body gave birth to a myriad of shadowy after-images, and his six arms seemed to transform into countless blurs, almost as though he had thousands of arms. Every single hand used different stances, such as claws, palms, or gentle pushes…

  Winesage glided towards Ning like a ghost or a dream, his countless hands all reaching out towards him. If the [Extermination Palms] represented the utmost in hard, aggressive, Yang-style destruction, then this technique represented the utmost in soft, gentle, Yin-style attacks.

  “Bring it!” Ning was overjoyed upon seeing this. He charged straight towards Winesage, his six Northbow swords transforming to become unpredictable, ephemeral, and translucent, vanishing and reappearing without rhyme or reason.

  Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

  Each time Ning’s swords and Winesage’s palms collided, the collision was very gentle and soft. Both were using very soft, Yin-style attacks… but each strike was filled with murderous intent.

  Ning’s Shadowless evasion art was born from his Shadowless stance. By now, his Omega Sword Dao – Shadowless was able to make use of all types of energy. It was skilled in energy redirection and completely unpredictable, making it the most soft and Yin-style of attacks.

  ……

  The two were like a pair of dancers. Each clash was whisper-soft and the movements were gentle beyond compare, but both moved like incredibly fast blurs. Winesage gave birth to countless fluctuating shadows while Ning would occasionally disappear and then be forced to reappear due to the Asura Domain.

  “Interesting.” The distant Palace Lord Dawnstar laughed. “Winesage has three killer attacks; the [Extermination Palms], the [Asura Dance], and the [Awakening Dream], with each attack being more deadly than the last. Although the [Extermination Palms] are very dominating, they don’t contain enough variability and flexibility. The [Asura Dance] and the [Dreamwaker Finger] are more unpredictable… but Darknorth is an extremely powerful Heartforce Cultivator. The Asura Domain is virtually useless against him, making it so that the [Asura Dance] isn’t able to reach its full potential as well.”

  The [Asura Dance] was one of Winesage’s most powerful attacks. When he fought against Dawnstar and the others, he would generally first unleash his heartworld projection and his Asura Domain! When the Asura Domain was used in combination with his [Asura Dance], his foes found it extremely difficult to do anything to him.

  “It seems he’ll have to rely on the [Dreamwaker Finger].” Palace Lord Dawnstar nodded. “Winesage relied on this stance to become acknowledged as the number one Daolord of the Endless Territories.”

  Much like how Daolord Featherdress’ most powerful killer attack was the [Featherdress Soulthrall Melody], Winesage’s most deadly attack was his [Dreamwaker Finger]. Supposedly, it was a killer attack he suddenly came up with after getting drunk and waking up the next morning. In the face of this strike, even the likes of Palace Lord Dawnstar and the Radiant King were defeated… and so, Winesage became the undisputed number one Daolord of the Endless Territories.

  But of course, Palace Lord Dawnstar and the Radiant King both had terrifying killer attacks of their own. The reason why Winesage was still able to beat them was principally because they would be affected by his heartworld projection and Asura Domain when they fought him! Even before the battle had begun, they would already be reduced to 60% - 70% of their true power. It was understandable for the two of them to lose to him.

  This was why, from a historical standpoint, the vast majority of number one Daolords were Heartforce Cultivators! Even though foes might be able to endure their heartforce illusions and other heartforce attacks, the foes would still be weakened by the heartworld projection, which put the two on uneven playing fields.

  ……

  Whoosh. Circular waves rippled out from the surface of the water. Ning and Winesage had just separated after another clash. Winesage stood there on the surface of the water, a smile on his face. “Dawnstar and the Radiant King also managed to just barely withstand my first two killer attacks. My final attack is known as the [Dreamwaker Finger]. If you can withstand it and remain undefeated, that means you are even stronger than Dawnstar and the Radiant King. In that case, I’ll use my Universe treasure to defeat you… but of course, if you fall to the [Dreamwaker Finger], you won’t be worthy of seeing my Universe treasure.”

  “The [Dreamwaker Finger]?” Ning said calmly, “I also have a killer attack that I have yet to display. Let’s see whose is stronger.”

  Technically speaking, Ning’s three attacking stances (the Shadowless stance, the Heavenbreaker stance, and the Blood Drop stance) were all on the same level. However, his Northbow swords had evolved after absorbing the golden sand from the cracked planetary core, causing the power of the Blood Drop stance to increase fivefold.

  Fivefold. What did that mean? As a Daolord of the Second Step, Ning was able to transcend space with ease. As a Daolord of the Third Step, he was similarly able to break past the limit of a hundred times the speed of light with ease. Even Daolord Shaka had been defeated in a single blow by this attack.

  Because of the special properties of the Northbow swords, the Blood Drop stance was Ning’s most powerful attacking stance.

  “Oh?” Winesage began to move. “Then take my blow.”

  Winesage was like a giant roc who flew towards Ning at lightning speeds. His six hands reached out like talons, each hand coming from a different direction! This seemed like a very casual and gentle attack, but spacetime in the local area began to tremble and shake. It must be remembered that the Grand Waveshift Formation caused spacetime within the Waveshift Realm to be extremely
stable, preventing even spacetime techniques from tearing the local spacetime apart. For Winesage’s supreme attack to be able to affect spacetime locally was testament to its tremendous power.

  Although the attack was very light and soft, it seemed to summon all the might of the local spacetime. Each of the six attacks contained an inconceivable amount of power.

  The [Extermination Palms] and the [Asura Dance] both contained certain profound elements of the Dao of Destruction, but the [Dreamwaker Finger] contained the true essence and power of destruction within it. In the instant that it touched the opponent, its full power would be instantaneously unleashed.

  “Omega Sword Dao – Blood Drop!” Ning didn’t hesitate at all, immediately unleashing his most powerful attack. His six Northbow swords all executed this move, flying out like dazzling streaks of light! Every single streak of light seemed to be capable of tearing through space and time, causing spacetime in the area to tremble and shake. In the final instant before contact, the tips of the six Northbow swords began to spiral slightly. Boom! They instantly increased in speed, tearing past a hundred times the speed of light.

  “Eh?” Winesage’s face changed. “He broke through the limit and struck faster than a hundred times the speed of light. But Darknorth trains in the Dao of the Sword! Since when was the Dao of the Sword capable of breaching the limits on speed?”

  Generally speaking, those who were able to breach that limit and move or strike faster than a hundred times the speed of light actually trained in the Dao of Light, such as the Radiant King or Daolord Shaka! This Dao was a Dao of speed to begin with.

  Someone who trained in the Dao of the Sword was able to breach this limit as well? This forced Winesage to feel slightly anxious, but it was too late now. There was no backing out of this attack!

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Ning’s six sword-tips drilled straight towards the tips of Winesage’s six fingers. They collided head-on! BOOM!

  A terrifying amount of force was released on both ends, resulting in an unbelievable explosion!

  “WHAT?!” The distant Palace Lord Dawnstar was so stunned his eyes bulged out. “This is impossible!” He watched as Winesage was actually knocked flying backwards, smashing into the surface of the river and causing the surrounding water to disappear. As for Ning, he continued to pursue Winesage with six Northbow swords in hand!

  “The [Dreamwaker Finger] was actually defeated?” Palace Lord Dawnstar could hardly believe it. “He lost in a frontal exchange?!”

  ……

  “If Winesage didn’t have that Universe treasure, Daolord Darknorth should be ranked as the number one Daolord in the Endless Territories. Impressive, truly impressive.” The two elders within the Dao Alliance’s Palace of Immortals both sighed in amazement.

  ……

  “I’ve wandered through many places and have seen many Daolords who have dazzled me. Today, I’ve seen two more. The one named Darknorth… for him to reach such a level despite merely having trained for less than a hundred million years is simply incredible.” Both Hegemon Welkin and the Brightshore Hegemon were watching this fight as well.

  ……

  Winesage slammed into the waters of the river, a look of disbelief on his face. “My [Dreamwaker Finger] was actually defeated?” In the past, prior to him acquiring the Universe treasure, he had reigned undefeated… but today, his supreme technique had actually been defeated? And in a head-on clash, no less. He truly was rendered speechless!

  “His swords are not only incredibly fast, they also contain incredible power.” Winesage had a mixed look on his face. “When my life comes to an end, the most powerful Daolord of this era shall be Darknorth.”

  * * *

  Book 32, Chapter 26 - Eternal Emperor

  He had gained the upper hand in a frontal clash, but Ji Ning wasn’t excited or smug about it. This was because he knew that Winesage’s attacks were every bit his equal in terms of profundity. He had an advantage in that his Northbow swords made his Blood Drop stance fully five times more powerful than normal. In the end, however, the Northbow swords were not Universe treasures; they were simply ‘qualified’ to potentially develop into Universe treasures in the future, and they were exceptionally strong when executing the Blood Drop stance.

  For him to win was normal. If he had lost, he would’ve been shocked!

  Whoosh. Winesage flew back to the center of the river, returning to his normal two-armed form. At the same time, a pair of black gloves appeared on his hands.

  “Eh?” Ning’s subconscious began to warn him of tremendous danger. He hurriedly came to a halt.

  Winesage slowly levitated to stand above the water, a smile on his face. “I really didn’t expect this. If it wasn’t for my Universe treasure, I wouldn’t be able to keep safe my position atop the rankings. Daolord Darknorth, I admire you very much. You truly are worthy of forcing me to use my Universe treasure.” The black gloves in Winesage’s hands began to emanate a terrifying aura of power.

  As for Ning, he warily eyed those black gloves. His Darknorth swords were only strengthened when using the Blood Drop stance; it didn’t strengthen his other stances nearly as much. True Universe treasures, however, would allow each and every stance to be filled with incredible power.

  “Come on.” Ning’s eyes were filled with the desire to do battle. “I’ve heard long ago that Universe treasures are very powerful, but I’ve never tested one out for myself. Show me just how tough a Universe treasure is!”

  “As you wish.” Winesage waved his right hand. Whoooosh. His black right glove swept out, causing spacetime to shudder as darkness completely covered the world around them.

  “What a terrifying palm.” The distant Palace Lord Dawnstar was stunned. “I’ve heard legends of Universe treasures for countless years, but this is my first time actually seeing the power of one of them in person. In the past, Winesage and I were on par with each other, but I’m now no longer a match for him. The difference in power between us is quite apparent.”

  Dawnstar truly felt powerless upon seeing this palm. His saber and his skills were focused on attacking! He was supposedly the best close combat expert in the Endless Territories, an offensive specialist… but when he saw Winesage use his Universe treasure to execute the [Extermination Palms], Dawnstar could sense that the power of this attack was far more terrifying than his own. If he had been surpassed even in his area of specialty, how could he not feel powerless?

  “Eh?” An illusory figure suddenly appeared in the skies above the Waveshift Realm. It was Realmsoul Polo. “Winesage has a Universe treasure! Although in terms of enlightenment and understanding he remains inferior to the eight lords of the Sacred Cities, in power alone he’s already reached their level.” Polo had a somber look on his face as he looked at that palm come crashing down. “Such incredible power… it threatens the very stability of the Grand Waveshift Formation. Mm… at least Winesage has the good sense not to cause disruption on a large scale.”

  Realmsoul Polo was in charge of overseeing this entire realm. When Ning had used the Hegemon Dao-seal, he had unleashed a level of power that surpassed that of Winesage’s strike. Polo, however, hadn’t cared because that Dao-seal was a single-use item. Winesage, however, would be able to rely on his own power to unleash thousands of chops. If he wished to cause wanton destruction, he could possibly disrupt the stability of the entire formation.

  “If he does disrupt the formation, I’ll have no choice but to give him a little warning,” Polo mused silently.

  ……

  This strike used the same [Extermination Palms] technique as before. Ning already understood the principles it operated off of, but the power had increased to a completely different level. This was the level the lords of the eight Sacred Cities had reached! Six Northbow swords in his hands, Ning immediately executed the Omega Sword Dao – Soleheart to defend. He wasn’t so arrogant as to try to take this attack head-on! The difference in power was simply too great.
>
  BOOM! Ning could feel a terrifying amount of power explode against him. Although his Northbow swords had already deflected much of the force, the remainder of it had slammed into him, sending him flying backwards as the water around him was completely annihilated. Ning continued to fly until he slammed into the riverbed, the water around him completely evaporated!

  Whoosh. Ning rose to his feet, his face rather ashen. “What a terrifying strike. Thank goodness I’ve reached the third stage of the Omega Sword Dao, and have the Hegemon armor protecting me. Otherwise, I would’ve suffered a heavy injury or even died!”

  Rumble… the ‘surviving’ waters of the river came flooding into to replenish the empty area around him.

  “He didn’t even spit up blood?” The distant Winesage was shocked as well. Not only had Darknorth survived, he hadn’t even been injured to the point of vomiting blood?

  “Fellow Daoist Darknorth, take a few more strikes from me!” Winesage continued to press the attack. Boom! Boom! Boom! He used a series of palm-strikes, fist-strikes, and finger-strikes against Ning. Ning was forced to rely exclusively on defensive stances; given the overwhelming disparity in power, he didn’t have any way to fight back at all.

  Ning was hit by one attack after another. This was a crushing assault!

  “What incredible defenses.”

  “Ji Ning’s defensive prowess equals his offensive prowess.” Palace Lord Dawnstar sighed in amazement when he saw this. He was skilled in offensive attacks, but his defensive techniques were much weaker than Ning’s. “He should also have an incredible strong defensive divine ability. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to take hits like that.”

  “So this is what a Universe treasure is like.” After fighting for a while, Ning felt his entire body turn numb from pain. However, he now knew much more about Universe treasures.