Desolate Era

by RWX

  “Right.” Ninedust narrowed his eyes. “Screw it. Let’s give it a try. We might just find a huge treasure trove inside.”

  “Alright, let’s fly over.” Ning was the first to fly towards the planet.

  The treasures the Sithe left behind often represented a vast fortune. Crimsonwave Temple was but a single relic, but it was more valuable than the combined networths of all three Hegemons of the Flamedragon Realmverse! Perhaps the Stone Hellephant Wall had something inside that was comparable to Crimsonwave Temple in value. How could Ning possibly shrink back from it?

  “There might be living beings inside this planet,” Ninedust said while flying next to Ning. “Last time we entered the homeland of your disciple, Skywind, we were almost immediately discovered by those locals. Should we perhaps mask our auras this time?”

  “Yes, yes we should. Let us pretend to be Daolords of the Second Step,” Ning said.

  “Agreed.” Ninedust agreed with this idea.

  “Change.” “Change.” Ninedust and Ning immediately changed their auras through the [Vitalis] art. This was the most formidable masking technique they knew, capable of changing even their truesoul’s aura. Ning was simulating the aura which Daolord Pillsaint had back when he was a Daolord of the Second Step, while Ninedust did the same for a different Daolord he knew. The simulation was only effective when used to emulate someone you actually knew. After masking their auras, the two quickly reached the region outside the planet.

  “That invisible aura of power is growing stronger.” Ning and Ninedust exchanged a glance. Swoosh. Swoosh. The two carefully flew towards the planet.

  The planet was surrounded by a thick layer of clouds and mist. They flew through the multiple layers of clouds, slowly beginning to see the world beneath them.

  This was a vast world filled with many mountains, and it was teeming with countless living creatures.

  “There’s life here. They look humanoid.” Ning’s vision was frighteningly sharp, allowing him to see them with clarity. “Judging from their auras, the living beings here are all quite strong. There are many Empyrean Gods and Celestial Immortals, and I can even see Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals.”

  Boom! They could sense faint, violent ripples of power emanating from off in the distance. “There’s a fight over there.” Ninedust stared towards the direction of the battle. “Let’s go take a look.”

  The two immediately flew over. From their midair position, they were quickly able to see the great battle which was occurring off in the distance. The forces of both sides were fighting furiously against each other.

  “All World-level cultivators,” Ninedust said casually. To them, World-level cultivators truly were nothing more than ants. “Nearly sixty of them battling, divided up into two sides.”

  “Someone capable of commanding so many World-level cultivators should be fairly strong,” Ninedust said. “We should be able to learn quite a bit regarding this planet from them, and thus more quickly divine the mysteries of this Stone Hellephant Wall.”

  “Right.” Ninedust nodded. Both of them remained extremely cautious; just a fraction of the power originally held within the relic sites left behind by the Sithe was enough to claim their lives. How could they NOT be careful?

  Ning and Ninedust immediately flew towards the group of battling World-level cultivators.

  * * *

  Book 34, Chapter 11 - Tianello

  Ji Ning and Ninedust flew quickly towards the mist to the battlefield. Meanwhile, the battle between the World-level cultivators was reaching a fever pitch.

  Slash! Saber-light chopped through a World God’s body, slicing him in half. A heartbeat later, his body was ground into dust. The white-robed machete-wielding man then charged towards another World-level cultivator, a hate-filled look on his face. He was clearly the most powerful person on the battlefield. He was extremely fast and his saber-arts were exceptionally brutal.

  “Maji!” The other World-level cultivator was clearly in dire straits.

  “Maji, stop this!”

  “Maji, you despicable lowlife. How dare you assault us members of the Tianello clan!” the other World-level cultivators bellowed furiously.

  “You refused to give my clan a way out, so I’m not giving you a way out either! Kill them, my clansmen! Wipe them all out! If a single one of them escapes, we’ll be in big trouble. If we can wipe them out, we can relocate our tribe and join one of the Tianello clan’s enemies!” Maji had a savage look on his face as he bellowed.

  “Kill!”

  “Kill these Tianello clansmen!”

  “Wipe’m out!”

  Although the total combat power of the Tianello clansmen was higher overall, the one named Maji was simply too powerful as an individual. Thus far, he had already killed a total of twelve World-level cultivators by himself in this clash! He had been able to force the warriors of the Tianello clan to the brink of withdrawal, with only their fear of the strict laws of the clan holding them back from a complete retreat.

  They had come on the orders of the Tianello clan to take away a treasure this minor clan had acquired, a certain bugbeast core component. They were so accustomed to behaving in a domineering fashion that they had been planning to massacre the minor clan and then offer the treasure to the high-level members of the clan. As for the other treasures the minor clan had owned? They were going to split them internally.

  They had first set up a formation, planning to trap and massacre everyone. They never would’ve imagined that this weak clan’s leader, Maji, was so incredibly powerful that he had been able to burst the formation apart, then lead his clan’s World-level cultivators to fight their way out.

  “Damnit.”

  “They actually dare to kill the members of the Tianello clan! Let’s leave and report this to the clan immediately! We’ll have the clan send out the entire army to wipe them out and leave none of them behind.” By now, the Tianello clansmen had been shaken by Maji’s assaults. In the end, they chose to retreat. Although they would be punished upon their return for failing in their mission, at least they wouldn’t lose their lives.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Flee.”

  Instantly, the World-level cultivators all began to flee frantically. But just as they began to do so, a calm voice rang out. “Don’t be in such a rush to run.” The fleeing World-level cultivators all felt their bodies turn soft. Their movements began to dramatically slow down before coming to a complete halt… and then they began to slowly fly backwards.

  Right at this moment, two figures descended from the skies. One was a silver-robed man, the other was a white-robed youth who bore a sword sheath on his back.

  “Daolord!” The World-level cultivators led by Maji all turned pale. The difference in power between World-level cultivators and Daolords was insurmountable.

  “The Tianello clan, eh? They seem to be pretty powerful.” Ning grinned.

  “Then let’s start with them,” Ninedust offered.

  “Agreed.” Ning’s heartforce had already completely pervaded the souls and truesouls of the Tianello clan’s World-level cultivators, allowing him to easily rifle through their souls. Ning’s heartforce was now so powerful that he was ranked number one amongst Daolords in the Endless Territories; manipulating World-level cultivators was simplicity itself for him. Soon, Ning had completely reviewed the memories of these cultivators.

  “What did you find?” Ninedust asked.

  “This planet is quite interesting.” Ning smirked. As he chatted with Ninedust he made sure to block out the sound of their voices, ensuring that no one aside from the two of them could hear anything.

  “Interesting?” Ninedust was puzzled.

  Ning said, “This planet is quite extraordinary. It’s far more powerful than that other planet we visited, Skywind’s homeland! The cultivators here are all divided up into clans, with blood lineages determining their statuses.”

  “These clans are divided into the great clans, standard clans, and
lesser clans. Lesser clans are the weakest, with standard clans generally having a Daolord and several golems standing guard. As for the great clans, they each have at least one ‘royal golem’ protecting them.”

  “Supposedly, this planet has nine great clans, twenty-one standard clans, and countless lesser clans,” Ning explained. This was what he had learned through rifling the memories of the World-level cultivators. “Different clans can vary immensely in power. A great clan can easily wipe out one of the standard clans with a fraction of their full power, while standard clans can do the same to lesser clans. The lesser clans are viewed as of a lower caste, almost subhuman.”

  Ninedust was startled. “So just how many Daolords live on this planet?”

  “More than thirty at the very least,” Ning said. “Possibly sixty, possibly eighty… these World-level cultivators have no clue.”

  “Wow.” Ninedust was surprised. A single planet was capable of giving birth to dozens of Daolords in each given generation? This was a frightening concept.

  “The Tianello clan is a standard clan and it has a single Daolord protecting it,” Ning said. “So let us start from them.”

  “Alright.” Ninedust nodded.

  “You can die now.” Ning swept his gaze towards the dull-eyed World-level cultivators. Instantly, their eyes turned completely lifeless as they fell to the ground. He left just a single World-level cultivator alive, allowing the man ‘Tonkee’ to regain his clarity of mind as well.

  “What just happened? What’s going on?” Tonkee stared at the surrounding area in panic. How did all of the others all suddenly die?

  “Go back and tell Tianello,” Ning barked, “That I, Darknorth, killed these World Gods! Now beat it!” When Ning had rifled through their memories, he had learned that they were all Tianello’s lackeys and were so evil as to wipe out lesser clans for greed alone. Tonkee was slightly better, morally speaking, than the rest. Still, the only reason why Ning spared him was because he needed someone to send a message for him; otherwise, he would’ve killed Tonkee as well.

  “Y-you killed them?” Tonkee stared at Ning in terror.

  “I said… beat it.” Ning released a hint of his killing intent.

  Swoosh! The terrified Tonkee immediately fled far away.

  ……

  Maji and his clansmen stared in shock as they watched this happened, completely stunned by Ning and Ninedust’s power. What stunned them even more was what Ning had just said: “Go back and tell Tianello that I, Darknorth, killed these World Gods! Now beat it!” This clearly was a direct challenge to Tianello!

  Tianello was the name of the Tianello clan’s leader, and he was on extremely good terms with the nine great clans. He was one of the high-level members of this world. He wasn’t an easy person to deal with!

  “Senior” Maji said, forcing down his fear and nervousness. Looks of panic were on the faces of all the World-level cultivators behind him.

  “What, are you scared now?” A hint of a smile was on Ning’s face.

  Maji hurriedly said, “For us to fight back against them when they tried to kill us was a minor matter; the exalted Tianello would never deign to act against minor figures like us, giving us a chance to survive if we joined an enemy of the Tianello clan. But by doing this, seniors… you’ve just completely insulted him! He’s not going to rest until he resolves this matter, and his rage will be directed towards us as well.”

  People lived for their reputations. There were only a few dozen Daolords on this planet, making them exalted figures. How could Tianello possibly just accept Ning brazenly slapping him in the face like this?

  “Are you trying to say that we caused trouble for you?” Ninedust glared at them.

  “N-no…” Maji began to sweat heavily.

  “Ahahaha!” Ning started to laugh. “Ninedust, stop scaring these kids.” Indeed, Maji and the other World-level cultivators all felt rather uneasy now. “Just keep watching,” Ning instructed. “I’ll guarantee your safety.”

  Maji and the others felt resigned. “I guess that’s that.” If they followed these two powerful Daolords, they might stand a chance at staying alive… but once they were on their own, it would be far too easy for Tianello to eradicate them.

  Just one hour later, a giant vessel appeared in the skies. A white-haired old man stood at the prow of the vessel, staring towards their direction. He had a group of subordinates behind him.

  “Tianello has arrived.”

  “It’s Tianello.” Maji and the others felt nervous and cold.

  Ning and Ninedust raised their heads to glance at the vessel. Ninedust grinned at Ning: “He’s a mere Daolord of the Third Step, but he seems pretty full of himself.”

  The grand vessel slowly flew through the skies towards them. The white-robed elder stood at the prow of the ship, staring down at them. When he saw that Ning and Ninedust merely had auras of Daolords of the Second Step, he relaxed slightly. He barked out coldly, “You dared to wipe out Tianello clansmen and then insulted me? It seems that it has been far too long since I, Tianello, have displayed my pow-.”

  “So shut up and do it already,” Ninedust said from below.

  “Eh?” Tianello was further incensed by this interruption, and cold light flickered in his eyes. “If that is what you wish… then I will send you off to die!”

  Whoosh. A giant bird that was at least three thousand meters long suddenly appeared in front of Tianello. This bird was covered in azure feathers and had a fiery red tail, as well as an awe-inspiring aura. It was actually just as powerful as Tianello, and it immediately swooped downwards.

  * * *

  Book 34, Chapter 12 - Sithe?

  Maji and the other World-level cultivators behind Ji Ning and Ninedust had started to panic long ago. If you have to hit someone, you aren’t supposed to slap them in the face! Not even Daolords would brazenly provoke other Daolords for no good reason. Ning’s provocative actions were designed to force Tianello out. If he hid back despite all of this, he would probably become the laughingstock of this world.

  “Now that’s rather interesting.” Ninedust waved his right hand, causing it to dramatically expand in size. It blocked out the skies and the sun as it clawed out towards the avian. The avian let out a furious screech as it tore at Ninedust’s hand with its clans.

  Whoosh! As an Ancient cultivator, Ninedust had an incredibly powerful divine body. Given that he was now a supreme Daolord, even a casual swipe from him was far beyond the likes of a golem which was merely equivalent to a Daolord of the Third Step. His giant fingers closed in around the avian, which sought to struggle but was completely unable to break free.

  “What?!” Tianello was shocked when he saw this from his position aboard his ship. His golem was equivalent to him in power, but it had been captured by a casual swipe?

  “He’s absolutely terrifying. They’re definitely not people that I can fight back against. I need to run.” Tianello immediately fled, not worrying about anything else at all.

  Ning was standing on the ground, head raised and watching this with a smile. “Come on down.” An invisible surge of power instantly swept out to cover the entire vessel.

  All of the cultivators on the vessel, Tianello included, were instantly trapped within an illusory world. The entire vessel began to descend from the skies and landed on the ground. One figure after another began to walk out of the vessel, their eyes blank. The leader of the group was the white-haired elder Tianello, whose gaze was equally vacant. He wasn’t able to fight back at all.

  “T-this…” Maji and the other World-level cultivators stared at this in astonishment. The mighty Tianello had been mentally dominated before even having a chance to fight in close combat? This was inconceivable!

  “Tianello,” Ning called out. “I ask you this: who are the most powerful people within this world?”

  “The top three clans of the nine great clans are the Fumo clan, the Juwah clan, and the Nonti clan. These three great clans are far more powerful than th
e other six great clans.” Tianello’s gaze was vacant as he continued, “The Fumo clan, the Juwah clan, and the Nonti clan are incredibly powerful. Any of them could wipe out the other six great clans with ease.”

  “They call themselves members of the ‘Sithe’ race. All other clans have to submit to them, and they are the true rulers of this world,” Tianello said numbly.

  Ning and Ninedust turned pale when they heard this. What?! The three most powerful clans in this planet actually referred to themselves as ‘Sithe’?

  “They call themselves ‘Sithe’? Why?” Ning asked.

  “Don’t know. They are the most ancient and most powerful clans on this planet. No one can resist them,” Tianello said. “Those who try to do so all died.”

  Ning and Ninedust exchanged a glance.

  “Darknorth… is it possible that a few scattered members of the Sithe actually survived?” Ninedust said. Both he and Darknorth suspected that the Stone Hellephant Wall had been created by the Sithe! It wasn’t impossible that some Sithe survived to live on this planet.

  “Entirely possible.” Ning was much more somber now as well. “If it really is the Sithe… we’re in a great deal of danger.”

  “Do the three great clans have any Eternal Emperors? Does this world hold any Eternal Emperors?” Ning asked.

  “None.” Tianello replied robotically, “It has been a long, long time since any Emperors have appeared within this world. The annals of history do contain records of an Eternal Emperor who launched a grand war against the three great clans, but they joined forces and managed to kill him.”

  “They killed an Eternal Emperor?” Ning frowned. “Was that Emperor an ordinary Daolord who broke through, or was he an incredibly powerful one?”

  “He was an ordinary Daolord who broke through,” Tianello replied.