by RWX
“Agreed.” Startled, Ninedust immediately nodded. “How strong are these three great clans, exactly?”
“I’m not sure.” Ning shook his head, then grinned. “But those three golems should know.”
“The three golems?” Ninedust’s eyes lit up.
“We need to bind them immediately and have them spill the secrets they know regarding the three great clans,” Ning said. “Only when you understand both yourself and your enemy shall you be the victor in all your battles! Based on what I can see thus far, the three great clans are much more powerful than we had predicted.”
“Agreed.” And so, Ning and Ninedust immediately began to bind the three captured golems to themselves.
* * *
Book 34, Chapter 16 - The Three Great Clans
Deep within the subterranean underground of this world. The three silver men were once again standing by the bubbling lake of lava, but they were no longer as calm as they were before this.
“This Daolord Darknorth not only managed to defeat six Emperor-class golems by himself, he actually captured three of them.” The muscular silver man said seriously, “This level of power has completely surpassed that of any ‘supreme Daolord’ we have ever heard of. Something like this has never happened since our three great clans have started our joint rule over this planet.”
“Yes. Even though a few supreme Daolords arise from time to time, all of them were completely crushed when facing six Emperor-class golems.” The silver-haired man’s eyes were filled with murder. “This Daolord Darknorth is definitely the most powerful Daolord our three clans have ever encountered.”
“One on six, he managed to capture three Emperor-class golems…” The skinny silver man shook his head as well.
This man was powerful, more powerful than any ‘Daolord’ should be. Still… this was what they believed because their horizons were limited. In the Endless Territories, a vast horde of Daolords would arise every era of 108,000 chaos cycles, and there were occasionally one or two who were able to completely eclipse all other Daolords. In this era, those two were Winesage and Ji Ning.
“It seems we have to personally intervene if we wish to defeat Daolord Darknorth.” The skinny silver man’s eyes were filled with the desire to do battle. “How about this? I’ll spar against this Daolord Darknorth first. If I’m able to kill him by myself, I will. If I’m not, you two can join in.”
“We can’t be the slightest bit overconfident against a foe like this. Let’s use our full power immediately,” the silver-haired man said.
“Agreed. We need to go to maximum power immediately. This Daolord Darknorth was actually able to defeat six Emperor-class golems… that means he is already on our level,” the muscular silver man said. “We have to completely overwhelm and crush him in order to kill him. Not only should all three of us work together, all of the Emperor-class golems in our three clans which possess invulnerable forms should be activated as well.”
“What?”
“We’re going to activate all our golems with invulnerable forms?” The other two silver men were shocked by this. Any of the three were capable of fighting Darknorth; for all three to work together was already an incredible show of power. Were they really going to send an group of Emperor-class golems as well?”
“If we’re going to go at him full-force, then let’s make sure he has no chance at all,” the muscular silver man said. “Daolord Darknorth is the most powerful enemy our three great clans have ever encountered in our history. Thus… let’s give him the respect he deserves. All three clan leaders and all invulnerable Emperor-class golems are going to attack simultaneously. Hmph. He should be proud, even in death.”
“Agreed.”
“To die to such a force is indeed prideworthy.” The other two both laughed.
……
“On my orders, activate all 156 clan-guarding formations and activate the Sithe disc. Be on maximum alert.”
“On my orders, activate all 180 formations and activate the Sithe disc.”
“Everyone is to be on maximum alert. Activate all formations and activate the Sithe disc.” The three clan leaders send orders to their clans. Their first goal was to protect and ensure the safety of their clans. If their clans were doomed, their own survival wouldn’t matter. After having undergone the Ritual Sacrificium they were no longer real ‘cultivators’ and were unable to have any progeny of their own. Thus, if the other members of the clan all perished it would represent the true and final destruction of their lineage… and once they reached their lifespan limits they would die as well.
Thus, the protection of the clan superseded everything.
“What’s going on?”
“All clan-protecting formations have been activated? Even the Sithe disc is being activated? I’ve never heard of the clan entering such a state of readiness.”
“Is the Daolord Darknorth who just challenged our three great clans truly that powerful?”
All three clans were thrown into a state of confusion, with the elites and high-level members of the clans feeling rather stunned. This was definitely the highest possible level of vigilance the three clans had ever activated!
……
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!! A total of eleven figures shot through the skies, with the three silver men at the head. Behind them were a series of Emperor-class golems that all looked different, including the mist golem, fire golem, and lightning golem which had attacked Ning earlier. These eight Emperor-class golems were all of the invulnerable golems which the three great clans possessed.
“Daolord Darknorth’s sword-arts are inscrutable and mysterious, and he’s skilled at capturing golems. However, this time we’ve only brought golems with invulnerable forms with us; he won’t have a chance to capture them at all,” the skinny silver man said with a cold smile. “Eight Emperor-class golems and the three of us… hmph!”
“He’s going to be absolutely demolished.”
“After undergoing the Ritual Sacrificium, the three of us have become true members of the Sithe race and gained incredible power. Even though we are the lowliest, most ordinary members of the Sithe race, we’re still far beyond these Emperor-class golems in power. Any of us three can fight Daolord Darknorth on equal footing and perhaps even kill him.”
The three silver men were extremely confident in their chances. They had no equals in this world and so they only sparred against each other and the Emperor-class golems. As a result, they knew that any of them would be capable of easily defeating six Emperor-class golems.
They represented the true apex of combat power in this world.
……
The Cranesoar Mountains had long ago been reduced to rubble. The battle between Ning, Ninedust, and the six original Emperor-class golems had completely annihilated the area.
Atop the rubble was a temporal acceleration cabin. Within the cabin, Ning and Ninedust were busy binding the golems while accelerating the flow of time. Binding Emperor-class golems was no easy task, and they had no time to waste. Ning and Ninedust both knew that the next attack from the three great clans would come quite soon, and so they had to immediately work to learn more about the three great clans and thus prepare accordingly.
The three Emperor-class golems were all comparable to supreme Daolords. Fortunately, Ning and Ninedust were both strong enough to bind them by force.
“Success.” Ning was the first to take command over an Emperor-class golem. A look of respect instantly appeared in the green eyes of the six-armed stone golem. “Master.”
“You successfully bound one?” Ninedust turned to glance at Ning. He himself was still busy using all his power to try and bind his.
“Hah! I was faster than you,” Ning grinned, then began to work on the swordsman golem. “I have some questions for you.” Although Ning’s full energy was focused on binding the swordsman golem, this wasn’t too mentally taxing and so he began to question the stone golem. “How strong are the three great cla
ns, exactly? How much hidden power do they have?”
“Master,” the stone golem said respectfully, “All Emperor-class golems had their memories of life prior to joining the three great clans completely wiped! Or to be precise… the previous golem-spirits were eradicated while our souls were slowly nurtured and strengthened by the three great clans. Thus, we don’t know much about their most important secrets. Over the course of countless years, however, we have learned a few things based on our observations.”
“Speak,” Ning urged. These Emperor-class golems had simply been living with the three great clans for far too long; no one in the clans themselves had been alive for as long as they had! Although some of the most important clan secrets would never be divulged, a few traces would inevitably spill out over the course of many years.
“Long, long ago, this world was in a state of chaos before the three great clans had risen,” the stone golem began, “But then three people who referred to themselves as ‘Sithe’ established three mighty clans. They managed to capture one or two Emperor-class golems from a secret place, then wiped out the original golem-spirits…”
“In each generation, the strongest members of the three great clans have always been those three clan leaders. Each time, they start off as normal cultivators, but once they become clan leaders they will be transformed into silver men who will gain inconceivable power,” the stone golem said. “And every so often, the three great clans are able to capture another Emperor-class golem or two from that secret place.”
“Thus… over the course of countless years, every single one of the three great clans has gained a total of at least five Emperor-class golems. Emperor-class golems are what the three great clans usually use to tame their foes! But their greatest power lies in the clan leaders themselves. The clan leaders are all incredibly powerful, and each one of them is on par with you, Master,” the stone golem said.
Ning turned pale when he heard this. “All three of the clan leaders are able to defeat six Emperor-class golems by themselves?”
“Yes!” The stone golem replied, “They often spar against us and so we know how powerful the clan leaders are.”
Ning felt a sense of shock upon hearing this. Judging from the sound of things, the three clan leaders were what truly gave the three clans power! The successive generations of clan leaders would occasionally enter that mysterious place to capture a few Emperor-class golems, allowing them to build up quite a stockpile over the course of many years.
Since this mysterious place held Emperor-class golems within it, Ning suspected that it probably held the secrets of the Sithe within it.
“And where is this secret place?” Ning asked.
“I don’t know. Although we were all captured from that place, our original golem-spirits were all wiped out,” the stone golem said.
Ning nodded slowly. They really were being quite careful, wanting to ensure that no information leaked out.
Time continued to pass, one minute at a time. Ninedust managed to bind the eight-armed golem as well, while Ning completed the binding of the swordsman golem. The information they gained from these two golems was essentially the same.
Whoosh. Ning put away the temporal acceleration cabin. He stood next to Ninedust, the three Emperor-class golems behind them.
“Here they come.” Ning stared towards the distant skies, where eleven streaks of light were flying towards them. Leading the group was indeed a trio of silver men.
* * *
Book 34, Chapter 17 - The Silver Men
The three silver men all had very distinct auras. They weren’t like actual living beings; rather, they seemed almost like golems. Their entire bodies were composed of silver, and Ji Ning couldn’t help but feel as though he was looking at that onyx humanoid creature he had encountered in that cave within the Terror Starsea! That onyx humanoid had been 540,000 meters tall and pitch-black in color, and it had a giant hole in its chest which Ning and Ninedust had flown out of.
“These three silver men make me think of that onyx humanoid we encountered previously,” Ning mused. “However, there’s an enormous difference in the aura of power. The onyx humanoid had been able to slay a Hegemon on the spot and critically injure a second one, causing the second one to die later on. It was far, far more powerful than these silver men.”
“Darknorth.” The nearby Ninedust had a solemn look on his face as well as he sent mentally, “Those three silver men remind me of that black creature we found in the cave.”
“Yes, they are quite similar,” Ning sent back. “It seems these three clans truly do have a deep connection to the Sithe.”
“They should be significantly more powerful than us. What should we do?” Ninedust asked.
“Let’s follow the first plan for now,” Ning said.
Boom! His awesome heartforce projection came crashing down, bringing with it its illusory mountains, rivers, and the dazzling sword mountain in the center! The giant heartworld projection pressed down furiously against the three silver men and the eight Emperor-class golems, causing the eight golems to instantly slow down. The three silver men, however, were still able to move at a hundred times the speed of light.
“The three of them weren’t slowed down at all by the pressure of my heartworld projection?” Ning was secretly shocked. “Then take this as well!” Ning willed nine energy dragons to come thundering out of his body, coiling around each other.
In truth, Ninedust’s Ripplewater art was incredibly powerful as well, especially now that Ninedust had reached an even higher level of expertise. Given his mastery of the Dao of Water, his Ripplewater art was on the same level as Ning’s nine novessence arts. However, there was no way for him to ‘fold’ it over Ning’s arts; if they tried, they would interfere with each other.
Boom! The nine energy dragons swept outwards. The three silver men could feel the pressure, but they were still able to maintain a speed of a hundred times the speed of light. The eight Emperor-class golems behind them, however, slowed down dramatically. They were now able to move at less than fifty times the speed of light; just flying through the skies was quite difficult for them.
“The eight of you should join forces,” the silver man who was the leader of the Fumo clan said.
“Acknowledged.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Acknowledged.” The eight Emperor-class golems were looking rather bedraggled, but they immediately transformed into streaks of energy that formed a five-colored rope and a tri-colored rope! For five Emperor-class golems to work together perfectly was the apex of coordination possible for them. The five-colored rope was extremely powerful in particular. Still, with the heartworld projection and the nine novessence arts weighing down on the two ropes, they still flew quite slowly. They held back the entire squad as a result.
“Are the three of you sure that you wish to take on such a dangerous task? I don’t want you to be taken away right after I spent all that effort binding you,” Ning sent mentally to the three Emperor-class golems behind him.
“Don’t worry, Master. We can hold on,” the swordsman golem said.
“Ninedust, if the situation looks grim you should immediately take the three away. Emperor-class golems aren’t easily acquired, after all,” Ning said.
“Leave it to me.” Ninedust nodded.
Ning immediately manifested three heads and six arms. Six Northbow swords in hand, he immediately disappeared without a trace.
……
The three silver men flying through the skies were shocked by this.
“He suddenly vanished?”
“Daolord Darknorth just vanished.” The three of them discovered, to their amazement, that they couldn’t find any trace of Ning at all.
Ning was able to use his Shadowless evasion art to its full potential within the domain of his heartworld projection and his nine novessence arts.
“Careful. This Daolord Darknorth is even more powerful than we expected. He didn’t use this strange evasion art
earlier,” the muscular silver man sent mentally in a serious voice. The other two clan leaders grew cautious as well. Although they remained extremely confident in their abilities, the fact that they couldn’t find any trace of Ning caused them to feel a headache oncoming.
“Hurry over here. Let’s force him to reveal himself,” the silver-haired man sent mentally to the eight Emperor-class golems.
“Acknowledged.” Whoosh! Instantly, the five-colored rope began to expand dramatically in size. Much like how Ninedust was able to transform into a sea-sized wave, the five-colored rope was able to transform into a five-colored ocean. With expanded size came lessened power, but only by covering enough of the surrounding area would they be able to force Daolord Darknorth to reveal himself.
Rumble… the five-colored sea furiously spread outwards to cover a million, ten million, a hundred million kilometers. It continuously expanded, quickly covering the area around the three silver men.
“Hmph.” A cold snort rang out as a white-robed youth showed himself. He had three heads, six arms, and wielded six Northbow swords in his hands. His figure looked like a sword as he used the Blood Drop evasion art, tearing through the five-colored ocean as he shot towards the nearest silver man, the skinny one.
“Right on cue.” The silver man revealed an excited look as he readied the silver spikes in his two hands.
Swish! Swish! The spikes released ear-piercing screeches as they stabbed towards Ning in an almost dreamlike manner.
“Sithe, eh?” Ning was filled with the intent to do battle. His six Northbow swords transformed into six streaks of mist-formed sword energy as he began to launch a furious assault against the silver men.
Clank! The mist-formed sword clashed directly against the sharp spike, the terrifying collision generating rippling shockwaves that could be seen with the naked eye and which spread out in every direction. A giant crater was blasted into the land beneath it, while the few remaining parts of the Cranesoar Mountains were smashed into dust by the shockwave.
