Desolate Era

by RWX

  Ning nodded, and the guard instantly flew off.

  “Master, why are you so courteous to him? Just fly right on in. I’d like to see what Divine Sovereign Goldsun would do about it!” Hegemon Azurefiend said.

  “I already have an overwhelming advantage in power. There’s no need to use it to bully others.” Ning shook his head.

  ……

  Within the Goldsun Palace. Divine Sovereign Goldsun was being waited upon by two female attendants. He held a jade slip in his hands and was viewing and meditating upon it.

  “Divine Sovereign! Divine Sovereign!” A frantic cry came from outside as the Black Emperor guard came rushing into the room.

  “Hrm?” A hint of annoyance could be seen in Divine Sovereign Goldsun’s eyes as he glanced at the guard. The Divine Sovereign was someone who cared tremendously about propriety and status. He naturally felt rather irritated that this guard actually dared to barge into his private meditation room.

  “Divine Sovereign, Daolord Darknorth has arrived!” the guard called out frantically.

  Divine Sovereign Goldsun snapped, “And so what if Daolord Da-… eh? Did you say Daolord Darknorth?” His face instantly turned ashen, and his heart began to quiver. He naturally didn’t feel the slightest bit of pride or arrogance when faced with someone who could slay him with ease. In fact, he felt a hint of terror. Why had Daolord Darknorth suddenly come to visit him without any preamble? Could it be that Daolord Darknorth had come to kill him and take his treasures?

  “Where is he?” Divine Sovereign Goldsun could feel that his heart was shaking.

  “He’s right outside the palace gates,” the guard said.

  * * *

  Book 39, Chapter 11 - Houwu City

  “You WHAT? You actually had Daolord Darknorth wait outside the palace gates?” Divine Sovereign Goldsun instantly cast the guard a furious glare as he hurriedly rose to his feet. Swoosh! He instantly disappeared without a trace.

  Ji Ning, Su Youji, Whitethaw, the Flamewing God, Azurefiend, and Hegemon Goodsong were all waiting outside the gates to the Goldsun Palace.

  Swish! A figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was the beautifully dressed Divine Sovereign Goldsun. His face was now covered with smiles. As soon as he saw Ning, he could immediately sense that this Daolord whose truesoul was slowly splintering apart had to be the legendary Daolord Darknorth! This was because Divine Sovereign Goldsun could sense that unique aura emanating from this white-robed youth, an aura that was profounder than profound.

  This aura actually had a whiff of the prime essence of the Dao of the Sword itself. Ning wasn’t trying to hide his aura, but even so ordinary Hegemons would not be capable of detecting it. Divine Sovereign Goldsun was focused on becoming an Autarch and had trained for many years. He had reached an extremely high level of power and had gained tremendous insight into many different Daos. As a result, his senses were even more acute than the likes of God Emperor Helong.

  “Goldsun greets you, Daolord Darknorth.” Divine Sovereign Goldsun instantly bowed respectfully, then said with a smile, “I never would’ve imagined that you’d come to visit me. I’m absolutely overwhelmed and delighted.”

  “I’ve come here because there’s something I need to trouble you about, Divine Sovereign,” Ning said.

  “Please come in first. We can discuss it shortly,” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said hurriedly. “If there’s anything I can help you out with, I’ll do everything I can. Daolord Darknorth, please come in.”

  Ning followed him inside. Su Youji and Whitethaw followed from behind, with Flamewing, Azurefiend, and Hegemon Goodsong bringing up the rear. Hegemon Goodsong felt particularly delighted, while Flamewing gave Divine Sovereign Goldsun a provocative stare.

  “What a savage, bloodthirsty aura! It is probably just as strong as I am. This should be that legendary Chaos Primordial.” Divine Sovereign Goldsun glanced at Flamewing as well, but continued to warmly guide Ning deeper into his estate.

  He had long ago ordered for his subordinates to prepare a banquet. A feast had been laid out at the main hall of the Goldsun Palace, with many servants and maids all waiting to serve them.

  Ning and Goldsun sat down in the lotus position in the highest seats. Divine Sovereign Goldsun intentionally set his table slightly lower than Ning’s.

  “I’ve heard of your illustrious name long ago, Daolord Darknorth. I’ve always admired you, but I live too far away from the Flamedragon Realmverse. I’ve regretted being unable to visit you, but today you’ve overwhelmed me with delight by coming to visit my Goldsun Palace instead.” Divine Sovereign Goldsun smiled. “Come, come! Let us share a few toasts first. I wish to celebrate your visit to my palace.”

  The other major powers of Goldsun Palace all raised their cups in unison as well. Ning smiled and lifted his own cup, downing it on the spot.

  “Mm. Fine wine,” Ning couldn’t help but speak out in praise. When he drank the wine, he felt as though a ball of fire was going all the way down his throat into his belly. The tremendous heat instantly filled his entire body to the point where he felt it was going to burst out of his skin. Moments later, a cool and refreshing feeling spread out from his stomach and encompassed his entire body. This alternating process of heat and cool resulted in him feeling as though his body had just undergone a baptism of sorts, almost as though it had been transformed and remade.

  “This is a special product of the Goldsun Palace, the ‘Triflame Jewel Brew’. I have quite a bit of it stockpiled away in my palace. If you like it, Daolord, you can take some with you and enjoy it in the future as well,” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said with a laugh. He knew very well that he had to be extremely careful when dealing with someone like Daolord Darknorth, who now stood at the very apex of power in the cultivator civilizations… and who had failed his Daomerge! The slightest bit of discourtesy could result in irreversible repercussions.

  Ning smiled and said, “Then I’ll accept some. Divine Sovereign Goldsun, I’ve come because there is something I need to bother you about.”

  “Pray tell, Daolord,” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said hurriedly. The entire room turned silent, with Hegemon Goodsong listening the most attentively.

  Ning waved his hand, causing a storage bracelet to appear. He handed it over and said, “I wish to use some of the treasures within this estate-world to trade for a Golden Emperor form from you, Divine Ruler.” Ning had quite a few treasures by now. He had looted the Jadefire Realm clean and had stripped the Lonely King of all his treasures. Ning had left behind the ones he thought would be of great use to the Three Realms, then chose some other rare materials that were of limited use to him right now. There were around ten or so which, all combined, were more or less equal in value to a Golden Emperor form.

  “Is that it? A Golden Emperor form? Daolord, for you to visit me in person and show such courtesy shows that you hold me in esteem. How could I possibly be so stingy as to hold back a Golden Emperor form from you?” Divine Sovereign Goldsun waved his hand as he spoke, causing a head-sized ball of golden liquid to immediately fly out. This golden liquid was shaped like a perfect globe, and it was covered by a layer of continuously flowing light. It seemed quite mysterious.

  “As for your treasures, Daolord, I don’t need them.” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said hurriedly, “This Golden Emperor form is my gift to you, Daolord.”

  He was able to bestow these things to even his subordinates. To him, a Golden Emperor form actually wasn’t all that valuable. He cared far more about the Sithe weapons he used to keep himself safe. He actually felt relieved that Daolord Darknorth had merely asked for a Golden Emperor form; the loss wouldn’t have any impact on his own personal power.

  Ning waved his hand to accept the golden globe of liquid, then smiled: “Go ahead and take it.” The storage bracelet continued to hover in front of Divine Sovereign Goldsun.

  “Umm…” Divine Sovereign Goldsun hesitated for a moment, then said, “Daolord Darknorth, there really isn’t any need for you
to give me the treasures inside this bracelet. I have cultivated for many years and have many treasures; a few more really won’t make any difference to me. But… Daolord Darknorth, would you be willing to perhaps give me some guidance?”

  The Dao was not to be casually transmitted to others. Divine Sovereign Goldsun didn’t dare to ask Ning to actually transmit the Eternal Omega Sword Dao to him; all he asked for was some guidance.

  Ning nodded. “Very well. I’ll give you three days worth of guidance in order to repay you.”

  ……

  Within a vast hallway, Divine Sovereign Goldsun manifested a pair of wings and wielded a semi-translucent saber in each of his two hands. The sabers were as thin as the wings of a cicada.

  Ning stood off in the distance, facing him. A single streak of sword-light manifested in the air between them. This sword-light was generated from the external manifestation of the aura of the prime essence of the Dao of the Sword. Unless absolutely necessary, Ning wouldn’t use any of his own divine power or Immortal energy.

  Swish! Swish! Swish! Sword-light danced in a ghostly, dream-like manner, almost like moonlight playing across the darkness. Divine Sovereign Goldsun fought with tremendous savagery and in an extraordinarily dominating style, but faced with Ning’s sword-arts his stances became filled with countless flaws. Each time, Ning was able to break apart his attacks with ease.

  Whoosh. The sword-light came to a halt right in front of Divine Sovereign Goldsun’s forehead, causing him to awkwardly halt his attacks.

  “I lost again.” Divine Sovereign Goldsun shook his head and sighed. “I always thought that my saber-arts were impressive. I’ve never suffered such catastrophic losses after becoming a Hegemon.”

  He had been completely outclassed in a battle of technique! Autarchs could do this as well, but Autarchs couldn’t be bothered to guide him. Generally speaking, they would only provide a bit of guidance to figures who they liked AND who had rendered great merits.

  By now, there were countless Hegemons who deeply desired to be given a bit of guidance by the peerless Daolord who had mastered the Eternal Omega Sword Dao, but this required luck and karma. Divine Sovereign Goldsun had decisively rejected any treasures and instead asked for guidance from Ning.

  “These past three days have been more helpful to me than the past ten million chaos cycles of solitary training. I now realize that my saber-arts are actually flawed in many ways.” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said gratefully, “Thank you, Daolord Darknorth.”

  “Since the three days have come to an end, it is time for me to leave,” Ning said.

  After spending three days with Ning, Divine Sovereign Goldsun no longer felt as much fear as he had in the past. He now had the feeling that Ning was quite easy-going. He said warmly, “Daolord Darknorth… dare I ask, have you come here from the distant Flamedragon Realmverse because you are searching for Nuwa?”

  “Yes.” Ning didn’t deny it. Word of his search for Nuwa had long ago spread to countless places.

  “If you wish to find Nuwa, I should be able to help out a bit,” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said with a laugh.

  “You can help out?” Ning was surprised.

  “Daolord Darknorth, you are probably aware that Nuwa is currently accompanying her master, Patriarch Treewind, and other major powers in a journey through the Blazesun Domain,” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said. “But… you probably don’t know that Nuwa, Patriarch Treewind, and the others are currently within the city of Houwu in the Blazesun Domain.”

  Ning’s eyes lit up when he heard this. The city of Houwu? The Blazesun Domain was enormous; it would actually be quite tricky to locate Nuwa within it. He had been planning to first locate Nuwa and Patriarch Treewind’s avatars, then find them in person.

  “Haha, I have a bit of a reputation in the area around the Blazesun Domain,” Divine Sovereign Goldsun said with a laugh. “I’m kept quite up to date with news in this area, and I’m good friends with Lord Houwu. All I need to do is send word to Lord Houwu and ask him to inform Patriarch Treewind and Nuwa and have them wait for you in Houwu City! That way, you can just meet them there and save yourself some trouble.”

  * * *

  Book 39, Chapter 12 - Blazesun Domain

  “They are currently at Houwu City?” Ji Ning was delighted. This really would make things much simpler.

  “I received this information just a short while ago. Usually, cultivators will spend an extended period of time resting at Houwu City once they reach it. Let me reach out to Lord Houwu once more.” Divine Sovereign Goldsun immediately sent out his godsense to contact with one of his subordinates: “Help me immediately contact Lord Houwu and ask if Nuwa and Patriarch Treewind are still at Houwu City. If they are there, I would like to ask Lord Houwu to keep them here! Tell them that Daolord Darknorth will be arriving in around twenty million years and wishes to meet Nuwa.”

  “Yes, Divine Sovereign.” This Hegemon servant of his had a Primaltwin in the distant city of Houwu.

  ……

  Houwu City. Within the Blazesun Domain.

  Houwu City was an enormous levitating city that saw several estates sprinkled throughout the city. Very few cultivators came here; generally speaking, only Eternal Emperors would ever dare to come here.

  “Haha…” Loud laughter rang out, followed by a green-robed elder and two retainers flying into the skies above an estate.

  “Brother Treewind! Brother Jade Rainbow!” the green-robed elder called out loudly, his voice shaking the entire estate. Soon, a total of five figures came flying out from within the estate, including Patriarch Treewind, Imperator Jade Rainbow, and Nuwa.

  “Lord Governor, why have you come to our residence? If there’s anything you need from us, all you needed to do was send word.” Patriarch Treewind and the others were all quite courteous, and they hurriedly moved to welcome their guest.

  The green-robed elder chortled as he turned his gaze towards Nuwa: “I come on important business, after all. This must be Nuwa?”

  Nuwa said, “Nuwa greets you, Lord Governor.”

  “Impressive, truly impressive. You were able to complete the Daomerge and reach Hegemony in just a hundred chaos cycles,” the green-robed elder praised. “No wonder Daolord Darknorth has come to seek you out.”

  “You praise me too much. I made use of temporal acceleration treasures when I trained. My actual amount of time spent cultivating was far more than a hundred chaos cycles,” Nuwa said with a smile.

  “Mm.” The green-robed elder said, “I’ve come to help Daolord Darknorth send you a message.”

  “Help Daolord Darknorth send a message?” Nuwa, Patriarch Treewind, and Imperator Jade Rainbow were all stunned.

  “Daolord Darknorth has sent word to me via Divine Sovereign Goldsun. He hopes that you will remain at Houwu City, because he’ll be arriving soon. Daolord Darknorth shall be descending upon Houwu City in person in twenty million years to meet with you, Nuwa.” The green-robed elder looked at Nuwa and smiled. “Nuwa, congratulations. Countless Hegemons and Emperors desperately desire to have a chance to meet with Daolord Darknorth, but never will. For you, however, Daolord Darknorth has flown all the way here from the incredibly distant Flamedragon Realmverse. It seems that he views you as being incredibly important! Haha, even I can’t help but envy you, Nuwa. If I need to ask for your help in the future, I hope you won’t refuse me.”

  “I’ll do everything in my power to assist you.” Nuwa was rather puzzled. “I’m embarrassed to admit this, but… I don’t believe Daolord Darknorth and I know each other.”

  “Haha, if you don’t know each other, why would he go to such great lengths to meet with you? I imagine you’ll know who he is once he actually arrives.” The green-robed elder continued, “Alright, I’ve already conveyed his message. Just wait for him here in Houwu City; you’ll only need to pause for a few tens of millions of years! Also… please don’t make things difficult for me. Since Daolord Darknorth asked for me to keep you here, I wouldn’t dare to
let you leave.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll wait at Houwu City for Daolord Darknorth,” Imperator Jade Rainbow said immediately.

  “Good!” Lord Houwu smiled and nodded. “I’m off, then.” Patriarch Treeind, Imperator Jade Rainbow, and Nuwa all watched as Lord Houwu left.

  “It seems we have to stay here for a time,” Patriarch Treewind said with a chuckle. “If we tried to leave, Lord Houwu would probably trap us here by force.”

  “Hmph.” Imperator Jade Rainbow smiled coldly. “Lord Houwu has always been an arrogant and overbearing bully. He only spoke to us with courtesy for the sake of Daolord Darknorth. He wouldn’t dare to refuse to convey Daolord Darknorth’s message.”

  “We were planning to hide in Houwu City for a time anyhow,” Patriarch Treewind said. “Let’s make use of this opportunity to meet with the legendary Daolord Darknorth. Nuwa, when that happens I might need to ask you to say a few words on my behalf.”

  Nuwa said self-deprecatingly, “I still have no clue who this Daolord Darknorth really is.”

  “Don’t be impatient. A mere twenty million years will go by like nothing. You’ll know soon enough,” Imperator Jade Rainbow said.

  ……

  Time flowed on. Ning’s team left the Goldsun Palace and began to advance through the endless Great Dark. After a total of over twenty million years, they finally reached the Blazesun Domain.

  Whooosh. Endless flames were flying through this entire region, as were blazing rocks. In front of them was an incredibly vast and dazzling realmverse which was filled with planets and stars that all looked like giant balls of fire.

  “The Eight Domains.” Hegemon Goodsong was dressed in red robes, and his entire body gleamed like gold. He smiled and immediately began to introduce the place: “In the vast Chaosverse, there are many sacred places which are formed by the convergence of certain types of energy! This place is the closest region to the Quintessence of the Chaosverse, and it is divided into eight incredibly marvelous domains. The Blazesun Domain is filled with the power of countless flames.