by RWX
Ordinary cultivators would find it impossible to train here, as they would find their mind and body disturbed by the overwhelming power of the place!
This planet was also surrounded by a layer of deep yellow clouds which were so thick and dense, one had to at least be a Hegemon in order to bypass! Thus, there were virtually no cultivators here at all. Although this vast world had given birth to countless living beings, including many humanoids. These humanoids were quite talented, strong, and attuned to the power of the earth, and many were even born with the ability to control the earth.
However… there was no way for them to actually cultivate! This was because all other Daos had to give this place a wide birth. Even the Dao of Earth itself was hidden deep within the recesses of the world. Even Hegemons would find it very hard to train in the Dao of Earth here. Only someone who was at as high a level of enlightenment as Ning would be able to scry the many secrets hidden deep underground. How could the ordinary mortals here possibly embark upon the path of cultivation?
“I’ve completed the Dao of Earth as well.” A white-robed youth was seated on a patch of grass in front of a thatched cottage within a mountain gorge. A smile was on his face as he reached out with both hands. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Swords began to appear out of nowhere, numbering five in total.
The first sword was covered with a layer of flowing, watery light. The second gleamed a faint metallic color, appearing to be indescribably sharp. The third emanated a green aura of life and vitality. The fourth was surrounded by tendrils of flame which gave it utterly explosive power. As for the fifth and final sword, it was covered with a layer of deep yellow light and it seemed weighty beyond measure.
“The Water Sword Dao, the Metal Sword Dao, the Wood Sword Dao, the Fire Sword Dao, the Earth Sword Dao.” Ning nodded. “The Five Elements are now complete. As I thought, it has been somewhat beneficial to my truesoul.” However, Ning also noticed that his improvements in the Dao were suffering from diminishing returns when it came to nourishing his truesoul. This was particularly true now that he had many truesoul treasures; to further slow down the rate of crumbling was becoming increasingly difficult.
“I’ve infused the Dao of Lightning and the Five Elements into my Eternal Omega Sword Dao, making for six in total. The Dao of Space should be finished soon as well.” Ning felt a sense of pressure, because infusing the Dao of Space had been noticeably more difficult. He had long ago reached Hegemony in the Dao of Space, but infusing it was extremely difficult. As for the Dao of Time and the Dao of Karma, those would be even more difficult and would definitely require more time.
“Great Immortal, please save my grandson!”
“Great Immortal, I beg of you, save my grandson! So long as you save him, I’ll do anything you want.”
A faint sound could be heard coming from afar. Ning frowned, glancing past the material obstruction of the mountain to see an elderly white-haired man who was on his knees in front of a cliff.
There were no cultivators in the entire Greatland Planet, and so Ning didn’t see the need to set up any complicated wards to surround his training canyon. He had merely set up something to prevent people from coming in.
“Is he that kid’s great-grandson?” When Ning saw the white-haired elder, he immediately remembered something from two hundred years ago. Back then, there had been a kid who had accidentally fallen down from the cliff and into the gorge where Ning had been training. Ning’s wards were quite benign, but for an ordinary child to fall from that height spelled almost certain doom. Ning had moved to save that little child, who had immediately kowtowed and offered thanks to the ‘Great Immortal’ who had rescued him.
Ever since the child had grown up, he had often come to the mountain to offer sacrifices and pay his respects to the ‘Great Immortal’. Ning really didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, especially when the kid ended up bringing his own children and grandchildren to do the same!
Ning was able to immediately recognize this white-haired elder as the great-grandson of the original child.
“Ordinary mortals only live for a mere century. Multiple generations of your family have knelt down towards me… and today, I just so happened to finish some of my training. I suppose it can be said that there are karmic ties between us.” Ning took a single step forwards and appeared at the top of the cliff.
The white-haired elder was still on his knees, calling out for mercy. Suddenly, he froze and stared in amazement as a white-robed youth appeared in front of him. The youth was ephemerally graceful and was clearly no ordinary mortal.
“Great Immortal!” The white-haired elder was incredibly excited. “I beg of you, save my grandson!”
“Kid, your hair’s gone all white.” Ning chuckled. “Your grandson, eh? Is that him over there?” Ning was able to see the karmic ties swirling around the elder and was thus immediately able to locate his grandson.
Ning waved a single finger, causing the white mist surrounding the cliff to suddenly condense into an image of a swarthy, muscular youth dressed in tattered clothes within a mine. He was carrying a load of minerals on his back; clearly, he had been working as a miner. The area around him was surrounded with ore, and an overseer was next to him with a whip in hand.
“That’s Rocky! That’s my grandson Rocky!” the white-haired elder said excitedly. “That’s the Mine of Doom! No one who goes in there ever survives to come back. Great Immortal, please save my grandson!”
“No one who goes in can survive?” Ning stared at the images in the mist, then chuckled: “You underestimate your grandson.”
Ning was able to see the youth’s future. If Ning didn’t interfere, the youth would slowly rise to power within the mines and become a powerful expert. He would be extremely hard-working and devoted to his training, and would reach the apex of what little ‘cultivation’ was possible within this planet. In the end, he would die a lonely death.
Although it was impossible for the beings in this planet to engage in true cultivation, there were many who were born with natural power over the earth and who would thus be capable of some simple cultivation techniques… but even at the apex of power, they wouldn’t be even close to the Earth Immortal level of power.
“I daresay your grandson has the unyielding heart of a true cultivator,” Ning chuckled. “A pity that it’ll all go to waste in a place like the Greatland Planet.”
As Ning continued to view the youth’s past and future, he began to take a liking to the kid. In fact, Ning started to consider taking him on as an apprentice… and just a short while later, Ning settled on making the kid his eighth apprentice.
“But there’s no rush. I should let him experience some more difficulties in life first. In the future, his Dao-heart only became decent after he became lonely in his invincibility,” Ning mused.
“Go back and live your life. Don’t worry, I promise your grandson will come back alive and perfectly well. You’ll be able to see him one last time roughly ten years from now,” Ning said. The beings in this world were at most able to live a bit over a hundred years. Ning wasn’t going to make any alterations, but the old man was still going to live a long life.
“Y-y-yes, Great Immortal!” After witnessing the incredible abilities of the ‘Great Immortal’ and hearing his promise, the white-haired elder became hopeful and energetic. He returned to his own home and began to wait for his grandson to return.
……
Ning began to watch from afar as this ‘disciple’ continued to grow and develop. Finally, the day came.
“I’ve wandered the four corners of the earth and have visited many countries, defeating all who sought to challenge me. Is this truly it?” A swarthy man dressed in hemp clothes was standing at the peak of a mountain, staring at the vast world below him. He had a thick saber on his back, and a look of loneliness was in his eyes.
After becoming truly invincible, he felt a sense of extremely uncomfortable loneliness. He truly did wish to find a good oppon
ent, but he had been unable to do so.
“Perhaps I should find a good place to bring my life to an end.” The swarthy man shook his head.
“Haha…” A loud laugh rang out, followed by a white-robed youth appearing from nowhere.
The swarthy man stared in shock. Given his control over the earth and his current level of power, how was it that someone could appear next to him without him even noticing?
“You…” The swarthy man stared at the white-robed youth. He suddenly thought of a painting his grandfather had once owned and forced him to kowtow towards. Supposedly, the person in the painting was the legendary ‘Great Immortal’ their clan often spoke of.
“Great Immortal?” the swarthy man said hesitantly, not quite believing it. He then drew his saber with a clanging sound as he stared at Ning: “Senior, you might be more powerful than me… but I’d still like you to give me a few pointers in combat.” After speaking, he delivered a furious saber-chop towards Ning, confident that his control over the saber was enough to ensure that he could bring it to an instant halt without harming the person in front of him.
Ning simply chuckled.
The swarthy man suddenly flew backwards, almost as though time had just gone backwards. Even his saber flew back into his sheath, and he even said in reverse: “Em naht lufrewop erom eb thgim uoy…”
This bizarre scene caused him to be truly stupefied and dazed.
“Are you willing to be my apprentice?” Ning asked.
The swarthy man was indescribably excited. He immediately fell to his knees: “Stonepool kowtows to you, Master.”
Ning nodded. “From this day forth, you shall be the eighth disciple under the tutelage of myself, ‘Darknorth’. If there are any affairs in the mortal world you wish to wrap up, hurry up and take care of it. After doing so, you shall accompany me in departing from this planet… and you shall have the chance to face the true world of cultivation.”
And so, Daolord Darknoth’s eighth disciple, ‘Stonepool’, formally entered his tutelage.
“It is time for me to leave.” Ning raised his head to stare into the skies. He had the vague feeling that something just happened, and that he would no longer be able to continue this relaxed life.
* * *
Book 41, Chapter 1 - The Church of Annihilation
In the Brightshore Kingdom of the Flamedragon Realmverse.
Whoosh. The black-robed Primaltwin Ji Ning appeared out of nowhere in front of the imperial palace.
A snowy-robed old man had been waiting here for quite some time. It was Hegemon Brightshore.
“Darknorth,” Hegemon Brightshore said hurriedly.
“Hegemon Brightshore, what is this about? You summoned me quite hastily,” the black-robed Ning said with a smile.
“I was asked to do so by a friend.” Hegemon Brightshore smiled in a rather embarrassed manner. “I didn’t want to bother you with this request, but it involves a Hegemon who you are on very good terms with – the Paragon of Pills.”
The black-robed Ning’s pupils contracted: “The Paragon of Pills? What’s this about?”
“You have probably heard of my friend before; he’s the leader of the Church of Annihilation in that otherverse you visited,” Hegemon Brightshore said. “I can’t explain it as clearly as he can; I’ll take you over to see him.”
“I’ll go take a look then.” Ning had the vague feeling that the reason why he wouldn’t be able to continue his relaxed, wandering life for much longer was because of the Paragon of Pills and the lord of the Church of Annihilation… and that this matter was of grave import!
The higher a level of insight one reached, the more clearly one would be able to divine the tides of the future. But of course, the future was always in a state of flux; no amount of scrying was guaranteed to be accurate!
……
Hegemon Brightshore led Ning through a spacetime tunnel to quickly arrive at the alternate universe.
“This tunnel again, eh?” Ning glanced at the empty void around him, then at the enormous dimensional vortex. He let out a sigh. “It was me, Skyfire Brightshore, Greatjoy, Solewind, and Firesurge who went on that journey together all those years ago through this otherverse.”
“None of them have achieved as much as you,” Hegemon Brightshore said. “This is doubly true for Skyfire, who has progressed the least out of the five. We Chaos Godbeasts are, as a race, slow in cultivation.”
Ning replied, “You have your boons, and you have your banes. Some things you simply cannot force.”
Of those four friends, Skyfire, Greatjoy, and Solewind had been sincere in their friendships towards him. Ning was able to keenly sense this through the karma which tied them together. As for Firesurge… Ning was able to discover through karma that Firesurge wasn’t all that sincere, and as a result the karmic ties binding them were quite weak. When Solewind, Greatjoy, and Skyfire were ready for the Daomerge, Ning would send over some presents and help them as best he could.
However, that was as much as he could do for them. He couldn’t even guarantee that his own daughter Brightmoon would succeed in the Daomerge; all he could do was prepare the treasures which would be of use to her.
“I wonder if those three and Ninedust will succeed in the Daomerge or not,” Ning mused.
Suddenly, a figure manifested out of nowhere within the primordial chaos in front of Ning. This figure was extremely skinny and dressed in black armor, and he radiated an icy aura. This person immediately bowed respectfully towards Ning: “Annihilation pays his respects to you, Daolord Darknorth.”
The reason why this person had named his church the ‘Church of Annihilation’ was because his own Daoist title was ‘Annihilation’! This was a Daoist title he had chosen long ago, when he was young and had no idea that one of the exalted Autarchs was also known as ‘Autarch Annihilation’. In truth, this was actually a fairly common Daoist monicker. There were a number of commonly-used Daoist titles which were shared by many cultivators.
“The leader of the Church of Annihilation.” Ning nodded. “I heard of you back when I was a World-level cultivator.”
“Back then, Brightshore asked me to help out. I watched all five of you the entire time, Daolord.” Lord Annihilation immediately squeezed out a smile: “If I had known back then that you would reach such heights, I would’ve done everything in my power to befriend you back then.”
Ning laughed.
“My main goal back then was to temper Skyfire,” Hegemon Brightshore said hurriedly. “That’s why I hid the truth.”
“Don’t worry, I fully understand what you were intending and how much effort you put into it. Chaos Godbeasts are solitary by nature, but you’ve poured all of your energies into building up your clan.” Ning smiled and nodded, then glanced at Lord Annihilation. “Speak, Annihilation. Why have you sought me out… and for that matter, why have you sent a mere incarnation? You didn’t even send your avatar, much less your true body.”
After one bound an otherverse, the otherverse would become akin to a clone. An Otherverse Lord would be able to easily materialize an incarnation anywhere within the otherverse. Even Otherverse Lords would feel slighted by Lord Annihilation sending a mere incarnation to greet them, to say nothing of someone of Ning’s stature!
“Daolord, please forgive me. My true body and my avatar aren’t able to make it back. There’s nothing I can do,” Lord Annihilation explained hurriedly.
“What’s this all about, and why is it connected to the Paragon of Pills?” Ning asked. Ning felt a profound sense of fondness towards the Paragon of Pills, because she truly had treated him very well. Ning could sense that she loved him as she would a family member! Through karma, Ning had previously been able to sense that she was still alive, but was incredibly far away from him… but now, even after entering the otherverse, Ning still felt she was incredibly far away from him. This meant she clearly was no longer inside the otherverse!
For Lord Annihilation’s true body and avatar to also be abs
ent… Ning had a bad feeling about this.
“Let me explain the situation,” Lord Annihilation said respectfully. “Daolord, I imagine you know that the Paragon of Pills has always wanted to revive her three elder ‘brothers’.”
Ning nodded.
“However… all three of them were powerful Eternal Emperors, and one of them was a Hegemon,” Lord Annihilation explained. “If they had died in the outside world, not even Autarchs would be able to reverse spacetime to revive them. Thankfully, they only died within my otherverse, but the backlash that would be generated if I tried to bring them back would probably cause the prime essences of my otherverse to collapse. Only Autarchs are strong enough to prevent this from happening and maintaining my otherverse’s stability while still reviving the three of them. My otherverse would still be badly wounded, but it would remain intact.”
Ning understood this principle. When that Sword Hegemon had died, the prime essences of the otherverse had naturally swallowed his truesoul fragments right away. There was no way to force them to ‘spit it back out’, because those truesoul fragments had already been integrated into the deepest parts of the otherverse’s core, becoming part of it. If Lord Annihilation tried to forcibly bring them back, the damage caused to the otherverse would be enough to cause its prime essences to break apart. The entire otherverse would be doomed!
Only Autarchs were capable of reviving Hegemons in an otherverse without destroying it, because they were the ones who had created the otherverses to begin with. They knew how to protect the otherverses and ensure that they were ‘merely’ injured, not destroyed.
Otherverses… in the end, they were only comparable in size and scope to a realmverse, and so the truesoul fragments of a Hegemon were incredibly important and greatly beneficial to them. The awesomely vast Chaosverse itself was naturally a different story; it was countless times larger than any realmverse, and it was so mighty that no Autarch could endure its power and bind it. Only a mythical Omega Autarch would be capable of binding the Chaosverse, whereas even ordinary Eternal Emperors were capable of binding an otherverse. The difference was enormous!
