Desolate Era

by RWX

  “I think we should call him Autarch Darknorth!” Autarch Ekong said immediately.

  “But… he’s only an Emperor. If we call him Autarch Darknorth now, what are we supposed to call him once he actually becomes an Autarch?” Autarch Stonerule jested.

  “Well, by then he’ll be the Lord of Chaos!” Autarch Ekong laughed loudly. “Hey, Darknorth? Get a move on it! You are the first creator of an Eternal Omega Dao this Chaosverse has ever seen, and you were also the first to create a ‘Truesoul Everlasting’ technique. The rest of us would submit to you if you became the one to bind the Chaosverse, but what if it ends up being someone else? In the future, there will be many juniors who will make use of your experiences in treading the path of the Omega Dao. If one of them ends up becoming an Omega Autarch before you do and then takes control over our Chaosverse, we’ll be annoyed and you’ll be embarrassed! But of course, there’ll be nothing we could do by then.”

  Ning was speechless for a moment, then snorted in laughter. The Autarchs were bombarding him with messages. He didn’t even know how he was supposed to respond!

  “The title doesn’t really matter. We don’t need to worry about it too much.” Finally, Ning was able to compose a reply. “And… I think it is best if we kept this a secret for now. That way, we can deal the Sithe a nasty, unexpected blow at just the right moment.”

  “Right.”

  “I agree. Let’s keep this a secret for now.” Autarch Titanos and the others all agreed with this proposal.

  “Then that means you have to keep staying in hiding for now, Darknorth. Ugh. You made such a huge breakthrough, but you still have to be so low-key about it. That’s no fun,” Autarch Ekong muttered.

  “I wouldn’t say I have to be ‘in hiding’. Given my mastery over the art of illusions, the Sithe Exalts wouldn’t be able to recognize me even if I stood right in front of them,” Ning said. “Later on, I’ll pay a visit to the Quintessence. Let’s chat a bit then.”

  “Alright.”

  “Let’s meet at Skyfeeder’s place.”

  “See you all at Skyfeeder’s.” The six Autarchs were all in a wonderful mood. Their civilization had just gained another protector who could battle by their side as an equal. This meant their entire Chaosverse had just risen considerably in power… and Ning might one day advance to become an Omega Autarch!

  ……

  A short while later, Ning re-initiated the Daomerge process. This time, things were completely different. Ning didn’t need to make any preparations at all, he just sat there by his table, drinking his wine as he initiated the Daomerge.

  His body was perfect, as were the Jindan chaos region and the Dao-tree inside. Once again, the Flower of Eternity began to bloom.

  “The Flower of Eternity.” The aura of the Daomerge began to flood outwards, but the seals protecting the Azureflower Estate were able to mask it all and keep it contained.

  The thick, towering Dao-tree was 540,000 meters tall. It gave birth to a dazzlingly beautiful flower bud which glistened with beads of dew formed by countless flashing illusions of sword-stances. This was a Flower of Eternity which was born from the Eternal Omega Sword Dao, a flower which was far more beautiful than the ones which ordinary Emperors and Hegemons could produce.

  Rumble… the prime essences of the Chaosverse descended upon Ning, whispering in joy and delight. Ning could sense their happiness, which contrasted with the sorrow they ‘felt’ the last time they descended upon him.

  “It seems I’ll have to make a visit to the Quintessence if I wish to make a breakthrough with my heartworld,” Ning mused. His Immortal energy could easily evolve from Daolord-level energy to Emperor-level energy, as the amount of energy needed could be provided by the Azureflower Estate, even though Ning’s Immortal energy was far purer than that of ordinary Hegemon’s. It was on the level of the Autarchs! His heartworld, however, would be another matter.

  The next breakthrough he made in heartforce would result in his heartworld becoming incredibly realistic! In addition, it would expand once more to become the size of an entire realmverse.

  A realmverse-sized heartworld that was semi-real… to form such a thing would require an absolutely enormous amount of energy. If Ning simply sat here in the Azureflower Estate and tried to draw in enough energy from the surrounding area, it would probably result in destruction on a vast scale that would damage even the Three Realms. In fact, the entire Flamedragon Realmverse would probably be shaken! If that happened, there would be no way he could hide his breakthrough.

  His only choice was to go to the Quintessence, where energy was so plentiful as to be nearly limitless. Only then would Ning be able to form his heartworld with ease.

  “So this is what it feels like to be an Emperor?” Ning’s godsense had evolved as well, gaining a whiff of eternity about it. His godsense was now as stable and far-reaching as an Autarch’s.

  Whoosh. Ning’s godsense spread out silently and soundlessly, easily reaching out past the Azureflower Estate and almost instantly reaching out through space and time to cover the entire Flamedragon Realmverse!

  He was now able to monitor an entire realmverse with but a thought. The Brightshore Kingdom, the Dao Alliance, Vastheaven Palace, the Three Realms… all of it was under Ning’s watchful gaze.

  Ning was also able to see his friends, his family, and his disciples.

  Book 43, Chapter 12 - Reunion

  Ji Ning’s godsense was omnipresent and all-encompassing. Every single speck of dust within the Flamedragon Realmverse was plainly visible to Ning’s gaze. Nothing could escape it.

  “Ah, the Sithe gave up?” Ning was able to quickly scan all of the Emperors and Daolords within the entire Flamedragon Realmverse. The only ones present were the ones he knew. Ning worried that the Sithe would use their techniques to disguise themselves as individuals he was familiar with, and so he double-checked through karma just to be safe.

  “It seems Autarch Stonerule scared them off when he captured all of their spies.” Ning smiled.

  This actually was in fact the case. With Autarch Stonerule personally keeping watch over the Flamedragon Realmverse, how could any spy escape? As many spies the Sithe sent, as many spies the Autarch captured. Daolords might be able to confuse him, but they were so weak that they wouldn’t really be able to find out anything important. Thus, the Sithe leader Iyerre had chosen to give up and instead prepare his other plans.

  “Master. Nuwa.” Ning simultaneously reached out via godsense to both his master and Nuwa.

  “Disciple.” Subhuti was overjoyed.

  “Darknorth.” Nuwa finally let out a sigh of relief when she heard Ning’s voice.

  “I’ve created the ‘Truesoul Everlasting’ technique and succeeded in the Daomerge. I am now an Emperor,” Ning sent. “I’ll be coming back soon. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Truesoul Everlasting? Emperor? Good, good, good!” Subhuti was unspeakably excited. His student was now an Omega Emperor!

  “I can finally relax a bit now,” Nuwa said with a laugh. “I’ve been worried for years that the Sithe might come, and so I kept a vigilant watch without ever relaxing. Now that you’ve broken through, Darknorth, things will be much simpler. I don’t think the Sithe would be able to get anywhere near the Three Realms without you noticing.”

  ……

  Ning could sense how excited his master and Nuwa were when he sent them word. Not just them – Ning himself remained ecstatic!

  “Time to recreate an avatar.” Ning rose to his feet. Now that he was an Emperor, he naturally had to remake his avatars.

  At his current level, it would be simple to create even Universe-class treasures. It must be remembered that of the many Universe treasures which lay scattered throughout the Chaosverse, only a tiny portion had been created by actual Hegemons, and mostly through luck at that. The vast majority were created by Autarchs. Autarchs were able to create entire otherverses, after all! All they had to do was infuse a weapon with just a hint of their Daos a
nd a new Universe treasure would have been born.

  Ning’s truesoul had been crumbling, and so he didn’t dare to expend his Immortal energy on creating new treasures for himself. Now, however, creating a Universe treasure was simplicity itself. He could create new weapons which were close to the Northbow swords in power, then fill them with the Eternal Omega Sword Dao as well. The Northbow swords, however, would still be stronger because they were Ning’s original Lifeblood weapons. He had nurtured them for many years, and they had grown alongside him. Without question, they shared a higher level of affinity with Ning.

  Newly created weapons might have the Eternal Omega Sword Dao within them, but they wouldn’t have as high a level of affinity. Thus, they would only be ‘close’ to the Northbow swords in power… but of course, they would still surpass the vast majority of other Universe treasures. With them in hand, Ning’s avatar would have close to 80% of Ning’s power! This represented another Autarch-class combatant.

  Whoosh! Boom!

  Within Ning’s estate. Ning had set up a large formation to help him create his avatar, and he had poured a large number of resources into the forging. The wind howled through the formation as thunder came crashing down again and again upon a giant boulder. The left side of the boulder was covered by boiling red lava, while the right side was covered by a freezing blue liquid. One side hot, one side cold; Ning was using a combination of elements for the forging of his avatar.

  At Ning’s current level, treasures were ubiquitous and meaningless. Weaker Emperors and even Hegemons would generally start with a weak but flawless avatar, then use time to slowly nurture it and empower it. Ning, however, elected to start off by using the finest ingredients. That way, the avatar would grow more quickly.

  Three years went past in the blink of an eye. The boulder was now perfectly round and semi-translucent, and a humanoid figure could be seen seated inside of it.

  “Come out,” the white-robed Ning barked from next to the boulder. Boom! The round boulder cracked open, followed by a youth who looked identical to Ning flying out of it. Moments later, a layer of golden robes formed across the youth’s body.

  “Greetings, real Ning.” The golden-robed Ning bowed.

  “Greetings, avatar Ning.” The white-robed Ning chortled as well.

  The two shared the same mind and shared the consciousness. Ning was just playing around by speaking to himself.

  Whoosh. Whoosh. The two simultaneously left the estate-world they were in, returning to the private room within the Azureflower Estate. When the white-haired spirit of the estate saw them appear, he immediately realized that one of them was an Avatar.

  “Time to go visit Autarch Skyfeeder.” Ning pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the white-haired elder: “I’m planning to bring the Azureflower Estate along with me. Any objections?”

  “Emperor, since you were able to create a ‘Truesoul Everlasting’ technique, I’m sure that you’ll be able to create the Tenth Chaos Seal with ease,” the white-haired elder said with a laugh. “My master built this estate because he wanted to produce a dazzlingly talented successor… but you, Emperor, are far more impressive than what my master ever would’ve dared to hope for! You can do whatever you want to this Azureflower Estate.”

  Ning nodded.

  “Emperor, the Hegemons and Emperors within the Azureflower Estate have been trapped here for countless aeons. They might’ve made some mistakes in the past, but I think it is time to release them,” the white-haired elder said.

  Autarch Awakener had long ago promised that when this estate finally gave birth to the mighty successor he hoped for, the bound Hegemons and Emperors would be granted their release. They had been trapped by countless oaths and spells that compelled them into a golem-like existence, but the process was a reversible one that was completely different from what the Sithe used to ‘tame’ their enemies.

  “Easily done.” Ning immediately exerted his will, binding and taking control over the entire Azureflower Estate. He then sent out the power of his Illusion Sword Dao into the minds of the imprisoned Hegemons and Emperors, wiping out any and all memories pertaining to ‘Ji Ning’!

  After the Hegemons and Emperors regained consciousness, the only thing they heard was Ning’s voice echoing within their minds: “Immediately swear lifeblood oaths not to divulge any information at all regarding the Azureflower Estate, and you’ll be granted your freedom.”

  The Hegemons and Emperors instantly grew excited. Freedom? Their endless days of imprisonment had finally come to an end? Without hesitating at all, the Hegemons and Emperors instantly swore the required lifeblood oaths.

  “You can go now.” Ning dissolved all the other bindings on them, then casually ‘tossed’ them out of his Azureflower Estate through spacetime tunnels, scattering them throughout the Sixteen Realmverses Alliance!

  “Get in here.” Ning then drew the entire Azureflower Estate into one of his holding treasures. The most valuable thing within the Azureflower Estate was the Autarch’s stone dais. Even at Ning’s level of power, it would take him an extremely long period of time and many precious materials to create a similar dais. He didn’t have the time to waste on something like that! However, the stone dais was the nexus of the entire Azureflower Estate; if he wanted to ensure its marvelous effects remained active, he would have to take the entire estate along with it.

  ……

  Whoosh. After the estate disappeared, the local spacetime continuum went back to normal. The white-robed Ning put his black scabbard on his back, then used his Spacetime Sword Dao to tear a tunnel straight towards the Quintessence of the Chaosverse. He was now able to move far faster than he had in the past; even amongst Autarchs, he ranked close to the top in speed.

  “Now, back to the Three Realms.” The golden-robed Ning returned to the Three Realms. This avatar-body was perfectly built; it had been ‘born’ with 50% of Ning’s power, and as time went on it would improve at a fairly fast rate.

  The Quintessence. Within the massive sea of prime essences.

  Within a wooden cottage which ‘floated’ within this sea. The seven most supremely powerful leaders of the cultivator civilizations were gathered in this cottage – the six Autarchs and Ji Ning. The other five Autarchs and Ning had all come in person, while Autarch Mogg had sent his avatar.

  “Ahahaha! I’m in such a good mood right now. Our civilization has finally gained another Autarch-class figure!” Autarch Ekong roared with laughter. “I must say, Omega Daos really are awesome. Darknorth, Titanos told me that your mastery of spacetime is second only to Mogg’s and Skyfeeder’s? And that your prowess in illusions is second only to Stonerule’s?”

  “I simply infused the Dao of Spacetime into my Dao of the Sword,” Ning said. “The only reason they are so strong is because my Eternal Omega Sword Dao is fueling them.”

  As he infused more and more Daos into his Dao of the Sword, Ning was beginning to become extremely well-rounded. For example, Autarch Stonerule was the master of the ‘Illusion Daobirth Essence’; Ning’s Illusion Sword Dao was naturally inferior to it, but superior to the techniques of the other Autarchs.

  Mogg and Skyfeeder had respectively mastered the ‘Space Daobirth Essence’ and the ‘Time Daobirth Essence’. Ning’s mastery of spacetime was second only to the two of them.

  As for actual combat prowess? The Dao of the Sword was a Dao meant for combat. Even amongst Autarchs, it stood at close to the apex of power.

  “We’re only skilled in one aspect each; it is very, very hard to gain a second Daobirth,” Autarch Bolin sighed. “I have spent countless years ruminating on the nature of life and death, but I’ve only made modest gains in this regard. You, however, are able to continue to improve your mastery of many other Daos. I truly do envy you, Darknorth.”

  “Darknorth, you’ve only been training for a short period of time. I imagine there are many areas which you can still improve on, right?” Autarch Titanos asked.

  Ning nodded. The Dao of Karm
a, the Dao of Numerancy, the Dao of Formations… he had yet to infuse any of them into his Dao of the Sword. There was indeed a great deal of room for improvement.

  “The reason why I didn’t want to make my status public was partially because I want to keep training, under 100x temporal acceleration, for another 10,000 chaos cycles. That translates into 1,000,000 chaos cycles of training time, and I should be able to improve significantly during that period of time. It would put me in a better position to deal with the Sithe,” Ning said.

  “Hm. 100x temporal acceleration? That’s way too slow. Skyfeeder?” Autarch Titanos looked at Autarch Skyfeeder. “We’ll have to ask you to help Darknorth out.”

  “Very well. I can grant you 1000x temporal acceleration,” Autarch Skyfeeder said.

  Ning was surprised and delighted to hear this. He had reached the Autarch level of power; accelerating time for him was extremely difficult! Ning himself was able to maintain a rate of 100x while keeping his power consumption stable. 1000x? That would be far too difficult.

  “We’ll do it here in the Quintessence, where the energy reserves are limitless. It’ll cost me half of my energy reserves, but I’ll be able to maintain a rate of 1000x temporal acceleration for you.” Autarch Skyfeeder looked at Ning, then smiled: “The rest of us have long ago hit our limits. There’s no way for us to grow stronger, but you are a different story. If you can improve, you need to do so as quickly as possible. None of us can be sure when the Sithe will launch the final war.”

  “Alright.” Ning nodded. If he was given 1000x temporal acceleration, he would have more than enough time to achieve his goals.

  Book 43, Chapter 13 - A New Type of Energy

  Rumble…

  The awesome energy of the prime essences was pooled here in vast, interconnecting lakes. There was a lake filled with the prime essence of lightning, a lake filled with the prime essence of destruction… the different lakes all represented different prime essences, and together they formed the vast sea.