Desolate Era

by RWX

  “This secondary hall.” The giant yellow bear looked towards a towering bronze door that was shut. This bronze door had an axe and a spear carved onto it, and a killing aura emanated from it. The bronze door itself had a bloody red light glowing from it, causing Ning to unconsciously feel fear in his heart.

  “This is the Wargod Hall.” The giant yellow bear said. “This is the most dangerous place in the entire Aquatic Manor, but a place filled with opportunity.”

  The most dangerous? Filled with opportunity?

  Ning was curious.

  “Continue looking.” The giant yellow bear didn’t waste words, immediately walking forward.

  ………

  From far away, the distant sound of flowing water could faintly be heard. Ning looked with curiosity towards the already opened wooden door. The wooden door was open, and through it, flowing water could be seen, along with some boulders as well as some lonely straw huts.

  “This is the Stellar Hall.” The giant yellow bear stood in front of the hall, staring into the vast, boundless space within. “Everything within the Stellar Hall was personally laid out by Master. When living within the Stellar Hall, one can even sense the wondrous mysteries of the Dao.”

  The nearby old black bull also said excitedly, “Ji Ning, Immortal Juhua had a lifespan of millions of years, precisely because of this Stellar Hall. The wondrous mysteries of the Dao fill every single part of this Stellar Hall, and it even has multiple complete ‘Daos’…Immortal Juhua had the Stellar Hall, which is why he was at such a high level of understanding, allowing him to withstand so many tribulations and living millions of years.

  “Multiple complete Daos?” Ning was rather puzzled.

  “I’ve told you everything already.” The giant yellow bear looked at Ning. “The places you are now granted entrance into are the main hall, this corridor, and these four major secondary halls. You are not permitted entry into the other parts, nor would you be able to enter if you wanted to. Act appropriately. I hope you’ll be able to live to become a Primordial Daoist.”

  Whoosh.

  The giant yellow bear disappeared into specks of light, then completely vanished.

  Ning let out a sigh of relief. When facing the giant yellow bear, he always felt that it gave him tremendous pressure, as though he were facing an ancient, powerful Fiendgod.

  “That’s how the spirit of the manor is.” The old black bull laughed. “Forget about you; he didn’t even care much about Immortal Juhua. He’s quite arrogant and solitary. Actually, after so many years have passed, I felt that it was normal for him to be so solitary. After all, even Immortal Juhua didn’t truly master this Aquatic Manor.”

  Ning seemed to understand, and he nodded slightly.

  And then he hurriedly asked, “Senior, what should I do right now in these four major secondary halls? Please guide me, senior.”

  “First, go to the Treasure Hall.” The old black bull said. “Follow me. I’m quite familiar with it.”

  “Fine.” Ning felt that the old black bull was much more amiable and genial than the giant yellow bear, the spirit of the manor.

  The Treasure Hall.

  Ning and the old black bull walked together into it, and as Ning did, he instantly felt as though he entered a different world. In the air hung a vast collection of magic treasures, some of which were so powerful that their aura alone made Ning feel his heart shake. Most likely, even the slightest of ripples from it would cause him to crushed and ground to dust. The power of it was far beyond what he imagined.

  “Treasures…” The old black bull sighed, his eyes shining. “All of them are true treasures. Immortal Juhua drooled when looking at them as well, back in the day. But there was nothing he could do; he couldn’t acquire them. If he was able to pick and choose as he pleased from these treasures, Immortal Juhua probably would’ve overcome the heavenly tribulation and become a Celestial Immortal long ago.”

  Ning felt his heart be moved, as he stared at them.

  He saw that above him was a blood-colored warspear. The warspear looked quite plain, but just hanging there, it caused the surrounding space to crumble and crack, although it then quickly recovered. Crumbling, recovering, crumbling…this continued nonstop.

  “These were all left by the first master.” The old black bull said hurriedly. “He left them for the future masters. He wanted to cultivate and provide for them, and so if you want to acquire these treasures, you’ll have to fulfill his requirements. Otherwise, even if you end up like Immortal Juhua, dying due to the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, you still won’t be able to acquire a single treasure.”

  Ning was curious. “What are the rules? What must I do to acquire these treasures?”

  “Look over there.” The old black bull’s head nodded towards the side. Ning followed the bull’s gaze to look, only to see a tight cluster of tiny words on the distant wall. These words were all Fiendgod characters.

  Ning hurriedly walked over, reading them all at one go.

  “So that’s the situation.” Ning frowned.

  The treasures of the Treasure Hall…were all obtainable.

  There were two methods.

  The first was to rise in power as a Fiendgod practitioner.

  Once one reached the Zifu level as a Fiendgod practitioner, one would be able to acquire a ‘Mortal-rank magic treasure’, or a precious item of equivalent value.

  Upon reaching the Wanxiang level as a Fiendgod practitioner, one would be able to select a single ‘Earth-rank magic treasure’ or equivalent.

  Upon reaching the Primordial level as a Fiendgod practitioner, one would be able to select a single ‘Heaven-rank magic treasure’ or equivalent.

  Upon reaching the Void level, one would be able to select an ‘Immortal-rank magic treasure’…

  After after successfully passing the tribulation and becoming a Celestial Immortal! One would be able to select a ‘Pure Yang magic treasure’ or equivalent.

  “So there are actually five ranks of magic treasures.” Ning murmured. “Zifu Disciples are only able to activate Mortal-rank magic treasures, while Wanxiang Adepts are able to use Earth-rank magic treasures. Primordials are able to use Heaven-rank magic treasures…and above that are Immortal-rank magic treasures and Pure Yang magic treasures.”

  Ning had never even heard of these things before. All he knew was that there was such a thing as a ‘ranked’ magic treasure.

  “There are five ranks of magic treasures.” The old black bull nearby said. “In addition, ranked magic treasures are also divide into ‘top’, ‘high’, ‘average’, and ‘low’ grades. The Zifu Disciples in that Swallow Mountain area of yours might use ranked magic treasures, but the vast majority of them are low-grade or average grade magic treasures. However, if you were able to choose at will from the Treasure Hall…I trust you would naturally be able to select the best of yourself.”

  Ning listened carefully. These were things he had no idea about.

  “The further you advance in your training, the harder it will be for you to acquire magic treasures.” The old black bull said. “At the Void level, Earth Immortals will be able to activate Immortal-rank magic treasures, but Immortal-rank magic treasures…can be considered treasures amongst Immortals. How many Void level Earth Immortals will truly be able to acquire treasures of that level? They are incredibly rare. Thus, generally speaking, those Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals will generally use Heaven-rank magic treasures.”

  “In the past, Immortal Juhua became bottlenecked at the Primordial Daoist level as a Fiendgod practitioner. No matter what he did, he wasn’t able to break through and reach the Void level. It was pointless for him to break through to the Void level as a Ki Refiner.” The old black bull shook his head. “Thus, he was never able to acquire an Immortal-rank magic treasure.”

  “Ah.” Ning was stunned.

  Right.

  When one rose in power, one could acquire a treasure, but that was only as a Fiendgod. As for Ki Refiners? No
matter how far you advanced, you wouldn’t be bestowed any treasures. Thus, one could imagine how much the first master hoped that his future inheritors would focus on training as Fiendgods.

  “Afterwards, Immortal Juhua failed in his tribulation and became a Loose Immortal. After countless years, his power grew greater and greater, and then he succeeded in passing through the seventh level of the Wargod Hall, which was when he was bestowed an Immortal-rank magic treasure.” The old black bull said. “Afterwards, Immortal Juhua collected a large amount of materials, over the course of which he defeated the Thousand Swords Immortal. After acquiring the hundreds of flying swords from the Thousand Swords Immortal…he finally forged me.”

  Ning said, curious, “Senior, what rank of a magic treasure are you?”

  “An Immortal-rank magic treasure, of course.” The old black bull said arrogantly. “I am an Immortal-rank magic treasure. I have already surpassed the levels of Human, Earth, and Heaven; thus, I gained sentience. Immortal Juhua relied on me to establish his awe-inspiring fame!”

  “Your Fiendgod body is only at the Xiantian lifeform level. To acquire magic treasures, you’ll have to achieve victory in the Wargod Hall.” The old black bull said.

  Ning nodded.

  There were two methods to acquiring the treasures of the Treasure Hall. The first was to rise in power as a Fiendgod. The second was to challenge the Wargod Hall, which had ten stages in total.

  If one succeeded in overcoming the first or second stage of the Wargod Hall, one was allowed to choose a Mortal-rank magic treasure or another item of equivalent value.

  If one succeeded in overcoming the third or fourth stage of the Wargod Hall, one was allowed to choose an Earth-rank magic treasure or another item of equivalent value.

  If one succeeded in overcoming the fifth or sixth stage of the Wargod Hall, one was allowed to choose a Heaven-rank magic treasure or another item of equivalent value.

  If one succeeded in overcoming the seventh or eighth stage of the Wargod Hall, one was allowed to choose an Immortal-rank magic treasure or another item of equivalent value.

  If one succeeded in overcoming the ninth or tenth stage of the Wargod Hall, one was allowed to choose a Pure Yang magic treasure or another item of equivalent value.

  The Fiendgod practitioners who had inherited the manor were each given two chances to challenge the Wargod Hall at each level of power. For example, Ning was now a Xiantian lifeform as a Fiendgod. He had two chances to go challenge the Wargod Hall. Once his Fiendgod form reached the Zifu level, he would gain two more chances.

  Xiantian, Zifu, Wanxiang, Primordial, Void.

  Before becoming an Immortal, he would only have ten chances! Each chance was incomparably precious!

  “Challenging the Wargod Hall is too hard.” The old black bull shook his head and sighed. “But this is the second way in which one can acquire a treasure of the Treasure Hall. Even though it is hard, you’ll have to try.”

  “It is indeed hard.” Ning nodded. Even Immortal Juhua had only overcome the seventh stage of the Wargod Hall after having become a Loose Immortal and spent countless years training.

  The nearby old black bull said, “I watched you training in Serpentwing Lake with your sword. I don’t want to discourage you, but…for you to challenge the first level with your current level of power? You’d have less than a ten percent chance.”

  “Less than ten percent?” Ning didn’t dare believe it.

  The Wargod Hall had ten levels in total. The first two levels only allowed him to select a Mortal-rank magic treasure. He had trained with the sword at Brightheart Island…which was within the scope of the Aquatic Manor, and so the old black bull knew exactly how strong he had become. But he was now saying that if Ning went to the Wargod Hall, he would have less than ten percent chance of victory?

  “Treasure Hall. Divine Abilities Hall. Wargod Hall. Stellar Hall.” The old black bull said. “The Treasure Hall is a place where, for now ,you won’t be able to acquire a single treasure. You aren’t able to enter the Divine Abilities Hall yet either. You’ll have to go to one of the other two halls.”

  “Wargod Hall…perhaps you can give it a try. If you succeed, you’ll be able to select a magic treasure. It will definitely be far superior to the ranked magic treasures you currently have. But of course, if you lose, that means that you’ll have wasted a chance to challenge the Wargod Hall.”

  “The Stellar Hall is filled with countless paths of the Dao, and is an excellent place for gaining insight into it.”

  “Which place shall you go to?” The old black bull looked towards Ning.

  * * *

  Book 6, Chapter 3 - A Tempest Outside the Straw Hut

  “Senior, since you said that I have less than a ten percent chance of passing through the Wargod Hall’s challenge, why should I make the attempt?” Ji Ning said. “In addition, Immortal Juhua gained the greatest benefit from this Stellar Hall. I’m quite curious about it.”

  As he spoke, Ning stepped into a room.

  As for the treasures of the Treasure Hall? If he couldn’t touch them, what was the point? Immortal Juhua himself had only acquired a single Immortal-rank magic after having become a Loose Immortal.

  “Best to take things one step at a time.” Ning knew his own limits.

  He left the Treasure Hall and headed out through a corridor.

  The Treasure Hall was at the frontmost part of the corridor, while the Stellar Hall was at the rearmost.

  The old black bull followed while speaking constantly. “The Stellar Hall contains within it miraculous profundities, and by training within it, it is much easier to gain insights into the Dao. If you aren’t carefully, you’ll easily lose yourself in training…it seems as though in the outside world, you were rather frantic. I imagine you must have important business to attend to. Don’t let yourself become lost in meditating on the Dao within the Stellar Hall and delay your important affairs.

  “Ah!” Ning was startled, then hurriedly said with gratitude, “Thank you for the reminder, senior.”

  He had nearly caused himself to miss the critical affairs coming up!

  Although meditating on the Dao was important, if he lost one or two days meditating on the Dao, by the time he woke up and left…it would all be too late.

  “No matter what.” Ning instructed the old black bull. “As soon as the sky grows dark in the outside world, if I’m still in the Stellar Hall meditating on the Dao, then I would like to ask you to immediately disrupt my meditation and awaken me, senior.”

  “If the sky grows dark in the outside world? That means only twelve hours are remaining.” The old black bull said.

  “Right, twelve hours! If I begin to meditate on the Dao…at most allow me to meditate on it for twelve hours.” Ning said hurriedly. “After twelve hours, immediately awaken me.”

  Based on Ning’s calculations, generally speaking, Zifu Disciples who were flying on magic treasures would be able to travel a hundred thousand kilometers in a day. But of course, that was normal flight; if they didn’t rest and didn’t sleep and also didn’t worry about using up their elemental energy, one could fly nearly two hundred thousand kilometers in a day. Swallow Mountain, in turn, was only a few tens of thousands kilometers in size…a roundtrip to see the other disciples of Snowdragon Mountain and return with them would take…

  As Ji Ninefire had said, most likely just a day or two!

  Ning would only be able to spend twelve hours meditating on the Dao. He absolutely couldn’t afford to go over!

  “Don’t worry at all.” The old black bull raised his head, looking like a guard. “Once twelve hours pass, I will immediately awaken you! We spirits of magic treasure…will never forget tasks that are assigned.”

  “Thank you, senior.” Ning laughed, then headed to the main entrance of the Stellar Hall.

  It was different from the other three halls, which all had large bronze doors. The gate to the Stellar Hall was seemingly made out of wood, and it emanated an a
ncient, natural aura. The old black bull, seeing Ning inspect the towering wooden door, murmured to himself, “This is the Ageless Bluefire Wood which only exists in the Nine Hells. It is a precious, spiritual wood which is very useful in making Immortal-rank magic treasures, but it was used to make a large gate.”

  “Is it possible to dismantle the gate?” Ning was curious.

  “If it was, Immortal Juhua would have done so long ago.” The old black bull said, resigned. “This gate is part of the entire Aquatic Manor; it is part of the entire magic treasure. There’s no way to move it at all.”

  Ning stroked the wooden gate. The wood was covered with a cold, abyssal light, but when touching it, it felt warm and gave off a comfortable sensation. Ning sighed emotionally…the Ageless Bluefire Wood which only the Nine Hells possessed? Alright, then…these were things which he had never even heard of before the old black bull had introduced it to him. He had experienced too little.

  “This really is…” Passing through the corridor and through the wooden gate, Ning felt breathless. The sight in front of him completely stunned him. “This really is utterly inconceivable. The works of a god. The works of a god!”

  In front of him, in the distance, was a large mountain. The mountain was filled with life, with a large number of trees and other vegetation growing everywhere. At the base of the mountain, the life suddenly disappeared; it was an area were virtually not a single inch of grass would grow. Only very occasionally, within a patch of strewn rocks, would one see a few strands of grass. At the base of the mountain, there was a straw hut.

  In front of the straw hut, there was a creek. The creek flowed down from the mountain, and it winded downwards in a curvy path, constantly flowing. It was only in the area wherever the creek flowed that some wild grass could occasionally be seen. The other places were virtually all covered with wild, desolate stones.

  In midair, there was one enormous, brilliant star after another. The starlight filled the world, causing every place to seem rather illusory.

  “Can it be that this is an entire world?” Ning couldn’t help but say.