Desolate Era

by RWX

  “Two options; one to flee, the other to resist. These are the only two ideas I’m able to come up with in such a short period of time,” Yu Wei sent.

  Ning had previously been planning on fleeing. He hadn’t expected that Yu Wei would be able to provide yet another clear path for him.

  Right!

  The Youngflame clan ranked in the top ten clans of the Grand Xia Dynasty… but that meant there were nine other clans on par with them! The more powerful an organization was, the more fights it would get into over resources; this was extremely common.

  “As for your clan, the Ji clan,” Yu Wei sent hurriedly, “For now, you can have your clansmen lay low; you can also have some of the elites be sent to Stillwater City or the imperial capital of the Grand Xia Dynasty. Murder and fighting is forbidden in commandery cities; if anyone dares to act in such a way, they will definitely suffer reprisals from the Grand Xia Dynasty.”

  “Although the Youngflame clan might be able to arrange for some wanted criminals to go commit suicide attacks… how powerful could these wanted criminals possibly be? These wanted criminals are all completely lawless; the more powerful they are, the less willing they are to do anyone’s bidding, especially those Fiendgods and Loose Immortals. It will be very hard for the Youngflame clan to invite those truly terrifying figures to intervene.”

  “The only option is for the Youngflame clan to send its own Loose Immortals out to annihilate your Ji clan. Even if they escape blame by claiming that the Loose Immortal did it of his own free will… that Loose Immortal would definitely die!”

  Yu Wei continued, sending mentally, “No matter what, so long as a tribe can save its elites, in the future, it will flourish again. You are the genius which the Ji clan has finally produced after countless years; you need to protect yourself.”

  “Thank you, senior apprentice-sister.” Ning had some plans of his own, but upon hearing Yu Wei’s suggestions, he instantly felt as though a bigger picture had been revealed to him, giving him some new ideas as well. And, Ning also had a feeling… as though Yu Wei seemed to have quite a clear understanding of the most powerful, supreme forces of the entire Grand Xia Dynasty.

  “Ji Ning,” Ninelotus sent hurriedly, “Come with me. I’ll take you to see the Forefather and have him send you out from this major world of the Grand Xia Dynasty. As for the Ji clan, I’ll come up with a way to protect some of their elites. In the future, when you are more powerful and come back, we can have the Ji clan flourish again.”

  “Senior apprentice-brother, are you preparing to flee? I’ll go with you. My master is close to the end of her life; she’s going to enter her final, closed-door meditation. She’s already taught me everything she can. I have nothing holding me back. Going with you and fleeing together is bound to be an exciting life,” Northson sent.

  “Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, protect yourself; only then will you have a chance to turn the tables in the future.” Adept Vastriver looked towards Ning.

  Ning laughed. Then, suddenly… Ning’s gaze fell upon Ninelotus. He sent mentally, “Ninelotus.”

  “Yes?” Ninelotus looked at Ning.

  “I killed Youngflame Nong. Regardless of whether I choose to flee to another world, or if I choose to join another supreme clan or alliance… I’ll be unable to remain within Stillwater Commandery. I’ll be a homeless wanderer… would you be willing to go with me?” Ning looked towards Ninelotus, eyes filled with hope.

  “I, I…” Ninelotus hesitated.

  She could imagine the path which Ning would walk down in the future. It would be a path of incomparable danger. Should she accompany him on that wandering path?

  She felt an impulsive urge to agree. To wander to the edges of the world with Ning, to share life and death together.

  But then she thought of her clan. She was the next leader of the Dongyan clan. She couldn’t possibly just go wandering off with Ning to the ends of the earth endlessly. No one could know how long the wandering would last.

  “Ninelotus.” Ning could sense her hesitation. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of pain in his heart.

  He knew that this request of his was a bit excessive. Only… in this moment, after having embarked on this path, Ning truly wanted for someone to walk it with him. This arduous Immortal path… if someone could share it with him and share its burdens with him… Ning truly hoped that someone would be Ninelotus.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Ninelotus’ eyes filled with tears as she looked at Ning. “Ji Ning, I suddenly understand now. I simply can’t wander the world by your side; I can’t share life and death with you. The Forefather’s words were right. To be Dao-companions… that means to be willing to die for someone. Dao-companions… if Immortals or Buddhas block your path, for the sake of bringing your Dao-companion back, you would be willing to murder Immortals or annihilate Buddhas. But I can’t do it! I truly can’t do it. I have my own path to follow and I… I don’t want to give up my own path for you.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Tears were streaming down Ninelotus’ face.

  “No need to say anything further.”

  Ning’s eyes were glimmering with unshed tears as well. “It’s my fault for being too greedy. I’m embarking on a path of certain danger, and I’ll definitely be fighting against the Youngflame clan for countless years to come. I went too far in what I asked for. I shouldn’t dare to drag you in and implicate you as well.”

  “From now on… you are you.”

  “I am me.”

  “This Immortal path… it’s enough for me to walk it alone.”

  Ning pointed into the distance. Whoosh! Instantly, a watery, rippling pattern appeared, followed by a tunnel. Outside the tunnel was the Skyrove Mountains of the Grand Xia Dynasty’s major world. Ning immediately said, “Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, senior apprentice-brother Vastriver, junior apprentice-brother Northson, and Ninelotus… you can leave.”

  “Senior apprentice-brother, I told you that I’m going to go adventuring with you. I have nothing holding me back. What the hell do I have to be afraid of?” Northson spoke with great urgency.

  “This is an extremely dangerous path I am embarking on, junior apprentice-brother Northson…”

  “Do you think I’m too weak for it?” Northson ground his teeth.

  “Right. You are too weak. You can’t help me; instead, you’d slow me down.” Ning gritted his own teeth as well as he responded.

  The nearby Yu Wei spoke out to urge Northson. “Junior apprentice-brother Northson, don’t be stubborn; this isn’t the time to show your loyalty. Your strength truly is a bit too low.”

  Northson looked at Ning, his eyes turning slightly red. “Senior apprentice-brother, after my mother died, I no longer had any kinsmen left. After I joined the school, you became the closest person in my life. Long ago, I started to view you as I would an actual, biological brother. It is true that I am a bit weak, and I know that you said those word because you don’t want me to be pulled into this. I’m not going to say anything else for now, except…”

  “When I go back, I’m going to train hard. And if you die, I’ll definitely take revenge for you.”

  Ning’s eyes turned red. He hadn’t imagined… he truly hadn’t imagined that Northson, in his heart, viewed Ning as he would a real brother.

  “Hahaha, don’t worry. I won’t die that easily.” Tears in his eyes, Ning laughed loudly, then said, “Stop dawdling. Hurry up and leave.”

  Ninelotus felt all the more agony in her heart at this moment.

  Even Northson had been willing to throw everything away, but her? She truly wanted to do the same, to throw everything away, to discard her clan, to roam the world by Ning’s side. But… she continued to hesitate. She just couldn’t throw it all away.

  “I’m sorry.” Tears fell down Ninelotus’ face. “Stay alive. You have to stay alive.” And then, she turned her head and flew through the corridor to the Skyrove Mountains on the other side.

  Northson, Yu
Wei, and Adept Vastriver all understood. Dao-companions, Dao-companions… what were Dao-companions? Only those who would never abandon each other, even at their most critical moments, could be considered Dao-companions. Ninelotus’ departure, and the words she had just spoken… they caused the three to understand that in the future, most likely Ji Ning and Ninelotus would truly embark on completely separate Immortal paths.

  “Be careful,” Northson said.

  “Stay alive.” Yu Wei looked at Ning.

  “You have to stay alive,” Adept Vastriver instructed as well.

  And then, the three flew through the corridor, arriving within the Skyrove Mountains. The corridor then shut.

  ……

  The Skyrove Mountains.

  They had returned to the world of the Grand Xia Dynasty. Ninelotus, Yu Wei, Northson, and Adept Vastriver all turned their heads to stare at the corridor. Through it, they could vaguely make out that solitary, lonely figure within the main hall on the other side.

  From today on… Ning was going to have to fight by himself.

  Ninelotus stared through the tunnel. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop her tears from continuing to fall.

  The choice she had made today was an incomparably agonizing choice for her.

  She wasn’t able to abandon her tribe. She had her own dreams. She simply couldn’t make herself discard everything for Ning’s sake.

  Yu Wei, Northson, and Adept Vastriver didn’t say anything. This was because they, too, understood how rare it was for there to be a pair of Dao-companions who would truly share life and death together, who would never leave each other, and whose lives would become as one. In fact, many so-called Dao-companions would actually end up hating each other and becoming enemies; it wasn’t uncommon for them to end up fighting over treasures and killing each other.

  To truly be together until death parted them… this was far too rare. Ninelotus had too many other things she cared about. She couldn’t throw them all away.

  Whoosh. The corridor swung shut, and they could no longer see to the other side.

  “Let’s go.” Northson gritted his teeth.

  “Let’s go.”

  “I’m going back to my clan.”

  Ninelotus returned by herself to the Dongyan clan, while Northson, Adept Vastriver, and Yu Wei returned to the Black-White College.

  ……

  Within the palace.

  “From today onwards, I shall traverse my Immortal path alone. It’s for the best, actually. By myself, I’ll be much more carefree,” Ning said with a laugh.

  “Master, you still have us.” Little Qing raised her serpentine head and called out to him.

  Ning looked towards the Azure Skysnake, then towards Uncle White, who had followed him silently this entire time. He felt a warm feeling in his heart. “Right. I still have you two. Little Qing, Uncle White, let’s go. Let’s go and meet the monsters of this Immortal estate.”

  * * *

  Book 10, Chapter 28 - The Thousand Year Pact

  Within the Immortal estate.

  The clan commanded by Immortal Witchsui, along with the many Seawave Dao-soldiers commanded by Immortal Duohe, continued to wait on the outside of the fifth palace. Although they were enraged and despairing, they still hoped… hoped that a miracle might occur.

  “Monster clans.” Suddenly, a voice rang out, and along with it, waves of divine will rolled out, instantly encompassing all of the monstrous Dao-soldiers.

  “Eh?” All of the monsters looked over. Even Immortal Witchsui and Immortal Duohe were shocked.

  A few hundred kilometers away, there was a fur-clad youth, with a little azure serpent coiled around his arm and a large, snowy white dog by his side. In the air around them hovered ancient, plain, unadorned wooden sticks. It was the Fuxi Staff Formation; space within a hundred kilometers of that human was completely locked, and there would be no way to teleport inside.

  “You?” Immortal Witchsui and Immortal Duohe immediately recognized him. Amongst the group of humans, there was indeed a fur-clad human who had a giant snowy white dog.

  “The key to the Immortal estate is now in my hands.” Ning’s voice rang out by the ears of every single monster. His divine sense had spread to a thousand kilometers; naturally, he was able to send his voice to each and every one of them.

  “Open.”

  Ning held the key to the Immortal estate in his hands. He sent his will forth, and next to him a corridor appeared; it was the corridor to the Skyrove Mountains in the outside world. Actually, just now, Ning had already used the key to leave and go to the Skyrove Mountains, then re-entered, having Little Qing lead him and Uncle White in a teleportation. Little Qing was actually far more powerful now than she had been in the wild marshes of the Gaol Mountains; for near-distance blinks, she could bring others along with her. The main thing was that Ning had yet to bind the various branches; if he emerged directly from within the Witchriver Palace, he would have been surrounded by the monsters.

  “The key to the Immortal estate.”

  “He is holding the key to the Immortal estate in his hands.”

  “That’s the outside world, the smell of the outside world.” Immortal Witchsui and Immortal Duohe swept forward with their divine senses, and were even able to extend them into the corridor leading to the outside world. “That’s another world!”

  Immortal Witchsui, Immortal Duohe, and the many monsters all stared towards Ning with even more blazingly desirous gazes. Although they were suspicious as to why the other human was no longer holding the key, the truth remained that this man before them was holding it now. They couldn’t be bothered to over-analyze it; they knew that the appearance of this youth represented a desire by this youth to negotiate with them.

  Immortal Witchsui and Immortal Duohe were actually considering whether or not they should try to seize the key to the Immortal estate. However, their earlier, repeated failures caused them to no longer dare to act rashly.

  “Don’t try anything. I’ve already set up a formation around me, and the corridor is already open; I can leave at any time. In addition, even if you truly were to attack, you wouldn’t be able to kill me,” Ning said. He had that other protective magic treasure, and also the magic treasures which Youngflame Nong had left behind. His words were completely true.

  Immortal Witchsui and Immortal Duohe, as well as the other monsters, all calmed down. They no longer dared to make any more gambles.

  “What do you want?” Immotal Witchsui asked.

  “I offended a powerful tribe, the Youngflame clan, and the clan is going to come act against me. They might even act against my tribe.” Ning’s divine sense was sending a message to every single monster. “My tribe is located in a commandery city of the Grand Xia Dynasty, the City of Ten Thousand Swords. I wish for you, the monsters of this Immortal estate world, to go to the City of Ten Thousand Swords and protect my tribe. Protect them for a thousand years; after that period of time, I’ll release you and give you your freedom. As for the key to the Immortal estate? I can just give it to you.”

  The key to the Immortal estate wasn’t of much use to Ning. There was no way he could carry the Witchriver Immortal Estate with him; what was he supposed to do with it? In addition, he had the underwater estate, an even finer estate left behind by Daoist Threelives. As for the treasures within the Witchriver Immortal Estate? The Dao Repository and the Treasure Vault had already been looted clean.

  “Protect them for a thousand years?” Immortal Witchsui and Immortal Duohe, along with the tens of thousands of monsters, were both amazed and delighted.

  Although a thousand years was a fairly long period of time, monsters had extremely long lifespans to begin with. To simply protect a tribe for a thousand years… they would then be able to go to the wider, vast world. They would even receive the key to the Immortal estate. They didn’t even dare to imagine something like this previously. They had been preparing to be fleeced, and had even been willing to hand over part of
their Dao-armors as their offer for peace.

  But Ning had no desire for the Dao-armors; wearing the Dao-armors, these monsters would be ten times or even tens of times more powerful. That was what he wanted; them to be powerful!

  “Your tribe is located in the ‘City of Ten Thousand Swords’ of the Grand Xia Dynasty? Based on what I know, the Grand Xia Dynasty is extremely strict in its prohibition against battles within commandery cities. If anyone dares to fight within one, they will suffer pursuit and apprehension by the Grand Xia Dynasty. This ‘Youngflame’ clan that wishes to act against your tribe, they shouldn’t dare to actually attack your city, should they?” Immortal Duohe asked.

  Although they had always been trapped within here, they had passed down records regarding the Grand Xia Dynasty’s world from generation to generation, and so they knew some of the most basic things.

  “Correct, they won’t dare to launch an actual attack. However, if they were to send some wanted criminals or some Deathsworn to attack my tribe…” Ning sent to them, “These criminals and Deathsworn would most likely be at the Wanxiang level or the Primal Daoist level. Loose Immortals? The chances of there being one of them should be very, very low. Celestial Immortals? That’s even less likely.”

  To enter a commandery city of the Grand Xia Dynasty and launch an attack was a challenge and affront to the entire Dynasty. Anyone who did so would be killed without question.

  For the sake of Youngflame Nong, who was already dead… would they really be willing to sacrifice a Loose Immortal, just for the sake of giving vent to their rage and killing a backwater tribe? The chances were quite low. As for sacrificing a Celestial Immortal? That was virtually impossible.