Desolate Era

by RWX

  “No matter how lowly a person might be, his heart is limitless.” Ning felt very moved.

  Prajna-states of enlightenment were profound, arcane, and unpredictable.

  After experiencing so many setbacks and that agonizing choice…Ning’s heart had indeed been greatly impacted. But only when he felt as downtrodden as he did right now did he truly understand what it meant to be as insignificant as a speck of mortal dust. And so, he slowly began to understand and gain insights into this stage.

  Everyone knew the principles of this stage, but to truly understand it and to thoroughly comprehend it was far, far more difficult.

  ‘Knowing’ what to do is easy; it’s the ‘doing’ that is tricky!

  As Ning’s heart had expanded, his heartforce had risen in power as well. When Ning’s heart had reached the point of becoming one with the entire world of the Grand Xia and begun to reach out towards the infinite Void…his heartforce had truly reached an absolutely terrifying level, a level which represented an absolute limit for even True Gods and Daofathers, many of whom had not been able to reach it.

  The fourth stage of heartforce!

  Ning had broken through!

  Aside from the missing Houyi…Ning’s heartforce could be ranked as the highest within the entire Three Realms!

  “Always consider yourself as an unremarkable speck of mortal dust. Always reach for greater heights. Not even reaching Pangu’s level is the end of your ambitions.” Ning didn’t know whether or not Pangu’s level represented the endpoint for Immortal cultivation, but there was no endpoint for the heart. His heart could become infinitely vast, infinitely great.

  “The difference between the fourth stage and the third stage is simply far too vast.”

  Reaching the third stage of heartforce allowed one to have the power of a supreme Celestial Immortal.

  The fourth stage of heartforce, however, gave one the power of a supreme Empyrean God or True Immortal!

  Every single Empyrean God and True Immortal who had reached the fourth stage of heartforce stood at the very peak of power amongst their peers. The divine archer Eastbreak, for example…after using Daofruits of primordial chaos, he was able to suppress an entire battlefield all by himself! Although the Daofruits were very powerful…if it hadn’t been for Eastbreak’s archery and coreforce, how could the other Empyrean Gods and True Immortals have all been completely shut down?

  “Although I’ve only reached the expert level in my soul heartforce technique…even reaching the level of perfect mastery would probably increase my power by a mere tenfold, by a single level of so.”

  “With my heartforce having increased from the third level to the fourth level…my power has increased by multiple levels.”

  Ning himself knew how much he had improved.

  “It is time to see the Daofather.” Ning rose to his feet. He felt guilt towards Daofather Crimsonbright. It had been the Daofather who had personally handed him Shennong’s medicine in a show of tremendous faith. Although it was Yu Wei who had turned traitor…in the end, it was his fault!

  Ning stared at the vast, desolate wilderness. He also stared at the enormous black levitating citadel, the Seamless City. He quietly murmured to himself, “This battle isn’t over yet.”

  Prior to this, his Heaven Punisher was already very powerful. With his heartforce having increased by an entire major level…how powerful would his Heaven Punisher become? Not even Ning himself knew.

  This was because only a few Empyrean Gods or True Immortals had ever reached the fourth level of heartforce. Of them, Ning was the only one who had developed a soul heartforce technique! In other words…in the entire Three Realms, there was no Empyrean God or True Immortal whose Heaven Punisher was stronger than Ning’s. His was the most powerful of them all!

  “Godking.” Boundless hatred could be seen within Ning’s eyes.

  Whoosh.

  Ning walked down from the city walls, then towards the distant main palace of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

  If the Godking knew that his decision to force Ji Ning to make such an agonizing decision had resulted in Ning’s heartforce advancing from the third stage to the fourth stage…it’s hard to imagine how much regret he would feel. This was an advancement that was even more terrifying than perfecting the soul heartforce technique! And now…he had personally created a freak who knew the soul heartforce technique and had fourth stage heartforce.

  The Godking’s original goal had merely been to make Ji Ning join the Seamless Gate.

  Ji Ning was walking towards the main palace of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

  “It’s Ji Ning.”

  “Why is Ji Ning going towards the main hall?”

  “He spent a few days sitting blankly atop the city walls. I wonder what he was thinking about? This must have been an enormous blow to him, and he also caused us to lose this Realmwar…I hope he’s not blaming himself so much that his thoughts are in a complete mess, causing him to go seek out the Daofather.

  “Alas…he truly is a peerless monster, the likes of which are rarely seen. I hope he hasn’t been ruined by his Dao-companion…”

  The Immortals who saw Ning walking towards the main hall all chatted amongst themselves.

  Love…it was a single word, but because of this word, countless lives had been destroyed and countless paths had been severed. This happened far, far too often within the Three Realms. However…those who were able to persevere after suffering such blows, who were able to continue to advance…they all became awe-inspiring figures of the Three Realms. They were no longer referred to as ‘monstrous geniuses’; they were known as the true experts of the Three Realms!

  “Ji Ning?” The Xia Emperor walked out from the main palace. He said in surprise, “Why have you come?”

  “I wish to see the Daofather,” Ning said.

  “The Daofather is not in a good mood. It’s best if you don’t go,” the Xia Emperor said hurriedly.

  “Not in a good mood?” Ning was startled.

  “Right.” The Xia Emperor nodded. “Human Sovereign Shennong is out of ideas, but the Daofather is still unwilling to give up. He’s spent countless years building his Crimsonbright Realm up, after all. Thus, the Daofather went out to meet with other major powers, including the leaders of the Daoist Path and the Buddhist Sangha, as well as others, but…alas…”

  Ning nodded. “I understand.”

  The Xia Emperor looked towards Ning. “Do you still wish to see the Daofather, then?”

  Ning nodded.

  Whoosh.

  Ning’s aura suddenly transformed from that of a Celestial Immortal to that of a Pure Yang True Immortal.

  “Pure…Pure Yang?!” The Xia Emperor’s eyes instantly turned round and huge. Overjoyed, he said, “Ji Ning, you made a breakthrough?”

  “Yes.” Ning nodded.

  Since he’d already decided that he was going to win this Realmwar…he had remain careful of the Seamless Gate’s intelligence network. Thus, Ning only revealed the fact that he had the power of a Pure Yang True Immortal, intending to force the Seamless Gate into a series of miscalculations. As for reaching the fourth level of heartforce…for now, he had to hide this. He would only reveal his power at a critical moment, allowing them to win this war in one blow.

  But if he wanted to hide it from them…

  He had to hide it from everyone! Only when he alone knew this secret would it truly be a secret. If he told anyone else at all, the Seamless Gate would have a chance to find out.

  “Fantastic. This…this is absolutely fantastic.” The Xia Emperor was extremely excited. “Your breakthrough to the Pure Yang level means that your Heaven Punisher will increase dramatically in power. If you join forces with the Seven Planets God, you might be able to completely tie down the Daofather golem. During the last battle, the Seamless Gate managed to escape with some of its forces, preventing us from wiping them out. They still suffered castastrophic losses, however. If you and the Seven Planets God can tie down the Da
ofather golem…leave the others, including the Three-Eyed Demon, to us.”

  “Let’s go! Let’s go see the Daofather.” The Xia Emperor was incomparably excited.

  “Alright.” Ning followed the Xia Emperor into the main palace.

  “The Daofather’s in a side hall.” The Xia Emperor led Ning forward in a very familiar manner. Soon, Ning saw a quiet, secluded side hall with Daofather Crimsonbright seated in the lotus position within it.

  However…as soon as Ning saw the Daofather, he could sense the deathly, melancholy aura surrounding him.

  This was a sort of melancholic aura which would naturally emerge once one felt completely powerless.

  “Master.” The Xia Emperor spoke out.

  “Daofather.” Ning called out respectfully as well.

  Daofather Crimsonbright opened his eyes. Upon seeing Ning, he nodded gently. “It seems you’ve managed to bestir yourself a bit, Ji Ning. Our loss in this Realmwar cannot be blamed upon you. You couldn’t have imagined any of those things happening. If we lose, we lose. There’s always a victor and a loser in any war. Later, I shall summon the other Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and army commanders and issue an order to retreat. You should roam the Three Realms a bit and relax. Both your master and myself have great expectations of you. Our war with the Seamless Gate shall continue. Although we’ve lost here, we’ll still need you to go fight in other places in the future.”

  The Daofather was a Daofather, after all. Although he felt grief at completely losing his territory and his foundation, his gaze was still focused on the Three Realms as a whole. He naturally didn’t wish to see Ji Ning sink into endless despair; in fact, he didn’t even want to blame Ji Ning at all.

  “Master…Ji Ning broke through to the Pure Yang True Immortal level,” the Xia Emperor said hurriedly.

  Daofather Crimsonbright was briefly stunned…and then his eyes lit up!

  His melancholic aura completely vanished. He once more became full of vigor and energy. He stared at Ning, then said with a laugh, “I really have grown old. I was so dispirited by this Realmwar that I’ve become as blind as a bat. I didn’t realize you made a breakthrough, even though you are standing right in front of me. Haha…Pure Yang True Immortal…you’ve broke through to become a Pure Yang True Immortal…then doesn’t that mean your Heaven Punisher shall dramatically increase in power? If you join forces with the Seven Planets God commanded by Redsnow, you should be able to tie down the Daofather golem, right?”

  “Daofather, please give me 9000 Celestial Immortals and 810,000 Loose Immortals so that I may create a maximum-power Heaven Punisher,” Ning said respectfully.

  “Superb.”

  Upon seeing how confident Ji Ning was, Daofather Crimsonbright couldn’t help but call out the word ‘superb’. Ji Ning had previously already commanded 3000 Celestial Immortals; all they had to do now was merge six more Heaven Punisher armies into his army. Six ordinary Heaven Punishers wouldn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

  “I’ll give the orders right away. Prepare for a final battle against the Seamless Gate!” Daofather Crimsonbright’s eyes gleamed with light. His aura filled the heavens, and his voice boomed forth.

  * * *

  Book 18, Chapter 52 - The Confident Evergreen

  Just a short while later.

  Per Daofather Crimsonbright’s orders, all the Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and army commanders assembled at the main hall.

  “What?”

  “We’re going to go fight?”

  “The Seamless Gate now has a Daofather golem. How are we supposed to beat that?” Once Daofather Crimsonbright said that he was going to launch a true, final battle against the Seamless Gate, everyone was completely speechless. They weren’t afraid of death, but no one would be willing to throw their lives away in a situation where they had no chance of winning at all.

  Daofather Crimsonbright looked down at his subordinates, then turned his head to look towards a side door. “Ji Ning, come out.”

  The Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and army commanders all felt puzzled.

  Ji Ning?

  “Let Ji Ning come out? After experiencing his Dao-companion’s betrayal…I imagine that he couldn’t have fully recovered yet.”

  “I don’t understand what the Daofather is planning.”

  “Are we supposed to entrust everything to Ji Ning, who is at the brink of absolute collapse?”

  “He can’t be joking with us, can he?”

  Some felt anger towards Ning, while others felt sympathy and pity. All of them, however, felt certain that this peerless genius must have been delivered a blow from which he would need time to recover.

  Footsteps rang out.

  “Eh?” Upon seeing Ji Ning walk out, virtually everyone was stunned.

  “He…he…”

  “Pure Yang?”

  “Impossible!”

  Almost all of the Immortals and Fiendgods within the main hall were stupefied. They knew exactly how heavy a blow Ji Ning had just suffered. In their private conversations, most of them secretly opined that Ji Ning would probably wallow in his misery as a result of this blow. None of them had imagined that Ji Ning would actually break through to become a Pure Yang True Immortal at such a critical point in time!

  To break through into the Pure Yang level was no easy feat. To completely and thoroughly master a Grand Dao was no easy task. Given the blow he had suffered and the mental anguish he was in…it would have been incredibly, incredibly difficult for him to make a breakthrough in the Dao of the Sword.

  But…

  The truth was right before them. The dense Pure Yang aura surrounding Ji Ning was unmistakeably real!

  “Ji Ning has broken through to become a Pure Yang True Immortal. His Heaven Punisher can now command much greater power.” Daofather Crimsonbright’s voice boomed down from his high throne. “I will put 9000 Celestial Immortals and 810,000 Loose Immortals under his command, allowing him to form and command a perfect Heaven Punisher! Ji Ning’s Heaven Punisher, when working in concert with Redsnow’s Seven Planets God, will handle the Daofather golem.”

  Daofather Crimsonbright continued, “All of you are to immediately summon your soldiers and prepare for the final battle! In this final battle, our goal is to completely shatter the forces of the Seamless Gate and to protect our Realm!”

  “Yes!” All of the Immortals and Fiendgods awoke from their stupor. They were all incomparably delighted, and their eyes glowed with excitement.

  Prior to this, they all seemed to have lost their souls. They had no morale to speak of…and even Daofather Crimsonbright himself had been surrounded by a melancholic aura. But now, upon seeing a chance to gain victory, all of them became filled with a desire to do battle. They were so excited that their hearts once more began to boil with hot blood.

  “Formidable.”

  “He was actually able to make a breakthrough to the Pure Yang level after suffering such a blow.”

  “Incredible.”

  “This Ji Ning truly is incredible!”

  Previously, quite a few of them had felt resentment towards Ji Ning, but all of that dissipated like smoke. All they felt towards him was amazement and admiration! To be able to make a breakthrough and completely change the course of the war at such a critical moment…how could they not feel admiration?

  The grand army began to mobilize.

  Sinuous Raindragons and towering Pangu War-Formations once more took form, along with many Heaven Punishers.

  The most astonishingly powerful aura, however, came from Ji Ning’s ‘Darknorth Army’.

  At present, the Darknorth Army had a total of 9000 Celestial Immortals and 810,000 Loose Immortals! This was the most perfect form possible for the [Heaven Punisher Formation]. The amount of natural energy which this sea of Immortals could summon…it was at an absolutely incomprehensible level. However, even Xingtian himself had only created a ‘perfect’ version of his formation just for the sake of completeness
; he himself felt that it was a waste for an Empyrean God or True Immortal to use it, as there was simply no way for them to use all that energy.

  “Assemble the formation.” Ning gave the order.

  The 9000 Celestial Immortals were spread out around Ning, protecting him like a hive of hornets protecting their queen.

  As for the 810,000 Loose Immortals, they were like countless stars or grains of sand that were spread out throughout the formation. As the incomparably marvelous formation began to be activated, an absolutely shocking whirlpool of energy was formed around the Eight Dragons Cloudcity. This was the very first time the Crimsonbright Realm had truly, completely unleashed the full power of a Heaven Punisher. Once the number of Immortals had reached the target number, the amount of natural energy they could command was similarly astonishing.

  Rumble…

  The natural energy had become completely solidified, seeming to have transformed into enormous pillars of water that surged towards Ning.

  The massive water pillars, many tens of thousands of meters in length, swirled around Ning’s army before rapidly condensing around it. Slowly…the bones, the flesh, and the skin began to take form as an unprecedently enormous Heaven Punisher appeared.

  “What a powerful aura.”

  “This is too powerful.”

  “I feel as though…he’s roughly on the same level as True Gods or Daofathers.”

  When the perfect Heaven Punisher appeared, all of the Immortals and Fiendgods of the Crimsonbright Realm were stunned. However…they also all knew that if the commander of the formation was unable to command and control all of that massive power, the power would completely go to waste! Even amongst Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, there were many who couldn’t fully control 100% of the power of the simplest types of Heaven Punishers, much less the perfect ones!