Desolate Era

by RWX

  Ning was startled. He glanced towards Ninefangs.

  Ninefangs was the last of the seven to break through to the Empyrean God level; when Daoist Threelives had been alive, he had merely been a Void-level Fiendgod. However, he physically looked the oldest. Upon hearing Redsnow’s words, Ninefangs hurriedly said, “Manorlord, when roaming the Three Realms, there will always be some minor, trifling matters to handle. We can’t let you be forced to personally deal with everything, can we?”

  Having just acquired the Grand Bloodshadow Formation of the Heavens, Ninefangs was quite eager to show his gratitude.

  “Fine, fine.” Ning nodded.

  “Then the rest of us will return to the Starseizer world.” Redsnow and the rest of the six immediately departed, returning to the Starseizer world.

  As for Ning, he first paid a visit to the imperial capital of the Grand Xia to visit Immortal Diancai, the Xia Emperor, and his cousin Yuchi Xiyue. Ning had originally planned on having his master Immortal Diancai accompany him, but Immortal Diancai declined. But of course, he didn’t decline the Pure Yang treasures which Ning gifted to him. He chatted with Ning for a long while, giving him some advice.

  “Time to go.” Early next morning, the white-robed Ning walked out of his room, followed by the bald elder, Empyrean God Ninefangs. The two of them teleported straight out of the Grand Xia, heading towards a minor world.

  The Three Realms had a trillion minor worlds. There were simply too many of them, and every so often old minor worlds would be destroyed and new minor worlds would be born. Thus, only a tiny number of these minor worlds were actually named!

  The minor world which Ning and Ninefangs had headed towards, however, did have a name. It’s name was ‘East Phoenix’.

  ……

  “East Phoenix world.” Ning stood at the peak of a mountain, the bald elder Ninefangs by his side.

  “This is one of the Twenty-Seven Worlds of Fuju.” Ning swept it with his gaze, able to see to the very end of the East Phoenix world. “It lives up to its reputation as one of the places where Daofather Fuju once lived. East Phoenix world has countless different landscapes and far more cultivators than ordinary minor worlds. It even has a Celestial Immortal standing guard over it! It seems as though the three disciples of Daofather Fuju are quite cautious.”

  “The exalted number one Sword Immortal of the Three Realms…he actually perished, his soul lost forever.” Ninefangs shook his head and sighed.

  Ning nodded slowly, sighing as well.

  One of the reasons why Ning was voyaging across the Three Realms was in order to search for a way to allow his heartforce to break through once more. A second reason was to meditate on his sword-arts! If he couldn’t find the first, he would spend his time cultivating the second.

  Naturally, Ning would pay a visit to the ‘Twenty-Seven Worlds of Daofather Fuju’!

  Daofather Fuju…

  He was born a human and trained as a Ki Refiner. He had become a Daofather of the Great Firmament during the Primordial Era, and became famous due to his sword. He had managed to train his swordforce all the way to the fifth level!

  Swordforce was just like heartforce; it could also be divided into five levels.

  If one reached the fifth stage of swordforce, one would be considered supreme even amongst True Gods and Daofathers. This Daofather Fuju became publicly acknowledged as the number one Sword Immortal of the Three Realms because, back when the Primordial Era had ended and the Three Realms Era began, he had created a supreme sword-art which had stunned the Three Realms…the [Five Treasures] sword-art. By relying on this sword-art, Daofather Fuju had become the indisputed number one Sword Immortal of the Three Realms.

  “According to the legends, Daofather Fuju’s sword was indescribably fast,” Ning sighed. “So fast that it surpassed the limits of speed established by the Dao of the Heavens. When ordinary True Gods or Daofathers fought against him, they wouldn’t even be able to block his sword. In power, he was very close to the leaders of the Daoist Path and the Buddhist Sangha. I imagine that he is on par with my master himself. But alas, such a peerless figure ended up dying within the primordial chaos.”

  “We don’t even know how he died.” Ninefangs shook his head as well. There were records of the many events which had occurred after the Primordial Era ended. Primelight, Ninefangs, Snow Scorpion, and the others had been in seclusion for far too long; it was only after they emerged and began to read these records that they began to learn of these things.

  During the Primordial Era, many major powers perished, including even Elder Gods.

  During the Three Realms Era, there were naturally major powers who had perished as well!

  One of the affairs that had particularly shocked the Three Realms was the death of Daofather Fuju. The only information that was known was that he had died in the primordial chaos. As for how he died or who killed him? Nothing was known. Someone who was publicly acknowledged as the number one Sword Immortal of the Three Realms, a figure who was comparable to Patriarch Subhuti and Old Man Yuan, and was extremely close to the Three Sovereigns of Mankind, Daoist Three Purities, and Lord Buddha in power…had died, just like that. Many were thoroughly stunned by this news. Subhuti and the others had searched for the reasons behind his death, but they hadn’t found anything.

  After Fuju died…

  The Twenty-Seven Worlds of Fuju became incredibly popular!

  This was because when Daofather Fuju had trained in the sword, he would sometimes leave behind some of his sword-arts on the mountains or in underground caves when the mood struck him. These remnants of his sword-arts contained unfathomable power which not even Empyrean Gods or True Immortals would dare touch. When Daofather Fuju had been alive, his disciples would often go to these twenty-seven worlds to analyze the sword-arts he had left behind.

  As for the other Empyrean Gods and True Immortals of the Three Realms? They generally wouldn’t have a chance to do so. But then, Daofather Fuju died. His disciples were merely Empyrean Gods and True Immortals; they naturally wouldn’t dare to keep these twenty-seven worlds for themselves.

  Thus…they opened the worlds up to the public!

  All Immortals or Fiendgods of the Three Realms could come here to meditate on the remnant sword-arts left behind. The only restriction was that no one was permitted to cause any damage; if anyone did, that person would become the common enemy of countless Immortals and Fiendgods! And in truth, given that the remnants contained the might of the number one Sword Immortal of the Three Realms…how many would be so suicidal as to attempt to destroy them?

  Each of the twenty-seven worlds had remnants of his sword-arts left behind on them. Some had more, some had less.

  The most exalted world was Sword Immortal world, because it contained the complete set of the [Five Treasures] sword-art within it.

  As for the other twenty-six worlds, they just contained some scattered, incomplete remnants.

  Thus, after travelling through all of the worlds, the various Empyrean Gods and True Immortals would generally choose to gather upon Sword Immortal world. Very few of them would remain on the other twenty-six worlds. During normal, peaceful times, there would perhaps be more than a thousand of them on Sword Immortal world. Sometimes they would spend a million years or a hundred million years cultivating on that world! However, since the Three Realms was gripped by a great storm, most of the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals had joined the armies of their respective realms.

  There were now very few of them left on Sword Immortal world, to say nothing of the other twenty-six.

  “Daofather Fuju was acknowledged by all as the number one Sword Immortal of the Three Realms. I naturally have to go and analyze his sword-arts,” Ning said. “Ninefangs, let us first wander East Phoenix world and the rest of the twenty-six. We’ll save Sword Immortal world for last.”

  “Yes,” Ninefangs said respectfully.

  “Let’s go,” Ning said.

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Ning
and Ninefangs flew through the air, moving towards a giant, towering mountain. Because East Phoenix world was merely a minor world, it had a circumference of just a hundred thousand kilometers; it was actually smaller than Swallow Mountain! It took them only a very short amount of time to fly to their destination.

  “Quite a few people here.” Ning glanced downwards. There were mountain peaks below them, and at the base of the mountain peaks sat many Immortal cultivators and Diremonsters. They were in the lotus position, quietly meditating and training.

  “However, even the most powerful are merely at the Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal level,” Ninefangs said.

  “Normally, Sword Immortal world would have plenty of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals. East Phoenix world would have a good number of Celestial Immortals…but given the current status of the Three Realms, the Celestial Immortals have all been ordered to join their respective armies. Naturally, the strongest remaining figures are at the Loose Immortal level.” Ning swept the mountains below with his gaze. There really were many cultivators seated there.

  The vast majority were actually Zifu Disciples and Wanxiang Adepts. They were all seated on prayer mats which had been left behind by the Empyrean God and True Immortal disciples of Daofather Fuju. This was to provide them with organized seating for their meditations. Otherwise, if all of them just haphazardly squeezed together, how could anyone calm down and concentrate?

  “Manorlord, I’ll move them away,” Ninefangs said.

  “No need. Look; that little Diremonster is planning to give us a seat.” Ning chuckled as he pointed towards a skinny, horned Diremonster who sat in the very first row of seats. The Diremonster stared unblinkingly at the mountain cliffs, but his eyes were bloodshot. Blood was beginning to leak from his mouth; clearly, he was beginning to succumb and go insane.

  The sword-arts left here were simply unfathomably profound. They had been left by a Daofather! If you gave up when you couldn’t understand, you would be fine, but if you tried to force your way through…you’d easily go insane.

  “Go.” Ning willed it, and whoosh! The Diremonster instantly disappeared into thin air, with Ning then appearing onto that prayer mat. The Immortal cultivators around him were all focused on their meditations. Although two or three of them noticed Ning appear, they didn’t pay too much attention to him. Ning and Ninefangs were both keeping their auras reserved as they wandered the Three Realms. Otherwise, if they were to release their Empyrean God auras, they would’ve terrified all of the Immortals and Fiendgods present to the point of quivering.

  * * *

  Book 19, Chapter 12 - Meditating

  “I’ll meditate here. Ninefangs, you can either meditate as well, or go find some other things to do,” Ji Ning sent mentally.

  “Understood,” Ninefangs said respectfully. He then flew to a distant winehouse. He was going to stand guard in the surrounding area, ready to carry Ning’s orders whenever necessary.

  ……

  The skinny little Diremonster who had vomited blood stared around blankly. “What…why am I here.” The area around him was filled with the waters of a flowing river. This was not the meditation area.

  “Wasn’t I on Mount Dashcloud? Right…I went too far just now. I almost went crazy. Some expert must’ve intervened and rescued me.” The little monster felt fear for what had almost happened. In Ning’s eyes, he was nothing more than a ‘little monster’, but in truth he was a Primal-level Diremonster. His heart had been filled with hatred, and he had deeply desired to gain insight into a profound sword-art to take revenge. However, he had been too forceful in his attempts to cultivate and so had fallen into madness.

  In truth, it was very risky for anyone below the Celestial Immortal level to meditate on the sword-arts of a Daofather. The path of Immortal cultivation, however, was a path filled with many pitfalls. There were many, many stories of those who had developed powerful sword-arts after having gazed upon the sword-arts of a Daofather. It was very common for one to gain sudden insight on Mount Dashcloud, resulting in them establishing a school of their own.

  Thus, there were often many weak cultivators who would come here to meditate.

  ……

  Ning sat there in the lotus position, staring at the sword-arts that had been left behind upon the mountain walls. The mountain walls were protected by layers of formations, none of which were particularly special; they had most likely been left behind by Daofather Fuju’s Empyrean God and True Immortal disciples.

  The sword-intent which radiated towards him, however, truly stunned him. He felt as though it was stabbing into his very heart.

  “What powerful sword-intent. The scars on the mountain wall that were created by casual blows from his sword-arts…countless years have passed, but they are still this terrifying.” Ning stared at the scars carefully. These had been left behind by a supreme Sword Immortal that was on Subhuti’s level!

  “Eh? That’s odd.” Ning immediately had a strange feeling as he stared at the scars. “There seems to be a fundamental difference between these sword-arts and the other Daofather-created sword-arts I studied at Mount Innerheart.”

  “The style is completely different…as though they belong to two completely different schools of thought.” Ning frowned. “But what exactly is different…?”

  He was searching for the answer. Ning was now an Empyrean God and a True Immortal. He was a master of the sword, and was extremely talented in this regard. He could immediately sense that something was different. It was a very indistinct, blurry feeling…and Ning wasn’t immediately able to pinpoint what exactly was causing it.

  “I have it.” Ning had a sudden thought. He waved his hand, and a stargold bead appeared within it.

  Ning had already bound all of the stargold beads. As a Protocosmic spirit-treasure, it could be controlled by Ning to reveal no presence or aura whatsoever. It was like a completely ordinary item right now.

  Every single one of the 3600 stargold beads had been infused with the nine chaos seals.

  “The chaos seals.” Ning stared at the constantly changing runes that flowed over the surface of the stargold bead. The runes were changing ceaselessly, never repeating in any discernable pattern.

  “Right. The sword-arts of Daofather Fuju remind me of the nine chaos seals. They feel very similar.” Ning immediately realized what the difference was.

  “The sword-arts created by Daofathers are generally bound by the mysteries of the Dao of the Heavens.”

  “But Daofather Fuju’s sword-arts, as well as these nine chaos seals…they seem to have surpassed the Dao of the Heavens,” Ning mused to himself. “The nine chaos seals were discovered by Daoist Three Purities when he roamed the primordial chaos. It makes sense for them to have surpassed the Heavenly Daos, as they sprung forth from the primordial chaos. But Daofather Fuju’s sword-arts have surpassed the Heavenly Daos as well?”

  The Dao of the Heavens was the Heavenly Daos of the Three Realms! They were the laws that governed the functioning of the Three Realms. Outside the Three Realms…the Heavenly Daos were without effect.

  For example, in the primordial chaos, only the Heavenly Dao of Primordial Chaos would function. The other nine Heavenly Daos were useless!

  “According to the stories, Daofather Fuju’s sword was shockingly fast, surpassing the limits of the Dao of the Heavens,” Ning mused. “Perhaps this is the reason why Daofather Fuju’s sword-arts were so terrifying.”

  “I need to carefully meditate on this.”

  Upon noting the similarities between the nine chaos seals and Daofather Fuju’s sword-arts, Ning immediately began to meditate.

  Every so often, he would switch over to meditating on the nine chaos seals. Whenever he reached a roadblock, he would then switch to meditating on his sword-arts. He would compare and contrast the two.

  Unexpectedly, Ning began to discover that the previous bottlenecks he had encountered when training in the Grand Dao of the Waterdrop and the Grand Dao of Qiankun were actually e
asy to break through. Clearly, the insights he had gained into the nine chaos seals and Daofather Fuju’s sword-arts were of tremendous benefit towards him in training in other Grand Daos.

  Time slowly passed.

  Ninefangs had once more come to the distant winehouse to drink wine. The winekeeper had long ago grown accustomed to this bald old man, because he had often come here to drink during the past month…and always chose to drink the extremely venomous ‘Five Immortals wine’. Another name for this wine was the ‘Five Venoms wine’, because it was created through matching and mixing nine different venoms together. It was truly toxic, but it was also incomparably delicious. A Zifu Disciple would die upon having a single sip; one had to at least be a Primal Daoist in order to be able to savor this wine without perishing.

  “Here is some of our finest Five Immortals wine. Please enjoy, honored guest.” The winekeeper personally delivered the wine and two appetizers to Ninefangs, who leisurely poured himself a cup.

  Gurgle. He raised his head and drank the wine. A twin sensation of fire and ice simultaneously flooded his entire body, causing him to feel extremely comfortable. Ninefangs laughed and nodded.

  “Eh?” Ninefangs suddenly had a strange feeling. He immediately turned his head to look towards the distant Mount Dashcloud. He gazed towards the white-robed youth that was seated amongst many other figures at the base of Mount Dashcloud.

  “Grand Dao?” Ninefangs was surprised. He then hurriedly sent mentally, “Congratulations, Manorlord, for having mastered the Grand Dao of the Waterdrop.”

  “Aren’t you the sensitive one? I was just testing things out, and you immediately sensed it,” Ning sent back.

  Ning was in an excellent mood. He had always had a high degree of affinity towards the Grand Dao of the Waterdrop. This past month of analyzing the nine chaos seals and the Daofather’s sword-arts had been extremely taxing, and his progress had been rather limited…but he actually ended up breaking through all bottlenecks and completely comprehending the Grand Dao of the Waterdrop.