Desolate Era

by RWX

  Ning’s sword-arts and cultivation base began to silently rise. For someone like Ning who had already mastered the [Five Treasures], it was entirely possible to meditate on these sword-arts left behind by a powerful World God. Although he wouldn’t be able to forcibly master all of them, he was still able to meditate on them one part at a time. And as time went on, he began to understand more and more.

  This was one of the things which Ning would rely on in the future to truly roam the Three Realms with his sword-arts.

  But as Ning lived this peaceful, fulfilling life of cultivation in this standalone region, the Three Realms…had been thrust into a state of complete and utter turmoil!

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 1 - The Mortal World

  Within the Three Realms.

  Clatter, clatter, clatter.

  The sound of many hooves clattering against the ground could be heard as what looked like a river of black steel flooded through the streets. Atop the large, armor-clad horses were the black-armored knights, all of which had frozen looks in their eyes. They looked as though they had come back from Hell itself as they galloped towards the majestic, towering castle at the end of the path.

  The guards at the top of the castle walls were rather drowsy, as things here had been peaceful for far, far too long. Given the influence and power of Tianxun Castle, how many would dare to cause trouble here?

  “Eh?”

  The vibrations caused by the distant, galloping horses caused one of the guards to take a closer look off towards the distance. Torches were lit all around the castle, and their light was dimly reflected off the armor of the distant knights.

  “Not good.” The guard was shocked. Taking a closer look, he was able to tell that there had to be at least a few hundred knights headed their way. His face turned ashen with fear as he hurriedly picked up his warning horn, then lifted it up high and blew it loudly.

  WUUUUUUUU!

  The deep, echoing sounds of the horn instantly filled the entire castle. The castle instantly turned into a hubbub of commotion as many armored warriors charged out from within it. Quite a few women and children were awakened as well.

  Soon, the walls became filled with many armored warriors, all of whom had solemn looks on their faces. Many of them were filled with savage, murderous auras as well; clearly, these were valiant figures that had seen and spilled blood before.

  “Someone blew the warning horn? It’s been a long, long time since our Tianxun Castle has used the warning horn.” A gray-robed, white-bearded old man ascended the castle walls as well, escorted by a group of people.

  There were three levels of alerts that could be used to notify Tianxun Castle of danger. Blowing the warning horn represented the highest level of danger!

  “Someone would dare to cause trouble for our Tianxun Castle? Hmph.” Next to him was a muscular, scar-faced man. The scar-faced man sneered, “I want to see for myself who could be so audacious.”

  “Come, fifth brother. Let’s take a look.”

  A group of men escorted a white-bearded old man to the walls, all of them staring far off into the distance. And as they did…their faces all began to change. The mounted knights were now much closer than before, and the lead knights were actually beginning to slow down as they were within three hundred meters of the walls. The appearances of the knights could be seen clearly.

  “Mystice Knights?” The white-bearded old man narrowed his eyes. He murmured to himself softly, “Why have Mystice Knights come here?”

  “Mystice Knights.”

  “There are a total of thirty thousand Mystice Knights, and around three thousand of them have come before us. Only one of their commanders has the authority to lead so many Mystice Knights.”

  “Father, what should we do?”

  The group of men all looked at the white-bearded old man, who was the lord of this castle. The white-bearded old man frowned, then said in a low voice, “Our Tianxun Castle might be capable of defeating these Mystice Knights if we fought with all our might, but our casualties would be utterly devastating…and we would anger the one who created the Mystice Knights as well…”

  “Father, then we…?”

  “Our only choice is to come up with a way to have them voluntarily depart.”

  Rumble…

  The thundering hoofsteps of the three thousand Mystice Knights continued to ring out as they began to gather in front of Castle Tianxun. Soon, all of the knights came to a halt. The leader was a commander dressed in silver armor who had a gray mask on his face. Only his eyes could be seen, and he stared at the white-bearded old man atop the walls as he said calmly, “Li Tianxun, the day of your death has come.”

  “Death?” The faces of those atop the walls of Castle Tianxun became quite unsightly. These words showed that clearly, this matter wouldn’t be so easily resolved.

  “Commander, might I ask how I offended you?” The white-bearded old man chuckled as he spoke, his voice echoing forth throughout the world. He was a peak Xiantian expert, after all. “My sworn brother’s eldest disciple, ‘Immortal Omniscient’, is currently residing within my castle. I would suggest that you leave this place. If you disturb Immortal Omniscient, you would have committed a grave sin.”

  “Immortal Omniscient? I’m supposed to believe he is here, just because you say he is?” The silver-armored knight said coldly.

  The white-bearded old man immediately called out, “Immortal Omniscient!”

  “Uncle, you can just address me as Omniscient. There’s no need to address me as ‘Immortal’.” A streak of light flew out from the city walls. It was an azure-robed man standing atop a flying sword. A cold wind blew past, rustling his robes. He stood there atop the sword, drifting downwards from the skies, causing all the guards atop Castle Tianxun to grow excited.

  “Mystice Knights.” The azure-robed man looked downwards, then said calmly, “There’s no real disputes between my Transheaven Palace and the Mystice Knights. I think it would be best if you leave.”

  “He really is here…” the silver-armored knight growled softly.

  “We of Castle Tianxun do not know how we offended the Mystice Knights. Later, I will definitely send people to deliver gifts in recompense.” The white-bearded old man still had that yielding, accommodating smile on his face. Neither the Mystice Knights nor Transheaven Palace were powers he could afford to offend!

  “The general’s guess was right on.” The silver-armored commander continued in a low voice, “Elders, sorry to trouble you.”

  “Leave that kid Omniscient to us.”

  Whoosh. Whoosh.

  Two streaks of light flew out from within the ranks of the Mystice Knights. It was two of the armored knights, but their auras suddenly exploded with power that was greater than even Immortal Omniscient’s.

  “Elders of the Mystice Knights?” The azure-robed man had been flying forward calmly atop his sword, but his face now instantly changed. It was known that the Mystice Knights had a total of ten commanders, each of which could control three thousand knights…but the truth was a bit more complicated than that. Strictly speaking, these thirty thousand knights were nothing more than the disciples under the general’s tutelage, with the better ones being promoted to become lieutenants, captains, and commanders. Commanders were generally all at the peak Xiantian level.

  If however they were able to break through again and reach the Zifu level, they would no longer be required to serve as military commanders. They would become elders.

  Every single Elder was, in truth, a former commander. The most terrifying figures of the Mystice Knights were its elders and its general.

  “Transheaven Palace and the Mystice Knights…” Immortal Omniscient began frantically. All of the Zifu Disciples of the Mystice Knights had risen to power through countless battles. Each and every one of them was terrifying.

  “Transheaven Palace…no longer exists.” Both of the elders spoke out as they flew into the air.

  “What?!” Immortal O
mniscient’s face completely changed.

  “Go join them in the tomb.” Accompanying these words was an attack, as one of the elders sent a a streak of curved, bloody moonlight towards Immortal Omniscient. The battle instantly erupted.

  “KILL!” The silver-armored knight immediately gave the order.

  Castle Tianxun had already begun to panic. Two Immortals had suddenly emerged from within the ranks of the Mystice Knights, causing them to lose all of their courage. With a single boom, the gates to the city were blasted open. Given the power of the Mystice Knights, breaking through the gate of a castle was far too easy.

  The slaughter instantly began.

  The Mystice Knights had made their preparations long ago. The terrified guards of Castle Tianxun were far from being a match for them.

  “Ahhhh!” A terrified, fleeing woman was chopped to death by one blow of a saber.

  “Mother! Mother!”

  “I’m gonna kill you!”

  One by one, the children were wiped out as well.

  Castle Tianxun was transformed into a river of blood.

  The white-bearded old man had gone completely berserk, but he was unable to prevent it from happening. He roared angrily, “Even if the Mystice Knights have launched a war against Transheaven Palace, why do act you against Castle Tianxun as well? How has Castle Tianxun offended you?!”

  “Why? Tianxun, you old wretch, do you still remember me?” The silver-armored commander, who had fought with the greatest degree of savagery, removed his mask, revealing a hideous, scar-covered face.

  “Who are you?” The white-bearded old man didn’t recognize him.

  “It seems you’ve done so many evil deeds that you’ve forgotten. Do you remember that night, thirty-nine years ago, when you left behind one wound after another on the face of a child?” The silver-armored knight’s voice was filled with boundless hate.

  “Y-you…didn’t you die?!” The white-bearded man was a peak Xiantian expert, after all; he naturally was able to quickly remember the events of that night, and he couldn’t help but stare in disbelief.

  “Yes…it would’ve been best for you if I died. But I did not. Although I lost a great deal of blood, I didn’t die. I’m not the type to die as easily as that. I crawled out, alive, from that pile of corpses…and when I woke up, I found that I was the only survivor out of our tribe of thirty thousand. I survived…but my life was a life worse than death. That day, I swore an oath that I would one day destroy Castle Tianxun. I changed my name to ‘Bloodfeud’. Step by solitary step, I advanced through life…and now, I’ve become the general’s personal disciple.”

  “Y-you…” The white-bearded old man’s heart shook as he stared at this man, whose face covered with savage scars.

  Given the power of the Mystice Knights, they could’ve easily fixed this commander’s face long ago. However, he had chosen not to; clearly, it was due to him nursing this hatred.

  “You actually managed to tie yourself to Transheaven Palace…but alas for you, after seeing the hatred festering in my heart for so long, one day Master finally asked me about it, and so I told him. Master’s response was… “Then we might as well wipe out Transheaven Palace. The death of the Lord of Transheaven Palace will be a good thing for the world.” The silver-armored knight continued to fight, drawing closer and closer to the white-bearded old man.

  “It’s over.”

  The white-bearded old man had never imagined that he was actually the reason why the general of the Mystice Knights had attacked Transheaven Palace. All of the knights of the Mystice Knights were madmen, and the general who had founded their order was the number one madman in the world. No one dared to antagonize him. Even Transheaven Palace was doomed to be destroyed, now that they had.

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 2 - Understanding the Heart

  In truth, the general of the Mystice Knights had taken a dislike towards Transheaven Palace for quite some time now. This was nothing more than a final, motivating spark. The general really did like his disciple, ‘Bloodfeud’; he felt that Bloodfeud was his perfect successor. Bloodfeud was extremely talented, but had been held back by his hatred. Once he gained his vengeance, Bloodfeud would probably undergo a true transformation, rising like a phoenix from a pile of ashes. Thus, he decided to wipe out Transheaven Palace at one blow.

  “Flee! Flee!”

  “So long as I survive, the Li clan will remain.” Upon seeing what was happening, the white-bearded old man no longer had any more will to fight, and he immediately began to flee.

  The silver-armored knight, in turn, slaughtered through all who attempted to oppose him, doing his very best to close the range. Morale began to plummet as the guardians of Castle Tianxun saw their lord begin to flee, and they began to flee as well.

  The Mystice Knights began an absolute massacre of the survivors. Bloodfeud’s order was for them to kill everyone here, leaving none behind.

  “Li Tianxun, stop fighting.” An ancient voice rang out.

  Two streaks of light flew towards him from far away. It was the two elders…and behind them, the corpse of Immortal Omniscient fell towards the ground.

  “No…”

  The white-bearded old man stared in despair at the two armored elders who had appeared in the air in front of him.

  “Bloodfeud, he’s yours,” one of the elders said.

  “Thank you, Elder.” The silver-armored knight walked forward, filled with a murderous aura.

  But right at this moment…

  The world suddenly turned silent.

  All the cries, the shouts, the screams, the begs for mercy, the sobs…they all vanished. It was completely silent now.

  The Mystice Knight stabbing a spear through the air…the mother crouched in front of her child, blocking sabers and swords for him…the silver-armored knight whose eyes were filled with hatred…the two calm elders in the air…all of them had looks of utter shock in their eyes.

  They realized…that they were completely unable to move.

  Not even the two elders in midair could move.

  “Alas.” A single sigh echoed within the world.

  A black-robed youth suddenly appeared in the distance. He had been watching from far away, but with a single step he arrived in the air above Castle Tianxun.

  Everyone present was utterly terrified, including the silver-armored knight and the two elders. Not even their general, who was said to be one of the top three experts of the entire world, was even close to being as terrifying as this black-robed youth. The black-robed youth stood there, and it seemed as though he had become the center of this entire world. The world itself seemed to shudder at his presence, as though he could effortlessly destroy it.

  “You are the leader of these knights?” The black-robed Ji Ning stood in front of the white-bearded old man and the silver-armored knight, aiming his question at the knight.

  The knight suddenly realized that he could now speak. He nodded. “Yes.”

  “You are the leader of this castle?” Ning looked at the white-bearded old man.

  The white-bearded old man also realized that he could now speak. He immediately said, “Senior, the Mystice Knights destroyed my clan and murdered countless innocents. Please give me justice, senior!”

  Ning looked towards the silver-armored knight.

  “Him? He wants ‘justice’? The entirety of Castle Tianxun is a den of devils. All of them deserve to die.” The silver-armored knight’s eyes were filled with hatred.

  Ning did a quick scan of their souls, quickly sorting through the memories of the silver-armored knight and the white-bearded old man. He now completely understood the istuation, as well as how much hatred this silver-armored knight held in his heart.

  “Our Castle Tianxun has brought blessings to many. Although we are many in number, resulting in the occasional evildoer appearing, you can ask anyone you like about our reputation, senior.” The white-bearded old man knew that this youth before him was his only hope for survival
, and tears began to flow out of his eyes. “Damn these Mystice Knights. They didn’t even spare the children.”

  “There’s no need to discuss your ‘reputation’.” Ning glanced at the white-bearded old man, his gaze very calm. “Lord of Castle Tianxun…leader of Blackwind Cave.”

  The white-bearded old man’s face turned ashen.

  It was true. Blackwind Cave was indeed a secret identity of Castle Tianxun. Every single male child would be trained, and in fact from the age of three they would be taught to kill. However, as the saying goes, a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass around his hole. It was true that in the surrounding area, Castle Tianxun’s reputation was sterling, and they had indeed done many good deeds. But in other places…they were the utterly vile and rapacious Blackwind Cave! They had robbed and murdered countless people, which was why Castle Tianxun was so wealthy.

  But very few knew this secret!

  The only reason Bloodfeud knew the secret was because he was one of their victims. After he became a Mystice Knight, he learned the full truth.

  “All of them deserve to die. All of them!” The silver-armored knight said demonically.

  “But the children? The women who have never killed a single soul? Those infants who are still dressed in swaddling clothes?” Ning looked at him.

  “Pull up grass by the roots.” The silver-armored knight looked at Ning. “I know you are strong, senior. I’ve already taken my revenge. If you wish to kill me or punish me, that’s entirely up to you. I only ask that the others not be implicated as a result. My brothers in the Mystice Knights only attacked because of my orders. I’ve been gripped by hatred for countless years. Now that I’ve taken revenge…I’m satisfied.” The silver-armored knight stood there resolutely.

  Ning shook his head.

  Whoosh. Ning waved his hand, and all of the children and women within Castle Tianxun were drawn into a minor world estate-treasure which Ning kept with him.

  And then, Ning himself vanished as well.

  “Eh?” Everyone sensed that they were now able to move again.