Desolate Era

by RWX

  It was an extremely slow and very relaxed, comfortable process.

  It was like a baby bird sleeping inside the egg shell.

  It was like a baby child sleeping within the mother’s womb.

  The ball of white light completely surrounded the blurry figure. In this moment, all thought was impossible. Clearly, the Jindan, soul, and bodies had all begun to merge together. Only things that had come from the same source could merge together in such a manner. The divine bodies, Jindans, and souls of these clones were all absolutely identical. There were no differences whatsoever!

  If there was even the slightest bit of difference, the merger would become impossible.

  For example, Ning’s Primaltwin had been formed through a Sole-Ki Pearl of Primalwater. Thus, there were a major differences between it and Ning’s true body. And so, there was no way whatsoever for the Primaltwin and the true body to merge together! But of course, the eighteen Primaltwin clones could all merge into each other.

  Whoosh.

  The blurry white light completely faded away, withdrawing into the remaining clone’s body. The white-robed figure emerged once more, and it once more became capable of thought. As Ning regained his senses, he could immediately sense how his body had changed. “My divine power has transformed in some way. The Pure Yang energy in my Jindan has become more pure, and the Jindan region has expanded in size by a bit. My soul has become more powerful as well…even my heartforce has grown considerably stronger.”

  When two completely identical souls fused together, the resultant soul would of course be much stronger. This sort of fusion would result in an upgrade in every single aspect and area.

  Long ago, when the King of Pangaea had been an Elder God, he had relied on mastering the complete [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods] to join his clones together, allowing him to surpass other Elder Gods in every single aspect. It had given him overwhelmingly superior power.

  “Continue.”

  Whoosh.

  Yet another white-robed youth was drawn into the first one’s body. The first clone’s body continued to rise in power, and the soul, divine power, heartforce, and Pure Yang energy all continued to evolve.

  One clone after another was absorbed into the first one.

  The [One True Body] technique relied on the fact that all the clones originated from the same source. This was the reason why the technique could work. The more clones were absorbed, the more powerful one would become. If Ning had been able to train in the even more ridiculous [Thousand Bodies Sutra], he would’ve been able to fuse a thousand clones together. The increase in power would be even more ridiculous, in that case, allowing an Empyrean God to become the equivalent of a True God, and a True God to become the equivalent of an Elder God. An Elder God would become the equivalent of a World God!

  This was what made the [Thousand Bodies Sutra] to be such an unearthly, almighty technique! But alas, the price of training in this technique was simply too great. For even a weak Empyrean God to train in it would require a Worldheart to be consumed. The price that would need to be paid for someone more powerful would be truly incalculable. Which World God would be willing to part with a Worldheart, giving it away to an Empyrean God for cultivation? Even if the Empyrean God was to succeed, that person would still be tremendously weak and unable to help the World God at all. It would only make a difference if the Empyrean God was able to train all the way to become an Elder God…but in the path of Immortal cultivation, advancing through every single major stage saw tremendous difficulties. Far, far too many cultivators were washed out at each stage.

  Whoosh.

  With each merger, Ning continued to transform.

  Finally, all seventeen white-robed youths had merged into one. Into one true body.

  “What a strange sensation.” Ning looked at his surroundings. His soul was now far more powerful than it had been before, and even the rate at which he gained insights into the Dao was now far faster. Even though he previously was able to simultaneously train with thirty-six different bodies, the speed at which he gained insights was less than his current speed, after his one true body had been formed.

  “This…is this the level of Daofathers?” Ning murmured softly to himself.

  Seventeen clones, each of which had second-tier Jindans. Now that they had merged together into one true body, the power of the Jindan inside his body was comparable to first-tier Jindans! True Immortals of Pangaea with first-tier Jindans were indeed on the same level of power as the Daofathers of the Three Realms, and in fact they actually had deeper reservoirs of energy.

  “My energy is on the level of a Daofather’s.”

  “My divine body has surpassed the limits of an Empyrean God; it can be considered a half-step into the True God level.”

  “My soul…it should have thirty to forty percent of the might of an ordinary Daofather’s soul. In order for my soul to reach the level of a true Daofather, I’ll need to spend another century nourishing it. Of my seventeen clones, two had long ago gained second-tier Jindans, and so their souls had been nourished significantly. The other fifteen had only just recently upgraded to second-tier Jindans. Their souls didn’t have enough time to evolve.”

  Ning understood this principle. Still…it was enough.

  His true body’s soul was already more than a hundred times stronger than that of an ordinary True Immortal’s. Daofathers could easily cover the Three Realms with the coresense, while Ning could perhaps just barely do the same, if he went all out. As for Empyrean Gods and True Immortals? They generally were only capable of covering a major world with their coresense. From this, one could easily see the difference in soul power!

  “Compared to Daofather Holyflame…let’s see. We have equivalent levels of energy. I have more technically profound sword-arts, but his have been infused with the Heavenly Dao of Fire. However…I have a Darknorth sword that is a Chaos weapon.” Ning nodded to himself. “In terms of power…my true body should be comparable to Daofather Holyflame.”

  “If I were to use the Rahu Formation…”

  “I would be given a divine body that was comparable to that of a elite Daofather. In that case, my total power would surpass Daofather Holyflame’s.”

  “Defeating the Envoy of All Things will be simplicity itself!”

  Ning willed his aura to be retracted into his body. Instantly, the incredible aura of power surrounding him, an aura comparable to a Daofather’s, was completely retracted inside of him. This wasn’t the aura-hiding technique which Subhuti had taught him; it was one of the many techniques which World God Northrest had left behind for him. While wandering the primordial chaos, one would easily perish if one’s power was revealed for all others to know.

  The estate-world treasure which Ning was within was something which he had acquired from a True God of the prisonworld. Not even Elder Gods or Ancestral Immortals would be able to spy on it.

  Whoosh.

  Ning turned to look towards the side. Next to him were the black-robed Ning’s, and they were in the process of fusing together as well. Soon, they transformed into a single black-robed Ning. This Ning also had the power of a elite Daofather.

  “There’s not much of a difference between fusing eighteen clones and fusing seventeen clones. It’s best to leave one behind as a ‘seed’. If I’m going to war against the Seamless Gate…best to remain cautious.” Ning willed it, and with a swoosh he disappeared from the estate-world.

  ……

  The Starseizer major world. A large shrine.

  “We pay our respects to you, Manorlord!”

  Empyrean God Ninefangs and Empyrean God Snow Scorpion, upon seeing Ning suddenly appear, hastily bowed towards him.

  “Ninefangs, summon the army immediately,” Ning instructed.

  “Yes.” Ninefangs immediately went to make the arrangements.

  “Has Redsnow left seclusion?” Ning looked towards Snow Scorpion, who shook her head and laughed. “Redsnow is still in seclusion. I really have no idea when he
will emerge.”

  “No rush.” Ning nodded, then immediately walked outside. Ninefangs remained the weakest of the seven, and was also the last to become an Empyrean God. Thus, he was also the most industrious of the seven, and many of the miscellaneous tasks were left for him to handle.

  Soon, the plaza before the shrine became filled with a teeming horde of Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals.

  Whoosh.

  A white-robed youth emerged from the divine hall. Instantly, the throng of Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals turned their gazes towards him, Ji Ning. They all called out respectfully, “Manorlord.”

  “Assemble the formation,” Ning commanded.

  Instantly, the countless Immortals all flew into the air together. Ning flew to the very center of the host of Immortals, and the energy of Heaven and Earth began to flow into him in such a flow that it was affecting the entire Starseizer world. An utterly ferocious, titanic Fiendgod began to emerge. His body was pitch-black, but his lower back was covered with extremely fine strands of silver fur. Six burly, thick arms grew out from the body. Then, a head that was rather similar to Ning’s own head grew out and emerged as well.

  The Rahu God had manifested.

  “This body is far more powerful than a True God’s body.” Ning’s six hands clenched tightly into fists. Boom! Space itself was trembling.

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 15 - To Battle

  “Excellent. Using Daofather-level energy to command the Rahu Formation is indeed much easier. I’m able to control all of the natural energy which has been summoned by these 90,000 Celestial Immortals and 8 million Loose Immortals.” Ji Ning could sense the full power of the Rahu God.

  The difference between his current Daofather-level energy and his former True Immortal-level energy was simply enormous. For a True Immortal to command this mighty formation was like forcing a child to lift up a large boulder. A Daofather doing the same was like letting a strongman do the same. With Ning’s fundamentals changed, the difficulty he faced in controlling formation naturally changed as well.

  Given that his soul was now much more powerful as well…he was able to effortlessly command the full force of the Rahu Formation!

  “Seamless Gate.” A hint of a murderous look flashed through the Rahu-Ning’s eyes.

  ……

  Within the levitating castle.

  A black-robed Ning had appeared out of nowhere within Ning’s residence. The black-robed Ning raised his head, staring into the skies. Large plumes of snow had begun to drift downwards.

  “It’s snowing,” Ning murmured softly to himself.

  When he had met with the Godking in the Grand Xia, it was in the heart of winter as well, but back then Ning’s heart had been blazing with eagerness. But now…it had become nothing short of an iceberg.

  “It is time to meet with senior Xuan Yuan.” The black-robed Ning walked out of his own residence and towards Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan’s palace. While walking over, he noted that the mood was quite gloomy. The Seamless Gate had called for battle on numerous occasions, but the Nuwa Alliance had yet to respond at all. This caused all of the Immortals and Fiendgods on their side to worry…did they really have no response at all for the Envoy of All Things? Although Ning chatted a bit with the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals he met on the way, he could sense the tremendous pressure his friends were under.

  This war was one in which the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals would risk their lives, after all.

  A short while later, the black-robed Ning reached Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan’s palace.

  “Empyrean God Darknorth.” The golden-armored guard in front of the palace called out to him, stopping him.

  “Please send the word to his Imperial Majesty, the Yellow Emperor. Simply say that Ji Ning is now prepared,” the black-robed Ning said.

  “Alright.” The golden-armored guard nodded.

  Ning turned and left.

  Within the palace.

  The three mighty Sovereigns of Mankind were seated, as were the incarnations of the leaders of Buddhism and Daoism and the true bodies of Xuan Yuan and Subhuti.

  “Ji Ning is now prepared.” Xuan Yuan smiled as he looked towards Subhuti. “And…what a powerful desire to kill he is radiating!”

  “Mm. It is quite intense.” Subhuti murmured softly, “Although he is keeping it suppressed deep in his heart…that’s what makes the intensity of it so shocking. That’s why I told you to make preparations for being defeated, just in case. Although I’ve always been very confident in this disciple of mine, and although he’s never allowed his personal emotions to get in the way of the big picture…we really cannot afford to lose this fight.”

  “Yes. We cannot afford to lose.” Shennong let out a sigh. “We have no other options for dealing with the Envoy of All Things. We just don’t have enough power. We have to rely on raw numbers to overwhelm it.”

  “This is our best chance.” Suiren, Lord Tathagata the Buddha, and the others all nodded.

  “If Ji Ning is unsuccessful, we’ll carry out the plan we originally settled upon,” Xuan Yuan said softly. That plan was a calamitous one. Xuan Yuan stilled his emotions, then said, “I’ll assemble the army now.”

  “Alright.” Everyone present nodded.

  Xuan Yuan immediately instructed two of his disciples, “Give the order to assemble. Prepare to enter combat.”

  The order was given. The entire castle instantly exploded into motion as a veritable ocean of Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, Celestial Immortals, and Loose Immortals quickly began to gather together, assembling into great formations.

  “The Seamless Gate isn’t even calling out for battle right now. For us to take the initiative to attack…can it be that the major powers have already come up with a way to deal with that ape-shaped monstrosity?”

  “If we’re taking the initiative to attack…the major powers might really have a solution.”

  “Right.”

  “If we don’t deal with that ape-shaped aberration, it will be very hard to win. It’s utterly impenetrable to weapons. Not even fellow Daoist Jimin’s Pangu Genesis Formation was able to harm it in the slightest. If that ape-shaped monstrosity is allowed to go wild…we are going to suffer greatly for it.”

  “They surely have a solution.”

  The various Empyrean Gods and True Immortals who were the commanders of the formation were all chatting amongst themselves.

  Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

  The Three Sovereigns, the leaders of Buddhism and Daoism, Subhuti, and Xuan Yuan all appeared. They flew through the air as Xuan Yuan called out in a commanding voice, “Exit the citadel!”

  Rumble…

  The vast, awe-inspiring army flew into the air as well, flying out of the floating citadel and towards the distant wilderness.

  Xuan Yuan and the rest of the seven major powers stood atop the city walls, watching from afar. Their disciples, Ning included, quickly assembled behind them atop the walls.

  “The disciples under my command do not know that you are going to join the battle. Just now, when I ordered the army to assemble, you weren’t notified.” Xuan Yuan turned to look at the black-robed Ning. “You can go now.”

  “Yes.” Ning nodded.

  Boom.

  An enormous, thirty thousand meter tall Rahu God suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Its face was Ji Ning’s face, and it held a pair of Darknorth swords in its hands, one of which was the one which had become a Chaos treasure.

  The Rahu-Ning instantly soared into the skies, heading towards the main army.

  “Rahu Formation?”

  “Is Ji Ning simply going to use the Rahu Formation?” The faces of Xuan Yuan, Subhuti, the Three Sovereigns, and the leaders of Buddhism and Daoism all changed.

  They knew exactly what the strengths and weaknesses of the Rahu Formation were, which made them all the more nervous.

  “Ji Ning…has he really lost sight of the big picture?” The reason why
Subhuti had previously advised the other major powers to prepare for defeat was simply because this battle was too important; they truly couldn’t afford to lose this war. But upon seeing that Ning’s ‘special ability’ seemingly just consisted of using the Rahu Formation, Subhuti’s heart truly turned cold.

  “The Rahu Formation…” Fuxi spoke out. “I created this formation. It is an extremely difficult one, and there aren’t even many Daofathers who are capable of unleashing the full power of this formation. Only a Daofather who has extremely strong heartforce and a soul heartforce technique can truly unleash its power. Ji Ning has not become a Daofather yet. If his meditations into the Dao began to resonate with the Heavenly Daos, we would’ve sensed it long ago.”

  “Right.” Everyone present nodded. Mastering a Heavenly Dao would cause a resonance with the Heavenly Daos. It was something that was extremely difficult to hide.

  “Ji Ning is not a Daofather, and he’s only capable of unleashing a small part of the full power of the Rahu Formation. Even if his sword-arts are extraordinary, he would at most be capable of matching an ordinary Daofather.” Fuxi shook his head. “Even one of the Seamless Infinity Formations would be able to completely suppress him. As for the Envoy of All Things…that has the power of a elite Daofather.”

  “Is it possible that Ji Ning has something else planned?” Xuan Yuan couldn’t help but ask this question. He still held hope in the words which Ning had said a month ago.

  “Let’s watch for now.” Suiren was frowning as well.

  “Have the other Pangu Genesis Formation be prepared,” Daoist Three Purities advised.

  “Yes.” Xuan Yuan nodded slowly.

  Subhuti didn’t say anything else. He just watched from far away as the Rahu-Ning flew towards the great army of the Nuwa Alliance, his eyes filled with worry.

  The walls of the Seamless Citadel. Daomother Devilhand and the black-robed Godking had both appeared.

  “The Nuwa Alliance actually dares to call us out for battle?” The Godking laughed.