Desolate Era

by RWX

  “No!”

  “How can this be happening?”

  “How can he be so strong?!” The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals were gripped by despair. They did their utmost, but remained unable to break free and escape from the terrifying black holes. They were all drawn inside, and all were ground apart and slain.

  In but an instant, more than five hundred Empyrean Gods and True Immortals perished! Not one was spared!

  This scene caused the face of Daomother Devilhand, who was watching on the walls of the Seamless Citadel, to turn absolutely bone-white. The black-robed Godking’s entire body was trembling slightly as well. It must be understood that the sudden appearance of the Envoy of All Things on the field of battle had only caused roughly five hundred casualties amongst the ranks of the Nuwa Alliance.

  By comparison, Ji Ning’s sudden explosion of power had resulted in the destruction of a Seamless Infinity Formation and an Infinity Fiendgod formation. The number of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals he had slain already exceeded seven hundred.

  “How is his sword that bizarre and that powerful?” The black-robed Godking shook his head, unable to accept what he was seeing.

  The Shadowless stance had always been the most unpredictable sword-stance Ning had. After spending centuries learning the many terrifying sword-arts left behind by World God Northrest, Ning had distilled their essence and infused it into his own [Brightmoon] sword-art, causing the Shadowless stance to become even more bizarre. If a sword-attack was both unpredictable and ridiculously fast, it would become terrifying to fight against. In fact, if it was sufficiently fast, it could be completely unblockable.

  This was what had happened to the Infinity Fiendgod. It had been completely unable to block against this sword-stance! A single blow had severed its head!

  “Even I wouldn’t be able to block that sword at all.” The black-robed Godking’s heart was quaking. Previously, Ning had displayed the terrifyingly fast and penetrating Blood Drop stance, but at least it wasn’t unpredictable; it was a sword that was straight and aboveboard. The Godking felt that he should at least be able to block it. But the Shadowless stance…even he didn’t feel any confidence in being able to block it.

  Ji Ning had actually caused him, the exalted, nominal leader of the Seamless Gate…to feel a faint sense of fear?

  He truly didn’t want to believe this.

  “How could he be this powerful? It makes no sense. This simply isn’t possible at all.” The black-robed Godking shook his head. Prior to this, he had held Ji Ning in no regard at all. How could a single weak Empyrean God have an impact on the overall situation? But now, this Empyrean God had unleashed the power of a elite Daofather. “Although Ji Ning’s sword-art is formidable, judging from the light surrounding his sword, he should have only reached the fourth stage of swordforce. The reason why Houyi was so formidable was because he, as an Empyrean God, broke through to reach the fifth stage of heartforce. That was why he had such terrifying power.”

  “Ji Ning’s swordforce is only at the fourth stage. It makes no sense for him to be so powerful.”

  “It makes no sense…”

  The black-robed Godking felt a mixture of urgency and anger. No matter what the result of this battle was…the painful losses they had just suffered was enough to cause his heart to feel as though it was being roasted by flames.

  The black-robed Godking simply couldn’t accept this…but the countless Immortals and Fiendgods of the Nuwa Alliance who saw this all felt their blood boil with excitement. Some of the Seven Planets Gods actually let out excited, heroic roars! The last fight had been a miserable one, but this time Ji Ning showed far, far too much power! In the past, Ji Ning had been able to use the Rahu God to force the Seamless Gate to bow its head, but back then he had barely been at the Daofather level of power. He was probably a bit weaker than even a Seamless Infinity Formation! But now, he was able to slay with a single-sword strike an Infinity Fiendgod that was close to a elite Daofather in power.

  “Formidable.” Xuan Yuan exclaimed with surprise, “Compared to the incredibly fast sword-strike he used at first, the strike he used to slay the Infinity Fiendgod was even more dazzling.”

  “Strange and unfathomable. The profound mysteries within his sword-art have already reached the apex. Without question, this is the number-one sword-art of the Three Realms.” Fuxi smiled as he spoke out in praise.

  “He truly is formidable.” Lord Tathagata the Buddha revealed a smile as well.

  “We can win this war.” Daoist Three Purities was laughing as well.

  Only now did the seven major powers all begin to laugh and smile in a joyful way. From Ning using a single sword-strike to slay an Infinity Fiendgod that was close to a elite Daofather in power, they were able to tell that he definitely had the power to stalemate the Envoy of All Things. Given how many Empyrean Gods and True Immortals he had slain, their side definitely held the upper hand once more.

  “Subhuti, it seems you underestimated your disciple.” Suiren glanced at the nearby Subhuti, who was smiling as well.

  “Wonderful. Wonderful. You didn’t let your hatred blind you. Although you were filled with rage and the desire to kill, you were able to remain calm.” Subhuti casually said a few words of praise for his disciple. In truth, he was the happiest of the seven.

  “Stop putting on a show of being calm. All I have to do is look at your twitching beard and I can tell how happy you are right now,” Shennong teased.

  “What, can’t I be happy?” Subhuti stroked his beard and smiled. “If you have a problem with it, go and produce a similarly talented disciple of your own.”

  “Enough with the chit-chat. Look, the Envoy has charged out, and Ning’s charging towards it as well,” Suiren said.

  The seven major powers began to watch closely once more.

  After Ning had dealt with the Infinity Fiendgod, he had charged straight towards the army of the Seamless Gate.

  Whoosh! The Rahu-Ning’s footsteps were simply too fast, causing Daomother Devilhand, atop the distant city walls of the Seamless Citadel, to begin to worry. Although she was extremely skilled in commanding armies, there was no solution she could use in the face of such an absolutely superiority in speed and power. Even if she had her army immediately flee, there was no way that it would be able to escape from Ji Ning, given how quickly he ran.

  As for blocking him? Even the Infinity Fiendgod, which had close to the power of a elite Daofather, had been slain in one blow, while the incredibly tough and resilient Seamless Infinity Formation had also been pierced through with one strike. No matter how many reinforcements she sent, they would simply be going to their deaths. Ji Ning was about to reach their army. Once he made it in, it would be an utter slaughter.

  “Envoy, stop Ji Ning.” Daomother Devilhand immediately gave the order.

  “The rest of the army, begin to withdraw.” Daomother Devilhand gave yet another order.

  Although their side had yet to be completely defeated, the situation on the battlefield was quite apparent. Ji Ning was probably strong enough to withstand the Envoy. No matter what, retreating for now was the best option. If they let their army fight without being confident that they would win, it would be akin to sending them into a massacre.

  But alas…

  Quite a long period of time had passed between Ning’s two clashes, resulting in both armies now being quite close to each other.

  “Darknorth!” The Envoy bellowed as it charged straight towards Ning, who moved to intercept.

  The first was an ape-shaped Envoy of All Things, wreathed in dark-red flames. It had been invented by an alien Outsider, the Lord of All Things, and Grandmaster Blackheaven had been responsible for forging it.

  The second was a Fiendgod that had been created based on the alien Outsider, Rahu, who had been used as the template.

  Both of them were filled with unearthly amounts of power. They were evenly matched.

  BOOM!

  Sword-light flashed in
an unpredictable, unfathomable manner, causing the heart of Empyrean God Bloodwave, the controller of the Envoy, to quiver. It was too bizarre and too fast! He hurriedly moved to block. The Envoy of All Things possessed absolutely astonishing power, and if a Daofather was in command of it, it would be able to unleash even greater levels of power. Three to five of them joining together would be a match for an overlord-level Daofather, like the leaders of Buddhism and Daoism. However, the current controller was ‘merely’ Empyrean God Bloodwave, and there was a limit to how strong an Empyrean God could be.

  An enormous explosion rang out!

  The Envoy stumbled two steps back before steadying itself…and then a hint of a smile appeared on its face.

  “I really am a fool. I was scared silly by that terrifying sword-blow of his.” Empyrean God Bloodwave regained his composure. “His sword-arts are the most terrifying sword-arts I have ever seen…but so what? Not even the leaders of Buddhism and Daoism would be able to damage the Envoy in the slightest. Ji Ning can’t hurt me at all. There’s no need for me to even defend against his sword-arts; all I need to do is continuously attach. If I can manage to grab him, I’ll be able to tear that Rahu God body of his apart.”

  Whoosh.

  The Envoy pounced forward in a savage manner, striking out with twin claws at lightning speed towards Ning.

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Sword-light flew everywhere.

  Ning’s sword-arts were completely superior to his foe’s techniques. Sword-arts that surpassed the limits of the Heavenly Daos…there was no way his foe could block his attacks. In an instant, Ning unleashed more than a hundred ‘Shadowless’ strikes, hacking down repeatedly upon his foe, but he wasn’t even able to leave a tiny mark on the golem. Ning actually had to be more careful than before, as his own body was simply formed from the energy of Heaven and Earth. Once it was damaged, it would completely break apart. Fortunately, Ning’s sword-arts were at such a high level that he was able to completely block every single strike of the Envoy.

  “No wonder the Envoy of All Things had such a fearsome reputation during the war that ended the Primordial Era. If a Daofather was in command, even I probably wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Fortunately, the one before me is merely commanded by an Empyrean God,” Ning mused to himself.

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 18 - Stay Your Hand Immediately!

  As Ji Ning exchanged blows with the Envoy, the situation for the Seamless Gate’s forces on the battlefield had turned very grim.

  In the instant that Ning had slain the Infinity Fiendgod, the military genius Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan had immediately given an order: “Jimin, Wood Child, launch an all-out attack.” At the same time, Daomother Devilhand had commanded her troops, “All forces, withdraw!”

  Clearly, both of the commanders were able to see how the situation on the battlefield had changed.

  “Yes.”

  “Yes.”

  The Pangu-Jimin instantly exploded with speed, throwing the rest of the army far, far behind him.

  At the same time, next to the Pangu-Jimin yet another Pangu God emerged. This one had a face that was quite young and fresh; it was Wood Child, the commander of the second Pangu Genesis Formation! Clearly, the Seamless Gate’s suspicions had been correct; Xuan Yuan and the others had been able to come up with no other ideas at all, and so were planning on compensating by increasing their total forces.

  He had been preparing to use two Pangu Gods, having them join forces to fight against the Envoy of All Things. Wood Child was one of the five mighty Children that had once accompanied Mother Nuwa herself. The Pangu God he commanded was currently wielding the ‘Godsteel Staff of Aeons’, and it ran alongside the Jimin-Pangu at the same level of speed.

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  The two Pangu Gods quickly charged into the Seamless Gate’s army. They were like tigers let loose amongst a flock of sheep. Most likely, the only thing within the Seamless Gate’s army that could match them for speed was the Envoy, with all the other formations and golems, including even the Infinity Fiendgods, being no match for them at all. What’s more, the Seamless Gate’s army had been greatly weakened.

  Their most powerful asset, the Envoy of All Things, had been tied down by Ji Ning.

  There was only one Infinity Fiendgod left! It must be understood that it had previously taken two of them to just barely be a match for a single Pangu God.

  Even one of the Seamless Infinity Formations had been destroyed!

  These two Pangu Gods could just barely be considered elite Daofathers. Naturally, they absolutely dominated and devastated their foes.

  “Damn.” Daomother Devilhand ground her teeth upon seeing this. She hurriedly deployed golems and formations to try and tie down those two Pangu Gods.

  The two Pangu Gods were simply far too powerful. If the many formations and golems on their side joined forces, they’d be able to tie down the Pangu Gods for a time…but as more time passed, the rest of the Nuwa Alliance’s army would arrive as well!

  “It’s all because of that Darknorth.” Daomother Devilhand looked at the distant, battling forms of the Envoy and the Rahu-Ning. “He’s completely tied down the Envoy.”

  “What are we to do?!” The black-robed Godking was even more frantic than her. For even Daomother Devilhand, who loved a good fight, to become panicked…the Godking felt as though this entire battlefield was crumbling before him.

  “Ji Ning.” The black-robed Godking stared at the distant Rahu-Ning. “Ji Ning is the cause of all of this. He’s wrecked our battle lines and has even tied down the Envoy.”

  As Ning fought against the Envoy, there was no one at all from either army who dared to approach the two of them.

  Their arena was the most terrifying region in this entire battlefield.

  “Mm. The Envoy does have some weaknesses.” As Ning fought, he also kept a careful eye on his opponent, searching for an opening that would allow him to seize victory. “Although the Envoy’s body is quite tough, as it is a golem, the person who commands it…well, that person is merely an Empyrean God and True Immortal. Thus, the attack speed and techniques used are comparatively low-level.”

  Ning was a peerless Sword Immortal, after all. He was a master of technique, and his sword-art had been proclaimed by Fuxi, Suiren, and the others as the number one sword-art of the entire Three Realms.

  In his eyes, the close-combat techniques being used by the Envoy golem were indeed quite ordinary.

  “The weakness of the Envoy lies with the Empyrean God controlling it. If I want to deal with it…I’ll need to put my techniques on full display.”

  As their battle continued, multiple battle strategies quickly flashed through Ning’s mind. Any battle would entail using your strengths to attack the enemy’s weaknesses.

  Suddenly…

  “Ji Ning! Stay your hand immediately!” The black-robed Godking sent mentally to him.

  “Godking?” Ning’s gaze turned towards the black-robed Godking standing atop the distant walls of the Seamless Citadel. Their gazes met…and Ning just smiled coldly.

  “If you continue like this, I’ll immediately kill your senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei and shatter her soul. In fact, I’ll even destroy her truesoul.” The black-robed Godking’s mental voice was furious. Destroying a truesoul was extremely difficult, but a Daofather was indeed capable of it.

  “Eh?” The Envoy battling against Ji Ning could sense that Ji Ning’s killing intent had suddenly skyrocketed for no apparent reason.

  “I know that this is a battlefield, and that you are a member of the Nuwa Alliance. There’s no way you can just give up the fight, as those major powers of the Nuwa Alliance would definitely blame you. All I want you to do is to keep fighting for a while, then reveal an opening and allow the Envoy to injure you, forcing you to ‘unwillingly’ quit the battlefield,” the black-robed Godking sent mentally.

  Have Ning reveal an opening?

  I
ntentionally allow the Envoy to wound him?

  That was no easy task. If he wasn’t careful, the Rahu Formation might completely crumble..

  “Your sword-art vastly surpasses his in technique. You’ll definitely be able to control the degree to which he injures you.” The black-robed Godking sent mentally, “Hurry up. I want you to it right now. I don’t care what method you use, I want you to immediately leave this field of battle. Otherwise, Yu Wei will die immediately! Her soul will be shattered and her truesoul extinguished.”

  “You…really are quite shameless.” For the first time, Ning replied to him.

  “Shameless? For the sake of achieving victory, I don’t care if I’m forced to act in such a way. I walk the path of the demonheart to begin with. I’m a demon, Ji Ning. Your side already has a huge advantage in this battle because of you, and you’ve already slaughtered enough of our Empyrean Gods and True Immortals. You should be satisfied. So long as you retreat, I’ll immediately return your senior apprentice-sister to you. I absolutely guarantee that I’ll give her to you. But you need to leave this battlefield. Right now!” The black-robed Godking frantically urged him.

  Every moment that was being wasted, the two Pangu Gods were massacring more and more members of the Seamless Gate. Although many formations and golems were being used to tie them down, the great army of the Nuwa Alliance was drawing closer and closer. Without the assistance of the Envoy of All Things, their losses would be utterly devastating.”

  “Quick. Quick! Quick!!” The Godking was frantic. He watched with nervousness and eagerness from atop the walls of the Seamless Citadel. He was like a terminally ill man who, in his desperation, would consult with any doctor who claimed to have a cure. He knew that after he had toyed with Ji Ning last time, the chances of Ji Ning trusting him a second time were virtually nil. However…the Godking truly had no other options left to him. In addition, he could sense that Ji Ning truly did have extremely deep feelings for Yu Wei.