Desolate Era

by RWX

  “Yes.” Ning couldn’t hide the murderous look in his own eyes either.

  When he thought of how the Godking had stood there atop the walls of the Seamless Citadel, crushing the soul of his wife in his fingers and disintegrating her truesoul…Ning’s hatred began to rise.

  Ning had to kill him.

  He had to kill this ‘Godking’!

  ……

  The Allfiend world.

  At the top of that solitary mountain peak, the Lord of All Fiends was meeting with the Lord of the Demonheart. Blackheaven stood respectfully to one side, not saying a word.

  “That was quite a miserable loss,” the gray-robed figure said softly, a hint of amusement in his words. “A pity. A pity.”

  “Aren’t you the one who forced this great tribulation upon us?” The Lord of All Fiends said calmly.

  “Windfiend, your words are in error. It wasn’t that I forced this tribulation to occur; rather, if I didn’t take action, we would be completely wiped out.” The gray-robed figure chuckled, “Thus, our only choice is to fight. Only if the Nuwa Alliance is completely annihilated shall we be able to survive.”

  “Then what is the true source of this calamitous war?” The Lord of All Fiends frowned.

  “Even I do not know. I am part of the Heavenly Daos, but they are not all mine.” The gray-robed figure shook his head. “No matter what…I still hope that the Seamless Gate will be the one to win. Although I have become part of the Heavenly Daos…in the past, I was the king of the Seamless Chaosworld, after all. I truly don’t wish to see the Seamless Gate be completely wiped out, or perhaps see you lead a tiny band of survivors in fleeing from the Three Realms. In the end, my hope is simply that the living beings who shall prosper and thrive within the Three Realms shall be the living beings of the Seamless Chaosworld.”

  The Lord of All Fiends stared at him.

  The gray-robed figure continued, “As for the war for karmic luck…the battle for the Deerchaser major world was the critical battle. Unfortunately, we lost. We lost due to a completely unexpected variable. He is neither a Daofather nor a True God, and he hasn’t even reached the fifth stage of heartforce or swordforce. However…he was still able to unleash the full, complete power of the Rahu Formation. Now that he has acquired the Envoy, he has become the greatest impediment to our side winning the war for karmic luck.”

  “He has indeed.” The Lord of All Fiends nodded. “Do you have any ideas for dealing with him? Given his power, he can have his true body control the Rahu Formation while his Primaltwin controls the Envoy. Even if I sent four or five Envoys against him, they wouldn’t really be able to do anything to him. Don’t forget that the army of the Nuwa Alliance is incredibly powerful as well. Without the Envoys, there’s no way that we can possibly overcome them.”

  “Ji Ning has become the sharpest fang of all in the maws of the Nuwa Alliance.” The gray-robed figure chuckled calmly. “The best way to deal with such a fang…is to pull it out.”

  “Pull it out?” The Lord of All Fiends was stunned.

  “Yes.” The gray-robed figure nodded.

  “How?” The Lord of All Fiends’ face changed. He could vaguely sense at what Lord Demonheart was proposing.

  “Have True Gods and Daofathers act. Attack and kill Ji Ning.” This was the gray-robed figure’s response.

  The Lord of All Fiends instantly frowned. It was exactly as he has suspected. He immediately said unhappily, “There is reason why neither we nor the Nuwa Alliance have been willing to allow True Gods or Daofathers to get involved and launch the Endwar, and are instead competing to win the war for karmic luck first. That reason is because both of our sides are very close to each other in power. If we really were to launch the Endwar, our casualties would be catastrophic. If we were to have a True God or Daofather strike, the Nuwa Alliance would be enraged and probably send their major powers to intervene. If this happens, it’s very possible that the Endwar will immediately begin as a result.”

  “Perhaps it will. But perhaps it won’t.” The gray-robed figure said calmly, “With this new variable, Ji Ning, entering into the mix, our chances for winning the war for karmic luck have become very low. If that’s the case…we might as well start the Endwar right away.”

  “What’s more…”

  “These so-called ‘unspoken rules’ were meant to be broken. True Gods and Daofathers are forbidden from intervening? When things really come to a head, why care about such foolish rules? The only thing that matters is killing Ji Ning! If the Nuwa Alliance goes crazy, then let’s fight! They’ll be caught completely unprepared…and given that they are currently winning the war for karmic luck, they probably wouldn’t be willing to launch the Endwar just yet.”

  “Thus, even if we actually kill Ji Ning and cause the Endwar, we would be the side with the upper hand as we would already be prepared for it. If the Endwar doesn’t begin? That’s even better. In short…no matter what the result is, it won’t be that bad for us,” the gray-robed figure said calmly.

  The Lord of All Fiends seemed to be intrigued by his words.

  “But if we just let things develop…we are on track to lose the war for karmic luck for certain,” the gray-robed figure said calmly.

  The Lord of All Fiends was silent for a long moment.

  The gray-robed figure just watched him. He had become part of the Heavenly Daos, after all; the one who truly was in control of the Seamless Gate and made the decisions for it was now the Lord of All Fiends! To violate the unspoken accords of the major powers and to have True Gods and Daofathers act to assassinate Ji Ning…this was a decision which only the Lord of All Fiends could make.

  “True. No matter what the end result is, it won’t be that bad for us. I’ve never wanted to actually see the Endwar descend upon us…but it is no longer avoidable.” The Lord of All Fiends shook his head. “Since that’s the case…then let us anoint our war-banner with Ji Ning’s blood.”

  The gray-robed figure laughed.

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 22 - A Deadly Crisis

  The remnants of the Seamless Gate’s army departed from the Deerchaser world, the scene of the Seamless Gate’s most catastrophic defeat.

  “Eh?”

  As they were leading their shattered forces away, their hearts filled with misery, the black-robed Godking and Daomother Devilhand were both stunned.

  “The Fiendlord is summoning us?” The Godking was puzzled.

  “Why is Windfiend summoning us? He never gets involved in these things.” Daomother Devilhand was puzzled as well. Neither of them, however, hesitated at all. They immediately sent their coresense to the Allfiend world, using it to manifest an incarnation that descended upon it.

  The Allfiend world. Windfiend Palace. At the very tip of the palace, clouds and mist could be seen swirling about four figures who had gathered here. These four could be considered the true leaders of the Seamless Gate.

  They were the Lord of All Fiends, the Keeper of the Everwood, Daomother Devilhand, and the black-robed Godking.

  “Uncle-master, why have you summoned all of us here?” The black-robed Godking had the lowest status of the four, and so he spoke in an extremely respectful manner.

  Keeper Everwood and Daomother Devilhand looked towards him as well.

  The Lord of All Fiends said solemnly, “Just now, Demonheart showed himself. He had a chat with me.”

  Instantly, everyone’s hearts clenched.

  Demonheart….

  The undisputed king of the Seamless Chaosworld. Everywhere he went, he brought warfare with him. There were no enemies that could stand against him, and no one could surpass him in his mastery of strategy and in his mastery of the heart. He had led the Seamless Chaosworld in its war against the Pangu Chaosworld, and had inflicted repeated, disastrous defeats upon the Pangu Chaosworld.

  But at the critical moment, the alien Outsider known as the Lord of All Things who had been manipulating the conflict behind the scenes made his appearance. Then,
Mother Nuwa had suddenly made a breakthrough to become a Pangu-level God as well, allowing her to absolutely dominate all her enemies. Only then did Demonheart suffer such a humiliating defeat. However, no one doubted Demonheart’s power.

  “He appeared?” Keeper Everwood frowned. “He’s already merged himself into the Heavenly Daos. Even if he did appear, it would’ve been nothing more than a clone that was manifested from the natural energy of Heaven and Earth. He was the one who started the first war. What is he scheming now?” Keeper Everwood was the most peace-loving member of the Seamless Gate. He was extremely unhappy with how Demonheart had caused this new war.

  However, the secret whispers of fate had also indicated to him that if they didn’t fight, the only result would be utter annihilation. Thus, there was no way for him to oppose it.

  “Everwood.” The Lord of All Fiends looked towards him. “I know what type of a person you are…but you need to understand that at a time like this, we simply cannot be merciful and soft-hearted. To be merciful to them is the same as being merciless to our brothers, elders, and younglings of the Seamless Chaosworld! Now that things have reached the life-and-death stage, we need to be even more merciless than before!”

  Keeper Everwood nodded, his aura becoming a bit more vicious. “Don’t worry. When the time comes…I won’t show mercy.”

  “We have already lost the war for the Deerchaser world.” The Lord of All Fiends continued, “This was because a major new variable appeared. Ji Ning.”

  “Ji Ning is clearly just an Empyrean God and True Immortal, but he was able to wield his Rahu Formation to great effect, unleashing a level of power that was comparable to that of a elite Daofather’s. In fact, he was able to completely suppress the Envoy of All Things in might. Now that Ji Ning also has the Envoy in his hands…he is like a tiger that has gained wings. If Ji Ning is to appear on any battlefield during the rest of the war for karmic luck, the advantage we have from our Envoys would be completely nullified.”

  Everyone present nodded.

  “Right. He’s too formidable.” The black-robed Godking couldn’t help but agree.

  “We have always left the decision of how to handle Ji Ning up to you.” Daomother Devilhand said coldly, “And now, that young fellow has grown up to become such a dangerous threat. Hmph.”

  The black-robed Godking’s face changed slightly, but he forced down the rage he felt in his heart. Daomother Devilhand was the easily agitated sort. In the past, there were times when she wouldn’t even give Demonheart any face, to say nothing of a junior like him.

  “I was wrong.” The black-robed Godking lowered his head.

  “Enough.” The Lord of All Fiends continued, “In the war for karmic luck, the Nuwa Alliance has its three major formations while we have our Envoys. We’re able to give them a good run for their money. But now that Ji Ning has appeared, and now that we’ve lost the most critical battle…our chances of winning the war for karmic luck are quite slim.”

  All of them felt heaviness in their hearts.

  “Thus, Demonheart suggested to me…that we should simply go kill Ji Ning,” the Lord of All Fiends said solemnly.

  “Go kill him?”

  “But…”

  “This could very well cause the Endwar.”

  All three of the others were shocked.

  The Lord of All Fiends said, “At first, I didn’t agree with him either. However, when I thought it over carefully, I realized that Demonheart was right. If we kill Ji Ning, we’ll be able to take back the Envoy. Even if the Endwar begins, we’ll be prepared for it while they won’t be. And of course, if the Nuwa Alliance isn’t willing to start the Endwar, that’ll be even better.”

  The Lord of All Fiends swept the other three with his gaze. “To tell the truth, we can all subconsciously sense the enormous danger that hangs over our heads. This danger is the danger of annihilation, and it has made all of us nervous. However, there’s no way to escape the Endwar. Sooner or later, it will come. When it does come, I want the three of you to stay close to me. If the situation turns grim, or if an unexpected variable appears like another alien Outsider, I’ll immediately lead you all in fleeing from the Three Realms. As long as we are able to survive, hope remains.”

  “Agreed.” Everyone present nodded.

  Before planning for victory, first plan for defeat. With the Lord of All Fiends on their side, the Seamless Gate’s chances of escape would clearly be quite good.

  “Make your preparations for the Endwar,” the Lord of All Fiends said. “Although I predict that the chances of the Nuwa Alliance actually launching it are quite low, we still need to prepare for it. Inform that ally of ours as well. As soon as we make our move, his entire army has to move as well.”

  “Of course. There’s no way we can let him just sit there and mop up the survivors,” Keeper Everwood said calmly.

  “Agreed.” They all nodded.

  “Our strike against Ji Ning has to be successful,” the Lord of All Fiends said. “The Nuwa Alliance has just won a great victory, and their army is currently celebrating. Ji Ning is currently within Xuan Yuan’s imperial palace. If we are going to attack, let’s attack Xuan Yuan’s palace and slay Ji Ning on the spot.”

  “Attack him inside the imperial palace?”

  “Aren’t we going to wait for Ji Ning to come out? If he comes out by himself, things will be much easier for us.”

  “Windfiend is correct. Right now, the Nuwa Alliance is probably feeling fairly confident and relaxed, as Ji Ning is inside the imperial palace. But once he leaves, it’s possible that Daofather Subhuti will travel alongside him. Even if we were to attack, Subhuti would be able to instantly protect Ji Ning or collect him into a treasure, giving us no chance to attack at all.” Keeper Everwood agreed with the Lord of All Fiends.

  The Lord of All Fiends nodded. “Although the palace is a dangerous place, at least he is by himself. When we make our move, there won’t be enough time for Subhuti and Xuan Yuan to intervene. But of course, striking within the palace will be quite difficult, as Xuan Yuan’s surrounded his home with many formations.” As he spoke, he turned to look at Keeper Everwood.

  “Everwood, you have many tricks up your sleeve. You should be able to temporarily tie down the Three Sovereigns by yourself for a short period of time, so you have to be involved in this. Help us tie down the major powers of the Nuwa Alliance,” the Lord of All Fiends instructed.

  Keeper Everwood nodded and sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ve sparred against those old friends of mine countless times. Even if all three of them come against me at the same time, I’ll be able to hold them off for a short period of time.”

  “We’ll also have to invite Darklight and Shadowless,” the Lord of All Fiends said.

  The supreme figures of the Seamless Gate began to make their plans against Ji Ning, carefully plotting his death in detail.

  They even came up with two contingency plans. If the first plan failed, they would use the contingency plan. If the contingency plan failed, they’d use the second contingency plan. In short, they were determined to make this mission a success. They also had to take back the Envoy of All Things! However, slaying Ji Ning was the most important part of this mission, with taking back the Envoy being a secondary goal.

  The Nuwa Alliance, however, knew nothing of the Seamless Gate’s secret plotting. This was because very few members of the Seamless Gate were involved in it; less than fifteen in total! The vast majority of the major powers of the Seamless Gate were kept in the dark, with only their most supreme leaders and some of the most loyal, elite Daofathers knowing that they were to make their preparations for the Endwar. Each of these figures had multiple Daofathers under their command; once the Endwar actually began, they would be able to give the order and ensure that all of the major powers of the Seamless Gate would respond in an orderly fashion.

  So long as the major powers weren’t caught off-guard, the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals under them wouldn’t be caught off-guard eith
er.

  The imperial palace of the Deerchaser world.

  Ji Ning’s residence.

  The white-robed Ning was seated silently in the lotus position, training in the [Solitary World God] technique. If he was able to break through and become a True God prior to the Endwar erupting, he would become much more powerful than he was now. The [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods] technique and the [One True Body] technique had given him the power of a half-step True God already. If he was able to make a true breakthrough, he would be equivalent to a half-step Elder God.

  Still, he was very far away from becoming a Daofather of the Great Firmament, because he had to first master a Heavenly Dao. In contrast, it was possible for one to become a True God after mastering one of the Grand Daos.

  However, it was merely ‘possible’; more than eighty percent of Empyrean Gods had mastered a Grand Dao, but how many of them were able to become True Gods?

  Ji Ning had already mastered a Grand Dao as well! The Grand Dao of Lightning!

  When he had left Undermoon Lake, Ning had quickly mastered the Dao of Rainwater and the Dao of the Thunderclap. During the month that he had spent training in the [Icefire Jindan Smelting] technique, he had silently and soundlessly mastered the Grand Dao of Lightning! Surprisingly, it was actually the Grand Dao of the Waterdrop, which he had once mastered in the past, which remained incomplete. He would most likely need another ten days or so to re-master it.

  His foundation was simply far too profound. His sword-arts were at such a high level that he was able to understand these Daos at an absolutely astonishing level of speed.

  * * *

  Book 21, Chapter 23 - Binding the Envoy of All Things

  After he had mastered the [Five Treasures] sword-art, comprehending other Daos became a much faster process. However, if a major power was to train the [Five Treasures] but be unable to master it and instead be trapped at a bottleneck while being unable to master any other Daos…that would be utterly disastrous. The only reason why Ji Ning was willing to risk it was because he hadn’t possessed that high a level of attainment in other Daos to begin with.