Desolate Era

by RWX

  Become a Samsara Daolord?

  Of the thirty thousand-plus cultivators who had been abducted to this place, not a single one was a Samsara Daolord. Breaking through to this level would be incredibly difficult.

  “The second method is to be protected by one of our Samsara Daolords! Each Samsara Daolord is permitted to protect three of his or her friends, as well as take on a maximum of ten slaves,” the silver-armored man said. “If you are the friend or family member of a Samsara Daolord, you can naturally become a citizen of the Brightshore Kingdom as well. But of course, if you are willing to become a slave you are also permitted to continue living. Slaves are the lowest-tier members of the Brightshore Kingdom and will be assigned many labors, but at least they will be permitted to remain alive.”

  Ning and the others frowned. Become slaves? Lowest-tier members of the kingdom? No one would wish for such a thing.

  As for Samsara Daolords being able to protect three friends, this rule was most likely put into place because the Brightshore Kingdom understood that Samsara Daolords had people they cared about. However, Ning and the others had just arrived; how could they know any Samsara Daolords?

  “The third method is the safest method. Go to the Hydragon Mountain in the Endless Territories and work there as a miner. If you can mine enough ore, you’ll be given your freedom and become one of our citizens. However, I have to warn you in advance that generally speaking, World-level cultivators will need to spend a thousand chaos cycles mining ore before they have enough.”

  “Hydragon Mountain?” Gorho, unnoticed by the other cultivators, frowned slightly. “I heard Father speak of it before. Hydragon Mountain is a legendary place which is the birthplace of the extremely valuable hydragon gems. Supposedly, it has been occupied and monopolized by a mysterious organization. So that mysterious organization is actually this Brightshore Kingdom!”

  The silver-armored man swept the cultivators with his gaze, a smile on his lips.

  Mine for a thousand chaos cycles?

  “I know that none of you are willing to laboriously mine ore for a thousand chaos cycles. However… in the future, many of you will cry and beg for the chance to go mine there.” The silver-armored man said calmly, “The fourth option is simple. Survive for a thousand years in the third bugnest. If you are still alive after a thousand years, you can also become one of our citizens.”

  * * *

  Book 26, Chapter 26 - The Choice

  “Survive for a thousand years?” All of the cultivators and Aberrants atop the mountain peak were intrigued. All of them were at the World level and had been abducted to this place. To people like them, a thousand years was nothing. Ji Ning, for example, was going to spend more than six hundred years just traversing the Sea of Darkness.

  If they merely had to spend a thousand years to become a citizen of the Brightshore Kingdom and be permitted to live in peace, everyone would be willing to do this.

  However, that was assuming they were able to survive for a thousand years. From the sound of things, the third bugnest wasn’t a very nice place to be.

  The silver-armored man had a hint of a cold smile on his face. “It might sound easy, but I have to warn you that the third bugnest is a place which our Brightshore Kingdom uses for rearing bugbeasts. In fact, it is our third most important nest! It has many powerful bugbeasts within it, some of which are comparable to Samsara Daolords.”

  The silver-armored man continued, “Some of the bugbeasts there are weak, others are strong. There are even bugbeasts that are my equal in power, and all of them live within the third bugnest.”

  The silver-armored man laughed. “If you choose this option, the fourth option, you’ll have to spend a thousand years living within the third bugnest! If you are lucky enough not to run into any powerful bugbeasts, you might be able to survive for a thousand years with ease! But if you are unlucky and end up encountering some of the stronger bugbeasts, you might die almost instantly. Based on what we’ve seen in the past, roughly one in ten cultivators will be able to survive option four.”

  Just one out of ten? The cultivators and Aberrants atop the mountain peak all felt a sense of pressure.

  Even the incredibly strong experts like Ji Ning and Gorho, as well as some of the mysterious lifeforms which possessed incredible power, immediately abandoned the notion of choosing this option.

  This option required luck. They were World-level cultivators, and even the most monstrously talented of them were only capable of battling Daolords of the First Step! Bugnest three had many terrifying bugbeasts, and according to the silver-armored man some of the bugbeasts were just as strong as him! If they ran into those bugbeasts, they would most assuredly be doomed!

  Truly powerful experts wouldn’t be willing to accept such a luck-based outcome.

  “The fifth option.” A strange smile played around the silver-armored man’s lips.

  “Let me explain the fifth option.” The silver-armored woman spoke out coldly, her voice sharp enough that it seemed to stab into the truesouls of every single cultivator and Aberrant present. “The fifth option is to go live on the Astral Islands. All you need to do is stay alive. The opponents you encounter on the Astral Islands will all be World-level cultivators. You need to battle against them, and in the end the most talented individuals will be allowed to survive and leave.”

  “Dare I ask what we will need to do on the Astral Islands?” A white-robed, incredibly handsome man who wielded a wooden staff in his hands spoke out.

  The silver-armored woman glanced sideways at him then said calmly, “Once you go to the Astral Islands, you’ll be told. Simply put, your opponents shall be other World-level cultivators who were similarly abducted from throughout the Endless Territories. Only the most talented cultivators shall survive the island and be allowed to leave it! Roughly one in a hundred will survive.”

  “What?”

  “Only one in a hundred?”

  “B-but…”

  “This is crazy.”

  “Everyone there is at the World level?”

  All of the cultivators and Aberrants, as well as the secret descendants of the Aeonians, were shocked upon hearing this.

  In truth, Ning and the other extremely powerful figures were all leaning towards the fifth option, because in the fifth option their competition would consist solely of other World-level cultivators. They felt confident that they were far more powerful than the vast majority of their peers. They weren’t willing to risk their luck at the third bugnest… but on the other hand, it was true that the casualty rate for the fifth option was a bit too high.

  Only one in a hundred would survive?

  Even Ning was speechless.

  Not even the Dao Alliance would dare to carry on such a competition. Every single World-level cultivator generally had masters or schools who supported them. The only reason the Brightshore Kingdom acted like this was because it had simply abducted outsiders from throughout the Endless Territories without caring about if they died or not. Only they would use such a brutal method to weed out the losers.

  “Although I’m powerful, that’s just amongst my fellow cultivators. There are quite a few Aberrants who were abducted to this place as well.” Ning’s greatest worry was having to deal with the Aberrants. Some were weak, far weaker than cultivators even though they had some special techniques. Unfortunately, some were monstrously powerful.

  Powerful Aberrants usually were blessed with certain innate abilities that allowed them to be incredibly skilled in certain areas. For example, there were certain Aberrants skilled in illusions who could possibly outmatch even World-level Heartforce Cultivators. It must be understood that Ning had yet to meet a single World-level Heartforce Cultivator to date!

  “Just one in a hundred will survive. My opponents will consist of both the cultivators and the Aberrants. What should I do? What should I choose?” Ning began to ponder this question.

  “Five options. The first three options are very safe.” The silver-arm
ored man and the silver-armored woman exchanged a glance. The silver-armored man said casually, “Become a Samsara Daolord, receive the protection of a Samsara Daolord, or become an eternal slave to a Samsara Daolord! Of course, you can also choose to go mining. These are all options with no risk to them.”

  Very few would choose the first three options.

  Becoming a Samsara Daolord wasn’t something you could do just because you wanted it.

  Receiving the protection of a Samsara Daolord wasn’t that likely.

  Become a slave? No one was willing to do such a thing. Few to no World-level cultivators would voluntarily become the slave of another. They all knew that becoming a citizen of the Brightshore Kingdom would represent a tremendous blessing, but becoming a slave of the lowest caste meant that they probably would have no future prospects.

  Mine for a thousand chaos cycles? That was way too long.

  “The fourth option is to survive in the third bugnest for a thousand years. Roughly one in ten will survive.” The silver-armored man continued, “The fifth option is go to the Astral Islands and compete against your peers. One in a hundred will survive.”

  Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

  The silver-armored man waved his hand, causing four streams of light to instantly appear and partition off the mountain peak.

  “Those who choose the second option, enter the first region. Those who choose the third option, enter the second region. This region is for the fourth option. This region is for the fifth option.” The silver-armored man casually pointed to each of the partitions in turn, then swept his gaze across everyone present atop the mountain. “Choose your paths.”

  Everyone atop the mountain peak began to move. Many were hesitating, but the silver-armored duo didn’t rush anyone. They just stood there and waited quietly.

  Slowly, people began to make their choices.

  A cultivator stepped into the second region. This represented a decision to go spent roughly a thousand chaos cycles in the mines. Only then would they have enough ore to become a citizen of the Brightshore Kingdom.”

  “I’m too weak. My chances of surviving either the third bugnest or the Astral Islands are both too low.” The cultivator shook his head as he stood there.

  After he made his choice, quite a few other cultivators began to make their choices as well. Most cultivators chose the third, fourth, or fifth options.

  “Master, what should we do? What choice should we make?” Su Youji sent mentally.

  “I’m choosing the fifth option,” Ning replied mentally. “You?”

  This was the only choice Ning could make. There was no way he would choose the first three options, because he had to make it to Vastheaven Palace within a single chaos cycle! He’d only be allowed to leave after becoming a citizen of the Brightshore Kingdom. There was no way Ning could waste time mining, and there was obviously no way he would be willing to become another’s slave. He also didn’t have the ability to become a Samsara Daolord right away.

  As for the bugnest, that was purely a matter of luck. Ning absolutely wouldn’t leave his own destiny up to luck. In the end, he was more confident in his own abilities.

  “The fifth option?” Su Youji hesitated momentarily. “Then I will choose the fifth option as well.”

  “No need to push yourself that hard. This is a life-altering decision. Choose whichever option suits you the most,” Ning said.

  “I choose the fifth option.” Su Youji gritted her teeth. “I know that I’m fairly weak, but with those bugbeasts you loaned me I should be able to hold my own. I’m unwilling to choose any of the other options.”

  Ning nodded. As he saw it, most likely many of the cultivators would elect to choose the fifth option. Most of them would rather battle against other cultivators of the same level than to waste countless years of their life, become an eternal slave, or put everything up to luck.

  Ning suddenly produced a bracelet then handed it to Su Youji. “Youji, this holds those eighteen Hellwind Golems. They won’t be of much use to me, but if you use them and your fifty-one bugbeasts you should have at least some chance of surviving this Astral Islands. I’ve already ordered the Hellwind Golems to obey you in all things. You’ll easily be able to bind them.”

  “Master, they will be of help to you.” Su Youji began to grow nervous. She knew exactly how dangerous the fifth option would be, given that only one in a hundred would survive. Even Aberrants would be taking part!

  “Just take it,’ Ning repeated.

  Su Youji stared at the white-robed youth. At first, she had only elected to become Ji Ning’s retainer because of how monstrously talented he was. However, after the two spent more time together she slowly began to understand what type of a person Ji Ning truly was. Ji Ning looked peaceful and relaxed, but he wouldn’t readily acknowledge others. Once he did, however, he truly would treat that person as a lifelong friend.

  Su Youji had always sensed that something was perpetually weighing on Ji Ning’s mind. She had tried to explore this topic but had never been able to make any progress.

  “Let’s go.” Ning placed the bracelet in Su Youji’s hands, then strode towards the fifth option’s region. Su Youji nodded, following by his side.

  More than thirty thousand cultivators and thousands of Aberrants. Each made their own choices.

  What truly surprised Ning was that twenty-three cultivators and two Aberrants actually chose the second option. It must be understood that this was everyone’s first visit to this place. No one knew any of the local Samsara Daolords, which meant choosing the second option represented choosing to become a slave.

  “Anything really can happen, I suppose,” Ning mused.

  There were benefits to becoming a slave as well. You would become a citizen of the Brightshore Kingdom, albeit one of the lowest-tier members, and would gain at least a modicum of access to the Brightshore Kingdom’s secrets.

  The third option, mining. More than a thousand cultivators and a hundred Aberrants chose this option.

  The fourth option, surviving the bugnest. More than five thousand cultivators and two hundred Aberrants chose this option.

  The fifth option, surviving the Astral Islands. All the remaining individuals chose this option.

  * * *

  Book 26, Chapter 27 - Six Strata

  Those who chose the other options were all escorted off by the four black-armored retainers. As for those who chose to attempt the Astral Islands, they were escorted by the silver-armored duo.

  Actually, it wasn’t really ‘escorting’. They were simply dragged straight into an estate-treasure.

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  The silver-armored man and woman flew off the mountain peak and towards a different part of the Brightshore Kingdom. They physically flew because it was impossible to teleport within the Brightshore Kingdom; flying was the only option! The flight would take quite a few days.

  The eleventh day of their journey.

  “Eh? I sense a disturbance.” Ji Ning and thirty thousand-plus cultivators and Aberrants were still within the estate-world. Ning could suddenly sense that his three Mirrorsnow Paintings were resonating with something far off in the distance. “Is there another Mirrorsnow Painting within the Brightshore Kingdom? I wonder if this is the one I need.”

  After the silver-armored duo flew past this region, a strange alien lifeform with green reptilian skin suddenly emerged from the waters of the lake below. The creature raised his head to stare towards the skies, locating the silver-armored duo which was now billions of kilometers away. When the creature saw the silver armor, his face changed. “Was that a Mirrorsnow Painting? Those two major powers come from the Twelve Palaces. It should be carried by one of the World-level cultivators they abducted and are now escorting. Damn. I’ve already left the Astral Islands. There’s no way back.”

  ……

  Although Ning could sense the Mirrorsnow Painting, there was nothing he could do. In the end, they all spent more than a month and a hal
f in the estate-world.

  Whoosh.

  Suddenly, all the cultivators and Aberrants were teleported out of the estate-world.

  “Where am I?” Ning and the others all stared curiously at their surroundings.

  Before them was an enormous dark abyss that devoured all light, making it impossible for any of them to see to the bottom of this abyss.

  Directly above the abyss hovered a series of islands, each of which was merely three hundred meters or so in size. There were hundreds of thousands of these levitating islands! The dense cluster hung there in midair, continuously swiveling as they did so. Some were higher in the air than the others.

  The bottom stratum held more than 99% of the islands. Ning estimated that there had to be more than three hundred thousand islands there!

  The second stratum held roughly twenty thousand islands.

  The third stratum held three thousand islands.

  The fourth stratum held a hundred islands.

  The fifth stratum held merely twelve islands.

  The sixth stratum was the highest stratum, and it held only a single island!

  “These are the Astral Islands.” The silver-armored man pointed at the levitating islands. “Every single Astral Island has a World-level cultivator!”

  “Every one?” Ning could hear the others all murmuring. That meant more than three hundred thousand World-level cultivators were gathered here.

  “The cultivators of the Astral Islands can only be promoted when they challenge cultivators on the same stratum or a higher stratum,” the silver-armored man said. “If you can gain ten consecutive victories against someone of the same level as you, you’ll be promoted to the next higher island. Win ten more times in a row, and you’ll be promoted once again. If you lose so much as a single fight… if you are lucky you will survive, but you’ll still be demoted by one level.”

  Everyone’s faces turned pale.

  Ning stared at the levitating islands. He finally understood what these levitating islands truly represented. The only island on the sixth stratum held a cultivator who had defeated at least ten of the cultivators on the fifth stratum before advancing to the sixth stratum. After doing so… others might challenge him, but he would have no one else to challenge.