Desolate Era

by RWX

  If you were only able to absorb 1% of how much others could absorb, it would naturally be far more difficult for you to engage in cultivation. Even worse, this continent possessed very sparse elemental energy to begin with, making cultivation difficult for all. For someone in a place like this to absorb elemental energy at such a ridiculously low rate… the chances of becoming a successful cultivator were incredibly poor.

  For the sake of allowing his son to become an Immortal cultivator, Yang Quding’s father had paid an enormous price. In the end, he had perished while escorting a shipment of valuables. This had been a tremendous blow to Yang Quding. After failing to become an Immortal cultivator, Yang Quding focused all of his efforts on continuing his father’s legacy as a merchant. He was quite clever and capable, and in just a few short years he had become a huge tycoon. In fact, he even employed two Foundation cultivators as well as several weaker Qi Condensation cultivators. He eventually married a woman as well.

  But then… one day, a young, evil man entered the city which Yang Quding was in. He took a fancy to Yang Quding’s wife, and desired to kidnap her and make her his concubine. However, Yang Quding wasn’t an easy person to deal with; he had Foundation cultivators by his side, and he was able to bring a stop to this!

  The problem was that this evil man had an extraordinary background. When Yang Quding looked into this man’s background, he immediately befriended a Core Formation elder of a major sect, giving him many precious treasures and eventually becoming that Core Formation elder’s adopted son. But of course, this was only in name! What really mattered was that with this protector of a ‘father’, his opponent wouldn’t dare to be too rash.

  Alas, that evil man played some tricks in secret, forcing Yang Quding’s wife’s family to bow their heads before him. In the end, even Yang Quding’s wife had chosen to follow the evil man and leave him.

  His parents had died long ago. Yang Quding had no family of his own, and so his love for his wife was deep and intense. And yet… his wife had actually betrayed him and left to follow another man. When she left, she had said, “Quding, you are able to protect me, but can you protect my mother and father? Don’t blame me.”

  He had suffered a severe mental blow, but he had no desire to take revenge. Instead, he had just sat there dully every day. Eventually, he dispersed his family’s savings and entered this mountainous forest, giving himself the name ‘Green Bamboo’.

  “Now, let me take a look at his future.” Ning’s gaze was still affixed upon Yang Quding’s figure. Yang Quding’s future was a bit cloudy; as soon as he had met Ning, it was guaranteed that his destiny would change. Ning was strong enough to annihilate this entire continent with ease, after all!

  If Ning chose not to interfere with his life…

  Yang Quding would stay by himself within this mountain forest for more than sixty years. After sixty-plus years, he would encounter a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Nirvana Sect. The two would chat together, resulting in the Nascent Soul cultivator feeling tremendous admiration towards Yang Quding. The Nascent Soul cultivator would pay an enormous price to help him to become an Immortal cultivator. Alas, due to his great age and his poor spiritual root, he was still only able to become a Foundation cultivator.

  However, he had reached an extremely high level of enlightenment. As a Foundation cultivator, he was capable of slaying Core Formation Daoists. He was also a good man with a virtuous reputation, and he was incredibly skilled in the ‘Illusions of Nirvana’, a skill which allowed him to trap foes in myriad illusions which would cause them to feel regret, then repent and change their ways. He even ended up slaying that vile man who had taken his wife from him. Although he was merely a Foundation cultivator, he was respectfully addressed as ‘Daoist Green Bamboo’ by others. In the end, due to his allotted time being used up, he passed away peacefully.

  “His heart has already reached such a profound level that he is even more formidable than Nascent Soul cultivators and Apotheosis cultivators in this regard. After he becomes an Immortal cultivator… that ‘Illusions of Nirvana’ technique is a classic example of something which major powers who belong to the Buddhist paths would use.” Ning nodded slowly. “Given his heart, he truly is well-suited to become an Immortal cultivator.”

  “Go!”

  Two streaks of sword-light suddenly shot out from Ning’s eyes, and they landed upon the body of the furniture-making man.

  The sword-light quickly covered his entire body, rapidly transforming and overhauling it. The young man’s body quickly began to completely transform, with his muscles and tendons reaching a level of perfection in strength. His physical strength alone was stronger than even Xiantian-level Fiendgods of the Three Realms.

  With a body like this… it could be said that Yang Quding’s spiritual result was unquestionably number one in this entire continent.

  Whoosh. Ning waved a finger, tapping Yang Quding on the forehead. A surge of divine will surged outwards and was transmitted straight into his sea of consciousness.

  Yang Quding was just an ordinary mortal, after all. Even though his body had been completely transformed, he still couldn’t withstand the power of the memories which Ning wished to give him. Thus, Ning could only choose to leave a stream of his own divine will within Yang Quding’s mind, much like how Emperor Mirrorsnow had left some of his own divine will behind. However, the reason why Emperor Mirrorsnow had done this was because he had left long ago and wished to be able to pass something onto his disciples. Ning had done this because his disciple was too weak and wouldn’t be able to endure a ‘normal’ transmission.

  “Right now, you are too weak. You are only able to endure me passing unto you sword-arts and techniques which are at the Empyrean God or Celestial Immortal level,” Ning mused to himself. That stream of divine will contained complete cultivation systems, including both of Ning’s proudest accomplishments, the ‘Yin-Yang’ sword-art and the ‘Blood Drop’ sword-art. These were Ning’s most impressive techniques to date.

  As the young man grew stronger, he would naturally gain more and more information from this legacy. When his soul became sufficiently powerful, he would finally be able to endure and receive it all.

  “You are the first person I’ve truly transmitted my sword-arts unto.” Ning laughed.

  Ning’s first disciple was Bluecliff Xiaoyu, but that was because of the rules of Mount Innerheart. Ning had to choose a person of great karmic virtue as his disciple! His Primaltwin stood guard over the Three Realms and would often provide Bluecliff Xiaoyu with some advice, but alas she simply wasn’t that talented.

  ‘Green Bamboo’, also known as Yang Quding, was Ning’s second disciple.

  Ning only left behind a cultivation method and his sword-arts! As for divine abilities and what not, he didn’t leave any of those. Emperor Mirrorsnow had left behind four Daolord-level golems, but Ning didn’t leave a single protective measure behind at all. This was because these fairly weaker protective measures wouldn’t really be that useful. Given Green Bamboo’s talent, it wouldn’t be hard for him to rise to prominence in this Mortal Realm. As for those excessively powerful protective measures? They might actually result in some unnecessary trouble.

  Guiding and nurturing a mortal was completely different from guiding and nurturing a World-level cultivator.

  Emperor Mirrorsnow required his potential disciples to be World-level cultivators who had passed multiple trials. Yang Quding, however, was still just an ordinary mortal.

  “W-what did I just…” Yang Quding felt as though he had just awoken from a dream.

  When he came to his senses, he saw a youth carrying a fishing bucket and a fishing rod walk far off into the distance. “Disciple, if fate wills it the two of us shall meet again, ahahah…”

  And just like that, Ning vanished into thin air.

  “Disciple?”

  Yang Quding was stunned. Moments later, a large amount of information flooded into his mind.

  There were detailed inst
ructions on how to go from being an ordinary mortal to a Celestial Immortal or Empyrean God. There were also two inconceivably powerful sword-arts known as the [Yin-Yang] sword-arts and the [Blood Drop] sword-arts. Only part of the information was available to him for now. When his soul grew stronger, he’d naturally be able to gain even more of this legacy. Ning had set down restrictive spells on his memories, preventing him from teaching these things to any others.

  “B-b-but…” Yang Quding was stunned. He wasn’t someone who knew nothing of cultivation at all. He knew what the major impediments to Immortal cultivation were, but today he had just gained techniques which would actually lead him past tribulation and reach the legendary level of Celestial Immortals and Empyrean Gods? And this was just a portion of the true technique? And those infinitely powerful sword-arts!

  Yang Quding instantly understood that from this day forth, his life would be changed.

  If a major power was to scry his destiny, he would discover that this man’s life had been completely changed. His future would actually become extremely fuzzy, and the farther one gazed the more difficult it would be to divine.

  “Master.” Yang Quding immediately knelt down and kowtowed towards the direction in which Ning left. He remembered that Ning had addressed himself as Darknorth.

  ……

  “He’s in an alternate universe, while I must return to the Endless Territories. I wonder if we’ll ever meet again,” Ning mused. He had been seized by the sudden impulse to teach a disciple. He… really was an absolutely irresponsible ‘master’.

  “Brother Darknorth.”

  “Darknorth.” Prince Greatjoy, Heartlord Solewind, Waterlord Firesurge, and Skyfire Brightshore were seated next to each other, drinking some wine.

  “I just caught a big fish.” Ning grinned as he lifted up his fish bucket.

  * * *

  Book 28, Chapter 6 - Sacred Immortal Realm

  Ji Ning, Prince Greatjoy, Solewind, and the others lived a life of leisure here at Wintermount. Although they were ten billion kilometers away, their gazes were still often turned towards what was happening at the spacetime transfer array.

  “This disciple of mine actually has some talent for the sword after all.” Ning paid quite a bit of attention to his disciple. Although Yang Quding lived on Wintermount as well, nobody here was able to detect Ning’s presence unless he wished it.

  “Brother Darknorth, this kid’s sword-arts seem quite similar to your own Yin-Yang Sword Domain.” Prince Greatjoy sat nearby, watching as Yang Quding trained in swordplay ten kilometers away. “He trains by himself within the deep mountains, neither impatient nor hasty, and his heart is as calm as water. I have to say, his heart is quite impressive.”

  “He can be considered my disciple,” Ning said with a laugh.

  “Disciple?” Prince Greatjoy was shocked. “You accepted an ordinary mortal as a disciple?”

  Although he had a good impression of Yang Quding, the man was still nothing more than an ordinary mortal. The five of them were amongst the most truly, freakishly talented figures of the entire Endless Territories. Even Skyfire Brightshore, who was currently still the weakest of the five, was a dazzling genius of the Brightshore Imperials. As for the other four, they all wielded their own Supreme Daos.

  Any of them could break through into the Daolord level at any moment, and they would be extraordinary ones at that. Given Ning’s status… if he wanted to choose a disciple, virtually all World-level cultivators would be crying and begging for a chance to be chosen. And yet, he instead chose an ordinary mortal as his disciple?

  “Your disciple?” The nearby Solewind laughed. “We’re just passing through this place. Why’d you accept a disciple? And is this how you treat your disciples? You just completely ignore them?”

  “Even if I wanted to mentor him, I wouldn’t be able to do so for long. Better to just let him grow naturally.” Ning took a slow sip of wine.

  “Brother Darknorth certainly takes it easy,” Waterlord Firesurge said.

  ……

  In the blink of an eye, more than sixty-one years went past. The spacetime transfer array was almost ready once more.

  “Time to leave.” Greatjoy rose to his feet.

  “Time to head out, Darknorth. Stop staring at your disciple,” Solewind teased.

  Ning had just glanced off into the distance. His second disciple, ‘Green Bamboo’ Yang Quding, had long ago departed from Wintermount and was out adventuring through the world. He was already quite famous for millions of kilometers around, and was venerated as ‘Sword Immortal Green Bamboo’.

  “Time to go.” Ning nodded.

  Once he left, the two of them truly would have parted from each other. Once Ning returned to the Endless Territories, the two would be located within two separate universes. It truly was hard to say if they would ever meet again. It would all be up to fate.

  Although the core of the spacetime transfer array was quite large, it was still completely packed with hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Apotheosis cultivators who had gathered here throughout this utterly massive continent.

  “Fellow Daoists, the ancient transfer array shall only be activated once every hundred years.” A middle-ranked Apotheosis cultivator was standing in midair and speaking in a sonorous voice. “Our Mortal Realm is unfathomably vast and filled with countless cultivators. Thus, I would like to invite all fellow Daoists interested in going to the Sacred Immortal Realm to first enter this estate-world! This estate-world is a very simple and crude one which is quite weak; any Apotheosis cultivator can easily tear it apart from within. All of us will enter this estate-world, and then the ancient transfer array will teleport it to the other side. This will be much easier.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “This has been the standard method for many years.”

  Countless Nascent Soul cultivators and Apotheosis cultivators nodded in agreement. This was a custom that had been established many years ago. Otherwise, how was the array supposed to be able to accommodate hundreds of millions of cultivators? The estate-treasure before them was quite crude and simple. They were able to see through it to know what was going on outside, and were also able to tear through it at a moment’s notice.

  As for Ning’s group of five, they were mixed into the enormous group of cultivators. No one paid them any heed.

  “Fellow Daoists, let us go inside together.” The tall middle-aged man in midair was the first to fly towards the entrance of the estate-world which was placed at the very center of the ancient transfer array.

  This estate-world was shaped like an actual Immortal estate, and it had a normal ‘gate’.

  Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

  Countless streaks of light flew towards the entrance as well.

  “Let’s go.” Ning’s group of five followed the crowd into the estate as well.

  “It really is weak.” The five found a corner within the estate-world, and no other cultivators were able to notice their presence. Ning laughed as he sent mentally, “I feel like the slightest vibration would be enough to cause it to completely collapse.”

  “Let me stabilize it a bit. I actually am worried about it splintering,” Solewind said.

  Rumble…

  A cultivator on the outside had just activated the spacetime transfer array. Because it had already stored up enough energy, it now was able to completely activate.

  The hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Apotheosis cultivators gathered inside were all incredibly excited.

  “The Sacred Immortal Realm!”

  “We’re finally going to arrive at the Sacred Immortal Realm.”

  “All the elders of my school are in the Sacred Immortal Realm. According to the legends, there are far more cultivators in the Sacred Immortal Realm than there are in our world.” They were all incredibly excited by this. Ever since they had embarked upon the path of cultivation, they had dreamed of one day reaching the apex of po
wer in the Mortal Realm and then heading to the Sacred Immortal Realm.

  Those qualified to head into the Sacred Immortal Realm were all major figures of the Mortal Realm.

  ……

  A short while later, the teleportation effect came to an end. The estate-world had been sent to the Sacred Immortal Realm.

  Ji Ning’s group had been relaxing in their little corner. Now, all of their faces tightened.

  “Something’s wrong.” Prince Greatjoy sent mentally, “Everyone, let us hide ourselves for now and watch what happens.”

  “Right.” Ning and the others all nodded.

  This feeble estate-world had virtually no impact on them at all. They were able to see through it to the outside world and knew what was happening outside.

  “We’ve arrived.”

  “We’ve arrived at the Sacred Immortal Realm.” The hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Apotheosis cultivators were all incredibly excited.

  Rumble…

  The shoddily-made estate-treasure blew apart with a boom.

  The countless Nascent Soul cultivators and Apotheosis cultivators all suddenly appeared in midair, covering the skies and blocking out the sun like a horde of locusts.

  “Such dense elemental energy!”

  “The elemental energy here is far denser than it is in our Mortal Realm.”

  “So this is the Sacred Immortal Realm?” The countless cultivators all stared excitedly… but suddenly, they saw a large number of stone pillars off in the distance. The stone pillars all had cultivators bound to them. Some were humanoid, some were monsters, and some were beasts. Although they looked different, all of them were covered with blood, wounds, and scars. Many of them had eyes filled with furious hatred.

  Deathly silence.

  The hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Apotheosis cultivators who had just arrived were all deathly silent.

  Those cultivators bound to the stone pillars had clearly suffered countless types of torture. What was going on?