Desolate Era

by RWX

  “So you’ve come to purchase treasures?” One of the novices pointed off into the distance. “Enter from the side entrance. Someone will help take care of you. Don’t you even know which door you are supposed to enter through? This here is the main entrance. Generally speaking, major powers who have come to meet with our Emperor will wait here as we send the message to him.”

  “Pardon me for my rudeness.” Ning didn’t really mind. He immediately flew towards the side entrance.

  As for the two novices, they continued to stand there in front of the estate in a smug manner. Their master was the number one artificer in their entire universe. Quite a few people came to ask to meet him. Even Eternal Emperors came to request a meeting, to say nothing of Daolords. All of them had to first go through the novices. This naturally made them arrogant and dismissive towards a mere World-level cultivator.

  “Gah? Are there so many treasures here that they stack them up in front of the entrance?” As Ning flew towards the side entrance, he couldn’t help but feel shocked upon moving closer.

  Although it was just the side entrance, it was still dozens of meters wide. There were quite a few servants there, as well as three treasures which hovered above the entrance. One was a pearl that glimmered with fiery light and which emanated faint ripples of might. The second was a white flower that emanated waves of white light, bringing a sense of peace and harmony to those who were bathed in it. The final treasure was a painting depicted a world of mountains and rivers.

  “Fellow Daoist, have you come to purchase treasures?” In front of the door stood a female servant with unbound hair who emanated the aura of a Daolord. Most likely, she was a Daolord of the First Step, and she smiled at Ning as she spoke.

  “I am.” Ning nodded.

  “Please enter, fellow Daoist. Any of the treasures you see inside are for sale.” Although Ning was at the World level, the female servant didn’t show discourtesy as a result of it. The treasures they had here were all for sale, and they were all items which Emperor Gonflame made in a casual manner when testing out certain ideas. Despite that, they were still items which would drive Daolords in the outside world utterly mad with desire.

  Ning stepped into the residence, and things immediately changed. As soon as he passed through the doorway, it was as though he entered a vast expanse in outer space, filled with countless twinkling stars.

  There were cultivators walking through this region of void-like space, as well as servants and attendants who were waiting on them. They strolled through the void, gesturing at the various stars. Every single ‘star’ was actually a treasure.

  “This treasure costs three million? That’s a bit too expensive, right? Can you lower the price a bit?”

  “I’ll buy this one!”

  The Daolords here all acted in a very humble manner. Emperor Gonflame’s store didn’t hold any treasures which were less than a million cubes of chaos nectar, but what it did have drove countless cultivators mad with desire. As for the World-level cultivators… almost all of them only came for window shopping. They’d browse through the items but not buy them. They were really here just to expand their horizons.

  When Ning entered this region of void-like space, the attendants all glanced at him. Although they all had courteous looks on their faces, in their hearts they muttered to themselves, “Ugh, another World-level cultivator, here to look but not to buy.”

  * * *

  Book 28, Chapter 43 - Ji Nings Sword

  There were only so many attendants in the store, and the majority of them were busy accompanying the Daolords. As a result, Ji Ning was by himself after entering the place.

  “Damned impressive.” Ning stared at the many treasures in the void, all of which gleamed like shining stars. The very first treasure he took a close look at gave him a bad shock.

  Every single treasure was protected by restrictive spells, which was why they glittered like stars from afar. By sending your senses out, you would be able to gain some detailed information regarding each treasure. As for this first one, it was a shuttle-type magic treasure.

  “Woodfire Azuresun Shuttle. It takes three thousand years and ten thousand cubes of chaos nectar for it to be charged up. After it is charged up, it can be used a single time and unleash the power of a Daolord of the Fourth Step. The cost is eight million cubes of chaos nectar!”

  “It can only be used once each time?” Ning was secretly speechless. “It seems you really can’t predict the power of a Daolord just by looking at him. He might look weak, but have a ridiculous treasure like this. Thank goodness that treasures like this are ridiculously expensive.”

  ……

  Ji Ning went through one magic treasure after another. Ordinary Eternal weapons filled with sword-intent and saber-intent were fairly cheap; few of them could breach the million cube price range. The ones which Emperor Gonflame had put out for display all had certain special properties.

  All the magic treasures here were special in some way, which was why they exceeded a million cubes in price.

  “A Hearteater Clock. It contains a secret art of a Heartforce Cultivator Daolord of the Fourth Step. When activated, it can attack the enemy’s mind and cause weaker enemy’s to completely lose control. The price is fifty million cubes.”

  “This is insane.” Ning was truly frightened by this treasure. He knew very well that in a life-and-death battle, to lose focus for even an instant could result in you dying and your Dao vanishing! This item was clearly described as having a secret art of a Daolord of the Fourth Step who was a Heartforce Cultivator. The power of the attack had to be extraordinary! For a non-Heartforce Cultivator to be able to suddenly unleash a heartforce attack of such power… this treasure was truly insane in power.

  But the price was insane as well. Fifty million cubes? Very few Verge-level Daolords would be willing or able to buy such a thing.

  ……

  There were evasive-type magic treasures that would allow you to instantly flee at a hundred times the speed of light.

  There were formation-type treasures which, when used, would trap the opponent so thoroughly that it would be almost impossible for him to escape.

  There was even a sword-formation formed from a total of 216 high-grade Eternal swords of extraordinary power. It was perfect for a Ki Refining Daolord of the Fourth Step, and the more powerful the Daolord was the more power the sword-formation could unleash.

  There was also a particularly priceless sin-treasure which contained a total of 999 sinfiends. Every single sinfiend was comparable to a Daolord of the Third Step in might, and once this treasure was unleashed it could decimate ordinary Daolords of the Fourth Step. However, this treasure truly was ‘priceless’, in that you could only barter for it with Emperor Gonflame by using incredibly valuable treasures of your own.

  ……

  After Ning saw this treasure, he mumbled to himself, “Once I merge my nine types of Dao lightning into my Novessence Thunder, I’ll be able to wipe out Daolords of the Fourth Step as well. Even if thousands of sinfiends attack me, my lightning will be able to wipe them all out.”

  After finishing his viewings, he felt rather speechless. Still, the majority of these treasures weren’t really useful to him, because he already had those five powerful golems! In addition, he would quickly become a Daolord upon returning to the Endless Territories. When that happened, his [Novessence Thunder] and his [Novessence Water] would rapidly grow in power. There really weren’t that many treasures which would attract Ji Ning’s interest.

  The ones that did were way too expensive!

  The cheapest of evasive treasures, for example, started at ten million cubes… and those only moved nine times faster than the speed of light. As for the ones which allowed you to flee at a hundred times the speed of light, they were similarly priceless and could only be procured through trading treasures of your own.

  ……

  Ning stared at a distant treasure, his gaze rather distant. He murmured to himself,
“This is what I really need.”

  It was exactly what he needed, and it was also something he could afford.

  Off in the distance, a snow-white sword that emanated an aura of endless coldness could be seen hovering in the air. He sent out a slight strand of mental power and was able to immediately know what this sword did.

  “A lifeblood weapon. The cultivator can pour all of his insights regarding his Sword Dao into this weapon to charge it with a Sword Dao quintessence. When you use a weapon which is perfectly aligned with your own Sword Dao, it will be able to unleash the most amount of power! You can use it to continuously perfect and upgrade your Sword Dao! In addition, lifeblood weapons are all created from incredibly precious materials and can grow alongside you. If your Sword Dao is strong enough and you feed it enough precious materials, then with a bit of luck you might very well give birth to a Universe weapon in the future. The price is thirty million cubes.”

  “So this is a lifeblood weapon,” Ning murmured to himself. He had heard of them long ago, but not even the Sword Palace’s Armaments Valley held any. lifeblood weapons were simply too rare; whenever a grandmaster artificer managed to finally produce one after an enormous amount of effort, other cultivators would immediately charge forwards to purchase it.

  Lifeblood weapons were given that name because they truly became one with the cultivators who wielded them, and the quintessence within them would be created and formed by their wielders. But more importantly than that, they could also grow and become increasingly powerful!

  They were the perfect weapons for cultivators, the weapons which could truly unleash a cultivator’s maximum potential! If Ning used an ‘ordinary’ weapon, he would probably only be able to unleash 30% to 40% of the amount of power he could unleash if he was using his own lifeblood weapon! This was what made lifeblood weapons so powerful… and they could grow without any limitations.

  Generally speaking, top-grade Eternal swords were the best weapons you could buy. But lifeblood weapons could continuously grow alongside you, growing more powerful as you yourself did. In the hands of others, it would perhaps merely be an ordinary top-grade Eternal weapon, but in the hands its true master, it would be countless times more powerful.

  Almost all Eternal Emperors used lifeblood weapons… and if evolved and empowered to a sufficient degree, lifeblood weapons had a chance of transforming into Universe weapons!

  “The Palace of the Sword is filled with sword cultivators, and whenever any of them discover a lifeblood weapon they will go crazy for it.” Ning’s gaze was blazing with eagerness. “Who would’ve thought I’d run into one such weapon here in this alternate universe?”

  Lifeblood weapons could only truly fuse with their very first master. Once that first master perished, they would become nothing more than ordinary weapons.

  “This is what I really need. My Sword Dao encompasses all aspects of all sword-arts. It is extremely difficult for me to find a sword which suits my Dao,” Ning mused. “I need a lifeblood sword that will become as powerful as I myself will!”

  “Fellow Daoist.” Ning glanced at a nearby attendant and sent him a mental message. The Daolord attendant glanced back at him, puzzled. What did this World-level cultivator want?

  “I need this lifeblood weapon,” Ning sent.

  “Lifeblood weapon?!” The distant attendant was badly shocked by this request. He hurriedly walked over, stepping through the void of space as he quickly arrived next to Ning. “Fellow Daoist.” The attendant hurriedly smiled at Ning.

  “Can you lower the price of this lifeblood weapon a bit?” Ning asked.

  “If you are friends with the Emperor or perhaps know his senior disciples, they might cut you a deal. I’m just a lowly attendant; I don’t have that authority,” the attendant said. “This sword is a lifeblood weapon that was forged just a short while ago. If you wait just a bit longer, I imagine other sword cultivators would appear and immediately snatch it up.”

  Ning nodded. Sword cultivators were devoted to the sword. All you needed was one sword to be completely devoted to, then use it to destroy all other arts. Foes might use all sorts of strange techniques and spells, but when my sword emerges it shall shatter the heavens and crush the earth, wiping out all in its path! Ning’s own Sword Dao was already quite terrifying. When matched with a suitable lifeblood weapon… that would be adding strength atop of strength.

  Any sword cultivator would be willing to sacrifice all of his other treasures for the chance to acquire a lifeblood sword.

  “Thirty million cubes…” Ning stared at that snow-white sword, emanating that aura of freezing cold. This truly was a painful price, as the deceased Hegemon had only given him fifty million cubes. His darkspace flamestone hoard was only worth ten million cubes.

  “I’ll buy it.” Ning nodded.

  “Please wait a moment. I’ll go make a report,” the attendant said. “I don’t have the power to release the restrictive spells binding this lifeblood sword.”

  “Alright.” Ning nodded in understanding. One couldn’t be too careful with lifeblood swords. If someone was able to so much as touch them, the sword would be ruined for anyone else and become nothing more than an ordinary weapon. The first binding performed on a lifeblood weapon was critical, as only the first binding could be a true, complete one.

  The attendant left to make his report. As for Ning, he just stared at the sword, murmuring to himself, “It’d be wonderful if I could acquire six lifeblood swords. I’d be even stronger.” But of course, if anyone heard Ning’s secret wish, they would probably laugh themselves to death. A single lifeblood sword was already a treasure of incalculable value. SIX of them? Who would even dare think of such a thing?

  Just a short while later, the attendant reappeared. Only, he had a rather strange look on his face when he looked at Ning, almost as though he was looking at some sort of monster.

  “Uh, Fellow Daoist.” The attendant was noticeably more humble and respectful than he was previously. “Can you please follow me this way?”

  “Eh?” Ning glanced at him.

  The attendant sent mentally, “The Emperor has ordered for you to go meet him.”

  “The Emperor?” Ning was stunned.

  “My Emperor, of course… which is to say, Emperor Gonflame,” the attendant sent back. He was truly puzzled. Normally, it was other major powers who would attempt to request a meeting with Emperor Gonflame. Why was Emperor Gonflame actively inviting this young World-level cultivator?

  * * *

  Book 28, Chapter 44 - Emperor Gonflame

  Emperor Gonflame wished to meet him? Ji Ning hesitated for a moment. He was nothing more than a World-level cultivator. There was probably only one possible reason why Emperor Gonflame wished to meet him in person…

  The Paragon of Pills!

  Emperor Gonflame was one of the retainers of the Paragon of Pills, while the Paragon had an extraordinarily close relationship with Ning’s deceased Hegemon master. Most likely, she could be considered his master’s wife, almost like a godmother.

  “Lead the way,” Ning said.

  “Follow me.” The attendant immediately led the way forwards, but in his heart he couldn’t help but feel puzzled at what the relationship was between this young World-level cultivator and his Emperor was.

  The attendant led Ning forwards. A short while later, it was an Emperor-level retainer who personally led the way for Ning.

  ……

  A short while later, they reached an enormous, peaceful courtyard. There were two lakes within the courtyard, one of which was filled with a blazing, lava-like liquid. As for the second lake, it was filled with a freezing liquid that was so cold as to cause the surrounding area to be blanketed in frost. Between that blazing lake and the freezing lake was an ancient, stunted-looking tree that was nonetheless large in size.

  Beneath the tree, there was a table, a chair, and a man.

  The fiery-haired man’s upper body was uncovered, and he sat there while weighing
Ning with a judging look in his eyes.

  “Emperor,” the retainer said respectfully, “Darknorth has arrived.”

  “You may leave,” Emperor Gonflame instructed. The retainer immediately withdrew, leaving behind only Ning and Emperor Gonflame.

  “This junior greets you, Emperor.” Ning bowed respectfully.

  “No need to stand on ceremony with me, Darknorth. Come, sit.” Emperor Gonflame smiled and gestured towards the seat opposite him. Seeing this, Ning followed his gesture and sat down.

  “Have a taste. The wine here was delivered to me by the various Daolords who have asked me to help them create various treasures. I don’t even know the names of half of the wine here, nor do I care. I’ve already spent countless amounts of effort researching and analyzing the properties of various materials and ingredients. I have no interest in doing the same for my food and wine as well,” Emperor Gonflame said.

  Ning nodded. “I can imagine how much effort it took for you to rise to the level of being the number one artificer of this entire universe.”

  “I actually happen to like being an artificer. When I followed Master, I was nothing more than one of her many disciples and retainers. I was a completely unremarkable figure.” A reminiscent look was in Emperor Gonflame’s eyes. “I was fairly slow in improving as a cultivator, but I really did like working as an artificer, and so I poured all of my efforts into this field instead. Who would’ve thought that I would end up becoming a Daolord of the Fourth Step, and then just naturally break through to become an Eternal Emperor? Only later did I realize that Master had been paying close attention to me in secret. She had helped guide me and assist me on numerous occasions without me even realizing it.”

  Ning couldn’t help but secretly sigh. For Emperor Gonflame to have gained eternity was proof that if you truly devoted yourself to a particular trade or craft, you could make miracles happen! But of course, that was also only if you had a major power like the Paragon of Pills guiding your path. The Paragon was one of the three ancient Primordial Starkings who had existed since the birth of this universe, after all. Even though she didn’t spend much time or effort on artificing, she still ranked as one of the top three in this universe. For her to help guide Emperor Gonflame in this was naturally quite simple for her.