Desolate Era

“In every generation, only a few Daolords will become Eternal Emperors,” Winesage mused. “I never expected to see one right here!”

“Right.” Ji Ning scanned the area as well.. “I wonder which Daolord made the breakthrough. He’s probably hiding somewhere.”

The descent of the prime essences of the universe covered the area around them, which meant the new Eternal Emperor should be here as well.

Swoosh. The distant Palace Lord Dawnstar flew over as well. He had been following them this entire time, but now he finally revealed himself. He was dressed in ordinary clothes and carried a great machete on his back. He was the pride of the countless cultivators of the Brightshore Kingdom… but of course, the Brightshore Kingdom now had another idol to be proud of: Daolord Darknorth!

“Dawnstar.” Ning revealed a smile.

“Darknorth.” Palace Lord Dawnstar smiled as well. “Haha. I didn’t have the chance to congratulate you on how powerful you have become. After this matter in the Waveshift Realm is concluded, we’ll be inducting you as the new Palace Lord of the Palace of the Sword.”

The title of Palace Lord of the Twelve Palaces was determined strictly based on power. By now, Ning’s power had already outstripped that of any and all Daolords in the Sword Palace.

“Your Brightshore Kingdom is growing stronger and stronger. Both the second and third positions belong to you,” the nearby Winesage said with a smile.

“If you didn’t have that Universe treasure, you might be thrown off your pedestal by Darknorth,” Dawnstar said, then scanned the area. “Haha, I never would’ve expected for a new Eternal Emperor to be born here in the ninth layer of the Waveshift Realm. Every person in the ninth layer is an extraordinary Daolord. This new Eternal Emperor will be a very powerful one.”

“Right.” Ning nodded.

“Agreed. This Eternal Emperor won’t be one of the ones who are killed with ease.” Winesage nodded as well.

Daolords of the Fourth Step were generally divided into four tiers.

The lowest tier was the ‘ordinary’ tier.

The third-tier Daolords included Daolords like like Patriarch Clearwind and Daolord Solesky.

The second-tier Daolords included the likes of Kongsan and Palace Lord Woodflower.

The supreme first-tier Daolords included Winesage, Ning, Dawnstar, Ninedust, Snowjoy, and the others.

Daolords of the Fourth Step who succeeded in the Daomerge and became Eternal Emperors would also result in four different tiers of emperors.

Ordinary Eternal Emperors were the weakest and were virtually unseen, primarily because almost all of them had been wiped out. Alternately, they had gone into hiding or had fled long ago.

The elite Eternal Emperors included the likes of Emperor Mirrorsnow and Emperor Melobo. Most of the living Eternal Emperors in the Endless Territories fell into this category, and they were comparable to the supreme first-tier Daolords in might. Most of them had been alive for extremely long periods of time, and thus they had collected many life-preserving items and techniques. To kill them was very, very difficult.

The next tier consisted of the lords of the eight Sacred Cities and the likes of Patriarch Vulturas.

The most supreme Eternal Emperors were known as Hegemons. There were three of them in the Endless Territories!

……

The one advantage Eternal Emperors had was that of time. They were alive for so long that they were able to accumulate many treasures. For Ning to face off against the eight lords of the Sacred Cities was like a second-tier Daolord facing off against a supreme Daolord! There was an enormous difference in power, and that wasn’t even factoring in the fact that the eight lords of the Sacred Cities were ancient freaks who had acquired treasures similar to Hegemon Dao-seals. Most likely, they all had many terrifying trump cards to use. There was just no way to battle them.

“Eh?” Winesage scanned the area suspiciously. “Who is the Eternal Emperor? Why hasn’t he come out yet?”

“Yes, it’s time for him to come out.” Ning and Palace Lord Dawnstar scanned the area as well.

Suddenly, Ning’s face turned pale.

“What is it?” Both Dawnstar and Winesage noticed the change in Ning’s face.

Ning had a complicated look on his face. It was unclear if the expression was of joy or rage. He waved his hand, causing two figures to appear atop the snowy peaks. The first was that of Daolord Badlands. The other was that of Daolord Solesky… or to be precise, Eternal Emperor Solesky.

“Emperor Solesky,” Ning said.

“Ji Ning.” Solesky still looked as sloppy and disheveled as ever, but his aura was now completely different. He had a stately, eternal majesty to him, as his Dao had gained eternity. Emperor Solesky said hurriedly, “It’s not what you think it is.”

“You used the Voidsea Jadeseal?” Ning asked.

“I used it.” Solesky nodded. “But…”

“Used it?” Winesage looked at Solesky, then interrupted him. “You are the former Daolord Solesky, correct? I really didn’t expect this. Daolord Darknorth and Daolord Ninedust risked their lives, so I felt certain that one of them had the seal. In the end, it was with you all along?”

“Daolord Solesky was already famous for his invulnerable aquaform,” Palace Lord Dawnstar said. “Now that he is an Eternal Emperor, his invulnerable aquaform is assuredly even better than before. Most likely, it will be extremely difficult for even the eight lords of the Sacred Cities to kill him. As for us Daolords, we have no chance at all. Emperor Solesky, congratulations. You have gained true eternity for yourself.”

……

“Daolord Solesky made the breakthrough.”

“Him?”

“He’s legendary for being tough to get rid of.”

The Heartforce Cultivators all chatted mentally to each other, causing news to quickly spread throughout not just the Waveshift Realm but the entirety of the Endless Territories.

Daolord Solesky. In the past, many Daolords wished to capture him and learn more regarding the Waveshift Realm from him. As a result, many knew of him! Although his attacks were fairly weak, his defenses were incredibly strong, allowing him to survive quite a few blows from even Fiendqueen Dustrain. One could imagine how tough his defenses were!

Now that he had become an Eternal Emperor and his invulnerable aquaform had also reached the eternal level, how much tougher would he have become?

……

Many powerful Ancient cultivators resided within a location inside the distant Terror Starsea. The exact location of this Ancient homeland was a mystery, with very few knowing the answer! Even the Ancient cultivators who were granted entry didn’t know the exact location.

An absolutely peerless beauty was seated atop an ancient throne, a royal scepter in her hands. To each side of her sat two rows of Ancients who were all Eternal Emperors.

At the very center of this room was a levitating image that displayed the scene within the Waveshift Realm.

“Who would’ve thought that Daolord Solesky would actually be the one to become an Eternal Emperor?”

“He’s not that strong, but he’s good at staying alive. In the future, we Ancient cultivators will probably need to get along with him.”

“To succeed in the Daomerge is far too difficult.”

The Eternal Emperors of the Ancient race all spoke out in praise.

As for Hegemon Netherlily, she said calmly from atop her high throne, “Emperor Solesky’s emergence is a minor matter. He’s not that powerful, and his existence has no impact on the situation in the Endless Territories at all! The Waveshift Realm… I can vaguely sense that something ten thousand times greater than the emergence of Emperor Solesky is going to happen.”

“Greater?” The Ancient cultivator Eternal Emperors were all rather surprised.

“You are too weak. You won’t be able to sense it,” Hegemon Netherlily said. “The secrets held within the Waveshift Realm are absolutely extraordinary. This is why I’ve been using my attunement to karma to keep an eye on everything happening within it.”

The existence of the Grand Waveshift Formation prevented the other Eternal Emperors from being able to scry the realm in detail, but Hegemon Netherlily was able to accomplish it.

And of course, Hegemon Windrain and Hegemon Brightshore were able to do the same.action

……

Within the Windrain Kingdom, the most sacred place of the Aberrant lifeforms, gentle rain fell down from the skies. This truly was a world of wind and rain, and it was filled with creeks, valleys, and beautiful rivers.

“Eh?” An enormous face appeared in the midst of a vast forest filled with countless trees. It was a special lifeform that was so incredibly vast, its body spanned the majority of the Windrain Kingdom. An image suddenly appeared in the air in front of the face. This was an image of what was happening within the Waveshift Realm.

“A new Eternal Emperor was born? Daolord Solesky might’ve broken through to become an Eternal Emperor, but this won’t have an impact on the Endless Territories as a whole, much less cause me to sense something.” Hegemon Windrain continued to watch from afar. “Waveshift… what the hell was he planning? What secrets are hidden within it?”

The Dao Alliance’s roots and foundation were incredibly deep, and its two leaders had a very wide web of influence. Despite that, they weren’t even close to living as relaxed a life as Emperor Waveshift.

Hegemon Windrain, Hegemon Brightshore, Hegemon Netherlily… they were far more powerful than Emperor Waveshift, but for them to go from place to place through the Great Dark was extremely difficult for them, whereas Emperor Waveshift was able to accomplish it with ease. It could be said that the most influential Eternal Emperor to ever leave the Endless Territories was Emperor Waveshift.

……

“Waveshift Realm.” Hegemon Welkin had been slumbering in the Endless Territories for many years in an effort to heal his wounds. Both he and Hegemon Brightshore were paying close attention to the Waveshift Realm as well. Both of them could also vaguely sense that something big was going to happen there, something which would have an important impact on them.

……

The three native Hegemons of the Endless Territories and the outsider Hegemon Welkin, as well as the most powerful and ancient Eternal Emperors, were all able to sense that something was going to happen. This was why they were so focused on the Waveshift Realm.