The Desolate Era (Web Novel)

“I’ll send the Immortals to your army camp right away. You need to quickly accustomize yourself to commanding three thousand Celestial Immortals and three hundred thousand Loose Immortals. The power of your Heaven Punisher will increase yet again; perhaps, at a critical moment in the war, I’ll have to rely on you to save my life,” the Xia Emperor laughed. “However, you have to be careful. The most outstanding tree within a forest is often the first to be felled. You’ll most likely suffer attacks from many members of the Seamless Gate.”

“Understood.” Ji Ning nodded.

“Ideally, you should keep some power hidden in reserve. If you suddenly unleash it at a critical moment in a battle, you can have a major impact on the course of the war,” the Xia Emperor reminded.

“Right.” Ning smiled and nodded.

He hadn’t even told his master, Subhuti, that he had become a Pure Yang True Immortal. By now, he had already created the twelfth stance of the [Three-Foot Sword], a stance which encompassed the entire Dao of the Sword. However, he had never before displayed this technique, nor had he spoken to anyone of his improvements in soul heartforce.

......

Time flowed onwards.

Nine months passed in the blink of an eye.

Ji Ning was seated in the lotus position within a private room inside his residence.

The Pure Yang Jindan within his body was swollen with golden light, and its luster had become an even denser color.

A series of ripples were currently emanating from his Jindan, ripples caused by the merging of his soul into it. The invisible, untouchable power known as ‘heartforce’ was constantly sending commands to his soul. He was meditating nonstop on the soul heartforce technique. When meditating, he would often meet with many puzzling problems. Ning would either ponder them alone, or compare them to the information he had in the [Heart Sutra] in the hopes that he might be inspired.

There naturally were differences between Ning’s technique and Old Man Yuan’s technique, but they sprang from the same foundation and had certain similarities. This was of assistance to Ning in terms of speeding up his meditations.

“Everyone, the Seamless Gate is prepared for battle.” The Xia Emperor’s voice rang out by the ears of the Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and commanders.

The Eight Dragons Cloudcity was the Protocosmic spirit-treasure of the Xia Emperor; he was able to send out these messages with ease.

“Prepared for battle?” Startled, Ning immediately came to a halt.

Whoosh.

He pushed open the door to his private room, then walked out. Yu Wei gave Ning a puzzled glance. “Why have you ended your training so quickly?”

“The war is about to start again,” Ning said.

“Right now?” Yu Wei’s face completely changed.

“Yes.” Ning nodded.

“I had thought that I’d be able to give birth to our child first.” Yu Wei stroked her belly, which was very large by now. One could tell just by looking at her that childbirth was imminent.

She had a very gentle look in her eyes as she stroked her belly, a look that was filled with motherly love. She said softly, “I can feel our baby kicking about in my belly. It’s very likely that I’ll give birth in just another month or two.”

“I, too, was hoping that the war would only start after our child was born. Unfortunately...that’s not up to me,” Ning sighed.

“You have to take care of yourself. Don’t push yourself too hard. We have an absolutely massive Immortal army, while you are just one man.” Yu Wei looked at Ning.

“I know.” Ning nodded.

Forget about him; even if the seven Empyrean Gods all came out, they would most likely only be able to have a small, localized impact on the Realmwar. The three hundred Heaven Punishers alone were comparable to three hundred Empyrean Gods in power!

“Don’t worry about me. I have to go now.” Ning immediately turned and walked towards the outside.

Yu Wei had a look of worry in her eyes as she watched Ning leave.

A Realmwar...

No matter how much faith she had in Ning, she still felt fear in her heart.

“You have to survive,” Yu Wei murmured softly to herself as Ning left.

“DARKNORTH ARMY, ASSEMBLE!” Ning’s voice rang out, shaking the entire Darknorth army camp.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Instantly, the voices of hundreds of thousands of Immortals could be heard as they called out their assent and started to join into formation.

......

Of all the formations that were in the airspace of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity, the utterly massive Pangu War-Formations were the most eye-catching. Although there were only seventy-eight Fiendgod armies, their formations took up more than half of the available space. Next to them was a total of 324 Heaven Punishers, each one thirty thousand meters tall and clad in nothing more than fur loincloths.

Around them flew the sinuous Raindragons.

There were also many Empyrean God golems as well as some Empyrean Gods and True Immortals.

“The Seamless Gate is no longer focusing exclusively on defense.” Ning stood there in midair, staring at the scene outside. The distant battlefield now held ancient, towering Godbeasts, Fiendgods, and many powerful golems. There were also many Empyrean Gods and True Immortals; they looked small and unremarkable, but they absolutely could not be underestimated. The army outside had already summoned so much natural energy from Heaven and Earth that the distant skies had turned dim, with dark clouds filling the skies.

“The Daofather has arrived.”

“Daofather.”

Ning immediately noticed as Daofather Crimsonbright appeared in the distance. Instantly, the massive armies that were hovering in the air above the Eight Dragons Cloudcity became completely silent.

Daofather Crimsonbright swept his gaze past each and every one of them. “This,” he said calmly, his voice carrying a terrifying desire for battle, “Is the war between my entire Crimsonbright Realm and the Seamless Gate. There is no way to avoid, no way to escape this battle. Our only choice is to face it head-on! If you want to survive, then there is only one path forward...to completely wipe out the Seamless Gate!”

“Either we perish, or the Seamless Gate perishes!” Daofather Crimsonbright now had a terrifying look in his eyes, a look of murder.

Even the elderly-looking Daofather Crimsonbright had a savage side to him, at a time like this!

Only those who had experienced that ancient war of the Primordial Era would truly understand that there really was no way out of a great tribulation like this. Even figures as powerful as the Four Ancestors of the River Source would eventually have to choose an alliance, once the final Endwar came. Anyone who tried to avoid the war would be assailed and killed by both camps. Neither side would allow any True Gods or Daofathers to stand aloof and potentially mop up the survivors!

Two sides!

Only one side could survive!

“Go forth and conquer!” Daofather Crimsonbright finally gave the order. “Kill them all!”

“Kill them all!”

“Kill them all!”

“KILL THEM ALL!”

Countless angry roars shook the skies, causing the ground itself to tremble, as though the world was about to burst apart.

In the past, these Immortals may have been as graceful as the wind and as pure as the clouds. Now, however, they had all become as savage and berserk as demons. In the past, they may have enjoyed limitless lifespans, allowing them to roam about in a leisurely fashion, wandering the Three Realms and making new friends. In the face of this storm, however...the murderous impulses that lurked deep within the bones of the Immortals and Fiendgods would be completely unleashed. This was a great war of two opposing paths, of two opposing Daos; for me to live, you had to die. This was more than just a war; it was a struggle for survival!

Rumble...

The massive armies shot through the skies, flying outside.

As for the Seamless Gate’s forces, they stood in perfect formation, waiting and watching coldly as the Crimsonbright Realm’s forces came forth.

The awesome presence of these armies was enough to cause the Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals to quiver in terror. In the end, however, they were nothing more than tiny chess pieces, just parts of a greater formation. They had entrusted their commanders with their fates, with Ning holding the lives and destinies of three thousand Celestial Immortals and three hundred thousand Loose Immortals in his hands. Ning’s personal prowess, in turn, made it so that each of his soldiers were extremely respectful towards him.

......

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!!

One Heaven Punisher after another descended, landing on the ground and causing it to tremble violently. The Raindragons flew about around them, while the utterly massive Fiendgod armies emanated the mightiest auras of all.

The two sides faced off against each other, both of their auras equally terrifying.

“Once Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals are gathered in such frightening numbers, even someone like myself would have to give way before them.” Daofather Ink Bamboo stood atop the walls of the Seamless City, a smile on his face. He sighed, “Those Empyrean Gods and True Immortals in particular...the most powerful of them are almost comparable to Daofathers in might.”

The most powerful Empyrean God in the entire history of the Three Realms was Houyi!

Perhaps there were some other monstrously talented Empyrean Gods who were able to give Daofathers a fight and live to tell the tale, but when Houyi was an Empyrean God...he had actually KILLED a Daofather! Of course, Houyi eventually broke through to become a True God himself, at which point his reputation and his power grew to an even more incredible level. He was publicly acknowledged as the number one divine archer of the Three Realms, and he came up with the systemized heartforce archery technique known as [Houyi’s Archery].

This was the one and only heartforce technique that was completely systemized, allowing anyone to train in it. The techniques which Ning had come up with, for example, were only suitable for himself to train in; there was no way he could teach it to someone else, no matter how hard he tried. Old Man Yuan, in turn, had simply provided Ning with the sum of his own personal experiences, allowing Ning to benefit from them in coming up with his own ideas.

Alas, this great divinity Houyi, who had caused the entire Three Realms to quiver in terror during the Primordial Era, had completely vanished.

“Crimsonbright?” Daofather Ink Bamboo stared into the distance.

Daofather Crimsonbright stood there atop the distant walls of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity, staring towards the Seamless City.

These two Daofathers stared at each other from afar. As their gazes met, it was as though a streak of black light had suddenly clashed against a streak of azure light, causing space itself to tremble.

“Crimsonbright, long time no see!” Daofather Ink Bamboo said.

“Indeed, long time no see. Only...it would be better if you died and I never saw you again,” Daofather Crimsonbright said coldly.

Everyone on their side, be it Subhuti or Crimsonbright, felt nothing more than the utmost of enmity towards the Seamless Gate.

This sort of enmity had existed from the eareliest of days.

This was why Subhuti, Crimsonbright, and the others were so utterly enraged that Old Man Yuan was just watching without choosing a side. As Subhuti and the others saw it, he shouldn’t have even hesitated to stand with the Nuwa Alliance.

“Me? Die? Haha...I, Ink Bamboo, specialize in staying alive. During those bygone years, when I followed his Majesty, we nearly wiped you out.” Daofather Ink Bamboo sighed. “Alas...in the end, Nuwa actually broke through to Pangu’s level. Otherwise, you would’ve been doomed. Now, the storm has risen once again...and this time, you won’t be able to escape it. You True Gods, you Daofathers...all of you will die. None of you will survive!”

“Quite arrogant of you. Back then, the Primordial World was shattered, Mother Nuwa made her breakthrough, the Lord of All Things was slain, and even your ‘king’ was forced to merge himself into the Heavenly Daos and transform himself into part of them to survive. Even if he’s awakened...so what? He’s still merely a part of the Heavenly Daos, restricted and bound by them at all times, unable to be truly free.” Daofather Crimsonbright laughed coldly, “He’s no longer the king he once was.”

“His Majesty remains his Majesty.” Daofather Ink Bamboo smirked. “Now that the storm his arisen, I trust that you can subconsciously sense the way in which the river of destiny is flowing...and that you understand that there is no way to avoid this storm. His Majesty will move in concert with the Dao of the Heavens in aiding our Seamless Gate in wiping you all out.”

“Wiping us out is the will of the Dao of the Heavens?” Daofather Crimsonbright laughed coldly. “What a joke. If the Dao of the Heavens wished for us to perish, then why engage in a battle for karmic luck?”

Daofather Ink Bamboo was startled. He then shook his head, no longer saying anything.

In his heart, Daofather Crimsonbright felt regret...

The Seamless Gate was still able to maintain some degree of contact with their ancient king, and so they knew many secrets. Daofather Crimsonbright wished to suss out some of their secrets, but alas, the Seamless Gate was very cautious, only revealing information which the Nuwa Alliance already knew.

One thing was for certain; the Nuwa Alliance was going to fight for every scrap of karmic luck they could! Afterwards, they would wipe out the Seamless Gate in the Endwar.

The ancient, slumbering king of the Seamless Gate was very terrifying, but in the end he was now nothing more than a part of the Dao of the Heavens. All things within the Three Realms were ruled by the Dao of the Heavens; one couldn’t simply do whatever one wished! This was the reason why the Nuwa Alliance felt absolutely certain that it would win. If that old bastard could do as he pleased, the Nuwa Alliance would’ve lost long ago; Mother Nuwa herself had left the Three Realms, after all, having gone exploring the infinite primordial chaos around it. With her gone, no one was strong enough to face that presence head-on.

“Fight for more karmic luck.”

“Win this war for karmic luck, no matter what the cost. The more karmic luck we have, the more the Dao of the Heavens will support us. That old bastard is being restricted by the Dao of the Heavens, and so the amount of aid he can provide the Seamless Gate will be lessened as well.”

Daofather Crimsonbright swept the vast enemy army with his gaze. These countless Immortals and Fiendgods were all here for the sake of karmic luck. Only by winning this war could the countless geniuses of the world, such as Ji Ning, be able to survive this great storm...because they had chosen to stand with the Nuwa Alliance.

If they lost their karmic luck, and if even the Dao of the Heavens stood on the side of the Seamless Gate...it was likely that they would lose the final Endwar, at which point Ji Ning and the countless Immortals and Fiendgods would all be wiped out and exterminated.

“Attack!” Daofather Crimsonbright’s voice rang out by the ears of Ji Ning and every single commander. Ning and the others all felt their blood begin to surge and boil. Their eyes instantly turned red with battle-lust.

“Attack!”

Instantly, the awe-inspiring armies began to charge forward. More than three hundred Heaven Punishers bound forward on bare feet, charging towards their foes.

As for the great armies of the Seamless Gate, they too let out an earth-shaking howl: “Kill!” They too charged forward.

Fiendgods...Terrorbeasts...awe-inspiringly large armies...the world was filled with them. It was like two giant floods of power had jsust crashed into each other.

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