Desolate era, p.787
Desolate Era, page 787
“This is the most valuable possession my master has ever acquired, and he only gained it after experiencing countless dangers and hardships.” Realmsoul Polo looked quite proud. “The other organizations of the Endless Territories could work together and still fail to acquire this Crimsonwave Temple.”
“Alright. Now look over there.” Realmsoul Polo pointed off into the distance.
Whoosh! Previously, the palace interior had been so dark that they were unable to see what lay at the other side of it. Crimsonwave Temple was extremely large, after all, and it was filled with many regions. Now, three tunnels filled with dark blue light suddenly appeared.
“These three tunnels lead to three different locations within Crimsonwave Temple. You can try them out for yourself… and if you are lucky, perhaps you’ll be able to obtain the fruits within Crimsonwave Temple.” Realmsoul Polo said calmly, “However, acquiring those fruits is extremely difficult, just as difficult as acquiring the Voidsea Jadeseals will be.”
“Let’s go.” Ning and the other four didn’t hesitate at all, immediately moving towards the three tunnels. For now, it was still the Voidsea Jadeseals which truly enticed them.
“Everyone, we should part ways here. Otherwise, if we jointly acquire the jade seals, there will be no way to divide them up,” Winesage said. “I’ll choose this tunnel.” He chose one of the three and moved towards it.
“It’ll be up to your own respective skills.” Palace Lord Dawnstar chose the leftmost tunnel.
“Ninedust, let’s take the right one,” Ning said.
Ninedust hesitated. “Darknorth, there should be a Voidsea Jadeseal in each tunnel. If we go together, how should we split it?” They were good brothers, but they had to agree on something in advance. Otherwise, this might end up harming their relationship.
* * *
Book 33, Chapter 4 - Nine Sections
“If it wasn’t for you, there’s no way we would’ve been able to protect the first Voidsea Jadeseal, and big brother Solesky wouldn’t have become an Eternal Emperor,” Ji Ning said. “This next Voidsea Jadeseal will be yours! Haha, but of course if we find a second one it’ll go to me.”
Ninedust frowned. “Darknorth…” There were only three Voidsea Jadeseals left. It was virtually impossible for them to acquire two of them, especially seeing as how Winesage and Dawnstar had already gone into those two tunnels. Later on, even more supreme Daolords would arrive. For them to even acquire a single Voidsea Jadeseal would be a stroke of tremendous fortune. Two? Their chances were very, very low.
“Darknorth, you’ll also need a Voidsea Jadeseal in the future when you attempt the Daomerge in the future,” Ninedust said. “I think it’s better for us to just leave it up to speed and strength. May the best man win?”
“Enough, Ninedust. If you view me as your friend, then stop standing on ceremony with me,” Ning said seriously.
Ninedust looked at Ning. A moment later, he smiled. “Alright!” In this moment, Ninedust felt true gratitude in his heart. The Daomerge was, without question, the greatest tribulation any and every Daolord would ever face! He firmly memorized this moment of grace and buried it deep within his heart.
Ning relaxed as well. Finally, he had convinced the man! Ever since they had entered the Waveshift Realm, Ninedust had been their mainstay in battle. The fight against Fiendqueen Windrain, the escape with the Voidsea Jadeseal in tow… each time, it had been Ninedust who had taken the brunt of the fighting and done the most work. Was Ning supposed to just take the next Voidsea Jadeseal for himself, now that he had broken through in power? Ning simply couldn’t do such a thing! It would violate his Dao-heart!
In addition, of the various supreme Daolords who had gathered here, Ning cared the least about the Voidsea Jadeseals. This was because the Voidsea Jadeseals were not omnipotent. Second-tier Daolords would be able to use a Voidsea Jadeseal to fully simulate a Daomerge, but supreme first-tier Daolords would only be able to do a partial simulation!
As for Ning himself? He was just a Daolord of the Third Step. When he became a Daolord of the Fourth Step, his Omega Sword Dao would become even more overpowered; he would most likely be at the same level of power as the eight lords of the Sacred Cities. If he succeeded in his Daomerge, he would eclipse even Hegemons in power!
If the Voidsea Jadeseals weren’t able to do a full simulation for even the other ‘supreme’ Daolords, it probably wouldn’t even be able to simulate a tenth of his own Daomerge.
However… although he cared the ‘least’ about the Voidsea Jadeseals, that wasn’t saying much; he still cared immensely! Even though a jade seal would only allow him to simulate a very small portion of his Daomerge, it would still save him a bit of time when he attempted the real Daomerge. That extra window of time and opportunity could well determine whether his Daomerge would succeed or fail!
“Let’s find and seize the Voidsea Jadeseal first. As for the fruits, we’ll worry about them later after we learn more about them,” Ning said.
“Alright.” Ninedust nodded. Right now, even if Ning asked for all the fruits to go to him, Ninedust wouldn’t mind.
Swoosh! Swoosh! They quickly flew deeper into the tunnel of dark blue light they had chosen.
……
Rumble… as they flew through the dark blue tunnel, they felt almost as though they were flying through a dimensional doorway. Whoosh! An enormous world appeared in front of them as they flew out of the tunnel.
The enormous world had a dimensional walkway within it, with countless armored soldiers clustered on each of the two sides of the tunnel. At the end of this levitating pathway was an ancient throne, while a golden globe of light hovered above the entire pathway.
“Eh?” Ning and Ninedust traded a glance. A dimensional walkway?” Ning was surprised. When he and Ninedust had been in the Eastroad Territory, they had traversed a dimensional walkway and ended up being teleported into that estate deep within the Terror Starsea. Who would’ve thought they would encounter another one here in Crimsonwave Temple?
“There are some differences.” Ninedust stared off into the distance. The dimensional walkway within the Eastroad Sect had been surrounded by empty space, which was why it had been named the Void Pathway! But this vast world before them seemed far more real, and its aura was far more powerful. The area around this dimensional walkway was covered with dark soil and dirt, with many strange trees sprouting from the ground.
The trees were all very short and stooped, and the branches were twisted like the bodies of sea serpents. Only a single tree would grow within a million kilometer region, and every single tree only bore dark blue fruits. The fruits emanated an enticing fragrance that spread out in every direction.
“This enormous world has a total of 108,000 of these trees,” Ninedust said. As he spoke, he reached out with his right hand. Whooooosh. His right hand expanded to become a million kilometers long as he reached out towards the closest tree, seeking to pluck some of the fruit..
Suddenly, a barrier of light that seemed like the heavenly firmament itself sprang up. When Ninedust’s right hand touched the barrier, he was completely unable to move past it in the slightest.
“Realmsoul Polo already said that harvesting the fruit will be just as hard as acquiring the Voidsea Jadeseals,” the nearby Ning said.
“This barrier is quite strong. I wasn’t able to shake it at all with my attempt just now.” Ninedust shook his head.
Whoosh. Rainbow light gathered next to them, forming into a white-robed man. It was Realmsoul Polo, who smiled. “So the two of you have reached the first world.”
“Realmsoul.” Nine and Ninedust both looked at him.
“Look over here.” Realmsoul Polo pointed towards the left, then waved his hand. Instantly, the mist far off in the distance to the left began to dissipate, revealing yet another dimensional hallway that was also covered with countless warriors. Winesage was standing right there, with a second Realmsoul Polo by his side.
“Winesage?” Ning and Ninedust were both surprised.
“Now look here.” Realmsoul Polo now pointed towards the right, causing the mist off in the distance to once more dissipate and reveal a third dimensional walkway. This one was filled with just as many of those armored warriors, with Dawnstar standing amongst them.
“Palace Lord Dawnstar?” Ning and Ninedust were starting to understand.
“The two of you, along with Winesage and Dawnstar, have separately entered three of the major sections within the first world of the Crimsonwave Realm,” Realmsoul Polo said. “The different regions within the first world are all linked together, and so the two of you should move to acquire the Voidsea Jadeseals as quickly as possible. If you waste too much time, the others might end up winning it.”
“Where is the Voidsea Jadeseal?” Ning asked.
“Look at the throne over there.” The realmsoul pointed towards the black throne at the end of the dimensional walkway. “When you finish breaking through the many waves of warriors barring your path and reach that throne, you’ll be teleported to the second world. The Voidsea Jadeseals are within the second world.”
“Understood.” Ning’s eyes lit up, as did Ninedust’s.
“Then the fruits here…” Ning immediately changed to the next topic of conversation.
“If you wish to harvest the fruit, you must first acquire one of the command seals,” Realmsoul Polo said. “The command seals are in the third world.”
Ning and Ninedust exchanged a glance. The Voidsea Jadeseals were in the second world, while the command seals needed to harvest the fruit were in the third world? That meant that harvesting the fruit would probably be more difficult than acquiring the Voidsea Jadeseals.
“Let’s move.” It didn’t really matter; they had to seize every moment. Winesage was more powerful than both of them, and he would probably advance more quickly. After he won a Voidsea Jadeseal, he’d probably go after one of the others.
Boom! A pillar of golden light descended upon them, illuminating the six armored warriors in the first row before them. The six warriors opened their eyes, now glowing with golden light, then charged towards Ning and Ninedust with weapons at the ready.
Ning transformed into his three-headed, six-armed mode and drew all six of his Northbow swords. As for Ninedust, he brought his longstaff to the ready and immediately charged forwards as well.
Boom! Boom! Boom! As soon as the battle erupted, Ning and Ninedust felt a sense of pressure. “Every single one of these warriors is comparable to a second-tier Daolord.” Ning immediately came to this conclusion. An attack from six second-tier Daolords was more than enough to cause most supreme Daolords to feel a sense of pressure.
“Heartworld projection, descend! Novessence arts, manifest!” Ning didn’t hesitate or hold back in the slightest. His mighty heartworld projection came crashing down, suppressing his foes. As for his nine novessence arts, they followed the principles of his Omega Sword Dao – Yin-Yang as they furiously wrapped around the warriors, rendering them almost immobile. However, right at this moment even more of the golden light rained down from the skies. This time, it covered virtually the entire dimensional walkway… and as it did, it seemed to completely block off the power of Ning’s nine novessence arts and his heartworld projection, rendering them useless.
“What the hell? It actually blocked off my heartworld projection and the nine novessence arts?” Ning raised his head to stare at the golden globe of light above them.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
The six armored warriors let out furious, murderous shouts as they began to launch attacks at Ning and Ninedust without any hesitation at all.
Ning and Ninedust exchanged a glance. The warriors they had fought in the Void Pathway within the Eastroad Sect had been much weaker. Even the warriors they had encountered at the very end were merely equivalent to the lowest-ranked second-tier Daolords in power, and they weren’t able to ignore the nine novessence arts like this.
“Even the first warriors here are already comparable to second-tier Daolords,” Ning sent mentally. “And they are clearly far more numerous as well. All of them are fighting like madmen, seemingly intent on our deaths. Even my heartworld projection and nine novessence arts have been nullified. No wonder Realmsoul Polo said that only supreme Daolords even stand a chance at surviving this place! It won’t be easy at all for us to survive this first world.”
* * *
Book 33, Chapter 5 - The Grovekeepers
Ji Ning and Ninedust clearly surpass the six warriors in power, but the six warriors had bodies comparable to top-tier Eternal treasures. Each time they were knocked backwards, they would quickly regroup and charge towards the two once again.
“Why the hell are they continuing to attack?” Ninedust sent mentally.
“We’re clearly overpowering them, but they continue to press the assault.” Ning frowned as well. “Let’s just keep advancing. Forget about them.”
“Alright.” Ning and Ninedust clearly held the upper hand, and so they smashed their way through and continued the advance. As they did, however, six more rays of light shone down from that golden globe above them. Instantly, six more warriors opened their golden eyes and began to charge towards them. The six original warriors didn’t let up the pursuit either, continuing to press the assault. Now, there were a total of twelve warriors assaulting them.
“That’s not good.” Ning and Ninedust both turned pale. “We’re clearly stronger than them, but they aren’t even alive. Their bodies can’t be damaged in the slightest. If they continue to harass us like this, if we advance we’ll have to face eighteen of them, then twenty four of them. More and more of them will come to life and start attacking us.” Ninedust began to grow anxious. “Even if we work together, we won’t be able to last for very long if a hundred of these things attack us.”
“Agreed.” Ning was worried about the same thing.
Boom! Ning attacked in a ghostly manner, his six arms striking out with six Northbow swords and striking one of the warriors. That warrior was knocked flying backwards until it flew outside the dimensional walkway. Its golden eyes instantly dimmed. Moments later, some sort of invisible string seemed to jerk it back into the dimensional walkway where it rejoined the other warriors. This time, however, it no longer attacked.
“Aha!” Ning’s eyes lit up. “Knock them off the walkway. That’s all we need to do!”
“Oh, is that it?” Ninedust was delighted as well.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The two of them were clearly much stronger. Now that they knew what to do, they began to focus on knocking the armored warriors out of the dimensional walkway. In each case, the eyes of the warriors would go dim before they were pulled back into the ranks of the other warriors, now completely immobile.
……
Ning and the others continued to press the advance. Each time, they faced a total of six warriors! Some specialized in sword-arts, some specialized in whip-arts, some specialized in staff-arts, some specialized in axe-arts, some specialized in long-distance attacks… Ning and Ninedust were faced with all sorts of varied attacks.
Ning and Ninedust continued to press the assault for more than three days. Finally… from this day forth, they had to fight seven warriors each time!
Seven warriors… eight warriors… the number slowly began to rise. Each warrior continued to merely have the power of a second-tier Daolord, but the way they worked together became increasingly intricate and marvelous! Knocking them off the dimensional walkway became harder and harder, especially given how incredibly large the walkway was. The width alone was roughly a million kilometers! Each time, Ning and Ninedust had to fight with their full power.
……
Nine months later.
Twenty-six of the armored warriors were surrounding and assaulting the two of them in perfect concert. Their bodies were completely invulnerable, allowing them to focus on attacks without needing to defend at all. Ning and Ninedust worked together as well, slowly driving one warrior after another to the ends of the dimensional walkway. They fought for more than two hours before finally sending the last one flying.
“I’m so done right now. I’m exhausted.” Ninedust slumped to the ground. “I need a break. I can’t take any more, I really can’t.”
Ning sat down as well, staring at what lay ahead of them. They had only traversed roughly half of the dimensional walkway, and the further they advanced the more difficult it would be.
“This is torture.” Ninedust shook his head. “We’ve been fighting nonstop for nine full months, and I’ve been using chaos jewels to replenish my energy. Sure, I have plenty of them, but fighting at full power for this long is mentally exhausting. I’m more tired right now than I ever have been in my entire life. How about you, Darknorth?”
“I’m kind of tired as well,” Ning said. In truth, he wasn’t nearly as bad off. He was a Heartforce Cultivator, after all, and his close combat skills were exquisite. This was why he wasn’t as exhausted as Ninedust was. Still, Ning elected to rest alongside Ninedust for a time, as the two were able to advance faster when fighting together. If he tried to fight by himself, he’d move much more slowly.
“Hahaha…” Suddenly, a deep, rumbling laugh rang out from the distant black soil. Ning and Ninedust sat up straight in surprise as they turned to stare at the black soil off in the distance.
Suddenly, the black, earthy ground began to slowly bulge upwards, forming into a humanoid figure of dark soil. The black earth golem was the size of a mountain, and he cracked his mouth into a grin. “Haha! Tired already, kids? Honestly, the two of you really don’t know your limits. Why have you come to attempt this pathway by yourselves? You should work in groups of four or five. Wouldn’t that be much faster?”
