The Desolate Era (Web Novel)

Ji Ning, Su Youji, and World God Dragonbinder travelled through the new passageway and reached another part of the mountain. They all turned to glance at the collapsed treasury.

“Brother Ji Ning, congratulations! You acquired the treasures,” World God Dragonbinder said.

“You are formidable as always, Master.” Su Youji was filled with admiration for Ning.

“Brother Ji Ning, I don’t quite understand…both the Flamefairy and I attempted the trial but neither of us could retrieve the treasures. But you, brother Ji Ning…” World God Dragonbinder couldn’t help but ask this question. He knew that Ji Ning was most skilled with the sword. If the trial was a trial of the Dao of the Sword, fine. But this clearly was a trial of the Dao of Fire!

Even the Flamefairy, who was just a hair away from becoming a Chaos Immortal, was unable to pass this trial. How could Ji Ning have succeeded?

“There are certain secrets and tricks to overcoming the treasury trials which Daolord Allgod laid down.” This was the only thing Ning said in response.

World God Dragonbinder and Su Youji both understood. The answer most likely involved some of Ji Ning’s personal secrets, and so they no longer asked. Cultivators sometimes would be placed under lifeblood oaths or simply be unwilling to disclose their most powerful, life-saving techniques. Thus, in general if someone didn’t wish to discuss something, others wouldn’t force the topic.

“I did acquire a treasure from within this treasury.” Ning waved his hand, producing a palm-sized fiery idol.

“What is this?” World God Dragonbinder’s gaze turned dreamy for a moment as his attention became absorbed by this idol.

As for the Flamefairy, her response was even more exaggerated. As she stared at the fiery idol, she was completely captivated by it.

As a master-class World God, Dragonbinder was quickly able to shake off the effect and come to his senses. He looked at Ning in an admiring manner. “Brother Ji Ning, I’m surprised that you are willing to show this treasure to the two of us in such a casual fashion. This idol hides within it a fire-attribute technique of tremendous profundity. The idol itself has eight faces, with each face representing one of eight great mysteries. This is something far more valuable than a mere technique-holding jade slip. Jade slips merely contain information on a technique; if you want to understand the technique, you have to slowly meditate on it. This fiery idol, however, has eight different auras and intents that can actually guide the cultivator in the correct method to train in this technique.”

“I’ve already become a master-class World God. What I now need to do is find my own path and then follow it to become a Samsara Daolord! These techniques are useless to me, but they are of tremendous use to the Flamefairy.” World God Dragonbinder explained, “This idol has to be worth over a thousand cubes of chaos nectar. Generally speaking, a person would have to pay a hundred cubes to even be given the chance to merely ‘borrow’ this idol to look at it for a while. You truly are generous to this retainer of yours.”

“It is useless to me but useful to her. I’m naturally going to give it to her. She’s my retainer! If she becomes more powerful, that means my team will be more powerful,” Ning said with a laugh.

“Ahaha…” World God Dragonbinder nodded.

Different cultivators treated their retainers in different manners. Some cultivators who were on the same general level of power as their retainers would treat them as friends and equals. However, if there was an enormous disparity in power the retainers would often be treated like slaves! When Daolord Windsource died, he even took quite a few of his disciples with him, to say nothing of his retainers.

During his time in the Badlands Court, Ning had sparred with quite a few people. His sword-arts were so profound that no Elder God or Ancestral Immortal in the Badlands Court was a match for him. From this alone, World God Dragonbinder could tell that Ji Ning was definitely comparable to a World God in power! He had to be much more powerful than Su Youji. For him to be courteous to her was one thing, but for him to give her such a valuable legacy in such a straightforward manner was something else. This sort of behavior was fairly rare.

“Eh?” Ning turned to look at Su Youji. A look flickered through World God Dragonbinder’s eyes as he turned to look at her as well.

Su Youji had already shut her eyes and vague ripples of fire had begun to swirl around her.

“Sudden enlightenment?” World God Dragonbinder said softly.

“Yes.” Ning nodded. They were inside the Allgod Estate, a very dangerous place. Generally speaking, no one would engage in meditation here. If Su Youji was here by herself and a prajna-state of sudden enlightenment descended upon her, she would probably break it right away. She would first leave the ruins, find a safe place to stay, then re-engage in her meditations. However, in doing so she would’ve lost the benefit from this prajna-state of sudden enlightenment. Thankfully, she was alongside Ji Ning and World God Dragonbinder. She trusted that the two would protect her, and so she allowed herself to be drawn into the prajna-state.

“Come here.” Ning waved his hand, causing Su Youji to be drawn into his estate-treasure and be placed atop an island.

Ning exerted his will, causing that island to be completely separated from the rest of the estate-world. As the master of this estate-world, Ning was able to ensure that there was absolutely no way that Su Youji’s moment of enlightenment would be disturbed.

“It seems likely that the Flamefairy is going to break through to become a Chaos Immortal.” World God Dragonbinder let out an impressed sigh.

“Yes.” Ning nodded. “Youji was always quite talented. In the past, however, she never had any good teachers. Although my big brother Daolord Solesky gave her a few tips, he did so in a rather casual manner. This idol, however, has a truly systemized and complete technique within it.”

“Yes. This idol can guide someone to become a master-class World-level figure. Haha, Ji Ning…it seems you are about to acquire a World-level retainer.” World God Dragonbinder laughed.

“I can feel the pressure already.” Ning laughed as well.

“Hurry up and make your own breakthrough as well. Your sword-arts are as impressive as the sword-arts of quite a number of World-level Sword Immortals that I know,” World God Dragonbinder said.

“Mm.” Ning himself could sense that he had reached a bottleneck in the ‘Great Firmament’ stance. However, he was fairly close to making his breakthrough. The [Nameless] sword-art was an extremely profound sword-art; upon mastering this next level, he would form a Sword World that was far stronger than that of most Sword Immortals! As for Ning’s own ‘Blackmist’ stance, it was a stance that was fairly close in power to the ‘Great Firmament’ stance.

“Although I’m just a hair’s breadth away, that tiny bit of distance has prevented countless Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals from taking the next step.” Ning let out a sigh.

“True.” World God Dragonbinder couldn’t help but think about himself and the many other cultivators who were trapped as master-class World-level experts and were unable to make a breakthrough. “A single step that can be as wide as a moat that separates the heavens and the earth.”

That final step was the hardest step to take.

There were many, many master-class World-level experts. Even the Starlord of Fogstone, who had only trained for a fairly short period of time, had become a master-class World God. So had God Emperor Blackstone! But how few of them would become into Samsara Daolords?

“Let’s go view some other places,” Ning said.

……

Ning and World God Dragonbinder were fairly strong, and the Ten Thousand Mountains were merely the outermost layer of the Allgod Estate. There were actually very few World-level experts here; most cultivators present were Elder Gods or Ancestral Immortals. Thus, the two were essentially able to roam through this region as they pleased. No one dared to antagonize the two of them.

In the blink of an eye, more than two years had gone by.

Given how powerful Ning and Dragonbinder were, the ‘outer region’ truly was of no challenge to them. This was especially true for World God Dragonbinder. He was an exalted master-class World God; he naturally had to enter the Fog Sea to test himself! And yet, because they needed to stand guard for the Flamefairy, he had remained by Ning’s side instead of venturing into the more dangerous Fog Sea region.

“Sorry to have troubled you, brother Dragonbinder. I’ve made you waste quite a bit of time here in the outer region.” Ning sat down on a stone as he held out a flask of wine.

“It’s just two or three years, and I’ll be able to see a new Chaos Immortal be born. No big deal at all. Uh…wow. This is good wine. Good lord, brother Ji Ning…how much money did you spend on Immortal wine?” World God Dragonbinder was guzzling wine with gusto.

“Ten cubes,” Ning said.

“Nice, nice.” World God Dragonbinder certainly wasn’t willing to spend this much money on wine.

When Ning had departed from the Windsource Ruins, he was laden down with many treasures. Thus, he chose to spend ten cubes of his wealth to purchase a great deal of fine Immortal wine. He was living in the Badlands Court and would often receive their disciples as his guests. How could he allow himself to be lacking in wine? The Immortal wine he had purchased had been created through many different valuable ingredients. Once it was consumed, it would actually help the imbiber by replenishing his Immortal ki.

Suddenly…

Rumble…

A dim sound rang out from the heavens above them.

The seated Ning and Dragonbinder both turned their heads to stare at the heavens. The vague image of a vortex of chaos energy could be seen swirling in the skies.

“We can even see the chaos vortex from within the Allgod Estate. There has to be an enormous flood of chaos energy in the outside world.” World God Dragonbinder revealed a look of delight…and his words were spot on. An utterly enormous vortex of chaos energy had formed in the skies above the Allgod Chaosworld.

“The Flamefairy should’ve begun her breakthrough,” World God Dragonbinder said. “Let everything return to the primordial chaos from whence it came. Let the Dao-seed grow and let all things be renewed…”

Ning felt eager as well.

He had received certain teachings from Daolord Solesky, and so he knew that breaking through to become a World-level expert would result a transformation on a fundamental level. When he thought of Su Youji’s transformation, he felt even more anticipation towards his own. He had the [Taowu Eighteen Fiendgods], the [Sole True Body], and the mysterious azureflower mist energy. This was why he was comparable to a World God despite being an Elder God.

One could imagine how enormous his transformation would be upon becoming a World God! He would be on a completely different level of power!

A long period of time went by, but neither Ning nor Dragonbinder were in a rush.

Whoosh.

A peerless beauty suddenly appeared, wreathed in flames. She knelt down towards Ning and said gratefully, “Youji shall never forget the great kindness you have shown her, Master.”

“It’s good that you know the importance of repaying the kindness of others.” World God Dragonbinder nodded. There were some retainers who would begin to treat their masters with disdain once they broke through and reached a higher level of power. Once their lifeblood oaths were completed, they would immediately depart.

“You are now a World-level expert. Hurry up and rise.” Ning hurriedly held the Flamefairy to her feet. He could sense the aura of a Chaos Immortal emanating from the rings of fire that wreathed her body, and he couldn’t help but sigh.