The Desolate Era

Book 21, The Bloodlotus Blooms, Chapter 16 – The Number One Sword-Art of the Three Realms

As the black-robed Godking was standing on the city walls, staring as the Rahu-Ning charged forward at the very front of the army of the Nuwa Alliance, Ji Ning also raised his head to stare towards him.

Their gazes collided…and the black-robed Godking’s heart clenched momentarily.

“Interesting. He seems to have improved a bit in power.” The black-robed Godking laughed coldly. “Unfortunately, hatred seems to have fogged up his mind. Doesn’t he know that in a war, you need to rely on the power of your allies? To charge all by yourself towards the enemy is the same as throwing yourself into a deadly trap. Who do you think you are? An Envoy of All Things? Do you really think you can dominate all comers?”

By now, everyone on both armies had noticed that the Rahu-Ning had charged to the very forefront of battle.

“Has he gone mad?”

“That must be Ji Ning, right? In years past, he roamed the Three Realms and slaughtered quite a few Empyrean Gods and True Immortals of our Seamless Gate. How dare he act so brashly on the field of battle as well? Let’s surround him and kill him. Dealing with him will be effortless.”

“He really is seeking out death.”

When the great army of the Seamless Gate saw the Rahu-Ning charge towards them, they all believed that this quite well-known Empyrean God Darknorth had gone mad. Every so often, there were some people who would go absolutely berserk on the battlefield; Empyrean God Silvermoon, for example, had done just the same during the last fight.

“Fellow Daoist Darknorth, you must not advance so hastily!”

“Slow it down.”

“Don’t let yourself be surrounded by the enemies!”

The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals of the Nuwa Alliance who were behind Ning all called out to him in worry…but alas, Ning was far too fast, and there was no way for them to catch up at all.

Whoosh.

Wind howled past his ear, and space itself was rippling before him. Twin swords in hands, the Rahu-Ning bound forward through the desolate wilderness.

“The two of you, go slow him down.”

“Infinity Fiendgod, go and kill Ji Ning.”

Daomother Devilhand almost instantly gave her orders. Ning had charged to the very forefront of the battle, and so Daomother Devilhand could easily arrange for her forces to intercept and kill him.

Boom! Boom!

Instantly, the two closest violet-light golems charged towards Ning, their heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble. One of the golems bellowed furiously, “Darknorth, you are courting death!”

“Imbeciles.” The Rahu-Ning howled through the air, meeting them in battle.

Sword-light flashed!

Both Darknorth swords struck out simultaneously. Once they did…the faces of the major powers on both sides of the battle completely changed. Daomother Devilhand, the black-robed Godking, Subhuti, Xuan Yuan, Daoist Three Purities, Shennong…the faces of each and every one of them changed. They were all incredibly experienced figures, and they naturally were able to tell at one glance how terrifying Ji Ning’s sword-arts were.

“What a terrifying sword-art.” The black-robed Godking was stunned.

“This sword-art…”

Rumble…

The two streaks of sword-light were like two bolts of endless lightning as they tore through spac, carrying an unstoppable amount of force.

The two controllers of the violet-light golems had previously been quite confident, as these golems were as tough as magic treasures and thus perfectly suited to tying down foes. Even if a Daofather attacked, it would be difficult for the Daofather to injure them. These golems had bodies that were just as tough as a body of one who had reached the Ninth Cycle of the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art].

But when those two streaks of sword-light lit up…the two True Immortals commanding the golems were completely stunned. Their hearts began to quiver.

“Good heav-”

BOOM! BOOM!

They sought to block, but the two streaks of sword-light landed on their bodies. The two violet-light golems were knocked flying backwards, almost instantly being sent back into the ranks of the Seamless Gate’s armies. But they didn’t stop there; they continued to flip backwards uncontrollably at high speed. Soon, they were far behind the main army.

Utter silence! Deathly stillness!

The entire battlefield instantly ground to halt.

Everyone else was stunned and silenced…but Ning acted as though he had simply kicked away two little pebbles. Showing no emotions at all, he continued to charge towards the Seamless Gate’s army at a terrifying level of speed.

“Not good.” Atop the city walls, Daomother Devilhand had an ugly look on her face. “He is very powerful. Extremely powerful. He’s probably close to a top-tier Daofather in strength! The ‘Life and Death Formations of the Twin Realm Calamity Dragons’ are comparatively weak, defensively speaking. If he’s allowed to charge into the army and into those formations, he’ll probably be able to break through them. As for the Infinity Fiendgod, it’s still some distance away from him.”

She had instructed those two golems to tie down Ning, so as to allow one of the white-haired, red-eyed Infinity Fiendgods enough time to get there.

The Infinity Fiendgods were located at the very center of the entire army, alongside the Envoy of All Things. Thus, they were fairly far away from Ning.

“Seamless Infinity Formation! Hurry up and stop Ji Ning. Tie him down and work with the Infinity Fiendgod to kill him!” Daomother Devilhand immediately gave the order.

“Yes.” The Seamless Infinity Formation nearest Ning immediately flew towards him.

Boom!

The vast, awe-inspiring Seamless Infinity Formation was surrounded by a region of primordial chaos, and a layer of endless black clouds radiated from them as well. They all surged straight towards Ning. The Seamless Infinity Formation would be able to fight against even actual True Gods and Daofathers without fear.

Each Seamless Infinity Formation was formed from 289 Empyrean Gods and True Immortals. It was the ‘king’ of the Seamless Chaosworld who had created this technique, and he did so with the purpose of allowing Empyrean Gods and True Immortals to be able to fight back against True Gods and Daofathers. Its strength lay in trapping powerful foes!

“He really is crazy. He’s actually charging straight for the formation.” Atop the city walls, the black-robed Godking shook his head at what he was seeing.

The vast, awe-inspiring Seamless Infinity Formation came crashing towards Ning. Ning’s six arms now each wielded a sword, and he ran forward like a streak of light, charging straight towards it.

The main army of the Nuwa Alliance was still far behind him, frantically trying to catch up. The main army of the Seamless Gate was watching from afar as well.

Both armies were staring at this sight. They were staring as the Rahu-Ning was about to collide with the Seamless Infinity Formation.

“You wish to block me?” The towering Rahu-Ning watched as the endless black clouds moved closer and closer to him. The outlines of the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals within the black cloud could be vaguely seen, and all of them were staring icily towards Ning.

Ning once more struck out with a sword.

Just one strike from a single sword.

The sword was the Chaos-level Darknorth sword.

Whoosh.

It was like a bolt of lightning had suddenly filled Heaven and Earth! No…it was even faster than a lightning bolt! The ‘indestructible’ Seamless Infinity Formation that was ‘perfect for trapping foes’…in the face of this strike, it was like a black air bubble that was instantly pierced straight through and popped! One of the Empyrean Gods struck by the sword-light was instantly disintegrated, and the entire Seamless Infinity Formation completely broke apart.

Boom! The black air bubble completely shattered.

This sword-art was the fastest, most penetrating sword technique Ning had…the Blood Drop stance of the [Brightmoon] sword-art!

“How can this be?!” Empyrean God Tongxun, the leader of the formation, was suffering a complete mental breakdown. “The Seamless Infinity Formation was broken apart with a single sword-strike? T-this is impossible..”

“Good heavens…”

“Save us! Save us!”

“Flee!”

The 288 Empyrean Gods and True Immortals were all mentally shattered by this attack. If even the Seamless Infinity Formation couldn’t withstand that sword…now that the formation was gone, they would be like easily slaughtered ants. Right now, their greatest regret was the fact that the Rahu-Ning actually had six arms!

Those six arms swept out with a sword in each hand. Sword-light flashed everywhere, massacring them at an incredible speed. The Rahu-Ning slaughtered his way from one end of the formation to the other, and more than 180 Empyrean Gods and True Immortals perished on the spot! The only reason there were any survivors at all was because Ning wasn’t trying to wipe them all out…because his attention was fully focused on the white-haired, red-eyed Infinity Fiendgod that was charging towards him.

“Good!”

Atop the city walls, Daofather Subhuti let out an exclamation as he saw that distant, utterly dazzling sword-strike that was far more terrifying than a mere thunderbolt. He was so excited that he actually pounded the stone railings in front of him.

“What a formidable sword-art. What a fast and terrifying sword-art!” Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan’s face had completely changed. “A sword that surpasses the limits of the Heavenly Daos. No; that’s not all. His sword-art carried a strange vortex with it, making it move even faster and have even more penetrative power. Such a terrifying sword-art actually exists in the three Realms?”

“A fine sword-art.”

“Did he master the [Five Treasures]?”

“That sword-strike alone is proof that Ning has power comparable to that of a top-tier Daofather. He’s absolutely capable of being a match for the Envoy of All Things.”

Ever since the battle had begun, the major powers of the Nuwa Alliance had been feeling quite nervous. Now, all of them began to let out surprised exclamations. Perhaps ordinary Empyrean Gods and True Immortals couldn’t tell, but they could; Ji Ning’s sword-arts hadn’t ‘simply’ surpassed the limits of the Heavenly Daos, they also innately contained profound mysteries that were incomparably exalted. A sword-art like this could absolutely be described as the number one sword-art of the Three Realms.

“The number one sword-art of the Three Realms.” Suiren’s voice was deep and gravelly, but his eyes contained a look of delight.

“Agreed.”

“This sword-art is indeed the best in the Three Realms.”

The Three Sovereigns all concurred on this. Even Lord Buddha and Daoist Three Purities nodded in agreement.

As for the nearby Daofather Subhuti, when he heard his old friends praise his disciple in such a way, he couldn’t help but reveal a grin.

At the same time, atop the walls of the Seamless Citadel, the black-robed Godking and Daomother Devilhand were just as astonished. When the black-robed Godking saw that dazzling, absolutely terrifying sword-stroke, his heart had instantly sunk. This was going to be trouble!”

“We’re in trouble.” The black-robed Godking began to panic.

Daomother Devilhand’s face was utterly ashen, but she quickly sent a mental message to the Infinity Fiendgod. “Fight him with care and focus on defense. Tie him down. The Envoy will reinforce you right away.”

The white-haired, red-eyed Infinity Fiendgod had close to the power of a top-tier Daofather as well. In the previous battles, two of them combined were able to resist the power of True Immortal Jimin’s Pangu God, which was a testament to their great power.

“Yes, Daomother.”

……

The six-armed Rahu-Ning and the white-haired, re-eyed Infinity Fiendgod were both in front of their respective armies. They charged towards each other, and as they closed in, the Darknorth sword in Ning’s hand moved.

Slash!

A strange, unfathomable streak of sword-light suddenly flickered.

Swish!

A white-haired head went flying into the air.

This was the most unpredictable, the most unfathomable sword-stance Ning had…the Shadowless stance of the [Brightmoon] sword-art!