The Desolate Era

Book 21, The Bloodlotus Blooms, Chapter 21 – Secret Discussions

They had won.

Critical wars like this would generally continue for many years before ending, but an unexpected variable had appeared in the form of Ji Ning.

In truth, both sides essentially knew what the other had up their sleeves. The Nuwa Alliance knew that their foes had an Envoy of All Things, and so they were still prepared to continue battling against it. At most, they would be at a disadvantage and the war would become difficult to win. However, Ning’s sudden appearance out of nowhere had caught the Seamless Gate completely offguard.

His sudden appearance and his explosion of terrifying power had instantly smacked the army of the Seamless Gate senseless. They had completely and irrevocably collapsed, and so the result was that this battle, the most critical battle in the Three Realms in the war for karmic luck, had ended after just a few short months.

……

The Deerchaser major world. Within the imperial palace.

Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan had hosted a huge celebratory feast, and had invited many major powers and the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals who had fought in the battle to take part. Although Ning took part in the banquet as well, he left very early on.

He was seated within a gazebo.

Flakes of snow drifted about around him. Ning sat there by himself, a flagon of wine and a wineglass in front of him.

He quietly sipped his wine. As it flowed into his throat, it brought a stream of warmth with it.

“Senior apprentice-sister…according to what World God Northrest told me, all things are possible within the endless primordial chaos.” A distant gaze was in Ning’s eyes. “Even Vastheaven Palace itself has figures that were far more powerful than World God Northrest. In the primordial chaos, there are figures that vastly, vastly outstrip World Gods like him in might…”

“The World God stage isn’t the end.”

“Once one reaches the World God stage, one can find a truesoul within the River of Destiny.”

“Your truesoul has been destroyed. Not even World Gods can save you. But if in the future, I can surpass the World God stage and reach an even higher level, perhaps I will be able to save you.” This was what Ning was quietly saying to himself.

World God Northrest had accepted Ning as his successor. He had thus left behind many techniques, as well as many records on some of the nearby powers and much knowledge regarding the primordial chaos.

This was why Ning knew very well that the most precious item which World God Northrest had, the divine sword ‘Violetjewel’, was something that was far beyond the capabilities of World Gods and Chaos Immortals to create. Ning knew for a fact that in the primordial chaos, there existed figures more powerful than even World Gods and Chaos Immortals.

Prior to this, Ning didn’t have much ambition; he had felt that being able to survive this tribulation and live a peaceful life afterwards in the Three Realms would be enough. Even though in the future, his lifeblood oath would force him to go search for Vastheaven Palace, that would be something that would only happen in the distant future.

But now…

Ning was filled with ambition.

He wanted to walk further down the path!

“After the war ends, I’ll leave behind my Primaltwin to take care of my daughter, then go do what my lifeblood oath requires me to do. I’ll enter the primordial chaos and search for Vastheaven Palace. I’ll climb up ever-higher mountains and move higher and higher…because so long as the path of Immortal cultivation is truly endless, there will come the day that I will rescue you,” Ning silently promised.

“Junior apprentice-brother.” A voice rang out.

Ning turned his head. Someone had just entered the courtyard. It was senior apprentice-brother Silvermoon.

Silvermoon looked at Ning. He could sense Ning’s hidden loneliness, and he couldn’t help but sigh to himself. When Silvermoon’s Dao-companion had just perished, he had been just as Ning was now. Much time had to pass before he was able to control his emotions and laugh gaily once more….but in truth, he was doing nothing more than suppressing those feelings in his heart. He had never forgotten them, and when the chance to give vent to them had come, he had let them explode forth.

When he looked at Ning, he felt as though he was looking at his past self.

“Senior apprentice-brother,” Ning said.

Silvermoon walked over, then seated himself in front of Ning. He stared at the winecup on the table. “Just one cup?”

“Since you’ve come, there will naturally be one more.” Ning waved his hand, and yet another winecup appeared on the table. Ning picked up the flagon of wine and poured a cup for his senior apprentice-brother.

Gurgle gurgle. Silvermoon tasted the wine, then raised his head and downed it all.

“The wine’s pretty strong.” Silvermoon chuckled. “I came to see you because I was worried that you’d let yourself grow depressed and dispirited, or that you’d be completely consumed by your hatred. But now, it seems, you are quite calm.”

“Of course I’m calm. I still have my daughter, Brightmoon. I also have Uncle White, Little Qing, and the others, along with my mother and father,” Ning said calmly. Although his parents had perished, if he was able to become a World God he would be able to locate their souls in the River of Destiny.

“Yes. There are many things left in the world for us to cherish.” Silvermoon nodded, but his eyes were filled with a murderous look. “But the Seamless Gate really will stoop to anything. They actually launched assassinations on a massive scale against the family members and loved ones of many Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and Daofathers. So many have perished!”

“Yes.” Ning couldn’t hide the murderous look in his own eyes either.

When he thought of how the Godking had stood there atop the walls of the Seamless Citadel, crushing the soul of his wife in his fingers and disintegrating her truesoul…Ning’s hatred began to rise.

Ning had to kill him.

He had to kill this ‘Godking’!

……

The Allfiend world.

At the top of that solitary mountain peak, the Lord of All Fiends was meeting with the Lord of the Demonheart. Blackheaven stood respectfully to one side, not saying a word.

“That was quite a miserable loss,” the gray-robed figure said softly, a hint of amusement in his words. “A pity. A pity.”

“Aren’t you the one who forced this great tribulation upon us?” The Lord of All Fiends said calmly.

“Windfiend, your words are in error. It wasn’t that I forced this tribulation to occur; rather, if I didn’t take action, we would be completely wiped out.” The gray-robed figure chuckled, “Thus, our only choice is to fight. Only if the Nuwa Alliance is completely annihilated shall we be able to survive.”

“Then what is the true source of this calamitous war?” The Lord of All Fiends frowned.

“Even I do not know. I am part of the Heavenly Daos, but they are not all mine.” The gray-robed figure shook his head. “No matter what…I still hope that the Seamless Gate will be the one to win. Although I have become part of the Heavenly Daos…in the past, I was the king of the Seamless Chaosworld, after all. I truly don’t wish to see the Seamless Gate be completely wiped out, or perhaps see you lead a tiny band of survivors in fleeing from the Three Realms. In the end, my hope is simply that the living beings who shall prosper and thrive within the Three Realms shall be the living beings of the Seamless Chaosworld.”

The Lord of All Fiends stared at him.

The gray-robed figure continued, “As for the war for karmic luck…the battle for the Deerchaser major world was the critical battle. Unfortunately, we lost. We lost due to a completely unexpected variable. He is neither a Daofather nor a True God, and he hasn’t even reached the fifth stage of heartforce or swordforce. However…he was still able to unleash the full, complete power of the Rahu Formation. Now that he has acquired the Envoy, he has become the greatest impediment to our side winning the war for karmic luck.”

“He has indeed.” The Lord of All Fiends nodded. “Do you have any ideas for dealing with him? Given his power, he can have his true body control the Rahu Formation while his Primaltwin controls the Envoy. Even if I sent four or five Envoys against him, they wouldn’t really be able to do anything to him. Don’t forget that the army of the Nuwa Alliance is incredibly powerful as well. Without the Envoys, there’s no way that we can possibly overcome them.”

“Ji Ning has become the sharpest fang of all in the maws of the Nuwa Alliance.” The gray-robed figure chuckled calmly. “The best way to deal with such a fang…is to pull it out.”

“Pull it out?” The Lord of All Fiends was stunned.

“Yes.” The gray-robed figure nodded.

“How?” The Lord of All Fiends’ face changed. He could vaguely sense at what Lord Demonheart was proposing.

“Have True Gods and Daofathers act. Attack and kill Ji Ning.” This was the gray-robed figure’s response.

The Lord of All Fiends instantly frowned. It was exactly as he has suspected. He immediately said unhappily, “There is reason why neither we nor the Nuwa Alliance have been willing to allow True Gods or Daofathers to get involved and launch the Endwar, and are instead competing to win the war for karmic luck first. That reason is because both of our sides are very close to each other in power. If we really were to launch the Endwar, our casualties would be catastrophic. If we were to have a True God or Daofather strike, the Nuwa Alliance would be enraged and probably send their major powers to intervene. If this happens, it’s very possible that the Endwar will immediately begin as a result.”

“Perhaps it will. But perhaps it won’t.” The gray-robed figure said calmly, “With this new variable, Ji Ning, entering into the mix, our chances for winning the war for karmic luck have become very low. If that’s the case…we might as well start the Endwar right away.”

“What’s more…”

“These so-called ‘unspoken rules’ were meant to be broken. True Gods and Daofathers are forbidden from intervening? When things really come to a head, why care about such foolish rules? The only thing that matters is killing Ji Ning! If the Nuwa Alliance goes crazy, then let’s fight! They’ll be caught completely unprepared…and given that they are currently winning the war for karmic luck, they probably wouldn’t be willing to launch the Endwar just yet.”

“Thus, even if we actually kill Ji Ning and cause the Endwar, we would be the side with the upper hand as we would already be prepared for it. If the Endwar doesn’t begin? That’s even better. In short…no matter what the result is, it won’t be that bad for us,” the gray-robed figure said calmly.

The Lord of All Fiends seemed to be intrigued by his words.

“But if we just let things develop…we are on track to lose the war for karmic luck for certain,” the gray-robed figure said calmly.

The Lord of All Fiends was silent for a long moment.

The gray-robed figure just watched him. He had become part of the Heavenly Daos, after all; the one who truly was in control of the Seamless Gate and made the decisions for it was now the Lord of All Fiends! To violate the unspoken accords of the major powers and to have True Gods and Daofathers act to assassinate Ji Ning…this was a decision which only the Lord of All Fiends could make.

“True. No matter what the end result is, it won’t be that bad for us. I’ve never wanted to actually see the Endwar descend upon us…but it is no longer avoidable.” The Lord of All Fiends shook his head. “Since that’s the case…then let us anoint our war-banner with Ji Ning’s blood.”

The gray-robed figure laughed.