Desolate Era (Book 1 - Book 5)

From Grizzly’s ferocious aura, Ning could predict that this Grizzly had definitely gone through life-and-death battles. With his sabercraft having reached the ‘one with the saber’ level, and that layer of golden life demonstrating that he had trained in a powerful type of Fiendgod Body Refining technique, if Ning’s guess was correct, this Grizzly should have trained in the [Eternal Mysteries of the Yellow Earth]. After all, he had reviewed all of the nineteen books on Fiendgod Body Refining which the Ji clan’s five prefectures had.”


“This person called Grizzly has encountered many life-and-death battles, and is a Fiendgod Body Refiner who has reached the ‘one with the saber’ level. But he doesn’t have any reputation at all.” Ning secretly mused. “He definitely wasn’t born in the tribes. He should belong to the Ji clan…nine out of ten says that he is someone whom the viperous Ji Lee cultivated and intentionally kept hidden.”

“Afraid?” Grizzly, saber in hand, stared like a hungry tiger at Ning. He didn’t make any movement to go attack Ning of his own volition.

Ning, wielding his black sword, began to walk forward in a very calm, natural way, as though taking a stroll in his own home. If he had encountered Grizzly before suffering from Serpentwing’s attack, Ning would perhaps be a bit more trouble, but in the months which had passed since suffering from Serpentwing’s attack, the swordplay of Ning, who had reached the ‘one with the world’ level in footwork, had increased dramatically as well.

To reach the ‘one with the world’ level in footwork, one needed to spend time training. The same was true for reaching the ‘one with the world’ level in swordplay. Although Ning had yet to reach the ‘one with the world’ level in swordplay, Ning’s swordplay was no longer what it had been mere months ago. He didn’t even need to utilize the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] in order to easily defeat this Grizzly.

Ning’s sword suddenly moved!

“Hu!” The sword was as graceful as the rain, descending in an instant.

Beautiful to behold.

When a killing sword technique could transform into a beautiful sight, it showed that the wielder had already reached an extremely deep level of skill.

“Break apart!” Grizzly roared as he wielded his saber, which flashed with the thickness of blood as one enormous saber-flash after another flew towards Ning. In the blink of an eye, it was though Hell had descended…those enormous flashes of saber-light were the punishing blades of hell, causing one to feel hopeless and as though they deserved to stand there and die beneath those saber flashes.

“Bloodhell Saber?” Ning’s sword swept out like a gentle sprinkling of rain.

His flashing sword flowed together into one stream like rainwater which drizzled down, ensnaring Grizzly. No matter how wild and explosive Grizzly’s Bloodhell Saber techniques were, that drizzling flow of water continued to ensnare it, making it lose its wild, explosive aura.

Grizzly felt as though he had suddenly become trapped in a prison of water. There was water everywhere, wildly ensnaring him. He clearly possessed boundless strength, but he wasn’t able to utilize it against the water.

“Break!” Grizzly’s saberplay was incomparably wild. Even though he was constantly being ensnared, he still didn’t hesitate one bit, only growing even more ferocious.

“Your saberplay is indeed strong.” Ning said gently.

An opponent of this level wasn’t a threat to him at all. Only, the fact that this Grizzly’s saberplay was developed in life-and-death battles was a source of interest to Ning, which was why Ning was willing to exchange ten blows with him to accumulate some experience. Ning knew very well…that compared to some of the elder experts of the clan, what he lacked the most was sufficient experience.

“Hua.”

The black longsword in Ning’s hands suddenly thrust forward in a straight attack, and instantly, it seemed as though the entire world grew silent. The hazily glowing sword seemed to have transformed into a single drop of rain. This raindrop pierced past the saber, and as it did, the saber shattered. The raindrop then smashed against Grizzly’s chest, like a raindrop falling against a stone. Pa! The faint sound of bones splintering could be heard as Grizzly was sent flying several dozen meters, smashing viciously against the floor beneath the dueling platform, causing a small crater in the earth.

Raindrop Sword – Raindrop Pierces Rocks!

“Ugh.” Grizzly clutched his chest, spewing out a mouthful of fresh blood.

He lowered his head to look at his chest. The fur of the Xiantian-level beast which he wore had split open, and his chest had caved in, his bones broken. And this was with Ning using a very ordinary, blunt black longsword.

…..

The tens of thousands of spectators watching the training area all fell silent…and then, there was an earth-shaking commotion. They were all in awe. This truly was the son of the Raindrop Sword, Ji Yichuan. No wonder the Raindrop Sword had dared to be so wildly arrogant as to have his son fight seven others…this seemingly handsome, inexperienced young master Ji was simply too terrifying, to easily be able to dominate these seven opponents.

“Hahaha…” The Prefecture Lord, Ji Young, let out a loud, carefree laugh, incomparably happy.

He won.

His lineage had won. Ji Ning had seized the golden sword, and would become the next Prefecture Lord.

“Raindrop Pierces Rocks! The advanced level in swordplay!” Sitting next to him, Ji Lee suddenly clenched his right hand, and the stone armrest his hand was resting on was shattered and cracked.

“Second brother.” Prefecture Lord Young turned to look at his second brother.

Lee looked at the Prefecture Lord, his senior brother. His face changing, he said in a low voice, “Advanced swordplay…he’s only ten, but his swordplay is already ‘advanced’, and he has reached the level of ‘expertise’ in the [Raindrop Sutra], one of the five major sword techniques of the Ji clan! He is even more of a monster than his father. Senior brother, first your lineage produced Ji Yichuan, and now, your lineage produced a Ji Ning. Heaven has shown it does not favor me. I have lost, and I have nothing more to say!





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Book 2, Chapter 9 - The Traceless Talisman


Prefecture Lord Ji Young spoke out, “Second brother, listen to me!”

“Big brother.” Ji Lee closed his eyes, and then opened them and growled fiercely, “No need to say anything else. From today onwards, Ji Ning is the heir to the Prefecture Lord position of the Ji clan of the West Prefecture. I, Ji Lee, will definitely be prepared to come when he calls, and will be faithful and loyal as I go out and do battle on behalf of the Ji clan of the West Prefecture. I will not be the slightest bit rebellious. I thoroughly admire and submit to Ji Ning. But you…I simply do not admire and submit to you at all!”

Lee hurriedly turned and left.

“Father.” Ji Jadewich, seated next to him, called out, hurriedly following after him.

Young watched quietly as Lee left, but he had a hint of a smile on his face. He knew very well that his second brother, Ji Lee, had a fierce temper. Lee was an extremely combative man. He would submit to those who were powerful, but he would never do so to one who was weak! Ever since they were young, in terms of power, he, Young, had been inferior to his second brother. Naturally, Lee had never submitted to him. But Lee had once said…if Ji Yichuan were to become Prefecture Lord, he wouldn’t voice a single word of complaint.

Now that Ning had showed that he was even more of a monster than his father Yichuan, and had in such an awe-inspiring manner defeated seven opponents to seize the golden sword, Lee naturally admired and submitted to him in the same manner.

If he submitted, he submitted!

If he didn’t submit, he didn’t submit!

He, Ji Lee, had never admired or submitted to his big brother, Ji Young.

…..

Sunset.