Desolate Era (Book 1 - Book 5)

Although Ning was very calm, he was using his full force.

“Not much divine force left.” Ning could feel that his divine power was ebbing. Grinding his teeth, he suddenly charged forward like a giant Roc soaring into the skies.

Swoosh!

The corridor was a hundred meters high, so Ning leapt a hundred meters into the air. While flying, two ancient Dao-seals appeared in Ning’s hands. One was a Light Body Seal, while the other was a Divine Movement Seal. The Xiantian ki in his body immediately rushed into the two Dao-seals, and two queer surges of power immediately flowed into Ning’s body.

“The last sword!” Ning hit the very top of the corridor, and then with two kicks, released all of his power!

He charged downwards!

Fast!

Fast!

Fast!

Relying on the force from springboarding off the ceiling, the always-terrifying speed of the [Windwing Evasion], and the force of gravity pulling him downwards, as well as the Light Body Seal and the Divine Movement Seal, his speed became all the more terrifying! In this moment, Ning’s downward charging speed had reached a heretofore unreached level, as fast as light!

Speed is power. When speed reaches a certain extreme, the power of the sword would naturally be great as well.

“The raindrop holds the meaning of Raindrop Pierces Rocks. The raindrop can become a Rain Line, a Thin Stream, a river or an ocean.” As Ning charged downwards, he was using the killing stroke of the Raindrop Sutra, the ‘Raindrop Pierces Rocks’. As he did so, in his mind, he couldn’t help but think back to the scene of his father, Ji Yichuan, teaching him swordplay. His father had once demonstrated all nine stances of the Raindrop Sword for him, three times.

At this moment, when faced with death, Ning immediately understood.

When his father demonstrated the swordplay, he moved very slowly. He started from ‘Raindrop Pierces Rocks’, then moved to ‘Rain Line’, ‘Eternally Fresh Waterflow’, ‘Merciless Waterflow’, and then finally returned to the ‘Raindrop Pierces Rocks’.

Right after that, it transformed into ‘Drizzling Rain’, ‘Tempest Curtain’, ‘Water Curtain Links to Heaven’, and finally returned once more to the ‘Raindrop Pierces Rocks’!

After that, it transformed once more into ‘Thin Streams Flow Forever’, ‘Watertight’, before finally returning to ‘Raindrop Pierces Rocks’ once more!

“Raindrop Pierces Rocks is the most powerful attack, but also the weakest attack. The amazing mysteries in the [Raindrop Sutra] are inexhaustible and boundless. One can spend a lifetime training in it. Remember…Raindrop Pierces Rocks!” Yichuan had said these words. At the time, Ning had felt he understood them.

But after that night of meditating on the Dao, and these repeated life-and-death battles, Ning at this moment finally, truly understood what his father had labored to teach him.

“This is the attack.”

“Raindrop…!”

Ning, charging downwards at high speed with twin swords, immediately drew away one of the stone staffs of an ugly giant, sending it smashing to one side. With his right hand, Ning pierced directly towards the ugly giant’s skull! The ugly giant’s stone staff had missed its downwards smashing mark; naturally, he didn’t have the chance to raise it back to block, but he wasn’t afraid at all. “He can’t hurt me.”

“…Pierces Rocks!” Ning only stared calmly at the head of that giant.

Chi!

His sword was like water, like a heavy raindrop landing upon a stone. Pa! The sword instantly pierced through that thick black barrier, driving itself deep into the head of that giant, even into the brain. The terrifyingly natural power of the blow suddenly exploded. There was nothing in the body that could block it, and so, instantly, with a ‘Swish!’ sound, the head exploded. It transformed into a puddle of black water, and the armor and the stone staff all fell to the ground.

“Collect.” Ning immediately collected both the armor as well as the stone staff into his own storage magic treasure.

The pool of black water quickly reformed into the strange giant again, who called out in shock, “How is that possible? How is that possible?”

“Nothing is impossible.” Ning was now completely confident. He understood that these nine strange giants were no longer able to stop him.

“Die.”

Ning only had to control his Waterflame Lotus to quickly once more smash the strange giant into a puddle of black water. Without the protection of the Dao Battle-Armor, the giant wasn’t able to resist the crushing force of the Waterflame Lotus at all.

“The eight of you can die as well now.” Ning transformed into a blur, once more flashing forth like lightning.

All nine Dao Battle-Armors had to be linked together for them to be able to assist each other. Right now, the strange giants weren’t able to combine their strength at all. Now, when facing Ning’s vastly improved swordplay…they became unable to flee. All of them were killed, one after the other, and even their Dao Battle-Armor and stone staves were stored by Ning into his storage treasure.

“Die.”

Ning stood there unmoving, only relying on the Solar and Lunar Divine Tattoos to control six Waterflame Lotuses, repeatedly grinding down on those nine giants, smashing them time and time again into black water. Even though they reformed, Ning would simply grind them apart again.

After being crushed just a few times, the nine strange giants completely collapsed and weren’t able to reform.

The fog at the two ends of the corridor slowly faded away.

“Father.” Ning gently murmured.

Although that night he had spent meditating on the Dao resulted in Ning gaining a hint of true understanding regarding fire, water, and wind, understanding was nothing more than understanding; whether or not it could be used was another matter. In the past, Ning only understood the Waterflame Lotus, this single technique, which was meant for self-protection, not for attacking.

But just now, relying on the guidance his father had given him to be his foundation, in that moment between life and death, he had finally understood the true meaning of the [Raindrop Sutra] – the True Meaning of the Raindrop!

In terms of levels of understanding…

The level above ‘one with the world’ was that of the ‘True Meaning’!

“The True Meaning of the Raindrop originates from the ‘raindrop’.” Ning sighed in amazement. “A single raindrop is the source. When there are many raindrops, it can transform into a line and become the ‘Rain Line’. When there are even more raindrops, naturally it can begin to flow and have life force, which is the ‘Eternally Fresh Waterflow’. And once the waves swell to an unblockable tide, that becomes ‘Merciless Waterflow’. But when the countless raindrops all come together, you can still describe it as just a single raindrop.”

“Raindrop Pierces Rocks is the most powerful attack of the Raindrop Sutra, but also its weakest.” Ning laughed. “That is true for defense as well. Drizzling Rain, Tempest Curtain, Water Curtain Links to Heaven…they all become Raindrop Pierces Rocks in the end. Thin Streams Flow Forever and Watertight also become Raindrop Pierces Rocks.”

“The True Meaning of the Raindrop.”

“An unending circle.” Ning sighed in amazement. “No wonder Father said that one can spend a lifetime on the Raindrop Sutra.”

Without question, his father had clearly understood the True Meaning of the Raindrop long ago.

One truly could spend a lifetime to understand that the [Raindrop Sutra] could infinitely circle in on itself to grow even more powerful.