Desolate Era (Book 11 - Book 15)

“Master, you are going into seclusion right after making a breakthrough? The gap in power between you and me is growing greater and greater,” Little Qing said helplessly. But then she chortled, “Fortunately, I have Greater Teleportation. It will probably be a long, long time before you can do this, right Master?”


Ning shook his head. A ‘long time’? He was a human; he had to completely master the Grand Dao of Qiankun before he could use Greater Teleportation. He was still extremely far away from mastering his Grand Dao of the Sword, much less the Grand Dao of Qiankun!

Rumble…

The stone door slid shut as Ning entered his private room. A rippling ‘wall’ could be seen in this private room, and as Ning stepped into the ripples, he arrived within the underwater estate.

“Ji Ning, you have finally mastered the ninth stance of the [Three-Foot Sword].” Within the underwater estate, the giant yellow bear was waiting with a smile on his face.

“Senior, will I now be capable of challenging the eighth level of the Wargod Hall?” Ning asked. More than ten years ago, he had already passed the seventh level of the Wargod Hall and chosen an Immortal-ranked magic treasure.





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Book 13, Chapter 9 - Two Immortal-Ranked Magic Treasures


The giant yellow bear nodded lightly. “Your chances are quite good. You can give it a try.”

Ning smiled, then walked towards the corridor.

At every distinct level of power, Fiendgody Body Refiners would have just two chances to attempt to pass the Wargod Hall’s trials. Thus, Ning would generally ask the giant yellow bear for his opinion. Each trial represented a supreme treasure, and so Ning didn’t dare to be too reckless in taking them. This was especially true now, as they represented Immortal-ranked magic treasures!

A short while later.

Whoosh. Ning walked out from the Wargod Hall.

“Success!” Ning let out a soft breath. On the eighth floor of the Wargod Hall, he had encountered an ancient, Void-level Fiendgod! Ning’s own [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] was only at the fifteenth stage, and he was only comparable to an ordinary early-stage Void-level Fiendgod Body Refiner. If he was to be compared against real Fiendgods, he would probably only be equivalent to a peak Primal-level Fiendgod!

A Void-level Fiendgod was a full level higher than him in power! It also had its own divine abilities that allowed its might to increase even further!

This truly had been a bloody, hard-fought battle. In fact, the Void-level Fiendgod had even unleashed three powerful clones as he transformed his single body into three mighty Fiendgods which surrounded and assaulted Ning! Ning had used the [Three Heads, Six Arms] ability, the [Starseizing Hand], and had sent his sword-light flashing everywhere…and in the end, he managed to seize the upper hand, then force the Fiendgod to admit defeat.

“That was absolutely fantastic. After studying the Dao for thirty years here at Mount Innerheart, I finally defeated a Void-level Fiendgod!” Ning thought back to the past, when he had roamed the wild marshes of the Gaol Mountains. Back then, he had been nothing but an ant in the eyes of that ancient, Void-level Fiendgod.

But now! He himself was on the same level of a Void-level Fiendgod! He was no weaker, and in fact, he had just defeated one!

“Strange. Why would a Void-level Fiendgod have appeared within the underwater estate?” Ning’s heart was filled with questions. He had asked the spirit of the underwater estate, that giant yellow bear, about some of these questions, but the spirit refused to say.

“Ji Ning, congratulations. You’ve defeated the eighth level of the Wargod Hall.” The giant yellow bear appeared out of nowhere. “In the past, even Immortal Juhua himself was only able to overcome the seventh level.”

Immortal Juhua, after becoming a Loose Immortal, had finally challenged and overcome the seventh level. A long, long time later, he became powerful enough to challenge and overcome the eighth level, but by then he no longer had any chances left to make the attempt!

“Senior, I’m going to choose a treasure now,” Ning said with a laugh. “Last time, when I overcame the seventh level, the book of treasures you brought out only included high-grade Immortal-ranked magic treasures; there wasn’t a single top-grade Immortal-ranked magic treasure to be found.”

“This time, there definitely will be,” the giant yellow bear said. “And during your third selection, the number of treasures will be even greater.”

Ning felt resigned. This was in accordance with the rules of the Treasure Hall. In principle, one had three chances to acquire Immortal-ranked magic treasures! They would come when one challenged and overcame the seventh and eighth levels of the Wargod Hall, and when one reached the sixteenth level of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] and entered a brand new and distinct level of power!

But the number of Immortal-ranked magic treasures available for the choosing during the first chance was quite limited.

The second choosing saw more choices.

As for the third…all of the Immortal-ranked magic treasures which Daoist Threelives had left behind would be put on display. Naturally, many exquisite specimens would be made available then.

“You know, it is a minor matter for you, as the controller of the Treasure Hall, to pull out those other treasures and let me choose from them, right?” Ning felt resigned.

“Can’t do it.” The giant yellow bear shook his head. “Not even I can change the rules which Master left behind. In the past, it was because you had just entered the Wanxiang Adept level, the level at which a cultivator is most likely to perish, that Master’s rules allowed for an exception to be made and for you to choose some protective treasures. As for now? You are sufficiently strong enough already; we must follow the rules now.”

Ning nodded.

……

Ning entered the Treasure Hall.

An amount of time equal to boiling a kettle of tea passed.

He left the Treasure Hall, another Immortal-ranked magic treasure in his hands!

“Hahaha…” Ning laughed as he walked out of the Treasure Hall. He was indeed much happier with what he chose during this second choosing than he had been for the first.

“Senior, I’m going to go to the Still Room for a period of closed-door meditation,” Ning said, then headed to the underwater estate’s Still Room.

Rumble! The door to the Still Room swung open, then once more swung shut.

Ning sat down in the lotus position atop that enormous bed of netherwater jade. The inky-jade bed emanated an astonishing aura of coldness, causing even the soul to feel chilled! The very first time he had sat atop this bed of netherwater jade, Ning had felt as though his soul had been completely frozen. However, Ning was now far more powerful.

His insights into the Dao were at a high level. His Dao-heart was firmer. His soul was more powerful! Even the bed of netherwater jade was only able to make Ning feel extremely cool and relaxed.

Rumble…

The Grand Bodhi Stillheart Formation began to emanate ripples of power.

Ning’s heart turned completely calm. With a wave of his hand, Ning caused two treasures to appear and levitate before him. One treasure was a golden circlet! As for the other, it was a set of nine black Immortal swords that seemed to flutter in and out of existence in a transient manner.

The golden circlet was the item Ning had chosen when he had overcome the seventh level of the Wargod Hall. It was known as the Tripartite Immortal-Locking Circlet. It was a high-grade Immortal-ranked magic treasure that was meant to trap or restrain foes. Once a foe was caught by it, it would become very hard for the foe to escape, and in fact some weaker foes would be restrained and absorbed into the circlet itself. There was a stand-alone dimension within the circlet, and it could be used to collect living creatures or inanimate objects. Upon being trapped within it, even the likes of a Pure Yang True Immortal would be unable to depart from it.