Desolate Era (Book 11 - Book 15)

“The storm sweeping the entire Grand Xia world, the sudden increase in power of the Blood God School…these things have caused us to guess that there should be a tremendous secret behind the rise of the Blood God School. Ji Ning, you must not be a fool and charge blindly forward into it. This is something for the Northmont clan to worry about,” Immortal Diancai instructed. “During a storm, during a tribulation…you need to be extremely careful.”


“Right.” Ning nodded. “Master, go rest for now. I’m going to go meet with my fellow disciples.”

“Your fellow disciples? Do you know where your junior apprentice-brother, Mu Northson, has gone?” Immortal Diancai asked.

“No idea. We haven’t met for thirty-plus years; I was planning to go see him.” Puzzled, Ning asked, “What, where is he?”

Immortal Diancai shook his head. “More than twenty years ago, Mu Northson and his Dao-companion both disappeared!”





* * *





Book 14, Chapter 4 - Those Retainers From Back Then


“Missing?” Ji Ning’s heart trembled. He hurriedly asked, “Since when did he get a Dao-companion? Who is his Dao-companion? And this ‘disappearing’ that happened twenty-plus years ago; are there no clues about it at all? Can’t we ask the Heavenly Treasures Mountain to help out?”

Upon seeing now nervous Ning was, Immortal Diancai immediately explained, “After you became the champion of the Conclave, some of the disciples of the Black-White College that were outside returned here. Mu Northson returned to Stillwater City as well, spending most of his time training in his art of cconstructs. Occasionally, he would gather with Northmont Baiwei as well as some of the other members of the younger generation here in Stillwater City. During one of these gatherings, he met with a female disciple of the Thousand Rivers School, ‘Adept Yuxia’. Soon after they met, they grew to be quite close and ended up becoming Dao-companions.”

“These two Dao-companions had very deep feelings for each other, and quite a few members of the younger generation here in Stillwater City envied them. They were a celebrated couple.”

“But after a period of time, both he and his Dao-companion vanished. Generally speaking, when disciples of the Black-White College go out adventuring, they will inform people within the College, or leave behind a message of some sort. But neither Mu Northson nor Adept Yuxia left any messages; they just vanished.”

“The Black-White College looked into this matter; we even asked the Northmont clan of Stillwater to help out, as well as the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. However, we were still unable to find any traces of them.”

“They seemed to have completely vanished from this world!”

Hearing his master’s words, Ning grew even more panicked. He said hurriedly, “Can it be that there have been traces of them in the past twenty-plus years?”

“None.” Immortal Diancai shook his head.

Ning was really worried now. It didn’t add up. This made no sense at all. Northson wasn’t the unreliable sort. Northson was a true lifelong friend for Ning, and friends with others besides! If he truly did have to leave because of an important reason, he would’ve left a message for Ning at least.

“During the past twenty-plus years, even the number one intelligence organization in the world, the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, wasn’t able to find any trace of him at all,” Immortal Diancai said. “Northson’s parents died long ago; he had no other kin. Adept Yuxia, however, did have a tribe behind her, with both parents and elders; both of her parents are alive, but they don’t have any news of her either.”

“However…don’t panic,” Immortal Diancai said.

“His life-tablet?” Ning immediately asked. Given how long Northson had been missing for, he was very possibly dead.

“Mu Northson’s life-tablet remains intact…but his Dao-companion’s has shattered,” Immortal Diancai said. “Neither of them left behind any messages before disappearing; they should’ve both met an unusual circumstance. However…Northson has remained alive during the past twenty-plus years. He probably won’t die that easily.”

Ning was worried now.

Northson’s Dao-companion had perished! This meant that their disappearance involved a matter of great danger!

“Since he’s alive, my best guess is that he is trapped in a special area that he can’t leave for now,” Immortal Diancai said.

“Right.” Ning nodded.

No matter what, he had to find out a way to investigate.

“Go and rest for now. I’m going back into my closed-door meditation,” Immortal Diancai said. “The three sword-arts manuals you gave me have inspired me significantly; if there’s nothing important, don’t bother me. I’m going to be in seclusion for an extended period of time. Most likely, once this seclusion ends, I will begin my Celestial Tribulation.”

“That fast?” Ning hadn’t expected his master to be in such a rush even after he had given his master those three sword-arts tomes.

“I believe these three sword-arts tomes will be enough to allow my sword techniques to rise to a higher level in a short period of time. However…the reason I can rise to a higher level in such a short time is because of all of my accumulated experiences over the past years! If I want to rise any further, however, I’ll probably need another century, or perhaps even longer…and I have the feeling that I can’t wait that long!” Immortal Diancai said softly, “That sense of pressure and threat which my subconscious can sense…it is telling me that I cannot afford to waste any time.”

Ning nodded solemnly.

……

After separating from his master, Ning returned to the Darknorth Peak, the place within the Black-White College which was reserved for him.

A sumptuous feast had been prepared within a courtyard inside Darknorth Peak.

While Ning had been chatting with Immortal Diancai, he had instructed the Whitewater Hound and Little Qing to go back to Darknorth Peak.

“Senior apprentice-brother.” Three figures within the hall bowed reverently. A short little figure fell to his knees. “I pay my respects to you, elder.”

Ning swept them with his gaze.

One of the three was Meng Roch, who looked as honest as always but now seemed even more muscular than before. Next to him was a tall, skinny youth with a deep gaze; this was Cloudship, who was now far calmer and more stable than he had been before. Finally, there was a woman dressed in black gauze, whose gaze remained as charismatic and alluring as before; Cloudjade, who had been so young and fresh. She was holding the hand of a child in her own.

“Eh?” Ning’s gaze fell upon the child.

“Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, this is my child, Cloudease,” Cloudjade said nervously.

“We haven’t met for a few decades…to think you have a child now!” Ning laughed, then nodded. “Meng Roch, it seems you are quite talented as a Fiendgod Body Refiner; you’ve already trained to the Wanxiang level. Cloudship, you have done well too.”

As he spoke, Ning sat down. “Come, all of you, sit,” Ning said with a laugh. Immediately, all the others sat down as well.

“Years ago, when we heard that you became the champion of the Conclave of Immortal Destiny, and that your Primaltwin had killed a Loose Immortal, all of us were filled with veneration and admiration. Now, we’ve finally met you again, senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning,” Cloudship laughed.

Ning nodded calmly. “Right. Have you been well, these past years? Weifang, Forgard, Nethersun; where are they?”

He had taken on a total of six retainers. They were Meng Roch, Cloudship, Cloudjade, Weifang, Forgard, and Nethersun.

“Should I…or should…” Cloudship looked towards Roch and Cloudjade.

“Big brother, why don’t you tell him,” Cloudjade said. Roch nodded as well.

Cloudship looked towards Ning, then said, “Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, you have left Darknorth Peak for nearly forty years. Ever since you left, the six of us trained diligently. Meng Roch is extremely talented as a Fiendgod Body Refiner, and so focused on that, rarely leaving the College. Nethersun, Forgard, Weifang, and myself would often go out and adventure.”