Desolate Era (Book 11 - Book 15)

“No. No…” Ning’s heart was filled with nothing but despair.

Nobody could rescue his master from the Celestial Tribulation! Even a Daofather of the Great Firmament would only be able to watch from one side…because upon interfering, heaven’s punishment would be triggered, causing even a Daofather who tried to withstand it to perish.

Next…Ning suddenly felt a powerful desire enter his heart.

“I’ve had enough. ENOUGH!!!” Within his own mind, Ning let out a howl of utter despair. “I’ve had ENOUGH of this feeling of powerlessness. I don’t want any more of my loved ones to leave me. I don’t have it. I WON’T HAVE IT!”

His mother had passed away…

His father had passed away…

And now, even his master was going to pass away…

Ning’s heart felt like it was being chopped apart by knives! An incomparably powerful desire filled him; the desire to not let him or his loved ones be toyed with by destiny. A desire to completely control his own destiny, his own fate.

“I need to grow powerful. More powerful. If I can become like Pangu, capable of establishing the heavens and forming the earth, or like Nuwa, capable of repairing the heavens or destroying them…then perhaps the so-called Celestial Tribulation would be nothing more than a joke in my eyes.” For the first time in his life, Ning had the goal to truly stand at the absolute top of the Three Realms, the unquestioned top, beyond all other powers…

…to be at Pangu’s level.

Pangu, he who had established the heavens and formed the earth, creating the Primordial World.

Nuwa, who had mastered 84,000 Daos, and had become heralded as Mother Nuwa, the ‘Supremely Benevolent, Supremely Holy Pangu-God’. She had reached Pangu’s level, and had also become the undisputed number one figure of the Three Realms!

At their levels…

Even the heavens and the earth would have to submit, much less the Celestial Tribulation, which was nothing more than a mere part of the heavens and the earth!

“Master…” But no matter what Ning currently desired within his heart, he wasn’t able to change anything. All he could do…was watch!

……

Although Ning and Immortal Fivecraze both felt pain and resentment…in this moment, it was the tribulant, Immortal Diancai, who truly felt utter despair.

Immortal Diancai clutched at his chest, head raised. When he saw that the vortex of lightning and clouds was not dispersing, and was instead nurturing an even more powerful bolt of lightning, Immortal Diancai felt despair. “Why are there more coming? Why are there more…”

Despair.

“Junior apprentice-sister, I’m coming.” Immortal Diancai’s face turned calm. He stared at the bolt of lightning forming within the skies, then pointed towards it. “Go!”

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The five Heavenraker swords all soared into the heavens, preparing to welcome that bolt of lightning.

This time, Immortal Diancai used the most beautiful, magnificent, and most powerful sword-art he had ever used since he was born. The five Immortal swords swirled around each other, joining together as they went to welcome annihilation.

……

Back when Immortal Diancai had merely been a third-generation disciple of the Black-White College.

“Young fellow, you should be filled with the vigor and energy of youth. Why are you like this?”

“My junior apprentice-sister is dead. Life holds no meaning for me now. Life holds no meaning!”

“Life holds no meaning? Since you feel as though life has no meaning…this old man actually just so happens to want to kill someone today. Don’t fight back. Just let me kill you.”

Whoosh.

Five unranked flying swords flew together towards the numb, despairing youth…and invisible sword-intent instantly transmitted into the youth’s brain.

One sword-stance after another was desmonstrated…and the sword-art became filled with increasing despair, the utmost despair.

“Five Elements Sword, stance eighteen: Minor Five Elements Extermination!”

Each stance was more complex and inconceivable than the last.

“Five Elements Sword, stance thirty-six: Major Five Elements, All Life!”

“Hahaha…”

“Destiny brought us together, and so I will teach you this set of sword techniques. Meditate well on them, young man. Your future path will be a long one!”

That voice had echoed within his mind.

By the time the young Diancai had woken up, he could no longer find that old man, no matter how hard he searched.

This stroke of karmic fortune caused Immortal Diancai to skyrocket in power in sword-arts. He was acknowledged by all the Loose Immortals of the Black-White College as having the highest chance of becoming a Celestial Immortal! After gaining the assistance of Ning’s Dao-repository and being able to compare the techniques within to his own techniques, he gained new insights and made another breakthrough, reaching Immortal Northwalker’s level. But even up till now, he had only reached the level of the seventeenth stance of the Five Elements Sword!

It must be understood that the first eighteen stances represented the first half of the technique. The next eighteen stances were far more mysterious and profound.

The old man definitely was a formidable figure of the Three Realms, given that he was able to transmit a technique such as this. Clearly, he was just wandering casually through the Three Realms, and happened upon Immortal Diancai by chance. Upon seeing that Immortal Diancai had potential, he had casually taught him this sword technique, then left. This didn’t mean he had taken Diancai on as a disciple! If he had, he would’ve taught him Ki Refining techniques, secret arts, and more; in fact, he would often provide guidance to help Diancai work through anything he found confusing. The reality was, Immortal Diancai had to rely on himself and his own efforts in order to resolve any confusions he had regarding the Five Elements Sword!

“Huh?!”

Immortal Diancai suddenly understood.

It was like the golden light of the sun piercing through the darkness of the skies. The thunder tribulation had completely disrupted his emotions, causing him to rise to triumphant heights, then fall in an abyss of despair. Now that he was preparing to welcome death…his sword-arts broke through to a new level.

He finally comprehended what it truly meant to be reach the limits of despair…and what the true mysteries of the ‘Minor Five Elements, Extermination’ technique truly meant! [1. This is a wordplay; the word ‘extermination’ here is a two-part word, ‘miejue’ that when taken together means ‘extermination/complete destruction’, but when read separately can be interpreted as destroying despair.]

“Five Elements Sword, stance eighteen: Minor Five Elements, Extermination!” Immortal Diancai continued to clutch at his chest, but suddenly…he smiled.

The five black flying Immortal swords in the skies, joined into the illusion of five massive mountains, had previously each been glowing with a different color of light. The light had circulated from sword to sword, joining them together and supporting each other. But Immortal Diancai suddenly willed them to change…

Rumble…

Space itself seemed to shake.

The five illusory mountains suddenly merged into a single illusion, an enormous five-fingered mountain. The five mountains had become one! There were five peaks jutting out from the top of this mountain like five fingers; each peak was of a different color! The mountain carried with it a feeling of incomparably heavy despair and depression, as though its despair could smother and exterminate anything in the world!

This was the final stance of the first half of the Five Elements Sword, the sword-stance that represented mastery of the first half…Minor Five Elements Extermination!

Rumble…

The forty-sixth bolt of skythunder crashed against the five Heavenraker swords which appeared like a mountain with five fingers stretching out from its peak.

The entire mountain trembled slightly, and the bolt of skythunder was dispersed.