Desolate Era (Book 11 - Book 15)

Patriarch Arcanum gritted his teeth.

He knew very well that the more powerful an expert was, the more cautious they tended to be. Perhaps a Celestial Immortal killing Ji Ning wouldn’t be considered a strong person bullying a much weaker person, but a True Immortal or Empyrean God killing him definitely would be. If there truly was a Daofather standing behind Ji Ning…

If the Daofather was able to discover what was happening and was able to rescue Ji Ning before he died, things wouldn’t be too bad; the Daofather would at most teach the offender a lesson! But if the Daofather didn’t make it in time, or if he found out only after Ji Ning died…in his rage, the Daofather might truly go and slaughter the True Immortal or Empyrean God in question!

How many True Immortals or Empyrean Gods would be willing to risk their lives for the sake of two low-grade Pure Yang treasures?

“There should be some powerful Celestial Immortals that can kill Ji Ning, right?” Patriarch Arcanum growled.

“If you wish to invite Bloodcloud Hall to assassinate Ji Ning, then please hand over twenty top-grade Immortal-ranked magic treasures, or treasures of an equivalent value. If you aren’t willing, then please leave. Our business is concluded,” the silver-robed maiden said.

Patriarch Arcanum ground his teeth. Twenty…

Suppressing his anger, Patriarch Arcanum asked in a growl, “How powerful is Ji Ning?”

“You want to know?” The silver-robed maiden said, “This is a bit of valuable intelligence. If you are willing to return the storage ring and its contents to me, I can tell you.”

“Hmph!” Angered, Patriarch Arcanum rose to his feet, turned, and left.

What a joke.

An intelligence report worth three top-grade Immortal-ranked magic treasures?

After watching Patriarch Arcanum leave, the silver-robed maiden shook her head. “You idiotic fool. If you ask Bloodcloud Hall to kill Ji Ning, all you need to do was pay us enough treasures. But if you want to do it yourselves? Even if you were to summon your ancient Patriarch who first arose in the Fiendgod Era, and even if he was able to kill Ji Ning when using all his power…the price you would pay would be a price vastly beyond what your clan is capable of withstanding.”

“Master wouldn’t lie to me. He’s suspected of having learned the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art]! Not even Master was qualified to learn such a technique.” The silver-robed maiden was stunned by this bit of news.

From the detailed intelligence report they had gained from their assassination attempt, Ji Ning either had an unearthly powerful protective item or had trained in the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art]! Either possibility had tremendous, extraordinary implications.

However…

Bloodcloud Hall specialized in carrying out extraordinary tasks. If the price was high enough, they would still dare to kill Ji Ning!

Time passed, one day after the other.

Within the minor world. The scorched, cracked, barren earth here would cause any who saw it to feel despair towards life.

“Why hasn’t Master woken up yet?” The black-robed Ning stared at the nearby Immortal Diancai.

“The demonheart tribulation will last for at least seven days, but at most…it’s hard to say.” Immortal Fivecraze shook his head. “Your master has only spent ten days in the demonheart tribulation. Don’t be impatient.”

“Right.” The black-robed Ning nodded.

“And how is your true body doing? Is it in any danger?” Immortal Fivecraze asked, worried. The nearby Whitewater Hound looked towards Ning as well.

The black-robed Ning laughed helplessly. “Don’t worry. I really am not in any danger at all.”

But Immortal Fivecraze and Uncle White couldn’t help but worry. If Ning’s true body truly was completely safe, it would’ve already returned to this minor world. And yet, it hadn’t. What they didn’t realize…was that Ning was intentionally keeping his true body in the Eastwoods mountain range, so as to draw the attention of his foes and prevent disaster from befalling his master.

“Let me out. Ji Ning, Fivecraze, just let me out. You won’t be able to kill me; what’s the point of keeping me trapped here?” Trapped within the formation, the Scion of the Blood God, still within his little black ship, was calling out loudly. He truly felt regret for coming here. Although by relying on his ship, he made it impossible for them to harm him…he was trapped within this formation and unable to escape. He had no idea that the enemy included such a formidable formations expert.

The black-robed Ning, Immortal Fivecraze, and Uncle White couldn’t even be bothered to look at the Scion.

They were just going to keep him locked up in here!

If he was permitted to leave, he might stir up more trouble. It was best to keep him trapped here! That way, they wouldn’t worry about him disrupting Immortal Diancai’s tribulation later.

“Eh?” Suddenly, the black-robed Ning, Fivecraze, and Uncle White all turned their heads to stare at Immortal Diancai, still seated in the lotus position.

Immortal Diancai had already opened his eyes. Within them could be seen two things; infinite ancientness, and a hint of tears.

“Master!” The black-robed Ning called out excitedly.





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Book 14, Chapter 24 - Whither the Immortal Treasure?


“Junior apprentice-brother!” Immortal Fivecraze looked excitedly towards Immortal Diancai.

All of them just stared with bated breaths.

Immortal Diancai’s eyes were open. He remained seated in the lotus position, but rainbow-colored clouds suddenly began to appear in the skies. These fortuitous clouds descended around Immortal Diancai, and in the ground around him there began to manifest petals of a golden lotus flower. It seemed as though Immortal Diancai was seated atop an enormous golden lotus. Murmurs of what sounded like celestial music could be heard from the world around him. Of course, this wasn’t an actual melody; rather, it was the sound of the Heavens and the Earth. Just listening to it, one would feel as though it was filled with infinite mysteries.

At the same time, a terrifying aura of power began to descend, completely enveloping Immortal Diancai.

“Such terrifying power.” The black-robed Ji Ning and the others all felt their hearts tremble, even though they were barely touched by the power itself.

Whoosh…

An enormous flood of natural power began to gather around Immortal Diancai. His body now began to manifest the ‘aura of an Immortal soul’, something which one would have only after becoming a Celestial Immortal. His energy was transforming on a fundamental level as well.

From the Zifu stage to the Void stage, one merely had ‘elemental ki’.

After becoming a Celestial Immortal, the power of the soul and all other powers would completely merge into one power. The lotus-bud at the top of the Goldlotus Primal would draw in the essence of all the other types of power, fusing them into one and then refining them into a single brilliant golden pellet, a ‘Jindan’. [1. Readers of Stellar Transformations may recall that in that novel, the power rankings started off as Houtian, Xiantian, Jindan, etc., with Jindan being the first level of ‘true’ Immortal practitioners.]

This new power could be described as either dharmic energy or Immortal energy.

“The great path of the Jindan, the great path of the Jindan…once the golden pellet enters my flank, then my destiny shall no longer be subject to the Heavens.” Immortal Diancai laughed softly, “All shall become one, a perfect, flawless whole…from this day forth, there shall be no more Three Calamities, no more Nine Tribulations. I have truly become a carefree Immortal, having escaped the rules of the Three Realms and the binds of the Five Elements.”