Desolate Era (Book 11 - Book 15)

“They are all Loose Immortals or Earth Immortals; how could they become so tired?” Ning couldn’t believe it; Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals had very strong minds. Only if their mental energy was utterly exhausted would they appear like this.

Mental exhaustion usually wasn’t that important to Immortals. But if it reached a certain level…it could become quite terrifying. For example, if an Immortal, in order to produce a powerful magic treasure, was to work day and night and use up all his blood and effort, he might even perish; this sort of event happened quite often within the Three Realms. Generally speaking, after Immortal cultivators grew tired, they would rest and relax for a time.

“How can they be so exhausted? And it’s not just one or two of them, but an entire group?” Ning was puzzled.

Suddenly…

Ning was stupefied!

Towards the back of that squad of gray-robed figures, there was a fairly small, skinny gray-robed figure who woodenly walked forward.

“Junior…junior apprentice-brother?!” Ning stared in disbelief. That gray-robed figure was Ning’s junior apprentice-brother, a person he was incomparably familiar with…it was Mu Northson, who had been missing for more than twenty years!

Mu Northson!

Years ago, he had found a Dao-compainion and begun to enjoy a happy life. But soon…his Dao-companion perished, and he himself had vanished as well.

The Black-White College had searched for him but was unable to find him!

Ning had never imagined…that here, within the Eastwoods mountain range, he would run into his junior apprentice-brother! Even less did he imagine that his junior apprentice-brother would end up looking like this!

His body, beneath that gray robe, had become even thinner and frailer. He clearly had the aura of a Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal…but Ning could not sense any power at all coming from him. All he could sense was that his junior apprentice-brother was like a sputtering candle that could go out at any moment. His lifeforce was extremely weak, and waves of exhaustion flowed out from him.

The frailness was just a minor matter; what really mattered was that Ning couldn’t sense any vigor at all coming from his junior apprentice-brother. It seemed as though the vigorous, lively youth had completely disappeared, transforming into someone who seemed like an old man that was on the verge of death.

His face was ashen, and his hair was a complete mess. In fact, he even had quite a few white hairs.

“Junior apprentice-brother…” Ning felt that the white hairs were particularly painful for him to see.

For an Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal, there was only one reason a person would develop white hairs, unless they intentionally used a technique to change it; utter mental exhaustion. If one was utterly mentally exhausted, one’s hair might even turn completely white within a single night…or even perish.

“What on earth happened?” Ning was truly stunned.

His memories remained so clear and vivid…

“My name is Mu Northson?” That youthful white-robed youngster had been so full of vigor.

“My name is Ji Ning. I’m sixteen this year. How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

That was their first meeting. That bashful, youthful figure…Ning remembered it all as if it was yesterday.

“Senior apprentice-brother, I’ll go with you. Going with you and fleeing together is bound to be an exciting life.” When Ning had killed Youngflame Nong, his junior apprentice-brother had shown no hesitation at all; he had been filled with energy and determination, even in the face of life as a refugee.

“What…what in the world has caused junior apprentice-brother to become like this?”

Ning stared at the gray-robed Mu Northson…at the decrepit, exhausted Mu Northson.

……

The group of gray-robed figures walked past. Mosquitos flew about within the gorge, with one of them flying behind the gray-robed figures.

“You only have two hours to rest,” a black-robed figure barked.

The group of gray-robed figures began to separate, each returning to his own residence. The gray-robed Northson began to move towards his residence, one of the many residences in this area. He pushed open the door, entered, then shut the door.

Within a room in his residence.

Northson sat in front of a wooden desk. He picked up a canteen of water, pouring himself a cup, then began to quietly drink it.

It was quiet. Terrifyingly quiet.

The only sound within the room was that of the quiet gurgling of water. Northson then put the cup down silently, then sat there wordlessly, not saying a single thing. His gaze was straight forward.

Whoosh. Northson suddenly waved his hand, and a blocking formation suddenly appeared within the room. He then waved his hand again, and a wooden figurine appeared. This was the figurine of a woman, and it was very lifelike. Northson stared at th figurine, then placed it on the table. Waving his hand again, he produced another block of wood, then began to carve it with a small knife. He carved in a very slow manner, sending wood chips flying everywhere as the block of wood began to gradually be formed into a woman’s appearance.

Finally, the sculpting was complete.

He placed the wooden sculpture on the desk, then stared at it. Simply stared at it in a daze.

“Junior apprentice-brother!” Suddenly, a voice rang out.

A fur-clad youth appeared within the room.

That familiar voice seemed to summon suppressed memories from deep within the soul of Mu Northson. He raised his head to look…and was suddenly arrested. His entire body became completely frozen. He just stared at the fur-clad youth who was standing there.

Those familiar furs…

That familiar appearance…

That familiar voice…

Those eyes…that gaze…

“Senior, senior apprentice-brother?” A very dry, rusted voice emerged from Northson’s throat, as though it had been a long time since he had spoken.

“Junior apprentice-brother. Junior apprentice-brother!” Ning stared at his junior apprentice-brother, his eyes moist. “What has happened?”

Northson looked at Ning. Stared at him. His tears suddenly came cascading down. He opened his mouth, wanting to cry, but nothing came out. His body just shuddered, his tears continuing to flow.

Ning hurriedly stepped forward, embracing Northson.

“Cry, cry. Let it out. Don’t keep it suppressed in your heart. Let it all come out.” Ning’s own eyes were red as he spoke softly. He could sense the endless pain suppressed within his junior apprentice-brother’s heart. He couldn’t even imagine…he didn’t even want to imagine…what his junior apprentice-brother had experienced over these years. What in the world had caused his junior apprentice-brother, whose Dao-heart had been so strong, to become like this?

Ning could sense his junior apprentice-brother’s body trembling within his arms.

Ning felt as though his own heart was trembling as well!

What had happened?

What had happened!

Why had it ended up this way?

Why?

“Let it all come out. Don’t keep it suppressed in your heart. Cry it all out. Your senior apprentice-brother is here. Now that I’m here, it will all come to an end. It will all end,” Ning said, holding his junior apprentice-brother’s shuddering body in his arms. His junior apprentice-brother’s tears flowed onto his clothes, even onto his neck.

Ning could feel his junior apprentice-brother’s tears.

“AHHHH!!!!” An agonized cry finally ripped through the room.

“AHHH….AHHHHHHH!!!!!” Northson’s cries carried a sound of utter desolation and hoarseness. He sobbed furiously, howled agonizingly.

Ning tightly held his beloved friend in his arm, listening to his cries. He could sense the bottomless, endless depths of pain, misery, grief, and despair explode forth from the cries. Ning tightly held his dear brother, his own heart shaking. He felt as though his own heart was being stabbed by knives.

Pain.

Splitting pain.

What had happened? That young white-robed youth, the one who could ignore even the threat of death and choose to follow Ning in fleeing across the world…what had changed him so?!