Desolate Era (Book 16 - Book 18)

“Master.” The Xia Emperor said worriedly, “To always be vigilant isn’t a winning solution…when will we lauch our own all-out attack?”


Daofather Crimsonbright nodded. “I understand what you are saying, of course. However…I can dimly sense that the Seamless Gate has another force that is lying in wait. I have to hold some of my forces in abeyance to deal with it. Otherwise…if we launch our all-out attack, we might end up being tricked and countered by the Seamless Gate, resulting in a great loss.”

Everyone, Ji Ning included, nodded.

There was nothing for it.

Whenever there was a significant disparity in intelligence, the only choice was to allow the enemy to strike first. Perhaps one might suffer a bit for it, but they would still be able to deal with the forces they saw. If they revealed all of their trump cards at once in an attack…their fate would be completely up to luck.

“There’s one thing we can be certain of.” Daofather Crimsonbright looked at Ning. “Ji Ning.”

“Daofather,” Ning replied respectfully.

Daofather Crimsonbright looked at Ning. “You have a talent for commanding Heaven Punishers. Once you breakthrough to become a Pure Yang True Immortal, the power of your Heaven Punisher shall explode to a new level. Thus, the Seamless Gate is definitely going to try and kill you to avoid future problems! The intelligence we’ve obtained regarding them concurs; they’ve wanted to get rid of you this entire time.”

“During each of the past three battles, the three Diremonster Gods of Mount Dragoneater have been in your surrounding area,” Daofather Crimsonbright said. “This has resulted in much of both side’s forces being concentrated around you, roughly 30% or so of the entire battlefield. Minor battles are going on in other places; the only place where both sides are concentrating their forces is the area around you. Once an all-out attack is launched, that place will be the most dangerous place on the entire battlefield…and the first target they will want to eliminate is you, Ji Ning.”

“Xiamang.”

Daofather Crimsonbright looked towards the Xia Emperor. “Stay next to him and assist him. You have to protect Ji Ning; be wary of any sudden changes in the battlefield.”

“Yes, Master,” the Xia Emperor said respectfully.

“The rest of you need to keep an eye out as well. Even if the other minor battlefields take a turn for the worse, casualties will be limited. The region around Ji Ning and Xiamang, however…once there are casualties there, the casualties will be heavy, so heavy as to potentially change the entire dynamic. You need to keep an eye out and be prepared to deal with anything on the fly,” Daofather Crimsonbright instructed.

“Yes, Daofather.”

“Yes, Master.”

Daofather Crimsonbright nodded. “Alright. You can go back and rest now.”

Ning and the hundreds of Immortals and Fiendgods present all walked out of the main palace. Only after exiting did they start to discuss matters in small groups.

“Ji Ning, if you can just keep those three from Mount Dragoneater tied down, you’ll have rendered a major contribution,” the Xia Emperor said, walking alongside Ning. “Don’t be in a rush to try and kill enemies; keep an eye out for those three at all times.”

“Right. Darknorth, if you are defeated, we’ll have lost a powerful military unit. For you right now, not screwing up is already a contribution.” A bald old man in loose robes next to them chuckled while fanning himself with a fan.

“Right now, you are our main defense against those three Diremonster Gods of Mount Dragoneater.”

Multiple Empyrean Gods and True Immortals spoke out. They were all responsible for tying down those three Diremonster Gods, and so during the three clashes of this Realmwar, they had been by Ji Ning’s side. To be honest, it was rather strange; those three Diremonster Gods were always close to Ning. The main reason for this was that the Godking viewed Ning as an extremely important target, believing that if Ning suddenly broke through to the Pure Yang True Immortal level, his Heaven Punisher would instantly rise to a level of power where it would be no weaker than the combined power of those three Diremonster Gods.

“To be honest, with Ji Ning around, it makes things easier for us. His Heaven Punisher is so strong, not even those three Diremonster Gods can suppress him.”

“Ji Ning is indeed formidable as a Heaven Punisher commander. If he becomes a Pure Yang True Immortal…how powerful would he become?”

The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals continued to chat with Ning and amongst themselves.

Suddenly, someone walked past them. It was Sword Immortal Evergreen, who gave them a sideways glance and a cold snort. “All of you are quite smug, aren’t you? Don’t forget…if Ji Ning dies in battle, the entire situation will become quite ugly for us. As I see it…you need to focus on what you will do in the event that Ji Ning dies.”

After finishing his words, Sword Immortal Evergreen walked out.

Ning frowned upon hearing these words. On the surface, Sword Immortal Evergreen was reminding them to be careful…but he kept on saying ‘Ji Ning dies’, ‘Ji Ning dies’…anyone would feel displeased upon hearing someone say such things.

“Ji Ning, don’t mind him.” The Xia Emperor glanced at Sword Immortal Evergreen, frowning at him before turning to smile at Ning. “That’s just how junior apprentice-brother Evergreen is. Still…he’s not wrong to remind us that we need to be careful.”

“Understood.” Ning nodded.

“Fellow Daoist Darknorth.” After Sword Immortal Evergreen walked away, a delicate, white-robed female Immortal who had heard his words walked towards Ning and hurriedly said, “Senior apprentice-brother Evergreen is always like that. Please don’t mind him.”

Ning smiled. “A minor matter, fellow Daoist Snowdance.”

Fairy Snowdance smiled towards Ning, then followed Sword Immortal Evergreen in leaving.

Ning asked the nearby Xia Emperor, “What is the exact relationship between Fairy Snowdance and Sword Immortal Evergreen? I often see them together, and even on the field of battle, they are an inseparable duo.”

“Junior apprentice-sister Snowdance is devoted to junior apprentice-brother Evergreen, but he is excessively solitary and aloof; he’s completely unreceptive to her advances. She, however, continues to quietly watch over him. Although the two haven’t joined together to become Dao-companions, Evergreen is indeed closer to Snowdance than to any of our other fellow disciples. Still…in the end, he always treats her in an icy manner. Junior apprentice-sister Snowdance really is blinded,” a barbaric-looking man said with a sigh.

“Evergreen’s simply too sharp. His heart is like a sword, and he acts like a sword in dealing with both people and business. He’s let her wait for him for so long…alas…”

The various Empyrean Gods and True Immortals chatted amongst themselves for a bit, then all departed.

……

A few days later, the Xia Emperor sent the mental order for his army to assemble.

“Be careful. You said it yourself; the Seamless Gate is trying to kill you if at all possible. Our child is soon to be born; I don’t want our child to never have the chance to meet you,” Yu Wei warned.

“Don’t worry, senior apprentice-sister; the Seamless Gate is far from being able to kill me,” Ning said with a laugh.

Since the start of the Realmwar, before each clash Yu Wei would give Ning many warnings to be careful.

“I’m off.” Ning smiled, then transformed into a streak of light and flew away.

Yu Wei rubbed her stomach, watching as Ning flew away. She could sense that their child was most likely going to enter the world in around half a month…but why was it that she was feeling increasingly nervous?

……