Desolate Era (Book 16 - Book 18)

Ning chuckled. “The antidote? It was in this white jade bottle, while the poison is in this black jade bottle.” Waving his hand, Ning produced the black jade bottle as well.

“Oh?” Yu Wei reached out for it. “Let me take a look.”

Ning was startled. For a brief moment, he wanted to refuse…but it was just a brief moment and a brief thought. He didn’t actually refuse or stop her.

“Careful with it, senior apprentice-sister,” Ning instructed.

“Of course.” Yu Wei held the black jade bottle in her hands.

……

Within the world of the Violetdawn Pearl.

Yu Wei’s incarnation was here, alongside Brightmoon.

“Mother.” Her daughter, Brightmoon, continued to kneel there. She stared wide-eyed at Yu Wei. “I know I was wrong. Can you plead with Father on my behalf? Ask him not to be angry with me. I really know I was wrong.”

Yu Wei’s incarnation walked over to her daughter’s side, kneeling down next to her and gently embracing her.

Brightmoon was startled…and then she happily inhaled deeply, smelling of her mother’s scent. “Mother, you smell so nice. Brightmoon loves it!”

“Brightmoon…”

“Huh?”

“You need to be a good girl. In the future, don’t make your father angry, understood?”

“Oh. I really know that I made a mistake this time!”

“Mm. I know you are a good girl, Brightmoon. The best girl.”

Yu Wei’s incarnation held Brightmoon in her arms. Suddenly…her tears began to fall.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Yu Wei’s incarnation held Brightmoon in her arms, while the confused Brightmoon raised her head to look at her mother puzzledly. Yu Wei just looked back at her, as though wanting to firmly engrave the memory of her daughter into her heart.

And then…

She dissipated like a mist.

“Mother?” Brightmoon hurriedly called out.

……

The world of the Grand Xia. Whitepole Commandery. Within the Eight Dragons Cloudcity, hovering in midair. Ning’s residence.

Yu Wei’s slender, pale fingers held the black jade bottle as she looked towards Ning.

She still remembered the first time she had met this junior apprentice-brother of hers…it was back when Ning had first entered the Black-White College. During the Dao Debates at the Black-White College, Ning had repeatedly overcome all challengers in an absolutely dazzling fashion, causing Yu Wei to become intrigued. She thus personally challenged Ning to a duel. Perhaps…even as far as back then, she had subconsciously wanted to leave Ning with an impression of her.

That trip to the Witchriver Immortal Estate…she had watched as Ning and Ninelotus had parted ways, watched as Ning had left all by himself…

In the Brightmoon Diagram of the Mountains and Rivers…she had experienced life and death by his side. She had protected him, and he had protected her. Their hearts had grown closer, and when she suddenly was faced with life-threatening danger, he had finally charged forward and taken her into his arms. Faced with his embrace, she could no longer hold back. Even though she was a member of the Seamless Alliance, she swore an oath to herself to never, ever hurt him.

Later on, she had returned from her tutelage under Patriarch Lu, and Ning had come back as well.

Finally, they were together.

Be it her past life or her present life…these days were the happiest days she had ever experienced. They had viewed flowers together, watched the moon together, and their two hearts were like one…

She would stroke her belly, watching as her junior apprentice-brother practiced with the sword…

She would prepare delicacies as she waited for her junior apprentice-brother to return…

And finally…finally! Their daughter was safely born into the world. Although the Godking had issued the order soon afterwards, at least the two of them had been given some time together, and at least they now had a child together…

It was enough. These happy days had been the most blissful, joyful days she had ever experienced, in this life or the previous one.

Only…she truly felt sorry towards her junior apprentice-brother, towards their daughter…

Thousands of thoughts, countless emotions…they all flashed through her mind.

Right at this moment, within the Violetdawn Pearl’s world, Yu Wei’s incarnation was tightly holding her daughter in her arms as tears began to cascade from her eyes.

CRACK!

The slender, white, dainty fingers…shattered the black jade bottle.

Ning had been in a superb mood. The sound of the shattering jade bottle was like an explosion that rang out against his very soul. He stared at the already-shattered black jade bottle in disbelief. How…how could…

Whooooosh.

Silently and soundlessly, Shennong’s medicine that had been contained within the black jade bottle began to immediately spread outwards in every direction.

Ning and Yu Wei were the first to be affected by it. The Immortal energy within their bodies was instantly congealed, giving them no way to activate it at all.

“What just happened?”

“This…”

“Heavens…”

Almost instantly, all of the Loose Immortals and Celestial Immortals within the Darknorth army camp felt their bodies turn soft. Their Immortal energy became completely unusable, and the light, airy feeling of grace they usually felt was gone as well. They were like completely ordinary mortals.

Shennong’s medicine quickly began to spread out in every direction.

It spread out to cover an area of ten thousand kilometers…and in truth, the entire Eight Dragons Cloudcity was only ten thousand kilometers in size.

“SHIT!!!”

A furious roar rang out, echoing throughout the entire Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

This was Daofather Crimsonbright’s voice.

Instantly, a surge of powerful energy swept out and encompassed the city, immediately curtailing the spread of Shennong’s medicine and causing it to remain where it was. However…although Daofather Crimsonbright had reacted quite quickly, a terrifying number of Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals had been afflicted. The poison had spread far, far beyond the confines of the Darknorth army camp.

Ning just stared disbelievingly at his senior apprentice-sister.

His soul was shaking.

His heart was trembling.

His Dao-heart was strong…but no matter how strong it was, Ning was still thrust into a state of terror and absolute disbelief.

Not even the most terrifying of demonheart tribulations would have been capable of throwing Ning into a state of despair like he currently felt. When the black jade bottle had been shattered, Ning had instantly realized, but…his realization only caused him utter terror.

Yu Wei looked at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning looked at Yu Wei.

Their gazes met in midair.

This moment…

It became a moment eternal, a memory eternal.

Ning could sense the endless love and affection contained within his senior apprentice-sister’s eyes, could sense how absolutely unwilling she was to part from him. He could sense that her love for him in this moment was so deep, it was etched into her very bones, into her very soul. He could also sense something else in her gaze…

Regret.

“I’m sorry.” Yu Wei said these words softly. She just looked at Ning, as though she wanted to completely memorize his appearance and imprint it into the deepest parts of her soul.

Whoosh…

The wind blows…the sand flies…

Yu Wei’s immediately body began to break apart and collapse, as though it was being transformed into tiny granules of sand. It was like a tiny flame being extinguished. In the instant that she had shattered the black jade bottle, she had unhesitatingly chosen to end her life as well. Her Celestial Immortal Jindan had already completely collapsed.

It was like a wind blew past…and she was like smoke being blown away by the wind, completely vanishing from the world.

Ning reached out with his hands, wanting to catch something…but there was nothing to catch.

He stood there stupidly, arms stretched out.

His inability to use his Immortal energy?

The fact that the destruction of Shennong’s medicine would influence the entire Realmwar?