Desolate Era (Book 22 - Book 24)

“Didn’t you say…I would be able to join your army?” Ning asked.

“Senior…” The azure-armored man stared. “Senior, are you saying you wish to join the Fogstone Army?”

“Yes.” Ning nodded.

“G-g-great!” The azure-armored man was shocked and delighted. He immediately said, “The Fogstone Army is very welcoming towards Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals who have journeyed and adventured through the primordial chaos. Although you’ll be given certain restrictions, since you are an Elder God the restrictions will be quite lax. The only requirement will be for you to take part in critical battles, while you’ll be given many benefits upon signing up. You’ll get chaos nectar, treasures, and all sorts of other things.”

Ning followed the azure-armored man forward. They passed through more cloud streets as they moved towards the mustering grounds.

“Brother Mu, this is the mustering grounds.” A black-armored True God who was leaning relaxedly against a boulder while drinking some wine gave Ning a glance, then snapped at the azure-armored man, “You should lead this senior away from here.” Although Ning was an Elder God, he was still an outsider. The True God soldier really didn’t care about him at all.

“You imbecile, this senior is planning to join our Fogstone Army!” The azure-armored man hissed.

“He’s joining the Fogstone Army?” The True God’s eyes bulged out and he hurriedly jumped to his feet, his attitude markedly more respectful than before. He had acted arrogantly because he was a member of the Fogstone Army and really didn’t care about outsiders, but if this Elder God was to truly join the Fogstone Army, he would clearly become one of the core members of it. The Elder God would become one of his superiors, at which point it would be very easy for this Elder God to punish him.

“This way please, senior.” The black-armored True God hurriedly spoke with respect.

“Senior, we’ll part ways for now.” The azure-armored man smiled merrily. He was quite pleased. Today, he had just earned a bundle for himself!

“Alright.” Ning immediately followed the black-armored True God forward. As he did, he began to hear cries ringing out from afar.

“How much longer do we have to wait? We have to go through nine rounds of testing, but this is just the third round. This is so pointless.”

“If you aren’t even patient enough to wait, what makes you think you are qualified to join the Fogstone Army? My senior apprentice-brother told me that last time, the nine elimination rounds took a total of a thousand years.”

“Hey, what’s going on over there?”

“Why is that white-robed youth being led into the restricted area?”

There were quite a few True Gods and True Immortals waiting in the mustering grounds. They had come from the ninety-six chaosworlds and were taking part in the elimination trials. The nine rounds of eliminations would usually take quite a long period of time, mainly because the Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals in charge of the trials were usually quite relaxed and lazy about them. They might end up going into seclusion for a hundred years between rounds, which was why the trials often ended up taking forever.

“Island master.” The black-robed True God immediately ran over to the side of a gray-robed elder who was fishing in a relaxed manner. “This senior wishes to join our Fogstone Army.”

The gray-robed elder put down his fishing rod, rising to his feet as he looked at Ning.

Ning looked at the gray-robed elder as well. This elder had a closed vertical eye-slit on his forehead; most likely, he was an Elder God as well. The Elder God waved his hand, dismissing the black-armored True God.

“My name is Fushe,” the gray-robed elder said. “The master of this island, the mustering grounds.”

“Darknorth,” Ning said.

“Brother Darknorth, do you truly wish to join our Fogstone Army?” The gray-robed elder asked.

“I do.” Ning nodded.

The gray-robed elder smiled. “Elder Gods do not need to go through the elimination process. They can directly join the Fogstone Army. However…even Elder Gods have different statuses within the army. There’s a great difference between an ordinary Elder God and a supreme Elder God, after all.”

Ning nodded.

“The Elder God soldiers of the Fogstone Army can be promoted based on their military accomplishments; with enough military successes, they will be promoted to very high levels. A second possibility is for them to be promoted based solely on power. If you are strong enough, you can be promoted to a high rank even if you haven’t fought in battle yet.” The gray-robed elder looked at Ning.

“Generally speaking, you have to fight against and defeat certain golems in order to prove your strength. We have three types of golem on this island; they represent ordinary Elder Gods, elite Elder Gods, and supreme Elder Gods. The golems aren’t that skillful, but beating the first golem means you have the power of an ordinary Elder God. Beating the second golem proves that you have the power of an elite Elder God. Beating the third means that you have the power of a supreme Elder God.”

“It is quite rare for new entrants to the Fogstone Army to be able to defeat the third golem. I’ve only encountered two during my tenure here as master of the island,” the gray-robed elder said with a smile.

Ning asked, “Just these three types?”

“If you are strong enough, there’s no need to even go through the golem testing. You can ask a World-level expert to come here and attest to your power.” The gray-robed figure continued, “However, there are very few figures that have transcended even supreme Elder Gods in power. Although the Fogstone Army does have a few such figures, they only became that powerful after spending quite a bit of time improving themselves after joining us. There have been none who have requested a World-level expert come and testify to their power immediately after they join our ranks.”

Ning nodded.

He had inherited the legacy of World God Northrest and was quite familiar with some of the unspoken rules of the primordial chaos. He truly did wish to establish himself here on Fogstone and receive the resources he would need in order to grow more powerful! In the future, he would go out and battle on behalf of the Fogstone Army and find a chance to slay the Mindlord. This was why Ning had decided long ago that he would shock them all upon arriving, ensuring that the World Gods of Fogstone all knew his name.

“Please invite a World-level expert to come, then.” Ning nodded.

“Invite a World…” The gray-robed figure stuttered. “W-what did you just say?” His mind went blank.

“No need to bother with the three golems,” Ning said. “I wish to invite a World-level expert to come here and attest to my strength.”





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Book 24, Chapter 5 - Military Headquarters


The gray-robed elder stared blankly at Ji Ning, as though he was staring at some bizarre monstrosity. He then murmured in a low voice, “Brother Darknorth, it’s not that I look down upon you, but I would still recommend that you go fight the third golem. That’ll be enough! If you are truly powerful, you’ll have chances to prove it once you enter the army. But if you insist on asking a World-level expert to verify it…you should know how high the standards of World-level experts are. If you are over-confident in your powers, you can easily cause the World-level expert to feel dissatisfied with you.”

“I understand.” Ning nodded.

This was no joke. Ning knew exactly how powerful he was. Even an ordinary Elder God who used the ‘Heartsword stance’ would instantly become comparable to a supreme Elder God! Ning, however, was a half-step World God. When he used the ‘Heartsword stance’, he could dominate supreme Elder Gods.