Desolate Era (Book 22 - Book 24)

This was because there was no way a treasure-spirit would ever disobey his or her master. They were absolutely loyal and devoted servants.

“Long ago, I managed to shed off the trappings of the Book of Life and Death and became an independent life form, capable of training on my own.” Lord Cui looked at Ning. “I ended up creating a clone and sent it into the path of reincarnation, and that clone ended up entering your own homeworld of ‘Earth’. That’s why I said that we came from the same hometown.”

When Ning was weak, he had been quite puzzled by this; if Lord Cui had originally been a cultivator from the Tang Dynasty of Earth, then he should have only recently become the First Judge of the Dead. And yet, the records of the Three Realms indicated that Lord Cui’s great reputation had existed for countless years already.

Only now did he realize that Lord Cui had long ago become the First Judge of the Dead, and that it was just one of his clones which he had sent to be reborn in Earth.

“How truly marvelous.” Lord Cui smiled as he looked at Ning. “I still remember what a weak, gentle youth you were. Back on Earth, you were just a bedridden patient…but now, you stand at the very peak of the Three Realms.”

“I have to thank you, Lord Cui, for bestowing the ‘Nuwa Painting’ visualization technique upon me,” Ning said. “Without it, I would never have been able to accomplish what I did.”

The ‘Nuwa Painting’ visualization technique no longer meant anything to him, but it was the reason why he had been able to survive and acquire the legacy of the ‘underwater estate’. Only then did he become able to join the Black-White College, become the champion of the Conclave of Immortal Destiny, and become the disciple of Subhuti. Without the benefit of starting off with the Nuwa Painting…he might’ve still been successful, but it was unlikely that he would become as successful as he was now.

“I actually bestowed the Nuwa Painting upon quite a few people, but none of them were as impressive as you.” Lord Cui laughed. “When I first saw you, I had the feeling that there was a certain toughness and resilience about you, that you would never collapse no matter what setbacks or pressures you faced. Earth is a place where there is no such thing as cultivation, but even there you were able to change your own destiny, living for two years longer than you had originally been scheduled to live for. I had the feeling that, given a bit of help, you would be able to make a miracle happen. That is why I bestowed the Nuwa Painting upon you.”

“Lord Cui, you…” Ning was shocked.

“Precisely. I already had the sense that the Seamless Gate was up to no good, which was why I began bestowing the Nuwa Painting upon certain promising prospects which I encountered! This would make it easier for them to cultivate…but of course, this was just one of many small plans I put in place. It’s quite unlikely for something as minor as the Nuwa Painting to result in the birth of a Daofather or True God; in fact, less than ten people I helped out were even able to become Celestial Immortals!” Lord Cui shook his head, laughing as he looked at Ning. “Thank goodness for you.”

“Lord Cui, you really accomplished a great deed for us,” Subhuti laughed.

“Ahaha…” Lord Cui laughed as well.

“Lord Cui, I tried to search for my old home of ‘Earth’, but I’ve never been able to find it,” Ning immediately said.

The Lord of Cui Palace shook his head. “Of course not. It’s much like how the Crescent world is located in an entirely different spacetime continuum. Some of the trillions of minor worlds of the Three Realms are also hidden in their own pocket spacetime continuums. After Mother Nuwa became a World God, she worked hard to set up these many minor worlds in their own little pockets, and your home planet of Earth was one of them.”

“No matter what troubles the Three Realms go through, these minor worlds will remain blessed places,” Lord Cui explained. “Only when the entire Three Realms is destroyed will these worlds be destroyed as well.”

Ning asked in a soft voice, “I wonder how my parents of my past life are doing…” The relationship between himself and his parents in his past life wasn’t as unshakably close as his relationship to his parents in this life, but he had never forgotten about them. He had never forgotten about how his mother had taken care of him. Although his father had been more focused on his career, Ning’s feelings towards his father were quite complicated as well.”

“They live in a blessed land. Naturally, they have nothing to worry about,” Lord Cui said.

“Can you explain in detail?” Ning relaxed slightly as he asked this question.





* * *





Book 23, Chapter 3 - Stars


Lord Cui said, “When you became apprenticed to Subhuti, your previous parents were still alive. I helped them change their fate, allowing them to live to be a hundred years old before passing away peacefully. They then were reincarnated into another blessed world; naturally, their lives were calm and smooth.”

Ji Ning nodded slowly.

To be able to live a century in peace was a good thing.

“Reincarnated into another blessed world?” Ning was puzzled about this.

“Mother Nuwa set up many minor worlds in separate pockets of spacetime. All of them are blessed lands,” Lord Cui explained. “Even after the Six Paths of Reincarnation were destroyed, the process of reincarnation in those blessed lands was not disrupted in the slightest. Those who die in a blessed world shall be reborn into another blessed world. It might be Earth or it might be a different blessed world.”

“But didn’t I end up being sent to the Netherworld Kingdom?” Ning asked.

“That’s because I chose you,” Lord Cui said. “All those blessed worlds are linked together, but I selected you as a person who was suitable for Immortal cultivation. However, those worlds are all too small; they aren’t really suitable for an Immortal to grow in. That was why I teleported your soul directly to the Netherworld Kingdom.”

Now, Ning finally understood.

No wonder!

No wonder he had never met a single person who had been reincarnated from Earth. So it was because Earth was a ‘blessed world’; unless something special happened, no one from Earth would ever be reincarnated into the various major worlds.

“I wonder if the blessed worlds will be able to survive after this tribulation.” Lord Cui slowly shook his head. “Oh, right. I heard that you slew the Four Thearchs of the Primordial Ruinworld?”

“Yes.” Ning nodded.

“You should have acquired their treasures, yes? Take a look and see if they had any star maps,” Lord Cui said. “Star maps are maps that record the various paths that exist through the primordial chaos. We’ve killed quite a few alien Outsiders since the Primordial Era. The more powerful ones such as Rahu or the Lord of All Things, as well as their True God and Daofather subordinates. We’ve acquired quite a few star maps from them, but the more star maps the better.”

Ning was startled for a moment, then chuckled. “I haven’t sorted through them yet. Please wait a moment, Lord Cui.”

Star maps…

The primordial chaos was vast and endless, filled with opportunity and danger. Even a small place like the Three Realms had dangerous places such as Earthmoan Mountain or the Endless Sea. The primordial chaos naturally held far more terrifying dangers within it.