Desolate Era (Book 22 - Book 24)

Swoosh.

A white-robed Ji Ning suddenly appeared at the gates of the Allclans Palace. As he appeared, all the major powers inside the palace turned to look at him. Because both his true body and his Primaltwin had entered the prisonworld and were completely separated from the outside world, there was no way for Ning to keep an incarnation present in the Allclans Palace.

“Ji Ning has arrived.” Daoist Three Purities rose to his feet. “Let us go. The Seamless Gate has already mobilized their army; let us mobilize ours.”

“Right.”

All the major powers had sent their true bodies, because they all knew that once the final battle for karmic luck began, the Endwar would definitely be nigh. Thus everyone, Fuxi and Shennong included, had all hastened back from the primordial chaos. In fact, even that stooped, masked figure dressed in gray robes had made his appearance.

Ning glanced at the masked, gray-robed figure. He mused to himself, “He should be Gonggong.”

Daoist Three Purities, Lord Tathagata the Buddha, Suiren, Fuxi, Shennong, Houyi, Ji Ning, and the gray-robed figure walked at the head of the pack. Behind them walked Subhuti and the rest of the major powers.

The awe-inspiring group of major powers flew out of the Allclans Palace and into the air.

Ning stared downwards. He immediately saw that the Humanworld of Yu the Great was filled with teeming masses of Immortal armies. The armies stretched off into the horizon, like so many countless dragons that lay coiled throughout the world.

“All of the Immortal armies and Fiendgod armies of the Nuwa Alliance in the Three Realms have been summoned.” Daoist Three Purities let out a soft sigh. “Xuan Yuan, give the order.”

“Yes.”

Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan had been standing behind him. He immediately sent the mental order. “Mobilize.”

Rumble…

Utterly titanic tears in the sky began to appear in front of them. One Immortal army after another began to flood forward and soar towards the tears in the sky. The battlefield for this final battle for karmic luck would be the vast Void itself!

During the previous Realmwars, the various major powers had acted to keep the major worlds stable, making it possible for them to endure the earth-shaking devastation wrought by each side.

This final battle for karmic luck, however, involved simply far too many Immortals and Fiendgods. This represented nearly all of the Immortals and Fiendgods that existed in the entire Three Realms. If they were to battle on a single major world, that major world would most likely be instantly annihilated.

The distant Solar Star could be seen glowing with light, illuminating the darkness of the Void. However, the Void still remained a dark, gray place. It was simply too far from the Solar Star, making it seem rather dim.

The armies of the Seamless Gate were beginning to appear in the distant parts of the Void, joining together into multiple giant formations that were spread out throughout the area.

The Immortal armies of the Nuwa Alliance continued to flood out through their spatial rifts, moving into formation as had been previous ordained. Both sides stared at their enemies, separated from them by tens of millions of kilometers.

Behind each side’s armies were their major powers.

Daoist Three Purities, Lord Tathagata, Suiren, Shennong, Fuxi, Houyi, the masked figure, and the rest of the major powers were all standing behind their armies, staring at the enemy forces ahead of them.

“We’ve flourished for countless years.” Fuxi murmured softly, “In terms of major powers, Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and even Celestial Immortals…far more exist in this era of the Three Realms than existed during the Primordial Era.”

“This war is also far larger in scale than the war which ended the Primordial Era.” Daoist Three Purities nodded slowly as well.

“Xuan Yuan. It is now up to you.” Lord Buddha looked towards the nearby Yellow Emperor.

“Alright.” Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan nodded.

It was the Yellow Emperor’s responsibility for directing their armies in this battle.

As for Ning, he stared at their vast allied armies. As he scanned through their ranks, he saw so many faces he recognized. They included his fellow apprentices, such as senior apprentice-sister Empyrean Phoenix, Junwu, and Goldcrow. They also included Ning’s own subordinates, such as Ninefangs, Primelight, and Sunblaze. He also saw the Xia Emperor as well as the Empyrean Gods he had rescued from Undermoon Lake, such as the Seven Dragon Gods, Oddwitch, Eastvoid, Buyou, and Sin…

Ning’s eyes blazed with torch-light as he turned to stare at the vast army of the Seamless Gate.

He immediately saw Sword Immortal Evergreen…the three Diremonster Gods of Mount Dragoneater…Fairy Deadgrass…True Immortal Gaudy…

“Darknorth, do you still remember him?” Lord Tathagata suddenly spoke out to Ning while pointing towards a distant figure.

Ning followed Tathagata’s finger and saw one of their formation commanders. This was a barefoot Bodhisattva who was dressed in yellow robes and whose face was pale and handsome.

“He is…?” Ning immediately felt that this person looked quite familiar.

“Bodhisattva Eastluck,” Lord Buddha said with a laugh.

“Eastluck?” Ning immediately remembered the man. No wonder he had looked familiar! When Ning had first gone to learn the [Five Treasures] sword-art which Daofather Fuju had left behind, he had encountered this spoiled prince, Eastluck. Ning had ordered Prince Eastluck to become a servant at an innhouse for three hundred years, and had commanded that he allow others to hit him and berate him without fighting back or talking back.

“Right. You sent him to work as a servant in the mortal world for three hundred years with the goal of tempering his arrogance. Instead, he came to truly understand his own heart! He ended up understanding the Dao and becoming a Celestial Immortal, then joined my Buddhist Sangha. His rate of advancement was simply astonishing…” Lord Buddha sighed with praise. “He truly has the heart of a Buddha, and my Buddhist techniques were perfect for him. If he was given enough time, he would stand a very good chance of becoming a major power as well. Alas, the war has already arrived.”

“Mm.” Ning felt quite pleased as well. He had never imagined that the spoiled Prince Eastluck who had provoked him would become Bodhisattva Eastluck.

Ning continued to stare at their forces.

There were quite a few people who he had ties to. There were also quite a few who had grudges against him. They were all scattered throughout the various Immortal and Fiendgod armies. At this point in time, they were nothing more than minor chess pieces in the Endwar. Ning, however, had carved out a path for himself via his cultivation. He had also been blessed by luck and opportunity, and as a result he now stood at the very peak of power. He was capable of truly influencing the entire course of the war.

“I wonder how many of them will be alive after the war.” Ning continued to quietly look at them all.

“Seamless Gate!”

Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan’s voice echoed through the endless Void, reverberating by the ears of every single Immortal and Fiendgod. “We once permitted you to enter our Three Realms and live amongst us. It’s one thing for you to be ungrateful, but how dare you once more stir up trouble and cause such a great war? You were even so despicable and shameless as to assassinate the family and friends of our major powers, Empyrean Gods, and True Immortals. Now…you wish to fight? Do you think our side is afraid of you? Hah! You lost the war all those years ago, and you’ll lose the war this time as well!”