Desolate Era (Book 25 - Book 27)

“I am Darknorth.” Ning smiled. “I’ve come to join the Bluegrace Sect.”


“Fellow Daoist, you wish to join our Bluegrace Sect?” The tall, skinny cultivator gave Ning a weighing glance. World-level cultivators were generally mid-level figures within the Brightshore Kingdom. If Ning was an Elder God, he wouldn’t be treated in such a friendly manner. “Haha, the doors of our Bluegrace Sect are always open and welcome. Fellow Daoist, please follow me.”

Ning smiled as he followed the man inside, moving past the protective formations and entering the sect itself.

This was one of the branches of the Bluegrace Sect. The formations protecting it had naturally been laid down by Daolord Bluegrace himself. Although the formations weren’t that strong when being controlled by a group of World-level cultivators, Ning wasn’t certain that he would be able to overcome it.

“Please follow me, fellow Daoist.” The tall, skinny World-level cultivator flew alongside Ning. The branch was more than ten million kilometers in size, quite large.

“What’s going on over there?” Ning pointed off into the distance, towards the direction where he could sense Su Youji was located.

“The sect has disciples of varying levels of strength. The stronger World-level cultivators reside in that area.” The tall, skinny World-level cultivator pointed while speaking.

“Oh.” Ning now understood. Suddenly, he stretched out his palm, making it expand in size to become dozens of meters long. He immediately grabbed onto that World God as easily as he would grab onto a mouse. This person was responsible for welcoming and greeting guests, but he merely had the power of an elite World God. In the face of Ning’s power, he wasn’t even able to struggle.

“Fellow Daoist!” The man was utterly terrified.

“If I wanted your life, I could take it in an instant. If you want to stay alive, don’t fight me,” Ning sent mentally. Then, with a whoosh, he transferred the man into his own estate-world.

Ning transformed into a streak of light, flying towards Su Youji’s residence at high speed.





* * *





Book 26, Chapter 52 - A New Disciple


Ji Ning flew through the air towards the region where he sensed Su Youji was residing. She was within an estate at the very peak of a mountain, and there were eighteen f igures seated in the lotus position in front of it.

“Why are eighteen World-level cultivators keeping watch over this estate?” Ning muttered softly to himself.

Within Ning’s estate-world.

The cultivator Ning had captured stared at the white-robed Ning in terror. “Senior, please spare me!”

“Smart kid. Answer all of my questions accurately. There exists no grudge between the two of us. Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t kill you,” Ning said calmly. He had created this clone using half of his divine power, and his clone would be easily capable of slaying this cultivator.

“Understood.” The tall, skinny World-level cultivator nodded repeatedly.

This was no joke. He had been captured so quickly that he didn’t even have a chance to fight back. He knew exactly how great the disparity between their power levels was. In fact, he even suspected that this white-robed youth might actually be a Daolord in disguise. Now that he was trapped in this estate-world, how could he dare to be disobedient? Wisdom lay in knowing when to resist and when to comply.

“I ask you this.” Ning pointed at the air next to him with a finger, causing a map of the Eastsmoke branch of the Bluegrace Sect to appear. This map included the estate at the top of the mountain, as well as the eighteen World-level cultivators seated in the lotus position before it.

“Who resides within this estate?” Ning pointed at the estate at the top of the mountain.

“That’s the estate of senior apprentice-sister Qingfan,” the captured cultivator said hurriedly. “Senior apprentice-sister Qingfan is extremely strong, and she has the power of a supreme World God. She ranks as one of the top ten cultivators here in the Eastsmoke branch.”

Ning nodded, then pointed and asked, “Why are there eighteen World-level cultivators in front of her estate?”

“Senior, are you friends with senior apprentice-sister Qingfan?” The captured cultivator suddenly asked in a soft voice.

“Answer me.” Ning frowned.

“Senior, senior apprentice-sister Qingfan is in a lot of trouble right now. That’s why her estate is under watch.” The captured cultivator said hurriedly, “When she was out adventuring with two other fellow disciples, she became friends with an outsider known as the Flamefairy. The two of them are very close to each other.”

A sharp light flickered through Ning’s eyes. Flamefairy?

“I heard that they met each other and helped rescue each other in a dangerous ruins whch had been left behind by Feixian the Exalted. They experienced many dangers together, and in the end this Flamefairy acquired the statue of Feixian the Exalted,” the captured cultivator said. “Afterwards, the Flamefairy accompanied senior apprentice-sister Qingfan to our Eastsmoke branch…”

The captured cultivator let out an awkward laugh. “And here, a few rather embarrassing things happened.”

“Speak!” Ning barked.

“Y-y-es! I’ll tell you everything!” The captured cultivator said hurriedly, “One of the two fellow disciples who went out alongside senior apprentice-sister Qingfan, a World God known as Whiteswan, immediately made a report to the branch leader once he returned to the branch. My understanding is that our branch leader was interested in this Flamefairy’s treasures and was planning to kill her and take them all.”

Ning’s eyes narrowed.

“Killing and looting is very common here, and it is said that this Flamefairy has a set of very powerful bugbeasts and golems, as well as that statue of Feixian the Exalted. She might have other valuable treasures as well.” The captured cultivator let out a sigh. “But who would’ve thought that senior apprentice-sister Qingfan would notice that something was off? She helped the Flamefairy fight back, then actually helped the Flamefairy hide within her own estate. Now, the Flamefairy just hides in there and refuses to leave no matter what.”

The captured cultivator explained, “Our Bluegrace Sect forbids its disciples from barging into the personal estates of our World-level cultivators. No one would dare to violate this rule, unless they were doing so on the orders of the sectlord himself. This is one of our laws. Thus, there’s nothing our branch leader can do. All he can do is have his loyal subordinates keep a close watch as he tries to come up with some other ideas.

“Our branch leader wishes to kill the Flamefairy, whereas senior apprentice-sister Qingfan wishes to protect her. As a result, senior apprentice-sister Qingfan’s been living a rather unpleasant life recently. I hear that she hasn’t left her estate at all.” The man secretly glanced at Ning’s expressions. He was guessing that there had to be some sort of a special connection between Ning and Qingfan.

“Let me ask you something else. What type of protective formations does the Eastsmoke branch have?” Ning asked.

The cultivator immediately and obediently revealed everything he knew.

……

Ning began to fly towards that distant estate, his mind filled with thoughts. He had been able to easily enter this branch, but taking Su Youji out of it would be no easy task. This was the Eastsmoke branch of the Bluegrace Sect, after all. If all the protective formations here were activated, things would become quite problematic.

Swoosh. Ning began to descend at high speed.

“Eh?” The eighteen World-level cultivators seated before the estate all raised their heads to look at Ning.

“Who are you?” One of the black-robed elders said coldly, “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.”

“I am Darknorth. Greetings, fellow Daoists.” Ning smiled. “I just recently joined the Bluegrace Sect, and so I haven’t met with the vast majority of our fellow disciples yet.”