Desolate Era (Book 25 - Book 27)

Ning said with surprise, “Don’t some of those freakishly powerful Daolords possess sword-arts that equal the sword-arts of Eternal Emperors? Why is it that the legacies of the Eternal Emperors are so much harder to obtain?”


“Anyone who was able to become an Eternal Emperor had already perfected his Dao of the Sword to a level where it could gain eternity,” Lord Woodflower explained. “These legacies will give you experience that will help guide you to eternity. Over the course of countless years, we have seen several freakishly strong Daolords in every single generation. However, very few of them are ever able to become actual Eternal Emperors.”

Lord Woodflower continued, “Based on the rough numbers we have for the Endless Territories, less than one in a hundred thousand Daolords shall become an Eternal Emperor. Although our Sword Palace is assisted by the almighty Hegemon and selects only the cream of the crop, the elites of the elites, we’ve only given birth to a total of three Eternal Emperors since the establishment of the kingdom.”

Lord Woodflower shook his head. “Of the three Eternal Emperors… one perished, while the other two were solitary figures who went off wandering by themselves.” Lord Woodflower let out a sigh. “Our ratio of Daolords to Eternal Emperors is actually fairly high. The Dao Alliance has a much lower ratio than the Twelve Palaces.”

Ning was speechless. At present, the Sword Palace didn’t even have a single Eternal Emperor?

“It’s simply too hard for a new Eternal Emperor to be born. Even if one is born… they live far too long and easily grow bored, and so they often delight in exploring places which no one has ever been before. Sometimes, they never come back.” Lord Woodflower continued, “As for the freakishly strong Daolords… after they fail their Daomerge, they know that they shall die and so they will often go out and try to find chances to slay Eternal Emperors belonging to enemy organizations.”

“Although there aren’t that many freakishly strong Daolords, there’s usually a few in every generation. Although Eternal Emperors are untouched by the ravages of time, they can still perish through other means,” Lord Woodflower explained. “But of course, there are always differences. Take our almighty Hegemon. He’s actually an Eternal Emperor, but he’s just far, far too powerful. As a result, he’s still alive to this very day. Even though he occasionally abducts World-level cultivators who belong to other organizations, they just ignore it and pretend not to see it.”

Ning let out a sigh.

What sad, sad fates these Eternal Emperors had. They were incredibly rare in number, but the freakishly strong Daolords who failed their Daomerge would often target them in suicidal attacks. Daolord Allgod was a good example. After he failed his Daomerge, he attempted to chase down and kill Emperor Melobo.

Far too many Eternal Emperors disappeared while adventuring, were slain by Daolords, or went into hiding. Only truly almighty figures like the Hegemon were capable of staying alive.

“As a result, there are very few legacies that were left behind by Eternal Emperors. Even the weakest Eternal Emperor’s sword-arts are comparable to the sword-arts of supreme Daolords, and they contain a hint of eternity…” Lord Woodflower looked at Ning. “I’m sure you know this, but cultivators must find and walk their own paths. After becoming a Daolord, you must develop a sword-art all your own. These so-called ‘legacies’ are mainly valuable because they will help guide you in that.”

Ning nodded.

“By now, you should understand why the legacies left behind by Eternal Emperors are so rare and valuable,” Lord Woodflower said. “I urge you to do your best to acquire one of them if you can. But of course, it is up to you. What do you want? A divine ability, a secret art, or a legacy? What will you choose?”

“What will I choose?” Ning began to ponder this question.





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Book 27, Chapter 5 - Hope


A divine ability? Ji Ning’s greatest advantage was his azureflower mist energy, but there was no way to use it to execute divine abilities. For now, his [Golden Idol] and [Three Heads, Six Arms] were enough.

A legacy? He was still missing the fourth Mirrorsnow Painting for the legacy of Emperor Mirrorsnow.

“Senior apprentice-brother Woodflower,” Ning said.

“Have you made your decision?” Lord Woodflower looked at Ning. “There’s no need to choose right away. Think it over. You’ll only have one opportunity to pick something of your choosing. After that, you’ll have to pay a heavy price.”

“I actually want to ask a question. Is it possible for the Twelve Palaces to acquire a copy of the fourth Mirrorsnow Painting?” Ning asked.

“You already have the first three?” Lord Woodflower was surprised.

“Yes.” Ning nodded. There was no need to hide this; the Sword Palace had many legacies, and Lord Woodflower himself was a supremely strong Daolord who was comparable to Eternal Emperors in power.

“I don’t think the Sword Palace has a copy.” Lord Woodflower pondered for a moment, then let out a laugh. “Later, you should go to the Armaments Gorge and take a look for yourself. If they really don’t have a copy, you can ask them to help out. They’ll help you find a fourth copy in the Endless Territories. Given the might of the Twelve Palaces, I trust that they shouldn’t find this to be an overly difficult task. But of course, you’ll need to pay for it.”

“Understood.” Ning relaxed slightly.

“Emperor Mirrorsnow was an extremely powerful Eternal Emperor, and he’s still alive.” Lord Woodflower let out a sigh. “His legacy is an excellent one.”

Ning suddenly gave voice to something which had been puzzling him. “Senior apprentice-brother Woodflower, there’s something which has been bothering me. Advancing from the Samsara Daolord level to the Eternal Emperor level should represent an incredible increase in power… and I would imagine that anyone capable of becoming an Eternal Emperor should be have been an extraordinary Daolord as well. Why, then, do I often hear about Daolords slaying Emperors?”

Lord Woodflower was startled, and a complicated look appeared on his face.

“You were going to be told about this eventually.” Lord Woodflower looked at Ning. “Samsara Daolords all have their own paths, and different paths will result in different levels of difficulty in becoming Eternal Emperors.

“If you choose a simple path, you will be fairly weak amongst your peers. As a Daolord of the Fourth Step, you probably won’t be as strong as I was when I was a Daolord of the Third Step. However… that will also make it somewhat easier for you on your road to gaining eternity.

“If you choose a difficult path, you will be extremely powerful. As a Daolord of the Fourth Step, you might even be able to slay some of the weaker Eternal Emperors. However… to succeed in your Daomerge on this difficult path and gain eternity will be even more difficult.”

Lord Woodflower looked at Ning. “That is why there’s an old axiom that has rung true for countless chaos cycles… the more powerful the Daolord, the less likely he will be successful in his Daomerge.”

“The many freakishly strong Daolords that have appeared over the course of countless years have almost all failed in their Daomerge. Thus, junior apprentice-brother Darknorth… you need to think over what path you would like to take. Shall you choose a path that is a simple one? Or a path that is a difficult one?” Lord Woodflower looked at Ning. “The difficult path means that it is guaranteed that every single step you take as a Daolord will be very dangerous, and your Daomerge will be even more difficult! However, you’ll also be incredibly powerful and will be a dazzling figure amongst your peers. The simple path will be easier to walk, and in the end you will have a slightly larger chance of completing your Daomerge and gaining eternity.”