Desolate Era (Book 31 - Book 35)

“What’s wrong?” Ninedust was puzzled.

“The three clans have sent their troops out towards the Cranesoar Mountains.” Puzzled, Ning continued, “But… they each only sent a pair of golems. All combined, there are six of them.”

“Six golems against the two of us?” Ninedust was puzzled as well. “Darknorth, the heartworld projection you revealed should’ve alerted them that you are probably at the supreme Daolord level. Why have they only sent six golems? Based on what I know, most golems are merely comparable to fourth-step Daolords at best.”

“There ARE some golems that are stronger than the Daolord level,” Ning said.

“True.” Ninedust nodded. The major powers of the Endless Territories were only able to create golems comparable to Daolords of the Fourth Step at best. However… some particularly dangerous regions sometimes held golems that had been left behind since the Dawn War which surpassed this level. Ning had personally seen those two mighty golems which stood guard over the palace of the Brightshore Imperials. One looked like a humanoid statue while the other was a bestial statue, but both were actually golems which held the power of Eternal Emperors. No one knew where the Brightshore Hegemon had found them.

“You are talking about Emperor-class golems,” Ninedust said. “We Ancient cultivators have some, but they were passed down to us from many, many years ago. The Endless Territories have very few Emperor-class golems, and the number we Ancient cultivators have can be counted on one hand. Are you telling me that all six golems attacking us are Emperor-class? Since when did they become as common as the grass?”

“I find it hard to believe as well,” Ning said with a sigh. Emperor-class golems… they could only be found in truly dangerous zones such as the battlefield of the Dawn War. They were incredibly rare… but now, six had appeared at the same time?

“But if they aren’t Emperor-class, how would the three great clans dare to send just six of them against us?” Ning shook his head. “They should know that I have the power of a supreme Daolord; sending Daolord-class golems against me is tantamount to just gifting me with treasures. Thus… although I still find it hard to believe, it does seem as though these should be Emperor-class golems.”

“Six Emperor-class golems.” Ninedust revealed a wary look. “Can we handle them?”

“There should be differences in power amongst Emperor-class golems; some are strong, some are weak. We should be able to handle them,” Ning said.

The creation of every Emperor-class golem was extremely difficult. The Endless Territories weren’t even able to make them, with only fourth-step Daolord golems being forgeable! Thus, every single Emperor-class golem had their own unique traits. They all had invulnerable bodies, and in accordance with the wishes of their makers they often knew certain ultimate attacks as well! Even Ning felt nervous at the thought of fighting six at once.

If he was still ‘merely’ at the supreme Daolord level, he would probably be even more nervous. However, the Northbow swords and the [Heartsword] art put Ning close to the level of the lords of the eight Sacred Cities. Thus, he still felt fairly good in his chances.

“What’s going on with them?”

“Those two… something seems off with them.” Tianello, Maji, and the others all noticed the somber looks appear on the faces of Ning and Ninedust, who had appeared quite relaxed just a short while ago.

Tianello shook his head and sighed, “None of the three great clans are easy to deal with. Ever since the earliest annals of recorded history, the three great clans have always jointly ruled over our planet together. No one has ever been able to threaten them. Ugh. These two Daolords might be very powerful, but they were too over-confident. They are courting death.”

Ning and Ninedust couldn’t even be bothered to talk to the cultivators behind them. They simply stared into the skies, somber looks on their faces.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The six distant golems soared through the skies, emanating auras of incredible power as they flew towards Ning and Ninedust.

“This level of power…” Ninedust murmured softly, “The aura emanating from them as they are flying is already far beyond what Daolords of the Fourth Step are capable of. They are definitely Emperor-class. Darknorth, this is going to be seriously troublesome. I didn’t expect the three great clans to be this strong.”

Emperor-class golems were far more difficult to deal with than ordinary Eternal Emperors. They were virtually indestructible! Ning had only trained his body to make it comparable to a middle-grade Eternal treasure, but Emperor-class golems were all top-grade Eternal treasures. The techniques they used were based on the designs of their makers.

“Since the three great clans are connected to the Sithe and even call themselves the Sithe, it’s not that surprising that they have a few tricks up their sleeves.” Ning’s eyes radiated an eagerness to do battle.





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Book 34, Chapter 14 - Surrounded And Attacked


“Move a bit farther away,” Ji Ning suddenly said, his voice ringing out by the ears of Tinello, Maji, and the other cultivators.

“Huh?” The cultivators were all stunned.

“He’s telling you to run the hell away.” Ninedust turned to stare at them. “Once the battle starts, even the smallest of shockwaves will be enough to claim your lives. We certainly won’t be able to pay attention to you and keep you safe.”

“Let’s go.”

“Quickly.” Tianello, Maji, and the others immediately reacted, transforming into streaks of light that flew far away.

Ning raised his head, watching as the six figures flew towards them at high speeds. He manifested three heads and six arms, then drew all six Northbow swords. “Here they come. Good.”

“I’m also curious as to just how tough Emperor-class golems are.” Ninedust had his longstaff at the ready and was also watching.

The six golems in midair all came to a halt. They hung in the air, staring downwards as if they were looking at ants. As Emperor-class golems who had been working for the three great clans since the clans had been established, they had killed many supreme Daolords over the course of countless years. Thus, they were completely confident in their chances.

“Which one of you is Daolord Darknorth?” The swordsman golem stared downwards. Of the six golems, this one was the only one wielding a sword.

“Me,” Ning said.

“You actually dared to challenge the three great clans. Poor kid… do you have any clue as to how powerful they truly are? You really didn’t know your own limits.” The swordsman golem stared at Ning in a rather sympathetic way, then glanced at Ninedust. “And this Daolord next to you. Is he with you? If he leaves immediately, we can spare him. Otherwise, we’ll have to wipe him out as well.”

Back on the ground, Ninedust and Ning exchanged a glance, then smiled. Ninedust said with a cold laugh, “You want to kill me? Give me your best shot and show me what you have.”

“I wanted to give you a way out of this. Oh well. If this is what you choose…” The swordsman golem sighed and shook his head, then said in a cold voice, “Let’s kill them, brothers!”

“Attack!”

“Let me go first!” The six golems moved in unison.

Ning, however, let out a cold snort. Boom! The heartworld projection that had been covering this entire planet instantly shrank down to merely cover an area of a million kilometers, causing its power to skyrocket! It pressed down upon the six golems, causing all of them to feel their bodies stiffen. At the same time, Ning allowed nine energy dragons to fly out of his body, forming into the Yin-Yang Sword Domain and sending the pressure of the domain out towards the golems as well.