Desolate Era (Book 6 - Book 10)

“You praise me too much, senior,” Ning said with a laugh. Naturally, he felt quite pleased at being praised. “I wonder how much of a chance I would currently have at challenging the third level of the Wargod Hall?”


“Less than ten percent.” The giant yellow bear shook his head. “What?!” Ning was shocked. When he had left Swallow Mountain and gone to Stillwater City, he had already successfully passed the second level of the Wargod Hall. In the past four years, he had only grown more powerful as a Fiendgod Body Refiner, and had embarked on the path of the Dao of the Sword…and yet the spirit of the estate, the giant yellow bear, was actually saying with great certainty that he had less than a ten percent change of passing the third level?

“Senior, you don’t even know what level I have reached in the sword,” Ning protested. The giant yellow bear shook his head. “Ji Ning, you don’t understand. The first and second levels of the Wargod Hall, upon being completed, result in rewards of Mortal-ranked magic treasures or items of comparable value. But the third and fourth levels, when completed, will resulted in you acquiring Earth-ranked magic treasures or items of comparable value…in short, after every two levels of the Wargod Hall, the difficulty skyrockets.”

“Skyrockets?” Ning frowned.

“Right. The first and second levels of the Wargod Hall are generally meant to be a test for Fiendgods who have reached the Zifu level. The third and fourth levels, however, are meant for Fiendgods who have reached the Wanxiang level.” The giant yellow bear looked towards Ning. “Generally speaking, only when Fiendgods have reached the Wanxiang level will they have a chance at passing the third level of the Wargod Hall. You are only at the ninth stage of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens]; your fundamentals are, by comparison, far too weak. Although you have divine abilities, the test has already accounted for them as well; these are tests meant for the heirs of Master, after all.”

“For example, the seventh and eighth levels of the Wargod Hall are meant to test Fiendgods who have reached the Void level of power. In the past, Immortal Juhua had remained unable to break through as a Fiendgod Body Refiner, and so although he did break through as a Ki Refiner, and he even reached the peak of the Void level as a Ki Refiner, he was still unable to pass the seventh level. Only after he trained for many years and became a Loose Immortal was he able to pass the seventh level…from this, you should be able to imagine how difficult it is.”

Ning nodded silently. Right. Immortal Juhua, even as a peak Void-level Ki Refiner, was unable to pass the seventh level. Thus, for a peak Wanxiang-level Ki Refiner to pass the third level would be similarly difficult. One had to have the finest Fiendgod Body Refining techniques, a high level of insight into the Dao, and and a divine ability like the [Starseizing Hand], or one of the other top three divine abilities in the Divine Abilities Hall, in order to be able to pass it.

These were the trials left behind by Daoist Threelives!

“But of course, you can try if you want,” the giant yellow bear said. “At the Zifu level, as a Fiendgod, you have two chances to challenge the Wargod Hall. You’ve only used one; you have one more!”

Ning laughed. “No rush. The main reason I’ve come is to go visit the Stellar Hall.” The old black bull said hurriedly, “Let me take you there. The Wargod Hall is extremely difficult; in the past, it drove Immortal Juhua nearly insane. The Stellar Hall is much better; it is completely filled with the mysteries of the Dao, and is a sacred place for comprehending it.”

The giant yellow bear followed them from behind. A bull, a man, and a bear. They walked together towards the Stellar Hall.

Within the Stellar Hall. The giant mountain remained there, filled with green, verdant life. Beneath that mountain, the stones remained strewn about wildly, with a thatched straw hut in the mist of them. The sky was still filled with those countless, sparkling stars.

“Each time I come, I have a different feeling.” Ning looked towards the stream of water which flowed atop some of the rocks, then towards the wild grass that grew amidst them. He stared at the stars in the sky, each of which made him feel extremely aware of the profundity of the Dao. “That one is the Dao of the Inferno. That one is…the Dao of the Sword?”

Ning raised his head, giving it a look. “The Dao of the Sword?!” Ning couldn’t help but let out a startled cry. The nearby old black bull gave him a surprised glance. “You’ve embarked onto the Dao of the Sword?”

Ning nodded. “Right. After leaving Swallow Mountain, I went to Stillwater City. Shortly after I entered the Black-White College, I embarked on the Dao of the Sword.”

“In the past, Juhua embarked on the Dao of the Sword as well. Immortal Juhua was an extremely famous Sword Immortal…unfortunately, he wasn’t able to completely comprehend the Dao of the Sword.” The old black bull shook his head and sighed.

“The Dao of the Sword is one of the Grand Daos.” The giant yellow bear walked towards them from behind, then said leisurely, “If you have the heart of a Sword Immortal, a heart which is sincere to the sword, and a high level of comprehension, you’ll generally be able to embark on the Dao of the Sword.”

Ning muttered to himself. It was easy for the bear to say that, but in the entire Black-White College, aside from his master, Ning was the only person to embark on the Dao of the Sword. It seemed, however, as though the bear viewed it as quite a simple matter. Still…the spirit of the estate had previously followed Daoist Threelives, a Primordial Fiendgod. It only made sense that he had a broader view of things.

“It’s easy to embark on the Dao of the Sword, and it’s also not too hard to be fairly accomplished in it. However, to comprehend the entire Dao of the Sword…that is incomparably difficult.” The giant yellow bear looked towards Ning. “In your homeland, this world which has been unified by the Grand Xia Dynasty, there probably isn’t a single person who has comprehended the entire Dao of the Sword!”

Ning was speechless. He continued to listen.

“Lesser Daos are lesser Daos. Grand Daos are Grand Daos. Heavenly Daos are Heavenly Daos!” The giant yellow bear let out a sigh. “The differences between the three are tremendous. Immortal Juhua had comprehended nine complete Dao-Paths, but even if you gave him another ten million years, he still wouldn’t be able to completely comprehend a complete Grand Dao! My master, a Primordial Fiendgod, was born from the primordial chaos with innate mastery over an entire Grand Dao! Afterwards, he comprehended quite a few complete Grand Daos, and many ordinary Daos…but unfortunately, up till the day he built this estate, he still remained unable to master a Heavenly Dao.”

Ning’s ears pricked up. Daoist Threelives? He was born from the primordial chaos with innate mastery over a Grand Dao? And had mastered many Grand Daos?

“Slowly enlighten yourself. Your talent is far greater than Juhua’s. Only by comprehending a complete Grand Dao will you have a chance at becoming a major power who can roam freely about the Three Realms. Only then will you have a chance at becoming comparable to your master, Daoist Threelives.” The giant yellow bear looked towards Ning. “In this major world controlled by the Grand Xia Dynasty…you may become the very first person to completely comprehend the entirety of the Grand Dao of the Sword.”