Desolate Era (Book 6 - Book 10)

“Father, we gifted him with Deathsworn… he’s just going to leave like that?” Fox gave his father a glance.

Yin glanced back at his son. “Consider yourself lucky that he accepted them. He is currently in the middle of his trials and just so happens to need helpers, and so he’ll accept them. In the future, when he becomes the next Godplume Duke, he’ll become a person capable of easily impacting the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. By then, he’d view our gift with contempt. Gifting him with a group of Deathsworn now is worth more than sending a hundred groups or a thousand groups in the future!

Fox seemed to understand.

“Let’s go back,” Yin instructed.

An enormous, completely dark-red warship. It seemed ancient and plain, and it soared through the skies.

Within the warship, there were a total of six hundred Zifu Disciples and ten-plus Wanxiang Adepts. Youngflame Nong and the skinny, black-skinned man next to him both stood at the railing of the warship, staring at the vast world before them.

“Xue Hongyi, Bu You,” Youngflame Nong asked, “Who are some of the formidable figures in Stillwater Commandery? Aside from Primal Daoists and Immortals.”

“Aside from Immortals and Primal Daoists…” Xue Hongyi said, “In our Stillwater Commandery, the most powerful of the Wanxiang Adepts would definitely include the most powerful geniuses that are gathered at the Black-White College. Of course the Skysplitter Sword Sect, the Bluewood tribe, and the Dragonhunter clan also have their own elites. I am afraid that being able to convince these true core members of these forces to risk their lives would be quite hard.”

Youngflame Nong nodded lightly.

Xue Hongyi was one of the most talented younger members of Snowdragon Mountain. However, because Snowdragon Mountain, in the grand scheme of things, was a small sect, Xue Hongyi was willing to serve as a servant in front of noble carriage.

Those even more talented geniuses, however, wouldn’t necessarily be able to do so.

“Oh?” The nearby Adept Bu You’s eyes lit up. “It seems we’ve reached Swallow Mountain. There is a peerless genius in Swallow Mountain, one of the truly top-tier Wanxiang members of the Black-White College. He is Adept Darknorth, Ji Ning.”

Hearing Ji Ning’s name, Xue Hongyi frowned.

“Ji Ning?” Youngflame Nong revealed a look of curiosity as well.





* * *





Book 10, Chapter 2 - Power Makes Major Powers!


“I’ve never heard of him. Bu You, you tell me; what is so special about this person?” Youngflame Nong asked with curiosity.

Xue Hongyi stood to one side. Although he wasn’t happy, he could only hide his resentment in his heart.

“This person is a genius of the art of the sword. When he first entered the Black-White College, he defeated several of his senior fellow disciples in Dao Debates. In the end, it was a reincarnated Immortal, the Rainbowflame Fairy Yu Wei who defeated him. And now, he has only grown even more formidable! Not too long ago, he even defeated one of the three Primal Daoists of Snowdragon Mountain, Daoist Snowplume!” Adept Bu You said.

“Snowdragon Mountain?” Youngflame Nong looked at the nearby Xue Hongyi. “Hongyi, you are of Snowdragon Mountain, yes? Did this happen?”

Xue Hongyi felt extremely stifled, but in the end, he said in a low voice, “It did.”

“What level is Daoist Snowplume at?” Youngflame Nong asked. He lived in the imperial capital of the Grand Xia Dynasty; how could he possibly know about the Primal Daoists of a small sect in Stillwater, such as Snowdragon Mountain?

Xue Hongyi said in a low voice, “Peak Primal.”

“Hahaha… this Ji Ning is worth paying a visit to.” Youngflame Nong laughed and nodded. This trip was an important trial the clan had assigned him, and in fact, they wouldn’t even provide him with much support. The only person he brought out from the clan was the old servant, Xiangliu Fang, who had protected him since he was a child. As for any other subordinates, he had to have others ‘volunteer’ them to him.

This trial was actually quite a difficult one.

The old servant had to stay next to him and protect him, and so he still needed formidable subordinates. To invite a Primal Daoist or an Immortal? Youngflame Nong didn’t feel safe doing so, because some powerful Primal Daoists and Immortals, given their combat ability, could instantly kill him! He absolutely would not permit this sort of a threat to exist.

Thus, he would only ask Wanxiang Adepts. No matter how powerful a Wanxiang Adept was… their power was within the realm of what he could handle.

However, some extremely powerful Primal Daoists were outside of that realm.

It is impossible to tell how powerful a person is just by looking at them. Even if a Primal Daoist might be little-known, no one could know how many secret arts he might actually be hiding. It was best to invite Wanxiang Adepts! It was safer, and within his realm of control. However, the more powerful a Wanxiang Adept, the harder it would be to invite them to come.

“Young master Youngflame, this Ji Ning has trained for less than thirty years. I imagine he might be quite hard to invite,” Xue Hongyi said hurriedly. “In addition, he’s also very arrogant. He didn’t even show my Snowdragon Mountain any face at all. If we just go and ask him, he might be discourteous…”

“Hahaha, he wouldn’t give your Snowdragon Mountain face, so you think he won’t give me face?” Youngflame Nong gave him a glance. “Hongyi, I can tell that there are some grudges between your clan and him. However, since you’ve come to assist me, then you don’t need to think about those things for now.”

Xue Hongyi had no choice but to lower his head and say, “Understood.”

“Come, let’s take a look at this Ji Ning.” Youngflame Nong smiled, filled with anticipation.

Serpentwing Lake. Brightheart Island. Within a study.

Ning was currently writing calligraphy, one character at a time. Autumn Leaf was by his side, accompanying him and grinding ink for him. Ninelotus stood to one side, watching.

“Whew.”

Ning put down his brush, revealing a hint of a smile. Writing calligraphy truly was a form of enjoyment for him, especially when he incorporated his insights into the sword into them. This sort of feeling was truly pleasurable.

“Autumn Leaf, take it and burn it,” Ning said.

“Yes, young master.” Autumn Leaf immediately began to roll up the scroll.

“Autumn Leaf,” Ninelotus said, “Take it and burn it in a nearby room. I have some things to discuss with Ji Ning.”

Autumn Leaf nodded, then obediently left. In the room, only Ji Ning and Ninelotus were left.

“What secrets do you wish to discuss, that you need to avoid Autumn Leaf?” Ning hung the brush in its holder, then glanced at Ninelotus.

Ninelotus looked at Ning. “Ji Ning, don’t you feel as though… you are a bit too friendly and intimate with Autumn Leaf?”

Ning was stunned.

“As I see it, there’s not much of a difference between the way you treat Autumn Leaf and the way you treat me.” Ninelotus looked at Ji Ning. “I’m your Dao-companion. She’s just your maid.”

“Hahaha…” Ning began to laugh. “You are over-thinking things.”

“I’m not,” Ninelotus said quickly. “I’m not as jealous and small-minded as you are thinking. However, in the future, it is guaranteed that you will become more and more powerful, and your status will become higher and higher. More and more people will follow you as well. With so many subordinates… how are you going to properly manage them? With rules, that’s how. How can you go without rules? There must be a clear distinction between those with high status and those with low status. Autumn Leaf is a maid? Then she’s a maid! If you don’t distinguish between those of high and low status, then everything will be a mess!”

Everything she had learned within the Dongyan clan caused Ninelotus to believe that one had to clearly distinguish between exalted and humble statuses.