The Desolate Era

Book 25, Chapter 20 - [Quintessence Sword-Intent] The First Stance

The treasure auction had come to an end!

After having experienced that great battle against God Emperor Blacklotus, Ji Ning had felt as though he now knew something of how the world worked...but now, he realized how truly vast the universe really was. There were many terrifying World-level experts skilled in formations or bugbeasts who could easily destroy him, to say nothing of Samsara Daolords.

“Let’s follow the plan.” Ning led Su Youji and Elder God Wilddog to move towards the other disciples of the Badlands Court. They jested and chatted amongst themselves as they headed back to the Court.

Swoosh.

Swoosh.

Swoosh.

Azuresky, Dracogod, Thousand Shadows, and Waterwind all began to depart as well. Azuresky and Thousand Shadows soared into the skies and left, while Dracogod was forced to use his legs to physically walk out of Waveshift City.

“Hmph.” Daolord Dracogod glanced coldly at Waterwind and Thousand Shadows as they soared into the skies. Thousand Shadows didn’t actually have the power to fly on this everworld by herself; it was Waterwind who was helping her do this.

“Thousand Shadows...that bitch. Hmph. All she can do is flatter and cozen up to Waterwind and the others. When the chance comes, I’ll slaughter you myself.” Daolord Dracogod then quickly hid the killing intent that had appeared in his eyes. He had given himself the name ‘Dracogod’, and getting a ‘dragonification fruit’ was an incredibly important part of his cultivation path. Alas, it had been seized by Daolord Thousand Shadows all those years ago.

He had many friends, true. But Daolord Thousand Shadows also had many friends of her own.

Daolord Dracogod deeply desired to kill Daolord Thousand Shadows. Alas, she was his equal in strength.

“She ruined my karmic luck! One day...” Daolord Dracogod strode through the land, quickly arriving at the spacetime transfer array and departing from the Badlands Territory.

......

The Badlands Court. Within a quiet room inside the Water Curtain Home.

The Heavengazer Tower was located next to a prayer mat. Within the tower there was a golden leaf, which was itself an estate-world treasure.

Within the estate-world.

Whooooooosh. Waves gently lapped at the beach, caressing the sands before slowly retreating into the sea once more.

A white-robed Ning was seated on the beach in the lotus position, a blood-colored sword resting over his knees. He kept Violetjewel with him at all times so that he could be in constant communion with the sword’s quintessence core and the exalted sword-intent within it. As a result, Ning’s sword-arts were beginning to increasingly align with the core’s murderous intent.

The [Nameless] sword-art...

Although it only had seven stances, Ning could tell from these seven stances that the creator of the sword-art had to be at least at the same level as the creator of Violetjewel. Both were definitely peerless powers who were skilled in the Dao of the Sword.

The sword-intent of Violetjewel’s quintessence core was just as exalted as the sword-intent of the [Nameless] sword-art, even though these were two completely different interpretations of the Dao of the Sword.

“I’ll meditate on both paths.” Ning lowered his head to look at the blood-colored sword resting across his knees. “In the future, I’ll definitely become a Samsara Daolord as well. I’ll have to find my own path.”

The [Nameless] sword-art’s path wasn’t his path.

Nor was Violetjewel’s quintessence core’s path his path.

Every single Daolord had to find a completely unique path that belonged to them alone. In the Endless Territories, there were no creatures who had souls or memories that were absolutely identical. By this same principle, no two Daolords could ever have exactly the same Daos. Even if both walked the path of the Dao of the Sword, their paths still would not be identical.

“The [Nameless] sword-art’s strength lies in its balance! Its very first stance, the ‘Heartsword’ stance, is a testament to this,” Ning mused to himself. “Although Violetjewel doesn’t have an actual sword-art connected to it, it does have an exalted sword-intent that I can meditate on. From this, I can tell that its greatest strength lies in its offensive attack power!”

This estate-world was more than a million kilometers in size. It was a top-grade Chaos treasure which had originally belonged to Immortal Origination and was the sturdiest estate-treasure Ning had access to. He usually had his servants and retainers live within this estate-world, and it even had many other living beings who flourished within it.

Ning continued to meditate on the sword by the beach, occasionally striding across the waves to stand upon the surface of the ocean as he trained.

Sword-light flew everywhere with wild abandon, causing the waves around them to be annihilated.

Day by day...

Year by year...

Ning continued his research into the [Nameless] sword-art and Violetjewel’s quintessence core. Every so often, he’d take a break and instead turn to researching the Daos of Water, Lightning, and Space. Sometimes he’d even go strolling about the world of ordinary mortals who lived within this treasure. The living beings in this world were divided up amongst six continents and many islands, and each continent held an enormous number of individuals. They even had their own various religions, with the most powerful figures having just barely reached the Pure Yang True Immortal level.

Two hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

Atop an island in the sea.

“Flamefairy, we’re bored senseless in this estate-world.”

“Right! Flamefairy, when will Master lead us out into the outside world?”

Eleven Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals were seated in a disorderly fashion, eating and drinking together. The most prominent figure within their ranks was Flamefairy Su Youji.

Ning generally kept the Flamefairy and Elder God Wilddog by his side. He had released many Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals from the prisonworld. Some had chosen to be stationed on the Windsource Chaosworld, while nine of them had chosen to follow Ning in his adventures. They normally were stationed here within this estate-world.

“How should I know?” Flamefairy Su Youji pointed towards a distant, small island located far away in the depths of the ocean. “Master is living right there on that island, but neither I nor Wilddog would dare to go there and disturb him without being summoned. When Master wants to come to us, he will. Let’s just keep waiting.”

“Ugh.”

“No choice but to wait.”

These Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals truly were quite bored. They all had their own estate-worlds, and they had already spent countless ages in the prisonworld diverting themselves by living amongst the mortals of their own estate-worlds. What they really wanted was action and excitement.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a terrifying wave of power swept over from afar.

“What?!” Su Youji, Elder God Wilddog, and the other nine Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals simultaneously rose to their feet. They turned to stare towards that distant island.

Whoosh.

A bloody streak of sword-light soared into the skies, spreading out into a rippling wave of power that caused all of them to quake.

“This wave...” Su Youji was the strongest of the eleven, but even she was so terrified that her heart quailed.

“What’s going on?” The more powerful figures who lived on the six continents and many islands of this estate-world all turned to stare at the same location! Although they couldn’t see anything physically, they could sense an utterly exalted and supremely terrifying sword-intent rising towards the heavens. Although the sword-intent was limited to this estate-world, all of the living creatures within it felt that it was something that was truly supreme and beyond all other power.

After this day, quite a few new Sword Immortals began to arise from within this estate-world. In fact, quite a few of its citizens began to sail off into the seas in search of the source of that sword-intent. Alas, they were never able to find it.

“Master is coming.” Su Youji and the other ten all stared off into the distance.

A white-robed youth was striding across the waves, an ordinary-looking blood-colored sword on his back. He soon arrived at their island.

“Greetings, Master.” Su Youji and the other ten all bowed respectfully.

“Mm.” Ning nodded.

“We’ve spent five hundred years here at the Badlands Court,” Ning said. “My sword-arts have now reached a bottleneck. It is time for us to go out adventuring.”

Five hundred years in the Badlands Court actually translated into more than ten thousand years within this estate-world.

“Master, just now...?” Su Youji’s eyes were shining.

“I developed a sword-stance.” Ning chuckled.

Alas, it wasn’t the Great Firmament stance!

He had long ago reached a bottleneck in the [Nameless] sword-art. In recent years, Ning had turned most of his efforts towards understanding the quintessence core of Violetjewel. Today, he had developed a sword-art that had an incredibly powerful offensive potential. Ning called it the first stance of his [Sword Quintessence] – Blackmist stance!

“World God Blackmist...” Ning couldn’t help but sigh to himself.

He would never be able to forget how he met this man after he had left the Three Realms. He would never be able to forget the sight of World God Blackmist slowly transforming into a statue. He had named this stance the ‘Blackmist’ stance in order to memorialize this deceased World God.

The creation of the Blackmist stance was the final result of the ten thousand years of hard work and effort Ning had spent within this estate-world!

“In terms of killing power, this stance should be quite close to the power of the ‘Great Firmament’ stance of the [Nameless] sword-art. Because I based it off Violetjewel’s quintessence core, it’ll actually make it easier for me to summon some of the core’s power.” Just now, Ning had tested that stance out. He was now able to summon more than ten times as much power from Violetjewel’s quintessence core, and the power of his strike was definitely comparable to that of a master-class World God’s strike.

Thanks to the azureflower mist energy strengthening his divine body, his body was comparable to a World God’s body.

His sword-arts were comparable to an elite World God’s techniques.

With the ‘Blackmist’ stance activating a good amount of his Eternal weapon’s quintessence core...Ning was now qualified to battle against master-class World Gods.

“It’ll be hard for me to improve my sword-arts any further just by sitting here and studying on my own. It is time for me to leave this place.” Ning glanced at Su Youji and the others, then instructed, “Youji, Wilddog, Blacksun, the three of you shall follow me.”

“Yes.” The Flamefairy and Wilddog were quite calm, but Elder God Blacksun was absolutely overjoyed.

Whoosh.

Ning led the three in departing from this place.

Ning had purchased those three mighty golems during the treasure auction. One was meant for the Flamefairy while the other was meant for Wilddog. As for the third, Ning had chosen to let Elder God Blacksun to command it. Elder God Blacksun was one of the most powerful Elder God retainers Ning had under his command, and he was also a bit more honest and obedient than the others. Ning preferred subordinates who were able to follow orders.

“Youji.” They had returned to the Water Curtain Home inside the Badlands Court. “You can go and pay some visits to your friends in the Badlands Court. You can tell them that I am heading out towards the Allgod Estate.”

“The Allgod Estate?” Su Youji was startled.

“Yes.” Ning nodded.

“Alright. I’ll make sure the entire Badlands Court knows.” Su Youji laughed delightedly. She had far more friends here than Ning did, which was only natural; a woman of such charm and beauty would naturally be welcomed wherever she went.

“Also...I’m planning for us to leave three months from now,” Ning said.

“Understood.” Su Youji nodded.