The Desolate Era (Web Novel)

“How strong are the Dao-soldiers of the monsters in this Immortal estate world?” Youngflame Nong frowned.

He understood that the biggest obstacles to him binding this Immortal estate were the local monster races present. They had all been trapped in this tiny world for far too long; every generation dreamed of leaving. This sort of powerful desire was something which would cause them to be willing to sacrifice anything. The worst thing was, these monstrous Dao-soldiers were all extremely powerful.

“The two most powerful forces are the Titanwave Dao-soldier formation and the Yaksha Dao-soldier formation,” Xiangliu Fang said. “These two forces both have more than ten thousand Dao-soldiers, and the leaders of each are at the Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal level.”

“Both are at the Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal level?” Youngflame Nong was surprised.

“Right. They each should have one,” Xiangliu Fang said. “The Titanwave Dao-soldier formation’s leader should be a bit stronger. As for the Yaksha Dao-soldier formation’s leader, although their Immortal is a bit weaker, as a whole, they are stronger…against these two forces, even the most supreme of Loose Immortals would be beaten so badly they would have no choice but to flee!”

Xiangliu Fang was a true, primordial Fiendgod, and one of the Hydraga race at that. Although he was at the peak Primal level, he was comparable to a supreme Loose Immortal in actual combat power.

The slightly weaker Titanwave Dao-soldier formation was already powerful enough to force Xiangliu Fang into constant flight. The Yaksha Dao-soldier formation was also able to dominate Xiangliu Fang with ease.

“It isn’t too likely that we would be able to defeat them.” Xiangliu Fang shook his head. “Even if a few extra Loose Immortals came, it would be far from being enough.”

“The Immortal estate has five palaces in total,” Youngflame Nong said in a low voice. “Right now, I’ve bound one of them. I’m confident in being able to move to the other two palaces, but the final two will be troublesome.”

“Young master Youngflame, you are confident in being able to go to two palaces?” Mu Northson said with surprise, “Since you can go to two, why can’t you go to all four?”

Ning and the others all looked towards Youngflame Nong, confused. The two monstrous forces were waiting outside; how were they supposed to charge past them?

“You don’t understand,” Youngflame Nong said with a laugh, “I’ve already bound this Vault of Treasures. This palace is extremely large, one of the five main pillars of the entire Immortal estate world, capable of affecting an area of ten thousand kilometers around it. By relying on the key to the Immortal estate, I can open a corridor, allowing us to exit this palace at any location within ten thousand kilometers of this palace.”

“If these two monstrous forces choose to just wait close nearby, then I can move us to a location thousands of kilometers away from them. Afterwards, by relying on Uncle Fang’s evasive techniques, we can hurry towards the next palace.”

Ning and the others now understood.

“After I bind all five palaces, I can appear in any location within this Immortal estate world!” Youngflame Nong sighed, “But right now, I’ve only bound one.”

“Young master Youngflame, by using this ability,” Xue Hongyi said with astonished delight, “Can’t you just go into all four of the palaces? There’s no way these monstrous forces can possibly prevent us from entering.”

“You are wrong.” Youngflame Nong shook his head and sighed. “They have been sealed within this Immortal estate world for too long, and so they’ve forgotten about the power of the palaces. But once I use the palace to move us to a location thousands of kilometers away…as soon as I use this technique, they’ll know that it is possible for us to do this. By then, they will probably go and guard the palaces which I have yet to bind.”

The looks on everyone’s faces grew solemn. Right! Five major palaces…there was no need for the monstrous forces to wait for them outside. They could just go and completely surround and guard the palaces that had yet to be bound! For the sake of binding the Immortal estate, Youngflame Nong would still have to charge towards them, even though he knew that the unbound palaces were now surrounded in rings of protection.

“Lying in wait to catch the hare!” Ning murmured this saying to himself. “The unbound palaces…Youngflame Nong has to go there. As long as they surround the unbound palaces with layers of protection, then…there will be no way for us to avoid them.”

Lying in wait to catch the hare was a seemingly clumsy technique. But this technique was aimed at their weak point; Ning’s group would have no other options other than to fall into the trap.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s first go bind two of the palaces,” Youngflame Nong said. “Let’s go!”

……

In the area around the pillar of light which represented the Vault of Treasures. The two most powerful monstrous forces of this world were gathered here. The Titanwave Dao-soldier formation and the Yaksha Dao-soldier formation were both present.

“Duohe, this time, the two of us should set aside our differences and work together to deal with the humans and seize the key to the Immortal estate.”

“Witchsui, if your Witchriver clan is willing to join forces, I naturally will be delighted to comply.”

These were the two most powerful figures of the entire Immortal estate world. One was an old Loose Immortal, Immortal Duohe, who had lived for more than a hundred thousand years. The other was Immortal Witchsui, who had only lived for ten thousand years. The two of them immediately swore an oath to the Dao of the Heavens to join forces on this day.

For the sake of being able to leave, they would be willing to sacrifice anything.

The two sides continued to wait quietly. A long time later…

“Eh?” The two Loose Immortals, as well as some Primal Diremonsters, simultaneously turned their heads to stare thousands of kilometers away. There, a warship suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And then, aboard the warship, Xiangliu Fang’s body suddenly blurred, transforming into an enormous Fiendgod that was three thousand meters tall, with the lower body of a serpent and nine heads. The Fiendgod Hydraga clutched the warship in his claws, then used an evasive technique, fleeing at an utterly astonishing speed.

Swoosh!

He left behind only a streak of light in the air. This caused both Immortal Duohe and the Witchriver clan to be flabbergasted. They knew very well that in terms of speed, they couldn’t possibly catch up with that Fiendgod. Since they had already started at a distance of thousands of kilometers…there was no hope at all.

“How could this be? How could they have suddenly appeared thousands of kilometers away?”

“When they had entered the palace, they had all been very close to it.”

“They had to be very close to enter…why were they able to leave at a distance of thousands of kilometers?”

Even countless years ago, when Immortal Witchriver was still alive and the master of this place, his clansmen didn’t fully understand the special powers of these palaces. And now that countless years had passed? How could these monsters possibly understand them?

“They must have bound the palace. The palace is under their control, which is why they were able to do something so unique,” Immortal Duohe said.

“That has to be the case,” Immortal Witchsui agreed.

“The Immortal estate has five palaces in total. They’ve only bound one. There are four which remain unbound. Let us each guard one of the unbound palaces; unless they give up their quest, they will have to fight us head on,” Immortal Duohe said.

The two sides quickly agreed on a plan, and they howled through the air as they flew at high speed towards two of the distant golden Skypillars of light.

……

“The worst case scenario has already come to pass.” The nine-headed, serpent-bodied Hydraga was still clutching the warship. Within the warship, Youngflame Nong, Ji Ning, and the others were watching those two distant monstrous powers begin to move. They hadn’t moved to pursue or attack; rather, they had flown off into two different directions, towards two of those golden Skypillars of light.

“I have to bind this Immortal estate.” Youngflame Nong gritted his teeth. “These monsters…damn them. Damn them!”

Soon, the enormous Hydraga Fiendgod, warship in one hand, had arrived at one of the other golden Skypillars of light.

“Go in.” Youngflame Nong activated the key to the Immortal estate, opening up a corridor.

Ji Ning and the others all felt a certain somberness. They were able to easily enter this time, but that was only because there were no monsters blocking them. Two of the five palaces, however, were now under heavy guard; how could those two palaces be so easily traversed?

Whoosh.

The Hydraga shrank himself, once more entering the warship, and the entire warship flew into the opened tunnel.

…….

An incomparably massive hall, so large that it was more than a thousand times larger than the first hall they had entered in the Vault of Treasures.

“It’s so big.” Ning’s group was completely amazed. Looking at this world felt like looking at an entire continent.

This utterly massive hall actually really was a miniature sealed world. In the skies above it, a ‘sun’ was blazing with endless light and heat. In the earth below, there were countless types of spirit-grass and spirit-fruit that were growing. During the passage of countless years, the Immortal grass here had been taken care of by some constructs, but hadn’t truly been nourished properly.

These types of spirit-grass and spirit-fruit generally needed many unique treasures in order to grow properly. Still, despite that, after the passage of countless years, some truly rare and precious specimens of spirit-grass and spirit-fruit had appeared.

“Immortal grass and Immortal fruit!” Ning and the others were overjoyed.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the Fiendgod Hydraga by Youngflame Nong’s side stretched his hands out. His hands quickly increased in size as his fingers transformed into ten giant snakes, covering the skies as they swept out towards the entire region of Immortal grass. In a twinkling, the eighteen types of Immortal grass and spirit-fruit with the densest elemental auras were all plucked clean.

“Growl…damn you.”

“This is the Master’s Immortal Grass Palace. You dared to steal his Immortal grass…damn you.”

Three golems came flying out.

The Fiendgod Hydraga sent one of his giant hands outwards in a backhanded blow. The three golems were instantly sent flying away, smashing against the distant walls. And then, Xiangliu Fang sent out another hand to grab them, tossing the three Primal-level golems into his own large sack.

Only then did Xiangliu Fang come to a stop, standing there calmly by Youngflame Nong’s side, as though nothing had happened.

“Uhh….”

Ning and the others stared towards the Fiendgod Hydraga in astonishment. There was no way they could compete against Xiangliu Fang, when he chose to act.

“The treasures will go to whoever obtains them. I said these words earlier. Since Uncle Fang obtained them, those things will go to Uncle Fang,” Youngflame Nong laughed. “There is still quite a bit of spirit-fruit and spirit-grass remaining. Although their medicinal value is a bit lower, they still are very good.”

Ning and the others couldn’t help but curse in secret.

This medicinal garden left behind by Immortal Witchriver, despite the passage of countless years, had never received the top-tier treatment it deserved. The ‘large fish ate the small fish, and the small fish ate the shrimp’; as a result, eighteen truly Immortal-grade spirit-fruit and spirit-grass had emerged. All of the other remaining Immortal grass and Immortal fruit had had much of their spiritual energy stolen by those eighteen. Although all of them were unhappy, Ji Ning and the others, including Xue Hongyi, still hurriedly went to collect all of the Immortal grass and Immortal fruit remaining.

“The Immortal Grass Palace is an empty place; there are barely any rooms here.” Youngflame Ning quickly discovered the core of this palace; it was a quite, secluded little room built right next to the Immortal grass garden. The entire room was the core of this palace.

“The rest of you can do some sightseeing outside. You might find some treasures.” Youngflame Nong calmly entered the room, beginning to bind it.

Ning and the others cursed in secret. Immortal Grass Palace, Immortal Grass Palace …from the name alone, one could tell that the treasures within consisted of Immortal grass. The Fiendgod, Xiangliu Fang, had already taken the most valuable specimens for himself; what other treasures could they possibly find?

Despite that, Ning and the others still separated and began a quick search. Unfortunately, this Immortal Grass Palace didn’t have so much as a single skeleton within it. It made sense; this was Immortal Witchriver’s personal medicinal garden. He trusted his own constructs above all, and thus forbade any of his clansmen from entering this palace.

Two hours later.

“I’ve already bound the Immortal Grass Palace,” Youngflame Nong laughed. “Come. Let us go to the next palace.”