The Desolate Era (Web Novel)

The set of Pure Yang treasures which Ji Ning had just taken out, the Sole-Ki Nine Element Pearls, had been chosen by him from the Treasure Hall. They were the most valuable items which Ning could choose from the Pure Yang treasures available to him. None of the formidable Pure Yang treasures which Daoist Threelives had left behind in his Treasure Hall were weak; even the cheapest was at least as valuable as a high-grade Pure Yang treasure.

However…there were too few Pure Yang treasures, after all. Even Daoist Threelives wasn’t able to collect too many of them. After overcoming the ninth level of the Wargod Hall, Ning had only been given a total of eighteen Pure Yang treasures to choose from.

And so…

He had chosen the most valuable item, the Sole-Ki Nine Element Pearls. Nine of these pearls were high-grade Pure Yang treasures, while the nuclear pearl that served as the core of the formation was a top-grade Pure Yang treasure! In addition, this was a treasure-set that belonged to the exceedingly expensive ‘world-type’ of magic treasures. One could smash them into foes with the force of a minor world, but could also use their power to suppress and bind a foe, causing them to feel as though they were mired in quickstand. They were far more powerful than the Primordial Nightriver contained within the Thousandbull Sword. This sort of world-type Pure Yang treasure was exceedingly rare and precious to begin with; this set alone was most likely comparable to four or five ordinary top-grade Pure Yang treasures!

“The Fuxi Staff Formation, the items on the first list, and the arrows are minor matters,” Skyfox said helplessly. “Master can also provide you with the twenty top-grade Pure Yang spirit-pills that you have requested. But the bow…your request is too extravagant. Such bowstrings are not so easily procured.”

“The treasures and Pure Yang spirit-pills that I have requested can most likely be procured by any True Immortal or Empyrean God who asks his friends for them. The most important item on the list is that bowstring. If it wasn’t for that bowstring, I wouldn’t even be willing to give up this set of Pure Yang treasures in exchange,” Ning said. “The Xia Emperor is of the Primordial Imperial Clan; ordinary True Immortals and Empyrean Gods might not be able to produce such a bowstring, but I trust the Xia Emperor is.”

After having stayed at Mount Innerheart for some time, Ning knew exactly how powerful the Primordial Imperial Clan was.

Pangu’s World…

Back then, there was no such thing as the three thousand major worlds or trillion minor worlds! There was just a single world; Pangu’s World! And back then, the Primordial Imperial Clan ruled over the entirety of the human race! They had quite a few major powers who were at the Daofather level. Although Pangu’s World ended up shattering, and although the Primordial Imperial Clan was no longer as mighty as it once was, and although the Xia Emperor and the Xiamang clan were merely of a branch of that lineage…the Xia Emperor’s roots were far beyond the likes of an ordinary True Immortal or Empyrean God.

……

Within a dark void.

The black-robed Xia Emperor was seated in the lotus position. He opened his eyes. “Sole-Ki Nine Element Pearls? They actually ended up in Ji Ning’s hands! A young fellow like him, who hasn’t even overcome his Celestial Tribulation; how is it that he is able to produce such a set of Pure Yang treasures? And such precious ones at that! Strange, truly strange…”

Strange things like this could be explained with a single, simple word. That word was…luck!

Only an extremely lucky person could have such results!

“The storm is about to descend. Pure Yang treasures like these Sole-Ki Nine Element Pearls…they will be greatly desired by many True Immortals and Empyrean Gods.” The black-robed Xia Emperor pondered privately for a time. “A bow…it seems I’ll have to go see Uncle.”

The Xia Emperor had long ago left the Primordial Imperial Clan to set off on his own, establishing his own Xiamang lineage. Thus, he would rarely see the other members of the Primordial Imperial Clan.

……

“Master has sent word.” Skyfox looked towards Ning, who immediately listened carefully.

“He has agreed to all your other requests, save for that bowstring; that will take some time,” Skyfox explained. “Master is currently thinking of a way to try and procure one. You should know that the bowstring you have requested is one of the most supreme bowstrings of the Three Realms.”

Ning nodded lightly. “I’m not in a rush.”

In an ordinary situation, it was hard to say whether he would be able to trade his Sole-Ki Nine Element Pearls for the treasures he had requested. However, since a storm was about to descend, and the pearls were items that could be used right away, whereas a bowstring…a bowstring had to be matched with a similarly superb bow! As for the truly supreme master archers of the Three Realms, they each already had their own favored bows. Thus, Ning felt comfortable that at a time like this, the Xia Emperor would be willing to help with this exchange.

“As a member of the Primordial Imperial Clan and as a disciple of Daofather Crimsonbright, and as a supposed life-long friend of Daofather Raindragon…although a bowstring like this is hard to find, the Xia Emperor should be able to succeed.” Ning chose to wait.

Skyfox elected to temporarily withdraw.

Time flowed on.

Four entire hours passed. It was now nightfall. Skyfox once more appeared before him.

“From the look on your face, senior Skyfox, I can guess…that the bowstring has been found,” Ning said with a laugh.

“Master spent up quite a bit of energy, but he finally managed to find a bowstring for you.” Skyfox smiled as he handed Ning a golden gourd. “All the items you desire are within this gourd. Take a close look.” They were within the imperial capital of the Grand Xia; he wasn’t worried that Ning would take the treasures and instantly flee.

Forget about Ji Ning; even the True Immortals and Empyrean Gods of the Seamless Gate and the Myriad Demons Cave wouldn’t dare to challenge the Xia Emperor within the imperial capital of the Grand Xia!

“Such generosity! This gourd is a top-grade Immortal-ranked magic treasure that holds a small dimension within it,” Ning said with a laugh.

“A gift,” Skyfox said in a very casual manner.

Ning held that golden gourd in his hands, carefully inspecting its contents. Within the golden gourd hovered spirit-pills with powerful auras, each of which contained an astonishing amount of extremely pure elemental ki. They were all Pure Yang-level spirit-pills. There were also a large number of precious objects floating within the gourd, the ones which Uncle White needed to set up his formations. There was also a set of Fuxi Staff Formation staffs which Uncle White needed! The more powerful a set of Fuxi Staff Formation staffs, the greater the power of the formations.

“Bowstring…arrows…” Ning was absolutely satisfied with what he saw.

A pitch-black bowstring hung in the air within the golden globe, and next to it were a total of a hundred fiery arrows. Naturally, these arrows were merely high-grade Immortal-ranked treasures.

Within the underwater estate.

“Ahaha, a bowstring comes!” The nearby black-robed youth was extremely excited. “Master, you truly are amazing. You aren’t even a Celestial Immortal, but were able to procure such a fine bowstring. Although it’s simply a bowstring…it’s even more precious than an ordinary top-grade Pure Yang spirit-treasure.”

Ning smiled, personally affixing the bowstring onto the body of the bow.

After connecting the two together…

Rumble…

The black greatblow instantly flew up to hover in the air. Light cascaded off of its body like a series of waves of black water. The body of the bow was clearly glowing with a black, watery light, but when the light reached the bowstring, it transformed into a fiery light.

“Ahahaha…with this bowstring, I’m now as strong as I was back during the Primordial Era.” The black-robed youth was absolutely excited.

Ning smiled and nodded.

The Rahu Bow was a high-grade Protocosmic spirit-treasure; logically speaking, such a treasure couldn’t possibly be damaged under normal situations! However, its bowstring had ended up snapping; this was because the body of the bow and the bowstring…actually had been qualitatively different in power. The bowstring was comparatively more fragile; in fact, there were some True Gods who could break apart the bowstring of a godbow! If they suddenly released their strength and pulled the bowstring with full power, the bowstring might just snap! After doing that, they would replace the snapped bowstring with an even better one! This was why, even when its bowstring was destroyed, the Rahu Bow had been able to use the power of heaven and earth to attack Ning.

“I now have my godbow and my arrows, while my [Starseizing Hand] has reached the Fourth Cycle. Although I only have a basic level of skill in [Houyi’s Archery], it’s enough to unleash tremendous power.” Ning was filled with eagerness.

He was only at a basic level of skill in archery…but that was in comparison to the full [Houyi’s Archery]. Compared to others in the Three Realms, Ning could already be considered an expert archer; after all, he was even able to use heartforce.

Heartforce was mysterious and unfathomable!

Unlike other types of force, it was extremely difficult to sense and touch…but it truly was extraordinarily powerful. The ability to use heartforce was a dividing factor between those who were and were not able to successfully become divine archers of the Three Realms. Ning had clearly already passed through that doorway, and he had also learned some of the knacks of using divine power from [Houyi’s Archery].

Now, it was matched with a high-grade Protocosmic godbow…and his own strength with the [Starseizing Hand]!

“After I reach a more profound level in [Houyi’s Archery], I’ll be able to easily kill any foe within a million kilometers.” Ning was filled with eagerness.

……

And so, Ning once more entered the underwater estate, preparing to train in the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art]. Previously, when fighting against the Fiendgod Redsnow, Ning had understood that although his body was seemingly impregnable, if he were to run into a True Immortal or Empyrean God, he would probably be destroyed with utter ease. Thus, he had to increase his power as soon as possible. After all, a storm was coming to shake the Three Realms; it was always a good idea to increase his strength when possible.

Since he was about to truly go all-out against the Youngflame clan…how could he not move to improve his odds of survival?

“Glug.” Ning began to swallow down one-spirit pill after another, as quickly as if he were eating peanuts. He began to dissolve them within his body.

To train in the Third Cycle of the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art], Ning had needed to use a total of a hundred top-grade Immortal-ranked spirit-pills.

To train in the Sixth Cycle of the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art], the cost would be a thousand times as great; a total of a hundred thousand top-grade Immortal-ranked spirit-pills would be needed! This was roughly comparable to a hundred top-grade Pure Yang spirit-pills! If he had to use treasures to trade for them, a single set of Sole-Ki Nine Element Pearls would be insufficient; this time, Ning had merely acquired the equivalent of twenty top-grade Pure Yang spirit-pills.

Rumble…

Ning’s body began to rumble without pause. His bones felt as though mountains were smashing into them, and his flesh felt like they were being ground away by two colliding continents. His divine body was being repeatedly enhanced, and it was growing increasingly powerful.

The Fourth Cycle of the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art] – Success!

The Fifth Cycle of the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art] – Success!

“Whew.” Ning finally came to a halt.

“After using up half the spirit-pills, I’ve finally mastered the Fifth Cycle of the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art]. The remaining spirit-pills…I should keep them. In a life-and-death battle, elemental ki is used up far too fast; these spirit-pills can be used to replenish my energy. Mmm…my divine body is now comparable to a high-grade Immortal-ranked treasure.” Ning felt as though his kicks and punches now contained incomparably terrifying might.

His divine body was truly like a magic treasure! His speed had also been increased to a truly swift new level.

……

Ning departed from the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. Although he had only stayed there for a total of two days, his power had skyrocketed in an astonishing manner! He had reached the Fourth Cycle of the [Starseizing Hand] and the Fifth Cycle of the [Eight-Nine Arcane Art], as well as fixed his Rahu Bow…and even Uncle White, a master of formations, had increased in power dramatically.

“King Yan’s Estate.”

Ning reached the outside of King Yan’s Estate. This time, he was planning to deal with the Youngflame clan; how could he forget the person who hated the Youngflame clan the most, the one who was willing to sacrifice everything to destroy them…his cousin, Yuchi Xiyue?

He didn’t need to make any requests; he went straight into the King’s estate, and he quickly found Yuchi Xiyue’s.

“Cousin.” Ning and Xiyue were meeting privately within a veranda. With but a though, Ning completely blocked off the surrounding space.

“What is it?” Xiyue, seeing how Ning was acting, couldn’t help but ask this question.

“It is time for the Youngflame clan to pay their debt of blood,” Ning said softly.

Xiyue was completely shocked. She instantly jumped to her feet.