Desolate Era

The Xia Emperor sat above all others atop his throne. Staring downwards, he said calmly, “This is the most crucial point of this Conclave of Immortal Destiny. Xiamang Zishan. Cangwu Jiu. Ji Ning. Sloppy Daoist. Adept Woodpass. Adept Blackstone.”

Ning and the other six all looked towards the Xia Emperor.

“This next round will determine which three of you six will have the chance to be chosen by Master as a disciple.” The Xia Emperor’s voice was calm, but his gaze swept past Ning and the other of the six. He knew very well that if the Grand Xia Dynasty’s world was to produce a peerless hero in this upcoming period of upheaval for the Three Realms, it would most likely be one of the six! In addition, it was guaranteed that one would be taken on by Daofather Crimsonbright as a disciple, while a second one was already a disciple of Grand Emperor Xuanwu.

“First, spend two hours calming your minds. After two hours, the final, crucial battles shall begin,” the Xia Emperor said calmly.

Ning and the rest of the six were instantly stunned. Calming their minds for two hours? The pressure of making it into the top three had already made it hard for them to even breath. They were all prepared to start beginning their one-on-one duels…but who would have imagined that the Xia Emperor would instruct them to spend two hours calming their minds.

“After two hours, the duels shall begin. These duels shall be the fulcrum on which your destinies shall turn,” the Xia Emperor said calmly, then fell silent.

……

“Xiamang, you are quite the tormenter,” Lu Dongbin said with a smirk. “As the saying goes, death isn’t frightening; the terror you feel right before dying is what is frightening. If they were to compete right away, that’d be one thing, but you insisted on delaying for two hours…during these two hours, the invisible pressure they are feeling will most lkely torment all of them.”

“How can a chance to become a Daofather’s disciple be so easily given?” The Xia Emperor said calmly, “The nine of us all encountered countless life-and-death tribulations before making it to our present levels. They, however, are merely Wanxiang Adepts. They must be tempered a bit, and the invisible pressure created by this chance of becoming a Daofather’s disciple is an excellent form of tempering.”

“Everyone, which one amongst the six do you think the Daofather will choose?” The Immortal Elder of the Northlands said.

“The Sloppy Daoist won’t have any problems entering the top six, but he is already the disciple of Grand Emperor Xuanwu. There’s no way the Daofather will choose him. Mm…it might be Xiamang Zishan. Xiamang Zishan’s dominating aura is bone-deep, and he is most likely being assisted by the karmic luck that surrounds the Xiamang clan. As long as he can become the Daofather’s disciple, his future potential will be limitless.”

“I favor that bald, bare-foot youth. I keep on feeling as though I can sense the shadow of the Shennong clan on him.” [1. Shennong, lit. ‘Divine Farmer’, is the name of one of China’s legendary Emperors from thousands of years ago. He was supposedly also the father of Chinese medicine, as he tested countless plants for their medicinal properties, then wrote them all down.]

The human race was the most powerful of the countless races of the Three Realms. In the Primordial World which Pangu had established after creating the universe, after Mother Nuwa created humanity, the human race began to flourish nonstop. They learned, they grew powerful, and they began to embark upon the Immortal path…and so even as far back as the era of the Primordial World, mankind had already given birth to countless supreme powers.

The Sovereign of Mankind, the Divine Farmer Shennong, was one of them.

“Mahāsthāmaprāpta, is something wrong with your head? That bald, bare-foot lad uses the Fuxi Staff Formation; if anything, he arguably has a connection to the Fuxi clan.”

“I favor Ji Ning. This Ji Ning has trained for just thirty years, but he’s already such a monster; his talent is limitless. Perhaps the Daofather shall choose Ji Ning.”

“I think Adept Woodpass is not bad.”

“I favor Cangwu Jiu.”

The Xia Emperor and the rest of the nine Pure Yang True Immortals each had their own favorites amongst the top six, aside from the Sloppy Daoist.

Ji Ning, Yu Wei, Yuchi Xiyue, and the Sloppy Daoist were currently seated together. Yu Wei and Yuchi Xiyue looked at each other, not daring to say a word. As for Ning and the Sloppy Daoist, they were silent as they meditated calmly.

“Yu Wei, the two of them are…” Yuchi Xiyue sent a worried mental message.

“Don’t worry about them. Although both their Dao-hearts are formidable, the allure of becoming a Daofather’s disciple is simply far, far too great. In addition, this is the final, critical battle. It’s good for them to sit quietly for a time and temper their Dao-hearts,” Yu Wei said. Her training experience was, comparatively speaking, much greater; after all, she had her memories from her past life.

Although Ning also had memories from his past life, not only was his past life a short one, he had also been an ordinary mortal.

Time flowed on. In the blink of an eye, two hours passed.

“The fourth round. The most important round.” The Xia Emperor’s voice suddenly rang out.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Ji Ning, the Sloppy Daoist, Xiamang Zishan, Adept Blackstone, Cangwu Jiu, and Adept Woodpass; their gazes turned scorchingly hot as they simultaneously turned to look towards the Xia Emperor.

“After careful consideration, the six of you shall fight these three battles.”

“In the first battle, the Sloppy Daoist shall fight Adept Woodpass.”

“In the second battle, Adept Blackstone shall fight Cangwu Jiu.”

“In the third battle, Ji Ning shall fight Xiamang Zishan.”

His voice was deep and resonating. It echoed throughout the hall.

Ning and the rest of the six instantly turned their gazes towards their respective opponents.

The Sloppy Daoist and Adept Woodpass both appeared to be simple, honest, good-natured individuals…and yet these two good-natured individuals had both battled their way into the top six. Only one of the two could enter the top three. Their gazes turned towards each other…but both were very calm. However, behind the calmness, an unshakable resolve could be seen.

Adept Blackstone and Cangwu Jiu were both unconventional. The bald Adept Blackstone always walked around barefoot, leaning on his staff. Cangwu Jiu, in turn, always appeared to be like a hawk, his gaze predatory and devouring. The two gave each other a glance, and their eyes both seemed to spark with fire.

Ji Ning and Xiamang Zishan were the two most ferocious individuals of the six. Xiamang Zishan’s domineering, tyrannical temperament was bone-deep, and his staff techniques were similarly overbearing. Ji Ning, in turn, was the number one Sword Immortal of this Conclave; although he looked like a handsome, delicate youth, in terms of strength, he was the strongest of them all.

……

Good-natured against good-natured.

Unconventional against unconventional.

Savage against savage.

“The first battle. Sloppy Daoist, Adept Woodpass, the two of you can go to the grand sealing formation. You can begin now,” the Xia Emperor instructed.

“Yes.” The Sloppy Daoist and Adept Woodpass both responded with respect, them immediately both moved towards the outside of the hall.

“Xiamang, your arrangements truly are like pitting the point of the nail against the tip of the needle.” Lu Dongbin shook his head. “Not even I would dare guess as to which of them shall become the top three. I can’t tell, I truly can’t tell.”

“It’s precisely because we can’t tell that makes this intriguing.” Although the Xia Emperor was chatting with Lu Dongbin, his gaze was focused on the grand sealing formation outside the palace. He had to pay extremely close attention to each of these three battles…after all, watching with his own eyes was completely different from watching using a water scryinig technique.

Water scrying techniques only transmitted images. Watching with his own eyes, however, allowed him to sense the ripples of the Dao.

“Ji Ning, which of the two will win?” Yuchi Xiyue was extremely nervous.

“I don’t know.” Ning shook his head, then gave a sideways glance towards the nearby Xiamang Zishan.

Xiamang Zishan seemed to feel his gaze, as he turned to look back at Ning as well. Their gazes met…and then both turned away to look towards the battle outside that had just begun.

The Sloppy Daoist and Adept Woodpass; one of them would make it into the top three.

Who would it be?

……

Within the grand sealing formation.

The Sloppy Daoist and Adept Woodpass were staring at each other from far away.

“You are the most powerful foe I have encountered so far in this Conclave.” Adept Woodpass normally looked quite amiable, but right now his eyes were as sharp as knives. He said seriously, “I watched you defeat Adept Ninedeaths, but…you will be defeated by me.”

“Oh. Just saying the words is nothing; if you have any formidable techniques, bring them out,” the Sloppy Daoist said with a chortle.

Boom! Boom!

The two simultaneously transformed into towering giants, each with three heads and six arms.

Each of the six arms of Adept Woodpass clutched a giant hammer, while the Sloppy Daoist remained barehanded. However, with the Grand Black Tortoise divine ability, he truly didn’t need any weapons at all. Actually, Ning didn’t need to use any weapons either; his [Starseizing Hand] made his hands comparable to Immortal-ranked magic treasures, after all. But the implications of the [Starseizing Hand] were simply too great; Ning didn’t dare to casually reveal this technique.

If he revealed it in front of Daofather Crimsonbright, that was one thing, but the Conclave of Immortal Destiny had too many eyes and ears present. Once he revealed the technique, news would surely spread like wildfire, and most likely many individuals within the Three Realms would learn of it. Perhaps some of the major powers who held grudges against Daoist Threelives would decide to wipe out Ning, the successor to Daoist Threelives’ legacy!

Ning didn’t dare to make this gamble. Thus, he had never used his bare hands to block magic treasures, even though his hands were even more powerful than the Darknorth swords!

“Growl…”

An enormous Turtle-Snake had appeared. It was even letting out a slight growl. The Sloppy Daoist, in the very center of the Turtle-Snake, came crushing downwards towards Adept Woodpass with an absolutely dominating air.

“This is my world…” Adept Woodpass narrowed his eyes, a look of intoxication appearing on his face. Instantly, fruit tree saplings began to appear and grow throughout the sealed region. The saplings quickly grew into towering trees which died, transformed into ash, then gave birth to new saplings. Countless saplings were growing, and the three-headed, six-armed Adept Woodpass was himself like a human-shaped tree, with his six arms like tree branches and the giant warhammers in his hands like fruit.

BANG! The Sloppy Daoist’s attack had arrived. His fist smashed down like thunder, crushing downwards. Adept Woodpass, in turn, waved a great warhammer.

BOOM! The warhammer met the fist. Adept Woodpass just took one heavy step back after another, deflecting the force of the collision. He continued to look like a human-shaped tree as he brandished about those six giant warhammers.

“I couldn’t break through?” The Sloppy Daoist was surprised. “He truly is a peerless genius who was famous even as far back as three cenuturies ago who insisted on stifling himself for three hundred years as he waited for this day.”

The Sloppy Daoist’s attack form c hanged. He immediately executed the ‘Wavefolding’ secret art, and his attacks began to seem to turn into the waves of the sea, each wave more savage than the last as power continuously accumulated! Even Adept Woodpass, legendary for his defense, was finding it increasingly difficult to handle.

“For trees to grow, they need water!” Adept Woodpass’ face changed slightly as he suddenly spoke out in a gravelly voice.

Rumble…

The trees that had sprung up within the sealed region began to be surrounded with a large amount of water. The vast amount of water swirled around the trees…and the feeling which Adept Woodpass gave off changed. He previously seemed like a man-shaped tree, but now he seemed more agile, with perfect dexterity.

“Two Grand Daos?”

“He actually has embarked on two Grand Daos?”

Lu Dongbin, the Xia Emperor, and the rest of the Pure Yang True Immortals were instantly shocked. During the previous duels as well as when he was within the Brightmoon Diagram of the Mountains and Rivers, Adept Woodpass had always used the Grand Dao of Verdant Wood. This Grand Dao of the Watersource, Adept Woodpass had never before revealed.

The Grand Dao of the Verdant Wood. The Grand Dao of the Watersource. These were two Grand Daos that reinforced and supported each other. For a Wanxiang Adept to simultaneously train in two Grand Daos to such an extremely high level, at very least at the Grand Dao Domain level…in this entire Conclave, only Adept Woodpass had accomplished such a thing.

This seemingly amiable and honest Adept Woodpass had never before revealed this, and upon doing so, he shocked everyone.

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