The Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword

The yellow-furred bear, upon hearing Ji Ning say the words "my master, Daoist Threelives," was quite pleased. He immediately asked, "Ji Ning, do you know that Fiendgods have different ranks of origin?"

"Different ranks of origin? Aren't they all born from Heaven and Earth?" Ji Ning countered.

"No."

The yellow-furred bear said, "At the dawn of the Three Realms, before Pangu even split Heaven and Earth apart, there was only primordial chaos. From within that chaos were born some ancient and incredibly powerful Fiendgods. Pangu, Nuwa… these were all Fiendgods born from the chaos. These Primordial Fiendgods varied in strength, with the strongest naturally being Pangu!"

"Pangu split Heaven and Earth, and Heaven and Earth began to gestate living beings. Those born from Heaven and Earth itself are also known as 'Innate Fiendgods.'"

"Later, through many cycles of change, the Three Thousand Major Worlds were born. During the gestation of each Major World, some Fiendgods would appear. These are the most ordinary kind."

"In summary, according to their origin, Fiendgods are divided into three ranks: Primordial Fiendgods, Innate Fiendgods, and Mortal Fiendgods." The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning. "My master… he was one of the Primordial Fiendgods."

Ji Ning's mind went blank.

What a background!

When he thought about it, dividing Fiendgods into three ranks based on origin made sense. Pangu was so mighty he could split the cosmos. Ji Ning knew of many Fiendgods who were merely at the Xiantian level at birth. Compared to Pangu, they were immeasurably weaker.

Given how fearsome Daoist Threelives was, it wasn't strange for him to be a Primordial Fiendgod.

"A good origin means greater potential and greater innate strength," the yellow-furred bear said. "But even those with lowly origins can become famous, towering figures of the Three Realms. Some were merely ordinary beings from one of the myriad races, and after enduring countless trials and tribulations, they rose to become great existences on par with my master."

"Even though you, Ji Ning, are merely a human, you still have that chance." The yellow-furred bear said.

Ji Ning nodded gently.

He understood. Even Lord Cui, who was from his homeworld, Earth, had become the highly esteemed First Judge of the Netherworld Kingdom.

"My master experienced a great deal." The yellow-furred bear's gaze grew distant as he recalled the past. "He was acquainted with Pangu, Nuwa, and others. He gave guidance to younger generations like the Roc. He even established a sect, with countless Fiendgods attending his lectures on the Dao. As a result, he had many titles: Daoist Threelives, the Starseizing Daoist, the One-Armed Fiendgod Lord, the True God of the Right Hand…"

Ji Ning's heart stirred. "Was my master, Daoist Threelives, born with only one arm?"

"No." The yellow-furred bear shook his head. "Although I am not privy to the details, I know that my master was born in the chaos with two arms. He lost one in a great battle. He was deeply ashamed by it, and from that day forward, he always kept it permanently severed. Yet, precisely because he only had one hand, the divine ability he had comprehended in the chaos, the 'Starseizing Hand,' made a breakthrough, reaching an even more miraculous and profound level! This breakthrough allowed the Starseizing Hand to rank in the top ten among the countless divine abilities that have appeared since Pangu split Heaven and Earth!"

Ji Ning's face showed his shock.

Good heavens.

This master of his, whom he had only seen a vague afterimage of, was this formidable. Since Pangu split Heaven and Earth, there had been an uncountable number of Fiendgods and divine abilities. For the Starseizing Hand to be ranked in the top ten… its value was even more astonishing than he had previously imagined.

"There is no need for you to ask anything else." The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning. "The endless cosmos has passed through multiple eras. We are currently in the era of the Three Thousand Major Worlds and the Trillions of Minor Worlds, the era where the Heavenly Court harmoniously governs the Three Realms. For you, some ancient secrets are simply too archaic. Knowing them will serve no purpose and will only trouble your heart. My master said that you are not to be considered his disciple until you become an Empyrean God."

Ji Ning nodded.

"It is time for you to leave as well." The yellow-furred bear said.

"Not so fast." Ji Ning quickly interjected. "My Fiendgod Body Refining has now reached the Zifu level. According to the rules of the Treasure Hall, I should be able to claim another Mortal-grade treasure."

The yellow-furred bear nodded.

To claim a treasure from the Treasure Hall, one had two ways: a major realm advancement in Fiendgod Body Refining, or challenging the War God Hall.

"I beg the elder to show me the catalog of Mortal-grade treasures from the Treasure Hall." Ji Ning said. "I shall browse through it here. Once I confirm which treasure I want, I can choose it directly after I leave."

"You certainly know how to save time." The yellow-furred bear laughed.

The treasure catalog was incredibly complex and would take a long time to browse. In this inheritance space, the flow of time was isolated from the outside world. It was naturally best to look here.

"Ah, right." The yellow-furred bear said. "Your soul has now reached the Divine Sense level, and you have also learned the divine ability 'Starseizing Hand.' Clearing the second level of the War God Hall will be a trivial matter. There is even a slight chance you could clear the third level. Do you wish to attempt it?"

"Only a slight chance for the third level?" Ji Ning countered.

His strength had increased astonishingly this time.

A breakthrough in his soul!

And he now had the incredibly powerful divine ability, the Starseizing Hand. Ji Ning was confident that a single strike would be enough to slay Immortal Xu Li.

"If your divine power were sufficient to let you use the Starseizing Hand freely, your odds would naturally be much greater." The yellow-furred bear said teasingly. "But how long can you use the Starseizing Hand with your current Crimsonbright divine power?"

Ji Ning hesitated for a moment, then stretched out his hands.

The Starseizing runes on his palms flickered into existence. Crimsonbright divine power surged into his right and left palms. An incomparably powerful sensation filled Ji Ning's heart. He even felt that a single palm strike could shatter an entire mountain peak.

Boom! Boom!

Ji Ning's hands formed sword-fingers as he stabbed forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two waves of compressed air, first a piercing shriek, then a rumbling like thunder.

"So powerful." Ji Ning was stunned. Without any subtlety in swordsmanship, just the force of his sword-finger stab created such terrifying air pressure. He felt that if Tongyu were in front of him, a single palm strike would be enough to grind him to dust.

"But the divine power consumption is truly astonishing." Ji Ning mused. "I only attacked once, and I consumed this much. The Crimsonbright divine power within my body is probably only enough for a few dozen strikes."

In a life-or-death battle, being able to unleash a few dozen strikes was more than enough.

But for challenging the War God Hall, having divine power only last that long was far from sufficient.

"I will not challenge the War God Hall." Ji Ning said. "I have no time to waste."

"Mm." The yellow-furred bear nodded. At the same time, he pointed to the empty space beside him. A thick, golden book appeared in mid-air, with the words "Treasure" on its cover. "Since this is the second time you are selecting a Mortal-grade treasure, the catalog contains a greater number of treasures. If you clear the second level of the War God Hall and come back for a third selection, you will be able to choose from all the Mortal-grade treasures my master left behind."

Ji Ning understood.

This was the difference between the first and second levels of the War God Hall. The second level was much harder than the first, and the treatment was different as well. The further one progressed, the wider the range of treasures to choose from.

"Indeed." Ji Ning opened the catalog and saw the difference. "There are more treasures recorded here than last time, and the new ones are exceptionally rare and powerful."

"Jade Dragon Shears… a truly vicious treasure." Ji Ning looked carefully.

"Soul-Capturing Bell. This is far superior to the Ten-Thousand-Ghost Banner and of a much higher grade." Ji Ning praised. The Ten-Thousand-Ghost Banner that Beisheng had been trying to refine would have been a top-grade Mortal treasure if completed. But his refining methods were far too vile. The Soul-Capturing Bell was much more refined and was even more powerful than the Ten-Thousand-Ghost Banner.

Ji Ning continued reading.

There were treasures, and there were formations…

Although many of them tempted Ji Ning, none of them gave him a strong sense of desire. After acquiring the Starseizing Hand divine ability, the power of a single sword-strike from Ji Ning, wielding his Northsea swords, was already astonishing. While these treasures were powerful, even if he used them, they would be far inferior to his own divine ability.

"Treasures cannot compare to divine abilities." Ji Ning reflected.

He forgot, however, what kind of divine ability he had learned!

"Hm?" Ji Ning flipped another page, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

The treasure 'Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword.' A top-grade Mortal-class treasure, a treasure born for slaughter. It was forged from the precious material 'Annihilation Crystal Gold.' It was a treasure extremely suited for killing and assassination. Originally an Earth-grade superior treasure, it had been heavily damaged and reduced to a top-grade Mortal-tier treasure. However, after sufficient slaughter, it could gradually raise its own level and eventually return to the Earth-grade superior level.

Ji Ning read the description carefully.

The back of the catalog contained extremely detailed information about this treasure. Some of the extreme-grade Mortal-class treasures collected by Daoist Threelives did have the potential for growth. There were several other growth-type treasures, but that was not the reason Ji Ning chose this one.

"Good, I'll take it." Ji Ning felt a surge of joy.

The Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword, with its natural aura of annihilation, was faint and difficult to detect. Even if the Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword approached an enemy, the enemy would likely remain unaware.

This was what Ji Ning liked most about it.

Ji Ning continued to flip through the book, skimming quickly until he finished the entire catalog.

"Well?" The yellow-furred bear looked at Ji Ning.

"The Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword." Ji Ning said.

"Haha, excellent choice." The yellow-furred bear nodded. "I also think the Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword is the most suitable one for you right now. This sword is naturally adept at concealing its aura and excels at ambushes. Now that your soul has broken through and your Divine Sense has become incredibly powerful, you can easily control this sword for a surprise attack! Most importantly, you don't even need to infuse it with your Yuan power, reducing the energy fluctuations even further and making it even harder for others to detect."

Ji Ning nodded.

That was exactly what he had been thinking. He wouldn't need to use his Yuan power, merely his Divine Sense to control the Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword…

The sword itself had an annihilated aura, and with no Yuan power fluctuation, it would be just like ordinary rocks or soil. It would be extremely difficult to detect. He could use his Divine Sense to silently guide the Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword, burrowing through the earth, right up to his enemy's side, and then suddenly strike!

Even a Wanxiang Adept, caught off guard by an assassination from such close range, would likely have their head pierced before they had a chance to use their treasures.

"My Divine Sense, combined with the Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword, will be a perfect match." Ji Ning thought.

"Senior, let us be on our way." Ji Ning said.

After retrieving the Annihilation Fiend-Slaying Sword, he would immediately head to Oxhorn Mountain.

"Mm, you need to hurry. You spent about half an incense-stick's worth of time in the Divine Ability Hall." The yellow-furred bear grabbed Ji Ning, and with a whoosh, they vanished.