The Pinnacle of Despair

Ji Ning felt a heart-rending pain, a pain that coursed through every part of his body. Since his parents had left, his true family had been so few, so very few. Although Master Diancai was stern and kept a cold face, Ji Ning could feel the deep affection his master held for him in his heart. Master Diancai was a man cut from the same cloth as his own father, Ji Yichuan.

“No… no…” Ji Ning’s heart was filled with nothing but despair.

Under the Heavenly Tribulation, no one could save his master! Even a Daofather of the Great Lofty realm could only watch from the side, because interfering would trigger the Heavenly Punishment. Beneath the Heavenly Punishment, even a Daofather who tried to endure it would only meet death.

Then, a powerful surge of longing welled up within Ji Ning.

“I can’t take it anymore. I can’t take it anymore!!!” Ji Ning’s heart let out a desperate roar. “I’ve had enough of this feeling of powerlessness. I truly don’t want the people I love to leave me. I don’t want it. I don’t want it!”

Mother had left…

Father had left…

And now his master was about to leave as well…

Ji Ning’s heart was wracked with pain. An incredibly powerful belief arose within him—a belief that refused to be toyed with by fate, a belief that sought true control over his own destiny.

“I need to become strong, even stronger. If I were like Pangu or Nuwa, capable of splitting the heavens and creating the earth, of repairing the sky, or of destroying heaven and earth, then the so-called Heavenly Tribulation would probably be nothing more than a joke.” For the first time, Ji Ning yearned for the very peak of the Three Realms—the undisputed pinnacle.

That was the realm of Pangu.

Pangu, who split heaven and earth to create the Primordial World.

Nuwa, who comprehended eighty-four thousand Daos and was hailed as the ‘Supremely Kind and Sagely Pangu, Mother Nuwa.’ She too had reached the realm of Pangu, and she was the undisputed number one expert of the Three Realms!

At that level…

Even Heaven and Earth had to submit! Let alone a mere part of Heaven and Earth, the ‘Heavenly Tribulation.’

“Master—” No matter how much Ji Ning yearned for it in his heart, he could not change what was happening before his eyes. He could only watch it all unfold!

No matter the pain and unwillingness of Ji Ning and the Wufeng Immortal, the one truly in despair at this moment was the one undergoing the tribulation, the Diancai Immortal himself.

The Diancai Immortal clutched his chest, looking up.

When he saw that the electrical vortex of clouds in the sky had not disappeared but was instead brewing even greater power, the Diancai Immortal was in despair. “Why is there more? Why is there still more…?”

Despair.

“Junior apprentice-sister, I’m coming.” The Diancai Immortal’s expression became calm. He stared at the bolt of lightning that had already taken shape high in the sky, then pointed into the distance. “Go!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The five black Plowing Heaven Immortal-grade flying swords all shot into the sky, charging to meet that descending bolt of lightning.

This time, the Diancai Immortal displayed the most brilliant sword art of his life, the most powerful sword art of his life. The five Immortal flying swords twisted around each other in the air, perfectly interlocking, as they welcomed the coming destruction.

Years ago, the Diancai Immortal had only been a third-generation disciple of the Black-White College.

“Young man, you should be full of vitality. Why are you like this?”

“Junior apprentice-sister is dead. I have no more will to live. No more will to live.”

“No will to live? Since you have no will to live, this old man just so happens to be looking for someone to kill. Don’t put up a fight, and let me kill you.”

Swish.

Five ungraded flying swords flew up, heading towards the young man who was in a state of despair and numbness.

An invisible sword-intent instantly transmitted itself into the young man’s mind.

One sword stance after another was executed…

The sword art gradually became more and more despairing.

Despair to the extreme.

“The Eighteenth Stance of the Five Elements Sword Art—Lesser Five Elements Annihilation!”

Each stance became more profound and mysterious, inconceivable.

“The Thirty-Sixth Stance of the Five Elements Sword Art—Grand Five Elements All Living Things!”

“Hahaha…”

“You and I are fated. I’ll pass this sword art on to you. Study it well, young man. Your path ahead is still long!”

The voice echoed in his mind.

When the young man ‘Diancai’ came to his senses and looked around, he could not find the old man anywhere.

From that encounter onward, the Diancai Immortal’s sword art soared to new heights. The Loose Immortals of the Black-White College unanimously judged him to be the one most likely to become a Celestial Immortal! After obtaining the scriptures Ji Ning brought and comparing them with his own sword art, the Diancai Immortal gained new insights and made another breakthrough. He even reached the realm of Immortal Beixing. But at that time, he had only comprehended the ‘Seventeenth Stance of the Five Elements Sword Art’!

One must know that the first eighteen stances were merely the first volume.

The latter eighteen stances were even more profound and mysterious.

To be able to pass on such a sword art, this old man was definitely a major figure within the Three Realms. It was obvious that this old man was simply wandering aimlessly through the Three Realms. Seeing that the Diancai Immortal still had some potential worth developing, he casually taught him a sword art and then drifted away.

He had not taken him as a disciple! If he had taken him as a disciple, he would have taught him Ki Refining techniques, secret arts, and so on, and would have frequently guided him through any questions he encountered on his path of cultivation. However, when the Diancai Immortal had difficulty comprehending the ‘Five Elements Sword Art,’ he could only bury his head in thought by himself!

“Condense!”

At this moment, the Diancai Immortal suddenly understood.

It was as if a dark sky was instantly pierced by golden sunlight. Because of the extreme emotional highs and lows caused by the thunder tribulation, he had fallen into despair. As he prepared to welcome death… his sword art truly broke through.

He had finally comprehended the true essence of the Lesser Five Elements Annihilation—the stance representing the ‘pinnacle of despair’!

“The Eighteenth Stance of the Five Elements Sword Art—Lesser Five Elements Annihilation!” The Diancai Immortal clutched his chest, but suddenly smiled.

The five black Immortal flying swords flying in the air had manifested the phantom images of five great mountains on their surfaces. Originally, these five great mountain phantoms were each a different color, their light flowing between them, subtly complementing and aiding each other. But with a thought from the Diancai Immortal…

“Rumble~~~~~”

The entire space trembled.

The phantom images of the five great mountains instantly merged together, transforming into a single Five Finger Mountain. Five mountains had become one! This great mountain had five peaks, like five fingers, shining in five colors! This Five Finger Mountain carried an incredibly dense aura of despair and oppression, as if it could suppress and destroy all things!

The final stance of the first volume of the Five Elements Sword Art, the grand completion sword stance of the first volume—Lesser Five Elements Annihilation!

“Boom~~~”

The forty-sixth bolt of heavenly thunder crashed down upon the Five Finger Mountain peak formed by the five Plowing Heaven flying swords.

The entire Five Finger Mountain peak merely trembled once, and the heavenly thunder scattered.

“Boom~”

The forty-seventh bolt of heavenly thunder crashed down!

The Diancai Immortal clutched his chest and looked up, smiling as he watched. The five Plowing Heaven flying swords continued to meet the attack, and the Five Finger Mountain peak stood vast and majestic, as if such a mountain truly existed in an endless, distant world. Once again, it blocked a bolt of heavenly thunder.

“This…” The Wufeng Immortal and Ji Ning were both completely stunned.

The two who had been in despair were both dazed.

“Earlier, junior apprentice-brother had already used a forbidden art just to withstand the Five-Nine Tribulation. This Six-Nine Tribulation… how is he handling it with more ease?” The Wufeng Immortal was stunned. “A breakthrough on the verge of death? This… can one have a breakthrough during a tribulation?”

Ji Ning also felt bewildered. Generally, breakthroughs on the verge of death happened during life-or-death battles. But the thunder tribulation wasn't striking down with any profound mysteries of the Dao; it was purely savage, mindless bombardment. Could this also provide some ‘enlightenment’ to his master? How had his master’s sword art suddenly become so much more powerful?

Although he didn’t understand why his master had achieved a breakthrough on the verge of death, Ji Ning felt immense joy in his heart.

“Hahaha… block it again, block it again!” Ji Ning stared intently.

Bolt after bolt of heavenly thunder came crashing down.

The Diancai Immortal met each one with the ‘Lesser Five Elements Annihilation’ stance. However, starting from the fifty-first bolt of heavenly thunder, it was clearly much more difficult! The fifty-second bolt of heavenly thunder smashed the five flying swords down by over a hundred zhang! The fifty-third bolt of heavenly thunder struck the Plowing Heaven Immortal flying swords so hard that the Five Finger Mountain phantom almost scattered.

“The last one, the very last one!” Ji Ning and the Wufeng Immortal stared intently.

Boom!

The fifty-fourth bolt of heavenly thunder! This bolt of heavenly thunder was faintly tinged with a trace of purple.

“Block it!” The Diancai Immortal’s aura was even more vigorous. The Dao-heart of the Diancai Immortal, who had crawled out of the depths of despair, was now even stronger. The five Plowing Heaven flying swords surged upstream with a frantic frenzy, transforming into a massive Five Finger Mountain.

Bang!!!!

The heavenly thunder and the Five Finger Mountain collided. The Five Finger Mountain completely collapsed, the five flying swords scattering in all directions, while the heavenly thunder also dissipated completely.

“Blocked it!” The Wufeng Immortal howled in excitement.

Ji Ning, however, looked up and stared intently at the electrical vortex of clouds. The Wufeng Immortal also watched. They were both worried that there would be more heavenly thunder. This time, however, there was none. The vortex of electrical clouds in the sky began to dissipate, scattering in all directions. At the same time, a bolt of electricity coiled around the Diancai Immortal’s body.

This bolt of lightning appeared out of thin air, descending onto the Diancai Immortal. A mysterious aura began to emanate faintly from the Diancai Immortal’s body. It was an aura completely different from that of a returning-to-void Earth Immortal or a Loose Immortal.

“A Celestial Immortal body.” Ji Ning and the Wufeng Immortal both revealed expressions of joy.

“Congratulations, master.” As that trace of electrical light disappeared, Ji Ning immediately called out.

“Junior apprentice-brother, a Six-Nine Tribulation! It’s practically unheard of for a Ki Refining cultivator to encounter a Six-Nine Tribulation. Maybe only the disciples of some Daofathers, some legendary figures, would experience this. And you actually managed to survive it! Hahaha, I have immense admiration for you. Junior apprentice-brother, rest quickly. The Heartfiend Tribulation will be coming soon. You’ve already weathered the most dangerous and terrifying Six-Nine Tribulation; don’t fall to the Heartfiend Tribulation.” The Wufeng Immortal quickly said.

“Mm.”

The Diancai Immortal nodded calmly, a smile on his face. He pointed a finger from afar at Ji Ning, and instantly, the five Plowing Heaven flying swords flew towards Ji Ning. “I no longer need these five flying swords.”

Ji Ning nodded and took back the five Plowing Heaven flying swords.

“The shortest a Heartfiend Tribulation can last is seven days.” The Wufeng Immortal said solemnly, “Ji Ning, during the time when your master is undergoing his Heartfiend Tribulation… absolutely no one is to disturb him. If an enemy comes to attack, it will likely be during this time. You and I must both be careful.”

“Mm, I understand,” Ji Ning said solemnly. “No one is going to disturb my master.”

His true body had trained in the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and was most skilled at close-quarters combat. In a head-on confrontation, he really wasn’t afraid of anyone. As for his Primaltwin, it also had nine Plowing Heaven flying swords forming the ‘Plowing Heaven Sword Formation.’ One person was a match for two Celestial Immortals.

No matter who it was!

No matter what force was backing them, he would not allow them to ruin his master’s tribulation!

Within the borders of Anchan Commandery, ripples appeared in the dim void. Then, a white-clad woman appeared.

This woman had a lovely face and a faint aura, already at the Earth Immortal or Loose Immortal level. However, there was a natural pride in her white-clad woman’s eyes, an arrogance that disdained everything.

“Hm?” The white-clad woman looked into the distance at a chain of mountains. “I’ve arrived.”