The Promise of the Seven Empyrean Gods

“The young master is a Void God who is closest to becoming a true Empyrean God,” Snowscorpion Empyrean God said with a sigh. “If Lord Threelives were still here, knowing he had such a disciple… I imagine he would be quite pleased.”

“Lord Threelives…” Red Snow Empyrean God’s gaze grew distant. The others all fell silent. They were the most loyal followers of Daoist Threelives; otherwise, they wouldn’t have waited silently for endless ages.

Ji Ning, dressed in black Daoist robes, asked in confusion, “Seniors, you keep speaking of a ‘young master.’ I don’t quite understand. Also, you’ve been inside this aquatic mansion all this time—how were you able to appear in the Realm of Annihilation?” Though he had guessed some things from their words, he only truly understood that he was Daoist Threelives’s successor; the rest remained a mystery.

“I’ll explain,” a clear voice rang out. It was the child.

“Yuanguang Empyrean God,” Ji Ning acknowledged.

“Just call me Yuanguang,” the child said with a smile. “I know there’s much you’re confused about. Let me put it simply. Father was a Primordial True God born from the chaos itself, possessing immense power from birth. After Pangu split heaven and earth, countless Fiendgods were born, and they were naturally warlike. Battles among Fiendgods raged across the entire Primordial World.

“Powerful beings like Patriarch Subhuti remained aloof, hiding away and refusing to get involved in the conflicts. But Father was a warrior. Naturally, he gathered a great many Fiendgods under his banner, establishing the ‘Starseizing Manor.’ In the Primordial Pangu World, the Starseizing Manor was quite famous.” The child continued, “This force had countless Fiendgolds fighting under him. The seven of us were all members of the Starseizing Manor.”

Ji Ning nodded slowly.

“The Primordial Pangu World went through countless upheavals, even some great catastrophes, and always survived. But the final battle—the one that shattered the Primordial World and that caused Father’s death—was completely different from anything before it.” A sharp killing intent gleamed in the child’s eyes. He was a Fiendgod, born from heaven and earth. Threelives was a True God born from chaos. The bond between them was closer than that of many fathers and sons.

He had never known that Threelives had died—not until the Yellow-Furred Bear had gotten the answer from Patriarch Subhuti. That knowledge had driven him to despair and filled him with raging, burning fury. He hungered for battle and for revenge. Yet he also knew that he was still not strong enough.

“That battle… even we don’t know exactly what happened; after all, we were not on the front lines. We only know that Father resolutely followed Mother Nuwa and stood on her side,” the child said.

“Followed Mother Nuwa?” Ji Ning committed this to memory.

Nuwa was the number-one existence in the Three Realms, having reached Pangu’s level.

Could that battle have been a faction war?

Mother Nuwa was one faction. Were there other factions? Ji Ning knew well that sometimes, civil wars could be more brutal and savage than wars against external enemies.

“Mother Nuwa could not protect us all. Father followed her, so before that battle, Mother Nuwa helped us prepare a retreat,” the child said. “This cave-heaven treasure you acquired was something Father spent tremendous effort to create. Furthermore, Mother Nuwa personally opened up a vast major world within this aquatic mansion, which we call the ‘Starseizing Major World.’ It is where we have been living all this time.”

“What? There’s a major world inside the aquatic mansion?” Ji Ning was stunned.

Despite his shock, he quickly understood.

That made sense.

Some of the most precious innate spirit treasures in the Three Realms naturally contained a major world within them. As for personally forging a treasure that contained a major world… an ordinary True God or Daofather could not do it, but Mother Nuwa could. She had done it more than once. Such worlds within treasures were generally called ‘cavern-realms.’

“We all knew that Father was seeking a successor—he didn’t want the Starseizing Hand technique to be lost,” the child said. “Father was powerful enough to rule the entire Starseizing Manor. But could his successor do the same? No one knew. Father did not force the Fiendgods to follow the next Manor Lord. Those who wished to stay could stay; those who did not could leave.

“Some Fiendgods left. We stayed in the Starseizing Major World.”

“We have been waiting… waiting for Father’s successor. Waiting for the new Manor Lord of our Starseizing Manor.” The child looked at Ji Ning.

The other Empyrean Gods were also looking at Ji Ning.

In their hearts…

Ji Ning was that person!

And the best choice!

Though his blood was running hot, Ji Ning quickly calmed down. “Can you tell me about the Starseizing Major World? Is it possible to enter and leave freely?”

“No,” Snowscorpion Empyrean God said with a beaming smile. “The Starseizing Major World was opened by Mother Nuwa, and the formation restrictions were also laid by her. Even a True God or Daofather would probably need to use raw strength to break in. When the Fiendgods who left the Starseizing Manor were released, we were the ones controlling the Grand World Formation to let them out. Once they left, they could no longer find the Starseizing Major World, since it exists within a treasure.”

“Who controls the formation?” Ji Ning asked.

“I do, along with Yuanguang and Snowscorpion,” Red Snow Empyrean God said. “Yuanguang follows Lord Threelives the longest and is his son, so Lord Threelives trusted him most. Snowscorpion and I once fought across the land for Lord Threelives, and we were his strongest Empyrean Gods, able to command respect. So the three of us control the Grand World Formation.”

Ji Ning nodded.

“I know my master, Daoist Threelives, ordered that if I have not yet become an Empyrean God, even if I die, you are not to intervene. Is that correct?” Ji Ning asked.

“Yes,” Red Snow Empyrean God confirmed.

“But you saved me in the Realm of Annihilation,” Ji Ning pointed out.

“Even if we hadn’t saved you, the Starseizing Manor would still have fallen into the hands of the Broken Horn World’s master. He would have forcibly refined the treasure and discovered the Starseizing Major World. Eventually, there would have been a battle regardless. That’s why the seven of us came out,” Red Snow Empyrean God explained. “It wasn’t entirely for your sake.”

Ji Ning smiled. “Now that you’ve emerged, seniors… the Three Realms is caught in a great storm, one no less dangerous than the one that shattered the Primordial World. Even my master said he fears being extinguished. A little fellow like me doesn’t even need to be mentioned. Honestly, I would very much appreciate your help. But if you cannot give it, that is also fine.”

“The Three Realms is indeed in chaos,” Snowscorpion chimed in telepathically. “Since we’re already out, let’s follow the young master for now.”

“Father gave instructions,” the child added through a mental transmission.

“Lord Threelives only gave us a suggestion; he left the decision to our judgment,” the bald old man transmitted. “With the Three Realms in such turmoil, experiencing some tribulations and tempering will be beneficial for us as well.”

“Brother Red Snow, I’ll follow your lead.”

“Me too.”

Liesun and Xuanyue both looked at Red Snow.

All eyes turned to Red Snow—he was their true leader, both because he was the strongest and because his decisions were the most likely to win their consensus.

Red Snow pondered for a moment, then looked at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning met Red Snow Empyrean God’s gaze.

“Ji Ning,” Red Snow Empyrean God said. “A great storm is indeed about to break. Following Lord Threelives’s orders to the letter would be unwise. However, if all seven of us follow you, it will rob you of any chance to steel yourself. So we will make you a promise: before you become an Empyrean God, you have one chance to call upon us. All seven of us will fight with everything we have to help you… but only one chance. Once that chance is used, we will absolutely not help you again, even if you are about to die. If you die, it will only mean that your own power was insufficient and that your luck was poor.”

The other six Empyrean Gods also looked at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning laughed. “Excellent! Having the promise of seven seniors is more than enough. This is a protective charm for me. If I still die before becoming an Empyrean God, I will have only myself to blame.”

“Mm.”

Red Snow Empyrean God nodded.

“Ji Ning, become an Empyrean God quickly,” the child urged.

“Don’t keep us waiting too long,” the enchanting woman said.

“Our Starseizing Manor needs a Manor Lord,” the gentle youth added, his gaze filled with anticipation. All of them looked at him with hope.

Whoosh!

With that, the seven figures vanished into thin air.

Ji Ning let out a deep breath. He hadn’t hoped to have all seven Empyrean Gods follow him permanently; just getting that one promise was enough. In the face of the coming storm, the invisible pressure had been a constant, oppressive threat. Naturally, he would do everything in his power to increase his chances of survival.

In this great calamity, he wanted to live—and he wanted his family and loved ones to live too.

…

The sky was dim.

At the Black-White College in Anchan City, Yu Wei was in her own quarters, sitting alone in silent contemplation. A candle had already been lit beside her; its flame flickered, casting shadows across her face. Her expression was complicated.

“I’ll stop thinking about it.”

“Whatever must be done… I’ll do it.” Yu Wei walked out of the house alone and looked up at the sky. The heavens had grown dark, and a crescent moon could faintly be seen hanging on the horizon. She murmured softly, “Junior apprentice-brother… come back. You must come back.”

Suddenly, a nameless premonition stirred within her heart.

Whoosh.

As if borne by the wind, she flew up into the sky.

High in the air.

A young man appeared in the dark sky, silently gazing into the distance. There, in midair, was Yu Wei. Her eyes were filled with a sudden, brilliant joy, and tears welled up within them. She had flown up here by some instinct, some mysterious connection—as if threads of fate were pulling them together.

Ji Ning looked at Yu Wei. Her gaze immediately reminded him of Autumn Leaf.

Yu Wei and Autumn Leaf shared something in common: both of them had made Ji Ning the most important person in their lives. For his sake, they would not hesitate to risk their very lives. Ji Ning had felt this in Autumn Leaf’s presence, and he had felt it in Yu Wei’s as well—he had already sensed it during the Immortal Fortunes Assembly. But now, the feeling was even stronger. What he didn’t know was that during her Heart Demon Tribulation, Yu Wei had lived three thousand years with him within the ‘Heart Demon World’…

“Senior apprentice-sister,” Ji Ning called out.

(End of Volume)

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