Witnessing the End

Ji Ning stood in the wilderness, watching the scene of time flowing backwards to show ‘Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue’s escape,’ his heart growing heavier and heavier. Because until now, everything had proceeded exactly as recorded in the tome King Yan had given him.

“Let us go to the Nine Curves Sword Sect,” Ji Ning said.

“Alright.”

King Yan understood that Ji Ning wouldn’t give up until he saw it with his own eyes. The two of them pierced through the void, heading for the Nine Curves Sword Sect in another commandery.

…

Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue had drifted through the world all those years ago, cautious and meticulous. It had taken them eight full years to travel through the vast Huashan Commandery before they finally reached the Nine Curves Sword Sect. Liu Hechuan was skilled with the sword, and the dangers he faced during those eight years had honed his abilities. He had broken through to the Zifu Disciple stage in his Fiendgod Body Refining, and thus was easily accepted as a disciple of the Nine Curves Sword Sect. Dongliu Xue entered as a maidservant. The year after he joined the sect, Liu Hechuan obtained some spirit-pills from within the sect and used them to help Dongliu Xue break through to the Zifu Disciple stage as well. She was then accepted as a formal disciple of the Nine Curves Sword Sect.

“This is where the mountain gate of the Nine Curves Sword Sect once stood.” King Yan pointed down from high in the sky at the ruins below.

Ji Ning’s heart sank as he saw the ruins.

The ruins were vast, spanning tens of thousands of li. Many monstrous beasts now dwelt here.

“Dongliu Xue and Liu Hechuan, according to the intelligence I gathered, once lived on Flowing Waters Peak. Flowing Waters Peak was roughly in this area.” King Yan quickly flew to a certain section of the ruins. He waved his hand, and the great monsters and beasts lurking nearby collapsed to the ground.

“Reverse time.” King Yan once more reversed the flow of spacetime.

The scene flowed backwards rapidly, rewinding decades.

The surrounding scene was breathtakingly beautiful.

The mountains and rivers were lush and lovely, the spiritual energy dense. Disciples of the immortal sect could be seen everywhere.

“Chuan, you’re just letting me win.” Dongliu Xue and Liu Hechuan were sparring with their swords, and in the end, Liu Hechuan had ‘lost’ yet again.

“It’s more that Sister Xue’s sword-arts have improved,” Liu Hechuan said with a laugh.

Ji Ning watched this scene. It was heartwarming.

“The tribulation is only three years away,” King Yan said to Ji Ning from the side. He was controlling the flow of time, letting it pass quickly. Dongliu Xue and Liu Hechuan’s days at the ‘Nine Curves Sword Sect’ were very happy. After all, they were newly accepted disciples and hadn’t yet reached the time for them to go out and train. This was truly a paradise on earth.

Soon, the flowing spacetime reached the point three years later.

It was a beautiful, sun-drenched spring day. Everything was as lovely as ever. In truth, the ‘Seamless Gate’ had already infiltrated the Wuqiong World for several years by this point. Chaos had spread throughout the outside world, but within the mountain gate of the Nine Curves Sword Sect, it remained peaceful and tranquil.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

Black sword-light flickered and flashed.

Liu Hechuan was wielding twin swords, his body trained in the Fiendgod Body Refining method which made him even more valiant and awe-inspiring than in his past life. He was practicing his sword techniques, comprehending the Dao.

Dongliu Xue sat not too far away, watching him with a gentle smile. She understood that her man’s heart was always tied to his homeland tribe, the ‘Liuhe Clan’, but they had always been afraid of the Riftfreeze Daoist of the Huashan Immortal Sect. Thus, they had been patiently enduring. Liu Hechuan trained his sword with remarkable diligence, and he was already a standout amongst the Zifu Disciples of the Nine Curves Sword Sect, having long since reached the Dao Domain level.

“Chuan, we will definitely be able to return,” Dongliu Xue said, missing her father as well.

Suddenly——

A group of black-robed figures appeared in the sky. There were twenty-seven of them in total, and in an instant, they transformed into three enormous black serpents. Each of these black serpents was a thousand li long, their auras swelling to the heavens. The protective mountain formation of the entire Nine Curves Sword Sect was activated instantly, causing a brilliant flash of light.

“Boom~~~” Heaven and earth split apart. The grand formation held for a mere instant before it collapsed.

“What’s happening?”

“What’s going on?”

The many weak, ordinary disciples were completely stunned.

Liu Hechuan instantly flashed to Dongliu Xue’s side. “Sister Xue, we—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, a wave of unleashed energy swept across the peak. The Zifu Disciples who were caught directly in its path were instantly pulverized into dust, without even a chance to resist. At the same time, a thunderous roar rang out as the entire peak began to collapse. Countless boulders tumbled down, and Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue were forced to fly up into the air to dodge them.

“Seamless Gate! Our Nine Curves Sword Sect has never offended you; why must you exterminate our sect?” Figures shot up into the sky one after another. They were the Loose Immortals, Earth Immortals, and Primal Daoists of the Nine Curves Sword Sect. They formed a grand formation, their faces filled with fury and despair.

“Accept your death obediently!”

One of the three thousand-li-long winding black serpents spoke in human tongue, then could not be bothered to say another word. It began to slaughter wantonly.

The space around them had long since been sealed; there was no way for them to flee by tearing through the void.

“Kill!”

The Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals of the Nine Curves Sword Sect, who couldn’t flee, led their Primal Daoists in forming a formation that transformed into a dazzling giant sword. They fought against the three black serpents. But after only a few exchanges, the giant sword completely shattered. The Loose Immortals, Earth Immortals, and Primal Daoists of the Nine Curves Sword Sect were killed in large numbers in that very instant, and the rest were all heavily wounded.

“No.”

“Damn it all!”

The heavily wounded experts of the Nine Curves Sword Sect were quickly slaughtered. The black serpents swam freely through the air, wreaking havoc upon the ten-thousand-li-wide mountain gate of the Nine Curves Sword Sect. The weak, ordinary disciples of the Nine Curves Sword Sect, who were trapped with no way to escape, were slaughtered in droves. They had no power to resist.

“Sister Xue.” Liu Hechuan hugged Dongliu Xue, no longer trying to flee.

“Chuan, do you regret running away with me?” Dongliu Xue asked, tears streaming down her face.

“These twelve years… I have been truly happy. If I had to do it all over again, I would still come with you, Sister Xue.” Liu Hechuan smiled. “We can accompany each other on the road to the Yellow Springs.”

“Mm.” Dongliu Xue nodded, tears flowing.

Hum~~~

A wave of force swept over them. Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue, still embracing each other, were turned to ash. Under an invisible attraction, their souls flew up high into the air. Up in the sky, there was a black gourd, madly sucking everything in. All the souls of the slaughtered beings were being absorbed into it. Liu Hechuan and Dongliu Xue’s souls were drawn in as well.

Ji Ning watched silently from the side.

King Yan said quietly, “The Seamless Gate was trying to conquer this commandery. But the Seamless Gate had just begun to infiltrate it; few had yet submitted to them. So, the Seamless Gate chose some sects to slaughter, using the slaughter of the chicken to frighten the monkeys. After killing countless disciples, they would also gather their souls to train in certain evil techniques. The souls of millions or even hundreds of millions of cultivators… enough to refine a truly terrifying evil treasure or a fearsome evil divine ability.”

Ji Ning, of course, understood this.

“Accept your grief,” King Yan said with a sigh. “The Seamless Gate stretches across the Three Realms, and its backing is unfathomably deep. Even your Daofather master might not be able to do anything about it.”

“I am very calm,” Ji Ning said softly.

On the surface, he appeared calm.

In truth, the killing intent within Ji Ning’s heart was more surging than ever before. It was only because his Heartforce had reached the third stage, ‘Sovereign’, that he was able to maintain his composure. But within his heart, Ji Ning had already marked the ‘Seamless Gate’ as his greatest enemy. Even the hatred he held for the Shaoyin Clan was nothing compared to this.

“The Seamless Gate…” Ji Ning spoke the words, one by one.

King Yan, standing to the side, suddenly felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart. He could faintly sense the killing intent in Ji Ning’s heart. He could only sigh. The Seamless Gate… this was a force that had swept across the Three Realms. It wasn’t something to be trifled with.

“Don’t do anything foolish,” King Yan said.

“Even if my father and mother’s souls have been scattered,” Ji Ning said softly, “In the future, I will train until I become a True God or Daofather. I will find my parents’ truesouls from the river of fate and bring them back to life.”

King Yan said nothing more.

They both knew that the most fundamental aspect of any life form was the ‘truesoul’. Even if a soul was scattered, the truesoul would return to the mysterious river of fate. But finding a truesoul from the river of fate was incredibly difficult. Legend had it that only ‘Mother Nuwa’, who had reached the Pangu-God level, could do it. However, if one became a True God or Daofather, they might be able to find Mother Nuwa and ask her to act.

“I need to go to the Huashan Immortal Sect,” Ji Ning said calmly. “I wish to have a word with this Riftfreeze Daoist.”

“I’ll go with you. I’ve also gathered some intelligence on this Riftfreeze Daoist,” King Yan said. “He is now at the Primal Daoist level. The Huashan Immortal Sect still exists because it has a Celestial Immortal guarding it. That Celestial Immortal is also under the command of Daofather Crimsonbright, and I am somewhat acquainted with him. As long as we inform the Huashan Ancestor, he won’t care about the fate of a mere Primal Daoist. Huashan Ancestor is a very upright and principled man; his sect rules are extremely strict. Even with such strict rules, it’s hard to avoid having a few rotten eggs.”

“I understand. I won’t fight against the Huashan Ancestor,” Ji Ning said with a nod.

The one who was owed a debt was the one who had incurred it. Ji Ning understood this principle. King Yan had said all of that because he was worried that Ji Ning would end up fighting the entire Huashan Immortal Sect. After all, Ji Ning had once fought against the nine Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyin Clan single-handedly, even killing two of them. With such power, the Huashan Immortal Sect was no match for him.

…

The Huashan Immortal Sect.

This was the number one sect in the Huashan Commandery of the Wuqiong World. Its founding patriarch was the ‘Huashan Ancestor’, who was still alive. This had made the Huashan Immortal Sect’s fame spread far and wide.

“Master.”

A row of maidservants all called out respectfully as the handsome and extraordinarily elegant Riftfreeze Daoist walked past them with a smile. Everyone in the Huashan Immortal Sect knew that the ‘Riftfreeze Daoist’ was a gentleman. His one small flaw was that he was fond of beautiful women. However, he didn’t steal or rob them; he just had many maidservants. This was hardly a major flaw.

“Qiushui, the seven of you will come with me,” the Riftfreeze Daoist said.

“Yes.”

The seven maidservants he had pointed to immediately acknowledged. They were terrified at heart. Outsiders didn’t know, but they knew all too well how brutal the Riftfreeze Daoist was. Some of the maidservants he had toyed with had died directly. As for the ones who grew older and lost their beauty, the Riftfreeze Daoist would warmly take care of them, sending them back to their mortal tribes and ensuring they lived good lives. This had earned the Riftfreeze Daoist praise from many of the Huashan Immortal Sect’s disciples for being a man of deep feeling.

“Boom.” A figure descended directly.

The Riftfreeze Daoist frowned and turned his head. Who would dare to barge into his domain?

“Sect Leader!” The Riftfreeze Daoist was startled, and he hurriedly bowed.

“Come with me.” The Huashan Sect Leader’s face was cold as he grabbed the Riftfreeze Daoist and tore through the air in an instant.

The Riftfreeze Daoist was terrified the entire way, because the Sect Leader had actually brought him to the place where the legendary Ancestor lived. The ‘Huashan Ancestor’ was the founding patriarch of the sect, a Celestial Immortal! In all these years, the Riftfreeze Daoist had never seen him even once. Why would the Ancestor want to see him? He hadn’t offended the Ancestor. Could it be that the Ancestor had seen his talent and wanted to take him as a disciple?

The Riftfreeze Daoist saw a yellow-robed man kneeling there, trembling.

“Father.” The Riftfreeze Daoist was startled to see his father, who was an Earth Immortal. His father was his pillar of support within the sect.

“Kneel!” the yellow-robed man barked.

The Riftfreeze Daoist fell to his knees with a thud.

A moment later, the small courtyard door in front of them creaked open. Three figures emerged from within.

“Fellow Daoists.” A black-bearded old man was speaking enthusiastically.

The kneeling Riftfreeze Daoist finally got a good look at him. Although he had never seen the Ancestor in person, there was a portrait of him within the sect, and he immediately recognized that the black-bearded old man was the ‘Huashan Ancestor’. Right now, their founding patriarch, the Huashan Ancestor, was speaking with the other two in an extraordinarily courteous and deferential manner.

“Who are those two? Why would the Ancestor show them such respect?” the Riftfreeze Daoist wondered.

The Huashan Ancestor glanced at the kneeling Riftfreeze Daoist. A cold light flashed through his eyes. This damned Riftfreeze Daoist had actually offended Ji Ning! The Endless Territories was also under Daofather Crimsonbright’s control, so naturally the Huashan Ancestor was a Celestial Immortal under Daofather Crimsonbright. The news had long since spread amongst the Celestial Immortals under Daofather Crimsonbright… Ji Ning had faced the nine Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyin Clan alone, including the Poison Loathsome Immortal. In the end, Ji Ning had managed to kill two of them before being ambushed, trapped by karmic fire, and exiled to a deathland.

The news had spread like wildfire, causing countless Celestial Immortals and True Immortals under Daofather Crimsonbright to admire Ji Ning.

He had trained for less than a hundred years, and even in his imperfect Return to Void state, he was able to fight against nine Celestial Immortals and kill two of them!

“He managed to survive being trapped by karmic fire and exiled to a deathland, and he still came back. Such a monster is already stronger than me. Not to mention his vast background and his astonishing potential.” Naturally, the Huashan Ancestor was furious that this Riftfreeze Daoist had brought such a powerful enemy down upon the sect.

“Fellow Daoist Ji Ning, our sect has produced such a vile villain. We are truly ashamed,” the Huashan Ancestor said. “I have summoned the Riftfreeze Daoist. Whether you wish to kill him, cut him to pieces, or torment his soul for a thousand years, please feel free to do as you will.”