The War of Immortals Begins

Author's Note: This marks the true beginning of the mid-stage of Desolate Era. The true immortal war begins—a war where immortals will fall, countless beings will die… the great calamity truly begins! I've been preparing, but with a large-scale war of this nature… I need to be even more careful. Give me another day, just one more day in the daylight, to carefully prepare. Today is September 1st. Crabs are also reminding me to pull votes, but to be honest, Desolate Era is still in its initial stage of building momentum. We've just now entered the mid-stage. Writing the novel well is the most important thing. Quality first, monthly rankings second. I believe that if the book is well-written, the votes will naturally follow. Get ready, everyone. The war of the immortals is coming! To see if it's exciting, you'll just have to read on!

The news of Old Man Yuan's full-scale mobilization swept across the Three Realms like a plague. The armies of the Seamless Gate were no longer hidden; they moved with a terrifying and deliberate speed. In the countless minor worlds, and even within the major worlds themselves, one sect after another fell, their masters slain and their disciples scattered. It was not a chaotic invasion, but a systematic, surgical dismemberment of the opposing forces.

Within the void, away from the prying eyes of the Heavenly Dao, Ji Ning and his forces were gathering. The sheer scale of the mobilization was a shock to the system.

There were Familiar figures everywhere. Scattered Loose Immortals who had once ruled their own tiny corners of the world now stood in disciplined ranks. Celestial Immortals who were legends in their own regions acted as mere squad leaders. The air was thick with a cacophony of auras: the sharpness of a thousand immortal swords, the heavy pulse of godly power, and the silent, suffocating pressure of heartforce. Men and women who had spent centuries in secluded cultivation were now standing shoulder-to-shoulder, waiting for a single order to march into the jaws of death.

One figure, however, stood out not for his power, but for his demeanor. He was a thin man with a perpetually smiling face, known in the darker corners of the universe as the "Venomous Clown." He had attached himself to Ji Ning's retinue, and his cheerful, analytical smile never faltered.

"Ah, the Sword Immortal of the Three Realms," the Venomous Clown said, clapping his hands softly. "What a magnificent sight! Your 'Soleheart Stance' is a wondrous concept, truly. A perfect defense, a black hole that devours all. It is a joy to witness."

Ji Ning glanced at him, his face impassive. "You flatter me."

"Flattery? No, no," the Clown replied, his smile widening. "It is a clinical observation. Your defense is indeed your greatest strength. But that, dear Sword Immortal… is also your greatest weakness. You see, a perfect defense invites a perfect encirclement. A man who can't be broken from the front must simply be crushed from all sides. I've been cataloging your battles. The pattern is clear. They try to pin you down, hoping you'll be a rock they can surround. It's a beautiful strategy, really. A predictable one, but a beautiful one."

His voice was light, conversational, as if he were discussing the weather or a particularly fine vintage. The casual manner in which he proposed the method of Ji Ning's potential death was chilling.

Ji Ning simply nodded. "Then they will find their teeth shattered against the rock."

"I do hope so," the Venomous Clown said, his eyes twinkling with genuine amusement. "For your sake, I do hope so."

From afar, a chaos-immortal clad in flowing white robes flew towards the gathering, his face pale with urgency. "Autarch Darknorth! The Seamless Gate has launched an attack on the Thirty-Sixth Minor World! Lord Yanluo cannot hold them back! The formation is fracturing!"

The news rippled through the army, but Ji Ning was already moving. "Prepare the dimensional shift. We are the vanguard. If that world falls, the Seamless Gate will have a beachhead into our rear flank. We cannot allow it."

The army snapped into motion with a discipline born of desperation. Teleportation arrays hummed, and in a flash of light, Ji Ning and a vanguard of ten thousand were gone.

They arrived over a field of carnage. The Thirty-Sixth Minor World was a battlefield of fire and shattered mountains. In the center of it all, the Seamless Gate's forces had Lord Yanluo's retreating army cornered. Leading the assault was a burly, monstrous figure, a general with the head of a tiger and a body covered in bone armor.

"Patriarch Subhuti's disciple!" the Tiger-General roared, shaking his massive war-axe. "You are too late! This world's Qi of Fortune is already shattered! It belongs to the Seamless Gate now!"

The air was thick with the scent of blood and the echo of dying screams. The "Qi of Fortune" of the world, that intangible destiny that held a realm together, was indeed severely wounded. The very sky seemed to weep, streaked with grey clouds and flashes of void-lightning.

Ji Ning didn't respond. He simply drew his Northernlong sword. In the time it took the Tiger-General to blink, a single, silver streak of light crossed the battlefield.

The Tiger-General's roar was cut short. His eyes widened in disbelief as a brilliant line of blood appeared across his neck. He had been a monster of legend, a being of pure violence, but against the Sword Immortal's full might, he was just a lesson.

The Seamless Gate formation wavered. The soldiers looked at their fallen general, then at the silent, terrifying figure of Ji Ning standing in the sky.

"Retreat," a cold voice commanded from the shadows. "The Sword Immortal is here. We cannot take this world today."

The Seamless Gate forces broke and fled, vanishing into hidden spatial rifts. Ji Ning landed amidst the smoking ruins, his sword still dripping with a single drop of godly blood. The war for the Thirty-Sixth Minor World was won, but it was the first of a thousand such battles. And he knew, as he looked at the broken sky, that the true war was only just beginning. The old monsters were being stirred from their slumber. The chess pieces were moving into place. The Heartforge Tribulation of the Three Realms was upon them.

As Ji Ning flew back to his own encampment, the Venomous Clown was waiting for him. "A clean kill, my lord. But the game is just getting started. The old man is losing his patience. When he starts to panic, he'll discard the little pieces and start throwing the mountains at us."

"Let him," Ji Ning said, his voice as cold as the void. "I'll shatter every mountain he throws."