The Invisible Line

“However, Ji Ning, what you did was far too reckless,” the Nüwa Empyrean God said with concern. “Right now, we are merely engaging in small skirmishes with the Seamless Gate. Both sides are exercising restraint, unwilling to escalate the scale of the war. We are all probing for weaknesses in order to win this struggle for dominion over fortune (qìyùn). We not only want to win, but we also want to ensure that as many Empyrean Gods and True Immortals survive as possible. The Seamless Gate shares the same mindset.”

“Even if we ultimately win, if our Empyrean Gods and True Immortals are nearly wiped out and seventy to eighty percent of our True God Daofathers are slain… what value would such a victory hold?” The Nüwa Empyrean God looked at Ji Ning. “Neither side is willing to engage in a mad, full-scale clash until the very final moment. Such a clash would be a massacre for both sides.”

“There is an invisible line that neither side dares to cross.”

“And now, you have crossed it.” The Nüwa Empyrean God looked at Ji Ning. “Of course, this is a personal matter. Thus, the Seamless Gate will target you alone. Since you dared to cross the line, they will find a way to eliminate you.”

Ji Ning nodded.

“Rest assured, though. If they attempt to mobilize a large army of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, our side will intervene immediately. An army of nearly three hundred Empyrean Gods and True Immortals… that constitutes an act of war,” the Nüwa Empyrean God said. “However, if they dispatch their most elite Empyrean Gods and True Immortals to hunt you down individually, we cannot send an army to stop them.”

“You are formidable now, but the Seamless Gate also possesses some exceptionally terrifying Empyrean Gods and True Immortals of their own.” The Nüwa Empyrean God looked at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning said, “Fellow Daoist Nüwa, I understand all of this. Since I have acted this way, I am prepared.”

The Nüwa Empyrean God offered no further admonishment. After all, Ji Ning was a prominent figure among Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, not a fool.

The Nüwa Empyrean God and her companions then took their leave.

Ji Ning guided the Void Boat back to the Sword Immortal Realm.

…

Within the Sword Immortal Realm. Mount Five Treasures (Wǔbǎo Shān) pierced the clouds, as serene and silent as ever.

Ji Ning descended alongside seven other Empyrean Gods.

“Ji Ning, what Nüwa spoke of cannot be ignored,” the Red Snow Empyrean God said with concern. “Though you are formidable, there are several within our own Nüwa camp who can match you. For instance, our supreme archers, when augmented with a ‘Chaos Daofruit,’ might possess power even greater than your strongest Karmic Punishment Deity. The Seamless Gate also has several terrifying figures. None of them are to be trifled with.”

“If I encounter a large army, I cannot withstand it. But against individuals, I still have a fighting chance,” Ji Ning said.

“You must be on guard. With the aid of Chaos Daofruits or chaos-class treasures, your opponents might surpass even us,” Red Snow said. The other six Empyrean Gods, including Yuanguang, were all watching Ji Ning.

Ji Ning understood.

Both sides held an unspoken understanding.

You send an individual; I send an individual. They fight. If one dies, they can only blame their inferior skill.

If your side produces a madman who frenziedly ambushes and slaughters my subordinates, crossing the line, I would be justified in dispatching an army. If the madman ceases his slaughter, there is naturally no reason to send an army. Once one side sends an army, the other side gains the justification to send one as well.

Neither side has stated this explicitly. But this is exactly the unwritten rule by which they operate.

This is order!

If order collapses, matters will easily spiral out of control, culminating in a final, decisive battle… something neither side wishes to see.

Within a grass hut.

Ji Ning sat cross-legged, waiting silently.

He had risked everything, gambled his life for this single mad gambit. His goal was to provoke the Seamless Gate.

“Huum.” A wave of energy descended upon Ji Ning.

“Ji Ning.” An icy voice rang out.

“It has finally come.” Ji Ning immediately followed the guiding force, entering the dream world. What he wanted was to negotiate with the Seamless Gate.

…

Within the dark dream world.

A towering, ten-thousand-zhang throne hung suspended in the world’s center. The black-robed Godking seated upon it gazed down at the figure appearing upon the ground below.

“Ji Ning.” The Godking’s voice trembled with fury. “Bolstered by your strength, you have been frenziedly ambushing our Seamless Gate’s outposts. You are the first in the Nüwa camp to dare such an act.”

In truth, there were many Empyrean Gods and True Immortals who harbored deep grudges against the Seamless Gate and wished to do the same. But to be willing to risk everything, to gamble their lives, and to possess the strength for such ambushes… that left only Ji Ning! After all, the formation defenses of those long-established headquarters could hold off an assault by a dozen or even twenty Empyrean Gods and True Immortals for quite some time.

“You sought me out. What is your purpose?” Ji Ning looked up.

The Godking faltered for a moment, then spoke in a low, dark voice. “Fifteen Empyrean Gods and True Immortals have died by your hand. If you cease this now, I am willing to let bygones be bygones.”

In the end, the Godking chose to swallow this bitter anger. He had to consider the grand scheme for the entire Three Realms. He could not constantly be on guard against Ji Ning’s ambushes. Otherwise, he would have to alter the entire Three Realms’ layout—for instance, withdrawing all Empyrean Gods and True Immortals from certain strongholds. But without Empyrean Gods and True Immortals stationed there, some major worlds could not be infiltrated.

“Let bygones be bygones?” Ji Ning looked at the Godking. “I can also cease my attacks. But I have one request.”

The Godking was inwardly enraged. He even dares to make a request? Still, the Godking suppressed his fury and said, “Speak!”

“Return Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei to me,” Ji Ning said.

“Yu Wei?”

The Godking was stunned for a moment. Then, he burst into a laughter tinged with fury, filling the dark world. “So this is why you have been so mad. It’s for Yu Wei. It seems this woman truly means a great deal to you, enough to make you gamble your life.”

“Yes,” Ji Ning nodded. “I am willing to gamble my life for Senior Apprentice-Sister. If you return her to me, I will stop immediately. If you do not, I will continue killing!”

“So that’s it. You do this to coerce me, to pressure the Seamless Gate?” The Godking’s voice carried a chill. “Ji Ning, you overestimate yourself. I merely wished to avoid a minor nuisance and offered you a chance for reconciliation. Yet you dare to threaten the Seamless Gate… how arrogant. Do you truly believe you can succeed in a second ambush? A third? Do you honestly think our Seamless Gate is powerless against a mere whelp like you?”

Who was the Godking? He was the nominal leader of the entire Seamless Gate camp.

Even the Human Sovereigns, the leaders of the Daoist and Buddhist sects, spoke to him as equals.

Earlier, the Godking had adopted a condescending, patronizing attitude. ‘You stop, and I will spare you. You have a request? Speak it. If it’s not too excessive, I might grant it.’ But to use this as a means to threaten the Seamless Gate, to force the Seamless Gate into a concession… it was pure suicide!

“I only wish for the Godking to return Senior Apprentice-Sister to me,” Ji Ning said, looking at the Godking.

“Impossible.” The Godking looked down at Ji Ning. “You now have only two choices. One: cease your attacks, and our Seamless Gate will spare you. Two: continue your enmity. As for Yu Wei, do not even think about it.”

Ji Ning stared at the Godking.

The Godking stared back down at him.

“Swoosh.” Ji Ning’s form dissipated as he departed.

“Courting death,” the Godking raged inwardly even more. “An Empyrean God and True Immortal dares to think he can threaten our Seamless Gate? Absurd! Absolutely absurd!”

The Seamless Gate’s predecessor had been the Seamless Chaosworld, existing on the same level as the Pangu Chaosworld.

How could such a power be so easily threatened?

…

Ji Ning sat alone in his grass hut for a long time.

“Senior Apprentice-Sister.”

“Though the hope is but a sliver.”

“I will keep killing. I will kill until the Seamless Gate can no longer bear it.” In Ji Ning’s eyes, there was only an unshakable resolve. This path was perilous, but this was the gamble of his life.

Ji Ning then ceased his brooding and sank his mind into the water Mansion.

Within the main hall of the water Mansion, a pile of treasures lay gathered. These were all the spoils from this last ambush. Ji Ning quickly began to refine them. These treasures might be of little help to him personally, but they would be of great assistance to other Empyrean Gods and True Immortals. Strengthening his allies by even a fraction could tilt the scales of future victory, if only slightly.

“Pure Yang magic treasures.”

“Pure Yang.”

“And an Innate spirit-treasure. Only a low-grade innate, though. Its power is average, but it is rather interesting.”

“And plenty of Pure Yang Immortal Pills, Grand Dao Immortal Pills… these are poisons?” Ji Ning quickly finished accounting for all the treasures from the slain Empyrean Gods and True Immortals.

Next, he began the large-scale process of refining the possessions of the slain Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals, his subordinates. This was much faster. These Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals had been swept aside while Ji Ning was killing the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals. Their items were not particularly valuable—generally Immortal-ranked treasures, with the occasional Pure Yang magic treasure if he was lucky.

“These are the possessions left by Shaoyin Chou.”

“His World-Sealing Tower?”

“Pity… the World-Sealing Tower was not with these sixteen clones.” Ji Ning still remembered how the World-Sealing Tower had transported him to the Realm of Annihilation. He searched thoroughly but found no trace of it. He did, however, discover some nurtured insect-beast monsters.

Ji Ning did not pay much attention to Shaoyin Chou’s other items. But one object caught his eye.

“What is this?” Ji Ning was startled.

A massive, completely black stone tablet was floating in the air. The tablet radiated a faint pressure. Though faint, it was supremely lofty—so lofty that its pressure was even stronger than what Ji Ning felt from his master, Patriarch Subhuti.

Swoosh.

Although Ji Ning himself was sitting in the grass hut, a sliver of his divine power coalesced into a clone that descended directly into the water Mansion to personally examine this floating black stone tablet.