The Two Gambles

Master Stonerule glanced at the Godking, then smiled. “There are two methods that offer absolute certainty.”

“Two?” The Godking’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t been able to think of even one.

“For someone like Ji Ning, whose speed has already reached the absolute limit of the Heavenly Daos, ordinary methods are useless against him. Even the most powerful of the great beings cannot outpace him in raw speed, and the other True Gods and True Immortals are even less comparable.” Master Stonerule said. “At times like this, you have to rely on quantity. If you amass enough True Gods and True Immortals, you can even kill True Gods and Daofathers.”

“Since he’s so fast, dispatch massive waves of True Gods and True Immortals to form a truly supreme grand formation. This will leave Ji Ning with nowhere to flee.” Master Stonerule continued. “However, to completely trap Ji Ning to death would require an enormous number of True Gods and True Immortals.”

“How many?” The Godking pressed.

“At least five thousand.” Master Stonerule said.

The Godking’s heart sank.

But it made sense.

Two hundred and twenty-nine True Gods and True Immortals forming the ‘Seamless Limitless Formation’ had merely sealed off a region ten thousand kilometers in diameter. Ji Ning couldn’t escape it, but the area was simply too small—only ten thousand kilometers! The ‘Bright Void Sealing Formation’ covered a wide area, large enough to envelope an entire major world, but it only served to hinder him. Ji Ning only needed to spend a bit of time to tear open the void and escape.

To form a grand formation vast enough that Ji Ning would have no path of escape required a truly staggering number of True Gods and True Immortals.

The Bright Void Sealing Formation required six hundred and forty True Gods and True Immortals.

To truly leave Ji Ning with no way out, however, required more than five thousand.

“That many…” The Godking frowned. “For my Seamless Gate to dispatch over five thousand True Gods and True Immortals in a single batch… that’s too difficult. Last time, I transferred over two hundred True Gods and True Immortals from the Third World. This time, I would need to transfer over six hundred, which I am doing here at your place, Uncle-Master. Your First World has a great many True Gods and True Immortals; transferring six hundred or so wouldn’t destabilize it much. But transferring over five thousand… even for you, Uncle-Master, that would be extremely dangerous.”

Master Stonerule nodded. “I have just over ten thousand True Gods and True Immortals here. If we transfer more than half of them, the Nuwa Alliance will likely immediately dispatch a large army of True Gods and True Immortals to directly attack my First World. If the True Gods and Daofathers on both sides do not intervene, the First World will not be able to hold.”

“Mn.” The Godking nodded.

In terms of sheer numbers of True Gods and True Immortals, the Seamless Gate was significantly inferior to the Nuwa Alliance.

In terms of overall strength, the Seamless Gate was on the weaker side! It was only through superior intelligence and the use of puppets that they had managed to fight to a standstill. The True Gods and True Immortals of the Seamless Gate hid within the First World, the Second World, the Third World, and the other great military camps, relying on the power of the many grand formations and restrictive spells within their strongholds to hold off the Nuwa Alliance’s attacks.

But if even the strongest of these ten great military camps, the First World, dispatched more than five thousand of its troops, its strength would immediately plummet. This would be extremely dangerous!

“If we mobilize simultaneously from all ten worlds of the Seamless Gate…” the Godking said hesitantly. “Once we mobilize, we can move immediately. We’ll kill Ji Ning first, then return. By the time the Nuwa Alliance’s army of True Gods and True Immortals launches its attack, it might already be too late.”

Even as he spoke, he knew this was only the most ideal scenario.

In reality…

Ji Ning’s current rampage was so frenzied that the great beings of the Nuwa Alliance were certainly paying close attention. Once the Seamless Gate began such a massive-scale mobilization, the Nuwa Alliance would naturally have countermeasures ready.

“If we’re fast enough, it might work.” The Godking gritted his teeth.

This method was a gamble.

A gamble on being fast enough.

Otherwise, it would be extremely dangerous. With thousands of True Gods and True Immortals deployed outside, the Nuwa Alliance could either intercept and slaughter this army or launch a large-scale offensive against the Ten Worlds themselves!

“Think it over.” Master Stonerule looked at the Godking.

“What about the other method?” the Godking pressed.

“Have a True God or Daofather take direct action and kill Ji Ning,” Master Stonerule said calmly.

“A True God or Daofather?” The Godking was stunned. “This… this…”

Although Ji Ning possessed the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation technique, a powerful True God or Daofather could still kill him. Even if their speed couldn’t match his, they could use spells and other methods to seal off a large area or even directly bind Ji Ning… under an endless wave of binding force, Ji Ning wouldn’t be able to fly, no matter how fast he was.

For example, if the Buddha Tathagata made a move, a single hand could seal the heavens and earth, trapping him within the Five Elements. Ji Ning wouldn’t be able to move an inch.

I can’t outrun you, little fellow, but I can suppress you and prevent you from using your speed! The reason the Ten Golden Crows were so terrifying in the past was that their leader, the ‘Golden Crow Demon Emperor,’ was himself a True God or Daofather in strength. With the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation technique added on top, even the great beings of the ancient era were helpless against him. It was only Houyi, using specially crafted arrows, who finally managed to kill that Demon Emperor. The other nine little ones… were actually far less of a threat.

However—

There was an unspoken understanding between the two major camps. Neither wished to prematurely trigger a battle between the great beings. If such a war really broke out, given the current strength of both sides, it would likely result in mutual annihilation. The Seamless Gate had a higher probability of being wiped out entirely, but even if the Nuwa Alliance won, very few of their own would survive.

Master Stonerule said calmly, “There are two possible outcomes. First, a True God or Daofather kills Ji Ning, breaking the unspoken rules. The Nuwa Alliance will be enraged and directly trigger the final, all-out war. The second possibility is that after killing Ji Ning, the Nuwa Alliance, though furious, is unwilling to start the final battle right now. We make some concessions on our side, and the matter blows over. The second outcome is more likely.”

The Godking nodded slowly.

It was true.

This was a war between camps; the other side had to consider the entire alliance. The chance of them starting the final war just because of a single Ji Ning was indeed small.

“This is also a gamble,” Master Stonerule said, looking at the Godking. “Kill Ji Ning first, then wait for the Nuwa Alliance’s response.”

“This…” The Godking’s head throbbed with pain.

Two methods.

One required sending out over five thousand True Gods and True Immortals—a force large enough to be considered a full-scale war between top-tier territory-realms, capable of even surrounding and killing ordinary True Gods and Daofathers.

The other required a top-tier True God or Daofather to take action and kill Ji Ning in an instant.

Both were gambles.

As the nominal leader of the Seamless Gate camp, the Godking was in excruciating pain.

“Isn’t there any other way?” the Godking asked anxiously.

“The two methods I mentioned offer a one hundred percent certainty of killing Ji Ning. Other methods offer no such guarantee,” Master Stonerule said.

“Please speak, Uncle-Master,” the Godking pressed. Even if there was no guarantee, there was still a possibility of killing Ji Ning. He was unwilling to resort to the two previous gambling methods; those were simply putting the entire Seamless Gate on the line.

Master Stonerule said, “Have you noticed that when Ji Ning uses the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation technique, he always enters the Void Boat first before activating it?”

“That’s right,” the Godking nodded.

“This is because… the key mystery of this teleportation technique lies within the Nine-Horned Lightning Serpent itself,” Master Stonerule said. “If Ji Ning were to use this technique on himself, he naturally wouldn’t need the Void Boat. He could escape instantly. However, the current Ji Ning is carrying a vast number of Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals, who have formed a grand formation that has transformed him into the ‘Rahu Fiendgod.’ Moreover, Ji Ning probably cannot fully control the power of the Rahu Fiendgod. Thus, using the Nine-Horned Lightning Serpent to envelop the Rahu Fiendgod places too great a burden on the serpent. The serpent probably wouldn’t be able to fly very far.”

The Godking nodded, his eyes lighting up. “Right. It’s the same with the Golden Crows. When one of the Golden Crows flies on its own, it’s unbelievably fast. But if it tries to carry other powerful beings, it becomes slower. Unless the Golden Crow stores them inside a magic treasure.”

“Correct,” Master Stonerule nodded. “So the ‘Rahu Fiendgod,’ Ji Ning, must first enter the Void Boat. The Void Boat completely restrains the power of the Rahu Fiendgod, preventing it from affecting the Lightning-Serpent. Only then can the Nine-Horned Lightning Serpent envelop the Void Boat and achieve its ultimate speed.”

“When the Rahu Fiendgod attacks other locations and senses danger, he enters the Void Boat, then escapes. This process of hiding inside the Void Boat… is a very brief window of time,” Master Stonerule said. “This brief window is the only chance to kill Ji Ning.”

The stronger a being is,

the more the battle is decided in the tiniest of moments. In just a single instant, it is entirely possible to take Ji Ning’s life.

“I understand.” The Godking nodded.

No wonder the Godking said there was no guarantee. If a True God or Daofather were to act, they could naturally seize that brief instant. But the one making the move would have to be a True God or True Immortal… and it was far more difficult for them to deal with Ji Ning in such a short span of time. After all, Ji Ning himself was incredibly powerful.

…

“Flee! Flee! Flee!”

“Let’s go!”

“We spent endless effort and a massive price to build this place, and we’re just abandoning it like this?”

“Forget it! If we don’t leave now, our lives are forfeit.”

Those strongholds which had been painstakingly established and deeply rooted all began their evacuation. The great beings of the Seamless Gate camp had long since locked onto Ji Ning with their divine sense or heartforce. As soon as Ji Ning approached a major world, all the True Gods and True Immortals there would flee without a trace.

“Flee?” The Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, wielded six divine swords in his hands, executing the ‘Heavenbreaker Stance.’ The devastating, world-destroying power smashed the restrictive formations and spells of those strongholds into pieces. Great mountains collapsed, and palaces crumbled. Everything was annihilated.

“If I can’t kill you, then I’ll destroy the entire Three Realms! I’ll raze every single stronghold and outpost of the Seamless Gate!”

“Building is hard, but destruction is easy.”

“I refuse to believe you won’t bow your heads.”

The Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, had completely changed his strategy. Now that he was being tracked, it was very difficult to kill any more True Gods or True Immortals. So, he would turn to destruction. He would continuously destroy the painstakingly constructed strongholds one by one. It was precisely by relying on these strongholds that the True Gods and True Immortals of the Seamless Gate could infiltrate certain major worlds and resist the attacks of the True Gods and True Immortals within those worlds.

But now, Ji Ning had begun his campaign of destruction!

This sight caused the great beings of the Seamless Gate to feel pain and anxiety. One by one, they transmitted messages to the Godking: “Godking, you must stop this Ji Ning!”

“Godking, think of something, quickly!”

These great beings truly wished to personally strike and kill Ji Ning.

But they all understood that many great beings of the Nuwa Alliance were certainly watching Ji Ning closely. If any of them truly made a move against Ji Ning, the Nuwa Alliance would likely counterattack immediately. At the very least, the True God or Daofather who made the move would probably be killed. Their guess was correct… The ‘Human Sovereign Suiren,’ who owed Ji Ning an enormous debt of gratitude for having just received the techniques and six bottles of Chaos Nectar, was watching Ji Ning at this very moment. He would absolutely never permit a True God or Daofather from the other side to make a move.

If there was to be a fight, let the True Gods and True Immortals fight. That was the rule!

…

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Ten thousand zhang tall, the majestic Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, swung his divine swords. Wherever he passed, heaven and earth collapsed. Mountains toppled, and rivers and seas churned.

No one could stop him.

“Mn?” The Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, suddenly frowned. His heartforce, which he had been constantly emitting, detected a tear in space not too far away. He turned his head to look. On the other side of the torn space stood a tall man in golden armor, wielding a massive bow. The arrow, however, had already been loosed. It was precisely that arrow which had torn open the world’s membrane.

Swish!

The arrow, filled with terrifying might, was like a falling star, leaving a dark red trail in the air. The Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, had not yet returned to the Void Boat, and truly had no time to escape.

“A powerful shot. He must have consumed a Chaos Daofruit to achieve such power.” The Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, was not flustered in the slightest. The divine sword in his hand transformed into a black hole, welcoming the incoming arrow.

Boom! Boom! Boom!~~~

Among the stances of Ji Ning’s Brightmoon Sword-Art, the one perfected to the highest degree was the defensive ‘Soleheart Stance.’

This was the first of Ji Ning’s Brightmoon Five Stances to take its initial form. One must know that when he was originally creating this sword technique, Ji Ning was always the weaker party facing a stronger foe. This defensive stance was best at continuously weakening the power of an enemy’s attack.

“Boom.” The arrow, now trapped within the black hole and imbued with the power of chaos, finally struggled free. But the arrow itself had become slanted. It struck the arm of the Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, at an angle. Although the Rahu Fiendgod’s body was using only the tiniest fraction of its true power, the Fiendgod’s body itself was incredibly strong—even stronger than a True God’s body.

Even a perfect arrow would probably only manage to wound Ji Ning at best. Now, with its power greatly diminished, the arrow merely ‘smashed’ into the arm of the Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, at an angle. The powerful impact only caused his arm to go temporarily limp before it quickly recovered.

“That divine archer, ‘Cranequ Heavenly God,’ certainly knows how to run.”

The Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, looked towards the membrane of the world. The shattered void began to seal itself, but the golden-armored man on the other side had already fled long ago.

Cranequ Heavenly God knew very well that once his first arrow failed, with Ji Ning’s Lightning-Serpent speed, Ji Ning could easily kill him. So, the moment he loosed the arrow, he didn’t even wait to see the result before he was already gone.

“Seamless Gate!”

The Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, raised his head and roared, “You have cast my wife into the endless hells! Then I will destroy every single one of your strongholds and bases! I will kill and kill, and I will keep killing until the end!”

“Kill!”

This powerful, murderous intent resonated even more perfectly with the Rahu Fiendgod formation. Ji Ning found that his control over it seemed to improve, allowing him to draw upon even a little more of its power.

Whoosh.

Riding the Void Boat, the Rahu Fiendgod, Ji Ning, roamed across the Three Realms, beginning a campaign of mad, rampant destruction.

…

“Failure.”

The First World.

The black-robed Godking’s face was ugly. “With Ji Ning’s heartforce, we can only use long-range ambushes. There’s simply no way to get close to him. And for long range, only arrows are suitable… yet even Cranequ Heavenly God, a top-tier divine archer using a Chaos Daofruit, could be blocked head-on. What do we do? What the hell do we do?!” The black-robed Godking’s heart was truly in chaos.

Was he supposed to just let Ji Ning continue his mad rampage of destruction?

“Godking, what’s going on? Ji Ning was shouting earlier, saying his wife was cast into the endless hells?”

“Godking, is Ji Ning this crazy because his wife was cast into the endless hells?”

One by one, the great beings enshrouded him with their divine sense, sending him telepathic questions.

Although some of the great beings of the Seamless Gate knew that the spy they had planted, ‘Yu Wei,’ was the one who had sabotaged the Divine Farmer’s medicine during the Realm War of the Crimsonbright Territory, very few knew that she had been imprisoned in the Infinity Hells.

Master Stonerule, standing beside the Godking, was even more confused. “Ji Ning’s wife? Who? Cast into the endless hells? What’s all this about?” With his exalted status, he hadn’t paid any attention to the Realm War of the Crimsonbright Territory back then.

…

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