The Hidden Fourth Layer

Chapter 649: The Hidden Fourth Layer

After chatting for a long time, the wine was finished and it was time for everyone to rest. Ji Ning spoke to Empyrean God Xiuke. “Senior apprentice-brother Xiuke, at the entrance to this volcano island, there is a stone stele. The stele contains the profound mysteries of the Snow Fiendlord’s staff technique. You should go take a look.”

“Oh?” Empyrean God Xiuke’s eyes lit up.

“Xiuke, you haven’t gone yet?”

“Go quickly. That stele is quite remarkable.”

“Hurry, hurry.”

The seven Dragon Gods all urged him on with laughter.

“Alright, I’ll go take a look right now.” Empyrean God Xiuke immediately headed off toward the stele alone.

“Brother Northmont, there are plenty of palaces here. Pick whichever one you like. Since you just arrived, no one will attack you for at least a thousand years,” Withered Dragon God said.

“Alright.” Ji Ning nodded, then selected a palace to temporarily reside in.

…

Two days later.

Empyrean God Xiuke returned from studying the stele and gathered once more with the seven Dragon Gods.

“How was it? The stele was quite impressive, wasn’t it?” Roc Dragon God laughed.

“It was indeed impressive, but my path is not the path of Tai-chi,” Empyrean God Xiuke sighed. “Alas, I was trapped on that Snow Island for over a hundred million years simply because my offense is too weak. My movement technique was such that even the Snow Fiendlord couldn’t kill me, but that was useless. My attacks were too weak, so I could never gain the Snow Fiendlord’s acknowledgment. He simply wouldn’t let me pass. Thankfully, junior apprentice-brother Northmont brought me along.”

“And where is Brother Northmont?” Withered Dragon God asked.

“He’s still cultivating,” Void Dragon God said. “I saw him training, so I didn’t disturb him.”

“Brother Northmont is truly dedicated,” Mystic Dragon God said. “Xiuke, just how strong is Brother Northmont? The seven of us have been trapped here for far, far too long, from the primordial era until now. We simply can’t endure it any longer. If Brother Northmont is strong enough, we’d like to ask him for help bringing us along. We’ve given up all hope on the treasures of the Moon Underwater Abyss.”

“How strong is he?”

Empyrean God Xiuke shook his head. “I’ve seen him fight. He’s skilled in the sword arts, quite formidable. But he’s only at the third layer of Sword Force. His divine abilities are probably very strong… It took him several days to get from the Snow Island to the volcano island. He probably fought a bitter, protracted battle before the Snow Fiendlord acknowledged him and let him through.”

“The third layer of Sword Force?” Withered Dragon God shook his head. “What a pity. He can be considered a sword expert, but dealing with the Hellflame God… that’s not enough.”

“What a shame.”

“Ah well. Let’s wait.”

One by one, they all showed their disappointment.

“I’m already satisfied just being able to come from the Snow Island to the volcano island,” Empyrean God Xiuke said. “Truth be told, when I first followed Brother Northmont, I was gambling. When I saw him draw his sword back then, I wasn’t very confident. But the gamble paid off. There’s no need to be disheartened. Perhaps after a few tens of thousands of years, or even a million years, Brother Northmont’s strength will have increased greatly, and we’ll be able to take another gamble.”

“Let’s hope so.” The seven Dragon Gods all sighed.

They had been hoping that this time, someone would be able to help them. But Empyrean God Xiuke had only made it here because Ji Ning brought him along—he wasn’t someone they could rely on. As for Ji Ning himself… he had barely stumbled his way to the volcano island. The hope of him pushing further ahead was slim.

…

In a quiet, secluded palace.

Ji Ning sat cross-legged in perfect stillness. One of his Primaltwin clones was within the aquatic manor, also studying the Five Treasures Sword Art.

Since he had just succeeded in mastering the third scroll of the Five Treasures Sword Art, he could now begin training in the final scroll—the fourth. The deeper he delved into this final scroll, the more he marveled at the profound, unfathomable mysteries of the Five Treasures Sword Art. As he cultivated, his insights naturally grew. He was well aware…

The Moon Underwater Abyss was not so easily traversed. He had only just reached the volcano island. He could only imagine how much more difficult the road ahead would be. So he had to do his best to increase his strength.

Time flowed on.

Six months passed in the blink of an eye. In that half-year, both of Ji Ning’s Primaltwin clones had comprehended nearly half of the fourth scroll of the Five Treasures Sword Art but then found further progress impossible. Ji Ning set it aside for the moment and instead turned to refining his own Brightmoon Sword-Art. Ever since breaking through to the fourth layer of Sword Force, he hadn’t truly perfected the art.

Refining the Brightmoon Sword-Art was relatively easier. Occasionally, during the refinement process, new inspirations would strike him, allowing him to return to the fourth scroll of the Five Treasures Sword Art and make headway once more.

…

Ji Ning had been on the volcano island for one year and three months.

He finally opened his eyes.

“For now, my Brightmoon Sword-Art has reached the limit of what I can refine,” Ji Ning said as he rose, a smile on his face. “If I were to face the Snow Fiendlord again now, a single Primaltwin clone would probably be enough to easily defeat him.”

Sword Force was, above all, a power of attack and killing.

Ji Ning’s Brightmoon Sword-Art had been infused with the essence of the Five Treasures Sword Art, a technique that surpassed the limits of the Heavenly Dao. Its power was naturally astonishing. In terms of pure offense, he could completely suppress the Snow Fiendlord. And with the Three Heads, Six Arms ability, he could fight six hands against two—overwhelming his opponent through sheer numerical advantage. It would be a complete, crushing victory.

“It’s been so long since I last went to see Senior Apprentice-Brother Xiuke and the seven Dragon Gods.” Ji Ning felt a twinge of guilt. He had been cultivating for over a year without stopping. He immediately left his palace to visit them.

Shortly after.

The seven Dragon Gods, Empyrean God Xiuke, and Ji Ning gathered together.

“The eight of us have almost no hope of increasing our strength, so we often gather together. But you, Brother Northmont, you go into seclusion for over a year at a time. It reminds me of when I first entered the Moon Underwater Abyss myself,” Empyrean God Xiuke said with a laugh.

“I’m embarrassed to say it,” Ji Ning replied.

“By the way.” Ji Ning looked at the eight of them. “I’m planning to make a try. I want to see if I can make it to the next island.”

“You?”

The seven Dragon Gods and Empyrean God Xiuke exchanged glances.

Withered Dragon God said, “Brother Northmont, you should know that on the third island, there are treasures. Those who make it that far can claim them.”

“Treasures?” Ji Ning’s eyes lit up.

“The Oceanic Yasha, the Snow Fiendlord, and the Hellflame God. These are the three obstacles left behind by the creator of the Moon Underwater Abyss. Overcome all three, and you get the treasure. Of course, the fourth and fifth islands also have their own treasures.” Withered Dragon God looked at Ji Ning. “But do you think treasures are so easily obtained? You can probably guess how terrifying the Hellflame God must be.”

Ji Ning listened intently.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

“If you follow the other exit from the volcano island, you’ll find another floating log bridge. That bridge stretches across an endless sea of fire. Within that sea of fire, there is a Fiendgod called the Hellflame God,” Withered Dragon God said. “The Hellflame God is formed entirely from coalesced flames. He wields a pair of halberds. His strength is immense, nearly that of a True God. Though his flying speed is slow, his halberd attacks are incredibly fast and fierce. His ‘Ultimate Force’ has reached the fourth layer. Compared to the Snow Fiendlord, he is far better at attacking. He is stronger, faster, and with both halberds striking wildly… it is a complete nightmare.”

Ji Ning was quietly alarmed.

Stronger and faster? That meant the Hellflame God’s foundation was superior to the Snow Fiendlord’s.

“The seven of us know very well just how powerful he is. We truly wish you could make it past him, so we could follow you,” Withered Dragon God said, shaking his head. “But he is too strong. If your strength isn’t sufficient, you could very well die.”

“The seven Dragon Gods entered the Abyss back in the primordial era,” Ji Ning said, puzzled. “If you wanted to follow a powerful Empyrean God into the next island, surely you would have met such a powerful Empyrean God long ago.”

“Yes.”

The only woman among them, Void Dragon God, nodded. Her voice was crisp. “You’re right. From the primordial era until now, we have encountered over ten figures who could definitely make it past the Hellflame God. But that was a very long time ago. The seven of us support each other. Even if the Hellflame Fiendgod comes up onto the volcano island, he cannot do anything to us. We had enough patience. We wanted to cultivate slowly, to eventually cross on our own strength.”

“But thirty million years ago, the Hellflame God told us that we had been in the Moon Underwater Abyss for nearly an entire Chaos Cycle. Ten million years from then, he would go all out to annihilate us.” Void Dragon God’s eyes grew dim. “It was only then we realized that the Moon Underwater Abyss does not give us unlimited time.”

“If the Hellflame God truly goes all out, ceaselessly attacking us, our divine power will constantly be consumed. When we run out, we are as good as dead. We had never heard of a ‘Chaos Cycle’ before, but we understood that it must be a time limit set by the almighty creator.”

“One Chaos Cycle?” Ji Ning was shocked.

From the primordial era until now… it had already been a full Chaos Cycle?

Ji Ning had long suspected that the Moon Underwater Abyss was a brutal training ground for Empyrean Gods. A Chaos Cycle was probably enough; if one hadn’t truly broken through in that time, they likely never would.

“We have only seventy million years left,” Violent Dragon God said, his voice deep and rumbling. “We refuse to admit defeat so easily. We want to live. So we hoped a powerful Empyrean God would take us along. But where are we to find such a powerful Empyrean God now?”

Ji Ning nodded.

For the past ten million years, he was the only one who had entered.

“Though we desperately want to leave and refuse to die like this… Ji Ning, your strength truly isn’t enough,” Violent Dragon God said. “Don’t take offense, but the Hellflame God’s power is astonishing. Your third layer of Sword Force… it’s still far from enough. The chances of you making it past him are slim. To have any hope at all, you generally need to have reached the fourth layer of a combat-type force like the power of lightning, the power of Tai-chi, Ultimate Force, Heartforce, the Nine Nether Force, and so forth.”

“Of course, if your specialty is a combat type like Sword Force, Blade Force, or Explosive Force… then you would have a solid chance.”

Violent Dragon God looked at Ji Ning. “Brother Northmont, you should only go if you have at least a fighting chance. Otherwise, you would be gambling with your life. If you’re lucky, you can retreat. If you’re unlucky, you’ll die there.”

“Junior apprentice-brother Northmont, take your time. You’re different from us. Your path is still very long,” Empyrean God Xiuke said. “Truth be told, just making it to the volcano island is already more than I had hoped for.”

Ji Ning blinked in surprise.

The third layer of Sword Force?

How did they all believe he was only at the third layer?