The Fourth Layer of Sword Force

“Stop.”

Ji Ning immediately called out.

The seven Dragon Gods and Empyrean God Xiuke all halted as well, turning to look at Ji Ning. In truth, they were reluctant to say more, but they genuinely did not want Ji Ning to die at the hands of the Purgatory God.

“You… who told you that I was at the third layer of Sword Force?” Ji Ning asked with a smile.

“Hm?” The eight present were all stunned. The tone in Ji Ning’s voice suggested he was not at the third layer of Sword Force.

“It was I who said it,” Empyrean God Xiuke said, looking at Ji Ning with confusion. “Did I guess wrong?”

“Oh.” Ji Ning suddenly understood, and he explained with a smile, “When I first met Senior Apprentice-Brother Xiuke, I truly was only at the third layer of Sword Force.”

The moment these words were spoken, the eight present all revealed expressions of joyful surprise.

“You broke through?”

“You broke through while fighting the Snow Fiendlord?”

“You’ve reached the fourth layer of Sword Force?” One after another, they stared at Ji Ning with excitement and anticipation.

Ji Ning nodded and smiled. At the same time, he traced a line with his finger. A streak of black sword-light swirled around his fingertip, sharp and peerless.

Seeing the Sword Force in the form of that black sword-light, the seven Dragon Gods and Empyrean God Xiuke were both excited and at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Empyrean God Xiuke quickly said, “Brother Northmont, this matter is my—”

“I understand,” Ji Ning interrupted. “Senior Apprentice-Brother Xiuke, you thought that way because I was fighting the Snow Fiendlord for too long. It’s my fault for not saying so earlier.”

“How could it be your fault? Who goes around foolishly proclaiming their own power level?” The Violent Dragon God beside them laughed heartily. “Alright, it seems the seven of us are fated not to die. With Brother Northmont’s strength, it should be a simple matter to get past the Purgatory God. Let’s go, let’s go! We need to get to the next island quickly. That way, our chances of escaping will be much greater.”

“We’ve been in the Moon Underwater Abyss for endless ages. According to the Purgatory God, it’s been nearly a full Chaos Cycle, and we still don’t even know what the next island looks like.”

“I’m really curious.”

“I heard that after repelling the Purgatory God, we can take treasures.”

“Fourth brother, what are you getting excited about? It’s not like you’re the one taking the treasures.”

“I can get excited if I want to, can’t I?”

Everyone was laughing and joking. The prospect of finally leaving this volcanic island had lifted all their spirits.

…

Half an hour later.

Ji Ning and the others arrived at the other side of the volcanic island.

“We’re here. Just keep following the floating wooden bridge,” the Withered Dragon God said, pointing ahead. In front of them stretched an endless sea of flame, boundless and vast. A single floating wooden bridge cut straight through the fiery ocean.

“So hot.” Ji Ning turned his head and laughed. “Everyone, please enter my immortal estate and wait for a time.”

“Please.”

“Sorry for the trouble.”

“Come, come, let me have a look at your immortal estate.” They all spoke cheerfully. It was only because they knew Ji Ning’s strength, and understood that he had absolute confidence, that they were so relaxed. Earlier, when Empyrean God Xiuke had first followed Ji Ning, he had been filled with anxiety.

With a wave of his hand, the eight Divine Gods offered no resistance, allowing Ji Ning to collect them into his immortal estate.

“Let’s go.”

Ji Ning sat cross-legged atop the Mind-Flowing Spirit-Serpent Shuttle. It quickly shot forward along the floating wooden bridge, plunging into the endless sea of flame. Though the flames were scorching hot, an ordinary Empyrean God could easily withstand them, not to mention Ji Ning, who was protected by the Eight-Nine Arcane Art.

He flew for only a short half-hour.

“Hm?” Ji Ning came to a halt, staring ahead. On the floating wooden bridge stood a red figure about a zhang tall. He was bald, with red brows and a red beard, powerfully built. In each hand, he held a short halberd. His dark red pupils stared straight at Ji Ning.

“An invisible pressure… truly, he is stronger than the Snow Fiendlord,” Ji Ning mused. It was only because the other party was fully prepared, his aura completely unrestrained, that Ji Ning could so easily sense it.

Dismissing the Mind-Flowing Spirit-Serpent Shuttle, Ji Ning landed on the floating wooden bridge. Twin swords appeared in his hands.

He was not even inclined to use Three Heads, Six Arms. Having just reached a new level with his Sword Force, and having recently perfected his Brightmoon Sword-Art, he naturally wanted to put them to a thorough test.

“I can sense that there are no longer any Empyrean Gods on the volcanic island,” the Purgatory God said, his dark red eyes filled with madness. “It seems you are truly confident.”

“Please,” Ji Ning said directly.

“Good.”

The Purgatory God did not hesitate. He charged forward, his figure swift and ferocious, arriving before Ji Ning in an instant. Ji Ning also pounced forward, meeting him with two streaks of black sword-light.

Bang! Bang!

Ji Ning was forced back several steps, while the Purgatory God took a single step back as well.

“Such tremendous strength,” Ji Ning thought in surprise. “In raw power, he nearly approaches a True God. Fortunately, my Sword Force has reached the fourth layer.” After reaching the fourth layer of Sword Force, each of Ji Ning’s strikes possessed power comparable to eighty percent of his fully unleashed Heartforce. With such power, he could fight the enemy head-on. Ji Ning only needed to expend a small amount of Divine Power to maintain his speed and agility. There was no need to use the Starseizing Hand, Three Heads, Six Arms, or even to unleash his full strength.

This level of Divine Power consumption was easily recovered through natural absorption from his surroundings.

“The fourth layer of Sword Force?” The Purgatory God grew even more frenzied.

“Pfft! Pfft!”

His twin halberds tore through the air, howling like spectral phantoms.

The two short halberds moved like the Yin and Yang of a taiji, perfectly coordinated with each other, carrying the profound meaning of ‘Ultimate Nothingness’ (Wuji). Although Ji Ning also wielded twin swords, his coordination between the two weapons was far inferior to the Purgatory God’s. After all, those who walked the ‘Path of Wuji’ were naturally adept at the cooperation of paired weapons.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

His sword-light, on the other hand, was eerie and sinister, swift and fierce.

During his time in the Moon Underwater Abyss, Ji Ning had devoted most of his efforts to the ‘Shadowless Stance’. This was his most bizarre and fastest technique.

The two clashed back and forth.

For a time, Ji Ning was slightly at a disadvantage. Though his offense was stronger, his cooperation between the two weapons was somewhat lacking, putting him at an overall disadvantage. In truth, if Ji Ning were to use the divine ability ‘Three Heads, Six Arms’, he could quickly overwhelm his opponent. But Ji Ning was not in a hurry. Such excellent opponents were not easy to come by.

…

The power of his sword-art relied mainly on his black Sword Force. Ji Ning expended very little Divine Power, and his recovery could keep pace with his consumption. Even a battle lasting a thousand years would be effortless.

This battle lasted more than half a month. In the midst of a fight against a well-matched opponent, Ji Ning, who had only recently broken through to the fourth layer of Sword Force, saw his sword technique grow ever more perfect. Although he had spent over a year in secluded meditation on the volcanic island, that was solitary contemplation without an opponent. Only by truly crossing swords with a powerful enemy did he discover the many flaws in his perfected sword-art.

“You win.” The Purgatory God suddenly withdrew.

Ji Ning smiled.

In over half a month, he had gone from being slightly at a disadvantage to now having a slight upper hand. In terms of offensive power, the Dao of the Sword… was simply too dominant.

“Thank you,” Ji Ning said.

The Purgatory God looked at Ji Ning, grinned, revealing an ‘ugly’ smile. “I will be waiting for you on Myriad Mountains Island.” With that, he dissolved, vanishing into countless flames.

“Myriad Mountains Island?” Ji Ning murmured to himself. “Is the third island called Myriad Mountains Island, then?”

Swoosh.

Once more, Ji Ning mounted the Mind-Flowing Spirit-Serpent Shuttle and continued forward.

After flying for over half an hour, a colossal island shaped like a gourd appeared ahead. This gourd-shaped island… seemed to be formed from one smaller island and one larger island connected together.

The floating wooden bridge led directly to the smaller island. At the end of the bridge stood the bald, red-browed Purgatory God.

“Is this Myriad Mountains Island?” Ji Ning landed and asked with a smile.

“To be precise, this small island is the Treasure Island,” the Purgatory God said, pointing to the large island in the distance. “That large island is the true Myriad Mountains Island. On this small island… there are quite a few treasures. You may choose three of them. After you have chosen, you must enter the large island, and you will not be able to return here.”

Ji Ning understood. The Moon Underwater Abyss only allowed forward progress, never retreat.

For example, once you entered the volcanic island, you could not return to Snow Island.

Once you entered Myriad Mountains Island, you could not return to the volcanic island… until you died or left, returning to the Three Realms.

“Choose three at will?” Ji Ning said in surprise. “I heard that the fourth island and the fifth island also allow you to choose treasures.”

“That’s correct,” the Purgatory God nodded. “The third, fourth, and fifth islands all have treasures. On each, you may choose three at will. That makes nine in total. When you reach the fifth island, you will be able to leave this Moon Underwater Abyss. Of course, in this past Chaos Cycle, only one named ‘Jueming’ has made it out alive.”

Ji Ning felt a surge of doubt.

According to the legends of the Three Realms… when Patriarch Jueming left the Moon Underwater Abyss, he brought three treasures. But the Purgatory God here was saying there were nine.

“It seems Patriarch Jueming kept six treasures hidden from the public,” Ji Ning mused.

“Follow me.”

They walked across the ‘small island’, which was a million kilometers across. In just a short while, they had traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers, arriving at a lake. Compared to the endless ocean that required the Mind-Flowing Spirit-Serpent Shuttle to fly across for a long time, this million-kilometer island was indeed merely a ‘small’ one.

On the lake, a faint mist obscured the view.

“Scatter.” The Purgatory God waved his hand, and the mist dissipated, revealing the entire lake. The lake was clearly divided into nine distinct regions! There was the scorching hot magma known as ‘Nine-Yang Magma’, upon which grew a dark red snow-lotus. There was also the slowly flowing, icy ‘Iceheart Marrow’, upon which grew a crystalline Iceheart Leaf. There was a patch of lush, vibrant weeds, and amidst the countless weeds, a single fruit of a green-azure hue had congealed…

Nine regions. Some were scorching, some were icy, some were dark, some were brimming with life, some were deathly still…

A formation subtly linked all nine regions together.

“Hm? Iceheart Marrow, Nine-Yang Magma… they even have these here?” Ji Ning’s heart began to race with excitement. He hadn’t expected to find the Iceheart Marrow he so desperately craved on the third island.

“The three treasures Patriarch Jueming made public… they all have them here,” Ji Ning immediately guessed. “It seems Patriarch Jueming never made public the treasures he obtained on the fourth and fifth islands.” He could guess that the treasures on the later islands might be even more precious, even of greater use.

“Make your choice.”

The Purgatory God beside him, seeing Ji Ning lost in thought, urged him. “There are nine treasures in total. You may choose three of them.”

“Nine treasures?” Ji Ning was startled.

There were nine regions. Take the Iceheart Marrow region, for example. It contained a single ‘Iceheart Leaf’. The Iceheart Leaf was naturally precious, but Ji Ning also desperately desired the vast quantities of slowly flowing Iceheart Marrow itself.

“Can I choose the Iceheart Marrow?” Ji Ning suddenly asked.

“Iceheart Marrow?” The Purgatory God frowned at Ji Ning. “The Iceheart Leaf that congeals on the Iceheart Marrow is the crystallized essence. You should choose the Iceheart Leaf. Each of the nine regions has a crystallized essence. You should choose the fruits or leaves born from that essence.”

“I want the Iceheart Marrow. Is that allowed?” Ji Ning asked. He was certain he could choose the Iceheart Leaf, but what about the Iceheart Marrow itself?

The Purgatory God frowned deeply: “The Iceheart Marrow is the foundation. It is precisely because this Iceheart Marrow exists that the Iceheart Leaf can grow. If the Iceheart Leaf is picked, with enough time, a new Iceheart Leaf will grow. You may choose the Iceheart Leaf, but how could I give you the foundational Iceheart Marrow itself?”

It’s Friday, update is done! I’ll also ask for monthly votes again!

(To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more chapters there. The author requests support. Voting for monthly votes and recommendation votes is welcome!)