The Spar that Forged a Vanguard

On the desolate wild plains.

White-robed Ji Ning stood opposite Fiendgod Feiyou, who was clad in animal skins, while over a hundred other Fiendgods watched from a distance.

“Though Mount Wan lacks the thousand-year attacks, the arrival of a new Fiendgod is a far more terrifying calamity. How formidable must a Fiendgod be to reach this place? And yet, almost every time a new one arrives, a Fiendgod dies,” Empyrean God Xiuke said, shaking his head with a sigh.

“It is precisely this life-and-death pressure that forces even the powerful among us to grow stronger, giving us a better chance of reaching the next island,” Empyrean God Kulong said solemnly.

This was already the third island.

The next would be the fourth.

As for the fifth… there was no danger there. Upon reaching the fifth island, one could leave. Thus, those who had reached the third island were already exceptionally powerful. As for those on the fourth island, they were only one step away from their final departure. The calamity of Mount Wan did not target Fiendgods who had given up; it was aimed solely at those who were strong enough to reach this island through their own power.

“Be careful, Brother Northmont,” Fiendgod Feiyou said as two short black halberds appeared in his hands.

“Short halberds?” Ji Ning was surprised.

According to the intelligence he had gathered, Fiendgod Feiyou’s weapon in ancient times had not been short halberds.

“In the Moon Underwater Abyss, on the body of Purgatory Fiendgod, I found a weapon more suited to me,” Fiendgod Feiyou said, looking at Ji Ning. “Though I, like Purgatory Fiendgod, use twin halberds, I am far more powerful than he was.”

“Begin,” Ji Ning said. Two blood-colored divine swords materialized in his hands.

…

The hundred-plus Fiendgods watching from a distance held their breath. They wanted to see for themselves, through this battle, just how strong this ‘Darknorth Fiendgod’ who had reached this place on his own truly was! If Darknorth Fiendgod was indeed very strong, their own chances of survival when the calamity descended would be greater. Of course, for those who had already given up, the calamity posed no risk.

But though they had given up, they had followed those who had not, reaching this island. The Fiendgods who had not given up had, one by one, died in successive calamities. They hoped the losses could be fewer.

“Whoosh.” Fiendgod Feiyou transformed into a streak of light, charging straight at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning also transformed into a streak of light, meeting him head-on.

Boom! Boom! Boom! ~~~

Mid-air, twin swords and twin halberds clashed repeatedly. As soon as they engaged, Ji Ning was amazed: “Hm? Feiyou’s halberd technique is exactly the same as Purgatory Fiendgod’s?” Having fought Purgatory Fiendgod for a long time, Ji Ning found this easy to handle. He freely displayed his sword arts. This sparring match was less about victory and more about letting the nine other Fiendgods see his capabilities, so they could coordinate better when the calamity arrived.

“Swoosh.”

An eerie, unpredictable sword-light streaked past Feiyou’s neck, barely blocked by the shaft of his halberd.

Another bizarre black sword-light swept up from below toward Feiyou’s body. Feiyou spun his halberd and narrowly deflected it.

“This Brother Darknorth’s swordplay is so bizarre and swift.”

“Both fast and unpredictable. Truly, the Dao of the Sword excels at offense.”

“Impressive.”

“Indeed. With this swordplay alone, he could match Purgatory Fiendgod.”

Empyrean God Yunhen, Empyrean God Dongxu, Empyrean God Jibu, and the others were all astonished. Though they too had made it through, none of them followed the Dao of the Sword. Through Ji Ning’s sword-art, they felt the ruthless, lethal nature of a Sword Dao expert.

Empyrean God Xiuke and the Seven Dragon Gods, in particular, watched with gleaming eyes. Though Ji Ning had brought them along, they had never before seen him unleash his sword arts with full force.

“Bang.”

The two separated and landed on the ground.

Fiendgod Feiyou said excitedly, “Brother Northmont, I was on the losing end, but that was just a warm-up to get a feel for each other. Now I’m going to get serious.” With that, his aura shifted subtly. He transformed into a streak of light and attacked Ji Ning once more. The moment they engaged, Ji Ning sensed the change.

Feiyou’s halberd technique was no longer the same as Purgatory Fiendgod’s. It was far more profound.

Though he was skilled at offense, Ji Ning found he could no longer gain the upper hand. Clearly, Fiendgod Feiyou, having spent endless years on Mount Wan, had honed his halberd technique to perfection—far more refined than Ji Ning’s current swordplay.

“Impressive, impressive,” Ji Ning said with a laugh after a few exchanges. “I wonder, Brother Feiyou, how stout your protective divine ability is?”

As he spoke, Ji Ning stopped defending against his opponent’s attacks, letting Feiyou’s halberd stab into his body while simultaneously launching his own sword strikes at Feiyou. Feiyou’s expression changed drastically as he desperately altered his moves to block Ji Ning’s assault.

Boom! Boom! Boom! ~~~

Feiyou was driven back repeatedly, shouting, “Is that the Eight-Nine Arcane Art?”

“The ninth cycle of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art,” Ji Ning replied with a grin.

“You cheat!” Feiyou said, exasperated. If he were significantly weaker than Ji Ning, even with the Eight-Nine Arcane Art protecting him, he could still suppress his opponent. But with their strength nearly equal, the fact that Ji Ning didn’t need to defend himself gave him a massive advantage.

Who is your master?” Feiyou yelled. “To have trained you in the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, and all the way to the ninth cycle!”

“My master is Daofather Subhuti,” Ji Ning said with a laugh. “Jealous? Envious?”

“Daofather Subhuti? You really stepped in dog shit.” Feiyou, growing more flustered as he fought, finally cried out, “Alright, alright, I know your divine body’s protective ability is formidable. Could you stop bullying me like this?”

Ji Ning took the hint. Having displayed the power of his divine body, he resumed normal attacks and defenses, naturally parrying Feiyou’s halberd strikes.

And so they continued, putting on an exciting display.

…

“I never expected Brother Northmont to have cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art all the way to the ninth cycle. This is great,” Empyrean God Wuqi said, narrowing his eyes with a smile. “When the demon army comes during this calamity, Brother Tongqu, you won’t have to be the sole shield. Brother Northmont can go stand shoulder to shoulder with you.”

Facing a demon army, it was indeed necessary for those with extremely resilient divine bodies to tank.

The bronze-skinned giant, Empyrean God Tongqu, said in a low voice, “Brother Northmont’s Eight-Nine Arcane Art is the number one divine ability below the True God level. Though I have had my own fortunate encounters, my divine body can’t compare to his. When we charge in as the vanguard, we’ll have to rely on Brother Northmont.”

“My heavens, Tongqu, you big simpleton, now you know how to use people!”

“I never thought I’d see the day you’d let someone else charge in front!”

The others laughed.

Empyrean God Tongqu glared. “That’s because none of you have strong enough divine bodies! I only charged in before because there was no other choice. Now that Ji Ning’s divine body is stronger than mine—the ninth cycle of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, a body comparable to a top-grade Pure Yang magic treasure! Even a True God or Daofather would struggle to destroy such a body.”

“Being able to cultivate the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to the ninth cycle is extremely rare, even in ancient times or the Three Realms. Such cultivators are the treasured disciples of True Gods and Daofathers, with extraordinary talent. There’s simply no need for them to take risks here in the Moon Underwater Abyss.”

“Indeed.”

“Someone so valued by a True God or Daofather would have no reason to come here.”

They, too, found it strange.

Entering the Moon Underwater Abyss was usually for those in the ancient times or the Three Realms who saw no hope of breaking through to become True Gods or Daofathers, and came to gamble on a chance. And even if they left the Moon Underwater Abyss, it didn’t guarantee they would become True Gods or Daofathers. Even the Buddha Jue Ming took a considerable amount of time after leaving before becoming a Buddha.

So, the Moon Underwater Abyss was a bit of a chicken rib. Those who entered were all taking a gamble. Peerless geniuses like Lü Dongbin, Hongxue, or Sun Wukong never came here.

Of course, Fiendgods like Feiyou and Wuqi had initially been mediocre. Within the Moon Underwater Abyss, they had been tempered and honed, revealing their brilliance. All nine of them had reached the fourth level of Taiji Force or other powers. If they were in the Three Realms, even True Gods and Daofathers would value them. This demonstrated the Abyss’s remarkable tempering effect.

…

“Boom.”

Suddenly a thunderous noise shook the earth, and the shockwave caused the ground to crack and fissure. A nearby mountain trembled, sending large boulders tumbling down.

The sheer force of that single strike made even the distant Fiendgods jump in fright.

“So fierce.”

Fiendgod Feiyou retreated a great distance, staring at Ji Ning in shock.

“You blocked it?” Ji Ning was equally astonished.

“What was that just now? How did your sword-art’s power suddenly increase so dramatically?” Feiyou asked in shock.

“That was Heartforce at the fourth level, channeled into my sword-art,” Ji Ning explained. “With Heartforce added, the power naturally skyrockets.”

Feiyou was stunned. “Fourth-level Heartforce? You have fourth-level Sword Force and fourth-level Heartforce? And… even if you have fourth-level Heartforce, how can you channel it into your sword? Have you comprehended the Heart-Sword Art?”

Heartforce was intangible and ethereal. How to wield it had long been a headache for even the most powerful cultivators.

“And you?” Ji Ning asked, puzzled. “What about your halberd technique just now?” He had clearly unleashed his most powerful strike—Sword Force, Heartforce, even the Starseizing Hand—and though he had driven Feiyou back, his opponent had blocked it. Feiyou’s twin halberds had seemed to generate a Taiji Diagram, drawing Ji Ning’s attacks into an endless vortex.

“That’s a technique I’ve recently been working on,” Fiendgod Feiyou said with a smile. “My Wuji Force has reached the fourth level, and my Taiji Force the second. But… Wuji gives birth to Taiji. These two forces can be combined. That move I just used was a new technique I created, merging Wuji and Taiji to achieve that defensive power.”

Ji Ning couldn’t help but marvel.

Remarkable.

He knew that some top-tier powers could be combined—for example, the power of Time and the power of Space. Empyrean God Hongxue had combined these two into ‘Time Power,’ achieving true mastery of the Dao of Time, which delighted Patriarch Subhuti and led to him taking Hongxue as a disciple.

Only compatible powers could be combined.

One couldn’t just arbitrarily combine, say, Ji Ning’s Sword Force with Saber Force—they had nothing to do with each other.

Wuji gives birth to Taiji—the two were a perfect match. Even though Feiyou’s Taiji Force was only at the second level, the combination produced astonishing results.

“That’s why I’m the most stable one. Even the most ferocious attacker, Empyrean God Zhenbu, can’t break through my defense,” Fiendgod Feiyou said, looking at Ji Ning in admiration. “But in terms of sheer ferocity, you’re slightly above Zhenbu. Impressive, very impressive.”

Ji Ning quickly added, “Heartforce is different from other powers. It can’t be sustained. I can only maintain such a ferocious attack for about a dozen strikes.”

“Oh…” Feiyou understood, and shook his head regretfully. “A pity…”

“But your strength has already exceeded my expectations. Let’s make our arrangements. After that, all we have to do is wait. I estimate that in about ten days to half a month, the demon army of the Moon Underwater Abyss will come attacking,” Fiendgod Feiyou said with a smile. “When that happens, our group of ten will have to face them.”