The Traitor on Thousand Star Island

The gray-robed man was puzzled. "Who is he? I know every Empyrean God on Thousand Star Island. Even among the Empyrean Gods of the Three Realms, I know quite a few. But this white-robed youth…" Despite his confusion, he understood a simple truth. To appear on Thousand Star Island in the Moon Underwater Abyss, there were only two possibilities.

One was to have been brought here by another powerful Empyrean God.

The other was to have fought his way here alone.

"He just appeared… could he have passed through the Demon Ice Prison to reach this place?" The gray-robed man was shocked. Seeing Ji Ning sitting cross-legged in meditation, he dared not disturb him.

This wait lasted for twelve days.

Ji Ning finally opened his eyes. The scattered insights from a hundred years of relentless combat had all merged. His comprehension of the sword had advanced by a notch. He could even vaguely sense the profound realm of mastering the 'Five Treasures Sword Art'. Yet it felt like looking at flowers through a layer of mist; he was always just short, unable to truly grasp the complete essence of the technique.

"I'm still lacking something," Ji Ning sighed inwardly. "If I could take one more step and fully comprehend the Five Treasures Sword Art, with a sword technique that surpasses the limits of the Heavenly Dao… then I would likely have the confidence to leave the Moon Underwater Abyss."

A complete Five Treasures Sword Art was something that even True Gods and Daofathers coveted. Sadly, the price of learning this art, which transcended the Heavenly Dao's limits, was far too high. To learn it was to forget all other Dao insights. Very few mighty cultivators were willing to pay such a price. Even if some were willing, those who could endure the loss rarely possessed sufficient talent in the sword.

Ji Ning's talent in the sword, however, was truly extraordinary. The judgments of Lu Dongbin and Patriarch Subhuti had not been wrong.

"Chunyi greets you, Daoist." A gray-robed man appeared beside him, speaking with a smile.

"Empyrean God Chunyi?" Ji Ning smiled in return. "I am Darknorth. I've long heard of your great reputation."

Empyrean God Chunyi, whose name was Li Chunyi, was another who had risen to the rank of Empyrean God during the era of the Three Realms. He had vanished afterward. No one knew where he had gone. Ji Ning had made a point of remembering all such 'missing' Empyrean Gods. Since entering the Moon Underwater Abyss, he had already encountered five Empyrean Gods who were considered 'lost' within the Three Realms.

After all, not every Empyrean God who entered the Abyss did so publicly.

"Empyrean God Darknorth." Li Chunyi said, "I've never seen you on Thousand Star Island before. Did you come here by crossing the Demon Ice Valley?"

"Yes." Ji Ning nodded.

"Impressive, truly impressive." Li Chunyi's eyes lit up, and his demeanor grew considerably warmer. "Crossing the Demon Ice Valley requires a century of slaughter. It is incredibly dangerous, especially when the Demon King coordinates with countless demons to attack from all sides. The slightest lapse in attention can mean death. Even for those powerful enough to survive a hundred years, gaining the Demon King's permission is extremely difficult. In all these endless ages, only nine Empyrean Gods have reached this island through their own power. That's counting you, Darknorth."

"Only nine?" Ji Ning asked. "How many are on the island right now?"

"Originally, there were three. Counting you, Daoist Darknorth, that makes four," Li Chunyi said. "Throughout the endless ages, only Revered Venerate Jueming has left the Moon Underwater Abyss. Four other Empyrean Gods have died."

At the word 'death', Li Chunyi hesitated, then continued, "Daoist Darknorth, there is something I must tell you. Of the nine Empyrean Gods who reached Thousand Star Island… three of the four who died perished on the Floating Log Bridge, their strength insufficient to continue. But one Empyrean God was killed here on this very island."

"Killed on Thousand Star Island?" Ji Ning was confused. "I spoke with the Demon King earlier. He said that within Thousand Star Island, the Moon Underwater Abyss itself does not attack. So how could one be killed?"

"He was killed by Empyrean God Greatdream," Li Chunyi said, his voice low.

"Empyrean God Greatdream?" Ji Ning's pupils contracted.

He knew of this one, of course. Among the many missing Empyrean Gods who had entered the Abyss, 'Greatdream' was one of them. He was called Greatdream because he was a personally taught disciple of that Godking of the Seamless Gate. The Godking of the Seamless Gate was notoriously harsh and cruel in training his disciples. Empyrean God Greatdream was also immensely ambitious. When he heard that Revered Venerate Jueming had become a Buddha, he gritted his teeth and entered the Moon Underwater Abyss.

"Right now, the Empyrean Gods on this island who relied on their own power to get here are Greatdream, Marquis of Seals, and Sin." Li Chunyi said gravely. "Empyrean God Greatdream belongs to the Seamless Gate. Marquis of Seals and Sin both belong to our Pangu Chaosworld. By all rights, since the Seamless Gate has long since merged into the Three Realms, we should coexist peacefully. When Greatdream first arrived, he was friendly with everyone. He trained relentlessly, spending tens of millions of years to finally reach Thousand Star Island."

Li Chunyi's expression turned stern. "At that time, there were four Empyrean Gods on Thousand Star Island: Greatdream, Marquis of Seals, Sin, and Sun Nine. The rest had long since given up on proceeding further."

"Greatdream continued to befriend everyone, becoming especially close with Sun Nine. Who could have imagined he would be so treacherous…?"

"While Sun Nine was completely off guard, Greatdream ambushed him and killed him."

Li Chunyi shook his head with a sigh. "Sun Nine was the strongest of the four, the one with the greatest hope. He died by the hands of that vile creature, Greatdream. The commotion was huge; we all rushed over, but it was too late. By the time we arrived, Sin and Marquis of Seals were furious, wanting to kill Greatdream. But Greatdream constantly hid inside his immortal estate, and he had a large number of Empyrean Gods from the Seamless Gate following him."

"He struck down one of his own friends?" Ji Ning found it hard to believe. "Why? It wasn't as if Sun Nine had obstructed him in any way."

Ji Ning felt a surge of anger.

Sun Nine was a member of the ancient human race! The 'Sun' clan of ancient humanity had nine of their most powerful Empyrean Gods, named from Sun One down to Sun Nine according to age. They had followed 'Suiren' in conquering the world in the earliest ages. Ji Ning had always held these ancient human Empyrean Gods in high esteem.

And now, one of them had died at the hands of the Seamless Gate's Empyrean God Greatdream, through a cowardly ambush!

"Greatdream did this, and yet he still has a large number of Empyrean Gods following him?" Ji Ning asked.

"Those following him are all from the Seamless Gate," Li Chunyi explained. "Greatdream claimed that during the ancient war, many of his brothers and friends perished, and his heart was filled with endless hatred. Although some of the other Seamless Gate Empyrean Gods didn't entirely approve, they were still of the same Gate. When Sin and Marquis of Seals led a force to kill Greatdream, those Seamless Gate Empyrean Gods stood by him. They couldn't just watch him be killed."

Ji Ning nodded.

"Come. I'll take you to meet Sin and Marquis of Seals," Li Chunyi said.

…

Soon, they arrived at a grand palace where many Empyrean Gods gathered. There were quite a few immortal estates scattered around it.

"Haha, what a crowd!"

"So many Empyrean Gods."

"The Seven Dragon Gods! You've come too!"

"Brother Feiyou!"

Over a hundred Empyrean Gods came to welcome Ji Ning's group. When Li Chunyi saw the large group of Empyrean Gods suddenly appearing beside Ji Ning, he was startled. He had guessed Ji Ning would bring some, but not this many. All the ones Ji Ning had brought were from Nuwa's camp, so they were naturally welcomed here. Many were even old friends, sharing deep bonds of friendship.

After a long while.

At the peak of a mountain, three figures sat down to drink and talk. They were three of the four most powerful Empyrean Gods on the island: Darknorth, Marquis of Seals, and Sin.

"Those are all immortal estates belonging to various Empyrean Gods," said Marquis of Seals, a cold-looking silver-haired youth, pointing at the distant estates. "Ever since that villain Greatdream ambushed and killed Sun Nine, the entire island has been on high alert. Everyone fears a sneak attack, so we mostly retreat into our own estates to cultivate in peace. Inside an immortal estate, no one can enter freely; it's far safer."

"Damned Greatdream." Sin gripped his wine cup, a fierce murderous aura radiating from his eyes.

"Darknorth, you must be careful," Sin said in a low voice. "Sin and I have fought that bastard many times over the years. We know his nature well. He claims he killed Sun Nine out of hatred. But based on our observations, Greatdream is a petty, narrow-minded villain. Sun Nine had the greatest chance of successfully leaving the Moon Underwater Abyss. So Greatdream grew close to him, then killed him."

"Whoever has hope, he kills," Marquis of Seals said grimly. "He even made a move against me."

"That's because you're an idiot," Sin sneered. "He had already killed Sun Nine, and you still gave him an opening!"

"I wanted to see his true nature clearly," Marquis of Seals sighed.

"And now you have," Sin said coldly.

"Darknorth, the Demon King said you have the greatest chance of leaving the Moon Underwater Abyss since Revered Venerate Jueming, correct?" Marquis of Seals looked at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning nodded. Earlier, when he released his group of Empyrean Gods, they had naturally started talking about him. The Empyrean Gods Feiyou and the others had questioned him, and Ji Ning had allowed them to speak freely, seeing no need to hide it. So they had boasted a bit… which was how Marquis of Seals and Sin came to know of it.

"Since you have a great chance, Greatdream will most likely try to strike at you," Marquis of Seals said. "Even if he doesn't know how formidable you are yet, he'll hear about it from the creatures in the Abyss. Given time, he will understand your strength."

"You must be wary of him. He is extremely treacherous and powerful. His strength is close to Sun Nine's, stronger than the two of us. Over the years, he has only grown stronger. He might even have a chance to leave the Abyss himself someday. You cannot let your guard down against him." Marquis of Seals warned repeatedly.

"Oh?"

Ji Ning's pupils contracted. He then said calmly, "There is something I haven't told the two of you yet."

"What is it?" Sin and Marquis of Seals looked at him.

"The calamity has already descended upon the Three Realms…" Ji Ning told them of the great tribulation. Both Sin and Marquis of Seals listened, growing increasingly anxious and furious.

"I knew it! The Seamless Gate are wolves that can never be tamed. They deserve to die!" Sin roared.

"So this is what it's like out there?" Marquis of Seals was deeply worried.

Ji Ning said calmly, "Greatdream killed Senior Sun Nine. He has a chance of leaving the Moon Underwater Abyss. If he escapes alive, he will be a threat on the outside. He might even break through to become a Daofather someday."

Marquis of Seals and Sin nodded.

"You both want him dead, correct?" Ji Ning asked.

"We want him dead. We dream of it. Sun Nine was my brother, a comrade who fought alongside me as humanity rose to power. He died so wrongfully." Sin gritted his teeth. "But it's useless. I know you want to help, Darknorth, but Greatdream is extremely cautious. He has a group of Empyrean Gods following him, and he hides in his immortal estate. How can we kill him?"

"There's no way. Even though you've brought a large group, giving us an absolute numerical advantage, they can just hole up in their immortal estate and withstand any assault." Marquis of Seals shook his head.

"Well, aren't you going to at least try?" Ji Ning said calmly.

"You have a plan?" Both of them grew excited.

They had long wanted to kill that villain, but had never found an opportunity.

"I'll give it a try," Ji Ning said. "This can't be done with brute force. It needs a softer touch."

"Darknorth, Greatdream is no easy opponent. Don't let your soft approach turn you into his prey." Sin was worried that Ji Ning might be walking into a trap.

"Don't worry," Ji Ning said.

Before this, he had merely felt disgust toward Greatdream. If the opportunity arose, he would not hesitate to kill him. But he hadn't gone out of his way to seek him out. However, upon learning that Greatdream was powerful and had a real chance of leaving the Abyss… Ji Ning's intent to kill solidified. If that man got out and broke through to become a Daofather, he would be another asset for the Seamless Gate. It wasn't a certainty, but Ji Ning was unwilling to gamble. Trapped in the Abyss, cut off from the Three Realms, these cultivators couldn't sense the Heavenly Dao. They could only wholeheartedly comprehend other powers: Taiji Force, Wuji Force, Lightning Force, and so on.

And those who could rely on their own strength to survive and leave the Moon Underwater Abyss…

Upon returning to the Three Realms and sensing the Heavenly Dao, they might truly become Daofathers. Revered Venerate Jueming was proof of that success. Ji Ning was unwilling to see the Seamless Gate gain a 'Daofather Greatdream'.