Sword of Desolation, Heart of Fusion

The Empyrean Gods Sin and Seallife stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing into the distance at the elegant immortal mansion atop a mountain peak.

“Darknorth only defeated eight guardians this time, but the last two are increasingly formidable… I fear it may still be many years before we see the outside world,” Seallight sighed. He had traversed the Swordroad of Ten Thousand Blades himself, so he knew well that while only two guardians remained, it was entirely possible to be trapped for a million or even ten million years.

Take Greatdream God, for instance. Upon first arriving at Thousand Star Island, he defeated five guardians in one go. Yet after all those long years, he had only managed to add two more. And Ji Ning was now facing the final two guardians—progress becomes exponentially harder the further you go. As for Seallight and Sin themselves, after their own endless years, their strength had barely increased; they had only managed to defeat one additional guardian compared to when they first entered.

“Hard to say,” Sin shook his head. “We’ve been on Thousand Star Island an eternity, yet our progress is negligible. That’s because we were trapped on the earlier islands for far too long, draining the vast majority of our potential. Our strength has now reached nearly its limit; of course it’s difficult to improve further. But Darknorth entered the Abyss and charged straight through to this point without pause—his potential hasn’t been squeezed dry. It’s far higher than ours. Don’t forget, back then the Revered Xuanming had a sudden epiphany and broke through the final three guardians in rapid succession.”

Seallight paused, then nodded. “You’re right. Our potential is nearly spent, we’re close to our ceiling. Darknorth is different.”

“Actually, I’ve always wondered,” Sin said thoughtfully. “For someone with the talent to fight his way all the way to Thousand Star Island—such ability makes him one of the absolute top Empyrean Gods in the Three Realms. Even True Gods and Daofathers should value him highly. Darknorth has a real chance of becoming a True God or Daofather himself. Why would he take the risk of entering the Moon Underwater Abyss?”

“Indeed,” Seallight agreed. “I wonder the same.”

Ji Ning’s talent had long been acknowledged by Lv Dongbin and Subhuti back at the Immortal Fortunes Assembly.

They had seen the sword Dao hidden deep in his bones. And his subsequent leaps in strength had not disappointed them—he advanced with breathtaking speed. He had even reached the fourth level of Heartforce, a surprise that delighted Subhuti. Among the supreme powers of Nuwa’s camp, the regard for Ji Ning now rivaled, if not surpassed, the regard they once held for Lv Dongbin in the ancient past.

But Lv Dongbin had been given endless time to slowly gestate, building up his foundation until he explosively reached the level of a top-tier Daofather all at once.

What about Ji Ning?

The great tribulation had already descended. Gods and True Immortals on both sides were already locked in slaughter, and the scale of the conflict was only growing. When the final struggle for karmic luck concluded, the ‘ultimate battle’ that would decide the fate of the entire Three Realms would begin. The time left for Ji Ning was far, far too little. That was Subhuti’s regret.

But even with that regret, they believed that amid the chaos of the great war, Ji Ning might seize an opportunity, have an epiphany, and break through to become a True God or Daofather. If he had not cultivated the Tao Wu Eighteen Fiendgods, Subhuti would never have allowed him to enter the Moon Underwater Abyss.

Under the pressure of the Abyss…

Ji Ning was constantly absorbing lessons, growing rapidly. Even the Five Treasures Sword Art was now only a single step away from true completion.

“Regardless, having Darknorth here is our good fortune.” Sin gazed at the distant mansion. “We now have hope of leaving.”

“Yes. He returned from the Swordroad and went straight into seclusion without saying a word to us. I suspect he had a great many insights,” said Seallight.

“Even our first time on the Swordroad yielded tremendous harvests, let alone Darknorth’s.”

“If his strength improves greatly this time, he might be able to clear the entire Swordroad.”

“We’ll see.”

Both Gods waited in eager anticipation. They had no confidence left in clearing the Swordroad themselves; after all those endless years, they remained stuck in its middle section, far too distant from the end.

…

The Seven Dragon Gods also gazed at the distant mansion from afar.

“Brother Darknorth is in seclusion.”

“I hope he can make a great leap in power this time.”

The seven brothers spoke amongst themselves.

…

Every God on Thousand Star Island had his mind fixed on Ji Ning, who was in secluded meditation inside that mansion. These Gods had long given up hope. Even Sin and Seallight, who had the qualifications to challenge the Swordroad, were far too weak to succeed.

All hope rested on Ji Ning’s shoulders.

They did not dare put too much pressure on him… They could only silently pray.

They prayed to see the vibrant, colorful world of the Three Realms once more.

They prayed to be reunited with the family and friends in their hearts.

Even if death awaited them…

They were not afraid!

What they feared more than death was the prospect of no hope at all. For these long-abandoned Gods, every day in the Moon Underwater Abyss felt like walking as living corpses. There was no hope.

Inside the immortal mansion.

The beautiful mansion contained its own independent space, vast and expansive. Ji Ning’s sword-training hall was several li across. Within the hall, numerous pearls were set into the walls, gathering the power of heaven and earth to radiate a brilliant, dazzling light, making the entire chamber magnificent.

The white-robed youth Ji Ning held a sword in hand, executing his technique.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The sword-light flickered, howling and unpredictable.

At speeds reaching the speed of light, the visible sword-light was nothing more than afterimages. The true blade had already left the position where the light appeared.

Though Ji Ning’s power was astonishing, and his swordsmanship was terrifying, he had suppressed its might to an incredible degree. A streak of his sword-light swept past a wine jug resting on a low table just an inch away—yet the jug did not so much as stir. An ordinary Houtian mortal with decent sword skills could send the jug rolling with a gust of wind from his blade.

But Ji Ning’s sword-force was so perfectly contained!

Many Earth Immortals, Loose Immortals, or even Celestial Immortals, when they unleashed their swords, would cause heaven and earth energy to explode with tremendous fanfare.

Even among True Gods and True Immortals, those who could unleash heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power while perfectly restraining it so that it would not harm a blade of grass an inch away were extremely rare.

Ji Ning had achieved this. His swordsmanship had reached a level that could be called ‘Grandmaster’ within the entire Three Realms.

“Whoosh.”

The sword-light howled, carrying with it a palpable sense of bleak despair. Ji Ning was currently practicing the Desolation Sword-Art.

Speaking of despair…

The moment of his greatest despair had been when Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei crushed the Divine Farmer’s medicine and then committed suicide, her soul scattering. Because before she crushed that medicine, Ji Ning had been filled with joy and fighting spirit. Then disaster struck without warning. Everything Yu Wei did, especially her final suicide, had left Ji Ning utterly stunned.

His parents had departed; Yu Wei had left as well. That had been the absolute darkest moment in Ji Ning’s heart.

Speaking of sorrow and pain…

The moment when he had ‘personally’ sent Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei into that boundless hell… that was the most agonizing moment of his life.

…

Ji Ning’s emotions were intense. Having learned the majority of the technique through mere observation, when he now executed it himself, numerous bottlenecks were continuously breached. The mysteries of the sword-art flooded his mind.

On the ninth day after leaving the Swordroad.

“The Desolation Sword-Art… though it embodies despair, it has not yet reached the ultimate extreme,” Ji Ning murmured softly to himself as he stood in the hall. Having reached the fourth level of Heartforce, he could immerse himself in the bleak artistic conception while wielding the sword, but as soon as he stopped, he returned to normal. He could not be controlled by a sword-art—though if a person with a weak Dao-heart were to cultivate an art with such a powerful emotional conception, they might fall into demonic madness.

“The artistic conception of bleak despair…”

“It perfects the sword-art. In terms of profound mysteries, this technique is actually inferior to the Five Treasures Sword Art. Yet precisely because it carries this bleak artistic conception, it is as if the sword-art has gained a ‘soul.’ The transitions between moves become seamless, as if crafted by heaven itself, utterly natural.” Ji Ning made his assessment quickly.

The Five Treasures Sword Art transcended the limits of the Heavenly Dao. The subtle secrets within it were naturally far more profound.

Ji Ning’s sword Dao talent was exceptional, but it was precisely because of his supreme resolve and reckless prioritization of the Five Treasures Sword Art, using it as his foundation, that he had been able to smoothly push his sword-speed to the speed of light. His own creation, the Brightmoon Sword-Art, did not possess such a powerful emotional conception, yet it remained incredibly formidable. This clearly showed that it exceeded the Desolation Sword-Art in many of its deeper techniques.

But the Desolation Sword-Art had its own strengths.

Its artistic conception was like a soul.

It allowed the sword-art to function as a unified whole. Moves could even reinforce one another, creating miraculous effects. For instance, even though its technique was not as refined as Ji Ning’s, it could still reach the speed of light—and even surpass it in perfection!

If he could strengthen this artistic conception further, the sword-art’s emotional resonance would continue to improve. There was real hope of granting it a true ‘spirit.’ Mortals had the concept of ‘essence, energy, and spirit’—for a sword-art, possessing mere meaning was not enough; if it could gain a ‘spirit,’ that would be the fifth level of Sword Force. At that point, one need not even draw a sword; a single thought could cause other great powers to feel utter despair and retreat.

Of course, the fifth level of Sword Force was unimaginably difficult.

Across the entire Three Realms, traversing both major camps, those who had reached it could be counted on one hand.

“I have already mastered the Desolation Sword-Art,” Ji Ning murmured. “If I were to challenge the Swordroad now, I believe I could defeat the ninth guardian. But the tenth? Probably not yet.”

“Hmm…”

“The best course of action is to merge the Desolation Sword-Art’s conception with the Brightmoon Sword-Art, infusing my own sword-art with artistic conception.” Ji Ning pondered.

The Brightmoon Sword-Art drew upon the essence of the Five Treasures Sword Art. Even without artistic conception, it was already on par with the Desolation Sword-Art.

If he could infuse it with artistic conception, it would leap to an entirely new dimension.

“Then I will be able to defeat the ninth guardian with ease. I might even have a chance against the tenth.” Ji Ning nodded softly. “Then let us perfect the Brightmoon Sword-Art.”

…

The Brightmoon Sword-Art was Ji Ning’s own creation, one he had been continuously refining. Now that he had mastered the Desolation Sword-Art, absorbing its artistic conception into the Brightmoon Sword-Art—while difficult—was still within his reach.

If the Brightmoon Sword-Art had been created by someone else, he would have had no way to proceed.

The difference between a self-created technique and an inherited one was enormous.

“My heart is bleak.”

“Let the sword carry that meaning.”

“All comes from a single mind.”

With the Desolation Sword-Art as his foundation, Ji Ning understood its mysteries. He continuously worked on the fusion, and even when he encountered obstacles, a little time investment allowed him to break through.

A year and three months into his seclusion, Ji Ning finally walked out of the immortal mansion.