The Inheritance of a World God

Ji Ning was lying within the deep cyan cocoon, his eyes closed as if in a deep slumber. A powerful energy was seeping into his very soul.

“I swear, on my own life: after I become an Elder God, I must depart the Three Realms within a thousand years, and reach the Heavenly Palace of Azure within a single Chaos Cycle to inform their ‘Summoning Emissary’ that World God Northrest was slain by the ‘Three Flood Dragon Godbeasts’.” Ji Ning’s soul was compelled, against his will, to give voice to this life oath.

A feeling of intense frustration welled up within him. Being forced to swear a life oath was truly an unpleasant sensation.

But in that same instant, Ji Ning understood… the true purpose behind the Moon Underwater Abyss and its creator.

“A World God?” Ji Ning mused silently. “The creator of the Moon Underwater Abyss was actually a World God. It seems he’s already dead.”

“This life oath isn’t so bad. It only requires me to set out within a thousand years of becoming an Elder God… I’m still far, far away from that realm. And I’ve been given an entire Chaos Cycle to reach the Heavenly Palace of Azure. The only question is… where is this Heavenly Palace of Azure? What place is it?” Ji Ning was puzzled.

Although he had searched the memories of some prisoners in the World Prison, he had never even heard of a place called the ‘Heavenly Palace of Azure’.

But based on the forced life oath, this World God Northrest was most likely a member of the Heavenly Palace of Azure. Having been killed, he needed someone to deliver the message so that the Palace could avenge him. Of course, this was merely Ji Ning’s deduction… perhaps there was some other, deeper story hidden behind this simple errand.

“Boom!”

Just as Ji Ning’s thoughts were wandering, a torrent of information suddenly surged into his soul. He immediately fell into a dazed, near-catatonic state, the sheer volume of data overwhelming his ability to think.

Three full hours passed.

He finally regained his clarity.

“Whoosh.”

The deep cyan cocoon that had been wrapped around him in the dilapidated shrine had completely dissipated. Ji Ning stood there, unmoving, as if in a trance.

“First you beat me with a stick, and now you give me candy?” Ji Ning muttered to himself.

After being forced to swear a life oath, he had finally received a genuine reward. Two techniques had been added to his memory.

They were the Fiendgod Body Refining method, the Forlorn World God (枯寂世界神), and the divine ability, the Nine Yuan Annihilation (九元灭).

Both were intended for the Fiendgod Body Refining path…

The creator of the Moon Underwater Abyss, the ‘World God Northrest’, was himself a practitioner of the Fiendgod path. He was naturally more adept in this field. This was why the Moon Underwater Abyss was restricted to Empyrean Gods; Empyrean Gods had more malleability. If a cultivator relied on another Fiendgod Body Refining method to become a True God, their malleability would be greatly diminished.

The Forlorn World God method was immeasurably superior to the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens.

It was an extremely detailed method, one that directly pointed the way to the ‘World God’ realm.

Of course, having the method was one thing. The true challenge lay in the cultivation itself. Ji Ning had possessed the Crimsonbright Diagram for a long time, yet he had never been able to become a True God. But regardless… this supremely profound Fiendgod method gave him an incredibly clear path forward. The difference between a profound method and a simplified one was enormous.

With the same talent, if the Crimsonbright Diagram gave a one percent chance of becoming a True God, then the Forlorn World God method might offer a full ten percent.

“Empyrean God, True God, Elder God, World God.” Ji Ning was filled with anticipation.

The other technique was a divine ability.

The Nine Yuan Annihilation.

This was an ancient divine ability that circulated in the endless chaos, accessible to Fiendgods. The power of the Nine Yuan Annihilation could be described as either very ordinary… or nearly limitless!

The reason for this was that the Nine Yuan Annihilation had nine fundamental ‘Primordial Runes’.

These nine Primordial Runes were like the dots, strokes, horizontal lines, and vertical lines of written language. Those simple strokes could form characters, and those characters could form words, idioms, and even profound poetry. It could even be used to write an epic novel.

The divine ability, Nine Yuan Annihilation, was exactly the same.

These nine Primordial Runes could be endlessly combined to form increasingly complex and perfect divine runes. The foundation of the Starseizing Hand was its divine rune.

But these nine runes… their potential for growth was nearly limitless. By continuously evolving them, one could create increasingly complex and profound divine runes. The greater the rune’s power, the more devastating the divine ability unleashed through it! In theory, it could surpass the Starseizing Hand. It could surpass countless other abilities.

However—

This infinite potential was only theoretical. Just as countless people have learned to write across the ages, very few have composed poems that echo through history. The same principle applied here. The Nine Yuan Annihilation was fairly well-known among the powerful beings of the endless chaos, but those who could comprehend peerless divine runes from it were few and far between.

“Although it’s difficult, according to the description, this divine ability is known even to some World Gods within the endless chaos.” Ji Ning thought to himself. “It’s like a key. It has given me the key to comprehending a peerless divine ability.”

“This World God Northrest truly went to great lengths.”

“A method to allow me to continuously increase my power. A divine ability to continuously strengthen my combat prowess. The higher my talent, the stronger the ability I will comprehend.” Ji Ning was filled with emotion.

…

The silver-haired man was standing outside the shrine. When Ji Ning walked out, he smiled and said, “Having obtained these two techniques, you are now quite different from the other living beings of the Three Realms.”

“You knew?” Ji Ning frowned.

“My master is dead. I am in charge of many things on Descending Moon Island, so of course I know.” The silver-haired man smiled. “Naturally, I know.”

“Then let me ask you, where is the Heavenly Palace of Azure?” Ji Ning inquired.

“I do not know.” The silver-haired man shook his head.

“You don’t know?” Ji Ning was puzzled. “Your master is World God Northrest? Was the Moon Underwater Abyss created by him? Does he hail from the Heavenly Palace of Azure?”

The silver-haired man nodded. “My master is indeed World God Northrest. He was one of the most supreme World Gods amongst the endless chaos! If it weren’t for the Three Flood Dragon Godbeasts joining forces and setting a trap for him, how could my master have been killed? Trapped and besieged, my master was nearly annihilated, body and soul. He only managed to escape with a remnant of his soul, fleeing chaotically, going wherever danger was greatest. He fled all the way to this place. Having passed through so many dangerous and mysterious regions during his flight, even my master didn’t know the way back. That’s why the life oath he made you swear gave you an entire Chaos Cycle to reach the Heavenly Palace of Azure. That is an immeasurably long time. If you cannot find the Heavenly Palace of Azure, and the backlash of the life oath kills you… you have only yourself to blame.”

Ji Ning remained very calm.

A Chaos Cycle was a long time!

That was the time from the birth to the destruction of a Chaosworld, an uncountable number of eons. Since he himself had only lived for a little over three hundred years, Ji Ning certainly felt no pressure.

“After arriving here, my master used his remaining power to create the Moon Underwater Abyss.” The silver-haired man gave a cold laugh. “From this Abyss, you should be able to gauge my master’s Heaven-defying strength. Even with just a sliver of residual power, he was not inferior to an ordinary World God.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded.

He understood now.

World God Northrest was from the Heavenly Palace of Azure. He was incredibly powerful, but he had suffered a calamity. Severely wounded, he had fled here. Unwilling to die in vain, he had created the Moon Underwater Abyss to select an Empyrean God to deliver a message for him.

“Fortunately, World God Northrest didn’t force me to take revenge for him.” Ji Ning laughed.

“You?” The silver-haired man shook his head with a cold laugh. “The Three Flood Dragon Godbeasts are three beings born from the primordial chaos. They were born with the power of Elder Gods, and they have had many extraordinary encounters since. Roaming the chaos for endless years, they have all reached the World God level. The Three of them working together are a match for my master. How could someone like you possibly kill them? You just need to deliver the message. My master’s many friends will naturally avenge him.”

Ji Ning nodded.

Alright.

Whether it was Northrest or the Three Flood Dragon Godbeasts, they were all far, far beyond him.

“Is the Heavenly Palace of Azure very strong?” Ji Ning asked curiously.

“It should be quite strong, I imagine.” There was a note of hesitation in the silver-haired man’s voice. “I was created by my master, so I don’t know much about it. Once you leave the Three Realms and begin roaming the endless chaos, I believe you should be able to find news of the Heavenly Palace of Azure.”

“The script in the Moon Underwater Abyss seems different from that of the Three Realms?” Ji Ning inquired. He had noticed long ago that the script and language here were identical to those of the Nine Chaosworlds States.

“The script and language here are the common tongue of the endless chaos.” The silver-haired man explained.