The Bitter Taste of Defeat

“Hahaha… Come on, both of you retreat. Leave this one puppet to me!” Empyrean God Silvermoon had gone berserk, throwing himself alone against a single Violet-Gold Puppet. These Violet-Gold Puppets were the first of their kind to be deployed by the Seamless Gate in this war; they were few in number, and each was even more powerful than a Daofather Puppet.

A single Empyrean God, even a Seven Radiance Empyrean God, could not withstand such a foe. But at this moment, Silvermoon, in his madness, faced it alone.

Black dragons from the skies swooped down to attack Silvermoon, who was already tangled in close combat with the puppet. Even the puppet itself was caught in the crossfire of the dragons. There was no helping it.

“Boom.”

Empyrean God Silvermoon’s body finally collapsed and scattered.

The vicious puppet began to turn its attention back toward slaughtering the retreating army. But then, a towering figure in white, handsome and majestic, appeared. It was Silvermoon. This white-robed, handsome man instantly transformed into a Heavenly Transformation of a hundred thousand zhang. Each of his palms was ten thousand zhang across. He reached out with both hands and simultaneously seized two of the nearby violet-gold puppets.

“Hahaha…” The white-robed, handsome man laughed wildly as he held the two puppets in a death grip.

The two puppets struggled with all their might. Though they could still fly and move, Silvermoon’s grip was unbreakable, slowing them down tremendously. They were utterly incapable of pursuing the Nuwa camp’s other forces. Such puppets were extremely rare, and now two of them had been successfully delayed.

“Send two more. Trap him within a treasure and suppress him.” From atop the Seamless City’s walls, Daofather Demonhand frowned and immediately sent a mental order.

“I cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to the ninth stage precisely so I could slaughter and be slaughtered on the battlefield!” The white-robed, handsome man laughed as the enemy unleashed a torrent of attacks against him. The Seven Radiance Empyrean God was merely a formation; but his true divine body had now reached the ninth stage of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. It was utterly indestructible!

…

“Senior apprentice-brother Silvermoon…” Ji Ning watched the maddened Silvermoon on the battlefield. Because of Silvermoon’s repeated participation in the war with such reckless abandon, their master, Patriarch Subhuti, had bestowed upon him a vast quantity of Grand Unity Immortal Pills, allowing him to complete the ninth stage of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. At the time, Subhuti had warned him: “The Arcane Art merely grants you greater vitality. If you insist on seeking your own death, no one can save you.”

On the battlefield, Silvermoon saw two more puppets encircling him. Suddenly, his divine body split apart, dividing into three separate forms, each fleeing in a different direction.

“Silvermoon, you have done enough. Try your best to escape and return.” Xuan Yuan transmitted mentally.

Silvermoon had single-handedly occupied four puppets, greatly lightening the burden on the Seven Radiance Empyrean Gods on his side.

Moments later.

The entire army of the Nuwa camp had fully retreated, leaving only the Seamless Gate’s forces outside, shouting their taunts.

“That Empyrean God Silvermoon… he deserves to die!” Daofather Demonhand’s eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Empyrean God Silvermoon’s sudden, berserk outburst had indeed altered the flow of the battle. Otherwise, with luck, the Nuwa camp’s army might have completely collapsed. Even if it hadn’t, their losses would undoubtedly have been far greater.

“His divine body is incredibly tough; he must have mastered the ninth stage of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art,” said the Blackclothed Godking. “He used his body as a shield recklessly, and it affected our offensive. But, Uncle-Master, Silvermoon split into many avatars to flee, and we destroyed most of them. He must be severely injured. It might take him a thousand years just to recover to his peak.”

“Perhaps.” Daofather Demonhand nodded, then let out a cold smile. “Xuan Yuan killed only a few of my men in our previous engagements. This time, I have made him feel the pain.”

“They lost nearly six hundred Celestial Immortals and True Immortals in this battle. And that was with luck on their side. Next time, they won’t be so fortunate,” the Blackclothed Godking said, brimming with confidence.

“Keep a constant watch on them.”

Daofather Demonhand commanded, “And ask your master to assist. We must have a clear view of all movements within the Nuwa camp.”

“Understood.” The Blackclothed Godking nodded with a smile.

…

The Nuwa camp.

Within the floating citadel.

The atmosphere was oppressive. Only Celestial Immortals and True Immortals were free to move about the city; Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals had to remain in their respective camps for faster mobilization.

“Senior apprentice-brother Silvermoon, that was far too reckless. You nearly died just now.” Ji Ning looked at Silvermoon, whose aura was now severely weakened. The avatars that had been destroyed had contained portions of Silvermoon’s soul. He had lost more than half of his soul in this battle. Though his powerful Dao-heart kept him from scattering completely, he was perilously close to the edge.

Patriarch Subhuti had fed him a divine pill to stabilize his soul. As it stood, Silvermoon’s combat strength was now barely comparable to an ordinary Celestial Immortal.

“If I hadn’t gone mad, even more Celestial Immortals and True Immortals would have died,” Silvermoon said softly. “Dying in battle is the best归宿 I could ask for. If it lets more of my friends live on… it’s worth it.”

“Junior apprentice-brother Silvermoon. Junior apprentice-brother Northmont.” A voice sounded from afar.

Ji Ning and Silvermoon both looked over.

A golden-haired, golden-robed figure approached. It was their senior apprentice-brother Golden Crow.

“Senior apprentice-brother Golden Crow.” Both Ji Ning and Silvermoon called out.

“Silvermoon, you rendered a truly great service this time. The Yellow Emperor Xuan Yuan himself just said that if not for your eruption, the situation would have been far worse,” Golden Crow said.

“You, Senior apprentice-brother Golden Crow, led the Grand Cycle Stellar Formation in the rearguard, even saving the hundreds of Celestial Immortals and True Immortals under Pan Gu Ji Min’s command. Your contribution is the greatest,” Silvermoon replied. This was the truth. Because Pan Gu Ji Min had to resist the ‘Emissary of All Things’ and had to leave last, Golden Crow, with his ‘Solar Golden Rainbow’ divine ability, had indeed led the army in a retreat so swift that the Seamless Gate could not catch them.

“Let’s not talk about contributions. This was a defeat, a crushing one at that,” Golden Crow said, shaking his head.

“Yes, too crushing,” Silvermoon agreed. “So many of my friends have fallen in battle.”

“Mn.” Ji Ning’s heart was heavy.

Nearly six hundred Celestial Immortals and True Immortals had died!

Heavens! Consider that the realm of Emperor Zhuan Xu, one of the Five Emperors, contained barely over six hundred Celestial Immortals and True Immortals in total. One battle had killed that many. Even among the gathered elite army, one in five had been slain. How many friends, how many fellow disciples had perished?

All of Patriarch Subhuti’s disciples were powerful, and with some luck this time, they had all survived. But many had been on the very brink of death. Even Silvermoon, the ninth-stage Eight-Nine Arcane Art cultivator, had nearly died.

They survived this time.

What about the next?

…

The entire citadel was steeped in pain and unwillingness. The casualties had been so severe mainly because two Grand Immortal Extermination Formations and one Grand Cycle Stellar Formation had been breached. In the six hundred years Ji Ning had spent traveling the Three Realms, he had visited every major world and befriended many, including True Immortal Luoshui.

This time, of the five hundred-plus Celestial Immortals and True Immortals who died, one hundred and twenty-nine had shared a drink with Ji Ning. They had laughed and joked with him, even sparred with him.

Ji Ning’s heart ached.

“Master.”

Ji Ning went to see Patriarch Subhuti alone.

“Mm?” Subhuti was sitting cross-legged. He looked at Ji Ning.

“Let me join the battle,” Ji Ning pleaded. “The Rahu God I command should be able to match those Violet-Gold Puppets. If I send all eighteen of my avatars, it would be like having eighteen Violet-Gold Puppets.”

Subhuti shook his head with a sigh. “I know your intentions. But the key now is not those Violet-Gold Puppets. It is the Emissary of All Things! No matter how much lower-level power you have, without proper coordination, it cannot counter a higher-level force. The Emissary of All Things is simply too strong. Even the Pan Gu Heaven-Opening Formation is at a complete disadvantage. It can hold for a short time, but in the long run, it will inevitably fall.”

“Tell me,” Subhuti said, looking at Ji Ning. “Could a hundred Seven Radiance Empyrean Gods deal with an Emissary of All Things?”

Ji Ning shook his head.

Even a thousand Celestial Immortals and True Immortals rushing in would only be slaughtered by a Daofather, unless they formed a formation to combine their strength!

“The Emissary of All Things is on the level of a top-tier Daofather,” Subhuti said. “Your Rahu God is far from that. Besides, the Rahu God’s body is merely condensed divine power. Once breached, it will collapse.”

“Mn.” Ji Ning nodded.

“We have countermeasures for the other puppets and formations. What troubles us now is that Emissary of All Things. Until it is dealt with, there is no way to win this war.” Subhuti’s expression shifted slightly. “Leave for now. Many great powers are arriving. I must go and meet them.”

“Understood.” Ji Ning respectfully withdrew, leaving Subhuti’s residence.

Once outside, Ji Ning looked up into the distance. A stream of mighty auras descended from the high heavens as one great power after another arrived, all of them landing directly at the palace hall where Xuan Yuan was waiting.

“Now that the Emissary of All Things has appeared, we are in grave trouble. Even the Pan Gu Heaven-Opening Formation can’t stand against it,” said a graceful woman standing not far ahead of Ji Ning. It was his senior apprentice-sister Feng Xiao. “The Pan Gu Heaven-Opening Formation was left by Mother Nuwa. Its power is immense, but a Daofather must serve as its core to unleash its full might.”

“Mn.” Ji Ning nodded.

“Who can deal with the Emissary of All Things?” Feng Xiao shook her head. “The great powers are gathering one after another; they must be discussing this very matter. The fact that it has forced so many of them to gather shows just how troublesome it is.”

Ji Ning felt the immense pressure pressing down on him.

So many friends had fallen in battle. Were they going to lose?

Suddenly, Ji Ning’s body trembled.

“Huuuum~”

A torrent of memories surged from an impossibly distant place, flooding into Ji Ning’s consciousness.

…

On a blazing star of fire in the endless chaos.

Whoosh.

The fabric of space twisted, and a white-robed youth appeared.

“The exit was here? What a well-hidden place. Six hundred years… I’m finally out.” The white-robed youth suddenly froze.

From the distant Three Realms, from the Zhulu Major World, another torrent of memories came surging in.

The memories collided!

Because he had entered the Moon Underwater Abyss, his two avatars had been completely cut off from the outside world. No memories could pass between them. But now that he had emerged… the memories of these two avatars and his other avatars began a violent collision and merger.

One part was the memories of these six hundred years in the Moon Underwater Abyss: the comprehension of countless sword techniques and techniques from World God Northrest, which had honed Ji Ning’s swordsmanship to what could be called the most terrifying in the Three Realms.

The other part was the memories of walking the Three Realms, observing the world, and tempering his own heart, as well as the memories of the fierce battle in the World Prison.

The two parts of memory began to merge and collide.

Different insights into the sword.

Different insights into the heart.

They collided, merged…

xxxxxx

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