The Annihilation of the Soul

The Realm of All Demons.

Atop the solitary mountain peak.

The Lord of All Demons, robed in crimson with his turquoise hair flowing, sat cross-legged, gazing through the endless void to observe the war unfolding in the Zhuolu Major World.

“Ji Ning?” the Lord of All Demons murmured. The name of this minor figure he had never before cared about had finally earned his attention.

“A defeat.”

“This pivotal war has been lost, and we have lost an Annihilation Hive as well.” The Lord of All Demons shook his head.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside him. It was an anxious-looking Master Wu Xiao.

“Master,” Wu Xiao said urgently, “We must retrieve the Annihilation Hive! We painstakingly refined these Hives, and now one has been taken. We’ve lost a piece on our side, while the Nuwa Camp has gained one. This has a massive impact on our overall strength.”

“How do you propose we retrieve it?” the Lord of All Demons asked, looking at Wu Xiao.

Wu Xiao was momentarily stunned.

“There is no way to retrieve it. We lost this battle in the Realm War fair and square. Furthermore, throughout the entire Three Realms, which Great Power, be it on our side or the Nuwa Camp, isn’t watching this battle closely? The moment I make a move, I fear many other Great Powers will as well. The Nuwa Camp will not give us the slightest opportunity.” The Lord of All Demons was very calm.

“But… but…” Wu Xiao was frantic.

“A loss is a loss. We must accept defeat gracefully.” The Lord of All Demons shook his head. “In the primordial era, the Nuwa Camp had Houyi. Now, they have Northmoon. It is fate.”

“Doesn’t the Godking still have the soul of Ji Ning’s Dao-companion, Yu Wei? Could we use her to force Ji Ning to trade back the Annihilation Hive?” Wu Xiao asked hastily.

“Impossible.” The Lord of All Demons shook his head. “The matter of the Annihilation Hive’s ownership is tied to the war between the two camps. It is no longer something Ji Ning can decide on his own. Even if Ji Ning were willing to return the Hive to us, his master Subhuti, as well as Suiren, Divine Farmer, Daoist Three Purities, and the others, would absolutely never permit it. To gain one Annihilation Hive and lose one… the impact is immense.”

“Hm.” Wu Xiao nodded helplessly.

He had to admit.

In the face of a war between camps, all personal feelings had to be cast aside. The Nuwa Camp would indeed never allow Ji Ning to do such a thing.

“Windfiend…” Suddenly, an ethereal voice rang out.

The Lord of All Demons was startled.

The nearby mist began to coalesce, slowly forming a blurry figure, simply draped in a gray robe.

“You still have your nature of staying aloof from the world.” The gray-robed figure’s voice was ethereal. “In war, what you need to do is strive. Strive for every chance at victory. That is the only path to ultimate triumph.”

The Lord of All Demons looked at this being. This was the king who had once led the entire Seamless Chaosworld. This being, whose power in the primordial era was on par with Mother Nuwa’s, was only one step away from the World God level.

“It has been a long time, Demonheart,” the Lord of All Demons said.

Within the Zhuolu Major World.

When Ji Ning used his gourd to collect the Annihilation Hive, the entire battlefield fell into a dead silence. The Seamless Gate army had lost all will to fight.

“We lost.” There was a trace of regret in Demonhand Daofather’s eyes.

“How could this be? How could this happen? This Ji Ning…” the Blackclad Godking ground his teeth in fury. “Of all the pivotal battles… to lose it on account of Ji Ning.”

The Blackclad Godking was truly unwilling to accept this. After all, he had orchestrated the entire war plan. He was the nominal leader! And Ji Ning was nothing but a mere pawn. He had never truly cared about him before.

“Retreat!”

“Retreat immediately!”

“Do not engage.”

Demonhand Daofather immediately sent a mental message to all his forces, commanding the remnants of his army to pull back swiftly.

The situation was already abundantly clear.

With the Annihilation Hive captured by Ji Ning, even if Ji Ning refrained from fighting, the two Pangu avatars and the rest of the Nuwa Camp’s army were more than enough to sweep away the remaining Seamless Gate forces.

“We lost.” The Blackclad Godking closed his eyes, muttering to himself.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

His gaze was icy cold as he looked down at the Fiendgod Ji Ning below, who was also staring back at him.

“Hmph.” The Blackclad Godking let out a cold laugh. With a wave of his hand, a translucent figure appeared in his grasp. It was the soul of Yu Wei, the black-robed girl. She looked around in confusion.

…

Ji Ning’s body trembled. He stared blankly at the translucent figure on the walls of the Seamless City—the figure he had longed for day and night.

“Senior apprentice-sister,” he murmured, standing frozen. His presence was vast and towering, yet he seemed fragile.

Yu Wei saw Ji Ning as well. She opened her mouth as if to speak. Though there was no sound, Ji Ning could read her lips.

“Junior apprentice-brother,” Yu Wei was saying, looking at him.

“Did I not tell you? If you defied me, I would kill your senior apprentice-sister. I would make her soul scatter and her truesoul be extinguished.” The Blackclad Godking’s massive hand gripped the translucent Yu Wei. His voice echoed across heaven and earth. “Did you not say that her death would be on your hands? Ha… I shall make her death a reality!”

“No—”

Ji Ning reached out as if to say something.

But the Blackclad Godking’s hand clenched violently. The translucent shadow of Yu Wei looked at Ji Ning one last time, her lips moving faintly: “Take care of… Brightmoon…”

Bang~~~

The soul scattered. The faintly glowing wisp of her truesoul shattered into nothingness.

Ji Ning stood frozen, his hand still outstretched.

Pain.

A heart-wrenching, soul-tearing pain surged through his entire being, like an endless tide drowning him.

…

Senior apprentice-sister.

Dead.

Truly dead.

“You hid your daughter well, hiding her in the Tristar Crescent Major World. Had she been anywhere else, I would have killed her too. Hahaha… it is fate. I am your heart demon. I am your true demon! Hahaha… This war is only the beginning! Be prepared! Your daughter will die too! She will die too, hahaha…” The Blackclad Godking laughed wildly, utterly insane.

But Ji Ning stood there, unmoving.

The Nuwa Camp’s army was in pursuit, but many were distracted by the figure standing there, his aura overwhelming, yet seeming… fragile.

On the walls of the Nuwa Camp’s city.

The seven Great Powers—Subhuti, Divine Farmer, Xuan Yuan, and the others—watched with grim expressions. They could not intervene. Even if they did, they could not have saved Yu Wei, for the Godking could have extinguished her fragile soul in an instant.

“Ji Ning.” Subhuti turned to look at the black-robed Ji Ning beside him and said softly, “This is war. In this war, many Celestial Immortals, True Immortals, Elder Gods, and Daofathers have lost their disciples, their loved ones. This is only the beginning… If we are defeated, all of us Great Powers will be annihilated, let alone anyone else.”

“Such is war,” Xuan Yuan consoled him.

There was no other way.

War was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Neither side would show mercy. They would do whatever it took to strike at their foe. Ji Ning was someone who valued bonds. Having Yu Wei’s soul scattered and her truesoul extinguished… this would be a thorn in his heart that could never be removed. This thorn could fester and cause astonishing damage at some future moment.

The black-robed Ji Ning stood there. His eyes were bloodshot. Bloody tears streamed down his face.

“Hahaha…” The black-robed Ji Ning threw his head back and laughed. The tears instantly evaporated into nothingness.

“Hahaha…” On the distant wilderness, the towering Fiendgod Ji Ning also threw his head back and laughed. The laughter shook heaven and earth.

It chilled the heart.

Anyone could hear the pain and the insane hatred within that laughter—an endless, abyssal hatred and murderous intent. But the Blackclad Godking on the distant Seamless City wall did not care at all. He sneered, “Let the hatred burn hotter. The deeper it goes, the more it will affect your Dao-heart. If your Dao-heart is truly shaken, it will be even harder for you to break through.”

The laughter subsided.

The Fiendgod Ji Ning lowered his head, clutching his sword, and murmured, “Senior apprentice-sister, your junior apprentice-brother has failed you… Brightmoon… I will take care of her…” He raised his head to look at the Godking on the Seamless Gate wall. “I swear I will personally slay you to honor her memory…”

…

On the battlefield, many Celestial Immortals and True Immortals of the Nuwa Camp were worried about their friend and brother, ‘Ji Ning.’ Even Patriarch Subhuti was concerned.

As the Fiendgod Ji Ning’s laughter ceased, he moved.

“DIE!!!” He transformed into a streak of black lightning, charging directly at the retreating Seamless Gate army.

The Seamless Gate army was already struggling to retreat while fending off the two Pangu avatars. Now, a black streak of lightning flashed into their midst.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

Sword-light flashed.

Blood splattered.

Countless celestial immortals and demonic gods perished.

“What?! He’s commanding the Rahu Fiendgod and can still use the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation?!” The Blackclad Godking’s face changed drastically. Using the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation while commanding the Rahu Fiendgod meant that not a single shred of power was wasted. It meant Ji Ning possessed absolute control over all of the Rahu Fiendgod’s energy.

Demonhand Daofather’s expression also shifted. He immediately sent a mental message, urgently commanding, “Disengage at will!”

Disengage at will.

This meant—ignore all formations and coordination. Every soldier was to flee in whatever direction they could, using any escape method they possessed. Abandon all pretense of organized retreat. Against the Fiendgod Ji Ning, who was using the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation to commit a massacre, an orderly retreat was no longer possible.

Chapter end!

Some readers have asked Tomato about the mobile game of Desolate Era, saying this and that… I felt something was off. They weren’t talking about the official Desolate Era mobile game. Later, I found out it was a knock-off.

I’ve said this before, but allow me to state it again.

The correct download address for the official Desolate Era mobile game is: [link omitted]. This is the correct address. All others are counterfeit.