The Fangs of Grief

Victory.

A pivotal war that should have lasted years, sometimes even longer, was cut short by the variable that was Ji Ning.

Both sides had a solid grasp of the other's trump cards. Nuwa's camp knew about the 'Envoys of All Things.' Even if the Seamless Gate dispatched them, Nuwa's camp had ways to drag the conflict out, at worst being at a disadvantage and struggling a bit harder. But Ji Ning's emergence was something the Seamless Gate had never anticipated.

His sudden appearance and the terrifying power he displayed instantly stunned the Seamless Gate army.

A complete collapse followed.

And just like that, the pivotal war for control over the Three Realms' fortune came to an end after just a few short months.

…

Within the imperial palace of the Zhuolu Major World.

The Yellow Emperor, Xuan Yuan, held a grand celebratory feast, entertaining the assembled mighty figures, Empyrean Gods and True Immortals who had participated in the war. Ji Ning attended the feast, but he had slipped away early and returned to his own chambers.

He sat alone within a pavilion.

Snowflakes drifted down. Before Ji Ning sat a single jug of wine and a single cup.

He drank in silence. The wine burned a hot path down his throat.

"Senior apprentice-sister," Ji Ning's gaze was distant and unfathomable. "According to what World God Northrest said, the endless Chaos holds infinite possibilities. Even within the 'Heavenly Palace of Azure,' where Northrest himself came from, there are beings far more powerful than he was. And in the vast Chaos, there are those whose power far surpasses a World God's…"

"The World level is not the end."

"Reaching the World level allows one to find the truesoul from the River of Fate."

"Your truesoul has been extinguished. A World God cannot save you. But if I can one day surpass the World level, if I can walk an even further path… perhaps I could save you." Ji Ning's heart silently declared.

World God Northrest had treated Ji Ning as his true heir.

He had left behind many techniques, as well as knowledge of the various power distributions in the Chaos and other common lore.

Thus, Ji Ning was well aware… that a treasured divine sword like Northrest's most precious weapon, 'Ziguangqiong,' was far beyond the ability of a World God or Chaos Immortal to forge. Ji Ning knew that within the endless Chaos, there were beings stronger than World Gods and Chaos Immortals. Before, he had no ambitions. He just wanted to survive the Great Tribulation and live a peaceful life in the Three Realms. Even if, in the distant future, he was compelled by his 'Life Oath' to deliver a message to the Heavenly Palace of Azure, it was a worry for another day.

But now…

Ji Ning had found ambition.

He had to walk further. He had to climb higher.

"Once the Great Tribulation has passed, I will leave my Primaltwin to look after our daughter. Then, as my Life Oath demands, I will step into the endless Chaos and go to the Heavenly Palace of Azure. I will climb higher peaks and walk ever further… As long as this path of cultivation has no end, there will be hope of saving you." Ji Ning's thoughts were a silent vow.

"Junior apprentice-brother."

Ji Ning turned his head. A figure was walking in from the courtyard gate. It was his senior fellow apprentice, Silvermoon.

Silvermoon looked at Ji Ning and could feel the faint aura of solitude emanating from him. He sighed inwardly. When his own Dao-Companion had died years ago, he too had been like this. It had taken a long time to suppress those feelings and begin to socialize and laugh again. But no matter what, they were just buried deep in the heart. They could never be forgotten, and when an opportunity arose, they would burst forth again.

Seeing Ji Ning was like seeing his own past self.

"Senior apprentice-brother," Ji Ning acknowledged.

Silvermoon walked over and sat across from Ji Ning, looking at the single cup on the table. "Only one cup?"

"Now that you're here, there will naturally be more." Ji Ning flicked his sleeve, and another cup appeared on the table. He picked up the wine jug and poured for his senior fellow apprentice.

"Ah."

Silvermoon first savored the wine, then tossed his head back and drank it all.

"Strong stuff," Silvermoon laughed. "I came because I was worried you might sink into depression or become completely consumed by hatred. But it seems you're still calm."

"Of course, I'm calm. I still have my daughter, Brightmoon, as well as Uncle White, Qingqing, and my mother and father," Ji Ning said calmly. Although his parents had passed away, if he could reach the World level, he could find their truesouls in the River of Fate.

"Yes, there are still many things in this world worth cherishing." Silvermoon nodded, then a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes. "But that Seamless Gate, they have no scruples! Launching such a large-scale assassination campaign, how many Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and Daofathers have lost their loved ones? A conflict should not involve the innocent families!"

"Hmm." Ji Ning's eyes also held a barely concealed killing intent.

Thinking back to how the Godking, standing on the walls of the Seamless City, had crushed his senior apprentice-sister's soul, dispersing her truesoul, Ji Ning's hatred surged.

He had to kill him.

Kill that Godking.

The All-Demon Realm.

Atop the solitary mountain peak, the Lord of All Demons and the Lord of Demonheart were meeting. Wu Xiao stood respectfully nearby, not daring to make a sound.

"What a miserable loss." The gray-robed figure spoke softly, seemingly with a trace of a smile. "What a pity."

"Wasn't this Great Tribulation something you insisted on starting?" The Lord of All Demons said coolly.

"Windfiend, you are mistaken. It wasn't that I insisted on starting it, but that if we didn't make a move, our only path was annihilation," the gray-robed figure said with a smile. "So war was the only option. If the Nuwa camp dies to the last, we survive."

"What is the true source of this Great Tribulation?" The Lord of All Demons frowned.

"I don't know that either. I am a part of the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao is not wholly me." The gray-robed figure shook his head. "Regardless, I still hope for a Seamless Gate victory. Although I have now merged with the Heavenly Dao… in the past, I was the king of the Seamless Chaosworld. I truly do not wish to see the Seamless Gate completely annihilated, or for you to flee the Three Realms with only a few remnants. In the end, I hope the beings living on this land of the Three Realms are the living creatures from our Seamless Chaosworld."

The Lord of All Demons just looked at him.

The gray-robed figure continued. "The struggle for fortune. That war in the Zhuolu Major World was the decisive battle, and we lost. We lost to a variable we never predicted. He is not a Daofather, not a True God. He hasn't even reached the fifth level of Heartforce or Swordforce. Yet, he could still channel all the power of the Rahu Formation. Now, he has also obtained the Envoy of All Things. He has become the greatest obstacle to our Seamless Gate's victory in the struggle for fortune."

"He is the greatest obstacle," the Lord of All Demons agreed. "Do you have any way to deal with him? With his strength, his true body commands the Rahu Formation while his Primaltwin commands the Envoy of All Things. Even if we sent three or five Envoys of All Things, they might not be able to do anything to him. And don't forget, Nuwa's camp itself also commands a very powerful army. Without the Envoys of All Things, we cannot hope to defeat them."

"Ji Ning is the sharpest fang of the Nuwa camp." The gray-robed figure smiled coldly. "Thus, the best course of action is to pull that fang."

"Pull it?" The Lord of All Demons was stunned.

"Yes," the gray-robed figure nodded.

"How?" The Lord of All Demons' expression changed. He had a vague premonition of what the Lord of Demonheart was thinking.

"Have True Gods and Daofathers personally act to kill Ji Ning," the gray-robed figure said.

The Lord of All Demons frowned. It was just as he had guessed. He was dissatisfied. "The reason the True Gods and Daofathers of our two camps are unwilling to launch a final decisive battle, opting for the struggle of fortune first, is because our strengths are too evenly matched. If the final battle erupts, the casualties would be horrific. If a True God or Daofather from our side acts, it will enrage the Nuwa camp, and they will likely act as well. This will likely trigger the final battle directly."

"Perhaps it will. Perhaps it won't." The gray-robed figure said coolly. "In the struggle for fortune, with Ji Ning as a variable, our chances of winning are even slimmer. So, we might as well go straight for a final battle."

"Furthermore…"

"These so-called unwritten rules were made to be broken. True Gods and Daofathers cannot act? When it's a true life-and-death situation, who cares about that? Kill Ji Ning first! If the Nuwa camp goes mad, then we fight the final battle. Without prior preparation, and while they are ahead in the struggle for fortune, they will likely be unwilling to launch the final battle."

"So, if we actually kill Ji Ning and trigger a final battle, we are the side that is prepared. If the final battle doesn't start, even better. In short, neither outcome will be worse than the current situation," the gray-robed figure said coolly.

The Lord of All Demons was lost in thought.

"Letting this situation fester means we are certain to lose the struggle for fortune," the gray-robed figure continued, unmoved.

The Lord of All Demons pondered for a long time.

The gray-robed figure simply watched him. Now that he had merged with the Heavenly Dao, the true authority and decision-making power over the Seamless Gate still rested with the Lord of All Demons. To violate the unwritten rules of the two camps and have a True God or Daofather kill Ji Ning… the Lord of All Demons had to be the one to make the decision.

"Yes. Neither outcome will be worse than the current situation. I never wanted the final day of decisive battle to come, but it was unavoidable," the Lord of All Demons nodded. "Since that is the case, let's use Ji Ning as the sacrificial flag to begin this war."

The gray-robed figure smiled.