The Assassination Pact

The remnants of the Seamless Gate withdrew from the Zhulu Major World, marking their disastrous defeat in this campaign.

"Hm?"

The Blackclad Godking and Daofather Demonhand, who were leading the retreat with heavy hearts, both paused in surprise.

"The Lord of All Demons is summoning us?" the Godking wondered.

"Windfiend is calling us? He rarely interferes," Daofather Demonhand mused, confused. Still, they didn't hesitate. Both sent their divine sense directly into the All-Demon Realm, condensing projections to descend.

...

Within the All-Demon Realm, at the very top of the Windfiend Palace, surrounded by swirling clouds, four figures had gathered. These were the true leaders of the Seamless Gate in the present era.

They were the Lord of All Demons, Master Stonerule, Daofather Demonhand, and the Blackclad Godking.

"Lord of All Demons, you have summoned us. May I ask why?" the Blackclad Godking asked respectfully, being the lowest in status among them.

Master Stonerule and Daofather Demonhand also looked toward him.

The Lord of All Demons spoke with a grave expression. "The Heartlord manifested earlier and spoke with me."

Instantly, the hearts of everyone present tightened.

The Heartlord... he was the undisputed king of the Seamless Chaosworld. Wherever he went, war followed. There was no enemy he could not deal with, no one who could match his mastery over hearts and control of the situation. In the ancient war he had waged against the Pangu Chaosworld, he had forced Pangu's forces to retreat step by step.

At the critical moment, the primordial alien race, the 'Lord of All Things,' had struck from the shadows. Then, Mother Nuwa had broken through to become a Pangu God, sweeping away everything with absolute power, leaving the Heartlord to that miserable fate. But no one denied the Heartlord's terror.

"He manifested?" Master Stonerule frowned. "He is now fused with the Heavenly Dao. Even if he manifests, it's merely an incarnation condensed from the power of Heaven and Earth. He was the one who insisted on starting this war in the first place. What does he want now?" Master Stonerule was the one in the Seamless Gate who most desired peace. He was deeply dissatisfied with the Heartlord's insistence on waging war.

Yet, the mysterious forces of fate had revealed that not fighting would lead only to extinction. So he could not oppose it.

"Stonerule," the Lord of All Demons looked at him. "I know your nature. But you must understand, this is the era of the great tribulation. You cannot afford to be soft-hearted. To be merciful to our enemies is to be cruel to the brothers, the elderly, and the children of our own Seamless Chaosworld! We are at a critical moment of life and death. We must become even more ruthless."

Master Stonerule nodded, his killing intent visibly thickening. He replied, "Rest assured. When the critical moment comes, I will not hesitate."

"We lost the war for the Zhulu Major World," the Lord of All Demons said. "It was because of a great variable—Ji Ning. He was merely an Empyrean God and True Immortal, yet when commanding the Rahu Formation, he displayed power comparable to top-tier Daofathers, even completely suppressing the Emissary of All Things. Now he has acquired another Emissary of All Things, making him a tiger with wings. In the coming struggle for Qi of Fortune, if Ji Ning appears, he can completely offset our advantage of having the Emissaries."

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

"Yes. He is too powerful," the Blackclad Godking couldn't help but say.

"How to deal with Ji Ning has always been your decision," Daofather Demonhand said coldly. "A little brat from back then has grown into a great threat now. Hmph."

The Blackclad Godking's expression shifted slightly, but he forcibly suppressed his rage. Daofather Demonhand was a radical by nature. In the past, he hadn't even shown the Heartlord any respect; why would he give a junior like him any face?

"It is my fault," the Blackclad Godking said, lowering his head in admission.

"Enough."

The Lord of All Demons said, "In this struggle for Qi of Fortune, Nuwa's camp has the three clan-protecting formations, and we have the Emissaries of All Things. It was a fair fight. But now, with the emergence of Ji Ning and the loss of the critical battle... if we continue the struggle, our chances of victory are very slim."

Everyone's hearts grew heavy.

"And so, the Heartlord spoke with me... he said we should directly slay Ji Ning," the Lord of All Demons said solemnly.

"Directly slay him?"

"This..."

"This could easily trigger the final war." The other three were all shocked.

The Lord of All Demons said, "I disagreed at first. But upon careful thought, what the Heartlord said makes sense. If we kill Ji Ning, we reclaim the Emissary of All Things. Even if it immediately triggers the final war... we are the ones who are prepared."

"And if Nuwa's camp is unwilling to fight the final war, all the better."

The Lord of All Demons swept his gaze across the three present. "In truth, all of you should be able to sense it. That immense threat lurking in the shadows. It has made all the mighty experts of our Seamless Gate incredibly tense. It is the threat of death. But the final war is unavoidable. There will be a battle eventually. When that battle comes, stay close to me. If the situation turns bad—if unexpected variables appear, like alien races from the Chaosverse—as long as the circumstances become dire, I will take everyone and immediately leave the Three Realms. So long as we live, there is always hope."

"Agreed."

All three present nodded.

One must consider defeat before victory. The Seamless Gate's 'Lord of All Demons' was apparently adept at fleeing when necessary.

"Prepare for the final war," the Lord of All Demons ordered. "Although I predict Nuwa's camp is less likely to initiate battle, we must be prepared. Also, inform our ally. Once we move, his army must follow."

"Of course. We cannot allow him to reap the benefits without lifting a finger," Master Stonerule said calmly.

"Agreed."

Everyone nodded.

"This assassination of Ji Ning must succeed," the Lord of All Demons said. "Nuwa's camp has just won a great victory and is currently celebrating. Ji Ning is now inside the Xuanyuan Emperor's palace. We will strike directly within the Imperial Palace to slay Ji Ning."

"Directly in the palace?"

"Can't we wait for Ji Ning to leave? If he comes out alone, it would be much easier for us."

"The Windfiend is right. Ji Ning is in the palace now, so Nuwa's camp will likely be more relaxed. If we wait for him to leave the palace, Patriarch Bodhi might be traveling with him. Even if we make a move, Bodhi could instantly take Ji Ning into his own spatial dimension, giving us no chance to act." Master Stonerule agreed.

The Lord of All Demons nodded. "Although it's very difficult to kill Ji Ning inside the Imperial Palace, he is currently alone in his residence. By the time we strike, even if Patriarch Bodhi or Xuanyuan wants to save him, it will be too late. Of course, striking within the palace is extremely troublesome. Xuanyuan has countless formations and prohibitions in his own lair." He then looked toward Master Stonerule.

"Stonerule, you have many methods at your disposal. You alone could briefly hold back the Three Sovereigns. So you must act and help obstruct the mighty experts of Nuwa's camp," the Lord of All Demons instructed.

Master Stonerule nodded with a sigh. "Rest assured. I have sparred with those old friends countless times in the past. Even if the Three Sovereigns come together, I can hold them off for a short while."

"We will also need to mobilize Darklight and Shadowless," the Lord of All Demons added.

...

The top-tier mighty experts of the Seamless Gate began their arrangements, crafting a detailed assassination plan against Ji Ning.

They even prepared three layers of contingency plans.

If the first failed, there was a second. If the second failed, a third. In short, they had to succeed in the assassination and reclaim the Emissary of All Things in the process! Killing Ji Ning was the primary objective; reclaiming the Emissary was secondary.

Nuwa's camp was unaware of the Seamless Gate's secret preparations.

Because very few within the Seamless Gate knew of this plan—no more than fifteen! Even many of the Seamless Gate's own mighty experts were kept in the dark. Only a few leaders and the most loyal, top-tier Daofathers had been informed. They were all prepared for the 'final war.' Each of them commanded other Daofathers. Once the final war was initiated, they would issue their commands, and the entire Seamless Gate's forces would mobilize in perfect order.

If the mighty experts were not thrown into chaos, the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals below them would naturally remain steady.

...

Within the Imperial Palace of the Zhulu Major World.

Ji Ning's residence.

A white-robed Ji Ning sat cross-legged in silent meditation, cultivating the Forlorn World God technique. If he could become a True God before the tribulation's final eruption, his strength would be vastly greater. Moreover, due to the Pottery Wu's Eighteen Fiendgods and the Unite into One Venerate techniques, he was already a half-step True God. If he truly broke through, he would be a half-step Elder God.

Becoming a 'Daofather' was still a distant dream, for he would need to fully comprehend a Heavenly Dao.

A True God, however, was within reach after fully comprehending a Grand Dao.

But it was merely a hope. Among Empyrean Gods, over eighty percent had comprehended a Grand Dao, yet how many of them had become True Gods?

Ji Ning had already comprehended a Grand Dao! The 'Grand Dao of Lightning!'

When he had first emerged from the Moon Underwater Abyss, Ji Ning had quickly comprehended the complete 'Dao of Rainwater' and 'Dao of Thunderclaps.' During the month he spent cultivating the Icefire Golden Core Refining Art, he had quietly and completely comprehended the Grand Dao of Lightning! As for the 'Dripping Dao' he had once understood, it was still slightly incomplete and would likely require another ten days or half a month.

It was mainly because his foundation was too high. Ji Ning's Sword Art realm was too profound; naturally, comprehending these other Daos was astonishingly fast.