The Weight of Surrender

Inside the valley.

A silver-haired man stood before a cluster of flowers. He gently plucked one and lowered his head to sniff it, yet his expression remained somewhat gloomy.

"The keeper..." the silver-haired man murmured to himself. "Was it him?"

The churning chaos from earlier had allowed True God Shiyu to guess who had broken through to become a True God, or perhaps even an Elder God! The prisoners trapped in the World Prison had been there for far too long. If a breakthrough were possible, it would have happened long ago. The chances of a breakthrough while imprisoned within the World Prison were vanishingly small. So the most likely possibility was... that luckily foreign keeper of the World Prison had broken through.

"That foreigner's strength is nothing to scoff at. If he really has broken through, that's a bit of trouble." The silver-haired man's face darkened. "He is the keeper, and likely has treasures on him. My defense is formidable, but if I end up in a contest of attrition with him, I can't outlast him either."

He could only slowly absorb power from the chaos within the World Prison. Because the World Prison was covered by a grand formation, the vast majority of energy was extracted by the formation into 'Chaos Nectar'. He could absorb pitifully little. The keeper, however, could absorb external power to replenish himself. In an attrition battle, naturally he could not outlast the keeper.

"Hm?" True God Shiyu suddenly lifted his head.

A black electric serpent flashed in the distance, arriving above the valley in an instant. It was a white-robed youth holding a black divine sword. The white-robed youth descended from the sky, his aura ordinary, almost like a mortal. Yet True God Shiyu's expression shifted dramatically. He sneered coldly, "It hasn't been long since our last fight, and here you are again. It seems the breakthrough earlier was indeed you."

"It was me." Ji Ning, holding his Northsea sword, walked over.

"So what if you've broken through? Last time, without using any divine abilities, I could easily block you. Even if an Elder God or Ancestral Immortal came, I could still block them." True God Shiyu stared coldly at Ji Ning. He naturally had his pride. Back in the Ninefang Chaos Kingdom, he had escaped from Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals multiple times.

"Only if you're strong does it make things interesting." Ji Ning smiled as he stepped forward, holding his sword in one hand.

Short clubs appeared in both of True God Shiyu's hands as he stared warily at Ji Ning approaching him. Suddenly, Ji Ning transformed into a streak of light. His aura erupted, possessing the force of Pangu splitting heaven and earth apart as he swung his divine sword. As this sword struck... for an instant, it seemed as if heaven and earth itself collapsed. The enormous black divine sword, bearing boundless might, smashed directly toward True God Shiyu.

"Hmph." True God Shiyu's twin clubs traced two arcs, faintly forming a vast Taiji diagram as he simultaneously blocked the fearsome descending sword strike.

"BOOM!!!"

Ji Ning's sword was like the swung Pangu Axe, crashing against the point where the twin clubs crossed. The impact sent True God Shiyu flying backward, carving a massive furrow through the valley floor. The flowers and grasses beside him were pulverized into dust by the ripples of the shockwave. Even the distant mountain walls trembled and developed cracks.

Heavenbreaker Stance of the Brightmoon Sword-Art!

"Your sword-art has improved again compared to last time." True God Shiyu stood within the massive furrow, staring at Ji Ning. "Not only is your divine body vastly stronger than before, your sword-art has advanced in such a short time."

What True God Shiyu did not know was that Ji Ning had endured six hundred bitter years of cultivation in the Moon Underwater Abyss, countless life-and-death battles, and dozens of struggles for survival within the World Prison. Those battles had served as a whetstone, constantly grinding out the potential Ji Ning had cultivated during those six hundred years. His sword-art had naturally entered an explosive period of improvement.

"Your staff technique is still as profound as ever." Ji Ning continued forward, still holding his sword in one hand. He flickered, appearing before True God Shiyu in an instant, and a beautiful crescent moon suddenly lit up.

Confronted with such a beautiful sword-strike, True God Shiyu's expression grew even grimmer. He raised his twin clubs and struggled with all his might to block this eerily beautiful sword.

"Pfft."

The sword was finally blocked.

Yet True God Shiyu did not dare relax in the slightest, because Ji Ning's next strike was already coming. Sword-light blazed, and it was as if the blazing sun had instantly been swallowed by dark clouds, plunging everything into pitch-black darkness. That terrifying sword-strike gave True God Shiyu a nightmare-like feeling.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Every sword-strike Ji Ning unleashed was a Shadowless Stance from the Brightmoon Sword-Art — bizarre, lightning-fast. The already strange and swift sword-art, backed by his 'half-step Elder God' divine body, was now even faster and more astonishingly powerful. Although his speed had only increased by a hair compared to last time, he had already exceeded the limits of the Heavenly Dao in the past. Now, every tiny increase made it exponentially harder for the enemy to defend.

"I hate this kind of sword-art the most." After barely blocking three consecutive strikes, True God Shiyu was forced to activate his Six-Arms divine ability. Six arms now appeared, each holding a short club, as he desperately struggled to hold the line.

Ji Ning wielded only one sword.

Yet that single sword made even True God Shiyu's six-armed defense feel strained to the breaking point.

"A sword-art that surpasses the limits of the Heavenly Dao—where did he learn that?" True God Shiyu gritted his teeth. "His divine body is this powerful, his sword-art this profound, and he's even mastered a sword-art that surpasses the Heavenly Dao's limits!" If the sword-art had not exceeded those limits, True God Shiyu would have found it much easier to defend. But now, even six arms straining against a single sword were nearly at their breaking point.

...

The eerie, elusive Shadowless Stance, faster than lightning.

The Heavenbreaker Stance, which made heaven and earth tremble with its overwhelming power.

The Blood Drop Stance, like an assassin striking in an instant.

Ji Ning's sword techniques constantly shifted. 'Shadowless Stance' kept True God Shiyu on edge, barely able to cope — the sword-art was too bizarre and difficult to track. 'Heavenbreaker Stance' relied purely on overwhelming force, sending True God Shiyu flying backward with every blow. 'Blood Drop Stance' was the sharpest assassin's blade; every time Ji Ning unleashed it, it sent a chill down True God Shiyu's spine. In truth, when they last fought, defending against this stance had been easier because it had fewer variations and focused more on raw speed. But this time, Ji Ning's speed had increased even further. Even with fewer changes, that extra burst of speed made True God Shiyu's heart tremble. If it were any faster, True God Shiyu feared he wouldn't even be able to intercept the blow and would be pierced straight through the head.

"I concede." A voice suddenly rang out.

Ji Ning was startled.

True God Shiyu had already retreated far away, staring at Ji Ning with unwillingness and helplessness in his eyes.

"Concede?" Ji Ning was somewhat surprised. Although he had come for the Heaven-Gazing Taihao Tower, True God Shiyu was indeed an extremely rare and worthy opponent. To be able to withstand over a dozen strikes against his three attacking stances of the Brightmoon Sword-Art was almost unbelievable. Ji Ning himself already considered himself at the 'Paragon' tier.

Facing such an opponent to temper himself was something Ji Ning truly treasured.

After all, he did not yet plan to spar with Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals for the time being.

This was because among all the prisoners in the 'World Prison', there were a total of sixteen Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals! Every single one of them had a higher foundation than himself. To become an Elder God or Ancestral Immortal required a far deeper comprehension of the Dao. They weren't comparable to ordinary prisoners like these True Gods and True Immortals. In terms of offensive techniques alone, he might not necessarily be able to defeat them.

Just like in terms of technique, he himself had reached the fifth level of Sword Force and surpassed the limits of the Heavenly Dao. Yet True God Shiyu had reached the fifth level in both 'Taiji Force' and 'Wuji Force'. Combining them allowed him to endure for so long, even though his divine body was somewhat weaker.

Those Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals likely had higher realms.

They had higher foundations.

They had higher insights.

Although he had the Violet-Light Qiong Divine Sword, which gave him some confidence to retreat if he went to fight them, who knew if any of those Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals had special techniques up their sleeves? In terms of divine body and golden core, they were comparable to the Lord of All Demons! Beings at this level could not be judged by common sense. Even in the Ninefang Chaos Kingdom, they were second only to the three World Gods: the Ninefang Kingdom's Lord.

The Ninefang Chaos Kingdom had more advanced techniques than the Three Realms.

The methods of these sixteen Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals were utterly unpredictable to Ji Ning, and he had no confidence in facing them. If his true body were slain in battle, it would not be so easy to cultivate back. This was because one of his Primaltwin avatars had already reached the True God level.

A breakthrough in great realms.

When one avatar breaks through, the other avatars follow suit. This was a rule of the heavens and the earth. During the breakthrough, chaos surged and poured power into the body. At that time, his avatar had also undergone this chaotic infusion of power.

That avatar was a True God... if he wanted to cultivate seventeen more avatars, it would require an extremely long period of time.

"Yes, I concede. Last time, even when you used your Three Heads, Six Arms, I blocked you easily." True God Shiyu shook his head. "Now I'm using my Six-Arms divine ability, and you're only wielding a single sword. Yet I can barely defend, and my mental energy is being drained at a tremendous rate. I feel that even if I forced myself, I would lose within a few more strikes. Your sword-art has improved so quickly, and you have sword-arts that surpass the Heavenly Dao's limits. I accept my loss willingly. I can give you all three of my Chaos treasures, but I hope... that when you have the power to do so, you will set me free."

"Very well." Ji Ning nodded.

In the future, he would follow his lifeblood oath. Like Mother Nuwa, he would leave the Three Realms and venture into the endless chaos. When he went to find the Heavenly Palace of Azure, he would free these submissive prisoners if he had the ability to do so.

Back in his room at the hotel, he finally finished writing. Tomato owed everyone two chapters. This was the first chapter to make up for that debt. Alright, today's update is complete.