The Fisherman and the Fox

“The Daimon Eternum Realm?” Ji Ning was secretly shocked.

Other cultivators of the Three Realms might not fully grasp what an ‘Eternum Realm’ signified, but Ji Ning understood it perfectly. The tremendously powerful ‘Heavenly Palace of Azure,’ which World God Northrest had once belonged to, had occupied an Eternum Realm of its very own.

Every single Eternum Realm… was enough to drive cultivators throughout the Chaos to fight and kill each other over it.

“Ji Ning.” Lord Cui waved his hand again, and a jade scroll flew out from within the wooden cottage, floating directly toward Ji Ning. “This contains all the information we have gathered regarding the outside world.”

Ji Ning accepted it and immediately immersed his heartforce within, scanning it rapidly.

“Good heavens.” Ji Ning drew in a cold breath of air.

It matched his speculations exactly.

The Heavenly Palace of Azure occupied the ‘Azure Eternum Realm.’

The Daimon Institute occupied the ‘Daimon Eternum Realm.’

From the detailed records on the scroll, Ji Ning could infer the approximate power level of the势力 occupying the Daimon Eternum Realm.

“I didn’t expect this to be a force comparable to the Heavenly Palace of Azure,” Ji Ning mused silently. “At the very least, in this vast region… the Daimon Eternum Realm is the absolute core. Hmm, in the future, I absolutely have to pay a visit to the Daimon Eternum Realm. I believe that some of the truly powerful experts there, such as World Gods and Chaos Immortals, must have traveled to even more distant regions. Perhaps they might know of the Heavenly Palace of Azure’s whereabouts.”

The most powerful beings the Nuwa camp had slain were merely Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals.

The stronger one grew, the more one knew!

Within the Daimon Eternum Realm, there might be someone who knew of the Heavenly Palace of Azure.

“Do you see now?” Lord Cui sighed with emotion. “Based on the records here, just how many World Gods and Chaos Immortals must there be in that vast region? Compared to them, our Three Realms truly is an isolated, backward little corner.”

Ji Ning nodded gently.

Under normal circumstances, on average, one out of every ten Chaosworlds would produce a World-level cultivator. This was a fairly common occurrence. One could well imagine how many World Gods and Chaos Immortals roamed that vast region. However, that territory was simply too immense… even flight and void-shuttling weren’t enough to travel between its various parts. One had to rely on ‘spacetime teleportation arrays’ to reach certain areas.

Because of its sheer size and the abundance of dangerous environments, groups of World Gods and Chaos Immortals carved out their own territories, plunging that region into utter chaos.

In comparison… the Three Realms could be considered a paradise.

To beings like the Great Demon God Cixiu and the Lord of All Demons, a Chaosworld like the Three Realms, which wasn’t ruled by any World God or Chaos Immortal, was essentially a gift falling from the heavens. Of course they would fight desperately for it. After all, the value of a single ‘Worldheart’ far surpassed the lives of both of them combined.

“The Chaos is truly boundless and infinite.”

“The Heavenly Palace of Azure lies in another distant region entirely, while the Daimon Institute is in this one. I wonder when I will ever be able to reach the Heavenly Palace of Azure,” Ji Ning thought to himself. “Ah well, dwelling on it is useless. It’s still uncertain whether I’ll even survive this final battle, or whether we’ll win it.”

Sitting in a small wooden boat, Ji Ning departed from Nuwa’s Immortal Realm.

His mind was still churning with thoughts.

At first, learning that their camp had two Elder Gods like ‘Suiren’ and ‘Gonggong’ had filled him with excitement, but now he was starting to feel some concern. If their side was this strong, what about the Seamless Gate? One had to remember that this apocalypse had been initiated by the Seamless Gate! They had been the ones to destroy the Six Paths of Reincarnation and plunge the Three Realms into chaos.

Would a faction bold enough to provoke such a conflict lack the backing to see it through?

“Regardless, I’ll deal with whatever comes.” A cold, sharp light flickered in Ji Ning’s eyes. “This war cannot be lost! If we lose, even if my daughter and loved ones manage to escape the purges, they will have no choice but to roam the endless Chaos.”

If they were defeated…

Patriarch Subhuti would flee with whatever remnants he could gather. But Ji Ning was all too aware of how dangerous the Chaos was. Even Elder Gods and Ancestral Immortals could die at any moment. His daughter, Brightmoon, was far too weak to protect herself.

“This cannot be lost.”

This was a war of camps; a war for survival.

“I must comprehend a Water-type Heavenly Dao before the final battle begins,” Ji Ning resolved silently.

“Ji Ning, where are you heading?” Subhuti looked at him. “Are you returning to the Tristar Crescent Major World, or…?”

“I won’t be returning to the Tristar Crescent Major World for now,” Ji Ning shook his head. “I want to wander through the Three Realms a bit more, to take a good look at this world. I hope to gain a thorough understanding of a Heavenly Dao before the final battle.”

“Yes.” Patriarch Subhuti smiled and nodded as well. “Your attainments in Sword Force are indeed remarkable, but to become an Elder God or a Daofather, one must still comprehend an entire Heavenly Dao.”

Ji Ning nodded.

And then, Fuxi, Patriarch Subhuti, and Ji Ning parted ways for the time being.

…

Ji Ning’s true body began to wander through the Three Realms.

Sometimes, he sat in a boat, watching the flow of a river.

Sometimes, he stood atop a mountain peak, looking up at the storm clouds gathering in the sky.

Sometimes, he stayed in a dilapidated temple, watching the pouring rain outside.

Sometimes, he rode the clouds and mist, observing the surging waves and whirlpools of the ocean.

Water could be gentle, like a mother’s caress.

Water could be cold, chilling one to the bone.

Water could be violent, capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Water could be joyful, dancing and sprinkling through the air.

…

His Primaltwin continuously meditated within the Heaven-Gazing Taihao Tower, while his true body observed every manifestation of ‘water’ throughout the Three Realms.

Mist, liquid water, ice… all were water.

“Oh?”

On the bank of a river, a white-robed youth was leisurely sitting, holding a fishing rod. A flicker of joy suddenly appeared on his face. He quickly pulled the rod. Splash! A large fish traced an arc through the air and landed on the bank beside him. The youth reached out, took the fish, and placed it into a wooden bucket that already held six fish.

“A little fish soup would be nice,” the youth muttered. He put some bait on the hook, then cast it again, the hook splashing into the river.

Living like a mortal—rowing a boat, fishing, catching fish—Ji Ning discovered another side of water. To mortals, water was a necessity for life, yet it was also fraught with danger. Experiencing the lives of mortals, sensing the relationship between mortals and water, deeply moved him. And so, Ji Ning began his days of living as a mortal.

“Whoosh~~” A ferryboat slowly crossed the river in the distance. The river was wide, and large waves rose even without wind. With each gust of river wind, the waves in the center grew more turbulent, causing the ferryboat to rock violently.

“Ah!”

“Help!”

Panicked shouts erupted. The boatman struggled desperately to keep the boat balanced. But with a particularly strong lurch, a child sitting on the boat tumbled into the water. A middle-aged man nearby immediately shouted and dove in after him.

Hearing the distant cries of distress from the riverbank, Ji Ning looked up and let out a quiet sigh. Then, he reached out a hand.

“Whoosh~~”

It was as if a giant invisible hand had suddenly caught hold of the rocking ferryboat. Even the middle-aged man and the child in the water were lifted out of the river. The ferryboat, the child, and the middle-aged man all floated in midair. They looked at each other in astonishment, and the people on the ferryboat stared around them in shock, completely dumbfounded.

The ferryboat, the middle-aged man, and the child flew to a distant shore and landed safely.

“Thank you, Dragon King!”

“Thank you, benevolent Dragon King!”

The mortals all knelt by the riverbank, kowtowing in gratitude.

…

In the distance, Ji Ning continued fishing, but a faint sigh welled up in his heart. Life was so fragile. If he hadn’t been here by chance, very few of the people on that ferryboat would likely have survived.

Suddenly, the waters of the river surged, and the river itself split open, creating a passage. From the depths of the water, a small wooden boat emerged, rowed by an old man with a red nose. He leisurely brought the boat to a stop before Ji Ning.

“Ji Ning, it’s been a long time,” the red-nosed old man said with a smile.

Ji Ning, who had been fishing, revealed a look of pleasant surprise. He rose to his feet and said, “I had a feeling my luck was good today. I’ve already caught six fish, far more than in the previous days. I was just thinking… with such good luck, maybe something would happen. And now, I’ve met you, Ancestor Source.”

Ancestor Source had treated Ji Ning with kindness. After all, he had once saved his life and even gifted him the Heart Sutra.

But now, with the war of the camps upon them… Ancestor Source had yet to make his choice. This made Ji Ning feel a certain awkwardness when facing him.

“Would you be willing to come aboard this old man’s boat and have a chat?” Ancestor Source said with a gentle smile.

“Can I bring these fish along?” Ji Ning asked with a laugh.

“Of course,” Ancestor Source nodded.

Ji Ning picked up his fishing bucket and rod, then stepped directly onto the wooden boat. Watching Ji Ning’s utterly mortal demeanor, Ancestor Source could faintly sense the natural, restrained profundity hidden within his every movement, and he sighed inwardly: “Truly extraordinary.”

Thump. The wooden bucket and fishing rod were placed on the bow of the boat. Ji Ning then sat down cross-legged, facing Ancestor Source. Between them was a low wooden table, upon which sat a pot of wine and two cups.