Book 29, Daolord, Chapter 38 - A Furious Fight
"What a terrifying scimitar." Ji Ning could sense that the flows of his nine novessence arts were being parted as though they had been split in half. "But my secret arts were formless to begin with!"
If you cut a stream of water with a knife, the water would continue to flow. Ning's nine novessence arts of lightning, wind, fire, void, and everything else were all types of formless energy that could assume whatever shape he chose.
In the face of that terrifying scimitar, the rampaging flood of the novessence arts was instantly split in half. Despite that, the power of the secret arts didn't lessen at all, and two dragon-like streams of sword-light continued onwards towards Daolord Kongsan.
"Not good." Daolord Kongsan's face paled, and the black mist around him instantly became far denser and thicker than before. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The sword-light formed by the novessence arts were able to transform into many forms. They instantly transformed into eighteen different streams of sword-light, each of which was violent beyond care. Filled with the sword-intent of the Omega Sword Dao's Blood Drop stance, they forcibly pierced through the black mist!
In truth, Ning's nine novessence arts were far stronger than Daolord Kongsan's darkness-based secret arts, and so penetrating them was very simple.
"Heavenbreaker!" As oson as those eighteen streams of sword-light pierced through the black mist, they suddenly transformed. They became like eighteen whips of flowing water that furiously lashed out, striking Daolord Kongsan on his body.
Ever since Ning had come up with his Omega Sword Dao, he had been able to perfectly join together all different types of sword-arts and Sword Daos. This was why his attacks could seem incredibly soft and yet unleash a dominating display of sword-intent.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! These eighteen streaks of sword-light contained both the criss-crossing power of the Yin-Yang stance as well as the ferocity of the Heavenbreaker stance. Daolord Kongsan was forced to instantly transform his body into darkness itself. The sword-light roamed through the darkness unimpeded, causing his form to shudder a few times, but he was able to easily endure the strike.
"What formidable secret arts. Your sword-intent roams everywhere, letting no opening go untouched." Daolord Kongsan's face suddenly appeared from that pool of darkness, and he had a cold smile on his face as he spoke.
"It does indeed leave no opening untouched," the distant Ning said. "My secret arts are formless like water; of course they flow over and into everything. But precisely because of that, they aren't particularly powerful when I use them to display these sword-arts."
You could use a stream of water to stab or to whip someone, but there was no way it would ever hit as hard as an actual weapon meant for those purposes. Weapons were both tougher and sharper.
"Omega Sword Dao, Yin-Yang." Ning's gaze turned cold. Rumble… instantly, the energy of the nine novessence arts began to crush and grind down upon everything within a hundred million kilometers. Yin and Yang criss-crossed with each other, grinding away at each other and everything between them. Even though Daolord Kongsan had transformed into darkness incarnate, he could still sense how terrifying this Yin-Yang Sword Domain was, and it was suppressing and restraining him from every possible angle.
"Damn." Daolord Kongsan felt as though he had been trapped in quicksand. Ning's secret arts were simply too strong, and they were omnipresent; there was no way Daolord Kongsan could completely block them. Or at least, there was no way he could use his secret arts or magic treasures to block them.
"I had thought that by using my nine novessence arts, I would be able to cause him serious injury even though I probably wouldn't be able to kill him. Daolord Kongsan truly does have a virtually indestructible body. There's no way to injure him at all." Ning couldn't help but sigh. He had already unleashed his most powerful attacks, but all he was able to do was to suppress this foe.
In the end, Ning simply was at too low a level. His Omega Sword Dao might be formidable, but he was still just a Daolord of the First Step
Daolord Allgod was a grandmaster of formations and had reached a much higher level than Ning was currently at. When he used those nine same arts alongside his formations, his power was much greater than Ning's was.
……
While Ning was sighing to himself, he had no idea just how stunned and furious Daolord Kongsan was. Daolord Kongsan was a venerable Verge-level Daolord who had roamed the Endless Territories for many years… but today, he was actually being beaten down by a Daolord of the Second Step?
"GRAAH!" The endless darkness suddenly released a low, furious growl. Instantly, the darkness quickly began to solidify into a black silhouette that had a noticeably more powerful aura than before, and which was wielding an enormous scimitar.
"Kid, you should feel proud that you've forced me to use my supreme attack. Now die!" The blurry black silhouette instantly charged towards Ning as he furiously chopped towards Ning with that enormous scimitar.
This chop caused spacetime to freeze. It was filled with a towering killing intent that struck out from incredibly far away, slamming directly through Ning's body as it struck against his soul. Ning was still standing at the prow of his distant black vessel, but he could still clearly sense a soul attack of immense power striking at him.
"Hmph!" Within Ning's sea of consciousness, his soul let out a furious snort. The murderous intent slammed towards Ning's soul like a wave, but Ning's soul was completely unmoved. It was comparable to the soul of a Daolord of the Fourth Step, after all, and his heartforce was at the point where he could break through to the sixth stage of heartforce at any moment. Once he did, he would be a true Heartforce Cultivator! Less than 1% of Daolords were Heartforce Cultivators, and so this enormous advantage in terms of heartforce made Ning's mental and soul defenses incredibly strong.
In addition, Ning had already read an intelligence report stating that Daolord Kongsan had a soul attack, but the attack was only able to confuse and disrupt; it wasn't all that powerful. In the end, Daolord Kongsan was most skilled in close combat!
"Eh?!" The distant Daolord Kongsan looked at Ning both angrily and expectantly.
"Daolord Kongsan, did you really think you would be able to shake my soul with an attack on this level?" Ning laughed coldly.
Daolord Kongsan was shocked. It was true that soul attacks weren't his forte, but the soul attack wasn't a weak one either. Daolord Kongsan felt certain that this mere Daolord of the Second Step had to have a fairly weak soul, even if he did have a fairly high level of insight into the Dao. Logically speaking, the soul should've been an enormous weak point. Even Daolords of the Fourth Step would've been confused and impacted by his soul attack.
"You aren't bad at all, kid. But if you are really so tough, stop running and fight me in close combat!" Daolord Kongsan bellowed angrily as he flew towards Ning.
"Haha, I'm just a Daolord of the Second Step! You want me to fight in you in close combat? Do you have any sense of shame? If I broke through to become a Daolord of the Third Step, I'd be more than happy to fight you in close combat." Riding his black vessel, Ning was able to easily pull away from Daolord Kongsan once more. He also continued to use his nine novessence arts to either slow down or attack Daolord Kongsan repeatedly.
Daolord Kongsan was getting angrier and angrier as this 'fight' continued. Ning continued to flee, and he continued to chase. Ning had it quite easy in this battle, as he continued to attack while fleeing thanks to his overwhelming advantage in speed.
……
"If this continues… I really won't be able to do anything to this kid at all." Daolord Kongsan shook his head. "If memory serves, the secret arts this kids is using should be the nine novessence arts of the legendary Daolord Allgod." The reason why hadn't recognized the technique earlier was because he had never personally battled it before, but he had read the description of the techniques within the Spellworld. After having battled against Ning for so long, he had some insights into what it was that he was up against.
"I really wonder how a Daolord of the Second Step like him was able to master such terrifying secret arts," Daolord Kongsan mused. "I heard that in order to master those nine novessence arts, you not only need to have certain insights into the likes of lightning, wind, and fire, you also have to be a grandmaster alchemist; if your alchemy skills are even the slightest bit deficient, you will never be able to master the nine novessence arts. Is this Daolord of the Second Step a grandmaster alchemist?!" Even Kongsan was secretly speechless.
"If he is… there's no way he could've learned alchemy by himself. He either won an incredibly powerful legacy or has an incredibly powerful teacher behind him." After having battled for so long, Daolord Kongsan was starting to grow wary of Ning. This person definitely wouldn't be as easy to deal with as the other Daolords of the Fourth Step he had slain.
"Screw it. I'll capture him alive first! If he really does have a powerful figure behind him… hmph. I'm a core member of the Dao Alliance. Very few people are qualified to threaten me. When the time comes, I'll chat with him a bit. I can force the kid to swear a few lifeblood oaths, then let him go." Daolord Kongsan mused to himself, "But if he doesn't have any powerful figures behind him, I can do whatever I want to him."
Whoosh. Daolord Kongsan sent his will outside the grand sealing formation and towards one of the hundred thousand estates located at the margins of Skywood City. Aside from Kongsan, there were a few other incredibly powerful and ancient Daolords who lived in seclusion in those estates.
"Big brother Shaka." Daolord Kongsan instantly sent mentally, "I'm embarrassed to say this, but it seems I'll need to ask you to help me out and capture the kid."
Within the estate. A handsome man with long golden hair and a golden suit of armor was seated in the lotus position inside a courtyard, staring at the heavens. He looked like an ordinary cultivator, but in truth he was a terrifyingly strong Aberrant. Amongst the ancient figures who lived in seclusion in Skywood City, he was reputedly the fastest of them all. The Dao Alliance was an extremely welcoming and open organization, allowing members of the Brightshore Kingdom, the Aberrants, and even the Ancient cultivators to live within their cities. Only their mortal enemies, the Aeonians, were refused entry by the Dao Alliance. And of course, the Dark Kingdom.
"Kongsan, he seems to just be a Daolord of the Second Step. You really can't catch him yourself?" A gleam of purple light flashed through Daolord Shaka's eyes.
"I really cannot. This kid has way too many tricks up his sleeve, which is why I've come to ask you for help, big brother Shaka."
Book 29, Daolord, Chapter 39 - Summoning Friends
"Describe all of his abilities to me in detail," Daolord Shaka said. He wouldn't agree to a request like this lightly; he had to first see what sort of abilities this Daolord of the Second Step possessed.
"I'll narrate to them to you." Since Daolord Kongsan was asking this man to help out, it wasn't appropriate for him to hold anything back. He gave a quick explanation, then continued, "Don't worry, big brother Shaka. I also have the feeling that he probably has a significant background, given how talented he is. To be safe, we should first capture him and then see if anyone comes to save him. If an Emperor comes for him, we'll ransom him for a pretty price. If no one comes from him, we'll just kill him."
Daolord Shaka nodded. "Alright." Neither of the two were the cowardly, trouble-fearing type. Kongsan was a core member of the Dao Alliance, while Daolord Shaka was a high-level member of the Aberrants. The kid might have powerful backers, but so did they. The only reason they were planning to capture Ning first was to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
"I'll agree to help you here," Daolord Shaka said.
"Thank you, big brother Shaka." Daolord Kongsan was delighted.
Swoosh! Daolord Shaka instantly transformed into a streak of light that disappeared into the skies as it hastened towards the grand sealing formation.
……
Within the sealing formation. Daolord Shaka continued to chase after the fleeing Ji Ning as the two continuously exchanged attacks against each other.
"He can't do anything to me." Ning was extremely clear-headed despite the battle's progression. "Daolord Kongsan himself knows this quite well. He won't just let things drag out like this; he must be coming up with a plan! But it won't matter what he has up his sleeve; I won't let him do as he wishes."
"Mm." Ning immediately sent a mental message, "Send word to the Brightshore Kingdom right away that I am in a grand sealing formation outside Skywood City and am being pursued and attacked by Daolord Kongsan. I would like to ask the fellow Daoists of the Brightshore Kingdom to help out. The duration of this request is a single day."
"Yes, Master." The alien World-level retainer who had with Ning this entire time immediately acknowledged the order. This retainer had another clone in the Brightshore Kingdom, and so was able to make the report almost immediately. Moments later, the Brightshore Kingdom sent word to every single Daolord and Emperor within its ranks.
In truth, in recent years Ning had received quite a few distress calls as well, but they were all too far away from him. This time, for example, Ning himself had said that the duration of his request was a single day! If others couldn't make it here within a single day, there was no point to them even coming. If they were too far away, they would only find at the end of their long journey that the matter had come to an end long ago.
"But asking for the Brightshore Kingdom to help out is just a precaution," Ning mused. "In the end, it doesn't have that many Daolords. The number of Daolords it has who can deal with Kongsan are even fewer. Although this is one of the eight Sacred Cities and there should be quite a few members of the Brightshore Kingdom here, it's hard to say if there are any who can match Kongsan."
"I suppose I'll have to wait and see. If there's nothing I can do, I'll use up the Hegemon's Dao-seal," Ning mused. You always had to have a backup plan.
The Dao of the Sword was an offensive Dao, and so the Sword Hegemon's Dao-seal possessed terrifying offensive power. Even Eternal Emperors would deeply desire an item of such incredible value. However, the path of cultivation was a long one, and this affair with Daolord Kongsan might be nothing more than a minor bump in this long road. Ning wasn't willing to use up his Dao-seal unless absolutely necessary.
But of course… if it WAS absolutely necessary, then he would simply use it! Once he used it up, he would win all of the treasures which Daolord Kongsan possessed. However, in Ning's eyes not even all of the combined treasures Daolord Kongsan possessed were as important as his Hegemon's Dao-seal.
A short while later…
"Hahaha!" Daolord Kongsan suddenly began to laugh. "Let's see how much longer you can keep fleeing, kid." Ning's face tightened. Daolord Kongsan suddenly pointed off into the distance. Instantly, a golden figure flew through the distant barrier, followed by the barrier once more being sealed shut.
The golden figure was that of a handsome, golden-haired man dressed in golden armor. He glanced at Ning curiously, then slowly shook his head and said, "Kid, it's quite rare and impressive for a Daolord of the Second Step to be as strong as you are. What a true pity."
"Please help me, big brother Shaka, in capturing him," Daolord Kongsan said.
"Shaka?" Ning's face turned pale. "Daolord Shaka of the Aberrants?"
Daolord Shaka was an incredibly famous Daolord of the Aberrants, and that fame came from his incredible speed. He was one of those figures who could go more than a hundred times faster than the speed of light! In speed alone, he was superior to the vast majority of Eternal Emperors. And, as an Aberrant, he was incredibly fast and powerful in close combat as well."
"It seems I'll have to use the Hegemon's Dao-seal after all." A sharp light flashed through Ning's eyes.
"Kid, I recommend you give up," Daolord Shaka said calmly. He had absolute faith in his overwhelming speed.
"Kongsan! Stay your hand!" A cold shout rang out from afar, going through the barrier and reverberating within the world inside it. The people outside the formation were unable to see what was going on inside, but those inside it were able to see and hear what was happening outside with perfect clarity.
"Eh?" Daolord Kongsan and Daolord Shaka both looked outside, as did Ning. Two figures had appeared outside the formation. One was a skinny, white-haired, middle-aged man. The other was a muscular man with a giant greataxe on his back who had a single horn in the middle of his head.
"Kongsan, stay your hand. Release Darknorth!" The skinny, white-haired man said coldly.
"Daolord Soleman? Daolord Skyaxe?" Daolord Kongsan's face tightened.
"Palace Lord Soleman?" Within the formation, Ning revealed a look of delight as well. Lord Soleman was the Vice Palace Lord of the Heartforce Palace! Other Daolords of the Fourth Step might be strong or weak, but every single one who was also a Heartforce Power possessed terrifying power. Daolord Soleman, as the Vice Palace Lord of the Heartforce Palace of the Brightshore Kingdom, was also an incredibly powerful figure whose name alone was enough to terrify countless cultivators. Heartforce Cultivator Daolords simply possessed far too many strange ways to kill people. Sometimes, a single glance from them was enough to slay.
As for Daolord Skyaxe, he wasn't a member of the Brightshore Kingdom; he was probably just accompanying Daolord Soleman and so came over as well. However, Daolord Skyaxe was one of the most freakishly powerful of Daolords who had most likely devised and joined together multiple different Supreme Daos. He was ranked as the number five Daolord of this era in the Endless Territories.
"Darknorth? The kid over here?" Daolord Kongsan laughed coldly.
"Release him," Daolord Soleman barked.
"Soleman, if I release him just because you told me to, I would have no face left," Daolord Shaka said coldly.
"Daolord Soleman, Daolord Skyaxe, next to me is big brother Shaka," Daolord Kongsan said. Soleman and Skyaxe were outside the formation and so weren't able to see anything inside of it at all.
Although there was a ranking of power in the Endless Territories, ranks didn't count for everything. For example, an incredibly powerful Daolord's abilities might be perfectly countered by a lower-ranked Daolord's abilities! Palace Lord Dawnstar might be in trouble if he encountered an ancient, incredibly powerful Eternal Emperor, but someone like Daolord Shaka would be able to escape thanks to his incredible speed. Everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses; those who stood at the very top ranks amongst Daolords all had their own pride and rarely submitted to others.
If Kongsan encountered Soleman and Skyaxe by himself… he was strong enough to stay alive, but he'd still feel trepidation. Now that Daolord Shaka, a Daolord even more powerful than himself, was by his side… he felt much more confidence.
"Soleman, Skyaxe, the two of you don't have the right or the power to demand me to release this kid," Daolord Shaka said.
"Attack!" Daolord Soleman was instantly enraged. "Break this formation apart!"
BOOM! The nearby Daolord Skyaxe was enraged as well. He immediately attacked, and when he did the world itself seemed to tremble, and even Skywood City itself seemed to turn dim. Endless yellow illusions filled the vast area surrounding Skywood City. Moments later, a terrifying greataxe struck out from within the yellow illusions and chopped downwards towards the grand sealing formation. In terms of using raw power to break apart formations, Daolord Soleman clearly wasn't as strong as Daolord Skyaxe.
"What's going on? What's with this terrifying aura?" Quite a few cultivators within Skywood City were surprised by the commotion.
BOOM! The grand sealing formation shook a few times and a few ripples appeared on the surface of the barrier, but it managed to endure the blow.
"Hahaha! Daolord Skyaxe, if I was forced to fight you in combat I would have no choice but to turn tail and flee. It would be a joke, however, if you could overwhelm me even through these formations I've set down." Daolord Kongsan's voice echoed from within the formation.
"Damn." Daolord Skyaxe was infuriated.
……
"They won't be able to help you." Daolord Kongsan turned his head to stare at Ning, still aboard his black vessel.
"If you aren't willing to just surrender… then we'll be forced to simply capture you alive. Let's see what Soleman and Skyaxe can do about it. Last time we met in the Terror Starsea, he caused me to lose face. Does he really think I'll just give way to him this time?" Daolord Shaka snickered, then transformed into a streak of light that instantly moved more than a hundred times the speed of light.
Aboard the black vessel, Ning let out a long sigh. "It seems I'll have to use the Hegemon's Dao-seal after all." Murder flickered in Ning's eyes.
Book 29, Daolord, Chapter 40 - Hegemon's Dao-Seal
Outside the grand sealing formation. Soleman and Skyaxe were both furious but helpless.
Within the grand sealing formation. Daolord Kongsan was smirking from afar. It looked as though things had been settled! Daolord Shaka had transformed into a dazzling, breathtakingly eye-catching streak of golden light as he charged towards Ning. He truly was moving extremely fast, but Ji Ning was able to see him moving with perfect clarity. There was a sensation of time itself being distorted, which caused Ning to feel rather uncomfortable.
Ning continued to calmly fly forwards on his black vessel, and a dark blue crystalline leaf suddenly appeared in his hand.
Crack! A seemingly simple action, the crushing of a leaf… but the terrifying, overwhelming amount of power hidden within that leaf-shaped Dao-seal was finally unleashed! The deceased Sword Hegemon had paid an enormous price to create this terrifying Dao-seal before his death, and the power within it was truly inconceivable.
"What terrifying power. So this… this is is the might of a Hegemon." When Ning crushed the seal, he instantly sensed a surge of unfathomable power flood through him and come under his control.
He was the guide, the conduit for this power. He had the right to tell it where to strike, and that was where it would strike. He could also allow the power to voluntarily disperse.
"Go, then. Kill them." Ning turned his gaze to Daolord Shaka, soaring towards him like a streak of golden light, as well as the distant Daolord Kongsan.
……
BOOM! An awesome display of power burst forth. It was like the darkness before the dawn was suddenly split by the first rays of the sun which cast its radiance over the land. The streak of sunlight shone down upon the hearts of both Daolord Shaka and Daolord Kongsan!
"NO!!!!" Looks of utter horror appeared on the faces of both of them. As soon as that overwhelming burst of force first revealed its true, terrifying luster, both of their hearts were filled with the utmost terror. They wouldn't feel such terror even in the face of death itself, but the overwhelming power of a Hegemon caused them to feel a sense of uncontrollable terror. This was something which came from the very depths of their souls.
……
Outside the formation. The faces of Daolord Soleman and Daolord Skyaxe both changed as well. Although they weren't able to see what was happening inside the formation, a sensation of complete and utter terror filled their hearts.
"Retreat."
"Retreat immediately!"
This was the only thought which entered their minds: Get as far away from this place as possible!
They could sense that something terrifying was about to happen within the formation! Perhaps the terrifying power within it wasn't aimed directly at them, but they still couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Both retreated immediately.
…….
Within Skywood City.
Most of the cultivators were too distant from the grand sealing formation, and so when Ning shattered the Hegemon's Dao-seal they didn't sense much when its power was unleashed. The two most powerful figures inside the city, however, able to sense it clearly.
"I just sensed an enormous burst of power." Emperor Skywood turned his head, staring towards the distant grand sealing formation.
"Yes. The power is tremendous." The old man with tousled blue hair facing him nodded solemnly as well. "I can sense that it is strong enough to threaten the two of us. Skywood, this is your territory. How could there be such a strong burst of power here? It must have been generated from one of those strange treasures that was brought back from the Terror Starsea. That, or it had to be a single-use Dao-seal or another similar type of treasure which was personally crated by a Hegemon."
Emperor Skywood nodded as well, then chuckled. "It's been a long time since I've sensed anything that could threaten me. Let's go take a look."
"Kill!" Ning guided that terrifying surge of Sword Dao power forward.
BOOM! The enormous, terrifying illusion of a greatsword suddenly appeared in the area around Ning. As soon as the greatsword appeared, both space and time were completely squeezed and compressed. Daolord Shaka and Daolord Kongsan were both so terrified that they went numb. This was a level of power which they were completely unprepared to handle!
"Damn, damn, damn! Damn that Kongsan. How could he have offended a freak like this?!" Daolord Shaka's heart was filled with shock, rage, and resentment. "What sort of incredible fortune did this freak stumble upon. How could he have such a monstrously powerful treasure? Not even the protective treasure which the Hegemon bestowed upon me might not be able to resist this terrifying sword."
A translucent bottle suddenly appeared out of nowhere within the palm of Daolord Shaka's hand. Within the bottle was a crystalline speck of sand. Daolord Shaka felt such sorrow that it was as though blood was dripping out of his heart. This was an ancient relic he had acquired after countless years of braving dangerous territories, and was the most powerful protective treasure he had ever acquired. He hadn't expected that he would have to use it up because of his decision to help Daolord Kongsan.
Crack! The bottle was shattered, and the sand within it instantly emitted a softy, blurry glow that covered Daolord Shaka. Whoosh! The light-covered form of Daolord Shaka instantly disappeared without a trace, as though he had never even been here.
"N-no. How could I, Kongsan, die in a place like this? Impossible." Daolord Kongsan instantly produced two strange treasures in his hands. He immediately shattered them without even pausing.
These two different treasures, when shattered, produced two different surges of power. The first surge of power sought to influence the local spacetime and change the trajectory of the impending giant sword illusion. Alas, the surge of power instantly disappeared, because it was powerless against the sword. As for the second surge of power, it was applied to Daolord Kongsan himself. It transformed into an enormous globe of water that covered his body.
BOOM!!!
The enormous sword came slashing down. Space and time both came to a halt as all things were sheared away by its power. It chopped down upon the giant globe of water, which was instantly shattered by this overwhelmingly dominating sword. As for Daolord Kongsan, he had already transformed into darkness incarnate within that water globe. But in the face of that terrifying sword illusion… he melted away like snow in summer. His body of darkness incarnate was completely unable to help him. When the sword-light chopped down, the region of darkness dissipated into nothingness.
Daolord Kongsan had perished!
Whoosh! The enormous illusion of a greatsword continued forwards to chop through the grand sealing formation, easily piercing through it and continuing to charge forwards. It then flew into the skies, out of this everworld, and into the distant primordial chaos.
"Dissipate!" Ning willed it, and that terrifying illusion of a greatsword quickly dissipated. Its power spread out into trillions of tiny streams that swept out in every direction, causing the primordial chaos itself to tremble.
"Daolord Kongsan." Ning's body flickered as he instantly moved as though by teleportation through the void to appear at the place where Daolord Kongsan died. Ning glanced at the treasures that lay there in midair, then shook his head. "I didn't imagine that this sword would shatter even Daolord Kongsan's storage treasures. A few of the items inside remain, though." Ning waved his hand, gathering all of the remaining treasures of Daolord Kongsan.
Daolord Kongsan actually had several storage estate-treasures. Some of the weaker ones had been crushed, as had many of the treasures stored within them. However, his top-grade Eternal estate-treasures were scarred but still whole.
……
After putting away Daolord Kongsan's treasures, Ning turned to glance off into the distance. Earlier, he had seen Daolord Shaka flee. Fleeing wasn't that impressive, actually. For example, Ning himself had that spacetime disc which the almighty Hegemon had given him. If he had been faced with a similar attack, he might've been able to flee as well. But of course, Ning wouldn't dare say that he was completely certain in his chances, and he wouldn't be so foolish as to actually test it out.
"Darknorth." Two distant figures flew towards him from afar.
Ning turned to look at them. It was Daolord Soleman and Daolord Skyaxe. They had fled in terror moments ago, but now they had flown back.
"Senior apprentice-brother Soleman." Ning hurriedly flew over and said courteously, "Thank you and Daolord Skyaxe so much for coming here to rescue me."
The Daolords of Brightshore Kingdom all referred to each other as equals of the same generation. Even when Ning was merely at the World level, he still addressed Palace Lord Woodflower as senior apprentice-brother Woodflower.
"Haha, we didn't really save you; you saved yourself." Daolord Soleman glanced at the white-robed youth with quite a bit of curiosity. This was his first time meeting Ning; in the past, he had only heard stories of Ning from Solewind. "Darknorth, you sent a request to the Brightshore Kingdom to ask the other Daolords to help out because you didn't wish to use up that precious treasure, I assume?"
"That treasure was absolutely extraordinary." The nearby Daolord Skyaxe sighed in praise as well. "It truly was powerful. Anyone who wants to rely on their own powers to survive such an attack would absolutely have to have the most supreme of protective divine abilities."
Ning nodded. That attack wasn't necessarily omnipotent; for example, Daolord Shaka had been able to escape. Certain divine abilities that could make the body comparable to top-grade Eternal treasures might also allow for survival! However, such techniques were incredibly rare and valuable, and to actually reach such a level was extremely difficult. Ning had a Hegemon's legacy, but had still only been able to train his body to the low-grade Eternal treasure level.
"I really didn't want to use it up, but I had no choice," Ning said.
"Come, come! I've heard about you from Solewind long ago, and it seems you truly are an incredible figure. Come have some wine at my estate," Daolord Soleman said with a laugh.
"Perhaps other powers from the Brightshore Kingdom will come here as well." Ning hesitated a bit. "I should…"
He had notified the Brightshore Kingdom for anyone within a day's travel of Skywood City to come help him fight against Daolord Kongsan. Some of them might be on their way even now. If they arrived only to be unable to locate Ning… that would be inappropriate of Ning.
"Simple." Daolord Soleman chuckled. "Just send another message through the Brightshore Kingdom. Just say that anyone who can reach Skywood City within a day should come visit Daolord Soleman's residence."
"Haha, I was foolish not to think of this." Ning immediately sent another message to the Brightshore Kingdom.
"Come, come!" Daolord Soleman urged.
"Absolutely." Ning nodded.
And so Ji Ning, Daolord Soleman, and Daolord Skyaxe transformed into streaks of light and flew towards Skywood City.
Book 29, Daolord, Chapter 38 - A Furious Fight
"What a terrifying scimitar." Ji Ning could sense that the flows of his nine novessence arts were being parted as though they had been split in half. "But my secret arts were formless to begin with!"
If you cut a stream of water with a knife, the water would continue to flow. Ning's nine novessence arts of lightning, wind, fire, void, and everything else were all types of formless energy that could assume whatever shape he chose.
In the face of that terrifying scimitar, the rampaging flood of the novessence arts was instantly split in half. Despite that, the power of the secret arts didn't lessen at all, and two dragon-like streams of sword-light continued onwards towards Daolord Kongsan.
"Not good." Daolord Kongsan's face paled, and the black mist around him instantly became far denser and thicker than before. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The sword-light formed by the novessence arts were able to transform into many forms. They instantly transformed into eighteen different streams of sword-light, each of which was violent beyond care. Filled with the sword-intent of the Omega Sword Dao's Blood Drop stance, they forcibly pierced through the black mist!
In truth, Ning's nine novessence arts were far stronger than Daolord Kongsan's darkness-based secret arts, and so penetrating them was very simple.
"Heavenbreaker!" As oson as those eighteen streams of sword-light pierced through the black mist, they suddenly transformed. They became like eighteen whips of flowing water that furiously lashed out, striking Daolord Kongsan on his body.
Ever since Ning had come up with his Omega Sword Dao, he had been able to perfectly join together all different types of sword-arts and Sword Daos. This was why his attacks could seem incredibly soft and yet unleash a dominating display of sword-intent.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! These eighteen streaks of sword-light contained both the criss-crossing power of the Yin-Yang stance as well as the ferocity of the Heavenbreaker stance. Daolord Kongsan was forced to instantly transform his body into darkness itself. The sword-light roamed through the darkness unimpeded, causing his form to shudder a few times, but he was able to easily endure the strike.
"What formidable secret arts. Your sword-intent roams everywhere, letting no opening go untouched." Daolord Kongsan's face suddenly appeared from that pool of darkness, and he had a cold smile on his face as he spoke.
"It does indeed leave no opening untouched," the distant Ning said. "My secret arts are formless like water; of course they flow over and into everything. But precisely because of that, they aren't particularly powerful when I use them to display these sword-arts."
You could use a stream of water to stab or to whip someone, but there was no way it would ever hit as hard as an actual weapon meant for those purposes. Weapons were both tougher and sharper.
"Omega Sword Dao, Yin-Yang." Ning's gaze turned cold. Rumble… instantly, the energy of the nine novessence arts began to crush and grind down upon everything within a hundred million kilometers. Yin and Yang criss-crossed with each other, grinding away at each other and everything between them. Even though Daolord Kongsan had transformed into darkness incarnate, he could still sense how terrifying this Yin-Yang Sword Domain was, and it was suppressing and restraining him from every possible angle.
"Damn." Daolord Kongsan felt as though he had been trapped in quicksand. Ning's secret arts were simply too strong, and they were omnipresent; there was no way Daolord Kongsan could completely block them. Or at least, there was no way he could use his secret arts or magic treasures to block them.
"I had thought that by using my nine novessence arts, I would be able to cause him serious injury even though I probably wouldn't be able to kill him. Daolord Kongsan truly does have a virtually indestructible body. There's no way to injure him at all." Ning couldn't help but sigh. He had already unleashed his most powerful attacks, but all he was able to do was to suppress this foe.
In the end, Ning simply was at too low a level. His Omega Sword Dao might be formidable, but he was still just a Daolord of the First Step
Daolord Allgod was a grandmaster of formations and had reached a much higher level than Ning was currently at. When he used those nine same arts alongside his formations, his power was much greater than Ning's was.
……
While Ning was sighing to himself, he had no idea just how stunned and furious Daolord Kongsan was. Daolord Kongsan was a venerable Verge-level Daolord who had roamed the Endless Territories for many years… but today, he was actually being beaten down by a Daolord of the Second Step?
"GRAAH!" The endless darkness suddenly released a low, furious growl. Instantly, the darkness quickly began to solidify into a black silhouette that had a noticeably more powerful aura than before, and which was wielding an enormous scimitar.
"Kid, you should feel proud that you've forced me to use my supreme attack. Now die!" The blurry black silhouette instantly charged towards Ning as he furiously chopped towards Ning with that enormous scimitar.
This chop caused spacetime to freeze. It was filled with a towering killing intent that struck out from incredibly far away, slamming directly through Ning's body as it struck against his soul. Ning was still standing at the prow of his distant black vessel, but he could still clearly sense a soul attack of immense power striking at him.
"Hmph!" Within Ning's sea of consciousness, his soul let out a furious snort. The murderous intent slammed towards Ning's soul like a wave, but Ning's soul was completely unmoved. It was comparable to the soul of a Daolord of the Fourth Step, after all, and his heartforce was at the point where he could break through to the sixth stage of heartforce at any moment. Once he did, he would be a true Heartforce Cultivator! Less than 1% of Daolords were Heartforce Cultivators, and so this enormous advantage in terms of heartforce made Ning's mental and soul defenses incredibly strong.
In addition, Ning had already read an intelligence report stating that Daolord Kongsan had a soul attack, but the attack was only able to confuse and disrupt; it wasn't all that powerful. In the end, Daolord Kongsan was most skilled in close combat!
"Eh?!" The distant Daolord Kongsan looked at Ning both angrily and expectantly.
"Daolord Kongsan, did you really think you would be able to shake my soul with an attack on this level?" Ning laughed coldly.
Daolord Kongsan was shocked. It was true that soul attacks weren't his forte, but the soul attack wasn't a weak one either. Daolord Kongsan felt certain that this mere Daolord of the Second Step had to have a fairly weak soul, even if he did have a fairly high level of insight into the Dao. Logically speaking, the soul should've been an enormous weak point. Even Daolords of the Fourth Step would've been confused and impacted by his soul attack.
"You aren't bad at all, kid. But if you are really so tough, stop running and fight me in close combat!" Daolord Kongsan bellowed angrily as he flew towards Ning.
"Haha, I'm just a Daolord of the Second Step! You want me to fight in you in close combat? Do you have any sense of shame? If I broke through to become a Daolord of the Third Step, I'd be more than happy to fight you in close combat." Riding his black vessel, Ning was able to easily pull away from Daolord Kongsan once more. He also continued to use his nine novessence arts to either slow down or attack Daolord Kongsan repeatedly.
Daolord Kongsan was getting angrier and angrier as this 'fight' continued. Ning continued to flee, and he continued to chase. Ning had it quite easy in this battle, as he continued to attack while fleeing thanks to his overwhelming advantage in speed.
……
"If this continues… I really won't be able to do anything to this kid at all." Daolord Kongsan shook his head. "If memory serves, the secret arts this kids is using should be the nine novessence arts of the legendary Daolord Allgod." The reason why hadn't recognized the technique earlier was because he had never personally battled it before, but he had read the description of the techniques within the Spellworld. After having battled against Ning for so long, he had some insights into what it was that he was up against.
"I really wonder how a Daolord of the Second Step like him was able to master such terrifying secret arts," Daolord Kongsan mused. "I heard that in order to master those nine novessence arts, you not only need to have certain insights into the likes of lightning, wind, and fire, you also have to be a grandmaster alchemist; if your alchemy skills are even the slightest bit deficient, you will never be able to master the nine novessence arts. Is this Daolord of the Second Step a grandmaster alchemist?!" Even Kongsan was secretly speechless.
"If he is… there's no way he could've learned alchemy by himself. He either won an incredibly powerful legacy or has an incredibly powerful teacher behind him." After having battled for so long, Daolord Kongsan was starting to grow wary of Ning. This person definitely wouldn't be as easy to deal with as the other Daolords of the Fourth Step he had slain.
"Screw it. I'll capture him alive first! If he really does have a powerful figure behind him… hmph. I'm a core member of the Dao Alliance. Very few people are qualified to threaten me. When the time comes, I'll chat with him a bit. I can force the kid to swear a few lifeblood oaths, then let him go." Daolord Kongsan mused to himself, "But if he doesn't have any powerful figures behind him, I can do whatever I want to him."
Whoosh. Daolord Kongsan sent his will outside the grand sealing formation and towards one of the hundred thousand estates located at the margins of Skywood City. Aside from Kongsan, there were a few other incredibly powerful and ancient Daolords who lived in seclusion in those estates.
"Big brother Shaka." Daolord Kongsan instantly sent mentally, "I'm embarrassed to say this, but it seems I'll need to ask you to help me out and capture the kid."
Within the estate. A handsome man with long golden hair and a golden suit of armor was seated in the lotus position inside a courtyard, staring at the heavens. He looked like an ordinary cultivator, but in truth he was a terrifyingly strong Aberrant. Amongst the ancient figures who lived in seclusion in Skywood City, he was reputedly the fastest of them all. The Dao Alliance was an extremely welcoming and open organization, allowing members of the Brightshore Kingdom, the Aberrants, and even the Ancient cultivators to live within their cities. Only their mortal enemies, the Aeonians, were refused entry by the Dao Alliance. And of course, the Dark Kingdom.
"Kongsan, he seems to just be a Daolord of the Second Step. You really can't catch him yourself?" A gleam of purple light flashed through Daolord Shaka's eyes.
"I really cannot. This kid has way too many tricks up his sleeve, which is why I've come to ask you for help, big brother Shaka."
Book 29, Daolord, Chapter 39 - Summoning Friends
"Describe all of his abilities to me in detail," Daolord Shaka said. He wouldn't agree to a request like this lightly; he had to first see what sort of abilities this Daolord of the Second Step possessed.
"I'll narrate to them to you." Since Daolord Kongsan was asking this man to help out, it wasn't appropriate for him to hold anything back. He gave a quick explanation, then continued, "Don't worry, big brother Shaka. I also have the feeling that he probably has a significant background, given how talented he is. To be safe, we should first capture him and then see if anyone comes to save him. If an Emperor comes for him, we'll ransom him for a pretty price. If no one comes from him, we'll just kill him."
Daolord Shaka nodded. "Alright." Neither of the two were the cowardly, trouble-fearing type. Kongsan was a core member of the Dao Alliance, while Daolord Shaka was a high-level member of the Aberrants. The kid might have powerful backers, but so did they. The only reason they were planning to capture Ning first was to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
"I'll agree to help you here," Daolord Shaka said.
"Thank you, big brother Shaka." Daolord Kongsan was delighted.
Swoosh! Daolord Shaka instantly transformed into a streak of light that disappeared into the skies as it hastened towards the grand sealing formation.
……
Within the sealing formation. Daolord Shaka continued to chase after the fleeing Ji Ning as the two continuously exchanged attacks against each other.
"He can't do anything to me." Ning was extremely clear-headed despite the battle's progression. "Daolord Kongsan himself knows this quite well. He won't just let things drag out like this; he must be coming up with a plan! But it won't matter what he has up his sleeve; I won't let him do as he wishes."
"Mm." Ning immediately sent a mental message, "Send word to the Brightshore Kingdom right away that I am in a grand sealing formation outside Skywood City and am being pursued and attacked by Daolord Kongsan. I would like to ask the fellow Daoists of the Brightshore Kingdom to help out. The duration of this request is a single day."
"Yes, Master." The alien World-level retainer who had with Ning this entire time immediately acknowledged the order. This retainer had another clone in the Brightshore Kingdom, and so was able to make the report almost immediately. Moments later, the Brightshore Kingdom sent word to every single Daolord and Emperor within its ranks.
In truth, in recent years Ning had received quite a few distress calls as well, but they were all too far away from him. This time, for example, Ning himself had said that the duration of his request was a single day! If others couldn't make it here within a single day, there was no point to them even coming. If they were too far away, they would only find at the end of their long journey that the matter had come to an end long ago.
"But asking for the Brightshore Kingdom to help out is just a precaution," Ning mused. "In the end, it doesn't have that many Daolords. The number of Daolords it has who can deal with Kongsan are even fewer. Although this is one of the eight Sacred Cities and there should be quite a few members of the Brightshore Kingdom here, it's hard to say if there are any who can match Kongsan."
"I suppose I'll have to wait and see. If there's nothing I can do, I'll use up the Hegemon's Dao-seal," Ning mused. You always had to have a backup plan.
The Dao of the Sword was an offensive Dao, and so the Sword Hegemon's Dao-seal possessed terrifying offensive power. Even Eternal Emperors would deeply desire an item of such incredible value. However, the path of cultivation was a long one, and this affair with Daolord Kongsan might be nothing more than a minor bump in this long road. Ning wasn't willing to use up his Dao-seal unless absolutely necessary.
But of course… if it WAS absolutely necessary, then he would simply use it! Once he used it up, he would win all of the treasures which Daolord Kongsan possessed. However, in Ning's eyes not even all of the combined treasures Daolord Kongsan possessed were as important as his Hegemon's Dao-seal.
A short while later…
"Hahaha!" Daolord Kongsan suddenly began to laugh. "Let's see how much longer you can keep fleeing, kid." Ning's face tightened. Daolord Kongsan suddenly pointed off into the distance. Instantly, a golden figure flew through the distant barrier, followed by the barrier once more being sealed shut.
The golden figure was that of a handsome, golden-haired man dressed in golden armor. He glanced at Ning curiously, then slowly shook his head and said, "Kid, it's quite rare and impressive for a Daolord of the Second Step to be as strong as you are. What a true pity."
"Please help me, big brother Shaka, in capturing him," Daolord Kongsan said.
"Shaka?" Ning's face turned pale. "Daolord Shaka of the Aberrants?"
Daolord Shaka was an incredibly famous Daolord of the Aberrants, and that fame came from his incredible speed. He was one of those figures who could go more than a hundred times faster than the speed of light! In speed alone, he was superior to the vast majority of Eternal Emperors. And, as an Aberrant, he was incredibly fast and powerful in close combat as well."
"It seems I'll have to use the Hegemon's Dao-seal after all." A sharp light flashed through Ning's eyes.
"Kid, I recommend you give up," Daolord Shaka said calmly. He had absolute faith in his overwhelming speed.
"Kongsan! Stay your hand!" A cold shout rang out from afar, going through the barrier and reverberating within the world inside it. The people outside the formation were unable to see what was going on inside, but those inside it were able to see and hear what was happening outside with perfect clarity.
"Eh?" Daolord Kongsan and Daolord Shaka both looked outside, as did Ning. Two figures had appeared outside the formation. One was a skinny, white-haired, middle-aged man. The other was a muscular man with a giant greataxe on his back who had a single horn in the middle of his head.
"Kongsan, stay your hand. Release Darknorth!" The skinny, white-haired man said coldly.
"Daolord Soleman? Daolord Skyaxe?" Daolord Kongsan's face tightened.
"Palace Lord Soleman?" Within the formation, Ning revealed a look of delight as well. Lord Soleman was the Vice Palace Lord of the Heartforce Palace! Other Daolords of the Fourth Step might be strong or weak, but every single one who was also a Heartforce Power possessed terrifying power. Daolord Soleman, as the Vice Palace Lord of the Heartforce Palace of the Brightshore Kingdom, was also an incredibly powerful figure whose name alone was enough to terrify countless cultivators. Heartforce Cultivator Daolords simply possessed far too many strange ways to kill people. Sometimes, a single glance from them was enough to slay.
As for Daolord Skyaxe, he wasn't a member of the Brightshore Kingdom; he was probably just accompanying Daolord Soleman and so came over as well. However, Daolord Skyaxe was one of the most freakishly powerful of Daolords who had most likely devised and joined together multiple different Supreme Daos. He was ranked as the number five Daolord of this era in the Endless Territories.
"Darknorth? The kid over here?" Daolord Kongsan laughed coldly.
"Release him," Daolord Soleman barked.
"Soleman, if I release him just because you told me to, I would have no face left," Daolord Shaka said coldly.
"Daolord Soleman, Daolord Skyaxe, next to me is big brother Shaka," Daolord Kongsan said. Soleman and Skyaxe were outside the formation and so weren't able to see anything inside of it at all.
Although there was a ranking of power in the Endless Territories, ranks didn't count for everything. For example, an incredibly powerful Daolord's abilities might be perfectly countered by a lower-ranked Daolord's abilities! Palace Lord Dawnstar might be in trouble if he encountered an ancient, incredibly powerful Eternal Emperor, but someone like Daolord Shaka would be able to escape thanks to his incredible speed. Everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses; those who stood at the very top ranks amongst Daolords all had their own pride and rarely submitted to others.
If Kongsan encountered Soleman and Skyaxe by himself… he was strong enough to stay alive, but he'd still feel trepidation. Now that Daolord Shaka, a Daolord even more powerful than himself, was by his side… he felt much more confidence.
"Soleman, Skyaxe, the two of you don't have the right or the power to demand me to release this kid," Daolord Shaka said.
"Attack!" Daolord Soleman was instantly enraged. "Break this formation apart!"
BOOM! The nearby Daolord Skyaxe was enraged as well. He immediately attacked, and when he did the world itself seemed to tremble, and even Skywood City itself seemed to turn dim. Endless yellow illusions filled the vast area surrounding Skywood City. Moments later, a terrifying greataxe struck out from within the yellow illusions and chopped downwards towards the grand sealing formation. In terms of using raw power to break apart formations, Daolord Soleman clearly wasn't as strong as Daolord Skyaxe.
"What's going on? What's with this terrifying aura?" Quite a few cultivators within Skywood City were surprised by the commotion.
BOOM! The grand sealing formation shook a few times and a few ripples appeared on the surface of the barrier, but it managed to endure the blow.
"Hahaha! Daolord Skyaxe, if I was forced to fight you in combat I would have no choice but to turn tail and flee. It would be a joke, however, if you could overwhelm me even through these formations I've set down." Daolord Kongsan's voice echoed from within the formation.
"Damn." Daolord Skyaxe was infuriated.
……
"They won't be able to help you." Daolord Kongsan turned his head to stare at Ning, still aboard his black vessel.
"If you aren't willing to just surrender… then we'll be forced to simply capture you alive. Let's see what Soleman and Skyaxe can do about it. Last time we met in the Terror Starsea, he caused me to lose face. Does he really think I'll just give way to him this time?" Daolord Shaka snickered, then transformed into a streak of light that instantly moved more than a hundred times the speed of light.
Aboard the black vessel, Ning let out a long sigh. "It seems I'll have to use the Hegemon's Dao-seal after all." Murder flickered in Ning's eyes.
Book 29, Daolord, Chapter 40 - Hegemon's Dao-Seal
Outside the grand sealing formation. Soleman and Skyaxe were both furious but helpless.
Within the grand sealing formation. Daolord Kongsan was smirking from afar. It looked as though things had been settled! Daolord Shaka had transformed into a dazzling, breathtakingly eye-catching streak of golden light as he charged towards Ning. He truly was moving extremely fast, but Ji Ning was able to see him moving with perfect clarity. There was a sensation of time itself being distorted, which caused Ning to feel rather uncomfortable.
Ning continued to calmly fly forwards on his black vessel, and a dark blue crystalline leaf suddenly appeared in his hand.
Crack! A seemingly simple action, the crushing of a leaf… but the terrifying, overwhelming amount of power hidden within that leaf-shaped Dao-seal was finally unleashed! The deceased Sword Hegemon had paid an enormous price to create this terrifying Dao-seal before his death, and the power within it was truly inconceivable.
"What terrifying power. So this… this is is the might of a Hegemon." When Ning crushed the seal, he instantly sensed a surge of unfathomable power flood through him and come under his control.
He was the guide, the conduit for this power. He had the right to tell it where to strike, and that was where it would strike. He could also allow the power to voluntarily disperse.
"Go, then. Kill them." Ning turned his gaze to Daolord Shaka, soaring towards him like a streak of golden light, as well as the distant Daolord Kongsan.
……
BOOM! An awesome display of power burst forth. It was like the darkness before the dawn was suddenly split by the first rays of the sun which cast its radiance over the land. The streak of sunlight shone down upon the hearts of both Daolord Shaka and Daolord Kongsan!
"NO!!!!" Looks of utter horror appeared on the faces of both of them. As soon as that overwhelming burst of force first revealed its true, terrifying luster, both of their hearts were filled with the utmost terror. They wouldn't feel such terror even in the face of death itself, but the overwhelming power of a Hegemon caused them to feel a sense of uncontrollable terror. This was something which came from the very depths of their souls.
……
Outside the formation. The faces of Daolord Soleman and Daolord Skyaxe both changed as well. Although they weren't able to see what was happening inside the formation, a sensation of complete and utter terror filled their hearts.
"Retreat."
"Retreat immediately!"
This was the only thought which entered their minds: Get as far away from this place as possible!
They could sense that something terrifying was about to happen within the formation! Perhaps the terrifying power within it wasn't aimed directly at them, but they still couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Both retreated immediately.
…….
Within Skywood City.
Most of the cultivators were too distant from the grand sealing formation, and so when Ning shattered the Hegemon's Dao-seal they didn't sense much when its power was unleashed. The two most powerful figures inside the city, however, able to sense it clearly.
"I just sensed an enormous burst of power." Emperor Skywood turned his head, staring towards the distant grand sealing formation.
"Yes. The power is tremendous." The old man with tousled blue hair facing him nodded solemnly as well. "I can sense that it is strong enough to threaten the two of us. Skywood, this is your territory. How could there be such a strong burst of power here? It must have been generated from one of those strange treasures that was brought back from the Terror Starsea. That, or it had to be a single-use Dao-seal or another similar type of treasure which was personally crated by a Hegemon."
Emperor Skywood nodded as well, then chuckled. "It's been a long time since I've sensed anything that could threaten me. Let's go take a look."
"Kill!" Ning guided that terrifying surge of Sword Dao power forward.
BOOM! The enormous, terrifying illusion of a greatsword suddenly appeared in the area around Ning. As soon as the greatsword appeared, both space and time were completely squeezed and compressed. Daolord Shaka and Daolord Kongsan were both so terrified that they went numb. This was a level of power which they were completely unprepared to handle!
"Damn, damn, damn! Damn that Kongsan. How could he have offended a freak like this?!" Daolord Shaka's heart was filled with shock, rage, and resentment. "What sort of incredible fortune did this freak stumble upon. How could he have such a monstrously powerful treasure? Not even the protective treasure which the Hegemon bestowed upon me might not be able to resist this terrifying sword."
A translucent bottle suddenly appeared out of nowhere within the palm of Daolord Shaka's hand. Within the bottle was a crystalline speck of sand. Daolord Shaka felt such sorrow that it was as though blood was dripping out of his heart. This was an ancient relic he had acquired after countless years of braving dangerous territories, and was the most powerful protective treasure he had ever acquired. He hadn't expected that he would have to use it up because of his decision to help Daolord Kongsan.
Crack! The bottle was shattered, and the sand within it instantly emitted a softy, blurry glow that covered Daolord Shaka. Whoosh! The light-covered form of Daolord Shaka instantly disappeared without a trace, as though he had never even been here.
"N-no. How could I, Kongsan, die in a place like this? Impossible." Daolord Kongsan instantly produced two strange treasures in his hands. He immediately shattered them without even pausing.
These two different treasures, when shattered, produced two different surges of power. The first surge of power sought to influence the local spacetime and change the trajectory of the impending giant sword illusion. Alas, the surge of power instantly disappeared, because it was powerless against the sword. As for the second surge of power, it was applied to Daolord Kongsan himself. It transformed into an enormous globe of water that covered his body.
BOOM!!!
The enormous sword came slashing down. Space and time both came to a halt as all things were sheared away by its power. It chopped down upon the giant globe of water, which was instantly shattered by this overwhelmingly dominating sword. As for Daolord Kongsan, he had already transformed into darkness incarnate within that water globe. But in the face of that terrifying sword illusion… he melted away like snow in summer. His body of darkness incarnate was completely unable to help him. When the sword-light chopped down, the region of darkness dissipated into nothingness.
Daolord Kongsan had perished!
Whoosh! The enormous illusion of a greatsword continued forwards to chop through the grand sealing formation, easily piercing through it and continuing to charge forwards. It then flew into the skies, out of this everworld, and into the distant primordial chaos.
"Dissipate!" Ning willed it, and that terrifying illusion of a greatsword quickly dissipated. Its power spread out into trillions of tiny streams that swept out in every direction, causing the primordial chaos itself to tremble.
"Daolord Kongsan." Ning's body flickered as he instantly moved as though by teleportation through the void to appear at the place where Daolord Kongsan died. Ning glanced at the treasures that lay there in midair, then shook his head. "I didn't imagine that this sword would shatter even Daolord Kongsan's storage treasures. A few of the items inside remain, though." Ning waved his hand, gathering all of the remaining treasures of Daolord Kongsan.
Daolord Kongsan actually had several storage estate-treasures. Some of the weaker ones had been crushed, as had many of the treasures stored within them. However, his top-grade Eternal estate-treasures were scarred but still whole.
……
After putting away Daolord Kongsan's treasures, Ning turned to glance off into the distance. Earlier, he had seen Daolord Shaka flee. Fleeing wasn't that impressive, actually. For example, Ning himself had that spacetime disc which the almighty Hegemon had given him. If he had been faced with a similar attack, he might've been able to flee as well. But of course, Ning wouldn't dare say that he was completely certain in his chances, and he wouldn't be so foolish as to actually test it out.
"Darknorth." Two distant figures flew towards him from afar.
Ning turned to look at them. It was Daolord Soleman and Daolord Skyaxe. They had fled in terror moments ago, but now they had flown back.
"Senior apprentice-brother Soleman." Ning hurriedly flew over and said courteously, "Thank you and Daolord Skyaxe so much for coming here to rescue me."
The Daolords of Brightshore Kingdom all referred to each other as equals of the same generation. Even when Ning was merely at the World level, he still addressed Palace Lord Woodflower as senior apprentice-brother Woodflower.
"Haha, we didn't really save you; you saved yourself." Daolord Soleman glanced at the white-robed youth with quite a bit of curiosity. This was his first time meeting Ning; in the past, he had only heard stories of Ning from Solewind. "Darknorth, you sent a request to the Brightshore Kingdom to ask the other Daolords to help out because you didn't wish to use up that precious treasure, I assume?"
"That treasure was absolutely extraordinary." The nearby Daolord Skyaxe sighed in praise as well. "It truly was powerful. Anyone who wants to rely on their own powers to survive such an attack would absolutely have to have the most supreme of protective divine abilities."
Ning nodded. That attack wasn't necessarily omnipotent; for example, Daolord Shaka had been able to escape. Certain divine abilities that could make the body comparable to top-grade Eternal treasures might also allow for survival! However, such techniques were incredibly rare and valuable, and to actually reach such a level was extremely difficult. Ning had a Hegemon's legacy, but had still only been able to train his body to the low-grade Eternal treasure level.
"I really didn't want to use it up, but I had no choice," Ning said.
"Come, come! I've heard about you from Solewind long ago, and it seems you truly are an incredible figure. Come have some wine at my estate," Daolord Soleman said with a laugh.
"Perhaps other powers from the Brightshore Kingdom will come here as well." Ning hesitated a bit. "I should…"
He had notified the Brightshore Kingdom for anyone within a day's travel of Skywood City to come help him fight against Daolord Kongsan. Some of them might be on their way even now. If they arrived only to be unable to locate Ning… that would be inappropriate of Ning.
"Simple." Daolord Soleman chuckled. "Just send another message through the Brightshore Kingdom. Just say that anyone who can reach Skywood City within a day should come visit Daolord Soleman's residence."
"Haha, I was foolish not to think of this." Ning immediately sent another message to the Brightshore Kingdom.
"Come, come!" Daolord Soleman urged.
"Absolutely." Ning nodded.
And so Ji Ning, Daolord Soleman, and Daolord Skyaxe transformed into streaks of light and flew towards Skywood City.
