Chapter 56: Departure

"Yes, after the realm war ends, I will undergo the Heavenly God Tribulation." Ji Ning transmitted. His original plan was to wait until his heartforce and soul techniques were perfected before undergoing the tribulation, which would have given him more certainty. But plans could not keep up with changes; this time, his heartforce had advanced from the third level to the fourth—a qualitative transformation.

The strength of his heartforce made him more formidable against the 'demon heart tribulation' when resisting the heavenly tribulation.

At this point, there was naturally no need to delay any further.

"If I'm not mistaken, you haven't just become a Pure Yang True Immortal—your heartforce has also broken through," the Seven Luminary Celestial transmitted.

"Mm." Ji Ning admitted.

When he had unleashed all his strength and single-handedly commanded the Heaven Punisher to hold back and suppress the Dao Ancestor puppet, Ji Ning understood... that those in the Three Realms with true insight and experience should have been able to guess. For the sake of ultimate victory in this realm war and to freely slaughter the Espirit Gate, Ji Ning did not care about exposing his strength.

What mattered was that the exposure had value.

Now...

it had great value!

"So many from the Espirit Gate have died." The Seven Luminary Celestial stood to one side, looking at the immortal and demon blood on the endless wilderness, the countless corpses, and the vast array of treasures scattered across the ground, and could not help but sigh.

"Not enough yet." Ji Ning was calm, also watching. Now the army of the Crimson Bright Realm was cleaning the battlefield, gathering a large number of spoils. Earlier, when the enemy had fled in defeat, the Crimson Bright Realm side naturally seized every moment to pursue and expand their gains. They hadn't had time to slaughter some Celestial Immortals and Earth Immortals or collect treasures.

"Retreat!"

After a long time, Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor's command rang across the battlefield.

"Hahaha..."

"Going back."

"Returning."

"How satisfying."

Laughter was everywhere. The Crimson Bright Realm side was immensely thrilled and delighted. Then the entire army, surrounding the Heaven Punisher Ji Ning and the Seven Luminary Celestial, returned to the Eight Dragons Cloud City.

...

The Crimson Bright Realm side was overjoyed, but within the Espirit City, there was only lamentation, with a heavy and oppressive atmosphere.

The deaths were too tragic.

"Alas."

"This time really..."

Apart from the three great demon gods of Devouring Dragon Mountain, who all survived safely, the six great demon gods of Tonglian Mountain had lost four, and the Nine Fairies of Cloud Mist had only the youngest, the Ninth Fairy, left alive—the other eight had all perished... Even White Extremity True Immortal, Three Yang Celestial, Abandoned Beast Celestial, Ten Thousand Demons Cave Master, Blood Cloud Tower Master, and others had died on the battlefield. Only Green Fox Sect Master, skilled in escape, had managed to flee by luck.

Counting all their Celestial Immortals and True Immortals, including Evergreen Sword Immortal, only eleven had survived!

As for the other gods, demons, Celestial Immortals, and immortals...

the casualties were even more countless.

"Tragic."

"Tragic."

Those who had survived by luck felt only gratitude for being alive and a sense of desolation.

In the main hall of Espirit City, the surviving Celestial Immortals and True Immortals gathered, all silent.

Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor looked down from above, his gaze passing over Evergreen Sword Immortal with a hint of coldness, and said calmly, "In this realm war, we have lost!"

The atmosphere grew even more oppressive.

"However, war has wins and losses. There have been several realm wars; we have also won, scattering them and slaughtering countless." Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor said calmly, "This time is merely a war in one realm among the Three Realms. You who have survived all have your own methods. In the future, our Espirit Gate and the Nuwa Camp will continue to struggle, and we will still need you to fight for our Espirit Gate."

"Yes."

Evergreen Sword Immortal quickly responded first.

The other Celestial Immortals and True Immortals also responded, while involuntarily glancing at Evergreen Sword Immortal.

"Evergreen." Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor looked at Evergreen Sword Immortal and said coldly, "This time, you truly disappointed me. Let alone defeating Ji Ning and Red Snow Celestial together—just Ji Ning alone was enough to intimidate you."

Evergreen Sword Immortal had sweat on his forehead. He understood that the losses in this realm war were too severe, and he had to bear responsibility. Evergreen Sword Immortal quickly knelt, saying respectfully, "Evergreen has disappointed the Dao Ancestor. It was truly because Ji Ning's strength exceeded my expectations that I fell into such a situation. Rest assured, Dao Ancestor, Evergreen will strive to comprehend and improve my strength, to better unleash the power of the Dao Ancestor puppet. Next time, I will surely slay that Ji Ning."

"No need." Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor shook his head. "The mighty ones have given orders; you no longer need to control the Dao Ancestor puppet."

Evergreen Sword Immortal's face turned pale. Controlling the Dao Ancestor puppet had given him a status even higher than that of the three great demon gods of Devouring Dragon Mountain. Without the puppet, he would be much weaker. Moreover, in this great calamity, with the Dao Ancestor puppet, his chances of survival would be thousands or tens of thousands of times greater—after all, unless a Dao Ancestor acted personally, killing him while he was inside the Dao Ancestor puppet was nearly impossible.

Thus, Evergreen Sword Immortal valued the Dao Ancestor puppet greatly. Ever since he had been able to control it, he had resolved to keep it in his hands forever.

Evergreen Sword Immortal, unwilling to give up, said urgently, "Dao Ancestor, this time I had too little time. Give me enough time, and the Dao Ancestor puppet will surely be able to display even greater power..."

"Enough."

Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor shouted.

Evergreen Sword Immortal closed his eyes, knelt respectfully and kowtowed, then said no more.

"Cultivate and comprehend in peace. The God King and I both think highly of you. If you become a Dao Ancestor, that will be far more formidable than controlling that puppet." Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor instructed.

"Yes." Evergreen Sword Immortal replied respectfully.

Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor nodded, then looked at the three great demon gods of Devouring Dragon Mountain, his attitude clearly much better: "Devouring Heaven, you three will take command and make arrangements. Then lead this Espirit City, leave the Grand Xia World, and return to the Fifth World."

"Yes." The three demon gods replied respectfully.

Evergreen Sword Immortal, seeing this, could not help but feel resentment.

In the great calamity, those with higher strength naturally had higher status. Even the Dao Ancestor's attitude differed.

"It's all that damned Ji Ning. If not for this variable, I would have long killed the Seven Luminary Celestial and led my Espirit Gate army to annihilate the Crimson Bright Realm army." Evergreen Sword Immortal hated deeply in his heart. "Wait, I, Evergreen, will definitely cultivate, become stronger, until I kill you. And you, the three great demon gods of Devouring Dragon Mountain, each of you—I will trample you underfoot. Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor? Hmph... just an ordinary Dao Ancestor. When I become a Dao Ancestor, you will probably have to bow your head before me!"

Evergreen had strong ambition.

He was different from Yu Wei.

Yu Wei and many others had long been loyal to the God King, then were irregularly reincarnated into various major worlds in the Three Realms, growing up randomly, making it naturally difficult for the Nuwa Camp to trace their paths.

Evergreen Sword Immortal, on the other hand, had become a disciple of Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor very, very early on, belonging to the Nuwa Camp. But he had always struggled to improve his strength, and Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor's teaching of disciples was just so-so. His intense desire for strength... led him to be tempted. The God King was, after all, the only disciple of the most powerful 'King' of the Espirit Gate. When that King, who had merged with the Heavenly Dao, taught the God King, it was naturally extraordinary.

The God King also used similar methods to teach disciples, so he was quite skilled at teaching.

Evergreen was tempted. In the dream world, the God King taught him some powerful techniques and even personally gave him lectures. Of course, Evergreen paid a price—the price was leaving the Nuwa Camp and defecting to the Espirit Gate!

"Nuwa Camp? What camp? My strength is the foundation!" Evergreen didn't hesitate much and became a disciple of the God King.

His Dao-seeking heart was indeed fanatical.

Even Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor had noticed that Evergreen Sword Immortal's Dao-seeking heart was very fanatical, and even thought he was a disciple under him with the potential to become a Dao Ancestor! But Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor did not know... that Evergreen's too fanatical, almost demonic Dao-seeking heart had also led him to defect to the Espirit Gate.

To Evergreen,

the Nuwa Camp? The Espirit Gate? They meant nothing.

He himself was the most important. In his heart, he had an intense desire: one day, like Nuwa, to become the strongest in the Three Realms.

"Then, what Nuwa Camp, what Espirit Gate—all are bullshit. I will be the strongest." Evergreen Sword Immortal's fierce ambition could only be buried deep in his heart, because this ambition was too great. But he had been pursuing it, never giving up.

...

Rumble~~~

A huge crack split open in the sky, and the shrunken Espirit City flew directly into the massive crack, disappearing.

"They've left."

Ji Ning stood alone on the wall of the Eight Dragons Cloud City, then turned to look at the extremely lively Eight Dragons Cloud City. Because of the great victory, the tens of millions of immortals and even more gods and demons within the city were all celebrating.

"Ji Ning." A figure walked over from afar—it was the Black-White Emperor.

"Your Majesty." Ji Ning said.

"Just call me Xiamang." The Emperor laughed. "Your current status and influence are much stronger than mine. If I let you call me 'Your Majesty,' I could shamelessly accept it. But I'm afraid other Celestial Immortals and True Immortals would scold me for being thick-skinned."

Ji Ning nodded slightly.

"Everyone is very happy now. The war is over, we've survived, and we've killed countless immortals and demons of the Espirit Gate. You should also go celebrate and join the fun." The Emperor said.

"No." Ji Ning shook his head gently.

The Emperor didn't press further. He also felt that since the incident with Yu Wei, Ji Ning's entire demeanor and the feeling he gave people had changed. The Emperor understood... that incident had indeed dealt a heavy blow to Ji Ning.

"By the way, after the realm war, the armies will begin returning to their respective major worlds. The immortals of our Grand Xia will return to the royal capital." The Emperor said. "All the immortals and demons will be in the royal capital, so united, we can better deal with the Espirit Gate. After all, this branch of the Espirit Gate led by Green Fox has suffered heavy losses this time and probably won't be able to infiltrate on a large scale."

"What about you? Come to the royal capital too." The Emperor said.

He naturally hoped Ji Ning would be in the imperial palace.

The Seven Luminary Celestial also always advanced and retreated with Ji Ning. Ji Ning alone represented one of the strongest Heaven Punishers and a Seven Luminary Celestial. This was almost half the combat power of the Crimson Bright Realm!

"No, I still have to undergo the Heavenly God Tribulation." Ji Ning shook his head. "Other places are not safe; the Espirit Gate probably won't let me undergo the tribulation in peace. I'm going to my master's place."

"The Heavenly God Tribulation?" The Emperor laughed. "Haha, it's time to undergo the tribulation."

The Emperor felt fortunate.

Fortunately, he had always been kind to Ji Ning, especially in the matter of the Shaoyin clan and Ji Ning, where he had always stood by Ji Ning's side and even personally helped him. These were all favors! Now, in the great calamity, if he asked Ji Ning for help at a critical moment, how could Ji Ning stand by and do nothing?

...

"Ji Ning, you and Red Snow and the other seven have rendered great merits. Moreover, in the final rout of the Espirit Gate, we killed a great many." Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor personally met with Ji Ning and the seven Celestial Immortals including Red Snow, and even urged, "We obtained many treasures. These treasures are what you deserve; how can you refuse them?"

Ji Ning shook his head: "No need."

He truly didn't need them.

During the war, he had already gained enough.

Once he became the master of the Picking Star Mansion, he really wouldn't lack these.

"Haha, I know you are about to undergo the Heavenly God Tribulation." Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor laughed. "When you become a Heavenly God, the Eight-Nine Arcane Art can be cultivated to the ninth cycle. That will probably require a great many Grand Unity Immortal Pills! Let's not talk about anything else... I'll cover the Grand Unity Immortal Pills needed for you to cultivate the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to the ninth cycle. But I still need to prepare; when your Heavenly God Tribulation comes, I will send them."

"This..." Ji Ning was startled.

This was a great gift. Although the treasures from the battlefield were many, their total might not be enough to cultivate the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to the ninth cycle.

"Disciple, just accept it. This time, you helped Crimson Bright quite a bit. Accepting it is only right." An old man with white hair and beard appeared out of thin air.

"Master." Ji Ning saw him and quickly said respectfully.

"Since your master has spoken, you should accept this small token of my appreciation." Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor was indeed grateful to Ji Ning. He also knew from Bodhi that Ji Ning had inherited the legacy of Three Lives Daoist, and the Seven Luminary Celestial followed Ji Ning... If not for Ji Ning and the Seven Luminary Celestial in this war, they would have been defeated long ago.

The losses would have been devastating. In comparison, although those Grand Unity Immortal Pills were precious, this True God born from chaos could still afford them.

"Yes." Ji Ning no longer refused.

"Have you made all the arrangements?" Bodhi looked at Ji Ning. "If you have, then come back with me to Mount Square Inch and prepare to undergo the Heavenly God Tribulation."

"Everything is arranged; I can leave at any time." Ji Ning said respectfully.

He had already bid farewell to his master, the Temple Master of Immortals, and his sworn brothers Tonghe and Wanshou, one by one. Temple Master of Immortals, Tonghe, Wanshou, Fengdian, and the others all had deep feelings for Ji Ning. But the safest place to undergo the tribulation was Mount Square Inch, where even other Dao Ancestors could hardly go.

Ji Ning had no authority to bring Tonghe and the others to Mount Square Inch, so he could only say goodbye. Temple Master of Immortals and the others were now following the Emperor to take up residence in the royal capital. It would be easy to meet in the future.

"Since everything is arranged, let's go. Crimson Bright, prepare those Grand Unity Immortal Pills quickly. When they're ready, find me, and I'll come to pick them up." Bodhi said, waving his hand.

Whoosh~~~

A dim spatial vortex appeared directly in the hall. Bodhi, leading Ji Ning and the Seven Luminary Celestial, walked straight into the spatial vortex.

"It seems he's about to undergo the Heavenly God Tribulation. I need to prepare those Grand Unity Immortal Pills immediately." Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor stroked his beard anxiously, thinking. Since he had made the boast, he had to deliver. "I'll have to visit Lord Sanqing; he has the most pills. I'll trade some treasures with him."

At this moment, Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor stroked his beard, feeling quite pleased. At least his realm had won.