Chapter 19: Shaking the Three Realms

"You... who are you?" Shaoyan Chou stared in disbelief at the man before him.

"It seems you've offended too many people, and can't even guess who I am." Ji Ning stood there, his face and aura beginning to shift, reverting to his original appearance. He had used the Seventy-Two Transformations to change his form this time so that, without alarming the Celestial Immortals and True Immortals of the Heartless Sect, he could first slay Shaoyan Chou's sixteen avatars!

If he hadn't concealed his identity,

and had gone to kill Shaoyan Chou openly and honestly, the Celestial Immortals and True Immortals of the Heartless Sect would likely become wary, and might even immediately flee. If he dealt with those nine Celestial Immortals and True Immortals first... it would instantly alert the Dao Ancestors of the Heartless Sect camp, and then he wouldn't have the leisure to leisurely deal with Shaoyan Chou.

"Ji, Ji Ning?" Shaoyan Chou couldn't believe it, then cried out in terror, "Spare me, spare my life."

He had eighteen avatars in total; sixteen were hidden here, and the other two were in the Crimsonbright Territory.

The Zhuanxu Territory was still relatively stable.

But the Heartless Sect had lost the war in the Crimsonbright Territory, making his two avatars there even more dangerous, yet he couldn't disobey the Heartless Sect's orders. As for condensing new avatars? One must know that these avatars were different from ordinary ones; there was no distinction between original and avatar—as long as one survived, he could live on.

Thus, condensing an avatar required a long time, but now that the great calamity had descended, he wasn't given enough time. If all sixteen here were wiped out, and the other two perished in the calamity, he would truly die.

"Just spare my life, and I'll give you all the insect beasts I've raised, all of them," Shaoyan Chou quickly said. "And the innate spirit treasures, I'll give them to you too."

"Die." Ji Ning coldly thrust the great flag forward, the flagpole piercing directly into Shaoyan Chou's chest. The gap in strength between them was too vast; Shaoyan Chou couldn't resist at all.

"No." Shaoyan Chou was shocked and furious.

"Once you're dead, your treasures will be mine anyway." Ji Ning then pulled out the flagpole, and Shaoyan Chou's avatar had already been utterly destroyed, soul and all.

"Destroying Shaoyan Chou's sixteen avatars is just a small appetizer. Now it's time to truly feast." Ji Ning's gaze was icy.

Kill.

What he wanted to kill were the Celestial Immortals and True Immortals! Celestial Immortals and True Immortals were the key to the struggle for fortune; they could command immortals and gods, wield spells and treasures, and with them, a vast number of immortals and gods could form astonishing combat power. Without them leading... a handful of Celestial Immortals and loose immortals would be far less useful. Moreover, the total number of Celestial Immortals and True Immortals in the Three Realms was limited; each loss would matter to the Heartless Sect. Losing ten would be enough to make them ache.

...

In the Zhaixing Major World, on a vast wilderness.

Ji Ning appeared out of thin air in midair.

"Greetings, Prefecture Lord." The vast, dense crowd of Celestial Immortals and loose immortals, upon seeing Ji Ning, all knelt down.

"Prefecture Lord." The seven Celestial Immortals, including Red Snow Celestial Immortal, also bowed.

Earlier, Ji Ning had sent Nine Tooth Celestial Immortal back to the Zhaixing Major World, and preparations had begun there; they were already ready to deploy troops.

"My Zhaixing Prefecture has lain low for too long; the Three Realms have long forgotten our might. And you... have lived in the Zhaixing Major World for endless ages. Now, it's time for you to show your fangs to the Three Realms." Ji Ning looked at the vast army of immortals and spoke coldly.

"War!"

"War!"

"War!" The earth-shaking roar came from countless immortals, flames burning in their eyes. They knew there was an outside world, the Three Realms, but had never been allowed to leave, pent up for far too long. Immortals from other major worlds could roam the Three Realms and visit friends, but they were confined here.

Now that Ji Ning had refined the Water Mansion, they could go out, but this was the time of the great calamity; which Celestial Immortal would dare to visit friends alone? The entire Three Realms was already on high alert, with countless immortals gathered into armies.

Thus, this group of immortals was too pent up; they longed to show their brilliance in the Three Realms.

"Formation." Ji Ning gave the order.

Instantly, rumbling...

Countless immortals rose into the air, orderly gathering around Ji Ning at the center. Surging power from heaven and earth began to condense into a massive god. The Zhaixing Major World was, after all, a major world, containing vast power from heaven and earth; forming a perfect Punishment God was simple.

Soon, a Punishment God took shape, alongside the Seven Radiance Celestial Immortal. Both were ten thousand zhang tall.

"Red Snow, you go to the second lair; I'll go to the first," Ji Ning said. "Finally, we'll meet at the third lair."

"Alright." The Seven Radiance Celestial Immortal nodded.

"Let's go."

The Punishment God Ji Ning and the Seven Radiance Celestial Immortal simultaneously left the Zhaixing Major World.

...

Too fast.

Ji Ning and the Seven Radiance Celestial Immortal both directly tore through the void, heading for their respective targets.

One of the three main lairs: the Iron Soldier Tower.

"Come, drink."

Iron Soldier True Immortal and the couple Jin Hong were drinking and making merry in the hall, but they remained on alert—once they spotted that mad Celestial Immortal, Golden Spear Celestial Immortal would immediately act.

"Beauty, come here." Golden Spear Celestial Immortal grabbed one of the singing and dancing women into his arms. The woman smiled and handed him a cup of wine: "My lord."

"Come, drink with me."

Golden Spear Celestial Immortal took a sip, then lowered his head to kiss the woman, passing the wine to her. His large hands had already begun fondling the dancer's chest. The nearby Red Flower Female Immortal didn't care at all, as she had two male attendants serving her. Only Iron Soldier True Immortal felt a slight unease, but as a True Immortal, he ignored it.

Ji Ning had killed Shaoyan Chou's sixteenth avatar, but they didn't know here.

After all, that sixteenth avatar was hidden too well.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside.

The entire Iron Soldier Tower shook violently, the hall trembled, wine cups rolled and spilled everywhere, and the dancers screamed.

"Not good."

Iron Soldier True Immortal, Golden Spear Celestial Immortal, and Red Flower Female Immortal all turned into streaks of light and rushed out of the hall into the midair outside. Once outside, they froze. Before them stood a towering, ten-thousand-zhang-tall god, headless, barefoot, holding two giant swords. The array formations and restrictions in midair emitted golden light but were trembling.

"Punishment God?"

"Look at that face on the chest—it's Ji Ning! Northsea Sword Immortal Ji Ning!" All three were shocked. Ji Ning, leading the Punishment God, had displayed great might in the 'Territory War' of the Crimsonbright Territory, and news had spread throughout the Three Realms. Now, Ji Ning was undoubtedly one of the top Celestial Immortals and True Immortals in the Three Realms. Although they were in the Zhuanxu Territory, they knew Ji Ning's detailed intelligence.

"Boom~~"

The Punishment God Ji Ning swung his giant twin swords, and with a crash, the entire array formation finally collapsed completely.

"What? How is this possible?"

"The restrictions are broken?"

The three of them felt a chill in their hearts.

"Flee!"

After all, this was the lair's array formation; even a dozen or twenty Celestial Immortals and True Immortals besieging it could hold out for a while. But Ji Ning, leading the Punishment God, was far stronger than twenty Celestial Immortals and True Immortals. He had already reached the level of a 'Dao Ancestor.' Even a Dao Ancestor puppet had been suppressed by Ji Ning.

In just an instant, Ji Ning struck nine consecutive sword blows, completely shattering the array formation. The three Celestial Immortals and True Immortals rushed out together, but as soon as they recognized Ji Ning, he was already upon them.

"Flee, flee, flee." The three of them were utterly panicked.

"Too late."

A vast, overwhelming sword light descended, covering tens of thousands of zhang, blotting out the sky and the sun. It was even more terrifying than the last realm war. Ji Ning's sword art was clearly more exquisite and faster. The Red Flower True Immortal, who fled the slowest, was swept by the sword light, directly dispersing and vanishing into nothing, leaving only a single unwilling, miserable scream.

"No." Another Iron Soldier True Immortal employed an escape technique, but how could it match the speed of the weapon? He too was slain.

In such a short time.

Spatial teleportation was impossible; greater teleportation was out of the question. As for hiding inside a cave-dwelling magic treasure? That would only allow Ji Ning to collect them, and they would surely die. Thus, they could only try to flee by speed! In true battles between experts of the Three Realms, escape techniques were usually relied upon, so those with powerful escape techniques were formidable. Even if one's escape technique was not strong, having a supreme-grade innate spirit treasure for fleeing was also excellent.

Just like when the Xia Emperor and the others used the 'Streamer World Boat,' which could match the ultimate speed of the 'Heaven-Swallowing Great Sage' among the Three Demon Gods of Tunshan Mountain.

Unfortunately, the Iron Soldier True Immortal's escape technique was poor, and he had no top-tier innate spirit treasure for fleeing.

Thus, only death awaited him.

"Spare me, spare me." The Golden Spear Heavenly God was even more terrified. While begging for mercy, he immediately split into nine avatars, fleeing in all directions. Although each clone's power was somewhat diminished, without splitting into these clones, there was no hope of escape.

"Boom~~~"

The sword light spun once, and an area of tens of thousands of zhang instantly became a death zone.

All nine avatars of the Golden Spear Heavenly God were destroyed!

Ji Ning's sword light merely swept downward, and the sky shattered, the earth split apart. Those Celestial Immortals and Sanxians fleeing in panic were all turned to dust.

"Next."

The Punishment Heavenly God Ji Ning's form flickered, directly tearing through the void to head to the third lair.

More than two years had passed since the end of the realm war. Ji Ning's heartforce and soul techniques had improved slightly, allowing him to now fully control the power of the supreme Punishment Heavenly God with one hundred percent efficiency! Previously, he had only been a hair's breadth away. Because of this absolute, perfect control, with no leakage whatsoever, he could directly use the Punishment Heavenly God to tear through the void.

Without full control, he would not have been able to directly tear through the void; he would have had to rely on the 'Void Boat' or hide inside the Water Mansion, using treasures to execute escape techniques.

Now, there was no need!

...

To launch a sneak attack, one must be fast and powerful. Thus, Ji Ning used the Punishment Heavenly God from the start!

Destroying the first lair was too fast.

The news had not even reached the third lair when Ji Ning had already arrived. A ten-thousand-zhang Punishment Heavenly God stood barefoot on the wilderness, directly swinging his twin swords, angrily striking at the palace built atop a towering mountain peak. The light of formation restrictions flashed continuously, and three Heavenly Gods and True Immortals rushed out from within the palace.

"Flee."

A voice rang out in their minds.

"It's the Dao Ancestor." The three of them immediately understood. The Dao Ancestor of the Non-Daoist Sect had finally urgently informed them, but it was too late!

Bang!

The formation restrictions collapsed.

The Punishment Heavenly God Ji Ning, wielding two giant swords, slaughtered the three Heavenly Gods and True Immortals with overwhelming power. One of the Heavenly Gods even had a clone that fled far away, but because his other seven clones were destroyed, even his soul was annihilated. Having lost too much of his soul, the remaining fragments could not sustain themselves, leading to his soul scattering.

This was the weakness of Heavenly Gods. Although their divine bodies were formidable, once their souls were destroyed, they were surely dead. Just like when Ji Ning encountered the Heavenly God Qi in the Xieyue Great World while obtaining the 'Luohou Bow,' his divine body was intact, but his soul had already been extinguished.

If too much of the soul is lost, even if a small remnant remains, it will still collapse.

"Ji Ning, I have destroyed the second lair. They almost escaped. You are much faster than me." The space shimmered, and a voice rang out in Ji Ning's mind. A ten-thousand-zhang divine demon holding a long spear appeared—it was the Seven Radiance Heavenly God.

"Red Snow, let's go."

Ji Ning transmitted mentally.

At the same time, a boat over a hundred zhang long appeared in midair—it was the supreme innate treasure 'Void Boat.' Ji Ning now possessed three supreme innate treasures, and this one was specifically for fleeing.

"Whoosh."

The Punishment Heavenly God Ji Ning and the Seven Radiance Heavenly God flew directly into the Void Boat. Although the boat appeared to be over a hundred zhang long, a single grain of sand could contain a world; the internal space was vast, naturally allowing Ji Ning and the Seven Radiance Heavenly God to enter.

Swish!

Directly tearing through the void, the Void Boat left the Dongxuan Great World... heading for another great world in the Zhuanxu Domain.

Ji Ning would not stop so easily!

Killing nine Heavenly Gods and True Immortals? Not enough!

...

"What's going on?"

"Such a big disturbance?"

The Dongxuan Army of the Dongxuan Great World immediately detected the disturbance.

A group of Heavenly Gods and True Immortals gathered, looking at the images displayed in a mirror. When they noticed, it was already the scene of Ji Ning destroying the third lair.

In the scene, a nearly naked, ten-thousand-zhang headless divine demon wearing a beast-skin skirt, wielding two giant swords, directly cleaved through the formation restrictions, sweeping the lair clean. None of the three Heavenly Gods and True Immortals escaped.

"Quickly check the other two." A Heavenly God immediately said.

The mirror began to examine the other two lairs of the Non-Daoist Sect.

Huge ruins!

Huge ruins!

Both were ruins.

"Destroyed?" The generals of the Dongxuan Army looked at each other, all shocked. The Non-Daoist Sect's three lairs, with a total of nine Heavenly Gods and True Immortals, hiding inside with the help of formation restrictions, had all been destroyed? They had been locked in a struggle with these nine Heavenly Gods and True Immortals for years.

...

The great powers of the Three Realms had means that reached the heavens. When Ji Ning destroyed the first lair, some great powers had already detected it.

"What a Ji Ning."

"Truly bold."

"This Ji Ning actually launched a solo sneak attack outside of a realm war? He really is going to fight the Non-Daoist Sect to the death." These great powers were all amazed. They understood clearly that directly ambushing the Non-Daoist Sect and killing without mercy was a mad provocation to the Non-Daoist Sect!

...

In a magnificent great world, filled with endless cold air, this was one of the main strongholds of the Non-Daoist Sect camp—the Third World!

Realms like the Chiming Realm were attacked by the Non-Daoist Sect's Fifth World.

As for the Zhuanxu Domain, it was attacked by the more powerful Third World.

Inside the Third World...

"Ji Ning?" Atop a towering mountain peak emitting endless icy cold, within a palace, a thin old man with green hair and green eyebrows sat cross-legged. His eyes were now open, filled with coldness. His divine sense had already enveloped the entire Zhuanxu Domain. The killing of nine Heavenly Gods and True Immortals in such a short time had completely enraged him.