Chapter 26: Annihilation

This time, although Ji Ning came with murderous intent, he did not fully trust the Sin God or the Throat-Sealing God. However, based on the intelligence he had gathered before entering the Moon Under the Pool, neither the Sin God nor the Throat-Sealing God seemed to be petty individuals. But this was the Moon Under the Pool, not the outside world. Moreover, given his close bond with Zhenbu and other gods on Ten Thousand Mountains Island, Ji Ning would not casually strike against the gods of the Voidgate.

Thus, he gave the Dream God an opportunity to ambush him!

He wanted to see what kind of person the Dream God was. Perhaps ordinary gods would not dare to let others ambush them, but Ji Ning, protected by the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, was unafraid.

And indeed, the Dream God ambushed him!

“Whoosh~~” Ji Ning executed the Star-Picking Hand divine ability, using his finger as a sword. The fourth-stage sword force formed a hazy black sword glow around his finger. The moment the Dream God struck, Ji Ning counterattacked. Because of the close distance and the incredible speed of Ji Ning’s sword—

A sword at the speed of light! And to save time, Ji Ning did not even draw his magic sword; he used his finger as a sword, all for speed!

“Not good.” The Dream God tried to block and retreat.

But the distance was too close, and the sword too fast.

Puchi!

A huge wound appeared on the Dream God’s abdomen, blood gushing out. The Dream God transformed into a streak of blood light and fled outward, utterly devoid of fighting spirit: “This Northmont God—I struck with all my might, yet I couldn’t harm his divine body in the slightest. What protective divine ability has he cultivated? Could it be the legendary Eight-Nine Arcane Art?”

Ambushing a god who had cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art—he was simply unlucky.

In the Three Realms, very few cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, and those who reached the ninth turn were even rarer. Ji Ning was one of them.

“Whoosh.” Ji Ning’s right hand stretched hundreds of feet long as he continued the pursuit.

The Dream God’s escape technique was astonishing; he managed to evade Ji Ning’s attack. Although Ji Ning’s sword was very fast, the extension of his right hand was relatively slower. With a rumble, the Dream God dodged Ji Ning’s strike, and Ji Ning’s finger-sword swept past the palace pillars and walls. Pillars broke, walls shattered, and half the palace collapsed.

“What’s going on?”

Outside the palace were a group of gods from the Voidgate. They were gathered in twos and threes and turned to look.

The Dream God, fleeing as a blood light, urgently transmitted via divine power: “That Northmont ambushed me! He came to kill me, sent by the Sin God and Throat-Sealing God!” Regardless of the truth, he first pinned the blame on Ji Ning.

“Ambush? Kill?”

These Voidgate gods knew that their side had been fiercely contending with the Sin God’s faction, and the other side had always wanted to kill the Dream God, so they didn’t suspect anything.

In fact, the Dream God’s words were barely accurate—Ji Ning had indeed come to deal with him, but this time it was the Dream God who had ambushed Ji Ning.

“Form the formation.”

“Kill that Northmont.”

Immediately, the twenty-plus gods began to arrange a formation, forming three Seven Luminaries Gods and one Three-Eyed Demon God.

…

The white-robed Ji Ning watched the scene before him: three Seven Luminaries Gods and one Three-Eyed Demon God stood there.

“Northmont, you dared to ambush the Dream God.”

“You’re seeking death.”

“Deserving of death.”

All stared at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning said calmly, “If I said the Dream God ambushed me, would you believe it?”

“If I ambushed you, I would be unscathed while I am severely wounded?” One Seven Luminaries God roared, its face resembling the Dream God’s. “You infiltrated us and ambushed me—how audacious! Everyone, attack and eliminate him. Let Sin and the others know that anyone who dares to strike at us will be killed, one and all.”

These Voidgate gods, siding with the Dream God, had been fighting the Sin God and Throat-Sealing God for years and were at a disadvantage, harboring resentment.

“If you had united and used the immortal mansion, perhaps I couldn’t have done anything to you.” Ji Ning shook his head inwardly.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~

Over seven hundred pure Yang flying swords appeared around him. The pure essence of his true immortal golden core poured into them, transforming and condensing into a sharp jade sword before him. Ji Ning simply looked at the three Seven Luminaries Gods and one Three-Eyed Demon God, and the jade sword shot forth.

“Kill.”

“Kill.” The three Seven Luminaries Gods and one Three-Eyed Demon God charged at Ji Ning.

In terms of strength, these Seven Luminaries Gods were all inferior to the one commanded by Red Snow God.

The Three-Eyed Demon God was even weaker.

Recall that the Dao Ancestor puppet could suppress a Seven Luminaries God, while the strongest Punishment God under Ji Ning’s command could suppress the Dao Ancestor puppet! Now, with his half-step Dao Ancestor pure Yang golden core, Ji Ning executed the most terrifying sword of the Moonbright Sword Art. After a century of slaughter, his swordsmanship had become even more fearsome.

This single sword strike was even more powerful than the strongest Punishment God of yore.

“Die.” The Seven Luminaries God ‘Dream’ roared, wielding two huge curved blades, charging to strike Ji Ning.

The jade sword traced a graceful arc in the air.

Whoosh.

Although the Seven Luminaries God ‘Dream’ tried desperately to block, the jade sword was too fast; he was still a hair’s breadth too slow. Recall that the demon king from before, whose speed and strength were no less than a Seven Luminaries God, had also failed to intercept the jade sword. Moreover, compared to a century ago, Ji Ning’s swordsmanship had improved tremendously.

“Puchi.” The Seven Luminaries God’s body was sliced through.

“Go, go, go.”

Ji Ning watched coldly.

The many flying swords around him floated and undulated, and two more jade swords condensed before him, shooting forth in succession.

“How is this possible?”

“Heavens.”

“How can he be so strong? How can a god be this strong?”

In the blink of an eye, the three Seven Luminaries Gods and one Three-Eyed Demon God were all shattered. They were terrified, especially the Dream God, who couldn’t believe the other was so powerful. This was a strength that made him despair.

“Spare us,” the Dream God cried out.

“Puchi, puchi.”

One jade sword was consumed, but the other two danced through the air, slicing through the bodies of the gods wherever they passed. However, the gods could fully recover, and they fled in terror. But soon they were minced into fragments again.

“Die.” Ji Ning stretched out both hands, which grew huge like two dark clouds, directly covering the fragments of the gods’ bodies.

“Bang, bang, bang.”

Ji Ning’s cloud-like hands clapped together repeatedly, crushing the gods, including the Dream God, into powder. After just a few claps, their divine power was exhausted, and they all perished, body and soul.

Thus, over twenty gods were annihilated!

In truth, if these gods had all hidden in the immortal mansion and relied on its formation restrictions, Ji Ning would have been helpless. Only by using the Rahu Formation might he have had a chance to shake their combined resistance. Now, without other immortals to assist, his pure Yang golden core alone made him only as strong as the strongest Punishment God, though his swordsmanship was superior.

But in a direct confrontation?

They had walked straight into death.

“The one who killed you is me, Ji Ning,” Ji Ning murmured to himself.

…

At Ji Ning’s level of heartforce, he knew when to kill and when not to. His mind was clear.

Having killed the Dream God and the others, Ji Ning merely shook his head with a sigh, but remained calm.

“Eh?”

“It’s Northmont God!”

“Wasn’t Northmont God with the Sin God and the others?” Many gods were puzzled. Only the Sin God and Throat-Sealing God knew of Ji Ning’s mission.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Soon, two figures appeared—the Sin God and the Throat-Sealing God.

“Good to have you back,” the two gods said, relieved.

“I told you, it’s fine,” Ji Ning said. With his strength, he could face a group of gods alone, so of course it was fine.

“How did it go?” the Throat-Sealing God asked eagerly.

“Dead,” Ji Ning said.

The Throat-Sealing God and the Sin God showed wild excitement and joy. The Sin God murmured, “Excellent! We tried everything but couldn’t deal with him—he was too cunning. Now he’s dead. This is great, great.”

“All of them are dead,” Ji Ning added.

“All… dead?”

The Throat-Sealing God and the Sin God wore expressions of disbelief.

…

The Throat-Sealing God and the Sin God still couldn’t believe it. That very day, they went to the former gathering place of the Voidgate gods and saw the collapsed palace and the shattered ground—traces of battle. But they couldn’t find any god, and only then did they believe Ji Ning had truly done it.

“Over twenty gods, all dead. How did he do it?” the Sin God wondered, puzzled. “So many gods! Though the others were weaker, their numbers were large. Even forming simple Seven Luminaries Gods would greatly boost their strength.”

“If you can’t figure it out, don’t bother. This Northmont has his ways. In any case, I know he’s very powerful. No wonder the demon king said he had the best chance of leaving the Moon Under the Pool,” the Throat-Sealing God said, sighing in admiration. “Now it’s settled. If only the Dream God had died, the remaining Voidgate gods would still be a menace, forcing us to stay vigilant. But now it’s a permanent solution.”

“Mm,” the Sin God nodded.

…

The matter of the Dream God was in the past. What Ji Ning now valued most was the final obstacle. Only one step remained for him to leave the Moon Under the Pool alive—

On the third day after arriving at Thousand Star Island.

The bright moon hung in the sky.

At another edge of Thousand Star Island, Ji Ning stood with the Sin God and the Throat-Sealing God, gazing ahead.

The Sin God pointed into the distance: “Look, that is the Ten Thousand Blades Path. It is the final obstacle. Once you walk out of the Ten Thousand Blades Path, you will reach the fifth island and leave alive.”

“Ten Thousand Blades Path?” Ji Ning looked at the floating wooden bridge ahead. Beyond it stood countless huge blades—sword blades, saber blades, spear blades—all upright.