Chapter 35: The Imprisoned True God Shi Yu

"Although my strength has increased greatly, compared to the leaders of the Daoist and Buddhist sects, I am probably still lacking. The calamity is approaching, and the stronger I am, the better. That Kuitian Taihao Pagoda... I must obtain it." Ji Ning was eager, but after his battle with True God Jueyu, he first carefully recalled every scene of that battle to glean some experience.

Three days after the battle with True God Jueyu, Ji Ning finally arrived at the place of True God Shi Yu.

...

This was a beautiful valley, filled with flowers and grass. A silver-haired man was tending to some of the plants.

Whoosh.

A black lightning serpent flew from the distant horizon and instantly reached the high sky.

"Hm?" The silver-haired man looked up and saw a white-robed youth descending from the sky.

"Are you the new warden?" The silver-haired man looked at Ji Ning with confusion.

"True God Shi Yu, you have the leisure to tend flowers and grass," Ji Ning said. "In this world prison, almost all the chaos power is extracted into chaos liquid. Those imprisoned Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals, and even the few True Gods and True Immortals, all strive to draw power from chaos. The power you can draw is limited, yet you use it to tend these plants."

The environment of the world prison was harsh, dark all day long.

But True God Shi Yu, imprisoned in this valley, had it filled with floral fragrance, a stark contrast to the scene outside the sealed area—clearly his doing.

"I suppose some Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals use the power they draw from chaos to maintain their cave-heaven treasures. Within those cave-heavens are worlds teeming with life. These Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals condense avatars of their will and experience various lives in those worlds," True God Shi Yu said with a faint smile. "But that is the act of the weak."

Ji Ning was taken aback.

"Imprisoned here, they have completely lost their ambition, only thinking of enjoyment," True God Shi Yu sneered.

"What they do is not wrong," Ji Ning shook his head. "Imprisoned for endless ages, who is willing to bear such solitude? Since they can avoid it and enjoy life in a world, why not enjoy it?"

"The weak," True God Shi Yu sneered. "They have completely given up the desire to escape."

"Oh? You haven't?" Ji Ning looked at him.

"I have never given up. If either my Wuji Force or Taiji Force breaks through to the sixth level, I can break these chains, even shatter the entire world prison, and regain my freedom." True God Shi Yu did not hide it. The immortals and demons imprisoned here, including the Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals, had all initially longed to break through, to sever the chains and break out of this world prison.

"If you reach the sixth level, that would be the World level," Ji Ning nodded. "That would indeed be possible, but you have been imprisoned here for a long time."

"Nearly five chaos cycles," True God Shi Yu nodded, staring at Ji Ning. "I know what you're going to say. You're saying that if one cannot enter the World level within one chaos cycle, one can never enter the World level, right?"

Ji Ning looked at him.

This was common knowledge.

Having searched the memories of many prisoners from the Nine Chaos Kingdoms, he knew this common knowledge. Even the vast information left to Ji Ning by World God Northrest contained this common knowledge. If one did not become a World-level cultivator within one chaos cycle, it was almost impossible to do so later.

"But nothing is absolute; there is always a glimmer of hope." True God Shi Yu gritted his teeth, looking at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning nodded.

Yes.

Indeed, it was not absolute!

For example, if a certain expert, due to overly simplistic cultivation methods and without any guidance, spent several chaos cycles and, relying on great perseverance and determination, managed to become an Ancestral God. Once they obtained detailed cultivation methods and guidance from some World-level experts, they might rapidly break through to the World level.

Or if an Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal suddenly encountered some fortune, they might also break through.

In short...

All of this required some opportunity!

For example, the great experts in the Three Realms did not have sufficiently good methods or guidance from powerful experts. Take Senior Apprentice Brother 'Houyi'—although he had lived for over a chaos cycle, he had developed his heartforce techniques step by step on his own, and he had figured out his archery by himself. But if he had top-tier methods and guidance from an expert of the Skylight Palace, he would have every hope of breaking through to the World level.

"This True God Shi Yu is imprisoned in the world prison, with no one to guide him and no opportunities. It's been nearly five chaos cycles, and he still wants to reach the World level... almost impossible." Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

"I have only one purpose in coming here." Ji Ning looked at him.

"Speak." True God Shi Yu looked at Ji Ning indifferently. He did not take this warden seriously.

"Your Kuitian Taihao Pagoda." Ji Ning spoke.

True God Shi Yu's expression changed. He stared at Ji Ning and sneered, "You actually know about the Kuitian Taihao Pagoda... What, you want this chaos treasure? You're just a minor warden, responsible only for guarding the world prison. Get lost and don't bother me." He couldn't be bothered to waste words with Ji Ning. Such a treasure, how could he give it to someone else?

"In that case, I have no choice but to fight." Ji Ning produced a divine sword in each hand.

"You dare fight me?" True God Shi Yu was astonished. "You, you're not from the Nine Chaos Kingdoms?"

The Nine Chaos Kingdoms usually sent first-rate Celestial Immortals as wardens. How would a first-rate Celestial Immortal dare to fight him?

"The Nine Chaos Kingdoms have fallen." Ji Ning held his divine swords. "This world prison is now under my control. You are a prisoner. I don't want to kill you. Hand over the Kuitian Taihao Pagoda."

"Dream on." True God Shi Yu shouted coldly.

"Then we must fight."

Swoosh.

Ji Ning's voice still echoed in the valley when a sword light, like a flash of lightning, was already before True God Shi Yu. It was the fastest and most ferocious strike of Ji Ning's Brightmoon sword-art—the Blood Drop style!

"Such fast swordplay." True God Shi Yu was greatly alarmed and no longer dared to be careless. A pair of short cudgels appeared in his hands, glowing with golden light, their ends sharp and triangular.

"Clang~~~"

True God Shi Yu wielded the twin cudgels, which faintly manifested a massive Taiji diagram. He blocked Ji Ning's strike. After blocking, the cudgels in his hands suddenly turned, and the Taiji diagram instantly transformed into a mass of black light, crushing toward Ji Ning with wild momentum.

"Boom." Ji Ning's sword light turned into a black hole, using the Soleheart style to defend. He felt an incredibly fierce and eerie force crushing toward him and involuntarily flew backward.

"Such strong power." Ji Ning landed, shocked. He also immediately understood that this True God Shi Yu must have cultivated some divine ability, similar to the Seven-Star God Hand or even stronger in explosive power. Otherwise, the force from his twin cudgels wouldn't be so formidable.

True God Shi Yu in the distance also looked serious, staring at Ji Ning without daring to be careless. He murmured, "Such fast swordplay, surpassing the limits of the Heavenly Dao? Pity, it's useless."

"Is that so?"

Ji Ning's body shook, manifesting three heads and six arms, holding six divine swords.

"Hmph." True God Shi Yu also manifested six arms, holding six short cudgels, though the other four cudgels were slightly weaker in aura.

The two afterimages clashed again. This time, True God Shi Yu was even more shocked, because Ji Ning's 'Blood Drop style,' 'Shadowless style,' and 'Heavens Collapse style' were used in succession. The most threatening to True God Shi Yu was the Shadowless style—it was already fast, and with its uncanny unpredictability, it was very difficult to defend against.

Moreover, with six divine swords attacking fiercely, the three sword styles coordinated with each other. Although True God Shi Yu's divine ability was formidable, he had to be extremely cautious.

The fierce battle between the two lasted for a long time.

Rumble~~~

The battle affected the valley. The flowers and grass had long turned to ashes, but True God Shi Yu couldn't care. Though he tended the plants, it was only a way to alleviate his loneliness. He was unwilling to expend too much power to maintain a world, so he tended plants that consumed little power.

"It's useless. Your swordplay is formidable, I admit it's very formidable. I roamed the Nine Chaos Kingdoms for endless ages and encountered countless True Gods and True Immortals. But none could match your swordplay. Sword God realm sword techniques, speed surpassing the limits of the Heavenly Dao... but your divine body is too weak, and your divine ability is too ordinary." True God Shi Yu's voice echoed through the valley.

Swoosh, swoosh.

The two clashed once more and were sent flying backward.

Ji Ning stopped and looked at True God Shi Yu, muttering, "It seems I'll have to rely on long-range attacks."

"Long-range attacks?" True God Shi Yu was startled.

Then, thirty-six Primal Heavenly Divine Swords appeared around Ji Ning, and surging Daofather divine power poured into them.