Chapter 13: War Begins

“I really wonder what dreadful places the Northmoon World God of old fled into, that even a divine treasure like the Violetlight Sword could be damaged so badly,” Ji Ning sighed with emotion. The ‘Three Flood Dragon Beasts’ who had pursued the Northmoon World God back then were also renowned among World Gods. Since they had made a move against the Northmoon World God, they naturally intended to utterly annihilate his true spirit.

If the Northmoon World God had managed to send a message back to the ‘Heavenspan Palace’, they would have been doomed!

Thus, while the Northmoon World God fled, the Three Flood Dragon Beasts chased with all their might! The Northmoon World God, with only a remnant soul clinging to his divine sword, plunged into the most dangerous places to escape—places that were deadly even for World Gods. And the Three Flood Dragon Beasts plunged in after him!

Cultivators often took risks, venturing into dangerous lands.

Only true death grounds, places where entering meant certain death, were the Three Flood Dragon Beasts too afraid to enter.

Crossing through voids, traversing time, and plunging through many perilous places… the Violetlight Sword was battered and tattered, but he finally escaped to the Three Realms and stopped fleeing. At that point, only the sword’s primal source remained intact and stable.

…

Ji Ning quietly meditated and refined.

The restrictions of the Triune Divine Sword were clearly more complex. He refined the first layer of restrictions, then the second…

“Good,” Ji Ning rejoiced inwardly.

After refining the first layer, the sword could be wielded as he wished; after refining the second, the three swords could merge into one!

After another two days of refinement, he finally refined the third layer.

“I’ve reached the level of the Triune Swordmaster,” Ji Ning continued to comprehend the fourth layer. The more restrictions he refined, the greater the divine weapon’s power! The Triune Swordmaster was considered a formidable Ancestral Immortal in the Nine Chaos Nations… but in the boundless Chaos, he was merely mediocre. Even beings like the Lord of All Things were minor figures among Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals in the endless Chaos.

“The fourth layer is quite difficult, but I should be able to refine it—it’ll just take some time.” After pondering for half a day, Ji Ning frowned. He estimated that refining it would take at least several years.

“I’ll refine it inside the Skysight Grand Peace Tower.”

…

The Crescent Moon Great World.

The black-robed Ji Ning was fishing with his daughter Mingyue.

At present, both his true body and second true body were in the World Prison… only this clone of the second true body remained in the Crescent Moon Great World.

“The young master has already caught twelve, but Mingyue, you haven’t caught a single one,” Qiuye said, glancing into the bucket and teasing with a smile.

“How would I know?” Mingyue frowned and looked at Ji Ning. “Father, did you cheat?”

Ji Ning looked at Mingyue.

Mingyue’s appearance was strikingly similar to Yu Wei’s, and like Yu Wei, she loved wearing black robes. Every time he looked at his daughter, it reminded Ji Ning of his senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei.

“Senior apprentice-sister,” Ji Ning thought to himself, “After the war, I will leave the Three Realms. The Three Realms is just a small place; there’s no way to save you here… but perhaps there will be a way outside.”

Leaving the Three Realms to find the Heavenspan Palace was one reason.

Another was that Ji Ning clung to a faint hope of saving his wife. Saving his parents was relatively easier—becoming a World God or Chaos Immortal would suffice. But saving his wife was far too difficult.

“Mingyue, weren’t you watching? If I cheated, wouldn’t you have noticed?” Ji Ning said with a smile.

“Father, you’ve already comprehended the Water Element Heavenly Dao. If you deliberately cheat, how could a weak woman like me detect it?” Mingyue muttered.

“Haha…” Ji Ning laughed. Being with his daughter, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Ji Ning, the final struggle for fortune has begun. Come to the Ten Thousand Races Hall immediately,” Bodhi’s voice suddenly rang in Ji Ning’s ear.

Ji Ning, who had been laughing with his daughter, suddenly froze.

“Finally, it’s beginning.” Ji Ning’s aura subtly changed.

“Father?” Mingyue looked at Ji Ning. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Let’s continue fishing,” Ji Ning said with a smile.

…

A frozen star in the Chaos.

Whoosh.

The white-robed Ji Ning appeared above the frozen star.

“It’s finally begun.” Ji Ning swiftly tore through the void and departed.

…

The Ten Thousand Races Hall.

Swoosh.

The white-robed Ji Ning appeared at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Races Hall. The assembled major powers inside looked over. Since his true body and second true body had entered the World Prison, completely isolated from the outside, Ji Ning couldn’t manifest an incarnation in the Ten Thousand Races Hall.

“Ji Ning is here.” The Three Pure Ones rose. “Let’s go. The Lord of All Demons has already mobilized his armies; we should mobilize ours as well.”

“Mm.”

At this moment, all the major powers present were in their true bodies, because everyone knew that once the final struggle for fortune began, the ‘final battle’ could erupt at any time. Thus, including Shennong and Fuxi, everyone had returned from the Chaos, and even the hunched figure in gray robes and a mask had appeared.

Ji Ning glanced at the gray-robed hunched figure and thought, “He should be Gonggong.”

The Three Pure Ones, Buddha Tathagata, Suiren, Fuxi, Shennong, Houyi, Ji Ning, and the gray-robed hunched figure walked at the front, followed by Bodhi and the other major powers. The mighty procession of major powers flew out of the Ten Thousand Races Hall.

They flew into the high sky.

Ji Ning looked down. In the Human Emperor Yu’s Great World, he could see countless densely packed armies of immortals and demons, stretching to the horizon like countless dragons coiled across the vast land.

“All the immortal and demon armies of our Nuwa Camp in the Three Realms are gathered here,” the Three Pure Ones said softly. “Xuanyuan, give the order.”

“Very well.”

Xuanyuan, standing behind, stepped forward and directly transmitted his order: “March.”

Boom~~~

A massive rift tore open in the distant sky, and one army after another began to file out into the void. The battlefield for the struggle for fortune… was in the endless void! In the previous realm wars, the major powers had helped stabilize the great worlds, allowing them to withstand the impact of war.

But in the final struggle for fortune, there were too many immortals and demons—almost all the immortals and demons of the two camps across the entire Three Realms. If they fought within a single great world, that world might shatter in an instant.

…

The distant Sun Star radiated light, illuminating the endless void.

Yet the void remained dim; the distance was too great, making even the Sun Star appear faint and inconspicuous.

In the vast void… the armies of the Lord of All Demons were also manifesting continuously, forming great formations scattered in all directions.

The immortal and demon armies of the Nuwa Camp also emerged from spatial rifts, arranging themselves in orderly formations. The two sides faced each other from millions of li apart.

Behind their own armies stood their own major powers.

The Three Pure Ones, Buddha Tathagata, Suiren, Shennong, Fuxi, Houyi, Ji Ning, the hunched figure, and other major powers stood at the very rear of the army, gazing at their own forces from afar.

“After countless eons of propagation,” Fuxi said softly, “in terms of the number of major powers, Celestial Immortals, True Immortals, and even Heavenly Immortals, the current Three Realms far surpasses the ancient times.”

“The scale of this battle indeed surpasses the war that ended the ancient era,” the Three Pure Ones nodded gently.

“Xuanyuan, it’s up to you,” Buddha said, looking at Xuanyuan beside him.

“Mm.” Xuanyuan nodded.

This time, Xuanyuan was in command of the army.

Ji Ning gazed at his own vast army. He saw his senior apprentice-brothers and sisters—Senior Apprentice-Sister Fengxiao, Junwu, Jinwu… he also saw his subordinates, Ninefang Celestial, Yuanguang Celestial, Lieyang Celestial… he saw the Xia Emperor… he saw the Sinful Celestial, the Seven Dragons Celestial, the Wuqi Celestial, the Dongxu Celestial, the Feiyou Celestial, whom he had rescued from the Moon Under the Abyss…

With candlelight burning in his eyes, Ji Ning looked at the armies of the Lord of All Demons.

In one glance, he saw the Evergreen Sword Immortal… the three demon gods of Mount Tunlong… the Withered Grass Fairy… the Fuhua True Immortal…

“Beiming, do you still remember him?” Buddha Tathagata suddenly said to Ji Ning, pointing into the distance.

Ji Ning followed Buddha’s gaze and saw a Bodhisattva with fair, handsome features, wearing a yellow robe and barefoot, commanding a great formation in the distance.

“That is?” Ji Ning immediately felt a strong sense of familiarity.

“The Bodhisattva Dongji,” Buddha Tathagata said with a smile.

“Dongji?” Ji Ning immediately remembered. No wonder he looked familiar. Back when he went to study the ‘Five Treasures Sword Technique’ left by Patriarch Fuju, he had encountered the dissolute prince Dongji. Ji Ning had made that prince Dongji work as a waiter in a tavern for three hundred years, during which he was not allowed to fight back or curse.

“Yes. You made him serve as a waiter in the mortal world for three hundred years, grinding away his arrogance. It awakened his true heart, and he naturally comprehended the Dao and became a Celestial Immortal. Later, he entered our Buddhist faith and made astonishing progress…” Buddha Tathagata said. “He possesses a true Buddhist heart. Our Buddhist teachings suit him well. Given enough time, he might even become a major power. But now, the great calamity has already arisen.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning was also delighted. He hadn’t expected that the arrogant prince Dongji, who had once provoked him, was now the Bodhisattva Dongji.

Ji Ning swept his gaze across.

Those immortals and demons who had shown him kindness, had ties with him, or even held grudges against him were scattered throughout the army. At this moment, they were merely small pawns in this final catastrophe. And he himself, through relentless struggle, cultivation, and a bit of luck and opportunity, had finally reached the peak and had the power to truly influence the battle.

“I wonder how many of them will survive after this battle,” Ji Ning thought silently.

“Lord of All Demons.”

Xuanyuan’s voice resounded through the endless void, echoing in the ears of every immortal and demon. “We took you in and allowed you to enter the Three Realms, yet instead of gratitude, you stirred up trouble and provoked this great calamity. You even stooped to assassinating the loved ones of major powers, Celestial Immortals, and True Immortals… Hah, do you think we are afraid of war? We defeated you utterly back then, and this time, you will be utterly defeated again.”

“Enough with the nonsense.” Cold laughter came from the camp of the Lord of All Demons’ major powers. “The victor is king, the loser a bandit. The winner will rule the Three Realms. This time, only one side between our Lord of All Demons and your Nuwa Camp will survive.”

“Then die,” Xuanyuan’s icy voice rang through the void.

“Kill!” Xuanyuan gave the order directly.

“Kill!” “Kill!” “Kill!” From all directions, formation after formation of immortals and demons, hundreds of millions of them, roared in unison. The killing intent was overwhelming, shaking and trembling the entire Three Realms.