Chapter 32: Sweeping Clean the True Gods and True Immortals

Qianrou remained silent nearby, knowing that the keeper before her was deep in thought.

"Very well." Ji Ning finally looked at the woman. "I know your elixirs are running low. This bottle should sustain you for a while." As he spoke, a jade bottle appeared in his hand, filled with Pure Yang elixirs, making Qianrou's eyes light up.

"Thank you, True Immortal." Qianrou was extremely respectful. This was exactly what she needed most. For a Celestial Immortal, merely staying alive without fighting consumed very little divine power. But being imprisoned for so long—a chaos cycle was immeasurably long—the accumulated consumption was still astonishing.

"I have a question for you." Ji Ning said.

"Please ask, True Immortal." Qianrou was puzzled. He already knew her memories; what else could he want?

"As you've likely noticed, my golden core is only of the lowest grade." Ji Ning said. "I've heard there are methods using certain chaos treasures to transform the golden core, elevating it to the second grade. Now that this world prison holds so many prisoners, how can I obtain what I need from them to upgrade my core?"

Though he had obtained her memories,

their ways of thinking and acting differed. Her thoughts might yield a good solution.

"Does the True Immortal have any allies?" Qianrou looked at Ji Ning.

"Just me." Ji Ning said.

"In that case..." Qianrou pondered. "In the world prison, the weakest are Heavenly Gods and Celestial Immortals; the next tier are True Gods and True Immortals; the highest are Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals. Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals can draw power from chaos; each is immensely powerful and likely beyond the True Immortal's reach."

"As for Heavenly Gods and Celestial Immortals, they are low in status in the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom. Even if they know the method to upgrade the golden core, they must have sworn life oaths not to divulge it. And the precious chaos treasures are almost impossible for them to possess."

"So only True Gods and True Immortals remain." Qianrou looked at Ji Ning. "Only from those True God and True Immortal prisoners can you, Lord Beiming, obtain what you need."

"Most True Gods and True Immortals haven't reached the level of drawing power from chaos, so they rely on elixirs to survive. Elixirs can sustain life, but not for battle." Qianrou smiled at Ji Ning. "If you, Lord Beiming, continuously attack True Gods and True Immortals, forcing them to expend divine power and magic power, no amount of elixirs can sustain prolonged combat. They will eventually exhaust their power and die."

"You can force them to submit, or kill them outright and take their treasures."

"True Gods and True Immortals have far more treasures than Heavenly Gods and Celestial Immortals." Qianrou looked at Ji Ning. "The world prison is vast, with many True God and True Immortal prisoners. Sweep through them all—kill or force submission—and I believe Lord Beiming will obtain what he needs."

Ji Ning glanced at Qianrou.

What a ruthless heart.

To be so merciless even toward her own kind.

Though he had her memories, this method hadn't occurred to him.

"You can attack them from outside the formation restrictions, but they cannot attack you." Qianrou smiled at Ji Ning. "They have only two paths: defeat or death."

"My strength is far inferior to True Gods and True Immortals." Ji Ning sighed.

Kill a True God?

Kill a True Immortal comparable to a Dao Ancestor?

Outside, with his current strength, he wouldn't dare think of it. But in the world prison, it might be possible.

"You only need patience. One by one, you can sweep through the True Gods and True Immortals, unless some can draw power from chaos." Qianrou said. "Perhaps a few exist in the world prison, but they are extremely rare—less than one in a hundred True Gods and True Immortals."

Ji Ning smiled. "Very good."

Then he turned and left.

...

Time passed.

Ji Ning swept through six more Heavenly Gods and Celestial Immortals. Upon learning of the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom's fall, two went mad and tried to kill Ji Ning, but with the 'Eight-Nine Arcane Art' protecting him, they couldn't harm him and lost their lives. The other four were delighted and willingly let Ji Ning search their souls.

Between death and submission, they knew how to choose.

Including Fairy Qianrou, Ji Ning had searched the memories of five Heavenly Gods and Celestial Immortals, gaining a deeper understanding of the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom.

"It seems my hope lies with those True Gods and Pure Yang True Immortals." Ji Ning sat on the void boat. "The method that Celestial Immortal Qianrou suggested is the only way."

True Gods and True Immortals held status thousands or tens of thousands of times higher than Heavenly Gods and Celestial Immortals.

Like in the Three Realms,

the difference between heaven and earth.

In status, authority, and treasures, they were completely different. In the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom, some powerful True Gods and True Immortals even had the privilege to teach, so they carried various techniques with them.

"Whoosh."

The void boat flew over a lake with scattered islands. On one island was a True Immortal prisoner.

...

On the island.

True Immortal Dongqun sat cross-legged, immersed in his own mental world. Suddenly, a fluctuation from outside startled him awake.

"A living being?" True Immortal Dongqun opened his eyes.

He saw a white-robed youth standing in midair hundreds of li away. Startled, he thought, "A True Immortal? Such weak aura—the lowest grade!"

To the immortals and gods of the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom, Heavenly Gods were on par with Celestial Immortals, while True Immortals held much higher status. Ji Ning's true body cultivated both divine power and magic power, so the other could sense his divine aura, but he focused more on Ji Ning's Pure Yang True Immortal aura, which was absurdly weak.

"You... are the new keeper?" True Immortal Dongqun's face changed. He shouted, "What happened to the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom? Why send you?"

"You've probably guessed: the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom has fallen." Ji Ning stood in midair. "Now this world prison is in my hands. Previous keepers dared not kill prisoners at will, but I dare."

True Immortal Dongqun sneered. "You?"

He had his pride.

Such a low-grade True Immortal was far too weak. He could slaughter him effortlessly.

"I offer you two paths." Ji Ning felt the threat from Dongqun, terrifyingly powerful. The nearly three hundred Heavenly Gods and True Immortals sent by the Seamless Gate to hunt him were likely weaker than this Dongqun. This True Immortal of the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom was on par with a True God or Dao Ancestor in the Three Realms.

"First: submit to me." Ji Ning said.

"Second: resist. I can attack you from outside the formation restrictions, but you cannot attack me. You are far stronger than I, but fighting me will consume your magic power. Once it's exhausted, you will die."

"Choose."

Ji Ning said coldly.

True Immortal Dongqun's eyes flashed coldly. In the era of the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom, such a weak True Immortal would have been respectful and trembling before him.

"You overestimate yourself, you insignificant worm." True Immortal Dongqun sneered. "My dignity as True Immortal Dongqun—none in my billions of territories dared defy me. A lowly True Immortal like you... even if I stay here and let you attack, you can't harm me."

His pride and his eons of status would not allow him to bow to a weak True Immortal.

Even when he committed a great crime, the Nine Directions Lord, despite his status, only imprisoned him.

"Is that so? Then let this insignificant worm witness your might." Ji Ning waved his hand.

Whoosh.

Seven hundred and twenty-nine Pure Yang flying swords appeared around him, seven hundred and twenty of which he had obtained from killing Liangqiu. Each bore Greater Thousand runes. With his Pure Yang magic power surging, his fourth-level heartforce combined with his soul-manipulation techniques, he managed to control all seven hundred and twenty-nine swords.

After all, Ji Ning's soul control could handle even the strongest Heavenly Punishment God; these flying swords were nothing.

A jade sword condensed before Ji Ning.

The ninth level of the Greater Thousand Sword Formation!

"A minor trick." True Immortal Dongqun sat cross-legged, sneering. If not for the formation restrictions, he could easily kill this worm.

"Swish."

Leaving a rainbow trail in the air, the jade sword stabbed toward True Immortal Dongqun.

"Hmph." True Immortal Dongqun merely snorted. A golden light flew from his eyes. With a bang, the jade sword formed by the ninth level of the Greater Thousand Sword Formation shattered completely. Ji Ning's sword light was like an egg, while the golden light was like a stone. The egg shattered on impact.

The gap was too vast.

The difference between heaven and earth.

"Truly the strength of a True God or Dao Ancestor in the Three Realms." Ji Ning grew even more eager to upgrade his golden core. Even to the second grade, the gap wouldn't be so absurd.

"Go, go, go."

Ji Ning repeatedly condensed sword light.

The sword light of the Greater Thousand Sword Formation streaked through the sky, slashing at True Immortal Dongqun.

After blocking three times, Dongqun finally frowned.

"Magic power consumption is too fast... at this rate..." Dongqun realized with chagrin that while blocking was easy, using magic treasures in battle consumed power rapidly.

"Out." True Immortal Dongqun, with a look of shame and anger, snorted.

A bowl-shaped treasure appeared, ten zhang tall, inverted over where he sat cross-legged, protecting him.

Playing the turtle was a disgrace to True Immortal Dongqun.

But hiding inside a treasure consumed far less magic power.

"Boom, boom, boom." Sword light after sword light struck the bowl-shaped treasure but couldn't break through.

"Hmm?" Ji Ning frowned. "The Greater Thousand Sword Formation consumes too much magic power. If I rely on absorbing natural energy to recover, it would take ages to kill him. Using immortal pills to recover would be too costly. I need a method that consumes less magic power. Ah, right."

An idea struck Ji Ning.

He thought of a treasure—the Eight Fires Universe. It contained eight types of true fire, whose burning power was terrifying. Ji Ning would only need to expend a small amount of magic power to sustain it. Moreover, the enemy was trapped within a thousand-li range and couldn't attack the Eight Fires Universe at all, leaving it to burn freely.

This was indeed the best method. The Eight Fires Universe's burning was no less effective than Ji Ning's Greater Thousand Sword Formation, yet consumed far less magic power.