Chapter 54: Madness

Lord Huanmu looked at the God King and smiled, “There are two methods with certainty.”

“Two?” The God King’s eyes lit up; he hadn’t thought of even one.

“Since Ji Ning’s speed has reached the limits of the Dao, ordinary methods are useless against him. Even mighty cultivators can’t outrun him, let alone other Celestial Immortals and True Immortals,” Lord Huanmu said. “At this point, only numbers can make up for it. With enough Celestial Immortals and True Immortals, they can even kill True Gods and Dao Ancestors.”

“Since he’s so fast, send out large numbers of Celestial Immortals and True Immortals to form a truly super formation, leaving Ji Ning nowhere to flee,” Lord Huanmu said. “But to completely trap Ji Ning, far too many Celestial Immortals and True Immortals are needed.”

“How many?” the God King pressed.

“At least five thousand,” Lord Huanmu said.

The God King’s heart sank.

But it made sense.

Two hundred and eighty-nine Celestial Immortals and True Immortals forming the ‘Boundless Formation’ could only seal off a region ten thousand miles across, and Ji Ning couldn’t escape. But the range was too small—only ten thousand miles! The ‘Bright Void Sealing Realm Formation’ covered a much larger area, encompassing an entire major world, but it only hindered him; Ji Ning could tear through the void and escape with a bit of effort.

To create a formation that Ji Ning couldn’t escape from, covering an extremely vast area, would indeed require far more Celestial Immortals and True Immortals.

The Bright Void Sealing Realm Formation required six hundred and forty Celestial Immortals and True Immortals.

To truly leave Ji Ning no way out would need over five thousand Celestial Immortals and True Immortals.

“So many…” The God King frowned. “For my Myriad Realms Gate to dispatch over five thousand Celestial Immortals and True Immortals at once is too difficult. Last time, I dispatched over two hundred from the Third World. This time, to dispatch over six hundred, I came to you, Uncle-Master. Your First World has many Celestial Immortals and True Immortals; dispatching over six hundred won’t affect the stability of the First World much. But dispatching over five thousand… even for you, Uncle-Master, it would be very dangerous.”

Lord Huanmu nodded. “I have just over ten thousand Celestial Immortals and True Immortals here. If we dispatch over five thousand, the Nuwa camp will likely immediately send a large army of Celestial Immortals and True Immortals to attack my First World. With neither side’s True Gods and Dao Ancestors intervening, the First World won’t be able to hold.”

“Mm.” The God King nodded.

In terms of numbers of Celestial Immortals and True Immortals, the Myriad Realms Gate was considerably fewer than the Nuwa camp.

Overall, the Myriad Realms Gate was at a disadvantage! Relying on intelligence and puppets, they managed to fight to a stalemate. The Celestial Immortals and True Immortals of the Myriad Realms Gate hid in the First World, Second World, Third World, and other major military camps, using the power of numerous formations and restrictions in their lairs to fend off attacks from the Nuwa camp.

But if even the strongest of the ten super military camps, the First World, dispatched over five thousand, its strength would immediately plummet, making it very dangerous!

“If we mobilize from all ten worlds of my Myriad Realms Gate simultaneously,” the God King hesitated, “once mobilized, we set out immediately, kill Ji Ning in an instant, then return. Perhaps the Nuwa camp’s army of Celestial Immortals and True Immortals won’t have attacked yet.”

His words only described the most ideal scenario.

In reality…

Now that Ji Ning was so frenzied, the mighty cultivators of the Nuwa camp were naturally watching him. Once the Myriad Realms Gate made a large-scale mobilization, the Nuwa camp would take corresponding measures.

“If we’re fast enough, it might work,” the God King gritted his teeth.

This method was a gamble.

Betting that they would be fast enough.

Otherwise, it would be very dangerous. With thousands of Celestial Immortals and True Immortals deployed outside, the Nuwa camp could ambush them or launch a large-scale attack on the ten worlds!

“It’s up to you,” Lord Huanmu said, looking at the God King.

“What about the other method?” the God King asked quickly.

“Have a True God or Dao Ancestor act directly and kill Ji Ning,” Lord Huanmu said calmly.

“True God or Dao Ancestor?” The God King was stunned. “This, this…”

Although Ji Ning had the Nine-Angled Lightning Serpent Escape Art, a powerful True God or Dao Ancestor could still kill him. Though slower than Ji Ning, they could use spells and techniques to seal off large areas or directly bind Ji Ning… under endless restraint, Ji Ning wouldn’t be able to fly even if he wanted to.

For instance, if the Buddha Tathagata acted, reaching out, sealing heaven and earth, trapping the five elements, Ji Ning wouldn’t be able to move.

I may not be as fast as you, little one, but I can suppress you, preventing you from using your speed! The reason the ten Golden Crows were so formidable was that the ‘Golden Crow Demon Emperor’ himself had the strength of a True God or Dao Ancestor, coupled with the Solar Golden Rainbow Escape Art, leaving the ancient mighty cultivators at a loss. It was only Hou Yi, using specially made arrows, who finally killed that Demon Emperor. The other nine little ones… were actually much less of a threat.

But—

The two camps had an unspoken understanding, neither willing to trigger a battle among mighty cultivators prematurely. Given the current balance of power, if such a battle broke out, it would likely result in mutual destruction. The Myriad Realms Gate had a higher chance of annihilation. But even if the Nuwa camp won, very few would survive.

Lord Huanmu said calmly, “Two outcomes: one, a True God or Dao Ancestor kills Ji Ning, breaking the rules, enraging the Nuwa camp, and directly triggering the final battle. The second outcome: after killing Ji Ning, the Nuwa camp is furious but unwilling to start the final battle now, and we make some concessions. The matter blows over. The second outcome is more likely.”

The God King nodded slightly.

Yes.

This was a war between camps; the other side had to consider the entire camp. The possibility of triggering the final battle over just Ji Ning was indeed small.

“This is also a gamble,” Lord Huanmu said, looking at the God King. “First kill Ji Ning, then wait for the Nuwa camp’s reaction.”

“This…” The God King’s head ached.

Two methods.

One: dispatch over five thousand Celestial Immortals and True Immortals, almost a major battle at the top-tier realm level, enough to surround and kill even ordinary True Gods and Dao Ancestors.

The other: have a top-tier True God or Dao Ancestor act, killing Ji Ning in an instant.

Both were gambles.

As the nominal leader of the Myriad Realms Gate camp, the God King was troubled.

“Isn’t there any other way?” the God King asked anxiously.

“The two methods I mentioned are the only ones with absolute certainty to kill Ji Ning. Other methods are uncertain,” Lord Huanmu said.

“Please speak, Uncle-Master,” the God King pressed. Even if uncertain, there was still a chance to kill Ji Ning. He was unwilling to resort to the previous two gambling methods, which would stake the entire Myriad Realms Gate.

Lord Huanmu said, “Have you noticed that when Ji Ning uses the Nine-Angled Lightning Serpent Escape Art, he first enters the Voidboat, then activates it?”

“Yes,” the God King nodded.

“This is because… the key to this escape art lies in that nine-angled lightning serpent,” Lord Huanmu said. “If Ji Ning himself used this escape art, he wouldn’t need the Voidboat; he could flee instantly. But now, Ji Ning is carrying a large number of Celestial Immortals and loose immortals in a super formation, transformed into the Rahu Fiendgod. Moreover, Ji Ning probably can’t perfectly control the Rahu Fiendgod’s power, so wrapping the Rahu Fiendgod in the nine-angled lightning serpent would put too much strain on it; the serpent probably couldn’t fly far.”

The God King nodded, his eyes lighting up: “Yes, like the Golden Crows. When a Golden Crow uses the Solar Golden Rainbow, it flies incredibly fast alone. But if it carries other strong cultivators, it slows down. Unless the Golden Crow takes them into a magic treasure.”

“Right,” Lord Huanmu nodded. “So the Fiendgod Ji Ning must first enter the Voidboat, which completely restrains the Fiendgod’s power so it doesn’t affect the nine-angled lightning serpent. Then the serpent wraps around the Voidboat to achieve maximum speed.”

“When the Fiendgod Ji Ning attacks elsewhere, senses danger, enters the Voidboat, and then flees—this brief moment of entering the Voidboat is the only chance to kill Ji Ning,” Lord Huanmu said.

The stronger the cultivator,

the more the difference lies in the finest details. In just an instant, it’s entirely possible to take Ji Ning’s life.

“I understand,” the God King nodded.

No wonder Lord Huanmu said it was uncertain. A True God or Dao Ancestor could naturally seize that brief instant, but the one acting must be a Celestial Immortal or True Immortal… to deal with Ji Ning in that short moment is far more difficult, especially since Ji Ning himself is very strong.

…

“Flee, flee, flee.”

“Go.”

“We spent endless effort and huge resources to build this, and we just abandon it?”

“Forget it. If we don’t leave now, we’ll die.”

Those deeply entrenched lairs began to evacuate. The mighty cultivators of the Myriad Realms Gate had long been tracking Ji Ning with their divine sense; once Ji Ning approached any major world, the Celestial Immortals and True Immortals there fled completely.

“Flee?” The Fiendgod Ji Ning, wielding six divine swords, used the ‘Heaven-Collapsing Style,’ smashing the lairs’ formations and restrictions to pieces with earth-shattering power. Mountains collapsed, palaces fell, all destroyed.

“If I can’t kill you, then I’ll destroy the entire Three Realms, all the lairs and strongholds of the Myriad Realms Gate.”

“Building is hard, but destruction is easy.”

“I don’t believe you won’t bow your heads.”

The Fiendgod Ji Ning had completely changed his approach. Now that he was being watched, killing Celestial Immortals and True Immortals was very difficult. So he would destroy, continuously destroying the lairs built with such effort. It was thanks to these lairs that the Celestial Immortals and True Immortals of the Myriad Realms Gate could infiltrate some major worlds and resist attacks from the Celestial Immortals and True Immortals in those worlds.

But now, Ji Ning had begun to destroy!

This scene pained and worried the mighty cultivators of the Myriad Realms Gate. One by one, they sent messages to the God King: “God King, we must stop Ji Ning.”

“God King, think of something quickly.”

These mighty cultivators truly wanted to act personally to kill Ji Ning.

But they all understood that many mighty cultivators of the Nuwa camp were watching Ji Ning. If any of them acted against Ji Ning, the Nuwa camp would likely counterattack immediately, and at least the True God or Dao Ancestor who acted would probably die. Their guess was correct… ‘Human Sovereign Suirenshi,’ who had just received the techniques and six bottles of Chaos Liquid, owing Ji Ning a great favor, was watching Ji Ning closely. He absolutely would not allow the enemy’s True Gods or Dao Ancestors to act.

If they wanted to fight, let the Celestial Immortals and True Immortals fight—that was the rule!

…

“Bang, bang, bang.”

The ten-thousand-zhang-tall Fiendgod Ji Ning, wielding divine swords, caused heaven and earth to shatter as he passed. Mountains collapsed, rivers and seas churned.

No one could stop him.

“Mm?” The Fiendgod Ji Ning frowned. His heartforce, always extended, detected a tear in space not far away. He turned to look. On the other side of the tear stood a tall man in golden armor, holding a huge bow, but the arrow had already been shot. It was that arrow that had torn through the world membrane.

Whoosh!

The arrow, carrying terrifying power, left a dark red trail in the air like a falling star. The Fiendgod Ji Ning hadn’t yet returned to the Voidboat and truly had no time to flee.

“A powerful arrow. He must have consumed a Chaos Dao Fruit to have such power,” the Fiendgod Ji Ning thought, unfazed. His divine sword transformed into a black hole, meeting the incoming arrow.

Bang, bang, bang~~~~

Among Ji Ning’s Brightmoon Sword Arts, the most perfected was the defensive ‘Mind-Only Style.’

This was the first of Ji Ning’s Five Brightmoon Styles to take shape. When creating the sword art, Ji Ning had always fought from a position of weakness against strength, and this defensive move excelled at continuously weakening the opponent’s power.

“Bang.” The arrow, trapped in the black hole and infused with Chaos power, finally struggled free, but it had tilted. It struck the Fiendgod Ji Ning’s arm at an angle. Although the Rahu Fiendgod body used only a tiny fraction of its power, the body itself was extremely powerful, even stronger than a True God’s body.

Even a perfect arrow would only wound Ji Ning at most. Now, with its power greatly reduced, the arrow ‘hit’ the Fiendgod Ji Ning’s arm at an angle, the strong impact only making his arm go limp briefly before recovering.

“That divine archer, ‘Celestial Immortal Huqu,’ fled quickly.”

The Fiendgod Ji Ning looked at the world membrane. The shattered void began to close, and the golden-armored man outside had long since slipped away.

Celestial Immortal Huqu knew that if his first arrow failed, Ji Ning’s Nine-Angled Lightning Serpent speed would allow him to kill him. So as he shot the arrow, he didn’t even wait to see the result and fled immediately.

“Myriad Realms Gate.”

The Fiendgod Ji Ning looked up and roared, “You cast my wife into the endless hell, so I will destroy all your lairs and strongholds. I will kill, kill, kill, and keep killing.”

“Kill.”

The powerful killing intent resonated more with the Rahu Fiendgod formation, allowing Ji Ning to channel more power as he controlled the Rahu Fiendgod.

Whoosh.

Riding the Voidboat, traversing the Three Realms, the Fiendgod Ji Ning began a frenzied rampage of destruction.

…

“Failed.”

The First World.

The black-robed God King’s face was grim: “With Ji Ning’s heartforce, we can only ambush from a distance. We can’t get close. At long range, only arrows are suitable… With a Chaos Dao Fruit, the top divine archer Celestial Immortal Huqu, and he could withstand it head-on. What to do, what to do?” The black-robed God King was truly distraught.

Should he let Ji Ning continue his mad destruction?

“God King, what’s going on? Ji Ning shouted earlier that his wife was cast into the endless hell?”

“God King, is Ji Ning so frenzied because his wife was cast into the endless hell?”

One by one, mighty cultivators extended their divine sense and sent messages.

Regarding the war in the Crimsonbright Realm, although some mighty cultivators of the Myriad Realms Gate knew that their planted spy ‘Yu Wei’ had destroyed the Medicine of Shennong, few knew that Yu Wei had been imprisoned in the endless hell.

Lord Huanmu, standing beside the God King, was even more puzzled: “Ji Ning’s wife? Who? Cast into the endless hell? What’s going on?” With his status, he hadn’t paid attention to the war in the Crimsonbright Realm back then.