Chapter 47: Departure

Ji Ning was on Starwood Island, standing alone, gazing at the surrounding void. Above, the Starwood Island representing Beta Leo had already sunk into the Dark Abyss, for Beta Leo had left.

"Whoosh."

A streak of light flew over from afar.

Ji Ning immediately looked over. The one flying over was an alien Dao Lord in green armor. His face was rather ugly, with rough, dark red skin. Though he looked somewhat terrifying at first glance, Ji Ning knew that this 'Gray Cang Dao Lord' was actually quite kind and easy to get along with.

"Brother Northmoon." Gray Cang Dao Lord, clad in green armor and looking quite stalwart, landed and said with a smile, "Leaving so soon?"

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded. "My swordsmanship has hit a bottleneck here. It will likely take a very long time to make progress. Moreover, as far as I know, most of the top experts are about to leave."

Beta Leo was leaving, Thousand Star Child was leaving, and most of the old-timers among that batch of prodigies were leaving too.

"Leaving is good too. The Sword Palace is far better than this place," Gray Cang Dao Lord said with a laugh. "Even in the Endless Territories, our Sword Palace is considered a sacred ground for those who cultivate the way of the sword."

Ji Ning nodded in agreement.

The Mangya Kingdom was a power on the same level as the Dao Alliance and the Eternal Kingdom.

Almost all sword cultivators gathered in the 'Sword Palace' among the Twelve Palaces. With the accumulation of endless years, the Sword Palace's foundation was easy to imagine.

"By the way, Senior Gray Cang, please sit first." Ji Ning quickly brought out some immortal wine and poured a cup for Gray Cang Dao Lord, then asked curiously, "Beta Leo's Starwood Island has already sunk into the Dark Abyss, so he should have left. Does Senior know which palace he ultimately chose?"

"Don't think you're the only one curious. Many Dao Lords are paying attention to this matter." Gray Cang Dao Lord sat down, picked up the wine cup, and took a sip. "He ultimately chose the Brightheart Palace."

"Brightheart Palace?" Ji Ning was startled. "He plans to walk the path of light?"

The path of a heartforce cultivator was extremely powerful.

For example, Feathers Cloak Dao Lord, who left behind that heartforce inheritance, was recognized as the strongest Dao Lord in the Endless Territories. Having understood that inheritance, Ji Ning also realized that when the 'Heartworld' was truly built very large and very vast, a simple 'World Projection' could crush enemies to death. Even if it couldn't crush them, it could bind and suppress them, leaving them able to use only two or three tenths of their full strength.

Along with many other profound and mysterious techniques...

"Choosing the path of light is the safe option," Gray Cang Dao Lord said with a sigh. "Everyone knows that heartforce cultivators are unfathomably powerful. But it's too hard to cultivate. Heartforce cultivators at the World level are already rare, and at the Dao Lord level... they are extremely scarce even in the Endless Territories. Look, though the Heartforce Palace is one of the Twelve Palaces, it has fewer than ten Dao Lords in total!"

"On the other hand, the path of light is at least a relatively normal path," Gray Cang Dao Lord said. "And Beta Leo can focus on the path of light while also cultivating the heartforce path on the side."

"Thinking back..." Ji Ning said softly, "When I fought him before, he relied on World Projection to suppress me, then engaged me in close combat, without using many heartforce techniques. It seems he had already made up his mind. Heartforce techniques are merely supplementary; he mainly relies on close combat to kill enemies."

"Very safe," Gray Cang Dao Lord remarked. "Because it's safe, one can imagine his future. Beta Leo is destined to be very dazzling. If he continues successfully, even if he doesn't become the Brightheart Palace Lord, he can become a Vice Palace Lord."

...

Ji Ning and Gray Cang Dao Lord drank and chatted. Ji Ning learned more about the Twelve Palaces. Before long, the jug of wine was finished.

"Time to go." Ji Ning stood up.

"There is a teleportation point on Starwood Island that can directly teleport you to the Sword Palace," Gray Cang Dao Lord also stood up.

"No." Ji Ning shook his head. "I have a good friend who came to the Mangya Kingdom with me. She is currently somewhere in the Mangya Kingdom. I need to find her first. After I find her, I will naturally head to the Sword Palace."

"Oh?" Gray Cang Dao Lord frowned slightly, then solemnly took out a token. The token was faintly transparent and ethereal, with the character 'Sword' faintly visible on it. Gray Cang Dao Lord handed the identity token to Ji Ning. "Normally, I would wait until you go to the Sword Palace and formally join our Sword Palace before giving you this identity token. But since you want to find your friend first, refine this token. Once refined, you will be a member of our Sword Palace."

Ji Ning was startled. "Giving me this token early?"

"Because the Mangya Kingdom is very dangerous," Gray Cang Dao Lord said. "If I don't give you the token, you might lose your life on the way to the Sword Palace."

"Ah." Ji Ning was shocked.

"The Mangya Kingdom is vast and boundless, with countless living beings... The Great Ruler himself has created many dangerous places and left behind many opportunities," Gray Cang Dao Lord said. "The purpose is to fill the countless beings of the Mangya Kingdom with conflict and tempering. If everything were peaceful and everyone were at ease, the chances of producing a mighty figure would be far, far lower."

Ji Ning understood.

Comfort erodes ambition. Not to mention the Endless Territories, even a single Chaos World is filled with conflict.

"Once you become a Dao Lord, you must join one of the Twelve Palaces," Gray Cang Dao Lord said. "Members of the Twelve Palaces are forbidden from killing each other. Even if there is a grudge, if it can be mediated, it will be mediated. Only when mediation fails and permission is granted can they fight to the death. Anyone who dares to kill each other without permission will be backlashed by their Life Oath and die on the spot."

"Most Dao Lords leave the Mangya Kingdom to adventure and train outside," Gray Cang Dao Lord said with a smile. "If they want to kill, they do it outside, not within the Mangya Kingdom."

"Once you refine this token, no Dao Lord in the Mangya Kingdom will dare to lay a hand on you," Gray Cang Dao Lord said. "That makes things much safer. After all, from here to the Sword Palace, you need to cross most of the Mangya Kingdom. Along the way, there are many Dao Lords. Some special lifeform Dao Lords have strange tempers, are moody, and even kill anyone who passes through their territory..."

Ji Ning was taken aback.

"Refine it quickly," Gray Cang Dao Lord urged.

Ji Ning immediately sensed that the Sword Palace token indeed contained an oath, very similar to what Gray Cang Dao Lord had said. The Twelve Palaces forbade killing each other. If members of the Mangya Kingdom's royal clan were in danger, members of the Twelve Palaces who encountered them must do their utmost to rescue them. Of course, if a royal clan member tried to kill them, the Twelve Palaces could resist and were not required to protect them.

"The Twelve Palaces protect the royal clan?" Ji Ning looked up at Gray Cang Dao Lord.

Rescuing the royal clan was actually listed in the Life Oath.

Of course, to make the strong members of the Twelve Palaces willing, it was also agreed that the royal clan must not attack the Twelve Palaces. If they did attack, not only would they not be protected, but they could be killed in resistance.

"Yes," Gray Cang Dao Lord nodded. "The Mangya Kingdom was created by the Great Ruler. He created this kingdom to protect the royal clan. Although the royal clan is very powerful, their numbers are too scarce."

"Mm." Ji Ning understood.

Ji Ning could also sense that this token contained an extraordinary aura. It was likely personally refined by the Great Ruler, and the oath was also set by the Great Ruler. Of course, the Twelve Palaces must have agreed to it for such a powerful force to endure.

"Protect them, then." Ji Ning immediately made the Life Oath, and the identity token was easily refined.

"Hm?"

Upon refining it, Ji Ning sensed more than a dozen fluctuations in the Starwood Island area, all fluctuations from other identity tokens.

"The identity tokens of the Twelve Palaces and the royal clan are similar, so by sensing the fluctuations, you can recognize each other and avoid killing each other," Gray Cang Dao Lord said. "Now that you're traveling in the Mangya Kingdom, no Dao Lord will attack you. As for World-level cultivators? I believe you can handle them easily. Also, here is a star map of the entire Mangya Kingdom."

With that, Gray Cang Dao Lord handed Ji Ning a scroll of star map.

Ji Ning took it and said, "Thank you, Senior Gray Cang. I'll take my leave now."

"See you at the Sword Palace," Gray Cang Dao Lord said. "Be careful on the way."

"Mm."

Ji Ning immediately transformed into a streak of light and flew away.

Watching the white-robed youth with a sword on his back fly away, Gray Cang Dao Lord also turned and left. The Starwood Island that Ji Ning had originally occupied immediately began to sink downward, falling toward the Dark Abyss below. Meanwhile, the scattered inheritance treasures left by Ji Ning dispersed and flew toward different islands.

All the inheritance treasures of the ninety-nine inheritances would forever remain within the Starwood Islands.