Chapter 25: Three Leaders

Walking in the inner domain world, Ji Ning and Feng Yixin Jun both felt reverence and awe.

"Brother Beiming, have you noticed?" Feng Yixin Jun suddenly looked at a corpse sitting cross-legged ahead, still emitting a faint golden light. Its vast aura was endless, eternal regardless of past or future. Before it lay sixteen treasures, each with a mighty aura, all extraordinary.

"You mean these corpses are divided into three factions?" Ji Ning said.

"Yes," Feng Yixin Jun nodded. "The thirty-five corpses here are roughly divided into three factions, each with a leader. The one sitting cross-legged emitting golden light is the leader of one faction, likely a mighty Eternal who achieved eternity through heartforce cultivation."

Ji Ning looked surprised: "A heartforce cultivator? Are you sure?"

"I am certain." Feng Yixin Jun's eyes burned as he gazed at the seated golden corpse.

Ji Ning was inwardly shocked. Heartforce cultivators were the rarest—just look at the Heartforce Palace of the Mangya Kingdom, which had only a few Daoists. To achieve Eternal Emperor through heartforce cultivation... Ji Ning had never even heard of it in the Endless Territories. Yet here before him lay the corpse of a mighty Eternal who had done so.

"Hum~~"

Ji Ning and Feng Yixin Jun walked toward the seated golden corpse, when suddenly an invisible ripple spread out, reaching them both.

"Hm?" Ji Ning felt a strong resistance preventing him from advancing further.

"It seems I have no affinity with this mighty one," Ji Ning said with a smile.

Feng Yixin Jun, however, was not hindered. He looked at Ji Ning: "Brother Beiming, though there are thirty-five mighty ones in the inner domain, I have decided... to try my luck with this one."

"Since you've decided, be careful," Ji Ning said.

The thirty-five ancient mighty ones had calmly met death.

They left behind their treasures and legacies.

To obtain them, one had to pass the trials they set before death. These trials were very dangerous, even life-threatening... As Yu Xiao Daoist had told Ji Ning earlier, many who entered the inner domain world died there.

"He is one of the three leaders in the inner domain world, and the only Eternal Emperor who achieved eternity through heartforce," Feng Yixin Jun said, gazing at the majestic seated mighty one with burning eyes. "In the Heartforce Palace, no one has ever become an Eternal Emperor through heartforce. Now I see one who succeeded, so I must risk everything. If I can obtain some of his methods, perhaps I too may hope for eternity."

Ji Ning nodded.

Heartforce cultivation was the hardest. Other palaces like the Sword Palace and the Space-Time Palace had produced Eternal Emperors, but the Heartforce Palace had none, not even a legend.

Yet here, in the inner domain of the Origin of a different universe, they saw such a fallen mighty one.

"I'm going in," Feng Yixin Jun said to Ji Ning. "You be careful too."

"Mm," Ji Ning nodded.

With that, Feng Yixin Jun stepped forward.

Whoosh~~~

Space rippled, and Feng Yixin Jun was covered by the ripples, vanishing completely.

Ji Ning stood there, feeling the strong resistance, then turned and left. His own heartforce cultivation was still weak; he clearly hadn't met the threshold set by the fallen mighty one and had no right to covet the treasures left behind.

...

Ji Ning walked alone through the inner domain world. The positions of the thirty-five corpses before death indeed suggested three factions.

Moreover, three corpses had auras so vast and ancient that they could rival the Great Dominator.

"The second leader." Ji Ning saw a massive four-legged beast with two curved horns. Its aura was filled with endless destructive intent; just looking at it made his mind waver. Its eyes were cold and aloof, never bowing even in death. Behind it stood five Eternal Emperors, like followers.

This destructive four-legged beast was enormous, millions of miles in size. Ji Ning guessed it was a special lifeform.

"The third leader."

Ji Ning walked a long way and looked up, his eyes growing fervent.

Because this leader used a sword!

A towering, stalwart man stood there, both hands resting on a giant sword. The sword was deep blue, its hilt level with his chest. He stood like a pillar of this world, gazing straight ahead with calm eyes. Seeing him, no one doubted that even if the universe were annihilated, he would endure.

Such a sword Dao mighty one, carrying boundless heavy sword intent, had also died here.

Behind him stood two men.

One was dressed in white, with a smile on his face. On his back were three swords—purple, gold, and white. He stood with an ethereal air, his sword intent drifting and elusive.

The other wore cyan armor and a mask, revealing eyes cold and filled with fury. Before him were thrust nine blood-colored great swords, each radiating endless killing intent.

"This sword Dao mighty one with the giant sword, who could make two other Eternal sword Dao mighty ones stand behind him even in death... their bond must be deep," Ji Ning thought. Absolute strength could make others willing to follow, as in the Mangya Kingdom, where several Eternal Emperors followed the Great Dominator.

But when facing death, whether one chooses to follow has nothing to do with strength.

Knowing death was certain, yet still standing behind him—their bond must be extraordinary.

"Hm?" Ji Ning's gaze fell on a mountain range not far from the three sword Dao corpses. One mountain face had been sheared flat, covered with paintings—all of the stalwart man with the giant sword. There were paintings of him in battle, smiling leisurely, drinking wine.

On the mountain wall were nineteen paintings. The brushstrokes carried an overwhelming emotion, a deep longing that had not faded even after endless ages. Ji Ning could feel how much the painter missed that sword Dao mighty one.

"Who painted them?" Ji Ning wondered. "It seems the painter had a very deep bond with this fallen sword Dao mighty one."

"I must explore this later." Ji Ning looked at the sword Dao mighty one with the giant sword.

This sword Dao mighty one was one of the three leaders. To Ji Ning, he seemed no less than the Great Dominator. Moreover, the two sword Dao mighty ones behind him stood together. Their trials were also together. If Ji Ning drew closer, he would enter the dangerous trial world.

Ji Ning had already noticed that when he tried to approach, he was not blocked by these three sword Dao mighty ones, but he understood that drawing nearer would pull him into the trial world.

"They left quite a few treasures," Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

At a glance,

The strongest leader's giant sword exuded an endless heavy aura. Ji Ning felt it might be a Universe treasure. The swords of the two behind him were relatively inferior, but they also had other treasures placed beside their corpses.

The strongest leader had twelve treasures beside him.

...

Among the thirty-five corpses, only three were sword Dao mighty ones.

But Ji Ning did not rush. He continued walking, observing other mighty ones and even the battle traces, gaining some insights as he watched.

"Hoo hoo hoo~~~" In a mountain hollow, fierce winds howled, carrying a mysterious, ancient aura.

"Wind."

Ji Ning stood in the center of the hollow, eyes closed, feeling it all.

...

This was a chaotic world, with time and space in disarray. Ji Ning stepped into it. This was merely a remnant of the mighty ones' battle, not a trial world, so the danger was not extreme.

Ji Ning walked through the chaotic spacetime, avoiding the most terrifying places, constantly sensing.

"Is this spacetime?" Ji Ning murmured.

...

"Hoo hoo hoo." Flames blazed. A mighty one sat cross-legged, surrounded by a sea of fire for millions of miles.

The fire was naturally drawn from the outside world, for the mighty one was long dead, but his eternal Dao attracted the flames.

Ji Ning walked into the flames.

The closer to the mighty one, the fiercer the flames. Walking in them, he could feel a trace of the eternal flame Dao contained within. Carefully experiencing it, Ji Ning understood much.

"Fire..." Ji Ning murmured to himself.