Desolate Era (Book 22 - Book 24)

World God Blackmist was different from Starchild. He had relied entirely on himself as he had grown up, with no one there to provide him with any protection. His sword-arts were unpredictable and savage, but also quite suited for defense. Still, even the most defensive of stances would be useless if the disparity in power was too great.

“Eh?” God Emperor Blacklotus was astonished to see that World God Blackmist was merely knocked a few steps back. “H-how is it that you…”

“Starchild, leave right now!” World God Blackmist sent mentally to the Starlord, who was standing there blankly.

The Starlord gritted his teeth, his eyes glistening with tears.

Second Uncle…

Thanks to his second uncle, he had never worried about anything as a child. His second uncle had always been by his side, and the Starlord had grown used to his presence. Upon seeing his second uncle’s body be wreathed in white light, he immediately understood that his second uncle had just used the forbidden fourth stage of the [Fogstone Apocalypse]!

Right. The [Fogstone Apocalypse] actually had a fourth stage!

However, their [Fogstone Apocalypse] was a fragmented technique. Only the first three stages were complete, which was why using the first three stages posed no risks. Even when one used the third stage, so long as that person stopped before completely using up his divine power, he wouldn’t turn into fogstone and die. However, their records of the fourth stage were incomplete. Although it was still usable…once it was used, the body would begin an uncontrollable transformation into fogstone!

In other words…once a cultivator used the fourth stage, he was doomed to die! This was why the Starlord had been so agonized and grief-struck upon seeing the white light wreathing World God Blackmist’s body. There was no way to reverse this process at all.

“This is my choice, and there is no turning back. If you don’t wish for my death to have been for nothing, leave. Leave right now!” World God Blackmist roared furiously, “If you don’t run, I’ll have died for nothing! NOTHING!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaargh!” The Starlord let out an agonized howl, but he still turned and fled at high speed, charging into the skies.

He felt hatred and regret.

Why. Why!

Only now did he truly understand how important his second uncle was to him. His second uncle was his most beloved family member and just as important to him as Yi had been! Why? Why did it have to end up this way?

“Stay alive and forget about revenge. Only when you become a Daolord should you come and seek your revenge. Otherwise, I’ll never forgive you. Never!” World God Blackmist’s voice echoed in the Starlord’s mind.

The Starlord lowered his head to stare downwards, tears cascading down his face.

“Second Uncle…”

Boom!

Whoosh!

World God Blackmist continued to battle against God Emperor Blacklotus.

“What type of divine ability did you use just now?” God Emperor Blacklotus was now quite intrigued. He sent mentally, “You clearly are quite weak, but this divine ability actually allows you to be on par with your Starlord. For a divine ability to be capable of strengthening you this much…Fogstone really does have quite a few nice things.”

God Emperor Blacklotus did know that in the Endless Territories, there were a number of monstrously powerful forbidden divine abilities.

“Hand this divine ability over to me and I’ll spare your life,” God Emperor Blacklotus sent mentally.

“Don’t even think about it!” World God Blackmist roared back.

To be honest, it wasn’t just that he didn’t want to hand it over. People like Ji Ning were only capable of acquiring the first and second stage, while the third stage came with many strict requirements. As for the fourth stage…only the most core members of the Fogstone lineage would have access to it. Although the fourth stage was fragmentary and incomplete, every generation of Starlords had done their best to repair it.

The fourth stage was simply too powerful. If they were capable of restoring it to the point where they could use it safely, it would be wonderful!

“You are now as strong as the Starlord, and your sword-arts are quite strange, but…do you think that’s enough to stop me?” God Emperor Blacklotus let out a furious roar as the giant scimitar in his hands suddenly unleashed hundreds of streaks of crescent saber-light, sending them swirling around World God Blackmist. Every single strike contained the power of his scimitar’s quintessence core.

“I have to be able to block them all. For the sake of Starchild, I have to block them all.” World God Blackmist was wielding six swords in his hands.

He had long ago stopped caring about whether or not he would survive.

In this moment, he felt a greater desire than he had ever felt in his entire life.

His six swords transformed into six streaks of utterly dazzling sword-light, criss-crossing in the area around him and forming an enormous sphere of black mist.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The hundreds of streaks of saber-light struck down upon the sphere of black mist. Although they carried tremendous power, World God Blackmist was completely capable of withstanding them.

“Y-you…” God Emperor Blacklotus stared in astonishment at World God Blackmist. “You actually made a breakthrough?” Before this, World God Blackmist’s sword-arts were very unpredictable, but they weren’t as resilient and tenacious as they were now. His sword-arts had clearly improved to a brand new level, capable of enduring offensive blows as though they truly were made of mist.

This was a terrifyingly strong defensive sword-art. Although God Emperor Blacklotus was stronger than his opponent, he remained unable to break through his defenses.

“Yes. My sword-arts reached a bottleneck a long, long time ago…but fortunately, I was able to make a breakthrough today.” World God Blackmist revealed a relaxed, carefree smile. He was able to stop God Emperor Blacklotus’ attack. Starchild would be able to stay alive. It was enough.





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Book 24, Chapter 47 - None Shall Escape


At present, World God Blackmist was every bit the Starlord’s equal in the Dao of the Sword. However, the Starlord focused on offensive attacks, whereas World God Blackmist specialized in defense.

His sword-light was like a web of black mist that filled the entire region. Although God Emperor Blacklotus held an absolute advantage, he was still unable to breach it!

“Damn.”

“Do you really think…that you can stop me?!”

“I, Blacklotus, spent countless years roaming across many territories. You think you can stop me with just a defensive technique like this? You underestimate me too much!” God Emperor Blacklotus turned his gaze towards the fleeing cultivators of the Fogstone Dominion, then let out a cold smile. “I trained as both a Fiendgod Body Refiner and a Ki Refiner!”

Rumble…

The entire imperial capital below them began to shudder, then slowly began to swivel. The city itself was in the shape of a nine-petal black lotus that covered an area of ten million kilometers. As the enormous black lotus swiveled, the entire Blacklotus Chaosworld began to shake. Countless black lotuses began to appear, and they covered the heavens and the earth as they furiously shot out towards the cultivators of the Fogstone Dominion.

“What’s going on?!”

“This is even more terrifying than the secret arts he used earlier.”

“Why are there so many black lotuses?”

Ning and the others were all dazed as they stared downwards.

As the gigantic nine-petal black lotus below them swiveled, it emanated an aura of terrifying power that quickly spread over the entire chaosworld.

“My Daoist name was Blacklotus. My true skills do not lie in close combat, nor was my reputation established because of this Eternal weapon. It was all because of my Dao, the Dao of the Black Lotus!” God Emperor Blacklotus smiled as every inch of the entire chaosworld began to shake. “The imperial capital of the Blacklotus Empire is actually a magic treasure which I used when I roamed through the Endless Territories. I poured all of my blood, sweat, and effort into it, and it contains my Dao.”

“What?”

“It’s a Dao weapon.”

“His Dao?”