Desolate Era

Mu Northson stared at Ji Ning. Finally, he nodded. “Fine. We two brothers shall do it together.”

“Hahaha, that’s more like it!” Ning laughed, then slapped him on the shoulder.

Northson looked at Ning, then smiled as well. Deep in his heart, however, he firmly engraved the memory of this kindness into his soul.

……

The two hours of rest time had concluded.

The gray-robed figures all returned from their various residences. Northson returned as well, his hair still disordered.

“Hurry up.”

“All of you, hurry up!”

The black-robed figures were already snapping at them to move faster, but the grandmasters remained calm and silent. They completely ignored the black-robed figures; they were grandmasters of the Dao of Constructs, after all. If they didn’t work hard, they might suffer some consequences or punishments, but taking their two-hour rest was ordinary.

“The black-robed figures have very low statuses in this mysterious organization. Those Wanxiang and Primal level black-robed figures are merely Fiendslaves, while the Loose Immortal and Earth Immortal black-robed figures are Fiendserfs.” Ning had already learned a bit regarding this mysterious organization thanks to Northson’s explanations.

Rumble…

A blurry light flowed across the castle. The gray-robed figures passed through it to enter the castle, and Northson entered as well.

Ning’s field of vision changed. Within the castle gateway, he saw a bronze-armored man whose aura was clearly much more powerful than the individuals he had seen earlier.

“Bronze-armored guards? Fiendguards? I wonder how many Fiendguards this location has,” Ning mused to himself.

Fiendslaves were at the Wanxiang and Primal level.

Fiendserfs were at the Loose Immortal or Earth Immortal level.

Fiendguards were extremely powerful Loose Immortals; as Ning saw it, most likely each of them was roughly at the power of that vile Patriarch he had killed.

Above them…were the Fiendlords!

The Fiendlords were the ‘generals’, all of them at the Celestial Immortal level.

The corridors within the castle were deep and gloomy. The surrounding area was divided up into numerous large regions, each of which had grandmasters of the Dao of Constructs! Northson, however, continued to walk deeper into the castle.

“Here we are.” At the end of the tunnel, a bronze-armored Fiendguard said with a laugh, “Open up!”

“Yes.”

The nearby black-robed Fiendserf quickly pushed the door open. It rumbled open, then the gray-robed figures entered. As for Ning, in the shape of a strand of hair, he followed Northson in as well.

“Whew.” Northson let out a sigh of relief. “Senior apprentice-brother’s transformation abilities truly are formidable; the castle is protected by layers of formations, but it still wasn’t able to detect him.”

After entering through the gate, they were now in an incomparably enormous stand-alone region.

This region was thirty thousand meters in circumference, and the gray-robed figures were all standing atop clouds, walking around an enormous golem. The area around the golem was filled with many materials, and all of the grandmasters immediately began their fabrication efforts.

“That’s huge.” The hair-Ning stared at the enormous golem. “Although I heard junior apprentice-brother speak of it…this golem is truly stunning to behold. So when a Celestial Immortal controls it, it is virtually invincible to anyone below the True Immortal or Empyrean God level.”

Per what his junior apprentice-brother had said, the most important golem within this forbidden region was referred to as the Fiendgod Golem; it was of the ‘Fiendgod’ class.

Its body was more than three thousand meters tall. It was pitch-black, and appeared similar to a crab in appearance. It had eight slender, sharp claws, as well as two enormous pincers. Its torso was filled with countless runes that joined together into a formation-diagram that caused Ning to feel dizzy just looking at it. It was simply too complicated.

“How savage. Just by looking at it, I can tell that it was meant for war.”

The aura alone which emanated from this massive, black, half-finished, crab-shaped Fiendgod Golem was already superior to that of an ordinary Celestial Immortal’s!

“This place has experts in the Dao of Constructs from more than a hundred commanderies,” Ning mused to himself. “And this is just a single gathering point…yet it’s already able to create such terrifying golems. Based on what junior apprentice-brother said…they are able to produce one in roughly ten to twenty years. Then…across the 3600 commanderies and four seas of the Grand Xia Dynasty…how many gathering points are there?! How many of these golems are they able to produce every century?”

Ning understood, naturally, that things couldn’t be calculated in this manner.

After all, the materials required to produce these golems were all extremely expensive. Many grandmasters in the Dao of Constructs alone wouldn’t suffice; materials would also be needed.

“This has merely been thirty years. But in the many years before they even came to the world of the Grand Xia?”

Ning couldn’t help but feel shock in his heart. This power was simply unfathomable ! No wonder even Patriarch Subhuti, he who possessed the [Dream of the Three Realms], felt so worried.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, Northson halted his forging, flying towards one of the entrances to this region. There were two black-robed figures standing at the entrance.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you forging?” One of them barked.

“I wish to see my Dao-companion,” Northson said.

“See your Dao-companion?” The black-robed man frowned.

“I haven’t seen her this month,” Northson said. “I can see her once a month.”

“Fine, fine. What a pain in the ass. Wait a moment, I’ll go inform his lordship,” the black-robed figure said.

Northson just stood there obediently.

Within another region inside the castle. There were a group of gray-robed figures here as well, surrounding an enormous golem. They couldn’t help but stroke the enormous golem in a sad, longing manner. This golem had cost them their blood, sweat, and tears…but now it had been completed, and it was going to be taken away.

Although they wore gray-robes, their statuses were lower than that of Northson and his fellows. They were also more numerous; they were comparatively less skilled in the Dao of Constructs.

“Milord, this ‘Winged Immortal’ class golem has been finished.” There was a red-robed elder standing nearby. One of the black-robed figures made this report respectfully to him.

“Mm.” The red-robed elder revealed a smile. “The forging speed is rather slow. These young fellows from the world of the Grand Xia truly are weak in the Dao of Constructs. It took so many of them so long just to complete a single golem of the ‘Winged Immortal’ class.”

The nearby black-robed figure was secretly speechless.

Slow? You old bastard, you don’t even know how to forge constructs, and you have a low status within the sect as well; the only thing you can do is flatter the general, which is why you were given the job of overseeing the construction of these golems. If any of the formal disciples of the sect who actually trained in the Dao of Constructs was to appear, you’d probably immediately kneel down and lick their toes, you old bastard!

“Out of the way!” The red-robed elder walked forward whiel shouting loudly, and the gray-robed figures quickly retreated.

Smiling merrily, the red-robed elder waved his hand. Instantly, the enormous winged golem, the ‘Winged Immortal class golem’, was stored into his storage bracelet. “We’ve finished yet another Winged Immortal class. Heh heh heh…within the sect, my branch in the forbidden region should be ranked amongst the top ten in producing Winged Immortals. Once the Fiendgod-class is completed…we’ll most likely all be awarded many gifts.”

“Milord, milord.” Suddenly, a voice disturbed the red-robed elder’s ruminations.

The red-robed elder glanced sideways irritably. Seeing the lowly black-robed figure running towards him, he snapped coldly, “You useless piece of trash…can’t you see I’m busy? What’s this about, with all the screaming and shouting?”

“Mu Northson wishes to see his Dao-companion,” the black-robed figure said hurriedly. In his heart, however, he was cursing at the old bastard.

Fiendslaves, Fiendserfs, Fiendguards…

They were ranked according to power.

Strictly speaking, this red-robed elder was merely a Fiendserf. However, he was awarded the red robes as a gift and sent to oversee the creation of constructs in this part of the forbidden region. But in truth, as far as strength went, he was merely on par with the other black-robed figures. Seeing how arrogantly the red-robed elder acted, the black-robed figures naturally felt resentment. All of them hoped for the day when the red-robed elder fell!

“Mu Northson?” The red-robed elder pursed his lips. “What a pain in the ass. Fine, fine, fine. Let’s go see him.”

There were only so many grandmasters within the castle; he naturally memorized the names of every single grandmaster clearly.

……

Soon, the red-robed elder saw Northson.

The hair-Ning saw the red-robed Elder as well. Northson had told him long ago that this red-robed elder was a fairly important figure in the forbidden region; his name was Qu Huan, and he was in charge of overseeing those who were fabricating the golems. As far the souls went…it was this red-robed elder who was in charge of hiding them somewhere within the castle.

Northson immediately said, “I wish to see my Dao-companion.”

“Let’s go,” the red-robed elder said irritably. “You all have a chance to see your family once a month; we’ll definitely make it happen. But you have to work hard in your fabrications; if you don’t work hard, then…hmph. You should know what will happen.”

Northson nodded. “I know, I know.”

The red-robed elder walked in front, passing through a wide hall, then entering a slender passageway. Soon, they arrived within a private room.

“Wait here. I’ll be back shortly,” the red-robed elder said.

“Alright.” Northson sat in the lotus position on a prayer mat. This room was very quiet; the only person present was a black-robed guard who was keeping watch on him from the door.

A short while later.

The red-robed elder appeared once more. He walked into the room, then also sat down in the losut position. Snorting coldly, he said, “You only have as much time as needed for a stick of incense to burn down.” He waved his hand, and a glittering jade sphere flew out. There was a woman’s figure within the jade sphere, her form lithe and slender, carrying a hint of sadness within.

“Little Xia,” Northson immediately said excitedly.

The woman within the jade globe looked towards him, then immediately said with excitement, “Northson.” The voice of the soul, after exiting the jade sphere, actually reverberated within the room, causing the people present to be able to hear it with their ears.

The hair-Ning clucked to himself in surprise.

Generally speaking, souls were unable to speak verbally. It seems that it was the jade sphere that allowed this one to speak…but in turn, Yu Xia’s soul was trapped within it.

“It seems as though Yu Xia and junior apprentice-brother truly do have deep love for each other,” the hair-Ning observed.

“Northson, I know you are very tired.” The woman floated within the jade sphere, saying with worry, “Every time I see you, I feel as though you are even older and more tired than the last time. If you really can’t take it any more…then just stop worrying about me.”

“Hmph.” The nearby red-robed elder snorted coldly. “The two of you really are quite close to each other.”

Northson just looked at the woman in the jade sphere. He said hurriedly, “Little Xia, one day, I will bring you out of here. Definitely.”

“Right. Work hard in the service of the general. Within a thousand years, you shall definitely be set free,” the red-robed elder said.

Northson’s eyes were filled with tears as he looked at the woman within the jade sphere. Suddenly, he used his elemental ki to send a mental message to Ning: “Senior apprentice-brother, kill this Qu Huan and grab the soul.”

“Fine.”

A single hair from Northson’s tousled hair suddenly vanished.

Immediately afterwards, a white-robed man appeared out of nowhere. When the white-robed man appeared, his enormous palm struck out with the full power of the [Starseizing Hand], slamming down on the body of the surprised and terrified red-robed elder.

BOOM.

Instantly, the red-robed elder was instantly transformed into dust. The white-robed figure waved his hand, collecting the jade sphere, the storage bracelet, and magic treasures.