A peaceful, beautiful, and vast world where Hegemons and Emperors resided.
"Come, try this new dish I came up with." Three Hegemons and five weaker Emperors were seated next to each other. A curly red-haired man walked out from a nearby hall, a smile on his face as he called out to them. He then waved his hand, causing the platters before him to fly towards his eight friends. Each platter was filled with red strips of meat covered by some sort of sauce.
"We absolutely must try brother Bluefive`s delicacies."
"Whoah, not bad. It`s quite crispy. The flavor goes all the way down to my toes! I feel absolutely wonderful. Unnngh... in fact, I almost feel a bit tipsy..."
"It`s delicious, absolutely delicious."
"Bluefive, bring out some more. We`re almost finished!"
The Hegemons all praised the food and asked for more.
"Calm down! This is something I just finished concocting. If you like it, I`ll make some more in a bit," the red-haired man chortled. He felt quite delighted and proud that his friends loved his food.
Right at this moment...
"All Sithe warriors, prepare to receive the orders of almighty Iyerre!" a voice suddenly thundered. The words echoed throughout the world, reverberating throughout every inch of it.
All nine of the Hegemons and Emperors who had been eating and chatting, including Bluefive, instantly turned pale.
Rumble... a vast, blurry pillar of light suddenly appeared at the highest point in the very center of this world. A humanoid figure slowly began to take form within the pillar of light. It was the balding, barefoot, gray-robed Iyerre. The tall and muscular Iyerre stared downwards upon everyone in the world. This was just a projection, but it was enough to cause all the Hegemons and Emperors to quiver with fear.
All the Hegemons and Emperors, be it the ones who were training in their estates or the ones who were partying with friends, all came out to bow with incomparable reverence, demonstrating their respect and submission towards this man.
"Warriors of the Sithe." Iyerre stared downwards at them, a smile on his face: "You have all come from our homeland to this foreign Chaosverse... and for what?"
"To fight! To fight a war that will change all of our destinies, both yours and mine! We have to win this war! If we win, all of you will gain absolute freedom for yourselves... and I, Iyerre, shall forever remember you and treat you kindly," Iyerre said. "Our last war was nothing more than a trial run. This one, however, shall be the final war! There is no way out for any of us. Once we lose this battle, we`ll have no chance of winning in the future."
All the Hegemons and Emperors felt their hearts clench. No way out? They had a way out last time; when they saw that things were turning against them, they retreated to this place.
"An Eternal Omega Dao has arisen within this Chaosverse! If we don`t attack now, the natives of this Chaosverse shall quickly become so powerful that we`ll have no chance of defeating them at all.
"Thus... this time, we have to win no matter the cost! Those who perform well shall all be rewarded. Even if you die in battle, I`ll reverse spacetime to bring you back. Those cowards who elect to flee, however... even if they manage to survive, I`ll put them all to death!
"Now, everyone shall mobilize! Follow the plan we prepared long ago and advance to the various realmverses of the native cultivators!"
The vast airborne image of Iyerre slowly began to dissipate. A sense of pressure quickly began to press down upon all the Hegemons and Emperors within this great world.
"So the final war is finally beginning." Hegemon Bluefive, standing amongst his eight friends, murmured softly: "I was lucky enough to survive the last war, then were given so many years of blissful peace in this world. This was more than we had any right to expect!"
"Some of us came later on, after the first war had already come to an end. But... Bluefive, we already know everything there is to know about these cultivators. We`re going to win this war."
"Right. We`ll definitely win."
"There`s no way out. Only victory will grant us release."
"Fight."
"Fight."
"Fight!" The Hegemons and Emperors exchanged glances with each other. They could sense the firm resolve and combative auras emanating from their peers. Their destinies had been set down in stone long ago; they had to obey Iyerre`s orders, and Iyerre had ordered them to this Chaosverse. Here, they had quietly waited for the war to begin. Their only hope lay in victory.
They had all come here for the sake of gaining victory in the final war.
"Follow the plan which was set down long ago. Board the warships and prepare to mobilize!" a loud voice boomed out, echoing throughout the world.
"Prepare to mobilize!"
"Board the warships!"
"Move faster!" Voices rang out from throughout the world.
"Let`s get ready to go." Bluefive and his eight friends transformed into streaks of light that shot off into the distance.
In just the time needed to boil a kettle of tea, a series of enormous warships began to soar into the skies. Each warship held a total of roughly twenty Hegemons and many more Emperors, as well as many golems and mighty treasures.
"Activate!"
Rumble... space began to tremble as the power which had lain dormant for so many years in this mysterious dimension was finally activated. It was like an enormous flower had begun to bloom.
This particular dimension had been hidden within a part of the Great Dark of the local Chaosverse. It had been buried here for countless years, and the cultivators had never discovered its existence.
A veritable throng of warships simultaneously flew out in every direction.
"Good luck."
"Take care, elder brother Svastika."
"Best of luck." Many friends bade each other farewell.
"Let`s go!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Countless dimensional tunnels appeared around them. Each warship flew into a dimensional tunnel, warping away at high speed. They were able to warp through spacetime much more quickly than realmships could; each of them was comparable to the Blacksun in this regard! These ancient warships had been created for the express purpose of battle and transportation, and they were incredible in both aspects.
On this day, a total of eighteen different hidden dimensions located in different regions simultaneously released countless warships unto an unsuspecting Chaosverse. The Sithe had spent countless aeons filling these hidden dimensions with many mighty experts! Many of them had been sent over from the Sithe Chaosverse after they had lost the first war.
The native cultivators had produced many new experts over the aeons, but the Sithe Chaosverse had produced even more. Many of them had been sent over to this Chaosverse, where they had hidden themselves and awaited Iyerre`s orders. Now that the orders had arrived, they all mobilized and began to spread throughout the Chaosverse.
***
The Flamedragon Realmverse. The Three Realms.
Ji Ning was in secluded meditation on Brightheart Island. He was under the effects of 100x temporal acceleration and was diligently focusing on the mysteries behind the sphere of annihilation at all times. He had the feeling that if he used it as a guidepost to create a matching Sword Dao, that Sword Dao would possess absolutely incredible power.
"Eh?" Ning suddenly opened his eyes, breaking his meditations. This was the exact moment those eighteen hidden dimensions had suddenly revealed themselves, blooming into existence and releasing an enormous number of warships which had quickly spread themselves throughout the Chaosverse.
In that instant, Ning could sense a deep, forboding aura of danger come crashing down upon him. It was as though dark stormclouds had suddenly blotted out the sun above him. This invisible pressure made it impossible for Ning to remain calm and collected! Not even the appearance of the Annihilation Hive had generated a sense of danger as great as the one Ning felt right now. The premonition of danger was so great that Ning could feel his heart shuddering.
"What`s going on? What the hell just happened?" Ning had an inkling, but he wasn`t certain of it. He didn`t dare believe it.
Last time, Ning could distinctly sense where the sense of danger was originating from. This time was different! The danger was completely omnipresent, as though every single part of the Chaosverse was in grave danger. There was no way to find the "source'of it, and as a result Ning didn`t know what to do.
"Mogg. Titanos. What`s going on? Do you know what just happened?" Ning immediately sent a message through the Autarch message-talisman.
***
Within the ancient temple that levitated in the skies above that island in the outer perimeter of the Sithelands. Autarch Mogg and the others were all gathered here.
"What the hell? What the hell just happened? I-I..." Autarch Ekong had a frantic, fearful look on his face. This sense of danger caused him to feel extremely uneasy. It was as though the entire Chaosverse had just been plunged into darkness.
However, Autarch Mogg, Autarch Skyfeeder, Autarch Stonerule, and Autarch Titanos were all quite calm. They simply exchanged a glance.
"It has finally begun," Autarch Titanos said softly.
"This nightmarish feeling of doom... I never wanted to feel it again, but here it is." Autarch Skyfeeder shook her head. She would never be able to forget what a calamitous war the Dawn War had been. Far, far too many of their Hegemons and Emperors had died in that war.
"Our greatest fear has been realized." Autarch Mogg shook his head. "Our seals really were useless against them."
Autarch Mogg could sense that Ning had just sent them a message. He took out his message-talisman, then sent a single message out:
"Darknorth, the war has begun!"
Book 44, Chapter 2 - Ji Nings First Massacre
Boom! The door to a private room swung open, followed by the white-robed Ji Ning striding out.
"Father."
"Young master." Brightmoon and Autumn Leaf were the nearest, and they immediately came over to greet him.
Ning looked at his daughter and his "elder sister`, then turned to gaze at the world around him. His gaze saw past the walls of reality, allowing him to see all of the chaosworlds of the Three Realms at a glance.
"I hope that the flames of war will not scorch the Three Realms," Ning murmured softly to himself.
"Nuwa," Ning sent mentally. Whoosh! A figure warped through space and immediately appeared before him. It was Mother Nuwa.
"Darknorth, why have you summoned me?" Nuwa smiled.
"The war against the Sithe has already begun," Ning said. Nuwa and Brightmoon both turned pale. Autumn Leaf, however, simply had a puzzled look on her face. She was at a very low level of power, and so there were many secrets which she simply didn`t need to know. Brightmoon was both a Daolord of the Fourth Step and Ning`s daughter. She was more or less considered a member of the Three Realms'highest echelon, and so she was naturally informed of many secrets as well.
"Father, the war has begun?" Brightmoon looked very anxious. "Th-then..."
"The war has begun. The Sithe are targeting the various Hegemons of our realmverses," Ning said. "As for the countless mortals, World-level cultivators, and Daolords? They don`t really care. They won`t even waste too much energy on hunting down the weaker Emperors. It`ll be safer for you to stay in the Three Realms."
As one of the paramount leaders of the cultivators, Ning naturally had to lead the charge! He would go wherever there was the most danger. The Sithe had failed during their last attempt. Given that they dared to come again, they had most assuredly made ample preparations and adjustments based on their past experiences. The Annihilation Hive alone proved to Ning that the Sithe were to be dreaded! Most likely, even their Autarchs would be at risk of dying.
This meant it would be very dangerous for his friends and family members in the Three Realms to accompany him. It was actually far safer for them to remain behind in the Three Realms instead.
"Take good care of the Three Realms." Ning looked at Brightmoon then instructed solemnly, "Do everything you can to keep it safe."
"Yes, Father," Brightmoon said hurriedly.
Ning nodded slowly. He had long ago fashioned many formations and other treasures which would ensure that the Three Realms was almost completely impregnable! Even Sithe Exalts would have a difficult time breaking into it.
"Nuwa, I`ll send you to the front lines," Ning said. Mother Nuwa nodded. As a Hegemon, she had to take part in this war!
Before leaving, Ning gave a lingering final glance to the world behind him. This was the world he had loved and had roamed for so many years. He had spent many years here in secluded meditation, teaching his disciples, and even gardening...
"Let`s go." Ning said nothing else, immediately leading Mother Nuwa in warping away from the Three Realms.
***
A vast, empty region outside the Sixteen Realmverses Alliance. This place had long ago been designated as a major battlefront, much like the Terror Starsea of the past.
"Here we are." Ning only needed to warp through spacetime three times before arriving at the battlefront, Nuwa in tow. The dimensional ripples generated by their arrival meant that the two of them were almost instantly discovered, and the disheveled-looking "Realmslord Windgrace'personally came to greet them.
"Emperor Darknorth," Realmslord Windgrace said with incredible respect.
"Have you finished preparing the battlefront?" Ning asked.
"We finished long ago. The many treasures which Autarch Titanos gave us made the process quite quick." Realmslord Windgrace was filled with confidence. "The battlefront before us is a first-class battlefront. The Hegemons and Emperors of the Sixteen Realmverses Alliance and many other nearby realmverses have all been gathered here. We have over 105 Hegemons alone, and many of them brought their avatars. If the Sithe dare come, we`ll wipe out as many as they send."
Realmslord Windgrace was very confident because back during the Dawn War, the cultivators didn`t have nearly as many powerful weapons as they did right now. They had relied purely on formations, and as a result they had suffered incredibly heavy casualties.
They had won the Dawn War, and they had acquired many Sithe weapons as a result! Autarch Titanos had also spent countless aeons forging many similar weapons which were even more suitable for cultivators to use. Autarch Titanos normally kept them in reserve, because he didn`t want to let these super weapons throw the entire Chaosverse into a state of turmoil! However, ever since Ning and the others had begun to suspect that the seal over the Sithe heartlands had failed, they had immediately begun to make the necessary arrangements. They had started to prepare battlefronts in secret, with the Hegemons and Emperors all gathered there.
Nuwa was responsible for helping Ning protect the Three Realms. As a result, she was a bit of an outlier and was permitted to remain in the Three Realms. When the battle began, Ning sent her over in person.
Hegemon Brightshore and the others had long ago travelled to this battlefront. Most of them had only left behind weak, newly-created avatars behind in their respective realmverses. Once the war actually began, they would immediately discard those avatars and focus on maintaining and strengthening a single mighty avatar.
"Very good." Ning smiled. "This is going to be a long-lasting war. We need to conserve as much of our power as possible, even as we try to slay as many enemies as is possible. The Sithe have been lying in wait for many, many years. Now that they have arisen anew, you absolutely must not be complacent or underestimate them."
"Understood," Realmslord Windgrace responded.
"I`m off then." Ning gave Nuwa a final glance, then turned and disappeared without a trace.
Mother Nuwa and Realmslord Windgrace both watched as Ning disappeared. They knew that as an Autarch-class combatant, Ning was responsible for many battlefronts throughout the entire Chaosverse.
***
Swoosh! Ning appeared at the margins of a different realmverse. His godsense was so great that it was able to cover an area a hundred times vaster than a single realmverse. As a result, he was able to investigate everything within this realmverse with ease.
"There are no Sithe here." Ning immediately warped away once more.
The war had already begun. The six Autarchs and Ning had long ago prepared their strategy for fighting this war! Countless Hegemons and Emperors had long ago been gathered in various prepared battlefronts which were spread throughout the Chaosverse! Every single battlefront varied in size, based on how many Hegemons and Emperors resided in the surrounding area. The region around the Flamedragon Realmverse didn`t actually have all that many Hegemons and thus probably wouldn`t be a high-priority target, but since it was his homeland Ning was going to do a wide-ranging inspection of it before leaving. As a result, there was no need for any other battlefronts to be prepared anywhere near the Flamedragon Realmverse!
The reason why the battlefront Mother Nuwa and Realmslord Windgrace were in was actually located extremely far away. Ning had to warp through spacetime three times before he could reach it! The sheer number of experts they had gathered there was why it was classified as a first-class battlefront.
"Hm." The white-robed Ning appeared out of nowhere above a grayish planet. His godsense stretched out once more as he scanned for any traces of the Sithe.
"Nothing." Ning disappeared once more.
Starting from the Flamedragon Realmverse, Ning began an inspection of all the nearby realmverses. If he found any hint of the Sithe at all, he would immediately be able to trace them and then slay them!
The six Autarchs and Ning, along with their respective avatars, were all responsible for watching over different regions. They began to "sweep'through their assigned locations. However, each "zone'was so incredibly vast that it would take time. It must be remembered that it would usually take them months traveling in a straight line at top speed to pass through these zones! This was a testament to how truly vast the Chaosverse was.
Right now, they had to carefully inspect every single part of their zones in detail. The only reason they dared to do this was because they were so much faster than everyone else. They would get rid of the Sithe they encountered as soon as possible, so as to relieve the pressure on the Hegemons and Emperors on their side.
"Darknorth, six of our battlefronts have discovered Sithe warships and moved to engage them," Autarch Titanos sent through the message-talisman. "The Sithe have already sent out their grand army. More and more Sithe warships will begin to launch attacks throughout our Chaosverse. We need to destroy as many of them as possible, since we have fewer Hegemons, Emperors, and treasures than the Sithe."
"Alright." Ning nodded. He also knew that the Sithe were better at producing Hegemons and Emperors. Given how much time had passed, they had probably also sent many new Hegemons from their homeland. Without a doubt, the Sithe had a significant advantage in cultivators and treasures. It was up to the six Autarchs and Ning to make up for that advantage!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Ning continued to sweep through one realmverse after another. Thankfully, he was able to scan at extremely great distances. His techniques were also so incredible that he could detect even remnant auras left behind by already-departed warships. Thus... after the time needed to boil a kettle of tea, Ning found what he was looking for.
"An aura?" Ning`s godsense quickly discovered a faint rippling aura from somewhere far away in the Great Dark. This was an aura which the Chaosverse itself was pushing back against.
"Sithe!" Ning immediately recognized the aura and began to charge towards it.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Just a few short warps later, Ning was able to see an enormous warship cruising through space in front of him. This warship was so large, it was on par with the Tigerhill warship Ning had discovered all those years ago.
The person responsible for inspecting spacetime instantly discovered Ning warping through spacetime towards them. They detected Ning`s entire body blazing with such dazzling, luminescent power that the Sithe couldn`t even look at him directly.
"That`s one of the native Autarchs!" The Sithe Hegemons and Emperors within the warship instantly felt despair. Encountering one of the native Autarchs midflight... this was their worst nightmare.
"Flee! Flee, everyone! Let as many escape as is possible!" None of the Sithe believed they could possibly resist one of the Autarchs.
Book 44, Chapter 3 - Miserable
The warship was in control of spacetime in the surrounding area, making it impossible to warp through spacetime once you entered the range of a hundred billion kilometers around it.
"Eh? The warship actually blocks out heartforce?" Ji Ning had been planning on using his "Heartforce Eradicator'technique to kill them, only to find that it wouldn`t go through the hull of the ship.
"Quick, let`s flee!"
"Run away!"
"Give him a blast first!"
Boom! A terrifyingly large dimensional blade shot out through space, smashing at Ning with Autarch-level power.
Ning immediately transformed into a storm of wind and lightning, instantly traversing the distance of a hundred million kilometers in a ghostly, unpredictable manner. The giant dimensional blade which had shot out of the warship couldn`t even come close to touching him, and just a heartbeat later Ning had reached the warship itself.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Hegemons and Emperors had begun to appear outside the vast warship. They were beginning to scatter and flee in every single direction. Every single person who survived would represent a "win'for them.
"Die." Ning swept them with his cold gaze, and an invisible surge of power instantly swept across them. This powerful heartforce assault instantly wiped them out.
"In I go." Ning touched the outer hull of the warship, instantly blinking inside.
"Ahhh! Not good! The Autarch has come inside!"
"Doomed. We`re doomed." The Hegemons and Emperors inside the warship all discarded any notions of escaping, because it was now clear that certain death awaited them outside as well.
"Revered Autarch, are you willing to spare these weak children?"
"Spare us! We were forced to do this."
"Cultivator Autarch, you can kill us, but I would like to ask you to spare our children. They belong to your Chaosverse and are part of it."
Some of the Hegemons begged for mercy, while some accepted death but asked for mercy for their descendants.
As soon as Ning had entered, he had immediately been able to scan every inch of the warship with ease via heartforce! With but a thought, he would wipe out all of the Sithe present. This was what made heartforce so deadly! If Autarch Bolin or Autarch Ekong had arrived, they would`ve had to waste time breaking through the various defenses. Heartforce cultivators, in contrast, were able to wipe out large numbers of opponents from afar.
"Get in here." Ning flickered past over a hundred Hegemons and Emperors who had already given up. With a wave of his hand, he drew them into his estate-world.
With another flicker, Ning arrived at the centermost region of this entire warship. A large number of Sithe descendants lived here. Once the war had begun, the various hidden dimensions were exposed and no longer safe. Over the course of countless aeons, those hidden dimensions had produced many Sithe descendants. They naturally had to accompany the warships in leaving.
"These Sithe descendants..." Ning shook his head slowly, then waved his hand and drew in all the thronging masses of Sithe descendants as well.
"The rest can die." There were a number who were still struggling to flee. They were scattered throughout the warship, and Ning had no time to waste on capturing them one-by-one. He simply cast his "Heartforce Eradicator`... and with a thought, all of them were slain!
In truth, Ning knew that many of the Sithe warriors had been forced into this war. However, this was a clash of civilizations that would result in the destruction of one! Ning`s time was extremely precious. He was willing to capture and imprison a few Sithe instead of killing them if it didn`t take up too much time, but if it did? He`d rather just wipe them out.
"In you go." After exiting the warship, Ning collected both the warship as well as several realmships floating around next to it.
Generally speaking, the warships which Ning or Autarch Stonerule were responsible for attacking would be captured in perfect condition. Autarch Ekong and the others mostly used highly destructive attacks, resulting in the warships being damaged or destroyed. As for this particular warship Ning had captured, it was a transport warship that had been filled with many artifacts and treasures that hadn`t even been used yet.
***
"Twenty-six different battlefronts are under attack. They are located..."
New information came from Ning`s Autarch message-talisman. As one of the supreme leaders of the cultivators, Ning naturally knew where all their forces throughout the Chaosverse were located. Thus, he immediately knew which ones were under attack.
"I`m very close to the Springsea battlefront. I`ll head there immediately," Autarch Stonerule sent to the other six. The Autarchs were all exchanging information with each other, ensuring that they were on top of the situation overall.
***
Time flowed on. More and more battlefronts became embroiled in war. Given how far the various battlefronts were from each other, the Autarchs and Ning were all separately responsible for different theaters and could only do their best to cause as much damage as possible.
"That`s one of the native Autarchs!"
A dazzling figure of golden light suddenly appeared. The Sithe Hegemons and Emperors who were assaulting the battlefront were all stunned. They knew that encountering a native Autarch represented doom.
"Die." Ning swept his gaze across the Sithe. In order to keep his true identity hidden, during battle he intentionally kept his aura flared to the max, making it impossible for the Sithe to know who he was.
An awesome wave of heartforce immediately spread out, covering an area comparable to more than half a realmverse. With but a thought, Ning eradicated over 99% of the Sithe who were spread out throughout the battlefront, even the ones who were located within forts and castles! Only the few who were lucky enough to be inside castles and warships which blocked out heartforce were able to survive, but Ning simply spent a few more seconds mopping them up.
"The Sithe in the Rearlake battlefront have all been exterminated." Ning sent word to the other six Autarchs, then hurried to his next destination.
***
The Autarchs and Ning seized every moment, continuing hastening across the Chaosverse continuously scanning for threats. Every so often, they would make a stop at a nearby battlefront that had already been embroiled in war! As for the more distant ones, they wouldn`t be in a rush to go to them.
The war began to expand in both scale and ferocity. By now, there were multiple battles going on throughout the Chaosverse at every moment.
Things weren`t so bad for Ning and Autarch Stonerule, as they were able to use their heartforce powers to instantly exterminate large numbers of Sithe! The other Autarchs had a much rougher time of it. Many of the Sithe were protected behind castles or formations, and these Autarchs had to go through the time-consuming process of breaking through those defenses.
"Keep on killing them for all I care. How many can you possibly get rid of, Autarchs?" Iyerre sat upon his throne. He was quite calm despite the many messages he received from the squads he had sent out. "I have far, far more warriors under my command than your civilization does, and I have far more powerful treasures as well! Even if you massacre half of them, the other half is more than enough to ensure that countless Hegemons and Emperors belonging to your Chaosverse will die."
Iyerre didn`t care at all about the casualties his subordinates had suffered. Even if they died, their truesoul fragments would return to the Sithe Chaosverse; there was no permanent loss at all.
However, when the native Hegemons and Emperors perished their truesouls would be devoured by Sithe techniques, resulting in this Chaosverse being weakened. Eventually the sheer magnitude of deaths would result in the Chaosverse being so weak that he, Iyerre, would have a very good chance of becoming the Lord of Chaos for this Chaosverse.
"Just keep fighting." Iyerre was in full control of the war. He knew exactly how many losses he had suffered and the cultivators had suffered.
***
Ji Ning was feeling increasingly anxious. He killed at a very fast pace, but the majority of his time was spent traveling. The Chaosverse was simply too vast! The Sixteen Realmverses Alliance was only possible because those sixteen realmverses were quite close to each other. There were many realmverses which were extremely far from each other, which was why the empty space between realmverses was known as the "Great Dark'to many. Ning would usually need anywhere from half a day to two days to travel from realmverse to realmverse.
The more he and his six peers slew, the fewer of their own Hegemons and Emperors would die. But if things continued the way they currently were, they were going to suffer enormous losses in Hegemons and Emperors on their own side as well.
"The Skywitch battlefront is in desperate need of assistance."
"The Ninelamps battlefront is in desperate need of assistance."
"The Dragoncaller battlefront is in desperate need of assistance."
One report came after another. A total of twenty-six battlefronts were in dire straits right now. They had achieved great successes in some battlefronts, but these twenty-six were in grave danger! The Sithe had their own "elite squads`, and these squads were extraordinarily powerful.
There was nothing Ning could do. All twenty-six of these battlefronts were very far away from him. It would take him over half a month to reach even the nearest one.
"I`ll go to the Dragoncaller battlefront," Autarch Skyfeeder replied. "I`ll need three days to get there." She was the only one who could go respond. None of the other Autarchs would get there in time.
"Desperate need of assistance'meant that the situation was so grim, they wouldn`t be able to last much longer without help. In the end, they were only able to preserve half their forces in the Dragoncaller battlefront. They lost everyone else in all twenty-five of the other battlefronts! Clearly, while the Autarchs were busy massacring the Sithe they found, their own Hegemons and Emperors were being slain on the field of battle as well. This was a truly ruinous war of attrition.
Many Sithe died, but at least they would have a chance at being brought back to life! Those native cultivators who had been slain, however, could never be brought back if the soul-eater technique was used after their deaths. They became true martyrs for this war.
Ning had no choice but to suppress the rage he felt. Early on, he imprisoned as many of the Sithe as he could... but now, he was beginning to kill more and more of them!
Book 44, Chapter 4 - Powerless
A giant black warship hovered in the empty silence of space, completely unmoving. A white-robed figure was standing directly above the giant black warship. He seemed tiny in comparison, but his aura was utterly overwhelming and his eyes were ice-cold.
"It`s just too big. The Chaosverse is too damn big." Ji Ning felt a sense of powerlessness.
More than half a year had gone past since the war had erupted. During this half year, all seven of the most powerful leaders of the cultivators civilizations had been scouring the Chaosverse for any and all traces of the Sithe, but the Chaosverse was simply enormous! Usually, battlefronts would consist of groupings of at least ten different realmverses, sometimes even more! Every single battlefront was very far away from the others, and the Sithe warships were just as sparse and hard to find.
The Sithe were constantly making adjustments as well. Each time Ning and the other Autarchs attacked a location, the Sithe would adjust for it and make it even harder for the Autarchs to find their other warships.
The warships were doing their best to avoid the Autarchs, while Ning and the others were doing their best to find them!
"The Tongwu battlefront is in desperate need of assistance." Yet another report came flying in.
"The Tongwu battlefront?" Ning sighed to himself. "It is too far away. It would take me twenty days at maximum speed to get there!"
"Time to continue." Ning waved his hand, collecting the warship and then continuing to warp through space and search for the Sithe. It was like searching for a needle in the bottom of the sea. This was a very robotic and numbing process; the Autarchs were relying on their overwhelming strength to scan large areas and "fish'out a warship or two! This process was clumsy, yet it was also the most efficient process available.
"Have you noticed? This war has been quite odd," Autarch Titanos sent to the other six. "The war has gone on for over half a year and the battles have been fierce. Now that the Sithe know where we are, it has become harder and harder for us to find their warships. All of this is expected, but... we haven`t encountered any Sithe Exalts at all!"
While hunting and killing, the Autarchs continued to exchange messages with each other. The hunting process wasn`t all that mentally taxing, after all.
"Right. I haven`t found any Sithe Exalts," Autarch Ekong agreed.
"I haven`t found a single one of them either. Judging from the various reports which have been sent by cultivators throughout our Chaosverse, no Sithe Exalts have appeared at all," Autarch Stonerule said.
"I haven`t found any either. Logically speaking, the Sithe should have many Exalts ready to fight," Ning replied.
"They`ve lain dormant for aeons... I wouldn`t be surprised if they had dozens of Exalts ready to take part in this battle. But, they haven`t deployed a single one. This is extremely odd. Everyone, while hunting down the Sithe you need to constantly stay on your guard! I`m worried that there`s some sort of a plot behind the Sithe Exalts remaining in hiding," Autarch Titanos sent mentally.
Autarch Skyfeeder agreed, "Perhaps they don`t know that Darknorth has become an Emperor, but they know that we have an Eternal Omega Sword Dao! Thus, the Sithe should know very well that this war against us is their final chance. If they lose, we`ll only grow even more powerful in the future and they won`t stand any chance against us. By all rights, they should be throwing everything they have against us! As soon as that behemoth hive appeared, I could tell that the Sithe had made extraordinary preparations for this war. For no Exalts to have appeared a full half-year after the war began... we really do need to be careful."
"Agreed."
"Stay on your guard."
"Keep scanning at all times. Don`t let yourself fall into a trap."
The six Autarchs and Ning were all quite confident in their abilities. They weren`t like the Sithe, who suffered from rejection by the Chaosverse and were unable to use the Dao! Ning and the Autarchs had access to virtually limitless amounts of power. During the previous war, not a single Autarch had fallen.
"The Purejade battlefront is in desperate need of assistance!" Suddenly, another report arrived.
"The Purejade battlefront?" Ning was startled. He reflexively scanned his mental map of the Chaosverse, mentally placing the Purejade battlefront. It was fairly close to him. "I need two days. I`ll go right away."
"Alright, Darknorth. I`ll leave it to you. I`ll tell them to hold on until you arrive," Autarch Stonerule said.
Swoosh! Ning began to fly at maximum speed towards the Purejade battlefront.
If he spent these two days slowly scanning, he might be able to locate one or two Sithe warships... but rescuing more of their own cultivators was more important than killing the Sithe! This was because when their cultivators died, their truesouls would be devoured by the Sithe soul-eater technique. This would harm the Chaosverse itself and make it impossible to revive them.
"I hope they can hold on until I arrive," Ning murmured softly. The leaders in a battlefront would only beg for assistance when they could sense that they really weren`t able to hold out for much longer. This would generally only happen once the enemies revealed their full power and launched a final, all-out attack! Thus, the battlefronts were usually lost shortly after the distress calls were sent.
Sometimes, the cultivators would last for four or five days. Other times, the cultivators would be wiped out before a single day passed.
***
The Purejade battlefront. This was a place where an awesome astral river flowed through the region in multiple looks, almost like a snake coiling around itself. At the very center of the coiling flows of the river was an enormous castle, and the castle held over a hundred figures within it.
Nearly half were Hegemons, while the rest were all normal Emperors. They poured all of their Immortal energy into maintaining this powerful castle, which was the core of the mighty defensive formation which protected them. Many of their avatars and comrades were situated throughout the astral river, where they were responsible for protecting important spots and were fighting against the Sithe.
"Autarch Stonerule sent word," a red-bearded Hegemon roared. "Two days! In just two days, an Autarch will arrive to save us!"
"What?!"
"We`re saved!" Some of the Hegemons and Emperors who had been on the verge of despair instantly grew excited. This was just a second-class battlefront! They didn`t expect that one of the extremely powerful Sithe elite squads would attack this place. At first, the Sithe had hidden their true power. They had first battled for more than a month to verify the defensive strength of the local cultivators, then had revealed their true prowess and launched a final assault.
Once the Sithe revealed their true power, the cultivators were instantly beaten backwards and forced to retreat to their final defensive lines within and around this castle. All they could do was try to delay as long as they could.
"Two days! Just two days! If we can hold on for just two days it`ll be the damn Sithe who die, not us!" the red-bearded elder howled.
"My brothers and sisters, fight on! If we can hold for two days, we`ll all make it out alive!" The voice rang out from the castle and echoed in the minds of the Hegemons and Emperors who were stationed within the astral river which coiled around the castle.
"Hold on! We must hold on!"
"We only need to hold on for two days."
The battle continued. The Sithe furiously pressed the assault, while all of the defenders were equally frenzied in resisting. Even so, more and more of the defenders were defeated. First, it was their avatars which were destroyed. After that, it was up for them to use their true bodies to endure and fight on.
"Remember, even if you know you are going to die, you need to try and stay a safe distance away from them. Avoid that truesoul-eating technique or you`ll never have a chance of being brought back!"
"If you are out of options, self-detonate after you reach a sufficient distance."
Bang! One defensive formation after another began to collapse, with most of the various Hegemons and Emperors electing to self-detonate. In doing so, their truesoul fragments blasted outwards and then quickly vanished. The Sithe soul-eater technique was limited in range, and self-detonation often caused some of the truesoul fragments to blast so far out that they returned to the Chaosverse.
"Hurry up! It`s been two days. Hurry up and come!"
"Why hasn`t he arrived yet?!"
The Hegemons and Emperors were still fighting back, hoping beyond hope...
BOOM! Suddenly, a figure stepped out of nowhere in the empty space above the coiling river. His entire form was blazing with energy, making it impossible to see him clearly.
"AUTARCH!!!!" All of the surviving cultivators let out cries of joy and excitement.
"That`s one of those native Autarchs! Quick, flee!" The Sithe who had been pressing the assault using their many treasures were stunned by the Autarch`s arrival. They had been trying to wrap things up as soon as possible, so that they could immediately depart and move to the next target. It would be quite hard to locate them after they left... but unfortunately, a cultivator Autarch had made it here in time!
The dazzling golden figure above them stared downwards coldly. Boom! A wave of invisible energy instantly swept across the region, extinguishing the auras of the attacking Sithe. Only a tiny percent of the Sithe who had been inside heartforce-proof warships managed to survive, but just a heartbeat later all of them died as well. The only ones Ning spared and took away with him were the "lucky'Sithe descendants.
"Thankfully, at least half have survived." Ning surveyed the castle below him, nodding to himself when he saw how many Hegemons and Emperors had made it.