Desolate Grade

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Desolate Grade
Alias(es)	荒级
Type	Cultivation realm / power grade
Status	Active; a realm above Ancient Grade and the threshold for Transcendence 422 521
First Appearance	Chapter 422

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Second Stage Imperfect Great Desolation	626	A newly entered Desolate Grade cultivator had repaired twenty-six Time Rifts; this stage allowed the full use of Ancient Dao by consuming Desolate Grade Origin Power.
Third Stage Imperfect Great Desolation	630	Reached after repairing the twenty-seventh Time Rift. The first twenty-seven repaired rifts substantially reduce the Origin Power required to release Ancient Dao.
Fourth Stage Great Desolation	639	Reached after forty Time Rifts were repaired through accumulated cultivation time.
Fifth Stage Great Desolation	643 645	Forty-four repaired Time Rifts brought the cultivator to the threshold; later cultivation and System upgrades established Fifth Stage strength.
Sixth Stage Great Desolation	645	Achieved after comprehending newly acquired Desolate Grade Cultivation Techniques and upgrading the System.
Eighth Stage Great Desolation barrier	655	Advancement becomes exceptionally slow after the seventy-first Time Rift. Recognition from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, obtained by cultivating all thirty thousand Ancient Daos to Founder level, is required to cross the barrier.

Background / History

Desolate Grade was first identified as the realm above Ancient Grade when the Captain explained that “crossing the river of time” was only an Origin Ancestor Grade method of attacking Ancient Grade, while Transcendence was something only Desolate Grade beings could touch 422.

A Desolate Grade being may Transcend personally, but the greatest ambition of Jiang Kingdoms is to have such a being lead their people into Transcendence as well 521. A failed attempt by an immensely powerful Desolate Grade being of Gubo Nation demonstrated the danger of this goal: rather than Transcending alone, it attempted to bring the nation’s top powerhouses and the entire nation into a new dimension, failed, and dragged Gubo Nation down with it 521.

If Transcendence fails or cannot be achieved, a Desolate Grade may sacrifice itself so that its entire nation and descendants can enter a new universe and continue their lifespans 424.

Position in the Ancient Domain

• The super holy lands use prolonged, brutal conflict to cultivate Desolate Grade beings, sacrificing vast numbers of powerhouses in a “raising gu” environment 521.
• Jiang Kingdoms are ruled by Desolate Grade beings; a kingdom’s rise and fall is tied to the strength of its Desolate Grade rulers 521.
• Every Jiang Kingdom stations a Desolate Grade expert at its border, though they normally intervene only when Divine Generals cannot resolve a crisis 610.
• Most Desolate Ancient Celestial Venerables have cultivated fewer than ten thousand Ancient Daos. They instead push body-and-Dao fusion to its limit and break through the peak of Eternal Monarch Grade to reach their level—still below Desolate Grade 619.
• Desolate Grade experts recognize the Reincarnation Form as a legendary physique considered especially likely to achieve Transcendence 626.

Abilities & Characteristics

Ancient Dao Manipulation

Upon entering Desolate Grade, a cultivator’s Ancient Dao is no longer suppressed by the River of Time and can be fully unleashed 630.

• Full release requires Desolate Grade Origin Power while Time Rifts remain unrepaired 630.
• Higher stages reduce the Origin Power cost of releasing Ancient Dao; the reduction becomes significant after the first twenty-seven Time Rifts are repaired 630.
• Desolate Grade combatants can combine numerous Ancient Daos for overwhelming attacks; fifteen thousand Ancient Daos released at once were enough to force six weakened Desolate Grade experts to retreat 630.

Desolate Grade Origin Power

Desolate Grade Origin Power is the limited resource that sustains high-level combat and Ancient Dao release 630.

• It takes a long time for most Desolate Grade experts to accumulate, encouraging cautious hit-and-run fighting rather than prolonged engagements 630.
• Excessive use can leave a Desolate Grade combatant little stronger than a Divine General until their reserves recover 640.
• Desolate Grade corpses can yield both Ancient Source and recoverable Desolate Grade Origin Power 630.
• Origin Crystals can be converted into Ancient Desolate Power and are therefore strategic resources in wars between Jiang Kingdoms 637.

Time Rifts and Great Desolation

Desolate Grade progression is tied to repairing Time Rifts on the Time Stone Disk 626 630.

• Every nine repaired Time Rifts produce a major improvement in power 630.
• A total of one hundred and eight rifts can be repaired, with advancement becoming progressively harder after the Seventh Stage 649.
• The Eighth Stage barrier requires recognition from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, attainable by bringing all thirty thousand Ancient Daos to Founder level 655.

Soul and Temporal Existence

At Desolate Grade, the soul transcends time; in theory, a cultivator can continue to exist eternally as long as the world itself does not completely perish 626.

• Desolate Grade experts possess methods such as Eternal Tracing that can follow a target along the timeline while ignoring karmic connections 619.
• Their power can reshape heaven and earth, making them the force lower-ranked combatants seek when ordinary Divine Generals and Celestial Venerables fail 609 610.

Desolate Body and Soul Burning

Desolate Grade experts can use extreme self-damaging techniques when cornered.

• Burning the Desolate Body greatly depletes cultivation and increases the user’s Time Rifts, sacrificing immense accumulated progress for escape 631.
• Soul Burning consumes Desolate Grade essence in a self-exile technique close to self-destruction; it can produce a final surge of combat power but risks total annihilation 625.

Combat Standards

• A Desolate Grade expert’s destructive output can shatter an entire Jiang Kingdom if unleashed outside a controlled battlefield 626.
• Their clashes create shockwaves dangerous even to Divine Generals, so battles are often conducted in the Second Ancient Domain or buffered by the Sea of Nothingness 635 637.
• Domain Shaking weapons are described as standard equipment for Desolate Grade experts 635.
• Prolonged combat on enemy territory is considered strategically dangerous because Origin Power is limited and difficult to replenish 629 630.
• Even among Desolate Grade cultivators, strength gaps are immense: a Sixth Stage Great Desolation cultivator was able to kill eleven Desolate Grade experts in a single battle 645.

Notable Desolate Grade Individuals

• Beidou Monarch — King of Beidou Nation; used Soul Burning to resist an encirclement of enemy Desolate Grade experts 625 627.
• Immortal Queen Nation’s King — Desolate Grade ruler whose authority and deterrence dominate the Immortal Queen Nation 611.
• Great Desolate Celestial Venerable — A Desolate Ancient Celestial Venerable, not a confirmed Desolate Grade being; his return produced an aura that alarmed both Beidou Nation and Immortal Queen Nation 598.
• Blood Sword Desolate Master — A Sixth Stage Great Desolation cultivator from the Fallen Heaven Nine Nether Warring States; a prodigy of a supreme aristocratic family who took interest in the Reincarnation Form 638.
• Yellow Dragon Desolate Master — One of the Desolate Grade commanders active in the Great Jiang Kingdom conflict 636 638.
• Golden Armor, Silver Armor, and Bronze Armor Desolate Masters — Defensive Desolate Grade experts known for their unusually difficult-to-break defenses 634.