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Chapter Twelve Sour Fruit, Blood On the Lips
writer:无罪      update:2022-07-21 15:26
  Ding Ning looked at Song Shenshu’s wide eyes in his death and said softly, “One has to pay their debts, this is natural, there is nothing to be discontent about.”


  Because he knew he had enough time, he was not in a hurry to leave this ship. He started to search through every pocket in Song Shenshu’s robes.

  In a hidden pocket in the sleeve, he found several things. A notebook covered in writing, a wallet bag, a pill bottle, and two copper seals.

  Ding Ning opened the notebook. He saw that it was all of Song Shenshu’s understanding of the Crimson Sun Divine Spell and his speculations about more advanced cultivation. He couldn’t help but shake his head and then shoved the book into his own sleeve.

  The wallet was very light, but after opening it, Ding Ning saw countless Qin mica knife money 1 which glowed with light. This kind of coin was made out of the shells of the rare mica shells from the deep sea. It was a currency unique to the Qin Dynasty. One was worth five hundred gold.

  Ding Ning did not think more of it and put it away.

  The moment he opened the rough copper-colored pill bottle, he was surprised.

  Lying at the bottom of the pill bottle was a bone-white pill that looked like a dead fish’s eye.

  “Did you prepare to use this during a breakthrough? I had not thought you would prepare an energy gathering pill. Thank you for your vital energy and also your energy gathering pill.” Ding Ning said as he looked sincerely at Song Shenshu. He thought for a moment. After making sure he did not need those two tokens for the library, he once again used his fingers as a sword and stabbed the bottom of the boat.

  A hole appeared through the wooden boards. The muddy water quickly rushed through the hole and entered the boat.

  Ding Ning retreated out of the cabin. He pushed off with his feet and landed on a wooden pier half-sunken into the water.

  This was the path he had chosen after observing for multiple years. At this moment, no one detected a thing. The corpse of a Qin Dynasty cultivator sank into the water with a black awning boat.

  After Ding Ning passed through countless piers on the shore, there was finally noise of others in the surroundings.

  Ding Ning walked along the dark alleys just like he did on his normal wanderings. But his breathing became slightly urgent. A rouge color appeared between his tightly-pressed lips. Ding Ning’s expression was extremely calm as he tasted the strong tang of blood in his mouth. He took out a copper coin and moved to a hawker in front of him to buy a skewer of candied hawthorn.

  He bent his head slightly. As he carefully chewed the sour and sweet fruit, the fragments of the red sugar mixed with the blood between his lips, No one could detect a thing.

  Thinking of Song Shenshu who sank into the muddy water with that ship, and the rough porcelain pill bottle lying in his sleeve, he felt he had not wasted his efforts these years. He received above-average returns which he was happy to think about. Yet when he thought of more matters, of those people who ended up with worse deaths than Song Shenshu, his nose felt sore. He wanted to return to that old matron’s tower and eat a warm oil pancake. But he knew he had more things to do.

  The ship in the shadows completely disappeared below the water. Only a string of bubbles and some disturbed mud floated to the surface.

  A wooden basin floated past the bubbles.

  A man of forty-something with shoulder-length hair sat in the wooden bucket. He dressed like a fisherman. When he saw these unusual bubbles, this man’s expression turned cold. He looked around. After confirming no one existed in the surroundings, he paddled with his hands and had the wooden bucket float next to an abandoned pillar of wood. Then he easily pulled this wooden pillar stuck in the bottom of the river out.

  The wooden pillar was heavy. Even though most of the pillar was in the water, the wooden bucket below him could not tolerate the extra weight and was almost level with the water surface.

  He did not care about all. He pulled the pillar back to where the bubbles were rising and then prodded hard with the wooden pillar.

  Listening to the unusual sound from below, he was sure there was a problem. He released the wooden pillar. In the next moment, the wooden bucket shot away rapidly, creating an astounding wave in the dark water.

  After Ding Ning ate all the hawthorn, he swallowed the last taste of blood.

  He continued to walk forward and did not circle back. Yet if someone had a complete map of the Fish Market, they would find that after he passed directly through an area, in the next fifteen minutes, he would circle around one area.

  A pier.

  Bam.

  The sound of a wooden bucket rubbing against the rotting wood of the pier.

  Ding Ning heard the sound coming off this street. He walked faster, passing through the noisy shops and then saw the man with loose hair walking from the hidden pier.

  He silently followed that man with the loose hair. This was his plan of two birds with one stone.

  Everyone knew this underground empire had to have a powerful ruler. But rare were the people who knew who the ruler was and what kind of person supported them.

  Song Shenshu would come here once every month. He could hide from the eyes and ears of outsiders, but the people here would know his true identity.

  An official of the dynasty, a cultivator, was assassinated here. This would cause some major waves. The person who discovered Song Shenshu did not come for the Fire Turtle Gallbladder in time would quickly realize something had happened to him. He would know that this accident would attract investigation from many people and cause a calamity. So he would use his fastest speed to tell the ruler of this place.

  The man with loose hair dressed as a fisherman was in a heavy mood. He walked hurriedly with his head low, completely ignorant someone was following him from a distance. Ding Ning seemed to have a special ability that his figure would not appear at an angle the man with loose hair would be alerted.

  The man with loose hair hurriedly walked into a pawn shop.

  Ding Ning did not even go close to that pawn shop.

  Over the years, he knew every corner of Fish Market except some secret paths inside residences.

  He knew that this pawn shop had many courtyards behind it and three entrances. So he walked uphill to a place where he could see two of the entrances.

  Suddenly, his brow imperceptibly furrowed.

  Three figures appeared out of the corner of his eye.

  The path the three figures took was especially muddy. He could even hear the slurping sounds of shoes stepping into the mud.

  That muddy path was one of the entrances for the pawn shop.

  There were not many people around Ding Ning so he turned and casually swept a look. With one glance, his eyes imperceptibly contracted.

  There was a hunchback old man holding a black bamboo staff, a very short handsome youth, and a thick-browed young person dressed like a foreigner.

  The hunchback old man walked at the front with his black bamboo staff. He turned at the intersection and returned.

  That handsome young person and the thick-browed young person continued to walk forward and passed the alleyway below Ding Ning. Their figures flashed through the cracks of the roofs.

  Ding Ning did not look at that old person or the two young people. He took a deep breath. A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

  That old man, who appeared unable to straighten his back and would fall dead at any moment, and those two young people did not have cultivator presences.

  Even realm five cultivators could not detect they were cultivators when brushing shoulders with them. But Ding Ning was sure these three were all powerful cultivators.

  He recognized the hunched old person with the black bamboo staff. He had never seen the other two people before. He could not confirm which sect these two cultivators were from. However, he could feel the respect that hunched old person held towards the pair.

  That hunchback old person would only hold this kind of respect to powerful cultivators.

  These two young people were terrifying to control their energies to the point other cultivators could not detect them.

  At this time, Ding Ning stilled slightly. He felt another domineering and ferocious presence. Following this presence, he saw a yellow canvas umbrella. A tall thin man held the yellow umbrella open as though he did not want any droplet of water to touch his body.

  The umbrella covered his face. Ding Ning could only see that the joints of his hand were thick and strong.

  This was clearly a cultivator.

  Ding Ning knew more than most cultivators. Through that domineering and ferocious presence, he could easily pinpoint this person’s sect and history.

  Looking at the path this person took, Ding Ning knew the corpse of another cultivator would appear in the wilds outside Changling today.

  Volume 6 12 - Disfigure

  The reason that grandmasters were called so was because they had experienced countless battles, learned and understood deeply the details of how the primal energies flowed in the world, and broke through realm six to become realm seven, Mountain Moving.

  Zhang Kuangdao was the most inconspicuous among these grand masters, but some of the subtle abnormalities were immediately sensed by the surrounding grandmasters.

  Wei Wujiu turned his head and narrowed his eyes slightly. He saw a copper box in Zhang Kuangdao’s hand. The bottom of this copper box was a silver white crystal stone. Inside, were dozens of small swords that looked like raw iron.

  In a blink of the eye, the vital energy inside Zhang Kuangdao surged out madly into the copper box. These dozens of silver swords gave off a vast and majestic presence as heavy as a mountain.

  The small silver swords seemed to fly like tin mountains in the senses of these cultivators. In the air, or more accurately in the flowing primal energies of the universe, there was the presence of tin. The grandmasters within these energies seemed to be filled with tin in their bodies, especially their chests.

  The dozens of small silver swords fell like mountains, and locked down the scattered retreat of these grandmasters.

  Including Wei Wujiu, all of the Qin grandmasters who were shrouded in these sword presences were very furious. They finally understood where Consort Zhao Xiang’s true confidence came from.

  To their great fury, it was not that Consort Zhao Xiang possessed powerful Chu weapons and could resolve this situation, but a betrayal from their own.

  Zhang Kuangdao held the “Tin Mountain Sword Box.”


  The cultivators were not unfamiliar with this seal weapon. Before the Deer Mountain Conference, during the trap targeting Zhao Si and Bai Shanshui, this seal weapon had appeared, and stopped Bai Shanshui in her steps.

  Bai Shanshui had been stopped for a moment, but still defeated this Tin Mountain Sword Box. It was naturally not possible to stop so many experts with the Tin Mountain Sword Box like it had Bai Shanshui.

  But other than this Tin Mountain Sword Box, there was another vast sword essence that came down.

  This sword essence came from Lian Bo who was quickly flying backwards. His dark green sword was still flying in the air, but at this time, an indigo sword silently appeared in his hand.

  The indigo long sword was entangled with clouds, and there was mist and heavy rain forming in the clouds.

  He was the person closest to Zhang Kuangdao, and should have been the one most likely to stop the other. But his attack did not fall towards the other, but the Qin grandmasters who were trapped by the Tin Mountain Sword Box.

  The power contained in the indigo sword even surpassed the lifebond sword he had nurtured for many years. The clouds and water on the sword splashed as his sword descended, like the clouds and rain from the distant Wu Mountains had been pulled over, and charged into this tight space like serpents.

  There were multiple shouts. All of the Qin grandmasters trapped by the Tin Mountain Sword Box reacted. They did not target Zhang Kuangdao and Lian Bo, but used their strongest defense. They were all extraordinary cultivators, and grandmasters. They knew, from the look of Lian Bo’s sword, they had no time to attack and flee.

  Consort Zhao Xiang arrived.

  Boom!

  Consort Zhao Xiang appeared in the area locked down by the Tin Mountain Sword Box. She did not target a person, but fell hard to the ground like a meteor. She was faster than any person here. When she arrived, the Chu weapon in her hand had been completely activated.

  Countless gold ants seemed to climb out, the golden seals forming a golden curtain of light. The sword energies of the Tin Mountain Sword Box, the sword energy of Lian Bo’s sword, and the power of the other Qin grandmasters who were defending collided in this space, hitting and cutting the golden curtain of light. In an instant, the golden light was shattered, and released more terrifying power.

  A ball of golden sun formed in the space locked down by dozens of small silver swords.

  Lian Bo’s sword essence, like countless serpents traveling through the cloud and rain, was shattered by the golden light and disappeared.

  Plop!

  He first sprayed out a mouthful of blood. He was unable to keep a hold on his sword and was sent flying backwards.

  Then, there were the dozens of the small silver swords sticking in the ground. Like a falling mountain, the small silver swords flew out in different directions.

  There were strange sounds coming from Zhang Kuangdao’s hands that held the box. The scattered golden light hit him, and then his body gave off the sound of bones cracking. He was in a mist of blood that came out of his flesh.

  There were strong explosions coming from within the golden light. Like enormous ships hitting the hard cliff, each attack caused it to feel like the mountain was shaking.

  When the small silver swords were flying away, Xiang Yan had come to the golden burning sun where the explosion had occurred. His face was solemn, his golden dagger axe swinging forward dozens of times, cutting away all the golden light surging at him. His body managed to steady itself in the great shaking, and his hands were bloody.

  The golden light only burst outwards for a short moment, and then dissipated, looking like a sun shrinking inwards. The space felt like it was burnt red coal. Even the primal energies of the universe seemed to have been burned to ash, stuck in the air, and then the layers peeling off.

  A Qin grandmaster’s figure was the first to appear.

  This was Pang Yugu of the Fang Marquessate Establishment. He came of good birth, and once cultivated in Spirit Void Sword Sect.

  As the gold light passed, his figure appeared in the air. His clothing was not messy at all, and in his right hand, a lifebond sword was burning like a torch without going out.

  Seeing this figure, Xiang Yan’s pupils contracted, and his expression turned even more solemn.

  But in the next moment, the body of this Qin grandmaster had several explosions. Many bloody holes appeared on his arms, blood and energy coming out. His body fell back hard.

  The golden light had retreated to Consort Zhao Xiang.

  Consort Zhao Xiang appeared.

  She was standing, but her jade-like hands were covered in many cracks with blood seeping out.

  In this area, only two people were able to stand. Other than Consort Zhao Xiang, there was only Wei Wujiu.

  Xiang Yan took a deep breath. While this result was very good for him, he was still startled and scared by this scene, feeling waves of coldness rice up inside him. He had never thought that this seal weapon could release such power.

  Wei Wujiu’s robes were stained red. But most of it was not his blood, but the blood of the cultivator who had been following him all this time.

  This cultivator under his command was definitely above average among these grandmasters, but right now, he was the most seriously wounded, so serious he was about to die.

  Some betrayed, while others guarded with their lives.

  “This is not the problem of the life and death of one person.”


  Wei Wujiu held his subordinate with one hand. He did not look at Consort Zhao Xiang, but at Lian Bo and Zhang Kuangdao.

  “We overlooked a problem…… How could something like the Tin Mountain Sword Box appear in your hands because of a transaction with Li Lingjun…… But you are from Wei, and you became a marquis of the Qin. I do not understand what you are still discontent about? I do not understand why you can ignore the favors the Qin Dynasty has done for you.”


  Translator Ramblings: The Tin Box was so long ago ……

  Volume 2 12 - You Want Your Family Destroyed?

  This chapter has been brought to you by me, and larkspur.

  His shock did not come from the strength of this surge of primal energy, but its direction.

  The source of this sudden burst of primal energies of the universe was the bleeding old woman’s carriage.

  There was only the old woman who had suffered a blow in the carriage.

  At this time, to his understanding, no one in the Xie Family caravan could stop him from killing Xie Lianying and Xie Rou. He had not considered this bleeding old woman to attack him.

  In the moment he turned, the Silver Rakshasa Thumb Ring on his hand produced large volumes of mercury energy that covered his entire body.

  The old woman, who had lost a large piece of flesh and bled out greatly, looked dire. Even so, her expression was extremely calm. Her arms were held horizontally, facing forward. Half of the carriage had been turned to powder by the abundant power. Many dots of yellow light magically and rapidly rose from the soil in front of her to form two paths of light in her palms.

  The two yellow paths of light seemed to be extensions of her palms. As he abruptly turned around, they charged towards the Chu cultivator and pressed hard on him.

  The Chu cultivator frowned deeply. He gave a deep shout, and the silver energy surrounding him flew like waves.

  His body dropped slightly as the ground under him sank, but he did not hesitate in his movements. His Worryfree Horn flew like a flying sword and swept towards the old woman.

  With a soft poof, flying backwards in a spray of blood and mud, half of the woman’s body was destroyed,.

  But at this time, another unusual presence appeared in the air.

  This presence came from the similarly bleeding young child.

  Because of the massive blood loss, the young child’s extremely pale face was a strong contrast against his dark pupils.

  One attack and half of the old woman’s body had been turned into blood mud. Yet, his seemingly childlike pale face was extremely calm. A cone-like black metal sword twisted and flew out of his bloodstained sleeve, quickly attacking the abdomen of the Chu cultivator.

  The Chu cultivator gave a muffled grunt. Blood seeped out of his nose and mouth.

  His silver energy seemed to have been scattered. The sound of bones cracking came from where the black cone-like sword had hit.

  He could not maintain his momentum. With three balls of energy splashing onto the ground, his body retreated dozens of meters.

  The cone-like sword went several inches into his flesh. His silver energy faded but after another moment, a surge of vital energy once again came out of his body and flooded into his Silver Rakshasa Thumb Ring.

  Mercury-like energy covered his palm which descended and gripped the furiously speeding black cone-like sword.

  The air buzzed. A spray of blood appeared at his waist.

  He forced all the energy and perception from the seal scripts on the black cone-like sword. It immediately became a lifeless object.

  The child depressedly leaned back in the carriage cabin as the Chu cultivator coldly threw this small sword.

  The small sword created a gust of wind as it landed on the child’s chest.

  The child’s chest sank down, blood and flesh spraying outwards. The depression became a clear hole.

  The cabin behind the child was completely annihilated by the great force. All his organs had disappeared and he was about to die. But at this moment before death, he turned to look back, a smile of success appearing on his calm and harsh face.

  In his sight, Xie Lianying, Xie Rou and Ding Ning had retreated to the three Zhou Family carriages.

  In the Xie Family caravan, all cultivators were either dead or wounded with carriage ruins and flesh all over the place. They looked to be in dire straits. But the Chu Dynasty realm seven expert that had created all this did not have a happy expression.

  He stopped among this horrific scene. He was silent for a long moment, his head low. Then he lifted his head and said, "Killing child and senior …… so from the start, you had not captured Chen Tunyun’s family members."

  Ding Ning, Xie Lianying and Xie Rou had already stopped.

  Xie Lianying took a deep breath, faced the Chu cultivator’s gaze and nodded. He said, "There wasn’t enough time to capture the Chen Family members. But when one is panicked, you will have no time to confirm this."

  "A great plan."

  The Chu cultivator’s breathing calmed. In his high voice, he expressed a sincere praise. "Chen Tunyun died for nothing."

  Xie Lianying turned silent.

  The brave and desperate attacks of the several Xie Family cultivators just now had not stopped this Chu cultivator at all.

  "How did you judge where my step was going to land?"

  The Chu cultivator looked at Ding Ning.

  While he did not know what kind of cultivator was hiding in those three black carriages, he knew that Xie Lianying and Xie Rou were alive because of this youth. The youth had managed to accurately capture the landing point of his two "Slipstream Seals", and successfully stalled his actions.

  Fu Su had come out of the carriage and was standing beside Ding Ning.

  The fight of life and death that had occurred in a few brief moments just now had surpassed all he had seen before. Cold still flowed through his body. When he heard the words of the Chu cultivator, he looked at Ding Ning with confused emotions.

  He had the strongest parents in the world, the best teachers of the Qin Dynasty, so his cultivation had advanced quickly, and he had learned much more than ordinary cultivators. He knew the "Slipstream Seal" could be tracked as it was a powerful passage of primal energies of the universe. The cultivator would appear to disappear into the air because that flow of primal energies would be so quick, it surpassed the limits of a cultivator’s eyes.

  But even if one knew that the enemy had such a seal weapon, in such a short moment, it was usually not possible to predict where that flow of primal energies would land.

  If the Slipstream Seal was said to create a bridge through the air, the other end of the bridge was decided by the user.

  Ding Ning took a deep breath.

  Of course he could refuse to answer, but if he could not give a convincing answer, Forefather Zhou in the carriage behind him would be even more suspicious of him.

  So after a moment, he lifted his head and calmly answered. "That place is the most unlikely to be intercepted by the flying sword."

  Fu Su stilled, and could not understand the meaning of the words.

  This realm seven expert from the Chu Dynasty frowned again.

  He thought back and slowly said, "Just so?"

  Ding Ning looked at him, nodded and said, "Just so."

  Fu Su thought dazedly,

  "This one is Chen Chu of Silver Thread Workshop," the Chu cultivator nodded and said calmly.

  His gaze at this time was focused beyond Ding Ning on the black carriage containing Forefather Zhou.His words were clearly directed at Forefather Zhou.

  But Fu Su and Xie Lianying’s gazes focused at the same time.

  "I know who you are, the famed Silver Thread Holy Hand Chen Chu." Xie Lianying sneered. "A powerful cultivator from the Chu court. I am very fortunate to have met you."

  Chen Chu was truly famous.

  Only masters who were able to reach "silk road" level and create seal scripts on threads the thickness of a hair, could be called holy hands in the Chu Dynasty.

  The Silver Thread Workshop had only five holy hands.

  Chen Chu wasn’t just a holy hand, he was also a realm seven expert.

  This was even more rare, being able to create and use seal weapons cultivators below realm seven could not understand.

  So from a long time ago, he had been a court crafter.

  But Xie Lianying’s sneer was with another meaning.

  Many of the crafters that remained in the Chu Dynasty’s court were not whole in body.

  Chen Chu naturally could sense Xie Lianying’s disdain, but ignored it. He just sensed a faint presence of danger from the black carriage. He had to obtain more information to decide if he should flee or continue to fight.

  Ding Ning’s eyebrows rose.

  At this time, the curtain of Forefather Zhou’s carriage moved to the side.

  Dressed in loose robes, Forefather Zhou slowly stood up and walked out of the cabin.

  "My surname is Zhou, my name Mei, which is a homonym for misfortune. As a result, I have been unlucky in my life." With a genteel demeanour, Forefather Zhou said warmly and looked at this Chu Dynasty court cultivator.

  "So it is him. He’s not yet dead!"

  Xie Lianying immediately reacted with shock within.

  "I had not expected Forefather Zhou to still be alive. The old are the strongest." Chen Chu’s eyes narrowed slightly. His expression was one of surprise.

  "The Changling of present is not the Changling of your time."

  Chen Chu paused slightly, looked at Forefather Zhou and coldly said, "Why do you have to interfere in this matter?"

  "I encountered it, so this is an opportunity."

  With eyes full of benevolence, Forefather Zhou looked at Chen Chu and said, "You have two good items on you. I want to give them to these young people with me."

  Translator Ramblings: Xie Lianying is a very good strategist.

  Volume 5 13 - What Should Happen

  Both the academian and Bai Shanshui were not ordinary realm sevens. Just now, to block Bai Shanshui’s attack, the old academian, Du Qingli, had suffered a sweep of his own sword essence. He only had a wound on his left brow but the sword essence reached his brain and gave him serious damage.

  His body had lost control of most of its parts. But he was a real grandmaster, one that had still managed to survive after the years of slaughter in Changling.

  Facing the seventeen green water beads that had taken sword form under Bai Shanshui’s control, his black eyes quickly turned faint gray.

  Invisible grey energies streamed out of the cracks in the black rock above his head and surged into his body. His body did not change and felt like it was expanding rapidly.

  The small swords the seventeen green water beads formed suddenly collapsed and fell from the air to the ground like scattered sand.

  Bai Shanshui took a step back. Rock cracked silently under her feet, the cracks spreading outwards like a giant spider net.

  Du Qingli’s face was half covered in blood but strangely calm.

  He had cultivated in this Great Floating Water Prison for many years. In a sense, this was his world. He did not believe he would not be a match for this junior.

  Bai Shanshui frowned deeply. A glowing and colorless water droplet silently appeared in front of her, but floated motionlessly as though it did not know how to pose a threat to this old academian.

  While Bai Shanshui was being obstructed by Du Qingli, the water level in Zhao Si’s cave started to lower. The yin river water that had surged up momentarily due to water pressure started to fall back down. The waters fell, the stones appeared.

  In Zhao Si’s gaze, an old man was standing on a protrusion on the rock face that was shaped like an eagle’s beak.

  This old man dressed in blue robes, had petite features and a long face.

  Facing Zhao Si, this old man looking down at her even had a stronger presence than she. He was the other imperial academian who guarded this place, Du Hongtan.

  The Du two brothers had once been among the best young talents of Changling long ago in the past. People could rarely rival their cultivation speed. Yet the personalities of the two brothers were completely different.

  Du Hongtan was relatively direct and rough. Seeing Zhao Si whose body was falling with the water, he spoke rudely, “Child, this is Changling, this is Changling’s most well-guarded prison, this is also our home. Is this where you should come?”


  After the water fell down, it was air, but at this time, Zhao Si was standing in the void. Steam rose under her feet and supported her small but powerful body like a lucky cloud.

  As Du Hongtan spoke, she rose up. “If you did not enter the Zhao, why would I have come here?” She looked directly at Du Hongtan and said righteously and without anger, “You first entered my home.”


  Du Hongtan shook his head in disdain and said, “Regardless, now you are in my home.”


  His words were arrogant and unreasonable. But he called someone like Zhao Si, who represented the Zhao Sword Furnace, a child. It was already arrogant and unreasonable.

  “It is rude to not say a greeting. This can only be solved by the sword if you cannot understand.”


  Zhao Si had risen to Du Hongtan’s height, but as she spoke, she was still rising. Her lifebond sword had been destroyed in the past Wei River battle, yet the desperate straits caused her to see a new world. A hot sword essence came out of her body as she attacked.

  A red line appeared on the base of the enormous monument ahead of her. Then this enormous monument of unknown weight was broken. The seal lines in the monument shone with light again, but this time, they were not flowing with cold starfire, but a hot lava-like red flame. The enormous monument started to turn red and boil.

  This enormous monument became her sword, and smashed towards Du Hongtan opposite her.

  Du Hongtang was arrogant and unreasonable towards her. So her reaction would be even more arrogant.

  Seeing this enormous sword fall towards him, Du Hongtan’s expression grew serious. He sighed sincerely. “The cultivators of the Zhao Sword Furnace are really rare geniuses in the world. When you broke this formation in an instant, you sensed all the seal lines when fighting the starfire contained within. And only cultivators of the Zhao Sword Furnace have such spirit to wield a sword like this.”


  As he spoke, this enormous monument sword reached him. The enormous monument was red all over as though it would melt at any moment. The high temperature caused his hair to dry immediately and start burning.

  He reached out with his hand. Black energy fell down from the rock above like black sand and fell towards his arm. His sword pressed on the hot enormous monument.

  Whines emerged from within the monument like giant iron ships rubbing against each other. The entire monument abruptly stopped.

  Du Hongtan’s body did not even waver. His body was extremely small compared to the monument, yet no rock fragment even fell off from under his feet. The black energy coming out of his hand bore all the force.

  Black sand continued to fall down from the rock above, and bore this unreasonably arrogant Zhao Sword Furnace sword.

  Zhao Si stood with her hands behind her back. Her index and middle fingers were together and pressed against the monument.

  The monument slashed downwards like a sword. Her body was above the monument. She pressed all the power of her body and the weight of the monument towards Du Hongtan.

  Du Hongtan stopped this blow easily. She frowned and sneered. “I had not expected the academian of the Changling imperial palace to not cultivate the sword, but these ghostly tactics.”


  Hearing her mocking voice, Du Hongtan shook his head and laughed. “Child, do notforget, when I achieved fame, Yuanwu and that person had not been born yet. At our time, was Changling the world of swordsmen?”


  Zhao Si did not argue. She recalled this was the truth. Also, she had mustered her full power, any extra word would be difficult for her.

  But Du Hongtan was still relaxed. He looked sympathetically at Zhao Si who had reached her limit. He said, “The Great Floating Water Prison existed from the time of the previous dynasty. Countless powerful cultivators died, full of injustice. In terms of the so-called ghostly arts, where in Changling is more suitable than here? From the start, I reminded you this is the Great Floating Water Prison, this is my home …… As long as I am here, I will be the strongest. You used up a lot of energy to defeat the monument. How can you win against me now?”


  More black sand started to fall. The enormous monument started to rise and press towards Zhao Si.

  The Dongling Army started to form formations outside of the Great Floating Water Prison. The leading commander thought of Bai Shanshui’s air when she spoke to him, and his expression remained uncertain.

  In the deepest part of the water prison, footsteps sounded and Shen Xuan’s figure appeared in the deepest cell.

  Seeing him, sitting like a rotten lotus pad at the center of the water, Lin Zhujiu laughed.

  “You understand whatI mean now?”


  He looked at Shen Xuan who remained expressionless.

  “Bai Shanshui may not win against Du Qingli, Zhao Si cannot be a match for Du Hongtan. I do not know how you can laugh so happily,” Shen Xuan looked at the smiling Lin Zhujiu and said coldly.

  Lin Zhujiu’s smile did not fade and said, “I laugh because you made a good choice.”


  “There is no choice.” Shen Xuan looked down and said coldly and with a powerful presence, “If you want to laugh outside, you need to at least defeat the two academians, and win against me.”


  His words were hard to understand. But at this time, an unusual presence came from a cell very close to this place.

  A powerful and indestructible presence.

  That cell contained Zhao Shiwu who was on the verge of death.

  The Great Floating Water Prison would not let people die, but would not let those on the verge of death get stronger, especially realm seven cultivators and above. Especially grandmasters stronger than usual grandmasters.

  But the presence coming out of that cell caused many people to feel anxious and terrified again.

  Shen Xuan’s eyes did not change. This seemed to be something that should be happening.

  Volume 4 13 - First Step

  In the night, a silver ribbon-like stream flowed across the endless grassland. This stream was a natural boundary between the Qin Dynasty and the Wuzhi country. On one side was the Wuzhi kingdom of the plains, and the other the Qin border city.

  A wooden bucket slowly floated down the stream. A large man with a long beard but a shaved head casually grabbed the floating wood bucket. The bucket was old but very clean so he casually scooped up some water with it for the grey-white horse behind him to drink.

  Footsteps sounded in the grass.

  The bearded man looked along the sound and his thick brow slowly rose in challenge.

  A black heavier than night appeared in his sight.

  This was a Qin border soldier much smaller than him, wearing black leather armor and carrying an ordinary iron sword.

  “This is my watering bucket.”


  The Qin border soldier went to the stream. Looking at the challenging gaze, his expression darkened and he nodded at the wooden bucket.

  The bearded man looked disdainfully at the soldier half a head shorter than him and said, “The wooden bucket floated down from upstream. You say it is yours. If a princess floated down, will you also say it is yours?”


  This Qin soldier coldly shook his head and said, “I will not accept a princess of your grasslands even if you give her to me. I just want my bucket.”


  The bearded man heard this and anger surged. He flushed red and said angrily, “What did you say?”


  The Qin soldier did not look at him, just the wooden bucket behind him. He repeated, “Return my watering bucket.”


  “Really?”


  The man laughed angrily and took a step back. He gripped the handle of the long blade at his saddle and he snarled. “You have the balls to cross the stream and take it?”


  The Qin soldier had a strange look flash through his eyes. He slowly said, “You forced me.”


  The bearded man smiled. He did not think the Qin soldier would dare to cross the stream. Yet in the next moment, his smile froze.

  This Qin soldier in black armor started to cross the stream.

  Clang!

  When this Qin soldier stepped onto firm ground, the bearded man’s long blade had left its sheath.

  His long blade reflected the moonlight as he pointed it at the Qin soldier’s chest and said coldly, “Go back.”


  The Qin soldier gripped his sword hilt. He did not look at the man, only the wooden bucket. “What if I do not?”


  The man stilled and said harshly, “If you do not, I will kill you.”


  The Qin soldier sneered in disbelief. He held the sword hilt, and took a step forward to get the watering bucket.

  “You want to die!”


  The bearded man shouted. He swung his blade forward. His original intention was to scare this Qin soldier and yet unexpectedly, the Qin soldier did not try to avoid his blow. With a pop, his blade passed through the Qin soldier’s chest.

  The bearded man was stunned, his face turning pale under the moonlight.

  “You ……”


  He looked at the blood coming out of the mouth of the Qin soldier hanging from his blade. He did not believe it and was unable to speak.

  “Is it worth it for a bucket?”


  The Qin soldier was not looking at the bucket now, but at the sky above, murmuring as he nostalgically gazed at the clean moon.

  A horrified scream broke through the night sky.

  Looking at the Qin soldier falling down the blade, this usually brave Wuzhi soldier trembled all over.

  He did not know what was happening.

  The Qin Dynasty had large territories. Even an eagle would have to fly for a long time from the border with Wuzhi to Changling.

  In the moonlight, a youth walked into an elegant compound and sat down in a pavilion by the lotus pond.

  A pretty palace attendant walked behind him.

  The youth did not turn around and said coolly, “Since the empress is looking for me, why does she not come see me?”


  “Her Majesty will arrive soon.” The pretty palace attendant responded softly and stood at the side.

  The youth’s eyebrows rose slightly. The moonlight and starlight seemed to suddenly brighten.

  The youth turned around and saw the empress slowly walking over, her face extremely perfect.

  The youth finally became solemn and bowed to the empress, saying, “An Baoshi greets Your Majesty.”


  The empress’ face flashed with an indescribable porcelain light. She looked at An Baoshi and said slowly without any opening, “The Yuezhi have submitted, the Wuzhi remain. If we conquer the Donghu, then there will be no trouble in fighting the Qi and Yan later.”


  An Baoshi stilled. In the span of a breath, he started to understand the terrifying meaning in the empress’ words. He frowned slightly and did not answer.

  “Some people are usable, and some are unusable.” The empress looked at him and said, “I want to hear your opinion.”


  An Baoshi thought and smiled. “One needs to do great things in life. What you are doing are the greatest things in the world.”


  The empress was very satisfied with his words and smiled as well. But her smile shone with the icy porcelain light and no joy.

  Green Vine Sword School.

  A swordsman came to the courtyard gates. His sword was very wide and large. The other swordsmen of Changling all carried swords on their back, in their hands, or by their waists, but he walked on the sword.

  He was Guo Dongshan.

  The empress had him see Zhang Shiwu to the Great Floating Water Prison. But because of the problem of delivering orders, he went to stop the cultivators of the God Killing Army. He was a grandmaster who was not well-known but many important people knew of his strength.

  This grandmaster visiting deep in the night naturally had profound meaning.

  The principal of Green Vine Sword School, Di Qingmei, immediately appeared in front of Guo Dongshan.

  Guo Dongshan appeared very humble. He first put away his sword and bowed to Di Qingmei. Then his face grew solemn and he slowly said, “Principal Di, the war between the Qin and Wuzhi will begin tonight.”


  “What!” Di Qingmei changed his expression. He thought he heard incorrectly.

  “All these words are just me speaking nonsense. Listen and forget. The world does not know when the Qin and Wuzhi war will begin, but in three days, the Qin Dynasty and the Wuzhi will fight. It is the Wuzhi who triggered the war tonight.”


  Guo Dongshan looked silently at Di Qingmei and said, “This is a battle of the dynasty so the empress has orders for all the swordsmen and students, except those who teach daily courses, to go towards the Wuzhi border, including Principal Di yourself.”


  Di Qingmei’s body shuddered and he looked in disbelief at Guo Dongshan.

  “Do not worry, it is not just the Green Vine Sword School.”


  Guo Dongshan took a deep breath and looked up at the bright moon. He slowly said, “It will be for all the Changling cultivation places …… After today, Green Vine Sword School and White Goat Cave will both exist, but the future students will obey the Warden’s Office’s orders and work for the Qin military.”


  The words made Di Qingmei even more shocked. Even though he did not dare to disobey the orders of the mistress of the palace usually, he could not help but say in a trembling voice, “Is she crazy?”


  **

  “Is she crazy?”


  During this night, someone else said the same words. But this person had calm emotions.

  This was a middle-aged man in plain robes. Behind him was an old Daoist temple.

  There was old wormwood growing on the eaves of the temple. These wormwood were a unique golden color. They would not wither in the snowy weather and gave off jewel-like light.

  This temple was the Treasure Light Temple.

  Standing in front of the middle-aged man was an official from the Warden’s Office. This official should be of high rank. Because his presence was so strong he shrouded almost all of the Treasure Light Temple.

  “Not just the Treasure Light Temple, it is the same for all cultivation places.”


  “Treasure Light Temple was built by the imperial decree of the previous emperor and also built inside Changling. Mister Chen, you are a grandmaster and should know that you should follow the will of heaven.” Hearing the man’s response, the official said patiently and calmly.

  The plain-clothed man shook his head and smiled, saying, “I have only heard that there are some things that can be done, and some that cannot.” Pausing, he looked at the official and said, “You are also a cultivator, you should know that many cultivators do not want fame and wealth, but their freedom.”


  The high ranking official from the Warden’s Office narrowed his eyes. He was about to speak when the man interrupted him. “Do not think of using some great righteousness to suppress me. You need to know that most cultivation places are like the Zhao Sword Furnace. If we bow to the strong, then what is the difference between the external and internal enemies?”


  The official from the Warden’s Office took a deep breath and said, “You are determined?”


  The middle-aged man said nothing else.

  A pure sword essence came out of his body. A plain lifebond sword silently appeared in front of him. The sound of a giant mountain moving began in the sky.

  Yet at this time, he looked up and towards a turret.

  A force came from the peak of the turret like the entire tower was falling towards him.

  Translator Ramblings: Poor guy, he was so setup.

  Volume 3 13 - Horse Bandits

  Guanzhong had eight hundred miles of flat land with vast expanse of farms outside Lueyan District. The scenery looked like a beautiful painting with the occasional hill and village as adornment.

  The Xie Family caravan moved steadily and started to slow down thirty miles away from the district city.

  “What does this mean?” Fu Su said with a frown, when he noticed the Xie Family caravan slowing down.

  Right here, dry fields and unplowed lands lined both sides of the road. There was no village around, only a moderately sized horse farm near a small stream. A dozen grazing horses were scattered on the hill.

  There did not appear to be anyone that was doing business with the Xie Family present.

  “They are just slowing down, not stopping completely. This means that this place is where they are conducting business, but the other is not here yet,” Ding Ning turned to look at Fu Su and said slowly.

  Forefather Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked like he was dozing but his thoughts were active.

  Suddenly, his ears moved slightly. He heard something.

  “It’s horse bandits.” A few moments later, Ding Ning took a deep breath and said as he looked at Fu Su.

  “Horse bandits?”


  Fu Su was shocked and puzzled. But then he sensed the slight vibrations on the bottom of the carriage, caused by the wheels on the ground. He immediately realized and frowned.

  In the eight hundred miles of Guanzhong, there were no mountains or rivers that would hamper the pursuit of armies if someone were to flee from them. But even without any mountain bandits, there were still other bandits.

  The flat plains gave birth to horse bandits.

  The horse bandits usually had three or four horses each. They would never linger at a place and set camp at different places each day. The Qin Dynasty hated these locust-like horse bandits that did not produce anything and only caused destruction. The Qin Dynasty had cavalry specifically trained in Guanzhong to pursue and kill bandits. But an elite cavalry was hard to train while horse bandits were an easy occurrence. Often, when one group was destroyed, two others would emerge.

  A long trail of dust rose in the distant fields. Soon, a group of horse bandits appeared in Ding Ning and Fu Su’s line of sight.

  There were more than a hundred people in this group, each one with at least four horses. Other than the one they rode, and the one they kept as a spare, the other horses were heavily burdened with luggage. Both the heavy bags and the horses were stained with dry black blood.

  Though they were all dressed differently, the horse bandits had yellow cloths covering their faces. Even though their bodies were not upright and lacked the bearings of the Qin cavalry, they gave off a cold and bloodthirsty presence.

  Ding Ning’s gaze grew colder. In terms of numbers, these horse bandits were not much. Strong horse bandits usually had over a thousand horses, and thousands in reserve. They had the power to openly fight small groups of cavalry and cultivators. Yet, from the height of the dust that rose under the hooves of the horses, he could judge that these horses were extraordinarily burdened.

  It was normal for a caravan to transport heavy items, but for horse bandits, if they carried too much, it would be fatal.

  The Xie Family only had carriages that carried people, and each carriage clearly had passengers. They could not carry the weight from the horse bandits’ burdens.

  For Ding Ning, this meant danger.

  “These bandits’ spare horses seem to be laden,” Fu Su turned and said seriously to him, “and they do not look large, so it is likely to be some seal weapons or military equipment.”


  Fu Su was the most valued son of Emperor Yuanwu and the empress. He had been taught from birth by wise teachers. Ding Ning was not surprised that he could make such an evaluation.

  He nodded. “These bandits do not look like they are conducting business but coming for a fight.”


  —


  “Even the drivers of the three carriages are not ordinary people.” In the Xie Family carriage, Xie Lianying did not look at the gang of horse bandits coming towards him. He put more attention on the three black carriages following behind him.

  Seeing the three carriages remain calm, a relaxed smile appeared on Xie Lianying’s slightly plump and greasy face. “Even the carriage drivers are so relaxed. This important person from Changling must possess high status.”


  “Let’s go out.”


  In the next moment, his smile disappeared only to be gradually replaced by rare coldness. “Let’s not waste this important person’s time.”


  The bandit group suddenly stopped when they were hundreds of meters away from the Xie Family caravan and then arranged themselves in a line. Under the control of the bandits, the horses they rode and the burdened horses all stopped. Dust stirred at the hooves like fire burning. But the riders and the hooves were silent and gave off a mountainous pressure.

  A horse bandit with gray hair slowly urged his horse forward. He saw Xie Lianying and Xie Rou who had walked out of the carriage. His slightly yellowed and dim eyes flashed with light. Then his gaze landed on the three black carriages of the Zhou Family in the distance and his brow imperceptibly furrowed.

  “Where are our people and goods?”


  Seeing this bandit come out, Xie Lianying spoke first with a smile as he walked to the helm of his caravan.

  The gray-haired horse bandit looked calmly at him, without breaching his silence.

  As the dust trail behind them settled slowly, the sight of tens of horses in the distance came into view.

  Those horse bandits were in a small circle with a dozen riders, dressed in different clothing, at the center.

  “Your people know where your goods are.”


  The gray-haired horse bandit leader spoke calmly, “Your people have seen them. Now you should let us see what we want.”


  Xie Lianying nodded. His expression did not change but his tone suddenly grew disdainful. “I really admire your bravery. You dare to even rob my people …… you really think that anyone in Guanzhong can touch the Xie Family?”


  The gray-haired horse bandit frowned deeply.

  He could discern an unusual meaning in Xie Lianying’s words, yet he said nothing. His left hand released the reins and was about to lift up.

  “Do not think you can casually kill one of my people to threaten me.” Xie Lianying’s eyes narrowed and he said disdainfully, “See what I brought you first and then speak.”


  As he spoke, the drivers of the other two carriages lifted the curtains of the carriages in unison.

  The gray-haired horse bandit leader’s body suddenly froze.

  There was only one passenger in each of the two carriages.

  One was an old woman with white hair. The other a child of five or so

  Xie Lianying looked at the stupefied horse bandit leader and said with great disdain, “How about it? Is what I bring you important enough?”


  “You can kill any of my people starting now as you please.”


  In the next breath, this seemingly tacky merchant changed expression and sneered. “But if you kill one, I will have your Chen Family have no elders or children.”


  Ding Ning and Fu Su were trying to hear the conversation between Xie Lianying and the horse bandit leader. Fortunately, they were not quiet so they could hear some things.

  So, while they could not see what was in the two carriages, the pair quickly realized what was present through Xie Lianying’s words.

  “These are not true horse bandits. Or rather, they usually have other identities.”


  Fu Su turned to look at Ding Ning and said softly, “They stole the Xie Family and their goods but they didn’t expect the Xie Family to investigate them and also kidnap their people.”


  The horse bandit leader took a deep breath, yet maintained his silence.

  Xie Lianying continued.

  He looked sympathetically at the horse bandit leader, shook his head and said, “While my Xie Family cannot compare to the true nobility in Changling, we have been in Guanzhong for more than fifty years. What kind of storm have we not weathered! Your children think that you can replace the Xie Family’s position with tactics like these?”


  “It’s fine if you want to attack the Xie Family.”


  Xie Lianying’s tone suddenly turned harsh and his expression frosty. “But you should know what the Xie Family is transporting. You are also Qin, you can do something like this?”


  Hearing Xie Lianying’s words, the horse bandit leader slowly shook his head. His dim yellow eyes showed a deep powerlessness.

  Then he took off the yellow cloth covering his face.

  Underneath was a pale and thin face.

  “This son is unfilial to have brought you a fright.”


  This thin gray-haired man bowed deeply to the old woman in the Xie Family carriage. Then his expression turned calm. He looked at Xie Lianying and simply said, “We will trade people.”


  Xie Lianying smiled coldly. He knew that starting today, these people could only become true horse bandits so he nodded and said, “Agreed.”


  The horse bandit leader took a deep breath. His left hand once again left the reins.

  But at this time, a cold voice sounded behind him. “I want to try.”


  Translator Ramblings: I had a hard time visualizing this so this is how I think they are laid out. The horse bandits and the Xie Family are facing off. Ding Ning’s group is located a fair distance behind the Xie Family. Then there is a small group of bandits behind the main bandit group in a circle, keeping other members of the Xie Family and their good hostage.