Chapter Twenty Six: Corrosion of Heaven
writer:
无罪 update:2022-07-21 15:26
When the words were said, the world here seemed to abruptly quieten. Even Zhangsun Qianxue stopped breathing for a while.
The words echoed in Ding Ning’s mind. Of course he understood the meaning of the words, and his face turned pale. He looked at the people holding the lanterns from the carriages around Sima Cuo. He finally understood why the presence of the train of carriages was so odd. Why, while these carriage drivers and attendants were so far from grandmaster level, they were so unafraid and possessed a calm presence.
Because these people came from the imperial guards of the palace. That presence was the so-called imperial presence they gained from following the emperor. This train of carriages was the imperial train.
A ripple appeared in the Donghu monk’s mind as well. He seemed to sense something, and looked to the side nearby.
There was a desolate hill there. The attendants and carriages of the emperor had come here, but Emperor Yuanwu was not here, but on that hill.
In the forest on that hill, there was an ordinary stone house, but at this time, it was neatly decorated. Emperor Yuanwu, dressed in ordinary cloth robes, was drinking tea. There was a young palace attendant standing in front of him, lifting a teapot from a small red clay stove to power tea for him.
When the Donghu monk was looking towards this hill, he had just lifted the cup. But in the next moment, as he bowed his head to drink, the teacup slowly fell in front of him. Many crystal ripples appeared in the space between him and the Donghu monk. His figure disappeared from his spot, passing through the ripples and appearing at the tail of the train of carriages.
His figure seemed to suddenly add something to a quiet scene. He filled the sight, and gave people the uncomfortable feeling he was not real.
When his body stopped, a terrifying roar finally erupted through the air behind him and the hill. It was like a long city wall that collapsed in sections. This was a state that was hard to understand, or at least, this was a state that all of the realm seven cultivators in the world could not understand at this time. Even the primal energies of the universe that flowed off his body were like rays of dazzling light, so much that people could not look straight at him in the face.
Ding Ning narrowed his eyes. He looked deeply at this man who appeared at the tail of the train of carriages, the Emperor of the Qin. Yuanwu’s face had not changed compared to more than a decade ago. Time had not seemed to leave any traces on him.
Ding Ning’s heart sank deeper in his body. But strangely, there was no fury or negative emotions. He did not expect to meet Yuanwu at this time and place.
Zhangsun Qianxue’s hands slowly clenched together. Her body was much colder than the surrounding wind and snow. But her hands could not help but break out in a cold sweat.
She looked at Yuanwu who was on the carriage. His face and figure was very average. Many years ago, she felt that everything about Yuanwu was ordinary, but this seemingly ordinary person made it to the peak of the world.
During the Deer Mountain Conference, when the grandmasters of the world gathered, Yuanwu had been wary of many things, and hid his presence. But when he flattened a mountain with a blow, and revealed his cultivation, it was like the world was under his feet and he was looking down at her, the Donghu monk and Ding Ning.
He glanced at the Donghu monk, and said, “You are not a match for me, how about you work for this Lonely One?”
His voice was very average, but full of authority and very lofty, that people would feel if he said such a thing, the Donghu monk would not object at all and obey. Because he was the strongest and most powerful emperor of the time. Even if he lost this war, and the land of many commanderies, the Qin Dynasty he possessed held twice more land than other dynasties.
On the hill, Ye Xiao’s breathing became slightly disturbed. He had not met Yuanwu officially for a long time. And Yuanwu’s strength right now created indescribable pressure on him.
But the Donghu monk shook his head, looked at Yuanwu and said, “You are injured.”
Sima Cuo was shocked. Many people in the train were shocked.
Starting from the end of the Deer Mountain Conference, the cultivators of many dynasties had speculated many times that Emperor Yuanwu had been injured during the Deer Mountain Conference. But those were just speculations, and it was completely different from this powerful Donghu monk stating it.
Yuanwu’s eyebrows rose slightly. There was no ferocity on his face. He nodded casually. “This cannot be hidden from you, but you are still not a match for this Lonely One.”
The Donghu monk considered and then said, “That may not be the case.”
Emperor Yuanwu did not speak more. He glanced at the Donghu monk and there was a soft sound in the air. His gaze seemed to become two bright swords that stabbed at the Donghu monk’s face.
The Donghu monk remained standing motionlessly, like a tree that had died for a thousand years. Even the wood staff he held did not move. Two bright sword lights suddenly disappeared a foot away from him.
But after the two sword lights disappeared, the Donghu monk raised his foot and took a step forward. He raised the wood staff he was holding. There was a dull bang. In the void in front of him, a terrifying force that collided with the wood staff in his hand creating a deep loud sound like that of an invisible bell.
There was no pause. His wood staff then attacked. More than a hundred feet away, Emperor Yuanwu disappeared from the carriage, turning into an afterimage, while his true body appeared behind the monk.
Emperor Yuanwu’s true body gripped a golden yellow long sword that he thrust at the Donghu monk’s back. The energy at the tip of his sword split apart, forming a crystal flower in the air. The shining bright yellow light did not even have time to bloom. The speed of this sword surpassed the limits of a realm seven grandmaster’s understanding. This was just as strong as the blow that killed Yan Ying back at the Deer Mountain Conference.
But the wood staff of the Donghu monk still appeared at the perfect position and tapped on the blade.
At this moment, it was like Emperor Yuanwu was split in two. He was thrusting a sword at the Donghu monk from both the front and the back. But this Donghu monk seemed to have finished two things at the same time, first time blocking Emperor Yuanwu’s attack from the front and then fending him off from the back.
Enormous dust waves surged from in front and behind the Donghu monk, accompanied by countless tangible bright yellow lines of light. The figures of Emperor Yuanwu on the carriage and behind the Donghu monk suddenly collapsed, like a dream, but then, Emperor Yuanwu’s true figure returned to the carriage. His brows were furrowed, his eyes flashing. During such a battle, he was thinking deeply about a very important question.
“It was not expected that you are already so strong.” When most people present had yet to recover from their shock, he looked firmly at the Donghu monk and took a deep breath. “You cannot be about as fast as this Lonely One, your speed comes from your directness, that you can turn the surrounding into your world. In such a cramped world, you have the speed to keep up with this Lonely One. But you cannot possess such understanding of the sword…… not even this Lonely One. Only one person could use such a sword.”
“Then is it because of you?”
Emperor Yuanwu’s gaze landed on Ding Ning. His eyes were probing and puzzled. “You got his Nine Death Silkworm method, but how did you inherit his understanding of the sword?”
Ding Ning did not answer his questions. He nodded solemnly at the Donghu monk in front of him. Then he pointed with his finger. Countless thin lifebond sword energies shot out of his fingers and left behind multiple light tracks.
Many people could not understand his movements right now, but the several grandmasters present stopped breathing. They sensed a profound and powerful sword path.
This was a sword move.
The Donghu monk’s yellowed eyes grew bright. In his senses, these tracks of light were a sword move only he could comprehend in this moment. This sword move was perfectly fitting with the method he cultivated and his state at this time. It even had a restraining effect on Yuanwu’s sword essence. He knew that because of Emperor Yuanwu coming in person, their opponent was too strong for them. So Ding Ning could not keep anything back, and must do all he could to find a chance to win.
“Corrosion of Heaven!”
Emperor Yuanwu’s pupils contracted. He shouted the name of this sword. But even he only felt a part of this sword essence, and just knew the fame of this move.
Volume 5 26 - Gaze at Donghu
In the morning sunlight, when the mountainous Marquis Xu of Hengshan walked into the clinic where Ding Ning was, many people in Changling were looking up at the turrets of Changling.
After the night passed, they finally discovered the strength of this old person. They finally discovered that this old man may be the strongest cultivator of Changling below Emperor Yuanwu.
But when most of them looked at the turrets in the morning sun, the hate and anger in their eyes far surpassed their awe. Few were able to have access to this old man so few could understand this old man’s thoughts. Especially those people from cultivation places that had been forced to obey. They only remembered the number of people the old man had killed this night, and how many of the people they had known and respected had died at the hands of this old man.
“Teacher, I am unable to find clues to the Nine Death Silkworm.”
Under the morning light, Huang Zhenwei once again ascended the turret to the highest point. He looked with a pained gaze at the old man sitting on the rattan chair, indescribably aged after a night. “I am thinking now, did you deliberately give me hope like this so I will not stay by your side and stop you. The Nine Death Silkworm is too good at strategy. How can someone like me find it?”
At those words, Mo Shoucheng laughed and then said softly, “Do not belittle yourself. You are my student.”
Even the cold general standing behind him knew that these words were the greatest compliment, because all of Changling knew Mo Shoucheng only had two students, Emperor Yuanwu in his youth and then later on, Huang Zhenwei……
“Doubting me or yourself has no meaning now.” Mo Shoucheng slowly lifted his head. As his head rose, another crack seemed to appear in the sky, and another great power fell towards a certain place in Changling.
Huang Zhenwei caught a whiff of blood.
Mo Shoucheng’s blow landed very far away. Even though it created a similar bloody wave like last night, Huang Zhenwei would not be able to smell the blood scent from there.
The scent of blood now came from Mo Shoucheng’s body and the wrinkles in his face. Blood was actually flowing out of his facial wrinkles. His face seemed to have been sliced countless times like the sword essences from the grandmasters last night finally reached his body.
Huang Zhenwei looked at this scene in the morning light. He opened his mouth wide and struggled to breathe like a dying fish, but he could not breathe or speak.
The light in Mo Shoucheng’s eyes dimmed slightly but his expression did not change. Another powerful presence was exuded off his body and caused the blood seeping out of his face to fly in droplets.
“Do not!” Huang Zhenwei clearly sensed something and he finally made sound.
“This sword will have to be completed,” Mo Shoucheng said calmly and then spat a mouthful of blood.
A ball of blood splashed on his chest.
The sword essence in the sky finally formed and landed.
As the sword essence fell down, his body lay softly on the rattan chair behind him. His wrinkles were bone-deep and his remaining white hair all fell off.
He was like a candle. When he burned to the end, he turned to ash.
Where Mo Shoucheng’s last sword essence landed, there were some officials from the Principal Martial Bureau standing behind an army. When the sword essence landed, a tall wall in front of the army was abruptly cut down. Behind the crack in the tall walls, bloody mist rose.
These officials from the Principal Martial Bureau had slightly relaxed expressions. A military order was delivered to these officials.
“Min Mountain Sword Sect agreed? That wineshop youth also calmly accepted?” One of the officials who just relaxed was both shocked and joyed.
One official inexplicably started to feel sympathy for Ding Ning whom the people of Changling called the wine shop youth. He looked up and gazed towards the northwest.
At the end of the Qin lands there was an endless and desolate plain. Even though the heat of Changling had not yet faded, over there, the grass was frosted over and turning white. In the heavy cold, large groups of cavalry shouted and moved like the wind. They hunted the beasts on the plains and did not even spare the seeds of wild grasses.
For the Donghu people, this was their harvest. The vast plains originally had enough space for them to have repeated harvests and have enough to live on. But for some of the Qin armies, the battlefields the Donghu people travelled through meant a sweep.
There were not many cultivators among the Donghu, but they had all kinds of strange weapons that could kill cultivators. Even more importantly, the supply lines and some chariots could not keep up with the feet of the Donghu. It was difficult for reinforcements to arrive. At least, in the past, the Qin army did not have experience fighting Donghu and no experience at winning.
At this time, these officials of the Principal Martial Bureau were considering since the mad mistress of the imperial palace dared to make such a decision, this meant that the situation Ding Ning would face would be more dangerous than most border armies. So no one felt it was wrong for Ding Ning to take some people along.
The mist parted slightly on Min Mountain Sword Sect.
In a hall used for healing, Xie Changsheng opened a letter. After a quick read, his happy face turned to fury. Then he shouted. “Ding Ning, what do you mean! You let Nangong Caishu go with you to Donghu but not me! You look down upon me, you think my sister dead and you have thought about Nangong Caishu!”
His furious voice echoed in the hall. The Min Mountain Sword Sect grandmaster who had resided all this time in the hall frowned, but in the next moment, he froze.
“Someone come quick, I am leaving Min Mountain Sword Sect!”
The second time Xie Changsheng shouted, this Min Mountain Sword Sect grandmaster appeared in his sight.
“You are really leaving the Min Mountain Sword Sect?” Even though he was certain he had not heard incorrectly, this Min Mountain Sword Sect grandmaster was still stunned.
“He does not let me go to the Donghu border so I cannot go?” Xie Changsheng sneered. “Will I be unable to go?”
No one in Min Mountain Sword Sect stopped Xie Changsheng because he was not a student of Min Mountain Sword Sect. Everyone was just used to him freeloading here and forgot about him.
Ding Ning asked for a few days to recover and wait for some people. He was just a “wineshop youth” in Changling and did not have anything he needed to prepare.
A fast horse appeared in his sight. On the back was a dusty yet handsome young woman.
This was Nangong Caishu, who Xie Changsheng was angry with.
After the Min Mountain Sword Trials, Nangong Caishu and Ding Ning had not met. During this period of time, Ding Ning had done many stunning things. While the time was short, it seemed to have been years.
Nangong Caishu, on the way here, had been thinking what it would be like when she met Ding Ning again. But inexplicably, when she finally saw Ding waiting for her, she suddenly thought of that time outside Min Mountain Sword Sect when Xue Wangxu died. Her nose felt sore and she could not avoid feeling proud of Ding Ning.
Getting off her horse, she forced her tears back and squeezed out a smile. “Ding Ning, I am proud of you.”
“I am just doing what I want to do as best as possible.” Ding Ning smiled and said, “I have burdened many people.”
Nangong Caishu said, “That is their own choice.”
“You were not long in Min Mountain Sword Sect but you have grown much older.” Ding Ning looked at Nangong Caishu and smiled. But then his smile quickly faded and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you know why I want you to come with me to Donghu?”
Nangong Caishu shook her head.
Ding Ning looked at her and said seriously, “I asked Marquis Xu of Hengshan some things. He told me that your father will be an important general in charge of the Donghu border army.”
Nangong Caishu stilled.
Ding Ning continued. “I think that the empress sent him there because you and I are friends. I thought that if you and he are together, at least you will be reassured.”
Nangong Caishu took a deep breath and nodded. Then she gave a small smile. “No matter what, to be able to fight in Father’s army as one of his soldiers is something I will thank you for.”
“I want to know Min Mountain Sword Sect’s arrangement for everyone else,” Ding Ning looked at her and said.
Translator Ramblings: The nice thing about an absolute monarchy is you can move most people around like you please.
Volume 3 27 - Presence
The power that Forefather Zhou released was not fierce, but the moment Ding Ning’s body passed through the stone structure, there was an even stronger force squeezing him, his bones creaked like they were on the verge of snapping.
Blood beaded along Ding Ning’s mouth. He knew this force came from the formation of the stone structure. Since Forefather Zhou had come here once before, he naturally knew about this formation. Also, since he was being used to lure away the blind dragon, he would not be allowed to die so easily.
As a result, he felt no shock at all. With a muffled grunt, the hidden little silkworms in his body suddenly started to violently surge and consume the cold fiendish energy Forefather Zhou had forced into his body.
Immediately, cracking sounds rang from within his body; so tightly packed, it was intimidating. But his body had flown deep into the blue structure, so Forefather Zhou on the outside, could not detect the sounds at all.
With a poof, his body landed heavily among dried yellow leaves and sent the rotten leaves and dirt that had been gathered since many years, into the air.
The rotten leaves were dry and weathered. The unknown trees and vines in the surroundings were tightly packed and filled the entire blue structure.
Through the gaps of these branches and vines, he could see complicated seal scripts on the inner walls of the structure. These scripts flashed with light and gave off a holy presence. There were some strange statues standing among the packed trees. The statues had no features but emanated a peculiar murderousness.
Knowing the blind dragon would arrive soon, Ding Ning, who had fallen into a corner of this blue structure, did not adjust his posture. His body lay strangely on the ground, like a carrot pulled halfway out of the dirt. The little silkworms in his body were feeding at a faster rate.
Life and death was only the difference of moments.
The cold energy that filled his meridians like black sand were quickly disconstructed by the frenzied feeding of the little silkworms.
At this time, countless straight lines appeared in the dried leaves in front of him and stretched towards his body.
When these ruler-straight lines were tens of feet away from him, a terrifying presence pressed on his body. Pew pew pew pew …… straight tears appeared on his clothing. Streaks of blood also surfaced on the skin underneath the clothing. His body looked like it would split into pieces along these bloody lines in the next moment.
With Ding Ning’s present cultivation, he could not resist this kind of power. However, his visage was extremely calm.
The numerous little silkworms in his body were retreating at an unimaginable rate. The moment these little silkworms hid away, his breathing and heartbeat completely stopped.
The energy and flowing presence in his body seemed to have been sucked away by these little silkworms. His skin lost its heat.
He was clearly alive, but he was like a corpse that had been dead for a long time.
The ruler-straight presences that reached towards his body stilled in bewilderment.
The slight vibration caused by this pause crushed all the dried leaves and vines in the surroundings into powder.
A mist of yellow and grey appeared before him.
A ball of black appeared within the expanding ball of mist, growing larger as it emerged.
An enormous black head poked out of the mist ball and appeared in front of Ding Ning.
This was an enormous black head that looked like a giant catfish. There were dozens of flesh whiskers floating underneath its chin, but it did not have a mouth or eyes. Atop its black skull were more than a dozen marks that flashed with jewel-like light, like precious black stones.
The enormous head, bigger than several adults combined, was without features. This was a weird sight. Also, the cruel and powerful light flashing in the black marks invoked the feeling that the presence of death was spreading.
This enormous black head moved slightly closer to Ding Ning. The energy it gave off pressed on Ding Ning. His bones once again creaked, and flesh was about to be torn into pieces. But the countless little silkworms in his body silently reappeared and went through his blood and flesh.
His entire body seemed to have become a cocoon.
This strange black form was the blind dragon, said to be as strong as a realm seven. It could not see, but it was exponentially more sensitive towards presences than ordinary cultivators. At this time, the marks on its black head were flashing violently, expressing its bewilderment.
A flesh whisker floated onto Ding Ning’s chest.
His clothes around the chest were reduced to fine powder, a black crack appeared on his chest.
In his consciousness, Ding Ning was aware of all this; but his mind maintained absolute calm, without any change.
The blind dragon’s head retreated slightly. It stilled for many breaths, then its head stirred slightly. It swayed several times around Ding Ning’s body before it slowly retreated and disappeared into the mist.
Sensing the blind dragon’s retreat, Ding Ning did not feel any joy because he could not stay here forever in such a condition. If his body showed any flow of presence, this blind dragon would return. Also, given this powerful beast’s intelligence, it would realize that he had fooled it.
He could not use the Nine Death Silkworm to fool the blind dragon again, but Ding Ning still believed he had a chance to survive.
His body still seemed dead. Without the flow of blood, his body heat dissipated. However, the little silkworms in his body were in motion again.
As if they were spitting silk, the little silkworms slowly spat out some energies that came out of his skin.
His body was instantly covered in pale white thread. Now, these threads of white energy flowed together and landed on the ground in front of him.
The stream of pale white energy twisted before forming several little swords. They passed through the ground in front of him, leaving behind criss-crossing marks.
Ding Ning’s body was coming back to life. The blood in his body started to surge.
He took a deep breath, an ear-splitting sound rang through the air.
In this instant, the blind dragon who had retreated, sensed the presence here. Wind gushed through the vines and branches, the leaves and branches hitting together created terrifying sounds.
A vicious and enormous presence passed through.
The black head once again appeared in Ding Ning’s sight.
The wound on Ding Ning’s chest started to bleed. He narrowed his eyes and managed to take a clear look at the blind dragon this time.
Behind the enormous black head was a round body. However, this body was extremely thin like skin over bones.
Countless energies surged off this blind dragon and passed under the ground like unseen swords. Unlike last time, the power it displayed this time was much greater. Dust burst from the ground. Ding Ning would not be able to survive the power contained in these waves of dust.
However, an unprecedented hint of authority surfaced in Ding Ning’s eyes.
“I want to negotiate with you.”
He raised his head, fixed his eyes on the blind dragon and spoke calmly, yet authoritatively.
At the same time, he gripped the Last Flower remnant sword and swung it towards the ground in front of him.
A sword light landed.
This sword light was extremely weak compared to the blind dragon. However, the sword mark left behind could connect to the multiple sword marks that had been left here before.
A unique presence emanated from these sword marks. There was no tangible power, just a faint presence.
But this presence seemed to be dispersed evenly through the surrounding world, a part of each stream of primal energies, and even part of this strange blue structure and its body.
It felt a shudder rise and quickly cover its entire body. Its advancing body and power came to a complete halt. Then, the entire space started to tremble.
It grew even more puzzled, then, it felt terror.
That presence surpassed its power. It had only sensed such a presence from the cultivator who had trapped it in this structure.
“I can let you out.”
Looking at the blind dragon, Ding Ning took a deep breath, knowing his gamble had succeeded. He looked at the blind dragon with even more authority and coldness as he spoke slowly.
Then he looked away from this terrifying and powerful beast to turn towards the wall at his side.
“Destruction is much easier than creation.”
He seemed to be talking to himself but also this blind dragon. He exhaled slowly and once again swung the Last Flower sword in hand.
Multiple sword energies that were not especially powerful shot out of the tip of the sword. They stabbed into the motionless air. In the next moment, they seemed to have disturbed invisible lines. Blue lightning suddenly struck in front of his body.
With a boom, blue lightning as thick as his leg stretched from his sword tip and landed on the multiple seal script on the inner walls of the structure.
The structure did not shake at all, but numerous miniscule flows of wind erupted from the ground.
The enormous blind dragon moved back tens of feet. Its body shook violently and pulled back all of the power it had released.
“It appears that we can have a good talk,” Ding Ning took a deep breath, looked at its body and slowly said.
Editor’s two cents: That’s How to train your dragon à la Ding Ning, people. sly smile
Translator Ramblings: For some reason, I imagine a catfish-mole creature …… whose powers are extremely biased towards the earth.
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