Chapter Forty Six Escape**
writer:
无罪 update:2022-07-21 15:26
The Wuzhi existed on the plains, and lived relatively well. In the eyes of outsiders, they primarily relied on sheep, cattle and horses. Yet the Wuzhi people knew that their ancestors were able to survive mainly by hunting. The deer of the plains were once their primary food source, and the wolves their greatest enemies thus becoming the most important holy animals among their totems.
The Wuzhi challenged their difficult environment, and then challenged all powerful beings that threatened them. One tribe managed to conquer the strongest wolf pack on the steppes, before unifying all the tribes on the steppes and becoming the royal Wuzhi Clan.
That strongest wolf pack were true grey wolves. Their fur was grey, and they were enormous, having astounding power and agility, and endurance equal to horses. Only royal Wuzhi members would possess such a grey wolf as a steed.
Before the last light of dusk had faded, Li Xixing had seen the owner of the five crescent moons. He had seen that the man wearing the tiger-skull mask was the commander of the three thousand cavalry, yet he had not imagined that this person was one of the royal Wuzhi family.
“I had not thought the commander of this three thousand army would be of the royal Wuzhi family.” Li Xixing slowly looked up to face the gaze within the tiger skull mask. He said slowly, “I had not thought a person like you would dare to leave the army and pursue us.”
The grey wolf landed, and as it panted furiously, wind gusts seemed to form in front of it.
The Wuzhi commander sitting on its saddle remained motionless, not in a hurry to move. He looked at Li Xixing and Hu Jingjing. He said in pure Guanzhong tongue, “You have many things you did not think of, so you suffered such a defeat.”
“The war has just started, you have all come out, yet we are only the vanguard.” Li Xixing shook his head coldly. “Regardless of how you put hopes on other dynasties, the Wuzhi will not have a good outcome.”
“So what if we destroy good and bad alike?” The Wuzhi commander looked at Li Xixing and sneered. “Even if our Wuzhi only have a few thousand people left, we are still Wuzhi. In a thousand years, the steppes will still have Wuzhi. But if you pay a heavy price, maybe there will be no more Qin in a century.”
Li Xixing was silent for a moment and said, “So I do not want to fight either.”
The Wuzhi commander laughed coldly. “Are these words not laughable coming from Fang?”
Li Xixing looked at him and said slowly, “I only killed some of the Wuzhi people robbing the border merchants.”
The Wuzhi commander sneered. “If the Qin did not deliberately make friends of distant countries and attack the ones nearby, why would the Wuzhi go rob the merchant caravans passing through our borders.”
Hu Jingjing looked at Li Xixing from behind his back. The shock and reverence in her eyes grew stronger. Listening to the conversation, she started to understand how Li Xixing, this youth abandoned by Changling, had done here, and possessed what kind of reputation. But these people who Wuzhi knew were ones who most people in Changling did not know.
“This kind of question cannot be answered.” Li Xixing looked coldly at the Wuzhi commander. “I am just an insignificant cultivator. All I can do is protect those merchant caravans, and not let them be slaughtered casually like sheep by wolf.”
“Actually, I respect you very much, especially when I pursued you and discovered the two of you managed to lure my cavalry into retreat.” The Wuzhi commander did not argue and said directly after a few moments, “So I must give you the courtesy of a true warrior. I am Wu Lianzi, the fifth prince of Wuzhi. I want to have a fair battle with you and then take your head.”
“I agree.” Li Xixing looked at this prince and said, “If you first dissipate half of the vital energy in your body.”
Wu Lianzi looked up and saw Li Xixing’s disdainful expression. His eyes held some anger but he did not speak, and suppressed half of his vital energy through his fingertips. His hands started to shine. Red vital energy, carrying indescribable fragrance, fell to the yellow grass on the two sides of his body. In the darkness, it seemed like pretty spirit flowers were blooming on the grass.
Hu Jingjing looked in disbelief at this scene. She had not expected the other really would do this. At this time, she sensed slightly tingling from her arm.
Some of Li Xixing’s hairs seemed to be blown by the wind and stabbed into her arm. Yet these hair strands could use the slight pain to remind this was not the wind. She could sense the characters the hair strand were carving on her face. She sensed more disbelief and even some shame.
“Nearly.”
Wu Lianzi was focused, his gaze akin to two sharp swords. His slow and determined tone showing his strong confidence and pride. He was slightly shorter than Li Xixing, yet he felt taller and imposing.
“Nearly.” Li Xixing repeated and then held his sword across his chest.
The pale white longsword he held now had three slanted seal scripts which irregularly stretched to the sword tip. The night wind suddenly grew wild and roared terrifyingly in front of him.
Li Xixing was recognized as strong in the young generation of Changling cultivators, yet in this life and death battle, his body was filled with an indescribable cold-blooded presence. A fang-like pale sword light shone. It created an unpredictable crescent in the air across almost a hundred feet and cut towards Wu Lianzi.
When this sword light shone, Wu Lianzi started to sprint. The tips of his feet tapped lightly on the yellow leaves as he passed through the air like the wind. The five curved blades on his black flew out, and five crescent moons danced around him.
The sword light fell on the blood moons. Pale white sword light splashed, and the tiger-skull mask he wore showed countless spiderweb cracks. But his gaze was still extremely confident and proud.
He let out a domineering shout, and caused the skull pieces around his mouth to spray out.
The five blood moons stood in front of him in a line like soldiers, and gradually merged together into a large and thick bloody long blade! He gripped this obviously heavy and thick long blade. Vital energy poured wildly out of his body. The air was compressed and immediately gave thunderous noises.
Facing this terrifying blade, Li Xixing’s expression grew colder. His sword did not move, but the vital energy coming out of his body caused an enormous wall to appear in the sky above him.
Then he smashed the wall in front of him!
Wu Lianzi’s tiger-skull mask fell down like porcelain pieces. The long blade in his hand did not swing forward, and shoved upwards like a pole.
A great boom!
He seemed to poke a hole in the sky.
A hole was created in the invisible wall. The enormous power dropped to the ground, but he was right in the hole. The ground shook. On both sides of his body, a deep wall-like mark appeared, about ten feet.
He defeated this attack like this, yet in the next moment, the unwounded Wu Lianzi screamed in fury. The moment after he poked a hole in the giant wall, Hu Jingjing had attacked from behind Li Xixing.
A candle-like light sword light did not fall towards his body and brushed against his side and the ground.
The sword light fell onto the giant grey wolf not far behind him.
This blow was not strong for cultivators, especially after Hu Jingjing became seriously injured. To Wu Lianzi, this was extremely weak. Even so, he had not expected after Li Xixing agreed to a fair battle, Hu Jingjing would attack.
This weak attack was enough against a giant wolf.
As he screamed furiously, the giant grey wolf furiously leapt in the air as it sensed danger. Yet the yellow sword still struck its two rear legs.
His hind-limbs were cut off and blood spewed.
Li Xixing had retreated. He grabbed Hu Jingjing and threw her onto his back like a bag. Then he quickly bent down and moved through the grass behind.
“Apologies.” As Wu Lianzi furiously screamed, Li Xixing bowed his head as he ran furiously and said softly to himself, “This is a war, and not grievances between two people.”
Volume 5 41 - An Unexpected War
“These corpses must be disposed of immediately.” Standing on the gates of the city and seeing the black and red wall, Ding Ning spoke slowly.
“How!” Nangong Caishu could not help but shout in fury.
Her body trembled violently. She did not want Ding Ning to vent his emotions, but she could not understand how he could maintain such calm despite witnessing such a scene.
“Your fury and hate surpass your sorrow right now.”
Ding Ning turned to look at Nangong Caishu and his expression grew cold. “Right now, when someone else massacred a Qin city, at least they left behind the women and the children. But our Qin army has also massacred other people’s cities. This is war. Hatred and anger towards enemies that you have already missed will only make you act impulsively and cause greater mistakes. There is no meaning.”
“No meaning?” Nangong Caishu’s expression grew unusually white. She bit her lips and gritted through her teeth. “You want me to not hate the people who massacred the city?”
Ding Ning said after a moment of silence, “You have to understand, it is not these generals in charge of leading armies and fighting who started this war, but the few people at the top of the world. If we pursue to the bottom, then who really caused these things?”
Nangong Caishu’s breathing stopped. She felt that she could not completely agree with Ding Ning’s words but she did not know how to counter either.
“Hatred cannot solve problems. Just now, you heard those women talk. The other used such a method to force Min Mountain Sword Sect from entering the war against Wuzhi. This is understandable. Our Qin army is invading another country’s land. What does this mean?”
A faintly bitter smile appeared on the corners of Ding Ning’s mouth. “I only know, if we do not dispose of these corpses now, I fear this will cause serious illness, and many of these women and children will die.”
“Being apathetic is what a successful commander needs?” Nangong Caishu laughed miserably.
“No.” Ding Ning shook his head. “Always thinking for those alive is what a general always needs to think about.”
Black smoke rose. The Imperial Guard Army started hot fires to burn the corpses in the city.
“This war is not easy to fight.”
Ding Ning first looked away from the burning fires and corpses, then coldly at Yin Mountain which was now close and slowly said, “I do not mean us.”
Nangong Caishu turned in shock to him.
Ding Ning slowly said, “Both the city guards and the army who came in from outside to reinforce them died near the city walls. There are not many Wuzhi cultivators who are able to massacre a city on their own. Only Yelu Canglang, called the steppe wolf of the plains, is able to kill all the armies along the way so quickly.”
“He is the Generalissimo of Wuzhi.” Ding Ning unconsciously clenched his fists after a pause and said, “The generalissimo can put himself into danger and come here. This means that they will not fight according to our predictions. So they may not be like we had imagined, and try to delay until snowfall.”
Nangong Caishu started to understand what he meant. Her face, which had been recovering her flush, paled again. “You mean that they may mount a surprise ambush or attack head-on?”
Ding Ning nodded.
Nangong Caishu felt a wave of cold rise. She struggled to speak. “Then how can we pass the message to Yin Mountain as fast as possible?”
“It’s useless.” Ding Ning shook his head. “Even Yelu Canglang is here already. Even if the message we send will reach the border armies, it is too late. Also, those border generals have such status. Will they easily listen to our suggestions?”
“Yelu Canglang and the others may think …… they want to use a great victory to give Donghu and the Chu Dynasty confidence, no matter the price they pay. As long as the price is enough for them to stop the Qin Dynasty at Yin Mountain in the end so they do not become like the Yuezhi.”
No one was god and could not be omnipotent. Ding Ning had been mistaken on his judgement of Wuzhi, but at least, his prediction now was accurate.
The autumn of Qin Dynasty Yuanwu Year Twelve.
Not long after the division of Imperial Guard Army that Ding Ning was in reached the border, Wuzhi gathered more than three hundred thousand at terrifying speed. They split into three groups and crossed the border to mount a fierce attack on the Qin armies.
The Wuzhi were nomadic since antiquity, and for the people of Qin inside the forts, the Wuzhi people were grassland barbarians.
These barbarians were skilled in hunting and taming horses, and very good at horsemanship. They came like the wind, and their speed and archery their greatest advantage. What troubled the Qin army the most was that there was an enormous grassland behind them.
The grassland, to the Qin armies, was wilderness, but to them, was a city. The advantage of the Qin army were their seal chariots and battle formations. They had many cultivators and they were unrivalled in their ability to push their formations forward to fight armies. Yet to everyone’s surprise, the Wuzhi did not use guerilla tactics, and actually formed armies to fight the Qin border armies head-on!
The Wuzhi armies, primarily cavalry, could not fight the Qin army in battle formations, yet because they were unpredictable, the Qin army encountered such a war before they had sufficient numbers on the border.
The Qin armies suffered great losses under the strong attacks of the Wuzhi army many times their size. Wuzhi paid the price of seventy thousand soldiers to kill over sixty thousand of Qin soldiers. They also stole almost all the grains and luggage of the Qin troops and continued to pursue the lingering divisions of the Qin border armies.
This kind of victory was astonishing. Even when the Qin had fought the Han, Zhao and Wei, they had not paid such a serious price.
Back then, the death ratio between the Qin and enemy dynasties were always maintained above one to three. In other words, to kill one Qin soldier, it would take the lives of at least three soldiers from other dynasties.
The advantage of the Wuzhi army was their speed. When their pursuit started, this meant more fatalities from the Qin army. This was likely to be the greatest loss in the history of the Qin.
What changed the fate of this war was the first group of reinforcements, the large group of Changling cultivators who had reached Yin Mountain. Faster than horses were the swords of cultivators. The cultivators who joined in great numbers caused the Wuzhi cavalry to suffer astounding losses. But as more cultivators were killed by mass numbers or Wuzhi cultivators, the entire state of war was unusually disadvantageous to the Qin Dynasty.
Even though it was only officially the start of autumn, the northern lands outside the forts were cold and frosty. When grains were tight, the situation was terrible for some troops, especially those who had been scattered.
In a low-lying meadow, some leaves had fallen off the trees. Many wounded Qin soldiers laid on long grasses that had been cut down and laid into blankets. A round-faced young woman carrying a sword was solemnly discussing affairs with numerous commanders.
War was the easiest.
Suddenly, shrill warning whistles sounded above the meadow, but after a breath, the whistle became a whining flute. This meant the incoming were not enemies but one of their own.
A youth appeared in the round-faced young woman’s sight.
His appearance was about the same as ordinary Wuzhi soldiers. He seemed to be unusually afraid of the cold, and wore unusually thick and crude fur robes. But his face did not look like the Wuzhi. Even more importantly, his left hand was slightly stretched forward, and a pale white jade token hung from his fingertip. Engraved on it was an unusually simple Li character.
This “Li” character caused this round-faced young woman and the commanders to immediately think that he was the exile of the Li Marquessate Establishment who had recently returned to the forts, Li Xixing.
“Do not think about attacking that Xiaoweng city ten miles away.” Looking at the round-faced young woman and the commanders around her, Li Xixing said directly, “That is a trap. At least two Qin armies like you have been annihilated there.”
The Qin commanders exchanged looks, their gazes filled with anger. Remnant troops like them could only choose to hide or detour when chased by the Wuzhi army. If they returned to the border city around Yin Mountain, it would take them a lot of time.
Yet the food and grass they had taken along would only last them a few days. In their view, that Wuzhi city’s food was the key to whether they could leave here alive.
“How many people do you have in total?” Li Xixing asked, and ignored the expressions of the commanders. He also rarely cared about other people in Changling.
“Including the wounded, three hundred and fifty seven in total, three hundred and twenty one can fight.” The round-faced young woman was the calmest and answered without hesitation after Li Xixing asked.
“Too few.” Li Xixing said after a long silence, “The Wuzhi has a three thousand cavalry who will flank it when night comes. Unless it is an army of all cultivators, when the ratio is greater than one to four, the Qin troops cannot win against the Wuzhi cavalry, especially when you are only remnants. When you do not have powerful military weapons, ordinary swordsmen will be shot to death by the archers on the horses before you even get close.”
“Now, there is only one choice.” Li Xixing ignored the commanders’ expressions and continued. “Have all the wounded stay here. Everyone else, leave as soon as possible.”
A commander in his forties among the numerous commanders looked at Li Xixing with a cold gaze. He said slowly, “This may be the best choice and the wisest, but not our finest.”
Li Xixing did not argue. He just bowed deeply to this commander. This commander’s choice was worthy of his respect. He turned after bowing.
Since this commander chose to fight to the death here, then there was nothing worthwhile about staying here with these people and fighting to the death.
“Wait!” Yet when he turned around, the round-faced young woman said, “There must be other choices and methods.”
Li Xixing did not look back. He stared coldly at the grasses which were taller than people and thought about how after dark, cavalry would charge from there at any time.
“What choice and method?” he asked.
“Since you know that the cavalry will come, then maybe we can lure away the cavalry?” the round-faced young woman said after hearing his cold voice.
“We?” Li Xixing sneered ruthlessly. “You?”
“I am a cultivator of Treasure Light Temple.” The round-faced young woman was not angry and described the facts seriously. “I am the only disciple of Treasure Light Temple who received all the true teachings.”
Volume 3 41 - Cripple and Death
The folded seal paper disappeared from his hand.
When the paper disappeared from his hand, a transparent and glowing line suddenly appeared in the sky above his head.
This transparent and glowing line appeared silently, but after its appearance, the sky above his head gave off an enormous roar, followed by more loud booms.
These sounds came from the spaces between scales of the Dragonscale Sword.
Each of boulder-like scales originally had a certain space around it. The spaces were filled with seal scripts, and acted as passages for energy to flow.
At this moment, the scales were being squeezed together by an unimaginably great force. This was akin to giant metal ships parked in a silent port that had black boulders. At this moment, the black boulders and the metal ships were squeezed together by an enormous force, rubbing and colliding violently.
The two yellow flames at the tip of the Dragonscale Sword flashed with even more coldness and violence. However, most of the Dragonscale Sword’s power came from the flowing power in the seal scripts. At this moment, the cold and violent emotions lost its power support and looked like a pair of dead eyes.
The numerous cultivators present witnessed this scene. Their faces paled, eyes filled with even more awe.
That transparent crystal line was not a seal line or a crack, but an even more incomprehensible crease.
All of the primal energies of the universe in the space above his head were bent and folded, making it feel as though two parts of space had been folded together.
There was no violent collision or sharp murderousness. Just the friction and pressure of energy erased all of the seal scripts on the Dragonscale Sword and erased more than half of its power.
Fang Xiang took a deep breath.
The boulder-like black dragon scales stopped resisting the outside force, compressing and rubbing together. Under the powerful friction, the dragonscales grew red at the edges, creating molden flame.
The flames connected together, creating larger and redder seal scripts.
A dragon roar sounded through the air.
The two bright yellow flames seemed to burn, and a stunning sword energy emanated from the blade.
Many of the cultivators looking up stopped breathing. This sword energy was stronger than before.
Li Caitian’s eyes were still calm and clear.
He reached out with two fingers, as though he was holding a piece of invisible paper and slowly tore it apart.
Zzt zzt zzt zzt ……
Accompanying his move, many lines in the sky tore apart. In the empty space where air had been forced out by the sword energy, the sound of powerful energy flows suddenly erupted.
A crack appeared in the sky.
The crack, which sprayed flows of energy to the two sides, met the falling Dragonscale Sword like an enormous sword.
His previous attack had just been a fold, but his attack now was his powerful sky cutting essence.
Two powers, that few in the world could stop, collided together.
Boom!
A shockwave of energy fell to the ground. The pebbles by Li Caitian’s feet immediately turned to dust. The ground sank several feet, dust surged upwards, and then a few more feet disappeared.
Li Caitian’s body shook, and he struggled to swallow. His robes had become completely red. Beads of blood had been forced out of his skin. But his expression still remained calm.
Fang Xiang’s brow furrowed deeply as though cracks were appearing between his eyebrows.
The Dragonscale Sword floating in the air flicked upwards and paused momentarily. In the next moment, the boulder-like dragon scales fell off the blade and flew outwards. The red sparks and the golden light dissipated through the air like true dragon blood was splashing down.
Pew pew pew pew ……
As the dragonscales flew away, cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of Fang Xiang’s body, and blood surged out.
He was completely covered in injuries.
Many were shocked speechless and did not know who had won.
“You have lost.”
Li Caitian looked calmly at Fang Xiang.
The Dragonscale Sword in the sky had completely lost its dragon presence and was falling backwards, like a piece of rusted metal.
“I will win.” Fang Xiang shook his head, and lifted his foot to walk towards Li Caitian.
A wild wind rose in front of him and then spread towards the sides.
Li Caitian’s expression froze. He understood Fang Xiang’s meaning.
Fang Xiang’s Dragonscale Sword had been destroyed. But Fang Xiang himself was also a sword.
Streams of blood flowed from Li Caitian’s fingertips and formed a blood seal in front of him.
The fresh blood of cultivators, especially of cultivators on Li Caitian’s level, was the best medium for primal energies.
As this blood seal took form, with a boom, countless streets seemed to appear in the air in front of Fang Xiang.
These streets seemed to have many invisible blades that cut towards Fang Xiang’s body.
The vital energy and primal energies flowing out of Fang Xiang’s body moved forwards, gathering closely on the surface of his body. His body became the sharpest of swords. These invisible blades could not create any wounds on his body. Unable to cut through, these blades seemed to become little hammers that fell on his body.
Fine cracks sounded inside of his body. This was the sound of his meridians, bones and even marrow rivers cracking.
Fang Xiang stopped.
In the next moment, he fell backwards.
All of the Yan cultivators, deep in their shock, felt wild joy rise.
Their revered Teacher Xie had reached his limit. If he could not stop Fang Xiang’s attack, he would undoubtedly be defeated.
But Fang Xiang’s meridians and bones were broken.
A cultivator’s body was the best container for primal energies and the foundation to manipulate power. With his body broken down, victory was on their side.
But Li Caitian’s eyes did not hold any joy.
This was not because he respected Fang Xiang, but because he sensed a newborn sword essence.
A wave of sword essence came towards him. While it was not a tangible icy presence, it was an ocean of ice in his perception that was falling into his entire world.
He hung his head.
When he bowed his head, a blood line appeared on his chest.
The joy that had just risen in the eyes of the Yan cultivators turned to shock and sorrow.
Countless blood lines followed the first one, faintly criss-crossing each other……
The criss-crossing meant being cut off.
“What is happening?!” a Yan cultivator exclaimed in extreme grief. He could not understand.
Fang Xiang’s body was completely broken down like a cracked water scoop. How could he still hold water?
“A thought cannot truly surpass death, but can break free of the terror of death.”
A voice sounded. Li Caitian had been the one to answer.
Many lines of blood criss-crossed on Li Caitian’s body, he was about to split into several pieces. Yet, his attitude was as usual.
The grieving Yan cultivators started to understand.
Start with the thought sword, end with the thought sword.
From beginning to end, Fang Xiang’s strongest was the thought sword. Any person would want to kill the other when they were facing an enemy. But Fang Xiang’s last attack first, let Li Caitian “kill him” before he released the blow.
This was a simple thing to say, but a peerlessly determined resolve was needed for such a move.
Just in terms of cultivation, anyone could see that Li Caitian was slightly stronger. But a battle between cultivators was never determined by pure cultivation.
Fang Xiang’s meridians and bones were broken into pieces. Even if he managed to survive, he would undoubtedly be a cripple. But Li Caitian was cut all over. He was fated to die quickly.
“A draw.”
Emperor Yuanwu spoke to the emperor of Yan amidst countless grieving gazes.
No one objected.
This was a battle where both sides had suffered. The emperor of Yan could not object, because no one from the Yan wanted to see Li Caitian’s body fall to pieces.
The emperor of Yan lowered his head silently and did not speak.
He released a gentle presence towards Li Caitian’s body before surrounding him like layers of cloth.
Li Caitian’s body started to turn cold as his thoughts blurred. Vitality dissipated from his body but he still had an indescribable smile at the corners of his lips.
Emperor Yuanwu glanced at Fang Xiang.
Fang Xiang’s body once again gave a soft sound. The powerful cultivators could sense many of the fatally blocked parts in Fang Xiang’s body were opened.
Numerous physicians came out of the Qin Dynasty’s retinue and quickly sent Fang Xiang towards the tent in the back.
Seeing this scene, the cultivators from the non-Qin dynasties felt slightly cold and remained silent.
While this had been a draw, Li Caitian was likely the Yan Dynasty’s strongest cultivator. Fang Xiang was strong, but he was definitely not the strongest Qin Dynasty cultivator. He was also not the strongest cultivator in the Qin Dynasty next to Emperor Yuanwu.
So in reality, the Qin Dynasty had won this match.
“General Fang is crippled, Li Caitian is dead,” Pan Ruoye said coldly in a whisper.
Ding Ning gazed at the peak of Deer Mountain and tried to breathe calmly. He had clearly sensed the state of battle between Li Caitian and Fang Xiang through the rising and falling changes in energy.
After just a dozen years, the moves of these peak grandmasters had changed greatly compared to the cultivators from before Emperor Yuanwu’s ascension.
Changes meant more uncertainty and danger.
Translator Ramblings: Even though Li Caitian lost, him folding the paper feels like such a powerful move for how simple it is. Like most cultivators swing swords or point with their fingers. He just folds a piece of paper
Volume 2 41 - Book of Talents
This chapter has been brought to you by me, and larkspur.
With a cold presence, the white flame descended on the peak of Deer Mountain. This mountain, that had been roasting under Emperor Chen of Han’s pill fire sword, suddenly cooled down.
One one hand this brought comfort to all those around, but on the other it threw them into extreme discomfort.
Their comfort stemmed from the feeling of comfort on the surface of their bodies, but their discomfort stemmed from deep within them.
For they all knew that this was the Starfire Comet Tail Sword of the Ba Mountain Sword Field. During the wars between the Qin Dynasty and the Han, Zhao and Wei dynasties, many powerful cultivators had died under the Starfire Comet Tail Sword of the present empress of Qin, Zheng Xiu.
The Starfire Comet Tail Sword’s star energy was different from ordinary primal energies in every aspect, but its extreme speed. Cultivators found it challenging to block it using ordinary primal energies of the universe. However, the most critical factor was the range. Zheng Xiu could cast this Starfire Comet Tail Sword from an extremely far distance. As such, those on the battlefield could discover neither her existence nor the presence of her sword. She could launch a strike at the very moment a powerful cultivator was at their weakest.
Thus, she was forever the fatal insidious thorn on the battlefield.
And now, Emperor Yuanwu, whose cultivation was realm eight, had comprehended this ultimate skill of the Ba Mountain Sword Field that only Zheng Xiu had known!
In the future, in the event that a dynasty’s army faced the Qin Dynasty, there would be an even more fatal insidious thorn lurking around!
Ding Ning’s eyes had originally been closed. But as the starfire fell, and before it appeared in the sight of everyone on the peak of Deer Mountain, he opened his eyes. His eyes reflected the pale white flame, as though his eyes were covered in a layer of frost.
At this time, on Deer Mountain and the surrounding mountains, he was the only one privy to the thoughts coursing through Emperor Yuanwu’s mind.
The Starfire Comet Tail Sword was powerful, albeit not the best tactic to vanquish the Stone-Grinding Sword.
Once the Nine Death Silkworm appeared, all the elites of Changling had speculated about that person’s heir.
It was known to Changling, and several cultivators of the other dynasties that Zheng Xiu once been that person’s lover, and they had been the strongest couple of the Qin.
At this moment, Emperor Yuanwu would be suspecting that that person’s heir would be around Deer Mountain and watching this battle. He would further suspect that Yan Ying had been taught the Stone-Grinding Sword by that person’s heir.
Hence he had used the Starfire Comet Tail Sword in response.
Ding Ning’s eyes reflected the pale white flames like frost. A small cold sneer that no one else could see appeared on the corners of his lips as he thought.
The multiple streams of white starfire accurately stabbed on the black balls of light revolving around Emperor Yuanwu.
Many tears surfaced on Emperor Yuanwu’s dragon robe.
In the next moment, he gave off an enormous presence.
His body seemed to grow gigantic.
These five spinning balls of black light were unable to stop him from exuding vital energy after the Starfire Comet Tail Sword attack. When Emperor Yuanwu appeared to grow enormous, these five balls of black light were even less able to compete.
In everybody’s senses, these five balls of black light were not like five millstones, but five pitiful small beads.
Yan Ying was not fighting on his own.
When Emperor Yuanwu defeated Yan Ying’s Stone-grinding sword essence, Emperor Chen of Han had finally taken a step forward.
As he stepped out, the ground and air in front of him started to burn, turning into a crimson flame world. His pill fire sword was entwined with many unusual jumping sparks that usually could not be seen. It passed through the curtain of fire and appeared in front of Emperor Yuanwu’s face.
Emperor Yuanwu knew that this sword was probably the strongest force in the world next to him.
His brows raised. He reached out with his left hand and blocked the sword. At the same time, using his right hand as a sword he stabbed a yellow jade-like sword light towards the curtain of fire. All along his expression was calm and emotionless, to the point of eerie.
There was a cracking sound.
The presence unique to a lifebond item emerged from Emperor Yuanwu’s palm, leaving spray of blood through a small rupture in its wake.
The crimson pill fire sword flowed through this wound into his body.
Many, who could sense what had happened, brightened. But then their breathing stopped. Emperor Yuanwu’s body was like an unimaginable container.
When the rolling pill fire sword energy entered Emperor Yuanwu’s meridians, Emperor Yuanwu only flushed slightly. But the energies disappeared deep into his body.
His body was extremely stable, and his output of vital energy was also extremely stable.
The curtain of fire in front of him was forced back by the sword light coming out of his right hand. The yellow jade-like sword accurately stabbed into Emperor Chen of Han’s chest, and came out his back.
Emperor Chen of Han gave a muffled grunt and retreated backwards.
Many faces turned ashen, especially the cultivators of the Chu Dynasty.
In their view, Emperor Chen of Han would die in the next breath.
With a snap, Emperor Chen of Han’s feet landed back on the ground. Countless cracks appeared on the hard stone in a spiderweb.
To everybody’s utter shock, Emperor Han of Chen did not die, and his presence did not weaken at all.
Blood did not ooze out of the sword wound on his chest and his back, only surging red pill energy sprayed out. The sword wound did not expand due to the spray of pill energy, but contracted instead.
Emperor Yuanwu looked towards his palm.
The wound on his palm was also shrinking, but not as fast as Emperor Chen of Han’s wound.
He frowned slightly, his authoritative and deep eyes showing even more coldness.
"The Heaven Stealing Pill is really the strongest spirit pill in the world," he looked up at Emperor Chen of Han and said.
All the cultivators on the peak of Deer Mountain realized that Emperor Han of Chen had not died due to the Heaven Stealing Pill. The speed with which the medicinal power of the pill replenished Emperor Han of Chen’s body exceeded the speed of his diminishing vitality.
At this time, Emperor Chen of Han was likely the being with the best recovery abilities in history.
However, the spectators were even more shocked about the shrinking of Emperor Yuanwu’s palm wound.
As Emperor Yuanwu spoke, his body did not stay motionless and swayed strangely. With each movement, there seemed to be a patch of black light and a bright flame flashing around him.
There seemed to be a black shadow and a bright figure chasing each other, but neither could touch the other.
Emperor Yuanwu’s words seemed to have won him enough time. As he lifted his head, a vast power coming from the sky descended on the peak of Deer Mountain.
There was light, the darkness had no place to hide.
Yan Ying’s figure appeared clearly in the light. A presence that no one present could defeat fell from the sky onto his body.
Yan Ying’s body kept on ringing, threads of black smoke was being pressed out of his body by the terrifying power, as though he was on fire.
The emperor of Qi clenched his fists and could not help but stand up.
But Yan Ying shook his head towards him.
The emperor of Qi stopped breathing. He thought of what Yan Ying had said to him at the start- he has asked him to watch the spectacle, to remain quiet and do nothing except watch.
He lowered his eyes and sat down.
Emperor Yuanwu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
More black smoke emerged from Yan Ying’s body, not dissipating in the least. In a brief moment, the smoke formed a black pot around him, thoroughly concealing him.
This was a black pot that looked like an ordinary black earthen pot.
Emperor Yuanwu’s left hand opened slightly. Enormous presences criss-crossed in the air to form an enormous seal.
Another invincible presence fell from the sky onto the black pot.
The surface of the black pot grew brighter. Bright flames appeared and it truly started to burn.
Yet, the black pot did not melt, nor did it burn.
Under such incineration, the earthen surface of the pot seemed to emit a clay-like light, and even a bone-like lustre.
The emperor of Yan and several important Yan Dynasty officials felt a bitter taste.
A black pot like this had forced the Yan Dynasty army to retreat in the past.
Emperor Yuanwu’s eyes suffused with genuine surprise.
This was a tactic he had never seen before and could not understand completely.
"When
is at the extreme,
forms. The change of
and
is the essence of rebirth."
He was the strongest cultivator in the world and in a flash, he had understood.
"Receive my sword," he said and reached out with his right hand.
Since the commencement of the battle, this was the first time he was using a sword attack.
He used his own sword.
Taking a deep breath, Ding Ning icily thought to himself,
Translator Ramblings: Does anyone feel the emperor of Qi is very good at self-control to keep to Yan Ying’s advice constantly in his mind?
Novels belong to writers, we only provide reading services。