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Chapter Forty Two: Draw Brows
writer:无罪      update:2022-07-21 15:26
  The stars, moon, and sun could not appear at the same time. The cold and the hot energies, completely different, could not merge together like water and fire. But at this sunrise, they gathered in the air, merging and evolving.

  This was a great scene never seen before in the records of cultivators, filled with great danger. But seeing the pale white flames and the gold and red flames gather and mix together like paints on a palette, changing in lights of different colors, all the cultivators who saw these felt shock and awe.

  “Yuanwu has not returned to Changling.”


  Ding Ning narrowed his eyes as he looked at the changing flows of flame in the air. He watched as those seemingly heavy flames which should have ended were still swirling and twisting in the air. They kept on pulling in profound primal energies of the universe from all directions. He said in a cold voice, “Zheng Xiu has responded.”


  When Ding Ning said this, there were many enormous roars and loud sounds of the air tearing in the distant forest. Even from very far away, people could still sense countless heavy and large bodies flying into the air, and sliding through the sky.

  Those were the flying snakes, through serpents. Other than the flying snakes they had previously sensed, there were other beasts.

  At this time, Fu Su was looking at the profound lines of light in the sky, and still did not understand the meaning in Ding Ning’s words. But other than him, everyone else present had already understood.

  Before Yuanwu ascended the throne, and Wang Jingmeng fought his way into Changling, Zheng Xiu and Yuanwu had not worked together like this. So this was one of their secret trump cards.

  But now, they were using such means. This could only mean that Zheng Xiu and Yuanwu had reached an agreement on this matter.

  Kill Ding Ning at any cost, even if that included sacrificing Fu Su.

  So the cold star fire and the burning hot sun fire could merge together perfectly. The cultivators waiting in the wilderness, including those from Jiaodong Commandery, also understood her intentions, so those flying snakes and other beasts were flying up into the air right now.

  Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu were attacking at full force, regardless of the cost.

  Tantai Guanjian hung his head slightly. He could not help but turn to look at Fu Su. His gaze unconsciously held sympathy and pity.

  In reality, other than a few people in the imperial palace, most cultivators in Changling like him liked Fu Su very much for he did not possess the airs of the Changling imperial family and the Jiaodong Commandery. He was truly very kind.

  Fu Su originally did not understand, but hearing the clear sounds of the tearing air, and noticing Tantai Guanjian’s gaze, he suddenly understood. His face grew even paler, and his lips started to tremble.

  “Yuanwu should have someone with him, someone he absolutely trusts.”


  Ding Ning looked at Zhangsun Qianxue and Qian Mu who wanted to kill Yuanwu the most. He slowly said, “Yuanwu was born as a cautious and gradual person. He is using this method to use up his own power in exchange for Zheng Xiu’s response. For a long time after this, he will not be able to protect himself. Then he must have someone by him who is strong enough and trustworthy enough, someone who has interests on the same side as him protecting him.”


  “If we want to kill Yuanwu, we must first find this person.” He usually was very quiet and looked very young, but each time he mentioned Yuanwu, he would grow very serious and murderous.

  No one knew how many Qin and Chu grandmasters were on the battlefield right now, and no one would know how many powerful grandmasters from other dynasties would rush to get here when Yuanwu and Nine Death Silkworm appeared here at the same time.

  People who were able to protect Yuanwu were likely close in power to the Donghu monk before his breakthrough, at least much stronger than all the other realm seven grandmasters in the world. Such a person could pose a true threat to a realm eight. Such a hidden expert around Yuanwu was Yuanwu’s strongest shield and also a poison snake hiding in the darkness and biting them at key times.

  “Who could it be?”


  Zhangsun Qianxue took a deep breath. She scoured her mind for many of the past people, but she could not think of who was this strong, and also stood guard for Yuanwu. When she could not help but say this, everyone fell silent.

  The star fire and sun fire in the sky was still falling, but they stopped pulling in primal energies of the universe from all directions.

  The streams of pale white star fire and the rays of sun fire merged together and turned a strange light purple color in the end, turning into irregular blades. The edges of the irregular blades flashed with indigo and gold light. These blades had taken form like they were solidified, and were suspended in the air. If the sword essence Ding Ning had displayed previously was perfect, then the feeling brought about by these blades in the air now was violent and out of the world.

  The Donghu monk’s face was flushing red, and then turned into a deep red close to the color of glaze. Time seemed to freeze at this moment. His energies flowed faster inside of him, and gradually boiled.

  His staff was lifted up at this moment. Because he held it so tightly, his energy and vital energy was flowing so quickly that his resilient skin on his palm tore apart. Streams of blood spread along like sticky red paint down the staff.

  Many crimson blooms spread on the tip of the staff, glowing and clear like gems. The power released by each flower petal turned into an invisible shield that layered up over their heads. In this sky that was hundreds of times brighter than at noon, tens of thousands of sword lights shone.

  The light purple blades flashing with indigo and gold light at the edges turned into rapidly moving sword lights and filled the world, raining down on them.

  The violent sword lights formed a river, pressing down and cutting at each wisp of primal energy here, and squeezing thousands of tiny bolts of lightning out of this space.

  There was a terrifying power impact but no loud sound.

  These sword lights hit the invisible shield about them, giving off a sound like rain softly hitting rocks overgrown with moss.

  Everyone around the old monk, including Ding Ning, wore gazes of admiration.

  The dust mountains stopped the old monk from communicating with realm eight energy. However, he used a very soft power to fend against most of the power coming from Zheng Xiu and Yuanwu’s united attack. This was like the softness of the moss and the spaces between the moss wearing down the power coming down from the sky.

  This was a great method hard to describe. But everyone knew that it was not enough.

  The transparent sky did not seem to change, but the blood flours on the tip of the old monk’s staff were covered in cracks. The cracks even spread up his staff and his skin.

  Beside the old monk, there was a black dense smoke.

  From within the thick black smoke, Qian Mu looked up. The burning hot sun fire was the bane of his vital energy method, so he innately feared it. So when he raised his head right now, he appeared very stubborn. In his perception, there were countless black dots appearing and then quickly growing larger.

  Gravestones came out of the ground, and flew up.

  Volume 4 42 - Insecurity

  As Wu Zilian howled furiously, his skull mask turned into pieces and fell off his face. Underneath the broken skull mask was a face too handsome and delicate for the Wuzhi people. This was a very handsome prince, and even in Changling, he could be called a beautiful man. Even more importantly, his eyes were light grey.

  In Wuzhi, only the descendants of Wuzhi men and Yuezhi women would have eyes of such color. The Yuezhi had been conquered by the Qin a long time ago and became a subordinate country of the Qin. In the eyes of the other countries and tribes, the Yuezhi were the symbol of cowardness and lowliness.

  “Shameless!”


  Seeing the grey wolf howling in pain after losing its rear limbs, this Wuzhi prince howled again in fury. He had not expected that after Li Xixing agreed to a fair battle, he would have Hu Jingjing attack again.

  “Why?” On Li Xixing’s back, Hu Jingjing was also confused.

  “Reputation is more important than life, right? Doing what I do will shame all of Qin, right?” Li Xixing asked her and then took a deep breath.

  He said coldly, “I only know what I do will stop many Qin people from dying. I only know that in extreme fury, he will want to keep chasing me and will not immediately return to the cavalry he commands. That way, the remnant army ahead that you were in before and other remnants will survive.”


  Hu Jingjing was silent for a long time. Inexplicably, she thought of her dead master, and the dead Mo Shoucheng.

  **

  From a great distance, there was a blurry line in the far northwest part of the Qin Dynasty. But when one got close, they would see that this blurry black line was a vast range of cold mountains.

  Especially when contrasted against the yellow steppes, the enormous mountains shrouded in cloud and snow were vast and magnificent. People would feel small, that gods lived within.

  This was Yin Mountain, the divine mountain in the hearts of the herdsmen who had lived here for centuries. When one traversed the naturally formed giant valleys through the mountain, one would see an unimaginable scene that could only be described as spectacular. For most people who arrived for the first time, this was an indescribable experience and one would feel it was like a pilgrimage.

  But for the three thousand Imperial Guard Army in a hurry to pass through Yin Mountain, they only felt tired and confused inside, and terrified of the unknown.

  The Guyu Pass was situated at the seventh naturally forming gap in Yin Mountain suitable for armies to pass through. Such a gap was one that the Qin Dynasty naturally had to control. Even more importantly, this Guyu Pass was the furthest border city after Yin Mountain.

  In terms of strategy, if Wuzhi and even Donghu armies came through here at a usual time, after they entered the grasslands behind Yin Mountain, the Qin armies would have enough time to move and lay an encirclement in wait. So this border city was not just the smallest but the last to be built.

  Other border cities were built so they were connected to both sides of the valley, forming an iron gate. Walls and turrets would be constructed over low places to connect to the city where armies could possibly pass through.

  Yet Guyu Pass was not fully completed. Parts of its north were not connected to the mountains. This caused it to be a city that was built leaning against the mountainside.

  At this time, there were tens of thousands of Qin remnant soldiers being deliberately driven by Wuzhi towards the worst-defended border city. There were cavalry cutting off the escapes. The intentions were so clear even the lowest Qin soldier could understand.

  They wanted to kill tens of thousands of Qin soldiers in one blow, and also eat Guyu Pass. Then, even if the Wuzhi army did not enter Yin Mountain to counterattack, some of their setup could lean towards their side. When the Donghu reinforcements arrived, they could easily form an alliance of armies. As for some of the Qin armies that had already gone deep into Wuzhi, they would be isolated and it would be time before they were wiped out.

  Guyu Pass originally had more than fifteen thousand soldiers. Yet most of them had gone into the plains, and there were less than two thousand. So when the three thousand Imperial Guard Army arrived, with some servants and craftsmen who usually did not fight, there were only five thousand here. The highest ranking commander here, Wu Qiwu, was of similar rank to Guo Feng.

  When Guo Feng came with the Imperial Guard Army, this man in his prime but whose features looked to be in his fifties welcomed him with some of other other commanders. Then he silently led Guo Feng and his subordinates, as well as Ding Ning, Nangong Caishu and the others onto the tallest tower of Guyu Pass.

  After Yin Mountain, there were only meadows, and no mountain ranges. So they could see far.

  “You came at a good time, there is at most half a day before their vanguard arrives.”


  Wu Qiwu looked coldly towards the distant cooking smoke and said, “There will be at least five thousand in the vanguard.”


  After a pause, this thin general with the aged face said simply and directly, “Theoretically, they should be able to arrive in half a day. Based on our judgement, the reason they did not move at full speed is to stay in touch with the main army. The main army is slow because they are carrying a lot of ordnance …… They had obtained a lot of ordnance from their battles with us.”


  Guo Feng took a deep breath and said coldly, “When will our tens of thousands of remnants arrive?”


  “Two and half days.” Wu Qiwu gritted his teeth and said, “Also, there is the Wuzhi army following them right after. There is about two days of time difference …… At least ten thousand Wuzhi will come here to attack us in two days.”


  All the Qin generals had unpleasant expressions, excluding Ding Ning.

  “The vanguard is over five thousand, most of them with ordnance. Then there must be more than five thousand. So the Wuzhi army behind must have over ten thousand, or even more.”


  When Guo Feng’s gaze turned to Ding Ning, the latter said calmly, “Added together, we are about five thousand, but we are not an elite army …… then is there any chance of stopping them?”


  This place was far from Changling, and delivering messages was not as easy as in Changling. Many of the ordinary soldiers here and lower ranked commanders did not know of the events in Changling. Wu Qiwu and his commanders did not know what status Ding Ning possessed.

  But seeing him closely follow Guo Feng, and possess a presence ordinary young cultivators were bereft of, he did not dare to dismiss the other. After a moment of silence, he said, “There are two thousand five hundred in Guyu Pass’ mine, most of them criminals exiled here.”


  Ding Ning looked at him and smiled with slight irony. “You mean to give these prisoners freedom and have them take up weapons to fend off foreign enemies?”


  Wu Qiwu frowned as well. He did not like Ding Ning’s attitude.

  “Those who would be exiled here are usually serious criminals. I fear you must have made them suffer in order to make them obey. Now, if they are released, I fear they will deal with you first, and not the Wuzhi army,” Ding Ning said coolly.

  “Five thousand controlling two thousand five hundred. Some of the heads can be killed when they resist,” Wu Qiwu said coldly, “Even if there are only a thousand left, they are useful.”


  “I fear we will first exhaust ourselves and become numb,” Ding Ning said with slight scorn.

  Wu Qiwu took a deep breath and looked at this junior insulting him without any disguise. He was naturally angry and sneered. “Then what do you think?”


  “How about abandoning the city.”


  Ding Ning looked calmly at this general whose gaze was murderous. He turned to point at the mountainside. “The army will station themselves there …… with the elevation, the cavalry has no advantage. Even if they take the city, the mountainside can let our remnants retreat from the mountainside into Yin Mountain when they arrive. All we have to do is hold for two days and occupy the mountainside.”


  All the Qin commanders looked at the mountainside Ding Ning pointed at.

  Wu Qiwu was still for a moment and then sneered angrily. “This is ridiculous. Even if there is high elevation, we will lose the support of some ordnance on the city gates. If we first abandon the city, when the main army arrives after the cavalry, especially some of the ordnance, we will undoubtedly die. How can we hold it for two days?”


  “I do not agree with you.”


  Ding Ning turned to Guo Feng and said seriously, “I only care about our own opinions. This time, I need Imperial Guard Army to completely listen to my opinions.”


  Guo Feng stilled.

  “If they do not abandon the city, then the Imperial Guard Army will camp ourselves onto the mountainside.” Ding Ning looked at him and added.

  Hearing his words, Wu Qiwu and others immediately had unpleasant expressions. Gu Feng was still in slight disbelief.

  “This concerns who will lead this battle.” Ding Ning looked at him and said slowly, “Who will direct this battle.”


  “You must believe me.” Ding Ning looked at him and said softly after a pause, “You must listen to me. This way, you may win this battle.”


  Guo Feng struggled to swallow. He hesitated for a long time. Based on his past experience, a split before battle was a great mistake, yet in the end, he took a deep breath and nodded.

  Volume 5 42 - We Must Try

  “Not long ago, about the time you arrived at Yin Mountain, I heard about your Treasure Light Temple.” Li Xixing was silent for a moment and looked at the round-faced young woman. “This means you are the female disciple of Treasure Light Temple, Hu Jingjing.”


  The round-faced young woman nodded and said, “I am Hu Jingjing.”


  Li Xixing turned around to look at Hu Jingjing and said, “You are the same as all Treasure Light Temple cultivators. You were forced here. You do not hate? You should know, even if you have special sect tactics, us going to lure away the cavalry is actually not very different than going to our deaths.”


  “What is the difference?” Hu Jingjing looked at him and frowned slightly. “I too have heard about you. You were also forced to come here.”


  Li Xixing shook his head. “Not the same. I have spent many years outside the forts and am used to everything here. But you came not long ago, and also, I was not forced here by the army.”


  Hu Jingjing shook her head as well. “There is no difference, especially when you see many people fight and die in front of you every day …… They are following military orders for the Great Qin. If I hate, that is the future. Now, I am one of them.”


  Li Xixing glanced at her. He did not have time to speak before Hu Jingjing turned to look towards where the wounded were. She said slowly in a low voice, “You should also know that cultivators like us are existences which the enemy will pay attention to immediately in battle. Many of the people lying there are wounded because of me.”


  “If this is not possible, if there is a time when the two of us cannot escape but I can, I will flee.” He told her after a long silence. “If you are certain you want to try luring away the cavalry.”


  Li Xixing said three “ifs” which caused his words to sound awkward. But Hu Jingjing quickly understood his meaning. She bowed seriously to Li Xixing. “Thank you!”


  The reason for her thanks was because Li Xixing originally did not have to do such a dangerous thing. And now, he had to fight for his life with her.

  “Follow me.” Li Xixing coldly turned around. To him, this was his own choice.

  Hu Jingjing silently followed behind Li Xixing. The two walked quickly and disappeared from the sights of the soldiers in the meadow.

  Looking in the direction the round-faced young woman, who had not been with them for long but left a deep impression on them, all the soldiers solemnly bowed, led by the three commanders.

  The grasslands beyond Yin Mountain were desolate to begin with, especially when this was not close to any habited areas.

  Hu Jingjing followed behind Li Xixing. The more they walked, the quieter it became. She gradually felt she was forgotten by the world and consumed by the desolate grass. She looked at this figure who was much larger than her but was only a young man. Her eyes were filled with curiosity. She could not imagine how such a person adjusted to walking alone in this wasteland.

  “If I cannot go, and you can, go alone. The rulers of this area are not the Qin or Wuzhi, but the wolf packs. They can follow the scent of blood …… the Wuzhi cavalry will follow the tracks of these wolf packs. Lone cultivators, especially those who are wounded and cannot fight for long, have only one chance for survival when encountering a large wolf pack. They need to find a large source of water.” The young person suddenly spoke.

  She stilled slightly and said, “Why?”


  “Because the large water sources in the steppes is also the drinking place for other fierce beasts. The wolf packs will be very cautious when active there, and they will only go at special times. It is not that the wolf pack cannot face lone beasts, but the natural order of the world. For example, an enormous army can always kill a lone cultivator, but the army will forever have awe towards cultivators. To us cultivators, those lone beasts are much easier to deal with than the wolf packs.”


  Hu Jingjing nodded. Li Xixing explained in detail and she could not help but understand.

  “I say all this to you to warn you this is very dangerous. This is more dangerous than anything you have not done before. Both you and I may face a difficult escape.” Li Xixing’s cold voice continued. “Since you said to me at the start that you are the direct disciple of Treasure Light Temple, then you must have comprehended the sword essence of the Treasure Light Transient Sword.”


  Hu Jingjing said simply, “Yes.”


  Li Xixing suddenly stopped and turned to Hu Jingjing. “With your cultivation, I fear you can only use Treasure Light Transient Sword once.”


  Hu Jingjing frowned slightly and said, “Correct.”


  “You feel there is hope, you feel you may be able to use such a sword essence to help me kill the commander of the cavalry with one blow, and cause chaos in the cavalry. This way, the cavalry may be delayed.” Li Xixing looked at Hu Jingjing. “Do you not think so?”


  Hu Jingjing frowned deeper. “I do think so.”


  “You do not understand the Wuzhi military.” Li Xixing said gravely, “Wuzhi has many times less the population than the Qin. Gathering three hundred thousand in their army is unprecedented in history. A three thousand person army, if corresponding to our Qin Dynasty’s standards, will be equal to our army of twenty to thirty thousand. The status of the commander in such an army is about the same as a Qin commander leading twenty to thirty thousand men. This kind of commander definitely will not be a cultivator weaker than us, and they will definitely have other cultivators as protection. So such a blow is almost impossible to assassinate the enemy commander.”


  Hu Jingjing paled further. She thought for a breath and looked at Li Xixing. “My idea is impossible. But since you accepted my suggestion, are there other methods?”


  Li Xixing said in a cool voice, “You cannot just use one blow, you need at least three, and each one has to be of different cultivation.”


  Hu Jingjing unconsciously gritted her teeth. Then she slowly relaxed and said, “To make the enemy feel there are at least three Treasure Light Temple cultivators present?”


  Li Xixing glanced at her and nodded. “These barbarians cannot understand the Treasure Light Temple so clearly, but they can at least distinguish what kind of sword essence it is. One or two cultivators cannot delay them in their steps, but if there are more than three cultivators, they will make a different choice.”


  Hu Jingjing naturally knew what kind of price the three blows would cost. She took a deep breath and said, “I will do my best.”


  Li Xixing narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “You do not do you best, you have to do it.”


  Unfazed, Hu Jingjing corrected. “I will definitely do it.”


  Li Xixing looked away from her towards another direction. He sensed the meaning in the wind and said, “This kind of cavalry will usually have three scout teams, about three to four hundred people. We have to quickly kill these people in order to get close to the main army. You cannot waste vital energy. So when I deal with these barbarians, you cannot use vital energy at all.”


  Hu Jingjing nodded without hesitation. “I will be your close attendant.”


  Li Xixing still did not look at her and kept looking in the direction. “The calvary is coming faster than I imagined. Do not be close to me. It is best if you stay on the perimeter and do not kill people. Do not kill all the barbarians, let some of them flee back, so they will feel there are many cultivators on this path waiting for them.”


  Hearing these words, Hu Jingjing grew quieter, and felt more respect towards this youth from the Li Marquessate Establishment.

  Some valleys in Yin Mountain were always windy. The wind did not sound strong, but the coldness seemed to stab into people’s bodies, especially when the newest military intelligence reached here. People’s hearts grew cold.

  “What to do?”


  Guo Feng looked at the newest military emergency file he had read repeatedly. Even though he had experienced many battles, his hands trembled uncontrollably. This would decide the lives of tens of thousands. At the same time, it would decide the lives of his three thousand subordinates.

  After Yin Mountain was Guyu Pass. That was a pass for the Qin Dynasty, an important way in and out of the passes and also a grainary for the military.

  At this time, there was a division of Wuzhi cavalry hurriedly making a detour and travelling towards the pass. This pass was also where multiple remnant divisions of Qin armies were resting and waiting for reinforcements! If this retreat was cut off, then tens of thousands of Qin soldiers would likely die in the wasteland.

  That Wuzhi cavalry was described as at least ten thousand people, and Guyu Pass had less than two thousand guards. The army closest to Guyu Pass and may get there in time was their Imperial Guard Army!

  The delivery of messages outside the passes were not as fast as in Changling, and they were suffering defeats so it was even harder to issue effective military orders. So the Qin military could only do their best to deliver military intelligence.

  All urgent military missives required the commanders who received the news to judge and handle for themselves.

  Now, Guo Feng had two choices. They could send three thousand people to die together, or reach the Donghu border as their orders said. Because he could not make a choice, he wanted to listen to Ding Ning’s opinion at this time.

  “We must try.”


  Ding Ning did not think for long before answering Guo Feng.

  Nangong Caishu remained silent but her sword started to tremble. She had not expected such a change.

  Everything was different from what she had expected.

  Translator Ramblings: The general understanding I have is that the nomad tribes had the steppes which were a great resource but lacked other essentials such as productive farmland, gold, finery such as silk and other resources. Their invasions towards the south were consequently motivated by the need to support themselves.

  Volume 3 42 - Heavenly Censure

  The emperor of Yan’s actions could only stop Li Caitian’s body from breaking apart here, but not Li Caitian’s death.

  The two beautiful palace attendants that had previously served Li Caitian had guessed long ago when the respected Teacher Xie of the Yan Dynasty would have bathed so gravely. But when they saw Li Caitian being delivered into the tent as his body slowly cooled, they could not contain their tears and sorrow.

  Li Caitian’s vitality had left, and his tightly closed eyes seemed like they would never open again. But a layer of strange light flashed across his face, his eyelashes trembled, his eyes opened.

  This was the flickering before death. The two grieving palace attendants immediately stopped sobbing. They were not frightened. They knelt on the ground, afraid they would miss Li Caitian’s last words.

  But unexpectedly, Li Caitian showed them a sincere and apologetic smile. He said softly, “I have some matters. I need to be alone for a few moments of quiet.”


  The two beautiful palance attendants knelt and bowed before moving out of the tent. After less than ten paces, they started to sob even harder.

  In their minds, Li Caitian did not want them to see his painful state before death.

  In the silent tent, Li Caitian’s breathing was almost untraceable, but the blackness in his eyes grew stronger.

  A faint black ball of energy poured out of him into the shape of a curled-up infant.

  “I want to know why.”


  The curled energy in the form of a baby was naturally not alive, and even its features were just shadow without any change in expression. However, a low voice sounded in the air. This voice was cold and mostly emotionless. It looked exactly the same as the beautiful man in black robes next to the emperor of Qi.

  “Only the Mountain Yin Sect has such high skills. It appears you are that grandmaster of the Mountain Yin Sect, Yan Ying.”


  Li Caitian wore a small smile and said, “But why should I tell you?”


  The curled-up black energy infant did not change. The man in black robes’ voice sounded softly. “Because I know that victory is not here. Because whether you tell me or not may influence my decision.”


  Li Caitian’s smile slowly faded.

  He still did not answer the man in black robes’ question, and continued to ask, “What decision will you make?”


  The man in black robes did not answer his question and said, “I dislike Yuanwu.”


  Li Caitian laughed.

  If human emotions were divided into two kinds, one would naturally be like, and the other dislike.

  For people like him and the man in black robes, this kind of answer was enough.

  “The Ba Mountain Sword Field still has people.” Looking at the curled-up black energy infant, he stated simply.

  The curled-up black energy infant stilled for a moment, as though sinking into thought.

  There was no sound as the curled-up black energy infant disappeared without a trace.

  The light in Li Caitian’s eyes quickly disappeared. Death was truly coming for him. But he felt no terror. He softly murmured to himself.

  “If you are not killed this time, Emperor Yuanwu, then you will not truly be undying.”


  Li Caitian represented the emperor of Yan. His challenge ended in death. This meant that the punch the emperor of Yan had thrown had been easily blocked. Looking at the silent emperor of Yan, everyone present waited for the emperor of Chu or Qi to speak up.

  The emperor of Chu was deep in thought.

  At this time, the beautiful man in black robes by the side of the emperor of Qi looked up at him.

  The emperor of Chu stilled slightly.

  The expression of the man in black robes did not change, and his gaze did not show any clear emotions.

  But the emperor of Chu felt something.

  His gaze moved away to Emperor Yuanwu.

  With this look, everyone knew that he was about to speak.

  As he looked at Emperor Yuanwu, the emperor of Chu slowly spoke, “When the son of heaven is angry, millions spill blood. So when the son of heaven is easily angered, it will be easy to arouse the censure of the heavens.”


  “My dynasty’s craftsmen created a seal weapon last year named Heavenly Censure. I think that everyone present here knows of it.”


  As he spoke, a strange sound suddenly came from the Chu campsite on Deer Mountain that seemed to respond to him.

  Emperor Yuanwu’s expression did not change as he waited quietly.

  The sound drew closer and clearer. Within the perception of all the cultivators on Deer Mountain, some enormous insect seemed to be vibrating their wings.

  Some of the people in the highest positions in the various dynasties looked on with nervous eyes.

  The “Heavenly Censure” was a certain kind of seal weapon of the Chu Dynasty military. Supposedly, its power surpassed all the other manufactured seal weapons of the Chu Dynasty at present. The news that had made it through some secret channels had caused people to suspect that “Heavenly Censure” was very different from the normal kind of seal weapons. So, when the emperor of Chu spoke and immediately mentioned this item, people felt that this item was even more important.

  The strange hum passed through the clouds and rain, coming closer to the peak of Deer Mountain.

  At this time, on a peak outside of Deer Mountain, though Ding Ning could not hear this sound he still sensed an abnormality.

  He felt that the sunlight in the sky seemed to dim. The sun rays reaching the earth seemed to be attracted by something.

  He took a deep breath and knew that something novel was appearing.

  Gasps sounded on the peak of Deer Mountain.

  Many a gaze was completely frozen. Reflections of metal penetrated through the clouds, levelling with the mountain peak before rising even higher.

  These were multiple sheets dozens of feet long and slightly curved like flower petals. While they gave off metallic light, they were so thin they were almost transparent.

  Under the rays of the sun, golden lines lit up on these slowly rising pieces.

  These golden lines were naturally seal scripts. But these golden lines were so complicated, they were almost incomprehensible, layering together like countless transparent golden cicada wings.

  The sunlight was dim, but the temperature on top of Deer Mountain seemed to rise.

  Many could clearly feel that threads of sun truefire being absorbed into those thin pieces and continue to gather in the seal scripts.

  The thin metal pieces were still rising upwards.

  Many cultivators, especially cultivators from the military. The shock in their eyes slowly turned into stupefaction.

  The gold color filled the seals on the thin metal pieces and started to fall.

  Sun truefire rained down harder than rain.

  The threads of fire twisted together to become arrows of golden flame.

  Even more gasps rose.

  These metal pieces formed a formation.

  The golden flames that were produced by this formation were much stronger than ordinary arrows. Even more importantly …… was the matter of distance and duration!

  The thin metal pieces were still rising.

  The enormous thin metal pieces had become shadows like eagles in the sky. At such a height, almost all ordinary seal weapons, and the majority of flying swords could not touch it.

  It would have been fine if the formation disappeared after dropping a round of truefire. But most people could see by now, that as long as the sun was bright, the sun truefire gathered by these enormous thin metal pieces would never stop.

  Zzt zzt zzt zzt ……

  Ear-piercing sounds rang out on a cliff-face of Deer Mountain.

  There was a clearing there.

  As the golden flames fell, the rocks were immediately covered with scorched holes. Everyb could smell burning.

  The blooms of golden light continued to fall like flowers.

  The emperor of Qi paled slightly.

  These golden flames falling into the clearing by the cliff, and not any other part of the peak showed that the Chu Dynasty hadn’t just manufactured a seal weapon like this, they were able to accurately control such a seal weapon!

  This was not a normal seal weapon, but a standardized one!

  Only seal weapons that were not made from rare materials and could be reproduced could be outfitted for the army in large numbers could be called standardized weapons.

  If these thin metal pieces floating like stringless kites were increased tenfold, then what would it be like?

  The falling truefire might be enough to cover all of Deer Mountain.

  For an army, a dynasty, the meaning of such standard weapons far surpassed one or two cultivators like Li Caitian.

  The biggest target of the Deer Mountain Conference was Emperor Yuanwu. The emperor of Qi should be basking in schadenfreude at this moment.

  But this kind of standard seal weapon was so stunning, that he could not even muster that emotion……

  Ding Ning’s gaze moved away from the sky to Mo Shoucheng and Pan Ruoye next to him.

  The emperor of Chu’s decades of waiting had failed. He had not obtained the flesh bodhi from that hidden place on Goddess Peak, but it was not for nothing. These things clearly came from the study and changes of that formation. The Chu Dynasty was indisputably the best at making weapons.

  But Ding Ning could see that Mo Shoucheng and Pan Ruoye were not shocked.

  Even if they had known what kind of standardized “Heavenly Censure”, they would be shocked if they saw the power in person.

  There must be another reason for their lack of shock.

  He felt slightly bitter inside.

  Translator Ramblings: Mass-produced weapons are important, especially when you are waging war on a large scale. Sure, some people can have super special magical swords, but not many can conquer a city on their own.

  Volume 2 42 - A Different Conference and Sword Trial

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

  In the past, Emperor Yuanwu had cultivated the Phoenix Destroying Sword Manual.

  The "phoenix" was a legendary auspicious beast of royalty. In the tales, it possessed almost undying vitality.

  The words "phoenix destroying" in the Phoenix Destroying Sword Manual meant that even the "phoenix" could be killed with a blow. It was possible to imagine the terrifying power and killing intent from a sword manual like this.

  This sword manual’s moves were exceptionally straightforward. A large reason why many swordsmen of the Qin were honest and straightforward were due to their reverence for the strongest Qin emperor in history.

  However, Emperor Yuanwu had gone into seclusion not long after he had ascended the throne. In the last decade or so, no one had seen him truly fight. So no one knew if he still primarily cultivated the Phoenix Destroying Sword Manual having reached realm eight.

  A bright yellow longsword that appeared to be made out of jade appeared in Emperor Yuanwu’s hand.

  He then swung the sword in an unusually direct manner towards the black pot covering Yan Ying.

  This blow appeared simple, and most of the cultivators on the peak of Deer Mountain did not sense any strong movements of the primal energies of the universe. However, the few that were the strongest, shuddered in unison and were astounded within.

  Emperor Chen of Han knew that Yan Ying was at his most dangerous moment. With a soft cough, his feet left the ground as he flew with the pill fire sword to stab towards Emperor Yuanwu.

  A burst of inexplicable sound came from in front of him.

  It sounded like the pebble someone had thrown from high up a set of stairs that was ceaselessly rolling downwards.

  Barely inches before him, his pill fire sword, containing a hard to imagine power, silently came to an abrupt halt.

  A bright barrier appeared in front of him and stopped his advance.

  A bolt of pill fire appeared in front of him.

  Then a second one, a third …… numerous streaks of pillfire appeared in the air in front of him like red flowers blooming on a wall.

  Many atop Deer Mountain sensed the changes in the air. They knew that at this moment, invisible to the naked eye, Emperor Chen of Han had not just struck one blow, but multiple. His meridians could only withstand such an explosion due to the Heaven Stealing Pill.

  Yet, Emperor Chen of Han was still unable to thwart Emperor Yuanwu’s blow.

  The barrier that had appeared in front of him was the sword light from Emperor Yuanwu’s blow.

  "What kind of sword is this?"

  Gasps sounded in waves.

  People finally managed to see that diverse energies were coursing within Emperor Yuanwu’s yellow sword.

  The barrier of light made from his sword light also had many lights of different intensities flashing within. These energies of varied strengths and lights felt like they came from many different cultivators, and even non-cultivators. However, these energies and lights were blended together to become this final sword move.

  The yellow sword in Emperor Yuanwu’s hand did not slow at all as the tip stabbed into the black pot covering Yuanwu.

  "The pill fire sword is not a true sword."

  As he stabbed the black pot, Emperor Yuanwu looked with some sympathy at Emperor Chen of Han. "The sword is a sharp item. Other items are powerful, but do not have the piercing power of a sword. The sword, even in ancient times, was the king of all weapons. Could anything rival it?" As he spoke, the black pot gave a cracking sound.

  The yellow sword in his hand had pierced the black pot.

  The black pot cracked, and revealed Yan Ying’s figure.

  The sword continued to advance, and stabbed into Yan Ying’s body.

  Other than the emperor of Qi, this was the first time most Qi cultivators were seeing Yan Ying. However, everyone knew what Yan Ying meant to the Qi Dynasty.

  The moment the sword stabbed into Yan Ying’s body, a grieving wail erupted within the people of Qi.

  There could not be a second Heaven Stealing Pill in the world. So, there could not be a second person in the world that could endure Emperor Yuanwu’s blow.

  Even more so, Emperor Yuanwu’s strike was much stronger than Emperor Chen of Han’s previous blow.

  Yan Ying’s body flew backwards. The yellow sword left his body and emitting a series of dissonant sounds.

  No one knew if these sounds came from the energies within the sword, or were a result of the friction between the blade and Yan Ying’s body.

  This sword had pierced through Yan Ying’s heart meridian and left behind a hole the size of a bowl. No one could survive such an injury.

  The sorrow of the Qi people deepened.

  Yan Ying’s expression remained calm. He had yet to die.

  Suddenly, everybody held their breaths, not in disbelief and nervousness, but because the air at the peak of Deer Mountain had turned exceptionally dark and cold.

  Because it was so dark and cold, it felt like the water in the deepest coffin of a tomb. People did not dare to touch it, much less breath it in.

  Once again, Emperor Yuanwu’s eyes showed shock.

  With the appearance of the Heaven Stealing Pill, the one who should have astounded him today should have been Emperor Chen of Han, but in reality, from the start until now, the one who disturbed the calm of his mind was this grandmaster of the Qi.

  The extremely thick and

  cold energy came from Yan Ying’s body.

  No blood spilled from the bowl-sized hole in his heart meridian. His flesh and bones did not appear like flesh and bones as they emitted a cold light. His heart meridian had disappeared under the sword. Naturally, his body could no longer beat, and his blood and energies no longer flowed.

  At the same time, Yan Ying did not breathe.

  His body gave off a hair-raising cold and dark presence. He seemed to have become a legendary …… undying zombie.

  As a realm eight cultivator, Emperor Yuanwu knew that tales of people dying and becoming the so-called zombies after their minds dissipated, was absurd.

  As he held his sword in front of him, he frowned slightly. He said in a cold voice, "I had not imagined Mountain

  Sect would have such means. I did not expect that you did not think about living from the start."

  Yan Ying’s voice sounded as even darker winds scraped across the mountain peak. "I am still living right now."

  The emperor of Qin had a grave expression as he bowed slightly to Yan Ying.

  To an emperor, this kind of bow was extremely serious, especially when he wasn’t the emperor of the Qi Dynasty.

  Emperor Yuanwu and Yan Ying’s conversation was profound and cryptic. Most people on the peak of Deer Mountain could not comprehend the meaning, but some still managed to grasp.

  Strictly speaking, Yan Ying was not alive right now. In his body,

  energy had replaced the flow of his blood. His entire body had become a container. What he relied on to manipulate his vital energy was just his perception that was extraordinarily strong and overcame the terror of death.

  But once the soul lost the nourishment of the body, the perception was like the mental power that existed within a flying sword. It could only be used up, and never to be replenished. Even the strongest perception would slowly fade in the end.

  Yan Ying knew he was not a match for Emperor Yuanwu, but he still showed hostility towards Emperor Yuanwu.

  From the moment he showed hostility towards Emperor Yuanwu, he had decided to use such a tactic. No matter if he won or lost this fight, he was fated to die. His resolve was enough to support him to the end of his battle with Emperor Yuanwu.

  Emperor Chen of Han, due to the Heaven Stealing Pill, was difficult to klil.

  At this time, Emperor Yuanwu’s two opponents appeared to be the undying.

  More and more people reacted.

  All of the Qi cultivators still felt grief inside, but their grief was mixed with courage.

  From the time the Qin Dynasty had fought the Han, Zhao and Wei dynasties, Emperor Yuanwu had been hard to kill. Because he always had a group of the strongest cultivators in the world around him.

  Yet, those great experts from the Ba Mountain Sword Field had gradually passed away.

  Emperor Chen of Han and Yan Ying had been the most likely chance to kill Emperor Yuanwu.

  Yan Ying raised his arm, and clapped his hands towards Emperor Yuanwu.

  The

  energy accumulated in his body exploded from between his fingers.

  This

  energy explosion would usually be enough to kill him, but he did not have to consider his own body at present.

  Emperor Yuanwu swung his sword.

  The yellow sword and Yan Ying’s palm made contact.

  Countless threads of energy exploded between the blade and the palm, shooting outwards. The air was frozen in rays, turning into grey-black pillars of ice that fell to the ground. These pillars then turned into threads of black smoke that burned upwards, transforming into gusts of dark wind.

  Unimaginable sword energy pierced Yan Ying’s palm. Two of his fingers were instantly cut off. His body gave off a cracking sound.

  His body was cracking all over.

  Yet, his gaze became colder and more focused.

  In the span of a blink, his two fingers did not fall to the ground. Instead, they accelerated like a flying sword and pierced towards Emperor Yuanwu’s eyes.

  This action was unspeakably tragic and stirring, an action that injured both sides.

  Translator Ramblings: Yan Ying actually has a real historical event and an idiom associated with a pottery item. The idiom is "subdue the enemy with a wine vessel," meaning using diplomacy, and not martial force, to force an enemy to retreat. The story is on Yan Ying’s Wikipedia page if anyone is interested.