Username: Password: Remember
background color:font color:font:[12PX15PX16PX20PX28PX]
Chapter Fifty-Two: The Enemy Of The City
writer:无罪      update:2022-07-21 15:26
  Marquis Xu frowned, and looked down loftily at Ye Celeng, saying, “Today, I will not have mercy.”


  Ye Celeng smiled, appearing very charming. “I do not need your mercy.”


  Looking at her, an odd look flashed through his eyes. He said, “If so, please.”


  Ye Celeng looked up slightly. Above Marquis Xu’s head was naturally the sky. At this time, sunlight was bright, and there were no clouds. But as she looked, suddenly, out of nothing, countless raindrops appeared.

  These raindrops did not seem to be of the mortal world. People could not feel any wetness. When they fell from the sky, they seemed to go against the laws of the natural world. They did not just fall at an unimaginably fast rate, they connected together, like someone was pulling the two ends of the droplet and stretching them into threads.

  In a flash, the millions of raindrops turned into millions of thin lines. The lines were like thin needles, the thinner, the sharper, and the more penetrating power they had. Also, these thin threads did not break. The energy pulled in from all directions endlessly gathered at the tips of the needles.

  Boom!

  With a low shout, the air around Marquis Xu exploded. With his body as the center, the stone tiles on the ground within dozens of meters and the courtyard walls all exploded. His hairs danced, his body expanding and doubling in size like a demon. Swords lights as thick as barrels swirled around him in the exploding air and dust.

  The millions of rain lines stabbed into the exploding energy around him. The tips of the lines exploded, but only he and Ye Celeng could sense at this moment, the thin lines seemed to be pulled by his sword lights, and wrapped around his sword lights.

  In this moment, his sword lights gave thunderous roars, the rain lines snapping and flying back out. The sword lines were made from raindrops stretched out. They were hard to see with the naked eye. When they snapped, the threads were even smaller. When they flew back out, these snapped rain lines turned into splashes of water.

  It was like countless people were splashing water in the alley. Enormous splashes of water fell from the sky, washing the dust from the air and also breaking the black tiles on the roofs. The pieces of cracked tile flew off the roofs, and when they landed on the ground, the ground was already covered in a layer of water.

  The cracked tiles created splashes of water when they landed on the ground. With black as the center, countless water flowers bloomed in the alley.

  The white-robed Ye Celeng turned around and walked away from the alley. Her shoes were not wet. Just like how she had walked through the roaring waves of the Wei River during the Changling storm, she was walk above the water.

  Marquis Xu stood there. His body was still shrouded in terrifying energy, and his body was still double his usual size.

  “Marquis?”


  The courtyard door behind him had completely shattered. Numerous cultivators walked out behind him, and they shouted as they saw Ye Celeng’s back.

  In their view, just now, Marquis Xu had defeated Ye Celeng’s sword essence with a blow. Ye Celeng had publicly rebelled. Were they to release her after just one contact like this?

  But just as they were shouting, with a pop, Marquis Xu sprayed out a mouthful of blood. His mountainous body suddenly shrank like it was leaking and turned back to being as big as usual. But his face was waxy, and the water in front of him was blood red……

  He looked at Ye Celeng’s floating figure, his eyes and mind filled with great shock.

  “Cloud Water Palace……”


  He suddenly understood something.

  **

  There was an unusual star fire falling through the night sky. There was someone on the level of a grandmaster using their life energy to quickly bring military reports back to Changling. Changling appeared calm, but even the people on the street knew that unusual and great matters were occurring.

  When something great was happening, some of Changling’s people were originally people that had great attention paid to them. Among these people, Ye Celeng definitely ranked first.

  So many people did not know of Marquis Xu’s actions, and did not know why he had left his home for, but many people knew of Ye Celeng’s movements.

  When Ye Celeng blocked Marquis Xu and attacked him, in many people’s eyes, she had become Changling’s enemy, or rather, a dead person.

  Changling’s streets extended in all directions, and at many intersections, there were tall turrets. These turrets monitored all of Changling’s movements.

  At this time, when water was flowing outside Marquis Xu’s marquessate establishment, on a turret closest to the location, one general’s back was soaked in cold sweat.

  This general who was very experienced had trembling hands. Just like Marquis Xu had said, sympathy and respect were one thing, their own side was another. This general naturally did not want to abandon Changling, and become an enemy of the Qin Dynasty. So after a moment of hesitation, he acted.

  He was the master of this turret. He knew better than anyone the true reason that these turrets had been created back then. These turrets had been a stunning idea.

  When some powerful enough yin energy was gathered through seals and crystals, the light rays they produced were able to create unnatural twisting in the primal energies. Then these rays of light could be like moonlight and shine to every corner of Changling.

  This was the “Falling Dark Moon.”


  In reality, above all the people walking in Changling, there was a sword that could appear at any moment. Such a seal weapon was created by the craftsmen of Ba Mountain Sword Field. They had been set up during the great change before Yuanwu’s ascension. During the Deer Mountain Conference, the cultivators of the world learned that such seal weapons had been successfully created. Deep inside each turret, in the stable formations, there were the key seal crystals embedded within.

  Once the general sent the order, the seal crystal would release cold, yin and vicious energy filling the entire formation. Then a moonlight sword light would rise from the turret and head towards Ye Celeng.

  This “Falling Dark Moon”‘s power would not reach realm seven, but would not be weaker than realm six. What terrified realm sevens was that they would keep on coming. The cultivator under attack would be worn out defending, and could not hide.

  The formations in all of the turrets were connected. The yin energy produced by the seal crystals would constantly flow into the turret closest to this cultivator. In any corner of Changling, the Falling Dark Moon would constantly attack until this cultivator used up their vital energy or was killed.

  A finger sized gray crystal appeared in this general’s hand. As his vital energy flooded in the grey crystal, he slammed it into a metal plate in front of him.

  Volume 5 52 - How To Do It?

  Ding Ning lifted his head slightly but did not look at the corpse of the Wuzhi cultivator. As he looked up, several sharp whistles sounded from the Wuzhi cavalry.

  Accompanied by the whistles, the cavalry stopped advancing and then retreated like the tide down the mountain slope at their fastest speed. They did not attack again, only continuing to withdraw into the grassland.

  Bursts of cheers and shouts erupted from the Imperial Guard Army and the walls of Guyu Pass. This was undoubtedly a victory worthy of being proud.

  This Wuzhi cavalry charged and retreated, leaving behind six to seven hundred corpses on the slopes. The Imperial Guard Army had only a few fatalities.

  Yet looking at the retreating cavalry, Ding Ning’s brow furrowed deeply. Nangong Caishu’s body trembled in excitement. This was her first time on a true battlefield, and this was a battle of the weak and the strong.

  “What is it?” She was confused at Ding Ning’s worried expression.

  “The enemy has a powerful general, and he is within the vanguard.” Ding Ning did not look at her and focused on the cavalry that had retreated into the dark grasslands. He said slowly and seriously, “Ordinary generals will likely choose to retreat and attack Guyu Pass because all the cultivators of Guyu Pass are here. Even though they have lost so many people, they still have an advantage against Guyu Pass.”


  Nangong Caishu stilled. She felt a sweat break out on her back and felt great terror.

  Ding Ning continued. “This general chose to not attack Guyu Pass, not because we frightened him, but because he does not want to take risks and lose more people.”


  Nangong Caishu took a deep breath. As the cold air entered her lungs, her body also grew colder. “So he is choosing to wait until the main army arrives?”


  Ding Ning nodded. His gaze fell onto the Wuzhi cultivator’s corpse near him. “This Wuzhi cultivator is not much weaker than Palace Attendant Rong …… The general leading this army is naturally much stronger.”


  Nangong Caishu turned stark white. If a vanguard army had such an outstanding general, then how strong would be the highest ranking general of the entire army?

  “We still have the chance to win,” Ding Ning turned around and said softly to Nangong Caishu. He nodded towards her, indicating for her to not follow.

  Nangong Caishu understood his meaning and watched him walk a short distance.

  Ding Ning walked next to the carriages. Within these carriages were the craftsmen who were not skilled in battle but repairing military ordnance as well as Zhangsun Qianxue

  In the previous march, the Imperial Guard Army had grown used to Ding Ning lingering around the carriage most of the time. It was as though Ding Ning would obtain more peace beside the carriage, or rather, he could think better.

  Ding Ning walked next to Zhangsun Qianxue’s carriage. The Imperial Guard Army was starting to clean the battlefield and preparing for Ding Ning’s next orders.

  A middle-aged cultivator dressed in robes the color of dried grass was slowly walking towards Ding Ning. He held the Last Flower remnant sword that had fallen on the battlefield previous with a solemn and respectful expression. He came with great respect, wanting to return the sword to Ding Ning.

  “You stop there.”


  At this moment, Ding Ning looked at him and then made a hand gesture. This was a military order.

  The Imperial Guard Army soldiers around him still immersed in the aura of blood and steel immediately reacted. The soldiers next to this middle-aged cultivator instantly surrounded him, their gleaming blades all pointed at the middle-aged cultivator.

  This middle-aged cultivator looked in speechless shock at Ding Ning. “This is?”


  Ding Ning did not immediately answer his question. Then he pointed at an armor wearing commander not far from the middle-aged cultivator.

  That general wore the armor of the border army, and was a cultivator from Guyu Pass.

  “And you.” He looked at this commander and said, “You two have nothing to say?”


  The wind seemed to grow colder. The slope was silent. Many of the Imperial Guard Army soldiers reacted after a moment. Even though they did not see a new order, there was a burst of footsteps and this armor-wearing commander was also surrounded.

  The surrounded commander looked up, his expression unusually cold. He said coldly, “Are you crazy?”


  Ding Ning calmly looked at him and said, “In the battle, everyone else was normal, only you two were unusual.”


  This middle-aged man in grass-colored robes had a pale face. The commander’s expression grew colder as his eyes narrowed. “I do not understand your meaning.”


  “Of all the cultivators who came from Guyu Pass, you two killed the fewest enemies, but you are not the weakest cultivators.”


  Ding Ning looked at the commander who was going to speak and interrupted him. “Do not say that you are kind, you both only killed two enemy soldiers, and those were all unimportant ordinary riders …… In the last part of battle when the enemy charged, you were of almost no effect. You acted like you were fighting, but did not truly fight. Can you tell me why?”


  Hearing this, the commander paled, and everyone on the slopes looked with shock at Ding Ning. They did not believe that he could have noticed the details of these cultivators during the battle.

  “Just based on your words?” The paling commander looked at Ding Ning and shouted what they found hard to believe. “Who knows if you saw incorrectly? How do you know we only killed two people?”


  “You should be from the Fish-Dragon Sword Temple, your first attack was the Fish-Dragon Transformation, but your sword essence was directed to a place with no enemies. What is most suspicious is your Migratory Sword. You could have stabbed that Wuzhi cultivator in the stomach, but you turned your sword and only brushed the enemy.” Ding Ning’s expression did not change even as he narrated slowly.

  As he spoke calmly, this commander’s expression turned tense and his body trembled uncontrollably. In the next moment, this commander howled wildly and pulled out his longsword from his waist.

  But in this moment, at least two flying swords lingering not far from this commander fell towards the commander. He had only taken a step forward when he fell to the ground like a piece of wood, causing a spray of dust and blood.

  Of the two flying swords, one was the crimson flying sword that had appeared the sharpest and effective in the previous battle. The master of this flying sword, a tall and thin man, looked with unspeakable respect at Ding Ning stunned in thought: How did he do it?

  Ding Ning looked at the middle-aged cultivator holding the Last Flower remnant sword and said seriously and sincerely, “Your life depends on you.”


  Volume 3 52 - Demise

  At this moment, among all the cultivators around Deer Mountain, only Ding Ning and Mo Shoucheng knew Emperor Yuanwu’s secret, excluding Huang Zhenwei. So when Huang Zhenwei formed the pill, and Emperor Yuanwu’s empty body was immediately filled with large amounts of vital energy, even Pan Ruoye felt indescribable shock.

  The emperor of Chu’s unusual flush turned pale. His lips became even redder, as though all the redness on his face had gathered on his lips.

  Then he coughed painfully. He coughed up blood.

  The emperors of Qi and Yan’s eyes also dimmed.

  Emperor Yuanwu grew strong again. His body grew in their senses until he was as tall as the sky.

  Ye Xinhe, who had screamed and found himself in a trap, ignored Song Chaosheng who was between the two mountains and pulled his sword back.

  Some people advanced, some retreated. Yet, this was all for the optimal result.

  There was an enormous boom that caused many people’s eardrums to bleed and grow deaf.

  An enormous pillar of lightning that would need dozens of people to circle it fell. The Peachwood Sword flowed upwards within this astounding pillar of lightning as though it was going to pierce a hole in the sky and escape.

  “Come when you want to, go when you want to, would it be so easy?”


  Emperor Yuanwu looked with sympathy at the sword light, shook his head and spoke with a powerful and confident expression. His tone seemed like he was speaking to a child.

  One of the former heroes of the Ba Mountain Sword Field looked like a panicked child in front of him.

  His sword was already swinging.

  Flying between the two mountains, Song Chansheng turned pale. He could sense Emperor Yuanwu’s sword coming towards him. He gave a low shout, and numerous curved seal lines appeared in the air in front of him.

  He sent out all of his vital energy into these seal lines, attempting to create the strongest tide of his life to block Emperor Yuanwu’s blow.

  Yet in this moment, his face grew paler.

  The yellow sword flew towards him. The sword essence also came towards him, but the actual sword energy pulled without warning and cut into the enormous pillar of lightning.

  The sword like, like a transparent piece of crystal, cut through the terrifying lightning pillar and accurately struck the fleeing sword light.

  Crack crack crack ……

  The lightning pillar gave off constant cracking sounds as though it was truly made out of crystal.

  This astounding pillar of lightning shattered immediately like a piece of ice and turned into thousands of dancing lightning snakes in the air.

  The crystal sword energy stuck to the other sword light. The scene at this moment created an illusion that time had stilled.

  As the lightning disappeared, a yellow wood sword was revealed. It trembled, as though it felt great pain, before shattering into pieces.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! ……

  An incessant roar of thunder emerged through the sky. Each piece of wood contained astounding pressure. They flew miles through the air before exploding ferociously.

  The Peach God Sword was undoubtedly one of the best swords of the Ba Mountain Sword Field. Ye Xinhe was undoubtedly one of the strongest master swordsmen in the world.

  But Emperor Yuanwu destroyed the Peach God Sword with one blow.

  As the Peace God Sword shattered, the peak where the sword had flown out of shook. Trees cracked in unison.

  A long-haired man dressed in ordinary cloth, who had originally been ethereal in air, produced a layer of bloody mist out of his skin.

  Killing Emperor Chen of Han, killing Yan Ying and destroying the Peach God Sword. All cultivators on top of Deer Mountain were speechless at Emperor Yuanwu’s presence.

  But a crazy and angry shout sounded through the air. “Yuanwu! You think you are invincible!”


  An enormous figure shining with bloody red light charged out of that ocean-scented mountain and stepped through the air.

  Accompanying this angry shout, a deep blue blade appeared in the air behind Song Chaosheng. A mountain of energy fell through the air and smashed onto this blade, its energies overflowed into enormous waves……

  An enormous deep blue wave appeared in the sky.

  Song Chaosheng did not look back. He sensed the appearance of this enormous wave, the hesitance in his expression turned into solemnity and dignity.

  The entwined seal lines before him rose up. In the next moment, he slammed onto the enormous blue wave that had formed later but appeared in front of him!

  Another terrifying collision sounded through the air.

  The enormous blue wave did not accelerate after Song Chaosheng’s blow, but paused oddly. In the next moment, with a hiss, the deep blue blade hidden inside broke through the waves!

  The blade seemed to have perfectly consolidated the power of the two people. A straight line of light appeared in front of the blade which did not seem to be of the mortal world.

  At the same time, on the mountain with the destroyed trees, Ye Xinhe shouted once again, his skin covered in blood. He then flew into the air, emitting a blinding light and the attitude of fighting to the death.

  You think you are invincible?

  Guo Dongjiang’s delirious shout was still echoing through the valley. The presence of the incoming blade light caused many cultivator’s energy to stop flowing.

  While Emperor Yuanwu had destroyed the Peach God Sword with one blow, everyone was certain he could not muster a blow like that again.

  These three grandmasters flying in clearly had put life and death aside. Disregarding the power they could muster when they did not fear death, just from Ye Xinhe’s retreat and advance, these three grandmasters felt that they had a likely chance of killing Emperor Yuanwu by sacrificing themselves.

  But Emperor Yuanwu’s face showed no fear.

  He held his sword across his body, narrowing his eyes at the blade light, and said, “Wang Jingmeng died, Yan Xinlan died, Mo Libie died …… so I am invincible.”


  These three names had been the strongest of the former Ba Mountain Sword Field, the cultivators who had walked ahead of him. Similarly, he wanted to erase these three names, and would not mention them ordinarily.

  But Yan Ying had spoken the name of the person he feared, so when he said it now, he was telling everyone he was strong and fearless.

  The blade light was ahead, and the sword light from Ye Xinhe was behind.

  The blade and sword light burned with the brightest light and murderousness of the last decade as they shot towards Yuanwu.

  At the same time, the wild peach trees on all the mountains, except Deer Mountain, bloomed. Suddenly, the mountains were deep red.

  A serene white cloud appeared in the murderous sky.

  The flowers had bloomed. This was naturally the Unimportant Marquis Li, the grandmaster of the Qi Dynasty, while the flowing cloud represented that nameless Daoist from the Dao Scroll Sect……

  These two revealed their cultivation, but did not attack in order to announce their existence, and intimidate the people on other mountains who wanted to help Emperor Yuanwu.

  These were all grandmasters above realm seven. Now, these grandmasters wanted Emperor Yuanwu to die.

  On the mountain where Ding Ning was, Mo Shoucheng was also acting.

  Mo Shoucheng’s vital energy charged out of his body, not violently, but in a thin and exceptionally distant presence like steam evaporating into the world.

  At this moment, Ding Ning looked at Mo Shoucheng’s back and felt the impulse to attack. He wanted to change the result. Perhaps, if he killed Mo Shoucheng here, he may be able to change the result. But Pan Ruoye was next to Mo Shoucheng.

  If his cultivation were realm five now, Pan Ruoye, who had almost no vital energy left, could not stop him from killing Mo Shoucheng.

  But his cultivation was insufficient……Pan Ruoye could easily kill him.

  The best opportunity had arrived, but his cultivation was two realms too low …… this was fate.

  He looked at the scene in front of him, his body cold, unable to breathe, and had no time to breathe.

  Ye Xinhe’s sword light flashed past the sky above Guo Dongjiang and Song Chaosheng but suddenly changed.

  The sword light condensed, and then abruptly fell like a meteor.

  Everyone’s hearts fell as well.

  Guo Dongjiang trembled in anger and shouted madly. He held his hands up and slapped towards Ye Xinhe’s body.

  Crack!

  The sword light cut through his body, and his body gave off a cracking sound. His hands could not touch Ye Xinhe’s body, but palm marks appeared on Ye Xinhe’s chest and the side of his face. With a muffled shout, Ye Xinhe’s body flew backwards like a rock.

  Song Chaosheng also shouted in anger.

  Ye Xinhe had been the one to plan this trap. Ye Xinhe of Ba Mountain Sword Field had been the one to secretly set this up. If not for Ye Xinhe’s invitation, he and Guo Dongjiang might not have appeared here.

  If not for this trap, why would Li Caitian, Emperor Chen of Han, and Yan Ying die one after another here?

  But Ye Xinhe, who had planned this trap, betrayed them all. How could he not be angry?

  As he howled angrily, Emperor Yuanwu calmly pushed the sword in his hand to face that blade light.

  All he cared about was this blade light and nothing else.

  The white flowing clouds in the sky moved to fall.

  But an invisible wall suddenly formed below the flowing clouds.

  Someone let out a quiet sigh.

  An endless sword energy flooded up from another mountain.

  This sword energy was not strong, and did not seem to influence the battle. But this sword seemed able to surround all the mountains around Deer Mountain.

  When this sword energy appeared, people at the peak of Deer Mountain finally had an answer. The faint sword marks around that mountain had been made by the prime minister who had accompanied Emperor Yuanwu from Changling but had not revealed himself.

  All the peach flowers around Deer Mountain instantly dimmed and withered. The sky was empty.

  Everybody could sense two presences leaving.

  A soft sound occurred in front of Emperor Yuanwu. Crystal-like cracks appeared in the air before him. There was a faint shallow wound between his thumb and forefinger. Then he put his sword away.

  The deep blue blade fell in front of him, inserting into the ground at an angle.

  “Long Wind!”


  “Fire!”


  Sharp military orders sounded again. Countless blue winds charged into the sky and started to burn.

  Song Chaosheng stopped howling, looked at Emperor Yuanwu and sighed. He no longer possessed the power to stop these seal weapons and his body disappeared into the burning flying flames.

  Guo Dongjiang had died.

  Song Chaosheng had died.

  Other than that Unimportant Marquis Li and the unnamed Taoist, almost all of the great grandmasters in the world were dead.

  Translator Ramblings: Having an army with good weapons is really advantageous.

  Volume 2 52 - Give Advice

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

  The country could not go a day without a ruler, the imperial palace not a day without its monarch.

  Any imperial cavalcade would usually try to be as fast as possible when they were returning. Watching the scenery was something idle people did. A monarch was never idle.

  Yet, the imperial procession of the Chu Dynasty stopped at Wancheng.

  Wancheng originally belonged to the Han, and was a region that the Chu Dynasty acquired after the Han Dynasty was destroyed and divided. Wancheng and Deer Mountain were just several cities away, less than a hundred miles of distance. It naturally was a border city, and not an important city with soldiers and grain.

  Staying for long at a place like this was unwise. Yet, almost everybody in the imperial cavalcade knew why.

  The emperor of Chu was truly close to death. Many knew that this longest-reigning emperor had problems with his health long ago. As Deer Mountain Conference started, his energies were used up through the violent primal energies of the universe at Deer Mountain and the deaths of numerous grandmasters. His energy seemed completely used up, and the hidden wounds in his body exploded.

  The emperor of Chu was without an appealing reputation. He was lustful, mediocre, and disliked governing. Only the old officials who had accompanied him for many years knew that his low-key peace and even his muddleheadedness were just a facade. His blindness and lack of actions were only forgiveness and inaction at many times.

  So, in the Chu Dynasty, no one looked down upon him. Not many even opposed him. They could judge him, look down upon him, but they also respected him.

  The palace at Wancheng had been completed long before the emperor of Chu had arrived. On the dragon bed, the emperor of Chu was leaning against cushions. His gaze wished to focus, but was scattered. So his expression was calm, and slightly helpless and sentimental.

  Consort Zhao Xiang looked down at him and held both of his hands.

  "I thought that you could at least last until the imperial capital." She slowly said, "I hadn’t expected this to be so quick."

  The emperor of Chu felt the softness and warmth of her hands. He smiled slightly and said, "I also had not imagined this. Who would’ve thought I would encounter Mo Shoucheng at Goddess Peak."

  Consort Zhao Xiang was silent but her hands started to tense, the joints lighting up.

  "Do not do this." The emperor of Chu shook his head.

  Consort Zhao Xiang shook her head stubbornly. She looked at him and said, "It is alright if you die on a war campaign, but dying on the way back from Deer Mountain …… This is not good for your reputation. In the future, I do not wish to hear people say you were frightened out of your wits by Emperor Yuanwu’s sword, your illness recurred, and you passed away. While your reputation and mine have never been good, I do not want you to have a reputation like this when you leave."

  "This is also fine." The emperor of Chu shook his head, looking at her and saying, "I just want you to endure."

  "Endure?" Consort Zhao Xiang did not understand his meaning.

  The emperor of Chu nodded. "In your governance, you just have to endure, you do not have to do anything, just endure. No matter what losses you suffer, you shall endure."

  Consort Zhao Xiang still did not understand and asked, "Why?"

  "Because this will let the Chu exist for longer than the Yan and Qi." The emperor of Chu smiled and said, "Maybe you will endure until the Qin is dead."

  Consort Zhao Xiang looked at him and wanted to say something. But she sensed something, and her hands grew stiff.

  The emperor of Chu smiled tiredly and said, "Regardless of what you seem like in the eyes of the Chu and the historiographers, I am very reassured giving the Chu to you."

  After saying this, he slowly closed his eyes and seemed to fall into an exhausted sleep.

  Consort Zhao Xiang held his hand. She looked at him for a long time and said, "Your Majesty, do not worry. I will do my best."

  Then she stood up and walked towards the outside.

  "His Majesty has passed away."

  Her voice echoed through the cold palace and formed into thunder in the spring.

  "HIs Majesty has passed away!"

  Orders and cries of grief rang out.

  Her figure seemed to freeze under the eaves of the palace like a statue. Her face was like jade and did not show grief from start to finish. It wasn’t that she was not grieving, but for many, there was no time to linger over grief.

  The emperor of Chu died during his travels.

  For Changling, in the spring of Yuanwu Year Twelve, as the news passed into the streets and alleys, the noblest woman of Changling returned to Changling, and the inner palace which belonged to her.

  When her figure appeared on the stone path with the statues on both sides, one could see Fu Su already waiting here.

  Looking at Fu Su who delightfully bowed, her perfect eyes showed a doting that quickly turned to absolute calm.

  "You can no longer attend the Min Mountain Sword Trials," she looked at Fu Su and said.

  Fu Su froze slightly, his face paling. He asked, "Mother-Empress, why?"

  "I know that friendship is very important to you, and I know I promised to allow you to participate in the Min Mountain Sword Trials." The empress looked gently at him and said, "I allowed you to participate in the Min Mountain Sword Trials, meaning you could move freely outside the palace. But your identity is now different."

  Fu Su was dazed.

  "Because there haven’t been any accidents at the Deer Mountain Conference."

  The empress looked up into the distance and said softly, "So you will soon become the crown prince …… It is nothing to have an imperial son moving around, but a just established crown prince is different."

  "It is not appropriate for the crown prince to attend an event like that. Also, I cannot give you more time to play …… You have many things to learn and do."

  "I think you understand."

  Hearing these words, Fu Su’s head drooped. He understood these truths, but he couldn’t help but feel sad.

  "I know you are a little sad, but if that wine shop youth is outstanding enough, you will naturally have more chances to interact."

  The empress seemed to have read his thoughts and her tone gentled greatly. "That youth performed well at Wu Mountain. I am very satisfied, and will reward him greatly."

  Hearing her words, Fu Su’s eyes suddenly lit up. He became happy, happy for his friend’s encounters.

  "Thank you, Mother-Empress."

  In his view, since she had said "great rewards," then the rewards would naturally be significant. Maybe this would be enough to make sure Ding Ning successfully pass the Min Mountain Sword Trials, and enter the Min Mountain Sword Sect to cultivate.

  But he did not know that a person had many facets. The noblest woman in Changling would have many different aspects to how she treated one matter.

  The reward was just one aspect.

  "They are so extravagant and luxurious to carve so many flowers on even a window sill. But this is more suitable for firewood than the door. It saves some effort."

  "This is iron wood. It is not so easy to cut up."

  A man in rough clothes, holding an axe, looked at the wooden windowsill that only had a few extra marks. He looked up in disbelief at Ding Ning who had spoken in warning. "How can the wood be so hard?"

  "It will sink if thrown into water. Of course it is hard."

  Ding Ning gave a small smile and said, "If you want to cut it into firewood, you have to find a large axe. Otherwise, I fear you will take till tomorrow morning with your axe."

  "Bah! They take such care with a windowsill and managed to carve such patterns into such a hard wood. How much effort did this take? How much silver did they squander with their extravagances?"

  The axe-holding man spat, and shoved his axe into his belt. He no longer wanted to spend any effort on this windowsill. At the same time, he said in disdain, "No wonder the Chu Dynasty benefited so much from us, but aren’t able to win against us nine years later and gave such a large land to us."

  Ding Ning smiled and didn’t speak. At the same time, he looked along the man’s gaze at a courtyard.

  This courtyard took up a large area, and had many buildings. It originally should have been beautiful, but at a glance, it was in ruins. The buildings inside had been torn down, the tall walls stained, and many holes had been made.

  Shen Yi was next to Ding Ning.

  Shen Yi looked at the ruined state through the large holes in the wall and sighed. "I had not expected Li Lingjun’s establishment to become like this in just a few days."

  No one was privy to the conversation that took place in the deepest part of the Great Floating Water Prison. Yet, everything corresponded to the words of the strongest strategist in the history of Qin.

  When the celebratory air spread recklessly through the streets of Changling, many people could not avoid thinking of their enmity.

  At the start, many Changling people who had lost relatives in the battle with the Chu only threw what they had on hand at the walls of Li Lingjun’s establishment. But when more people gathered, this kind of fury could not be easily controlled and turned into a frenzy.

  The first day, the walls and gates were broken, and many valuables were stolen.

  The second day, some furniture were looted.

  The third day, even the valuable flora and usable wood were taken away.

  Starting on the night of the third day, even stone material and the beams of the buildings were pulled down by ropes and hauled away.

  At this time, the scattered objects of Li Lingjun’s establishment could be seen in many streets and alleys of Changling.

  Li Lingjun’s establishment, that had once been a legend in Changling, in just these few days, was reduced to ruins.

  Ding Ning had come to spectate on the first day of Li Lingjun’s establishment being looted. Just as he had thought, the people left to guard the establishment destroyed and took away everything valuable to cultivators or the court when they saw the situation was uncontrollable. He could only see if there was anything left of value to him, so he could obtain some clues.

  A few days was naturally not enough to search for clues from the details of the enormous establishment of Li Lingjun.

  Just like the many who were exceptionally content upon entering Li Lingjun’s establishment multiple times, Ding Ning once again entered Li Lingjun’s establishment.

  The poor man with the axe on his belt roamed the untended establishment while Ding Ning and Shen Yi, who had entered with him, walked towards one of the half-fallen towers deeper inside.

  At this moment, one could see Li Yunrui walking into Li Lingjun’s establishment from the other side.

  Translator Ramblings: I forgot to even mention the teleportation that occurred in the previous chapter. Actual teleportion, not moving quickly.