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Chapter Fifty-Four: Peak
writer:无罪      update:2022-07-21 15:26
  When the formations of the turrets were activated, the courtyard of Bureau Chief Chen was filled with many Divinity Bureau officials who usually were not seen.

  Before boarding the carriage, Bureau Chief Chen quickly sent a series of orders. These orders were mostly targeted at the Astrology Bureau, including the assassination of some important people in the Astrology Bureau, and the takeover of some institutions.

  These orders contained great understanding of the Astrology Bureau, and most of the orders needed documents of the empress and the two ministers to be carried out. But none of the officials of the Divinity Bureau felt that something was unusual. Ever since over a decade ago since Yuanwu ascended the throne, the greatest meaning in the existence of the Divinity Bureau was to one day consume the Astrology Bureau.

  The officials here from the Divinity Bureau naturally included old people like Mo Qinggong. Old people referred to their time in the Divinity Bureau, and not that they were really old in age.

  They looked at the new people of the Divinity Bureau around them who had eyes flashing with excitement. Such a time was really a good chance for these young officials, but for the old people at the present, such excitement was not good.

  The war on the Qin-Chu border was still going on, and no one knew who would win. The Astrology Bureau was a great pillar of Changling. Right now, these young officials were not worried about the war at the border, but what benefits this battle to exterminate the Astrology Bureau would bring them.

  But even old people like Mo Qinggong did not discover the abnormality of Bureau Chief Chen. Ye Celeng was still in Changling. To Bureau Chief Chen, his everything was in Changling.

  But he himself boarded the carriage and complied with the orders from the imperial palace, traveling towards Min Mountain Sword Sect. The reason that he accepted such arrangements was because he knew very well, in this storm of Changling, he had to do all he could to protect Baili Suxue in order to protect Ye Celeng.

  For the mistress of the imperial palace, Baili Suxue was more important than Ye Celeng. If Baili Suxue was alive, many people could not leave and go deal with Ye Celeng.

  I hope that you can live. When the carriage sped up, Bureau Chief Chen closed his eyes and said in his mind, I hope that I can live.

  Living was just the lowest demand of the ordinary people of Changling. They wanted to live better. But for many people who were near the top, living became their ultimate goal. As long as they could live, and the people who they cared about could live, they did not care about enjoyment. Even if they were eating the worst food and wore the roughest clothes, they could live at ease.

  The racing carriage created a unique rhythmic trembling. The person driving the carriage for Bureau Chief Chen was a deaf and mute old servant. They communicated through tapping on the carriage cabin using vital energy in their fingers.

  Some people tried to stop his carriage, but the one who did so was a low ranking official, just realm four.

  Usually, no low ranking official dared to block his carriage. So Bureau Chief Chen opened his eyes, had the carriage stop, wanting to hear what this low ranking official wanted to say to him.

  “Chen Jinci, Bureau of Ceremonies Supervisor.”


  When the carriage stopped, an official from the Divinity Bureau walked out from a nearby alley, came to his carriage, and said softly, bowing.

  Bureau Chief Chen stilled. He waved a hand for this Divinity Bureau official to leave, and then looked at the incoming young official.

  While this was a lowly official of the Bureau of Ceremonies, this was a cultivator who came from the Liangjiang Chen Family just like him. They were of the same genealogy. As a result, he knew this young person.

  This young person was a little cautious, but walked to the carriage before bowing. He said softly, “Do no attempt to attack Marquis Duanmu, this is a trap.”


  An unusual flame burned in Bureau Chief Chen’s eyes. He frowned deeply and said, “Who told you to come and say such a thing to me?”


  This young official said immediately, “Official Shen Xuan ordered me to tell you he is not your enemy.”


  Saying this, this young official raised his head. Black blood started to stream from his mouth, then his eyes turned black and he cried black tears.

  Bureau Chief Chen knew that this young official was in the last moments of his life. His usually slow voice grew urgent. “Why?”


  “Not just because of Official Shen, but from a certain point of view, Official, you are the future of the Liangjiang, you represent the Chen Family, so nothing can happen to you.” With that, the young official fell down, dying by the side of his carriage.

  Bureau Chief Chen slowly bowed his head. His movement unusually slow, so slow it was like the moss growing in the shadows.

  Min Mountain Sword Sect, Baili Suxue walked along the jade-like ice path to the peak.

  The higher up it was in Min Mountain Sword Sect, the colder it was. There were wondrous energy rules. The cold energy on the ice path surpassed all the ice and snow in the world. Also, it repelled moisture from the outside. The moisture in the air was frozen into white frost when they arrived here, but were unable to land. They were pushed away by the cold energy on the path, then blown away by the mountain wind to fall down into the world.

  But today, Baili Suxue’s cold energy was colder than this ice path. With each step, white energy flowed out from his body, landing on the ice path beneath him, and then flowing along the unchanging ice surface to penetrate inside until an indigo like color appeared on the path.

  The mountain winds were like blades but were not able to sway Baili Suxue’s robes. His hair danced behind him due to his own energy, and created a sacred feeling. He gazed at Changling.

  Just like many years ago, today, Changling had clouds in the sky above. But unlike back then, the clouds today came mostly from the Falling Dark Moon formation on the turrets. Back then, the cloud and chaotic energy came from the cultivators from the different dynasties who came to kill Wang Jingmeng.

  Suddenly, a scornful and icy smile appeared on the corners of his lips. The world around Min Mountain Sword Sect was undisturbed, but he knew very well, the storm here would soon surpass Changling at this time.

  Back then, there were countless people wanting to kill Wang Jingmeng. Now, countless people were coming to kill him. He was very proud. Because all the people in the world had not judged him incorrectly, and knew his intentions.

  He was a person who loved and hated clearly. Towards Wang Jingmeng of the past, there was no forgiveness to discuss. But no matter what he did, he would follow his own heart.

  Volume 5 54 - Come To Die

  The Wuzhi vanguard stopped on the meadow. These men who were said to never leave horseback got off their horses and leaned against them to rest.

  That rider dressed normally but was really the commander of this cavalry disliked the smell of these horses so he sat alone by the sight. He looked at Guyu Pass in the distance where all the lights had been put out. He pondered silently with a faint smile on his face.

  The Wuzhi army was crude and while there were few cultivators, they could more easily win against the Qin army than other armies in the world in his opinion. They had yet to fight the Qin army on a large scale before and were not deterred. They knew not the kind of cruel battle they would endure when large numbers of Qin cultivators joined the battle. If one spoke of being used, starting a war with the force of an entire country was being used. The Wuzhi could not win. Yet the Qin Dynasty, or rather Zheng Xiu would not win as easily either.

  The armies of the dynasties had been defeated when Ba Mountain Sword Field had been at its peak. After Yuanwu’s ascension, the only large battle between the Qin Dynasty and the others was reclaiming the Yangshan Commandery.

  Yet that battle had only been a success because it was a sneak attack. The world’s dynasties wanted to see what the present Qin Dynasty would present in a full-on battle after losing the Ba Mountain Sword Field and that person. The war with Wuzhi was the test from the world.

  Thinking of this kind of general situation, individual fights and life and death were too boring and insignificant. Thinking of how he was in this enormous chessboard but coincidentally encountering that legendary wineshop youth, he grew excited and felt that this battle would be interesting. For a commander, controlling the lives of thousands and fighting with important people was an interest. Being able to change the entire era and have great influence on the future was a success, was true joy.

  A faint mocking smile spread on the rider’s mouth into a truly joyful smile. Yet this kind of smile only lasted for a short few breaths. The rider was startled when he sensed a suddenly killing intent falling from the sky.

  At this moment, his heart was so cold it almost stopped beating. He realized that he had been too careless, that he had underestimated this legendary youth, made a terrible mistake, and the other had caught his only mistake! Before anyone else in the cavalry could react, a transparent and quickly-moving ball of energy appeared next to the rider. When the ball of energy came close to the rider, an explosive roar finally came from the distance.

  All the Wuzhi soldiers realized and shouted, their horses whining. The rider, heart cold, grunted. Two fingers of his right hand trembled violently, and his vital energy broke urgently through the air. A black, thin and small piece of armor like a tortoise shell flew out of his fingers, and shone with strange rays of black light.

  These black lights caused the primal energies of the universe to change in the surroundings and produced strange refractions. Space seemed to twist.

  Thud!

  A punch appeared in front of the rider and hit the ground with a thud. Earthy soil sprayed like a blade had slashed down.

  A grunt sounded in the nearby darkness. In the fragmented transparent flow of energy, a flying sword wobbled as it returned. Blood spread through the air. The master of that flying sword had clearly been seriously injured by this brutal blow.

  This rider only swayed slightly and then stood motionlessly. However, he had no proud expression and without any hesitation, his left hand moved back slightly and a dim light shot out. The light flashed, and seemed to hit something small in the darkness with a clink.

  The sound was small, and in the next instant, the space seemed to shake violently.

  “I had not thought you would dare to come to assassinate me.”


  The tortoise-like armor fell to the ground in front of the rider. He did not even look. A thin and short green sword light, like flowing oil, appeared in his right hand. The rider shook his head.

  Wild hoofbeats sounded. The Wuzhi cavalry started to shoot burning arrows in the surroundings among the shouts of their commanders.

  Under the firelight, the cavalry saw numerous rapidly moving afterimages. They were too close and too fast that the arrows were ineffective. Amidst the furious shouts, the Wuzhi cultivators all rushed towards that rider immediately.

  The rider held the oily green short sword but grew silent and stopped. Because he knew that the youth would be among these people and also that these few people facing an army like this would only die.

  The other had come to die.

  Plop!

  A flying sword with fine blooming white flowers and a crimson flying sword deviously appeared at the same time around a Wuzhi commander. Also, they appeared at an elusive moment. When the Wuzhi commander shouted and faced the crimson flying sword, the flying sword with white flowers suddenly appeared and stabbed the Wuzhi commander through the back. It did not pierce through the front of the chest like other swords would, but darted back urgently like a dragonfly tapping on water.

  The rider surrounded by Wuzhi cultivators knew that he was completely exposed. He also knew that the flying sword with fine white flowers came from that youth. But he shook his head minutely and said seemingly in self-deprecation, “It looks the same, everyone knows this, just some more trouble.”


  As he spoke, he lifted his head and looked towards the left. Over there, many burning arrows had fallen, and they had caused the dried grass to start burning. Yet at this time, a patch of grey shadow seemed to shroud that place. Suddenly, a large space with no fire appeared.

  All the horses whined in terror and uncontrollably retreated. Among the Wuzhi cultivators, the strongest commander was protecting the rider’s side while holding an enormous blade. Even he could not breathe at this moment. He seemed to sense a demon king appearing from the spreading grey shadow.

  The grey color quickly spread to the rider in the middle of the Wuzhi cultivators. His gaze and skin exposed above the black cloth grew dim.

  “Shen Xuan… it’s you?” His tone contained unspeakable shock.

  Multiple Wuzhi commanders turned to look at him. All of them could sense the power of the appearing cultivator and was waiting for orders.

  This rider let out a string of strange Wuzhi words from his throat.

  Hooves beat thunderously on the ground. All the Wuzhi cavalry started to charge towards the grey shadow.

  This rider knew that this was sending them to die. But he hoped that the deaths of these cultivators could delay for some time until cultivators from the main army arrived.

  As the Wuzhi cultivators around him started to shout and charge, his body darted towards the black shadow behind him. A thread of coldness appeared in front of his throat. This rider sensed it in time and managed to turn his body.

  Silently, a faint line of blood appeared on the side of his neck. As he turned, the cold flying sword that had cut through his skin was exposed in the air. It produced fine white flowers and quickly left his surroundings at terrifying speed.

  Just now, that flying sword had not shown any presence and insidiously waited on his escape path, in the air where his throat was. If he were an ordinary cultivator, he would have hit this sword with his throat! He turned his head. On the chaotic battlefield, multiple shadows were still chasing him at high speed.

  On the other side, the dozens of cavalry galloping at the front suddenly flew into the sky. These horses seemed to have lost their gravity, and ran into the sky. Yet in the next moment, the horses and their riders broke apart, and turned into pieces of flesh that sprayed out.

  Translator Ramblings: I think a lot of cultivation novel authors spend so much time writing fights and “easy” plot development they don’t set up their power system correctly. Readers should be able to have a general sense of the “skills”/”powerups” of a person either though narration or worldbuilding. But the authors make up grandly named attacks, labelling them special, and then have the main character explain the origins of the skill and how to defeat it. Most of the time, it’s the first occurrence of the skill so the reader has no idea about this “ultimate attack.” And it really breaks my sense of immersion sometimes when there’s a “secret skill lost to time” except everyone knows its general use and weakness. I find it so unlikely someone haven’t put more effort into reverse-engineering skills they saw before. Having an opponent who was able to recreate something and use it make this enemy more valuable and significant than some cannon fodder.

  Volume 3 54 - The World

  Deep into spring.

  The processions of the Chu, Yan, and Qi dynasties were like three long dragons that left Deer Mountain and went into the wilderness to the rear of the mountain.

  Many of the generals and cultivators of these three dynasties felt exceptionally humiliated. They knew that the three dynasties had arrived at different times, but had to leave together because any of the dynasty armies that had come alone would not be safe facing the Qin army alone.

  This kind of humiliation was even greater to the Chu generals and officials gathered around the emperor of Chu’s imperial carriage. Nine years ago, they had been victors against the Qin. Now, the situation was completely reversed.

  “Time and fate, it is not due to war. Fortune and woes are entwined and can turn into each other. Few can understand this.”


  What worried these Chu officials the most was that the emperor of Chu had used up his last energies at Deer Mountain. Right now, even weak cultivators could feel that his body was like a lamp burning the last of its oil. Only the burning wick remained, giving off heat. So while the emperor of Chu was calmly speaking these words of comfort to his most trusted officials, in their ears, he was speaking his last words.

  “The Yangshan Commandery originally belonged to them. Giving it back is not much. Giving Yuanwu this Deer Mountain is not much. In order to stop the Qin army from entering, at most we just have to station some armies directed at Deer Mountain. What is most important is harmony.”


  Knowing that the people around him could not immediately walk out of Emperor Yuanwu’s shadow, the emperor of Chu smiled. After saying these words, he only kept the most important officials to the Chu Dynasty with him.

  “From the previous assassination, I think you must know some things. You should know that I do not favor Consort Zhao Xiang only because of her beauty.”


  His gaze landed on these important officials whose hairs were turning white and said gravely, “What I need you to do now is to unconditionally obey all her decisions, no matter what she does.”


  Hearing such a sweeping imperial order, these four old officials that understood him greatly, stopped breathing.

  “Take this as my last words.”


  Yet, before they could speak, the emperor of Chu looked at them and continued to speak softly, “Since these are my last orders, you should know just how much thought and consideration I have put into it. You do not have to worry, or ask more questions. I just need you to carefully remember it. No matter how incorrect you feel something is, act according to my words.”


  The four officials understood the significance of his words, knelt down to accept their order.

  The emperor of Chu bowed slightly as the carriage continued to advance.

  A young cultivator was summoned alone in front of his carriage. Even the old officials that the emperor of Chu trusted the most only knew that this young cultivator was called Li Yunrui. He had been one of the personal bodyguards of the emperor of Chu in recent years.

  When this young cultivator came in front of the emperor of Chu’s carriage alone, the countless bronze sparrow seals on the bronze carriage started to glow. These sparrows appeared as if they were about to take flight, pulling along this carriage, towards the ethereal towers in the sky.

  Under the light, this young cultivator’s expression was extremely calm and solemn. He knew that the light this bronze carriage gave off right now was to stop anyone from eavesdropping, and also to make the emperor of Chu or any other person to disappear from this place. He knew that there was an extremely important order, one that may even cost his life, waiting for him. He did not speak, and solemnly waited.

  “Do not let anyone know of this matter today, including Consort Zhao Xiang and the future emperor of Chu.” As he spoke first amidst the dancing bronze light, the emperor of Chu looked at him gently and apologetically.

  Li Yunrui took a deep breath and nodded to show his acknowledgement.

  “You will depart for Changling now. There is a Changling youth who followed Fu Su into Wu Mountain. Previously, they followed Forefather Zhou. With your abilities, it would not be hard to find who this person is.” He looked at the other with approval. “Give what I previously gave to you to protect to him.”


  When he was told that Consort Zhao Xiang could not be allowed to know of this matter, Li Yunrui had grasped the gravity of the situation but hadn’t shown any shock or puzzlement. Yet, when these words fell, Li Yunrui froze slightly and wanted to voice his query.

  However, the emperor of Chu seemed to have read his mind, shaking his head he said, “Do not be worried about anything. You just have to give that item to him.”


  Li Yunrui took a deep breath and nodded.

  “After my death, only you and that Changling youth will know of this.”


  The emperor of Chu still seemed worried. He spoke slowly, but with magnitude. “You cannot allow anyone else to know of this matter. If possible, you cannot let them learn you went to Changling.”


  Li Yunrui took a deep breath, but still felt he could not breathe. He felt his body growing heavy. But, in the next moment, countless light spun around him into the air. His body disappeared quickly from in front of the emperor of Chu’s carriage as the lights flew upwards.

  The emperor of Chu nodded slightly as he looked silently at the lights that disappeared into the white clouds. He hoped that his guess and intuition was correct without any problems.

  Li Yunrui’s body passed through the chaotic primal energies of the universe like a leaf in the turbulent wind. After a dozen breaths, he landed in the forest far away where he could not see the Chu Dynasty’s army.

  There were still faint lights circling his body so his body was light and no presence was exposed. Looking around his location, he knelt down in the direction of Chu. Then, kowtowed deeply several times.

  Tears streamed down his eyes.

  For he knew that hence on, he would never see this admirable emperor again.

  In the procession of the Qi Dynasty, there were still eight large men in chainmail carrying that tomb-like black sedan.

  Inside this large sedan made with yin jade as brick and bright pearls on the roof, there still were two purple-black wooden chairs in the center.

  The emperor of Qi was still sitting in one of the wooden chairs.

  Sitting in the wooden chair opposite him was Yan Ying who had changed into new clothes. His eyes were tightly shut. While his vitality had disappeared, his expression was normal as though he was just sleeping.

  “Anything, once it reaches a peak, will naturally decline. When the fire is too strong, it cannot last long.”


  “Prospect Teacher, this is something you told me.”


  “I truly think of you as my teacher, but you feel that I do not qualify to be your student. So I can only call you Prospect Teacher.”


  “Based on what you told me, Yuanwu’s victory today is a good thing?”


  “He is so strong, he intimidates three dynasties. This must be his strongest moment. If not for this, I think that us three dynasties will not ally against the Qin Dynasty and would be defeated one by one. So how will he decline from his peak? Without you at my side, I do not have much confidence ……”


  After mumbling all this, the emperor of Qi looked fawningly at Yan Ying and said seriously, “Prospect Teacher, see, I have followed your words and will take your body back to your student, completely whole. You will not suddenly scare me somehow?”


  After he said this, the emperor of Qi waited silently.

  After a long moment, he sighed. “Prospect Teacher, it appears you have truly left me…… without you, I really feel this is dull ……”


  His sigh was light and echoed through this black sedan.

  The atmosphere of the Yan Dynasty was the most depressed.

  Because, when they left Deer Mountain, the emperor of Yan’s expression had been the most ugly and furious. Even when he entered his imperial carriage, his eyes burned with unusual fury.

  No order had come out from the imperial carriage.

  The officials of the Yan Dynasty all thought that the emperor of Yan’s anger had not dissipated.

  No one would have never thought that, behind the heavy curtains of the imperial carriage, the emperor of Yan’s eyes showed no fury, and not even much grief.

  The half-fish half-bird spirit beast flew high in the sky.

  Ding Ning and Fu Su sat together, watching as Deer Mountain and Wu Mountain rapidly disappeared from their sight.

  All the enemies had departed, but Emperor Yuanwu was still at the top of Deer Mountain.

  All by himself, he stood by the cliff and allowed the mountain wind to blow at his dragon robe and hair.

  Few would think that Emperor Yuanwu was waiting for someone to appear.

  In Emperor Yuanwu’s mind, there was another person who was the unpredictable factor. Yet, that factor had not appeared. He had won, and won absolutely.

  What might have been the likeliest to kill him had not appeared …… that person had completely disappeared. Even if the Nine Death Silkworm had appeared, maybe it had nothing to do with him.

  Carrier pigeons and hawks flew through the air, spreading the results of the Deer Mountain Conference in all directions and to the entire world.

  Looking at the threads of white clouds in the sky, Emperor Yuanwu thought, that person would never appear.

  This world, starting now, belongs to this Lonely One.

  Translator Ramblings: This chapter really develops the other three emperors in character. Pity one of them is close to death ……

  Volume 2 54 - All Kinds of Lies