Chapter Seventy-One: Rat In The Darkness
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无罪 update:2022-07-21 15:26
Her expression was very cold, but her hands trembled uncontrollably. She felt that she had become a person just like Yuanwu, and what chilled her heart the most was…… She had not expected so many people to be on the other side.
There were only three masters of the Spirit Void Sword Sect, and only Huang Daochen was on her side while Master Yi and Master Qi had betrayed her. Ji Qingqing turned traitor, Ye Celeng and Min Mountain Sword Sect too, and even Shen Xuan and Pan Ruoye had become traitors.
In Changling, after she saw clearly, she found there were not many people who were not on the other side. But such a powerless and furious feeling only lasted for a short moment. After several breaths, her heart turned even colder and harder. Even if Shen Xuan had betrayed her, even if Baili Suxue had made his way into the palace and almost killed her, forcing her to use all her hidden pawns, he had had to abandon the Nether dragon and flee. She was certain that as long as people could prevent Baili Suxue from meeting up with Geng Ren, he would not just be seriously injured and would not recover in the short term, but his cultivation would be crippled.
Baili Suxue was one of the people she was most wary of, even above the Donghu monk. But now, Baili Suxue was crippled, and that Donghu monk was likely crippled.
And Ye Xiao. Such a person was even in her plans, willing to die as a prison for the Nine Death Silkworm. What could she not do?
**
“Official Shen Xuan, what are you doing! You……”
“You really do not seem like Zheng Xiu and Yuanwu’s son. Even Fu Su is more like them than you.” Shen Xuan coldly interrupted the words of the youth who had woken up in the darkness.
This youth was the imperial son of the Qin Dynasty who he usually had to kneel down to greet. But at this time, he was worse off than most prisoners that he had met before. He had even lost control of his faculties in his terror and the room was filled with an unpleasant smell.
He slowly opened a box, and placed the small torture equipment on the table in front of the metal chair that Hu Hai was sitting in. The latter’s body seemed to convulse, and the moment his body moved, he gave a heart wrenching scream.
This metal chair had been made specially in the Great Floating Water Prison, and there were shocking spikes on many parts.
“Zheng Xiu once used these things on me. Now, I will let you experience each one. Of course, I will be more skilled than those torture officials in the palace as I was the one to teach them.”
Shen Xuan looked at this imperial son who was extremely terrified, and smiled scornfully in the darkness, revealing his white teeth. He knew very well how to torment someone, and knew that subtle terror and constant physical pain could change a person’s personality. He did not want to kill Hu Hai, but he was interested in changing him.
“You need to endure. For an emperor, such pain is nothing. If Fu Su does not return, you will become the crown prince, and in the future, the entire Qin Dynasty will be yours.” His smile was terrifying, but his voice was unspeakably gentle.
“You……this is still Changling, you will be found, my mother will make you want to die rather than live!” Hu Hai cried madly, tears crawling down his twisted face like earthworms.
“An empty threat is useless. There is a lot of time. Do not do this in the future.” Shen Xuan said calmly and softly, like he was an elder teaching his most valued student.
This strangeness, Hu Hai stopped crying, but his body kept on twitching.
Shen Xuan slowly picked up the first piece of equipment, giving a small smile and said slowly, “Before, in the Great Floating Water Prison, many people in Changling laughed at me for being a rat in the sewers, only daring to hide under the ground. But a rat has a rat’s abilities. Even if a rat hides under the ground, it will have sufficient patience. Also, you have to remember a thing. If you want to hide, you do not just have to dig a deep hole in the ground, you cannot have contact with any other person. When you are an independent being, completely blocked off from the outside world in water source, food…… When everything has nothing to do with the outside world, when you bury yours in the ground, even the strongest person cannot find you.”
Hu Hai screamed madly because as he calmly spoke, Shen Xuan had constantly been pulling his fingernails, and then quickly applying blood clotting medicine. The great pain caused Hu Hai’s body to swing on the chair, and he could not avoid hitting the spikes on the chair.
“This is what you deserve. Your personality is cruel to start with. The year you were thirteen, because an attendant accidentally broke one of your jade plates, you tied her up, and stoned her to death. After that matter, all of the officials disliked you. Many thought, even if you were killed, a slow stoning was too cruel and violent.”
“But that matter only let you lose the possibility of competing against Fu Su to become the crown prince.” Shen Xuan kept on using his tools, and whispered by Hu Hai’s ear, “But this is because you were born well. If you were born in an ordinary official’s family or in an ordinary rich family, you would have been imprisoned or sentenced to death for killing an attendant like this.”
“But you did not change. After losing the seat of crown prince, your temper grew worse, and you did several other things you should not have done. Each time I saw you at court, and looked at your arrogant face, I would imagine torturing you in my mind, and now I am finally satisfied.”
This was the dark underground. Above this secret room where Hu Hai was screaming, there was a well. Above the well was an ordinary street.
At this time, near the well, there was a cultivator from the palace standing dazedly and anxiously. He looked around, and found Changling’s sunlight dazzling.
Right now in Changling, there was killing everywhere, and many enemies and important people who were fleeing. But with the Astrology Bureau, it was like Changling had gone blind. The enemies seemed to have become invisible.
Baili Suxue was one of the invisible enemies. But he finally started to tire.
Even Pan Ruoye who he was supporting started to sense that many of the important meridians in his body were snapping and breaking apart.
“Qing Yaoyin should reach Yin Mountain soon.”
At this time, Baili Suxue stopped. He stopped on an ordinary street, and the common people could even see him through the cracks in their doors.
“If Qing Yaoyin is not coming, is Geng Ren coming?” Pan Ruoye could not help but ask.
Baili Suxue shook his head.
“Then who is it?” Pan Ruoye felt a slight disbelief. In her mind, only these two could take them out of Changling.
But at this time, a gentle ball of mist floated over and silently wrapped around them.
Pan Ruoye immediately reacted and turned to Baili Suxue. “You knew long ago that Ye Celeng would come to rescue you?”
“She stayed in Changling and did not leave. If she was not waiting to rescue me, who else?” Baili Suxue had used up his vital energy, but he still spoke with confidence.
Translator Ramblings: We have about a quarter of the story left! Where did the time go?
Volume 3 71 - Ding Ning’s Intentions
The green jade doors were extremely large like the doors to a city.
The indigo-robed swordsman at the side of the door stood with his hands hanging, but his natural presence had surpassed all the students and even the teachers present. He calmly invited all the students to enter, but the doors were closed. All the students in front of the mountain path knew that it would not be so easy to enter these jade doors.
All of the students wanted to get another hint, but the indigo-robed swordsman clearly would not say anything more.
He stood there like a silent statue.
“Is entering the doors the first test?”
Xie Changsheng narrowed his eyes at the large green jade doors. He coldly asked Zhang Yi and the others around him, “Is it testing our senses or our comprehension? What is the blankness behind the doors?”
Zhang Yi shook his head. “No matter what they are testing, I fear we must get closer to find out.”
“Then when should we wake him up?”
Xie Changsheng turned to look at Ding Ning.
The trials had started. They could not let Ding Ning continue to cultivate with his eyes closed.
And yet, no one needed to wake Ding Ning up. When he turned to look at Ding Ning, he saw Ding Ning looking at him.
Ding Ning had woken up.
The moment the green jade doors appeared, Ding Ning had woken up.
He did not ask after Xue Wangxu, just looked calmly at the green jade doors.
With just a moment of eye contact, Xie Changsheng’s restlessness disappeared only to be replaced by a great discomfort.
Ding Ning’s expression was just as calm as usual, but his eyes flashed with eerie five colored light, as though his eyes were burning with five-colored flame.
Even more importantly, he was certain Ding Ning was seething with murderousness and rage, yet he could glimpse none of it.
Or rather, Ding Ning’s entire body was like a calm and icy sword blade without any smoke. But if touched, he would cause people to bleed.
“We will enter.” As soon as he had said so, Ding Ning started to walk.
Xie Changsheng’s eyebrows rose. He felt slightly terrified of Ding Ning’s state but was also excited.
He had a feeling that many extraordinary things would occur at this year’s Min Mountain Sword Trials.
Regardless of how profound the green jade doors may be, when one drew closer, they could sense this symbol of commencement of the Min Mountain Sword Trials more clearly.
When Ding Ning started to walk, the thousands of students ahead had already started walking. The students near the front could sense vastness and heaviness from the jade doors. The smooth green jade did not have any seal scripts or marks. Even if they dared to reach out and push the door, they didn’t know where to push.
Because they did not sense danger and murderousness, the students at the front unconsciously came closer to the doors. They were very close, just a few steps away, their bodies bathed in the weak green light the jade gave off.
Thousands of students gathered around the green jade doors, standing shoulder to shoulder until there was no room for people to pass through.
The arrival of Ding Ning and the others caused a slight commotion in the wall of people. Thinking of what had occurred previously, many unconsciously moved to let Ding Ning pass.
However, not all.
One student felt the pressure from behind. Already at his wit’s end in front of the vast presence the green jade doors gave off, he immediately became angry. He turned and shouted, “What are you pushing for? If you want to stand ahead, then line up beforehand. What are you squeezing about now to hinder people from comprehending!”
This student’s voice was not loud, but in the surrounding silence, his pitch was harsh.
He wore a uniform of white with scattered silver stars. When he turned, the silver stars on his white uniform seemed like they were going to fly out as sword energies.
This was the uniform of the Star Fostering Sword School.
This year, the Star Fostering Sword School had chosen only one student, Shao Yangming. He ranked twenty fifth in the Book of Talents.
So this student was naturally Shao Yangming. When someone like him spoke, his words carried weight.
Shao Yangming and the dozens of students behind him all looked with displeasure towards the rear.
The crowd parted slightly.
Shao Yangming and the others looked at Ding Ning.
Ding Ning was at least a dozen paces away from Shao Yangming who was at the front. But since Shao Yangming had spoken up, Ding Ning nodded at him and said calmly, “Apologies, please move aside. I am going to enter.”
Shao Yangming was furious upon his words. “First come, first serve. Why should I move aside?”
Many people in the surroundings did not understand why Ding Ning was so cold and calm. They felt slightly chilled at Ding Ning’s attitude. But the Min Mountain Sword Trials would perhap be the most important event of their life, so why would they let you go ahead? Only because your teacher had only just died?
However, Ding Ning still remained calm.
Looking at the raging Shao Yangming, he said, “Because I am going to enter through your position.”
It was deathly silent.
Shao Yangming’s anger disappeared from his face. His eyes widened to their limits.
Even Xie Changsheng and the others behind Ding Ning wore disbelieving gazes.
At this time, everyone reacted. Ding Ning had said “I am going to enter” and not ‘look at a close distance’.
Just walking from back there to this place, he had unraveled the mystery of the doors?
“I do not want to waste time,” Ding Ning said, amidst everybody’s shocked gazes.
Then he continued to walk forward.
No one else blocked him.
Even Shao Yangming, who had been the fiercest, instinctively turned around and created a path with the surrounding people.
Ding Ning passed by them and walked towards the indigo-robed swordsman standing in front of the doors.
The indigo-robed swordsman had a strange light in his eyes.
“Please, Teacher, let me in.”
Ding Ning walked in front of him, and bowed deeply with respect.
The indigo-robed swordsman bowed slightly in response and answered.
The heavy green jade doors slowly parted, spilling out light. Behind the doors seemed to be a new world filled with light.
This was it?
Many of the students looked with unspeakable shock at this scene. Ding Ning had done nothing, just bowed seriously and asked to enter. Then this indigo-robed swordsman opened the doors.
This was the way to pass through the jade doors?
Ding Ning did not linger. He bowed to the indigo-robed swordsman in thanks, and then walked into the light at the center of the gates, disappearing from everyone’s view.
“What does this mean?”
Xie Changsheng was dumbfounded. This was the Min Mountain Sword Trials that everybody watched. In his perspective, how could someone enter the doors in such a way?
“Respect the teacher …… to have politeness …… These doors are Min Mountain Sword Sect reminding all students at the start, regardless of their cultivation and their future status, they have to remember to respect their teachers and have politeness.”
“The most remarkable thing about Junior Sect Brother Ding is that he saw that the energies of the green jade doors were connected to this teacher of the Min Mountain Sword Sect when he came over. Only this teacher of the Min Mountain Sword Sect can open these doors. He sensed this, so he understood the meaning of the jade gates, and so he was the first to enter.”
A soft voice entered the ears of Xie Changsheng and the others.
Xie Changsheng’s breath halted and he turned around.
He saw the speaker was Zhang Yi, whose tears had not yet dried on his face.
When he turned around, Zhang Yi had passed by him and was walking towards the indigo-robed swordsman.
“Please, Teacher, allow me to enter.”
Zhang Yi bowed seriously to the indigo-robed swordsman just like Ding Ning had.
The indigo-robed swordsman returned the greeting and allowed it.
The jade doors shone again.
Zhang Yi followed Ding Ning and was the second to disappear from sight.
“Eldest Sect Brother.”
Shen Yi took a deep breath and quickly walked forward.
He understood Zhang Yi well. He knew that Zhang Yi was indecisive usually and did not like to be the center of attention. So he knew that Zhang Yi chose to be the second to enter in order to be close to Ding Ning.
Shen Yi’s figure quickly disappeared in the light of the green jade gates.
“Astounding!”
Looking at this scene, the middle-aged official in black robes gave this heartfelt sigh.
Many of the teachers from different cultivation places who came with their students felt the same.
Their exclamation in their sigh or in their thoughts were half for these young people, and half for Xue Wangxu.
Palace Attendant Rong was not far from the green jade doors.
At this time, before the other students had reacted, Ding Ning and the people around Ding Ning had disappeared into the light of the doors.
“You want to be first in all things?”
She seemed to be the person who understood Ding Ning the best at this moment, and slowly spoke. The porcelain light on her face grew stronger, as though she was a Buddha in a temple, and not a person.
She would not allow Ding Ning to win in the Min Mountain Sword Trials.
But Ding Ning didn’t just want to win,
He wanted to be the victor, the first!
Ding Ning’s attitude right now caused her to feel that Ding Ning would want to be the first to pass each stage and test of the Min Mountain Sword Trials. He wanted to be first in all!
Volume 4 71 - The Burning Scroll, the Horizontal River
“No Border!”
“Leave City!”
“Daybreak!”
Ding Ning’s face did not change, his voice was extremely calm. As he stepped forward, he called out the names of three sword moves and drew three paths with his left hand.
Shen Xuan, Li Xixing and Hu Jingjing were so shocked they went numb. Their vital energy moved almost unconsciously and each attacked.
The three different sword essences of distinctly different strengths once again caused a wondrous change. With a boom, a ball of golden light suddenly fell and scattered outwards. Dozens of golden rays slashed around and several more of the middle aged man’s flesh tentacles were cut.
The odd middle aged man opened his mouth and gave a real scream. But there was no use. With each tentacle cut off, he visibly weakened. The wind and rain he summoned was torn apart by Ding Ning’s clear shouts.
Ding Ning seemed to walk normally in the wind and storm. With every step towards this middle aged man, multiple tentacles were cleaved. He slowly walked in front of this man. As he reached the man, there were only a few tentacles left connected to the purple tree. The severed tentacles spewed energy in the air like cut blood veins.
Purple fluid flowed out of the middle aged man as the tentacles were hacked, and he appeared transparent.
Ding Ning walked until he was ten feet in front of this man and quietly looked at him.
The man reached out with both hands as though to grab him. Yet with this movement, the man could not stand up and fell backwards.
Shen Xuan, Li Xixing and Hu Jingjing stopped behind Ding Ning. The trio looked at this middle aged man who was looking up at the sky and their lips trembled uncontrollably. Nothing could describe what the they felt right now.
This was an astounding expert who had injured Shen Xuan with one peerless sword essence yet Ding Ning had managed to defeat the other by matching him move for move. This surpassed all their understanding, much less how he had verbally guided them to use different sword essence to fight back. Especially how Ding Ning did not just know their sword moves but how he managed to draw out their sword essence. This was something that no one had been able to do before in the cultivator world. All this was impossible and illogical. They did not know where to start.
Ding Ning looked in silence at the middle aged man who had fallen at the roots of the purple tree. This middle aged man had great power, and was able to respond to enemies yet he clearly could not think and did not possess a complete mind. This meant this middle aged man was not alive and also not a cultivator who used a secret method. Yet only he could clearly sense that the middle aged man still had a lively power, a kind of vitality.
What are you really? Why is it like this? He could not help but repeat in his mind. Then his gaze moved past this man towards the purple jade like tree behind him.
Previously, the middle aged man’s body and his terrifying presence had blocked their sight and senses. Now that the man had fallen, he could see the place where the man was connected to the tree was actually a crack. It was like someone had slashed at the tree and then many flesh tentacles had grown out of the wound and connected with this person.
But Ding Ning was certain that this middle aged man’s power did not come from this purple tree. The invisible little silkworms in his body were surging. Because of a strange presence, these little silkworms felt madly anxious and even terrified.
What could make the Nine Death Silkworm feel terror?
Ding Ning took a deep breath to calm himself down and then his gaze moved down. There was a well under the crack in the giant tree. The giant free should have grown from the edge of the well, getting bigger and bigger until almost the entire well was surrounded by the tree.
The well was square. There was no water in the well, only descending stairs and a kind of presence that Ding Ning did not know was dangerous or not.
Wind and rain swept through the world. Some of the powerful beasts fighting around the Mountain of Ancestors completely calmed down and scattered in shock. The peerless sword essence had disappeared and so had the spirit rain. Without the temptation of the rain, the beasts were overcome by terror and did not dare to look back. The stone dust and the sap of the odd green grass was still flowing down the slopes.
This Wuzhi shaman called Zhan Moke, a man who was both the state’s teacher and a prophet, did not seem to realize that his shoes were soaked in the green grass sap. He should be a very patient and stable man but when he stood on the mountain path and sensed that peerless sword essence disappear, his facial muscles twitched and his gaze was extremely complicated, containing many unspeakable emotions.
“It really was defeated.”
The sect master of Spirit Void Sword Sect, the legendary Gu Huai, thought the same but had different feelings. His odd smile held a hint of happiness and ruefulness.
“What is down there?” Wu Lianzi could not help but ask Zhan Moke, his curiosity overcoming his feeling of being betrayed.
That nimble and rapidly changing sword essence could not have been made by fixed restrictions or seal weapons. But the ancestral lands had been sealed for many years. Could there still be a peerless cultivator living there?
Then in the next moment, Wu Lianzi grew angrier. Because of scorn, Zhan Moke did not answer his question at all, not even looking at him.
Here, a prince of Wuzhi like him seemed irrelevant.
**
“How did you know my sword moves?” Under the purple tree, Shen Xuan stared hard at Ding Ning’s face like he was going to burn holes.
“You did not create this move. Since it was passed down, there are many possibilities how I learned and this is not important.” Ding Ning met Shen Xuan’s hungry gaze and shook his head. He said quietly with great confidence, “The key is that I am stronger than you imagine and the stronger I am, the more working with me makes sense.”
“Are we going ……To shatter this thing?”Li Xixing finally recovered his calm. He looked at the odd middle aged man trembling on the ground. Were they going to cut him up? Then he hesitated. He felt that this could not be described as a person. Regardless of what this was, he still felt it was extremely dangerous. If Ding Ning were not here, if it were him and Hu Jingjing here, his choice would be to crush this middle aged man and the purple tree until they were dust.
“No. They have come,” Ding Ning shook his head and said softly as he looked towards the slope. He started to walk and motioned for everyone to follow, including Shen Xuan who was staring at him silently.
However, he did not go towards the well, but moved to the other side of the purple tree and the rear of the well……
On the slope where stone dust mixed with grass sap in a flow, three figures appeared about.
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