Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Peak Back Then
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无罪 update:2022-07-21 15:26
“You just fear death. Back then……you only fled from Ba Mountain Sword Field’s pursuit, and did not help Zheng Xiu kill Ba Mountain Sword Field’s people, so I do not blame you. Today, you help me with this, it is akin to you helping me with a life. Our grievances will be forgotten.”
Ding Ning started to speak. He looked calmly at Zheng An falling through the air, and spoke to the Master of Fire.
Strangely, when hearing Ding Ning’s first words, the Master of Fire suddenly felt relaxed. All of the remaining vital energy in his energy sea followed the new meridians that formed in his body. They seemed to obey and flooded out towards Ding Ning’s lifebond sword.
Ding Ning had put away the Last Flower remnant sword. He gripped the Great Punishment Sword which was still burning hot despite the fact the flames had gone out.
The Master of Fire was shocked. But then he understood why. He thought of Yuanwu fighting many during the Deer Mountain Conference. He thought of how at the key moment, Huang Zhenwei’s vital energy could be used by Yuanwu according to his thoughts.
Such a method should come from Yuanwu. In the past, Yuanwu understood many of Wang Jingmeng’s methods and secrets other than the Nine Death Silkworm. Because they had once been brothers. Wang Jingmeng’s contribution towards Yuanwu was no different than Baili Suxue’s. No matter if it was discussion of methods or pondering of cultivation experience.
So even many of the Changling cultivators loyal to Yuanwu had to admit, Yuanwu was able to have a breakthrough a decade after he ascended the throne and become the first person in this time to reach realm eight due in great part to Wang Jingmeng.
Wang Jingmeng, to Yuanwu, was like a brother and teacher. So when someone like Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu suddenly banded together to fight Wang Jingmeng, in the view of the Master of Fire, Wang Jingmeng would undoubtedly die.
But now, thinking back, it was the other way around.
For a very long time, Wang Jingmeng similarly understood Yuanwu.
**
At this time, the vital energy coming out of the Master of Fire’s energy sea seemed to have nothing to do with him. Even though he was thinking of many things regarding Yuanwu and Wang Jingmeng, and he seemed to be not a part of this station, the vital energy in his body flowed smoothly.
The Last Flower remnant sword’s threads pierced through his meridians like a formation, perfectly mimicking Yuanwu’s methods, and were even better.
The Master of Fire had overlooked one thing. Back then, Wang Jingmeng had been the best at using the sword in the world. But what was more terrifying about him was when he started to act, a fight to him was a strategic game to him. He had already arranged the move after this one. Just like this moment. The instant he gave up on killing the Master of Fire, he had prepared this sword.
Ding Ning’s body started to fall down.
Falling through the sky, Zheng An was very old. This oldest cultivator of Jiaodong Commandery did not look like she had much weight, but her old and small body contained terrifying power. The energy from her fall formed a wild wind, and was pressing on Ding Ning’s body like a tangible wall, and caused his body to start sinking into the soft ground soaked with blood.
The remaining soaring snakes created wind and rain, chasing her from behind, but the power they created actually pushed her. And because the energies were very similar, a part of the power was ineffective against her, and she was able to use it.
The crimson red energy calmly flowing out of the Master of Fire formed crystal ribbons, and gathered on the sword in his hand. The Great Punishment Sword started to burn in his hand. There were no extra moments. He just raised his sword slightly. The ruby-like flames burning on the blade burned away the wild wind coming down from the sky. His body felt light and he was no longer under pressure. Then he swung his sword towards Zheng An who was very close to him now.
The Great Punishment Sword was the strongest sword he had sought out, and contained great primal energies of the universe. When they sprayed out, they did not have any violent presence, and even the fire created by the vital energy of the Master of Fire gathered together into a thin line.
This sword move was called One Line Heaven. This was one of his strongest sword essences, and the sword move he had once used to kill Liang Lian. Soft like water, but when it was compressed to the extreme and turned into a thin line, and possessed terrifying speed, this thin line was enough to cut through metal.
Back then, his strength had been far from Liang Lian, but he had been able to kill Liang Lian with this sword. Also, now, this move had the power of the realm seven Master of Fire, and it was the fire that could burn all in the world.
Other than realm eights like Yuanwu and the Donghu monk, who in the world could handle a move like this?
**
Seeing this thin line form, Zheng An in the air, could not help but cry like a crow. Even though the Master of Fire and Crown Prince Yugou had been defeated, in her view, when Tantai Guanjian and Qing Yaoyin had no more ability to fight, Ding Ning was a dead person standing. She had never thought that Ding Ning was able to use such a sword move! This kind of sword, how was it any different from that person back then!
As she screamed, a crystal light appeared out of her energy sea. A bright round ball flew out, and floated in front of her.
This was the Zhe pill that she had nurtured with all her energy.
The longer something was nourished, the stronger that lifebond item was. This was accumulated through time. She likely had lived longer than other cultivators, and the power of this lifebond pill likely surpassed the imagination of most realm seven grandmasters.
But there was a light cracking sound.
A crack appeared on the surface of the Zhe pill. When the thousand dust mountains started to shake violently, this Zhe pill split into two, the energy even throwing away many of the nearby soaring snakes.
All this could not stop the sword attack. As Zheng An used this lifebond item, she was fighting desperately. Her body moved horizontally through the air, and seemed to hit many crystal walls at the same time. Her afterimage left behind many sound explosions, visible shock waves blooming like white lotuses.
None of the realm sevens back then were able to block Wang Jingmeng’s sword.
Now, this sword had the power close to Wang Jingmeng’s peak. How could Ding Ning let it miss?
This sword still fell on Zheng An’s body. She worked very hard, and only managed to stop this sword from completely cutting through her body.
A red line appeared on the right side of her body. Her right shoulder and almost half of her right leg was cut apart with half of her body. As the blood sprayed, the white bones still seemed to be stuck together, and this looked more terrifying and disgusting than a straight death.
Volume 3 87 - Dogshit Luck
The two powerful cultivators foreign to Qin were killed by Shao Sharen, the best killer of Min Mountain Sword Sect, before they could even use their best skills. During the time, Palace Attendant Rong passed through the rows of military tents into Liang Lian’s main tent, and sat down in front of him.
Liang Lian was drinking medicine.
The medicine in the bowl was as black as ink and looked extremely bitter. Ordinary people would usually want to drain the bowl and then eat a spoonful of sugar. But he expressionlessly sipped it slowly like tea.
Palace Attendant Rong looked coldly at him and said, “The empress is very disappointed in you.”
“I am also very disappointed.”
Liang Lian stopped. He was silent for a moment as he looked at the medicine in the bowl. Then he said, “I thought that I was greedy before, never content, wanting to focus on becoming a marquis, establish myself in Changling, and even get my own land. But after yesterday, I know that all of that is just my extravagant hopes. The Holy One and she wholeheartedly want to make sure people forget the Ba Mountain Sword Field, and ensure that those names will disappear along with the years before the Holy One’s ascension. How could they let someone like me become a marquis?”
“My existence reminds many people of those past matters.” Liang Lian laughed scornfully after a pause. His smile was dark and cold, like the flashing arrowheads as the arrows flew across the battlefield.
“These are just your own personal thoughts.” Palace Attendant Rong looked with an unchanging expression at Liang Lian and said, “While the empress is disappointed in you, she still recognizes your abilities. General Liang, if you are faithful and fulfill your duties, General Liang’s disgraces will be erased from the history books. People will only remember your achievements.”
“The reason the people of Ba Mountain Sword Field disappeared is because they looked too far and not at the present. Now, who would ignore the present for the future?” Liang Lian looked coldly at Palace Attendant Rong. “I only want to know what decree she has you bring.”
Palace Attendant Rong looked at him and said calmly, “The empress will have you lead an army to Nanyue. If possible, she hopes that you will be like the other marquises outside the forts and get enfeoffed in Nanyue.”
Liang Lian’s eyes narrowed slightly. He lifted the bowl and drained his medicine which cut along his throat like a blade. His voice was extremely cold. “Enfeoffed in Nanyue? The empress really has a high opinion of me. Nanyue cultivators have odd tactics, their weather is hard to adapt to, cruelly cold in the winter, torridly hot in the summer, with miasma, snakes and insects. Which of those are not fatal? The speedy cavalry shooting and seal chariots that my army is skilled in is almost useless……”
“The empress is letting you go, not to listen to your suggestions but for you to obey. Relaying to you this information early, is so you can prepare. This represents her respect towards you.” Palace Attendant Rong’s voice was calm but she ruthlessly interrupted Liang Lian. “Having you go to Nanyue is a part of her arrangements. When have you ever seen her let the people useful to the Qin go to die?”
After saying this, she stood up. She did not look at Liang Lian’s expression and turned to leave after bowing deeply to him.
Liang Lian turned his head and looked out through the window of his tent. He could see some roofs in Changling, and was silent for a long time.
For many years in the past, all he wanted to do was climb up. He did not want to be a dog led by a rope tied around his neck. But now in hindsight, when he was following those people, he had not been like a dog when he had been of lowly status.
The carriage cabin was stuffy in summer. There had been the wars to end the Han, Zhao and Wei dynasties as well as the bloody storm in the years before Yuanwu’s ascension. Now, in Changling, the Qin Dynasty and even the entire world, there were few experts like the people of the former Ba Mountain Sword Field who could fight alone against several, and even ten realm sevens. There were not many extremely powerful experts. The person driving his carriage was one of them. So Ding Ning rolled up the curtain, assured, and let the wind enter through the two windows.
Air moved as the curtains were opened. The people on the streets could also see the person inside the carriage.
Just as they drove into the streets of Changling, a middle-aged man in a short robe came over and bowed from a distance. He said respectfully, “Mister Taixu has sent me with a letter.”
The carriage paused slightly. Shao Sharen did not sense any danger so he did not leak any murderousness.
“My people,” Ding Ning said softly towards his back.
Shao Sharen remained silent and nodded minutely. He drove the carriage next to the middle-aged man delivering a letter from Wang Taixu.
The middle-aged man handed in the letter he had been gripping through the window. Then he took two steps back and waited respectfully.
Ding Ning unfolded the letter. As he looked at it, his body suddenly stiffened.
A moment later, he looked up at the middle-aged man outside the window. “I am going directly to Ink Garden. Have Wang Taixu send my aunt to Ink Garden.”
The middle-aged man bowed respectfully and left.
Seeing this middle-aged man’s sincere respect, and the things that the gangster called Wang Taixu and Ding Ning had done in this half hour, Shao Sharen could not help but shake his head. This wineshop youth was not an ordinary person, but the opponents from the sword trials thought of him as one.
He did not voice any of his thoughts. The carriage slowly passed through the streets of Changling and headed towards Ink Garden.
He had seen enough conflicts, and killed enough people. Shao Sharen was asked by Baili Suxue to protect Ding Ning, and kill all those who wanted to kill Ding Ning. He had no interest in participating in a scheme for any of Changling’s factions. When the carriage stopped by the Ink Garden gates, he spoke. “I will wait here for you. Do not worry for me.”
This was what Ding Ning liked to hear the most. He struggled out of the carriage. He looked at this cultivator who had killed his entire life as though he knew nothing else and bowed in thanks.
The tall walls of Ink Garden had been opened. Many shops had been built along the street. Seeing Ding Ning walk out of the carriage, many of the neighbours busy in their shops shouted excitedly and crowded over.
Ding Ning had won the Min Mountain Sword Trials. He fulfilled his promise to Xue Wangxu, and won glory for White Goat Cave. The Qin established their country by war and sword. For these neighbours who had moved here from Falling Parasol, this was naturally a great glory.
Their way of expressing their affection and respect to Ding Ning was extremely simple and direct. The noodle shop owner most familiar with Ding Ning was the loudest. “Ding Ning, next time you come to eat my shop, you eat for free.”
Hearing their shouts, Ding Ning knew where their joy came from. So he shouted. “Of course, without the care of my neighbours, without the daily bowl of noodles, how could I have won!”
The words were like setting off firecrackers at a celebration. Cheers rose again.
Ding Ning smiled and bowed with his hands folded. He patiently talked with the neighbors before he was half carried into the courtyard by them.
The numerous maids that Wang Taixu had arranged for were waiting inside. They sent Ding Ning into the small courtyard that Forefather Zhou had previously resided in.
Inside, a middle-aged man who looked slightly fragile was waiting for him to arrive.
“In the past, you were fragile, now it is my turn.”
Ding Ning could not help but shake his head when he saw this person and sighed softly.
This middle-aged man was naturally Wang Taixu. He looked at Ding Ning’s pale face and smiled.
Then, putting away his smile, he asked directly, “What should I do next?”
He was already the most powerful gangster of Changling. But this power came from the transaction and favors Ding Ning had with the powers of the military. Because Ding Ning won the Min Mountain Sword Trials, his relationship with the military could continue. But now everything had changed.
He did not worry for his own life, but he worried about his people who made a living in Changling.
“Not worse than before, but better.”
Ding Ning lay down on a bamboo chair in front of him. Then he looked at this worried Changling gangster leader. He said seriously, “Zheng Xiu wrote a letter in her own hand to my senior sect brother for him to leave me. She is the person who understands trades and trade-offs the best. So next, she will propose many conditions that will be compensation to me. In the past, you and I were rootless. Now, it is different. We have the support of Min Mountain Sword Sect.”
Ding Ning paused, looked at Wang Taixu and said, “Since she cannot stop me from winning the Min Mountain Sword Sect, what she will do next is to buy me over. Using a useful person is always more useful to her than destroying a person.”
Wang Taixu frowned. He pondered the words carefully and said, “Then we only need to wait?”
“Wait for her arrangements and also Min Mountain Sword Sect’s arrangements. Strictly speaking, you and I both belong to Min Mountain Sword Sect now,” Ding Ning said calmly. “But you must first find out for me where my senior sect brother went.”
Wang Taixu nodded.
“Your letter said that while Bai Shanshui escaped, one of her fellows may have ended up in the Great Floating Water Prison?” Ding Ning asked.
Wang Taixu could not understand why Ding Ning would deliberately mention this matter but he still nodded. “Yes.”
“The people of the Astrology Bureau have gone to Falling Parasol sometimes. Why?”
Ding Ning continued to ask.
Wang Taixu did not answer.
He could hear that the other was speaking to himself. This was not his problem, but Ding Ning’s.
Volume 5 87 - Two Lifetime Flower
The night wind suddenly stopped. It was not that the mountain wind blowing from Xuegu Pass had stopped, but an enormous wave of primal energies had moved over with the female cultivator and resisted the wind.
This woman reached out, Pure lifebond presence surged out of her fingertips.
In this moment, there were cracking sounds like ice splitting apart that interrupted the night silence! In the empty air, blue-black ice formed, and gathered in front of her finger at unimaginable speed, piling up together.
This was an unimaginable scene. The ice piled up into a sword and stretched down with her perception.
The moment the cultivators among the Qin troop below reacted, a blue-black sword of ice that was tens of feet long formed, and charged at the person she targeted with terrifying killing intent.
Many shrill screams sounded.
This was the only cultivator in the Qin army who could react in time.
The cultivator who sensed he was being targeted let his vital energy surge out. His white robe was torn apart into several pieces, the soft cloth now heavy due to the energy explosion. He used his body as the sword, furiously slashing backwards, and not caring about the lives of the soldiers behind him.
Many flying swords flew up to attack the ice sword that was stretching and lengthening. While they could not match the sword, they still charged, wanting to stop the ice sword for a moment.
Multiple seemingly light but powerful flying swords met the ice sword but were not able to move it at all. The ice sword charged through these flying swords without rest, hammering the flying cultivator into the ground.
The sword essence landed on the ground, as terrifying power met the ground, time and this scene seemed to stop for a moment.
轰!
In the next moment, sword essence exploded, as did the ground. With this flying cultivator’s landing place as the center, dozens of Qin soldiers blasted out with stones and mud. Multiple flying swords fell to the ground desolately, unable to fly, and just shone with lingering light.
The cultivator who had been crushed into the ground had disappeared without a trace.
“Fire!”
The ice sword had disappeared from the woman’s hand. The ripples from the impact on the earth spread to even Xuegu Pass. The frost fell from the walls, and the dozens of Chu soldiers only reacted at this time, a howl coming from the mouth of one of the cultivators.
Sounds of the air tearing emerged.
The arrows tore through the air, but the hundreds of arrows appeared sparse in the air. The dozens of metal balls that flew silently behind the arrows were more eye-catching.
These metal balls were the size of a person’s head, and shone with bright green light in the night air. When they were a hundred meters from the ground, they cracked open. Each metal ball split into hundreds of bright green pieces and splashed down.
Screams and shouts, metal and sword met together; the metal made a dull sound as they cut through leather armor and flesh.
Right below these dozen metal balls, a large patch of the Qin army fell. The neat troop suddenly had dozens of empty spots. The sudden attack from Xuegu Pass killed at least six hundred Qin soldiers. Blood flew, and chillingly to many people, no military orders were given.
The general who should be giving orders in this chaos had been killed!
“Retreat!”
When the second round of arrows flew through the air, someone in the Qin army sent the order. The entire troop retreated like the tide.
The woman on the Xuegu Pass walls had stopped, but blue-black frost still floated through the air. This lingering power gave people more pressure than the dozens of terrifying metal balls.
“Defense!”
After retreating fifty pieces, as a new order came, the Qin army stopped, and moved into a new formation.
On the slopes, Song Mei saw this. When he saw the Qin troop reestablish their formation, he could not help but feel waves of coldness.
Just like back when fighting the Han, Zhao, and Wei dynasties, the Qin army showed stunning bravery and iron discipline. The Qin army now was better than before!
“Nine Hell King Sword!”
“Miss of the Gongsun Family, do not forget you are from the Qin!” The moment the Qin troop stopped, the person who gave the orders shouted.
Xuegu Pass was even more quiet.
His side was not the only side shocked by the sword. This person daring to shout at such a time represented great bravery.
The woman on the walls had the ability to kill the general of this troop, and naturally had the power to kill this cultivator who had replaced the general.
In this world, only the Nine Hell King Sword had such a cold and fierce power. There were many stories in Changling regarding this sword and Miss Gongsun. So this cultivator easily guessed that the woman on the walls was the former Eldest Miss Gongsun.
The shout filled with fearlessness and anger spread into Xuegu Pass and echoed like thousands of people angrily accusing and pointing their fingers at Zhangsun Qianxue on the walls.
If any person believed that they were on the side of the right, and could even give up their lives, that kind of presence would suppress everything. It was the case with the Qin general.
But this was ineffective against Zhangsun Qianxue. Her cold expression did not change at all, filled with a dismissive and scornful tone. She said, “Do I count as Qin?”
The speaker suddenly stopped.
“I am the only person left from the Gongsun Family.” Zhangsun Qianxue added. “Even if I am Qin, I am an enemy. If I am enough, you think that I will not kill those people in the Qin Imperial Palace?”
“You will definitely stand on the side of the Chu and help the Chu slaughter the Qin?” The general was silent for a moment, and looked at Zhangsun Qianxue’s figure on the walls. He said coldly, “This Xuegu Pass has few seal weapons. Those green-gold kill balls must be all the stores. Even if you can kill all of us tonight, I fear that not many people will remain in Xuegu Pass.”
“That is your choice.” Zhangsun Qianxue frowned slightly and said in a cool voice, “If you die, and want these people to die as well, then I do not mind killing some more people.”
The general was silent, and his hands trembled slightly.
The air in Xuegu Pass grew heavy.
On the slopes, Song Wei stopped breathing. He knew this Qin general spoke the truth. If this Qin general ordered the entire army to attack, even if Zhangsun Qianxue could kill at astounding speed, as long as the Qin army used all of their seal weapons, the thin Xuegu Pass could not withstand it. Then no one would know how many of his fellows would survive. The two armies were at a standstill, waiting for the general to give an order, even if this general would die the moment he gave the order. But the life and death of thousands of people were in the hands of this general.
At this time, Song Wei found that the young person standing in front of the tent was walking down the slope.
This person came silently, but did not disguise his footsteps as this time. He stepped on the accumulated snow that was hard from the cold. The sound of the footsteps were very clear in the absolute silence.
The Qin general suddenly looked back and saw the figure of this young person.
“When marching and fighting, if it is a battle that one must defend, if you know you will lose but will order the entire army to show your bravery, this is not just meaningless, but irresponsible conduct.”
The young person walked alone to the rear of the Qin army, and looked quietly at the Qin troop, and the general. “Even if you want to get revenge, it should not be going brainlessly to your death. Back when fighting the Han, Zhao, and Wei, all the Qin generals understood if they could kill a few key people, or use a duel between cultivators to decide victory, then do not let more people die. Generals and pure cultivators are different. Going to your death does not represent bravery.”
This young person was naturally Ding Ning. He looked calmly at this general, and said, “Back when fighting the three dynasties, most fights were decided with duels between cultivators on the battlefield. If you still cannot understand, let’s have a fair duel from you and me. You win me, and I will let through Xuegu Pass. If I defeat you, you will order an retreat.”
The general of the Qin whose face could not be seen in the black night was silent for a moment and said, “The deaths of people like us are insignificant to a large war like this.”
“No one is insignificant.” Ding Ning looked at the Qin general and said, “In my view, if one extra person among the millions can return home, it is good.”
The Qin general slowly looked up then nodded. “You must also be Qin. Let’s use the duel as the bet. You win against me, and I will order a retreat.”
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