Hu Jingjing missed many things when she was unconscious. For example, the Sword Mountain Sword falling down with starfire.
The Wuzhi land behind Yin Mountain did not have many tall mountains. When the enormous Sword Mountain Sword fell, people from the far horizon could see it. Everyone could feel the power of this sword. Especially when almost all Qin people were familiar with the pale and cold starfire.
The place where such an attack occurred, for the Qin fleeing for life on the plains now, was a place of life. Yet for those people who knew it was safe but could not reach it, they were in more despair.
“No time.”
A middle-aged man in heavy wolf-skin robes, face half-shrouded under a fur hat sighed as he gazed in the direction of Sword Mountain Sword. “We will not be able to stop the remnants of the Qin army at Guyu Pass. Even if our army defeats Guyu Pass, the Qin reinforcements, especially some powerful cultivators, will arrive, and our armies will be the ones being pursued then.”
Standing with his head respectfully bow beside this middle-aged man was the fifth prince of Wuzhi, Wu Lianzi. At the middle-aged man’s words, Wu Lianzi said in a trembling voice, “Great Shaman, can we only retreat?”
In the last few days, the Wuzhi cavalry had chased the Qin army all over the steppes yet he knew the price that Wuzhi had paid.
“This is reality. This is not that we are willing or not, but we have to do so. As a general, especially as the ruler of a country, we must abandon all individual factors, including your own feelings. You must look down at your country like a god. In terms of this, I admire Zheng Xiu the most. She does it well,”
The middle-aged man slowly spoke. His deep and wise gaze never left the direction where Sword Mountain Sword had fallen. “Unluckily, that Changling wine shop youth has also coincidentally reached Guyu Pass, and the key to our great battle is there. Fortunately, this “Fang” you are chasing now is his friend. Fortunately, this Changling wine shop youth is supposedly the best in the world at comprehension.”
Wu Lianzi finally understood his meaning. A thread of hope lit up his eyes. “Great Shaman, you had considered it when you drove Li Xixing towards the Mountain of Ancestors … You want to lure that wineshop youth into the Mountain of Ancestors.”
“You have also seen how powerful the Changling cultivators are. Before this, in the last stages of the Qin extermination of the three dynasties, what influenced the outcome was the battles between the strongest cultivators. Only by opening the Mountain of Ancestors will we be able to contend with the powerful Changling cultivators that arrive.”
“The blood of the youth who killed the grey wolf will be used as tribute for the Mountain of Ancestors. If the wine shop youth’s comprehension is best in the world, he is the key to opening the Mountain of Ancestors. As to this expert who is able to join with Zheng Xiu’s sword essence, he is the last sacrifice.” The middle-aged man smiled coldly, and looked up, his gaze seeming to penetrate the night clouds.
Above the night clouds several black eagles hovered.
Li Xixing, who was fleeing through the steppes with his strong resolve, was also looking up now. He stopped slightly, glanced at the unconscious Hu Jingjing and felt slightly relieved. Then he glanced at the clouds behind him. He could not see those eagles, but he heard the eagles’ cries from the sky.
Wuzhi, Donghu’s, Yuezhi … and some past countries that once existed on the steppes, and other mysterious tribes actually had a common ancestor a long time ago. Back then, the country that ruled the vast area outside the passes was called Tianliang. The present Wuzhi, Donghu, and the ruling clan of Yuezhi, all thought themselves the bloodline of the former Tianliang kings.
Raising eagles was a tradition of these royals. The eagles could see thousands of miles away from high up in the sky so he knew that he could not escape the sight of his pursuers completely.
Even Hu Jingjing, so severely injured, was holding on to life … She had heeded to his choices many times to end up in this state. So unless it was the last moment, he did not want to give up.
**
On the slope outside Guyu Pass, a black dot fell down from the high clouds.
A cultivator resting not far away in a tent suddenly opened his eyes. A crimson sword light penetrated the tent roof, giving a sharp howl as it flew towards the black dot. Many sleeping soldiers were startled awake, screams rang out on the slopes.
The landing point of the black dot was clearly the carriage where Ding Ning was resting. From the light of the stars and the crimson flying sword, many people could see the falling black dot was a giant black eagle.
The giant eagle clearly did not belong to the Qin military. Otherwise, this flying sword would not have flown up like it was facing a great enemy. But the black eagle did not change its direction as it faced this flying sword. With a hiss, the stomach and neck of the giant eagle were penetrated by this sword light. Then half of its wing was cut off. With a bam, it fell on the slope outside the group of carriages.
Ding Ning had already walked out of his carriage. He did not inspect the giant eagle corpse. Before it even fell, he had seen there was a patch of bloodied fur tied to the giant eagle’s claw.
Nangong Caishu warily stood next to him. She could also see the bloodied fur and sensed that Ding Ning’s expression had turned unusually serious.
“What does this mean?” She felt that this giant black eagle had come to die and pass on a kind of message.
Due to her understanding of Ding Ning, she felt that he had changed expression before he even looked closely. This meant that he already knew what the giant eagle was saying.
“Of all our friends, only one person likes wearing thick fur robes like this,” Ding Ning glanced at her and said.
Nangong Caishu’s body suddenly froze. “Li Xixing?”
“Giant eagles of the steppes are harder to raise than some beasts. Only royals of the steppes can control such large eagles. Those that are able to judge I am here so quickly … will not be so dull. So this must be Li Xixing’s fur robe,” Ding Ning nodded and said.
Nangong Caishu felt even colder. “He tells you Li Xixing is in his hands. What does he want to do?”
Ding Ning did not answer. This was a question that did not need an answer.
Nangong Caishu paused for a breath of time and then looked at Ding Ning. “I’m coming with you.”
Ding Ning did not refuse. He walked down the slope towards the grass until Shen Xuan appeared in front of him like a shadow.
“The other used such a method to tell me Li Xixing is in his hands. He made it so complicated so he likely just wants to meet me or tell me something, not kill me instantly.”
Ding Ning looked at Shen Xuan plainly. “Someone who knows Sword Mountain Sword is here and dares to plan like this would not be an ordinary person. I just told you we were waiting for a chance to tell Gu Huai. Now this chance has arrived.”
Shen Xuan said coldly, “Go to your death again?”
“At least I will die for a friend but she will not. So you can choose to work with me, or work with her.” Ding Ning looked calmly at Shen Xuan and said, “Since that person can use the black king eagle to send a message, he will quickly point out the path … I just want to tell you whether or not you come, I will go.”
“Gu Huai? He cannot stop you?” Shen Xuan’s expression did not change as he asked Ding Ning coldly.
“He cannot stop me … His only means to stop me is to threaten me with the deaths of my friends. But what is at stake here is the death of my friends.” Ding Ning shook his head scornfully. “And he will not have healed so quickly.”
Translator Ramblings: For some reason, “Mountain of Ancestors” has more weight than “Ancestor Mountain”
