Chapter Eighty Eight: Convince
Ding Ning’s movements were very careful. Solemnly, he walked to the center of the white sand. By the time he reached, all there was was a thin layer of sand revealing the hard stone underneath.
The stone was a blue-black color like the starry night sky on the plains. Just like the starry sky, there were many dots of light on the hard stone surface. These were small holes arranged in an orderly manner, corresponding to the position of star in the sky.
The elixir of life floated at Ding Ning’s chest height. Outside the silver crystal sphere, there were silver crystals melting, shattering, forming and changing. This appeared profound to Ding Ning, also, there were many energy rules that even he could not understand.
He carefully reached out with a finger. Wu Lianzi, facing him, saw a white thread silently come out of Ding Ning’s fingertip and land amongst the changing silver crystals. This appeared to be one white thread, but there were countless particles on the surface that were moving and changing. Thinking of the former You Dynasty and the legends regarding that person, the shock and helplessness in Wu Lianzi’s eyes turned to absolute awe.
Ding Ning’s body trembled slightly, not because of his emotions but because of the Nine Death Silkworm in his body. These countless “little silkworms” that moved between intangible and tangible shook in terror and were filled with desire to consume.
The white thread was a ray formed from countless “little silkworms.” When the first “little silkworm” made contact with the changing silver crystal, Ding Ning felt the same trembling and desire. These feelings came from the elixir of life.
Ding Ning closed his eyes. He seemed to see a fight. Countless white little silkworms consumed the silver crystals. Countless silver crystals were consuming the little silkworms at the same time. Both sides were filled with greed. The terror stemmed from not knowing who would eat whom in the end and win.
Complete consumption meant change. So what the Peerless Wind and Rain Sword said in the past was true. If one accepted the power of the elixir of life, accepted being consumed by these crystals, it would mean their bodies would be changed.
Ding Ning took a deep breath and opened his eyes. In a sense, this elixir of life was a kind of Nine Death Silkworm. The difference was his Nine Death Silkworm could be controlled while the elixir of life could not be.
The hissing sound grew louder. From the white thread at the beginning to a trickle to a flow the thickness of an arm! Even though everyone was certain that Ding Ning was the heir to the Nine Death Silkworm when killing Gu Huai, when they saw the legendary Nine Death Silkworm, and the silkworms streaming towards the elixir of life, everyone was still shocked and found it incomprehensible.
Even ordinary energy would have long been drained if it flowed like this, but the silkworms seemed to be endless. Ding Ning’s body seemed to go against nature. How could it contain so many silkworms?
Ding Ning’s expression grew calmer, even the graveness disappearing.The white ray made from countless silkworms constantly hit the silver crystal grains, wrapping up the entire elixir of life. It turned into a sphere covered in countless moving white silkworms.
In the next moment, everything disappeared. The fine white silkworms disappeared. The elixir of life disappeared. The fine white sand under his feet had run out long ago, leaving behind the blue-black stone covered in holes.
Gurgle … Hu Jingjing swallowed.
The sound was loud at this moment. She could not help but feel slightly embarrassed. But when she saw Ding Ning who had not changed after the Nine Death Silkworm returned, she could not help but ask, “You have refined the elixir of life?”
“This is something above realm eight.” Ding Ning shook his head. “While I do not know how this thing formed, it is still above realm eight. The Tianliang experts of the past, including the Peerless Wind and Rain Sword, could not destroy it with their combined intelligence and power … could not even touch it, how could I refine it?”
“But it was eaten —” Hu Jingjing unconsciously said, but the silkworms had eaten it. Otherwise, how would the elixir of life disappear?
At this time, Ding Ning turned and glanced at her. With that, she stilled and seemed to understand. “You … you sealed it up?”
Ding Ning nodded directly.
“Will you use it?” Shen Xuan looked at Ding Ning and added. “I mean when you are truly facing death.”
Ding Ning shook his head. “Becoming a life that even you do not understand … that is not immorality, but death.”
Shen Xuan said coldly, “If you do not change, the agreement will not change.”
Li Xixing did not care what Ding Ning did with the elixir of life. Back when Ding Ning had walked towards it, he knew that his friend’s attitude towards it was the same as the Peerless Wind and Rain Sword. His gaze landed on Wu Lianzi near the broken gold tower and asked, “What to do with him?”
To him, since Ding Ning confirmed that Shen Xuan would keep the secret of the Nine Death Silkworm, then of all those in the ancestral lands, Wu Lianzi was the greatest threat to Ding Ning.
Wu Lianzi’s body trembled violently. He felt these people would not hesitate in killing him.
Yet unexpectedly, Ding Ning thought for a long time and then asked him, “I hear that you have the queen dowager’s favor the best among the Wuzhi royal sons … in reality, most of the military is in the queen dowager’s hands?”
Wu Lianzi used some time to recover, controlling his flesh so his dislocated chin could return to its spot. Then he struggled to lift his head and look at Ding Ning who was waiting for his answer. “I do not know what you mean.”
“The war between the Wuzhi and Qin from the start was a game between Zhan Moke and Zheng Xiu. Even the Wuzhi royal family, the powerful cultivators and fearless warriors are just chess pieces controlled by Zheng Xiu.” Ding Ning looked calmly at Wu Lianzi and continued. “I mean, if this war can finish sooner, then let it finish early in peace.”
Wu Lianzi was stunned. He unconscious said in confusion, “How to let it end in peace? Even if Wuzhi wants peace, the Qin will negotiate?”
“If you want to negotiate, without needing us to think, the queen dowager who loves you will think of a way.” Ding Ning looked at him and said with some scorn, “As to Zheng Xiu, when she gets what she wants, or rather when what she wants has disappeared, there is no need for the war to continue.”
After a pause, the scorn on his face grew. “Or does she want to take over this plain which is of no use to her?”
Shen Xuan looked at Ding Ning and said, “She likely does not know what was really in the ancestral lands.”
Ding Ning nodded. “But the ancestral lands are gone, everything no longer exists. What she wants most is the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art.”
Shen Xuan knew Ding Ning’s meaning and did not speak.
Wu Lianzi could not completely understand Ding Ning’s meaning but he agreed with Ding Ning’s proposal. He calmed down and thought seriously. He said, “Just me is not enough. The queen dowager cannot convince the others just based on my life and some of my words.”
“For a ruler, one does not have to make sense, just speak of a country’s interests.” Ding Ning laughed lightly, and turned to where they had come from. “If I annotate all the engravings and give them to the Wuzhi, do you think she can convince them?”
