Chapter Sixty-Nine: Teach
Ding Ning did not look at the shocked Yu Yan Shan in the air but just at the spinning metal piece, his index and middle finger pointing and swiping down.
There seemed to be an invisible line in the world that was pulling. The seemingly out of control metal piece suddenly sank, cutting down, the sharpest edge accurately cutting into a seal script on the flying sword.
There was a loud explosion. The metal piece was easily shattered, but the corner that stabbed into the seal script snapped off and was embedded in the seal.
The flow of energy on the sword was interrupted and went out of control. The energy coming off the blade turned the flying sword into a madly flying leaf in the wind that swept up into the sky.
Yu Yan Shan’s body shook slightly. After losing the connection to his flying sword, the backlash of the energy affected the movement of vital energy in his body, but not his mind.
His flying sword was just to control the piece. Now that the piece of metal could no longer be Ding Ning’s weapon, he did not care about his flying sword.
Pew!
As his body shook, he forcibly controlled the vibration of vital energy in his body. Then waves of vital energy, at a special harmony, flooded into the metal long sword in his hand. Indigo ripples appeared on the black sword.
The ripples became countless sword shadows that covered up Ding Ning’s entire figure. Ding Ning had no sword in hand, but as he raised his left hand, it was possible to see the glint of metal from his fingers. At some unknown time, perhaps when he was walking down the slope towards the rear of the Qin troop, he had used vital energy to pick up many metal pieces from the ground. These metal pieces were even smaller, and some did not even have a complete seal. They would not count as seal weapons at all, or act like flying swords like the previous metal piece.
But facing the many sword shadows coming down at him, Ding Ning turned his hand and flicked gently. With a buzz, he flicked up a metal piece, and a ruler straight and sharp essence stabbed straight in front of him.
A shocked and furious shout sounded. The indigo sword shadows were shattered. Yu Yan Shan, who had just taken a step, went flying back. There was a red mark coming out of his left shoulder. A wound had been created by the metal piece.
Yu Yan Shan opened his mouth. As he breathed, the coldness that came up through his body and his disbelief were things only he could experience.
Ding Ning had flicked a finger to attack with the piece. This was a blow without any sword form. But this had stabbed through the only weakness in his move.
It could be said, before Ding Ning attacked, he had not realized that his sword form had such an opening!
Ding Ning did not take the chance to attack, and looked calmly at him.
Yu Yan Shang took a deep breath, and howled again. His sword flicked up, the many sword shadows moving upwards to attack Ding Ning’s chest like dancing seagrass in the water current.
Ding Ning took a step back, and flicked out a piece with his left hand again.
The howl turned into a shout, Yu Yan Shan’s advance stopped. His body twisted. Another wound appeared on his sword holding right shoulder.
Yu Yan Shan could not understand. He gritted his teeth, one sword turning to three, three sword lights heading directly down at Ding Ning’s head.
With a buzz, a metal light broke through the air. Yu Yan Shan’s three sword lights disappeared. Then there was an explosion. His sword was held in front of his heart, and there was a spray of golden sparks coming off the sword.
It was deathly quiet in Xuegu Pass.
The Chu military cultivators on the walls and the Qin cultivators were all silent. Some people’s hands could not avoid trembling.
Anyone could see that Ding Ning was much stronger than Yu Yan Shan. But from start to now, Ding Ning had not used his vital energy to suppress the other. From the start, he used sword form to defeat sword form, and was even using the moves of the Clear River Sword School against Yu Yan Shan. At this time, in some people’s eyes, Ding Ning’s performance in this battle was like a Clear River Sword School elder teaching a junior by demonstrating sword forms in front of him.
Yu Yan Shan stopped moving. His sword was trembling restlessly. His wounds were all light, but the ripples in his emotions caused his body to tremble constantly.
He and Ding Ning were just a few dozen feet away. The scene froze. But at this time, he sensed a thin lifebond presence forming in front of him.
This thin lifebond presence came from Ding Ning’s hand. Sensing how this thin lifebond presence created a mountain of pressure on him, Yu Yan Shan was certain that the other was a whole realm stronger than him.
**
Ding Ning slowly released a wave of lifebond presence. The pieces that he held in his palm were swept up, and blew in the direction of the energy, mixing with the lifebond presence in his hand, and becoming a sword made from metal pieces and energy. Without any pause, he slashed at Yu Yan Shan.
Many indigo sword shadows appeared in front of him. This sword move was the Clear River Sword School’s “Cleansing Clear Ripples” that Yu Yan Shan had just used.
Yu Yan Shan lifted the sword in his hand but could not meet the blow. The great pressure on his chest forced him to take a dozen steps back!
There was no flaw in this move. Compared to his previous move, the opening that he had not realized that it existed was not there. And as the other changed the path of the sword slightly, the spreading ripples were more powerful!
Ding Ning advanced. Yu Yan Shan retreated. Then he took a step forward and attacked. Suddenly, there were glittering ripples in the dark night, and bright light spread, the sword shadow opening like a blooming flower.
Yu Yan Shan had a bloodless fade. He was very pale, but his heart was beating rapidly and uncontrollably. He had never used this “Flower in Water” before, but this was still a sword form of Clear River Sword School. At this time, in the other’s hand, it had never been so perfect, and it was more than double the strength.
In other words, he had never thought that this sword move would have such power. He could not stop it, and kept on retreating. But as he was retreating, his mind was blank. There was no shock or terror, just a thought in his mind. So the sword forms of Clear River Sword School contained such changes and could be like this.
Ding Ning pulled away his sword. The faint lifebond energy disappeared. The “sword” that was not very stable immediately scattered and fell to the ground in pieces, colliding with the stones and giving off clear sounds. He looked at Yu Yan Shan who had retreated to the edge of the Qin troop before he stopped and asked calmly, “Do you still want to die?”
The words did not mention victory or withdrawing the troops. It seemed to be a very strange and abrupt question. But at this time, some people understood the meaning of his words.
From the start, Yu Yan Shan did not think that he could win. He decided to lose here, and he would die here. Then the Qin troop would leave according to the promise. He would use his own death for the reason the Qin troop had to return. Before the duel started, he had the resolve to die.
But the cultivators who could understand the battle could see Ding Ning’s intentions.
Ding Ning did not want him to die. He used some of Clear River Sword School’s sword forms to show more refined and powerful versions to Yu Yan Shan, like he was teaching the other and showing him a new world.
Yu Yan Shan had decided before this to take over as the commander of the troops. He had to be responsible for the defeat this time, and needed a reason for the troops to withdraw without embarrassment. But when he saw the new world of his sword manuals, would he allow this new world to die and be buried with him?
Ding Ning’s meaning was clear.
You should not die. You should live, and take this new world to the other cultivators of the Clear River Sword School.
