by Fang Xiang
The nine figures flashed past at high speeds. The pitiful gates were torn to pieces by the knife-like tailwinds!
Dust and wood flew at the village gates!
The xiuzhe in pursuit directly ran into it. Seeing the situation, they did not slow down. A light flashed across their ling armor and their ling shields were opened as they prepared to directly go through the village gate!
“I just knew that these people want us to eat their dust!”
Inside the dust, someone complained.
Countless sword energies suddenly shot out of the dust like bats hiding in the dark that showed their vampiric teeth.
“There’s an ambush!”
The pursuing xiuzhe all paled.
Pew pew pew!
The xiuzhe at the very front basically had no time to react. Their ling armor was instantly penetrated like it was made of paper-mache. Several bloody holes appeared on the body of this xiuzhe. The expression of this xiuzhe instantly froze, his body losing control and falling into the dirt like a bag of sand.
It was not just him alone. Several of the xiuzhe in the front did not survive.
“Sword essence!”
The xiuzhe at the back paled. Such destructive sword energies, there was only one possibility – sword essence!
Only sword xiu that comprehended sword essence could release such a terrifying sword energy which could so easily penetrate ling armor and kill with one strike!
There were not many sword energies, but they were of different colors. It was clear they had been released by different sword xiu!
There wasn’t just one sword xiu who had comprehended sword essence!
The expressions of this group of xiuzhe changed drastically. Sword xiu who comprehended sword essence were rare. One in a hundred of ningmai sword xiu comprehending sword essence was considered a rare event. Why did sword xiu always persist in trying to comprehend sword essence?
That was because the power of the sword energies were much greater if one comprehended sword essence. This kind of increase depended on the individual and the sword scripture, but it was certain that sword xiu who comprehend sword essence were much scarier than sword xiu of the same cultivation who had not comprehended sword essence!
Seven sword xiu died in the first encounter.
Other than fear, the other people rejoiced inside that they had not been so close in their pursuit. What made them even happier was that the collision between the two sides had swept away the scattered dust. The other side also showed themselves.
Five people!
There were only five people!
Their hearts were slightly reassured. Even if these five people all comprehended sword essence, but the number was too small. There were fifty to sixty on their side.
———
Zong Ru stood on the street with his eyes closed, his hand holding the Four-Flanged Vajra Gada. There was no joy or sorrow in his heart.
His beaded bracelet had been destroyed in the battle with the Bloody Horn Serpent. Zuo Mo had felt especially guilty and had the idea of finding a talisman for Zong Ru. However, Zong Ru was a rare dhyana xiu. Dhyana talismans were even harder to find. Zuo Mo had suddenly recalled that he had a damaged Four-Flanged Vajra Gada in his ring.
That Four-Flanged Vajra Gada was a true dhyana xiu talisman. When Zong Ru had used his full power with his bracelet, Zuo Mo had caught a thread of the mysteries of dhyana talismans. He had put in great thought and reforged the Four-Flanged Vajra Gada before giving it to Zong Ru.
When this Four-Flanged Vajra Gada came into Zong Ru’s hands, Zong Ru instantly knew this wasn’t a dhyana talisman of a low grade. The gada itself contained extremely abundant Buddhist mindfulness. He did not know which great elder had carried this gada along his path of enlightenment. Over time, this Four-Flanged Vajra Gada had accumulated large amounts of Buddhist mindfulness.
The power that this Four-Flanged Vajra Gada could express in Zuo Mo’s hands wasn’t even one percent of what it could be in Zong Ru’s hands.
The Buddhist mindfulness resting in the gada itself was extremely beneficial to Zong Ru’s cultivation. What was most valuable was that there were many scenes of the comprehensions that the elder had experienced in Buddhist fixity.
Zong Ru, who had been troubled due to his lack of a teacher, progressed quickly upon receiving such a treasure.
Other than his fist essence, even his abhinna which he had thought he would never form in this lifetime had unintentionally formed!
He felt the warm and cold presence that came from the Four-Flanged Vajra Gada just before the sword energies disappeared.
Zong Ru suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes!
* * *
Translator Ramblings: Uh, yeah, so … … Zuo Mo doesn’t get women, but … … cough cough.
After a long time, something that Zuo Mo traded for is used. I know that Fang Xiang is good at foreshadowing and putting down threads to a plot, but this time, I really think that Zuo Mo was forgetful. So there is a lot going on, but he is seriously forgetful.
Chapter 247: Rainbow Mirage Light
Zong Ru’s gaze was indifferent, his left hand held the Four-Flanged Vajra Gada, his right hand formed a seal.
“Duo!”
His voice resounded like a vast bell. It was not high and exciting, but it could be heard throughout Nan Sheng Village! With him as the center, an invisible hurricane swept outwards.
The faces of the xiuzhe all changed!
The ling armors they were wearing were already activated, but this shout seemed to have sounded from the bottom of their hearts. Their ling shields were not effective at all. What shocked them even more was all the ling power in their bodies suddenly froze for a moment!
Abhinna: Truth Speech!
The other four people took the opportunity to jump off the ground. Lightning fast, they were like four flying swords that thrust into the crowd.
———
Ma Fan only took a quick glance and the battle field was imprinted in his mind. After being the core for so long, his grasp of the entire battle situation was unparalleled in the camp. He had undergone the greatest change in the camp, or rather, he had improved the most, especially the presence he now had.
When he had been made the core, his performance had been very inexperienced. After gradually adjusting, a presence appeared on his body, one that was extremely authoritative. He had previously been an eternally roaming wolf that always gave people the sense of danger. The present him was less attention-catching. His features were ordinary. In a crowd, it was now harder to pick him out.
[Illusory Shadowless Sword of Destruction] was the killing move he had used the most in the past, but as his understanding of sword essence and battle had deepened, he started to experiment with simpler sword moves. Gradually, the number of times he used [Illusory Shadowless Sword Of Destruction] had decreased, and his edges had gradually been hidden. After he learned the fifth-grade [Void Movement] method, which lacked the dazzle of his previous illusory movement method, the threat he posed increased rather than decreased.
In a chaotic battle, it was difficult for the enemy to even detect his existence.
Ma Fan’s stealth was wonderfully displayed at this time. He was like an unnoticeable thread of light smoke floating among this crowd. There were no grand sword moves. Even his sword energies were just several cun long. He was like a little swordfish but no one other than Xie Shan could rival his efficiency!
In the blink of an eye, he had defeated seven or eight people.
Many people had not even found they had been attacked before he had disappeared without a shadow.
———
Compared to Ma Fan’s clean and high efficiency killing intent that was concealed, Xie Shan was a completely different style.
Keen!
As keen as a sword!
He was like an unsheathed sword. Countless five colored sword essences swam around him like rainbow flying swords. The pressuring sword essences inte
rcrossed, extremely beautiful, and full of killing intent!
Xie Shan was a clever person. He knew his strengths and weaknesses.
In Little Mountain Jie, those with ningmai third stratum cultivation could be counted on the fingers!
In the stage of ningmai third stratum, the lowest amount of ling power in the body was ninety jing. No one knew that the ling power in Xie Shan’s body had reached an astounding one hundred and eighty jing! There was a saying that if a person could get the ling power in their body to contain more than two hundred jing, they could enter jindan. This kind of saying was not reliable, but it showed just how strong Xie Shan was. He had almost reached the peak of ningmai!
The benefit of deep cultivation was that those killing moves that came at great cost were not significant to him.
He rarely used killing moves. His comprehension of sword essence meant that he could easily face other enemies. However, Ma Fan had provoked his competitiveness today!
The pure ling power in his body were instantly channelled. The multi-colored sword energies around his body brightened and vibrated.
A light flashed through his eyes. His fingers came together,and he pointed at the crowd of xiuzhe!
Five colored light rose in the sky above his head in layers like an aurora curtain. The sun in the sky lost color at this moment. As his fingers pointed into the air, the aurora in the sky suddenly broke, and countless broken sword essences howled as they turned to streaming five colored lights that shot down. Killing intent rose with the rain of light!
It was a five colored rainstorm. However, no one had the energy to spare to watch it. The sound of air tearing made everyone’s scalp prickle!
What shocked the surrounding spectators was that Xie Shan’s move had covered all the xiuzhe that had been pursuing them!
[Rainbow Mirage Light]!
This beautiful and ethereal name was a terrifying killing move. The ling power it consumed was even more astonishing. One hundred and fifty jing of ling power. It was more than the total ling power that the great majority of ningmai contained in their bodies!
———
Ma Fan’s expression changed and he did not hesitate in pulling out and retreating! He was not the only one. The other two xiuzhe who had charged forward also changed expressions, turning and then running back.
This madman!
They were extremely shocked. They knew that no one in the camp could compare to Xie Shan’s cultivation but they had never expected that he was this powerful! Ma Fan could not calm his heart. He had always assumed that while Xie Shan’s cultivation was high, but they were equal in their strength.
Due to the incorrect assumptions, he never placed much emphasis on his own cultivation. However, this scene today totally destroyed his worldview. They had escaped from this move because the sword essence in the sky had not locked onto them. Otherwise, it would have been as though they had sunk into quicksand and would be unable to take a single step!
Xie Shan used this move to show them that xiuzhe of deep cultivation were terrifying.
The xiuzhe that were covered by the rainbow rain were in tragic states. Other than sharpness, the five colored sword energies also had a strange corroding power. The ling shield would only hold up to several blows before it would break! The xiuzhe that had been struck by the five colored streams of light were not able to even make a sound before their bodies rapidly changed into a puddle of soft five colored mud.
Lei Peng and the other nine that had ran away stopped at this time. They stared with their mouths wide open in shock as they looked in the direction of Nan Sheng Village to see that patch of terrifying rainbow rain!
Before they could sigh, they saw the five people flying over. Everyone’s gaze as they looked at Xie Shan had changed.
Xie Shan was not very smug. He only had thirty jing of ling power left in his body. It would not be good if a battle occurred again.
“Move quickly!”
He did not hesitate as he passed by the others and threw out the two words. The others woke and hurriedly channelled their ling power as they fled for their lives.
Everyone knew that they had gone overboard!
The killing move that consumed one hundred and fifty jing of ling power had startled all the xiuzhe in Nan Sheng Village!
In the blink of an eye, all the xiuzhe in Nan Sheng Village flew into the sky. The sky was covered. Their expressions were strangely similar, extremely shocked. Even the few ningmai third stratum xiuzhe had paled.
One hundred and fifty jing of ling power, that was more than all the ling power in their bodies!
Not one xiuzhe was standing in the area covered by the rainbow rain. Ling armor, talismans and flying swords covered the ground. At this time, no one dared to go and pick them up. The rainbow liquid that was flowing everywhere was like a beautiful yet fatal poison.
He Xiang gaped as he looked at this scene, his mind blank. It was over!
———
Having stayed at the camp, Zuo Mo did not know at all that the affair had become so large. He was busy settling in the first batch of xiuzhe that had arrived. The xiuzhe that were skilled in city building had been delivered to Sky Star Mountain with the quickest possible speed.
Seeing the patch of wild mountains and a crude camp, many people had disappointed expressions.
Zuo Mo did not attend to these people. He went straight to the xiuzhe who were skilled in city construction and spoke of his demands.
“Build a city?”
The three people looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief. Did he assume that building a city was just putting a pile of rocks together and that was it?
“Is there a problem?” Zuo Mo looked at the three with slight displeasure.
The three people were not dumb. They knew that it was impossible for them to return now that they had arrived here. If they immediately offended the boss, they could not think about having a good future.
“How big of a city does Boss want to construct?” asked one of them.
“Following the flow of this mountain range, it needs to include these peaks, able to defend against the attacks of a jindan, able to … …”
The three all collectively sank to inertness.
“The expense will be a bit high,” another person probed.
“No problem, we have enough jingshi.” Zuo Mo’s attitude was like that of a nouveau riche.
“We need lots of manpower.”
“Oh, seven hundred xiuzhe, is that enough? I can also make some puppets.” Zuo Mo rubbed his chin and said to himself, “It seems that I need to let Gongsun Shidi get some more people.”
These words made the three feel a malicious intent. Was this person a xiu slave trader?
However, the three had seen the combat abilities of this group on the way here. They did not believe xiu slave traders would have such a strong troop.
The three saw Zuo Mo was serious and started to also seriously focus on surveying the landscape.
———
A few days later, Second Division had smoothly arrived back at camp. When Wei Cheng Bin came to the crude campsite, he was also very disappointed. However, before he could recover from the disappointment, the xiuzhe who had been hired were led in front of a person.
Ji Wei looked down at the crowd of xiuzhe that had recoiled slightly and shouted, “Those that know forging, come out.”
A while later, they looked at each other, but no one dared to walk out.
Ji Wei had expected the situation and followed up with, “Those that know forging can start work immediately. Let me tell you, this place pays wages on a unit basis. If you are late and the positions are taken, don’t blame other people.”
Just as he finished, people instantly reacted
“I know!”
“I know too!”
… …
Ji Wei was not picky. He waved his hands, “All of you, come with me.”
Eight people followed Ji Wei, Wei Cheng Bin was among
them. Because he had studied small illusory formations, he had put in quite a bit of effort on forging. He was not good at forging big pieces, but was very good as making small ones.
They were taken to a mountain cave. The mountain cave clearly had been just carved out, and the person who dug it seemed to have no intentions of decoration. The walls were bare stone and mud.
When they walked to the end of the mountain cave, they found that the area was extremely wide.
However, it was all empty. There was nothing.
Someone could not resist, “Where’s the fire pool for forging? The gold steel drills? Without those things, how can we forge?”
Ji Wei looked with dissatisfaction at the person and bellowed, “Shut up! You don’t have any conduct!” Seeing the person shrink back in fear, he snorted coldly and did not look at the person any longer.
“Starting from today, you will be working here.”
The other people had expressions of bewilderment, but did not speak. Ji Wei was very satisfied.
“As to the things you mentions, this place has none of them,” Jie Wei said proudly, “Starting from today, you need to adjust to a new kind of forging method.”
At this time, the xiuzhe beside Ji Wei started to distribute jade boxes to everyone.
Wei Cheng Bin took the jade book with puzzlement. The jade box was very light in his hands. What it contained was very small.
He looked cautiously at Ji Wei. Seeing the other did not seem to object to them opening the jade box, he carefully opened the jade box.
His eyes suddenly widened, his mind blank.
“Golden Crow Fire!”
* * *
Translator Ramblings: “Oops” — Xie Shan. Way too eager to show his worth.
I always have a weird thought when I read stories where there is time-travelling or being reborn. How do they deal with muscle memory. Even if it was the body of a character’s past, they shouldn’t be so familiar with it. Most of their bodies should been those of teenagers, so there are many physical differences to a fully grown body. I can accept something having great knowledge and tricks to speed things up like cultivation and dan-making, even playing chess, but when it moves to the physical stuff like making a difficult dan with complex finger moves, I’m wondering how that’s even possible. I have trouble typing properly if I don’t do it for a week, how do they overcome physical limitations. I can accept someone being the most amazing songwriter after they travel back in time, but how can they sing so well? Even the best voices need at least some practice.
