The carriage passed through the streets of Changling. The paths on Ding Ning’s painted wall proved to be useful. This carriage quickly passed through the busy areas and went towards a farmhouse near a tributary of the River Wei.

As the carriage driver passed through the streets, he was pushed by a gentle power to land near a sunny wall.He seemed like an idler napping by the wall.

Seeing this carriage’s measured speed, the man dressed like a merchant who it had been tailing, felt increasingly more disdainful. A rebellious and domineering presence started to surge in his eyes. Such indescribable presence, that clearly looked down upon a dynasty, was one that only some rebels in the world could possess.

This man dressed like a merchant was one of the direct disciples of Cloud Water Palace, Fan Zhuo, Bai Shanshui’s right and left hand.

By this moment, Fan Zhuo had noticed that the carriage was deliberately following him. However in his eyes, the one in the carriage was just seeking one’s own death.

The number of people that could kill him in Changling was limited, but those kinds of people would not exist in Two Level Tower. Even if this was a cultivator of Two Level Tower, the other would not be able to glean that he was a member of Cloud Water Palace.

Albeit, these were only his thoughts.

Zhangsun Qianxue’s usual way of thinking was simple, but it did not mean she was stupid.

When the carriage entered an area of unpopulated huts that should have been left behind by duck farmers, she confirmed this location would not be seen by the nearby corner turret. She thought back once again to the paths on Ding Ning’s painted wall. She deliberated on her route of exit once she was done with the attack, before she slowly stopped the carriage next to a simple hut.

Fan Zhuo had trailed the carriage into this village.

Seeing the yellow, white, and green duck manure that was exposed by the carriage wheels crushing the ice, he frowned and mockingly said, “You chose a good position, but the environment is lacking.”

In the cabin, Zhangsun Qianxue’s brow furrowed deeply.

She always had a strong obsession with cleanliness. While she had chosen this place as the safest to attack, she was still discomforted by Fan Zhuo’s words. She decided she would leave this place quickly.

“Why do you want to kill Wang Taixu? Because of Liang Lian?” she asked, with unusual directness.

“You are of the Warden’s Office?” Fan Zhuo stilled. He had not expected the person in the carriage to be a woman, and that she would speak so directly. But when he recalled that no powerful female cultivator like Ye Celeng existed in the Warden’s Office, it considerably eased his wariness.

Zhangsun Qianxue shook her head and in displeasure said, “I am asking you questions, you shall not ask me.”

She hailed from the former most powerful family, and her personality was extremely cold. When she felt displeasure, her voice would carry a sharp coldness and a lofty pressure.

Fan Zhuo sneered instantly. His rebellious presence exploded and his body seemed to grow larger.

“You are Ye Celeng? You dare to speak to me like this!” He looked disdainfully at the carriage and said, “I fear if you know my true identity, you will immediately kneel before me and beg me to spare you!”

“Cloud Water Palace is just a sect on the decline. You can call yourself king in the mountains, but in Changling, you have to tuck your tails between your legs.”

Zhangsun Qianxue was a member of the Qin, and a former member of the aristocracy. She looked down upon cultivators from other dynasties, especially from dynasties that had been destroyed. She sneered as well and spoke impatiently. “Since Ye Celeng makes you wary, then you should answer my questions. Otherwise, I will just kill you.”

Fan Zhuo suddenly put away his sneer. A dangerous aura spread within his body.

The other knew his status in Cloud Water Palace and dared to purposefully lure him here. From the other’s words, he could infer that she even looked down upon Ye Celeng.

Of all the female cultivators in Changling, who was stronger than Ye Celeng?

Considering the noble and lofty presence this woman exuded since she had started speaking, Fan Zhuo was suddenly reminded of a personality. His eyes contracted in disbelief. “You are Zheng Xiu?”

Zheng Xiu was the noblest woman in the Qin Dynasty, the empress of Qin. At the same time, she was the strongest cultivator of the Zheng Family.

At his exclamation, Zhangsun Qianxue’s demeanour changed and coldly rebuked. “Who is that whore!”

Fan Zhuo found this was absurd.

Whore?

The other called Empress Zheng Xiu a whore?

And in such a righteous tone.

As the absurdity and incomprehension sank in, the sense of danger strengthened and his back started to perspire.

“Who are you?”

He took a deep breath, his expression grew serious. He glared at the carriage, his brows full of viciousness. “Have you ever heard of members of Cloud Water Palace succumbing to the enemy under pressure?”

Zhangsun Qianxue frowned even more deeply. She started to feel that, just like what Ding Ning had said, she was not skilled in anything outside of cultivation. But she had always handled things with simplicity.

“I originally did not intend to kill you, but I coincidentally encountered you. I do not want you to kill a member of Two Level Tower. However, since it has come to this, I will kill you,” she said.

“You have such strong spirit.” Fan Zhuo sneered. His voice rang like thunder.

At the same time, thunder seemed to clap in front of him.

A sword, that seemed like a stream of water, appeared in his hand.

At the same time, a cluster of white clouds suddenly descended from the sky.

The white clouds turned to water halfway through the air, becoming a glowing and powerful flow of water that looked like a serpent.

Fan Zhuo’s sword turned into a stream of water that cut towards the cabin. The crystal serpent flow of water also cascaded towards the carriage from the sky.

At the same time, his figure flew towards the frozen river at his side, as though he was being pulled by his sword move. His body was enveloped in thick moisture. There seemed to be three streams of water dancing in the air.

Although Fan Zhuo’s visage was vicious, his eyes were calm and cold. While his cultivation was realm six first class, and he was still a step away from realm seven, Cloud Water Palace’s cultivation method and attacks were much greater than the ordinary sects’. Also, the closer they were to water, the stronger the cultivators of Cloud Water Palace were.

So while this river had frozen, he had ways to turn it into flowing water. Even if the other was a cultivator stronger than Ye Celeng, he was confident he could flee by using this river.

—

Before the streams of water arrived, a powerful force tore the entire carriage apart, and pushed the two horses into the air.

Zhangsun Qianxue was surrounded by the pieces of the carriage, and the many pieces seemed about to cut wounds into her body.

However, in the eyes of cultivators of her level, the scene seemed to be almost frozen.

A blue sword appeared in her hand. Its color quickly deepened to dark blue and formed a strong contact with her white skin. The blue was so deep it appeared black, so when she held this sword, she seemed to be holding the underworld.

In this moment, Fan Zhuo, who was flying across the frozen river, caught sight of her appearance and sword.

“Nine Hell King Sword, you are Gongsun …” He finally reacted and spoke in shock.

At this time, Zhangsun Qianxue launched her attack with the sword. All the flying pieces of the carriage suddenly paused around her, turning into blue crystals of ice that in the very next moment shattered into dust.

When the enormous stream of water descending from the sky was still several meters from her, it quickly froze and instantly turned into a blue crystal from the head to the tail. It paused in midair, and then crashed to the ground.

Fan Zhuo’s lifebond sword that was attacking started to hum mournfully but could not stop the spread of the blue ice on it. Several feet from her, the sword completely froze and was sent flying into the air by Zhangsun Qianxue’s power.

Fan Zhuo’s vital energy rushed out of his body like a river and smashed below him.

At this time, he was on the surface of the frozen river. His vital energy created unique rhythms on the water surface like multiple waterfalls thawing the entire river an instant.

The cold energy was forced out of the flow of water, transforming into threads of light that flew into the air and dissipated like smoke.

Booooom!

A string of explosions sounded around him. Several, enormous, pillars of water rose around him, and formed many walls with him at the center.

The river water under him did not dry up. It seemed that even distant waters were immediately diverted over. An enormous whirlpool formed underneath him. His body was about to flow into it so he could flee.

Crack crack crack …

Yet at this moment, Fan Zhuo’s breathing stopped, and he seemed to hear the sound of death.

The enormous pillars of water turned color, to become pillars of blue ice.A blue-black sword light passed through one of the pillars and came in front of him.

Fan Zhuo’s face was drained of all blood. He shouted, terrifying sword essence emerged from his fingers and palm. He wanted to fight for a trace of time.

But his right hand immediately lost sensation. It was cut off.

Pop!

His body bounced back and fell into the ice pillar behind him.

“Such a powerful Nine Hell King Sword … I had not expected you to have such terrifying cultivation already.”

“But you will not be able to get anything out of me. Bai Shanshui will avenge me.”

Fan Zhuo’s vital energy could no longer flow, but he still had a snarl on his face. When he spoke, a unique flow of water came out of his abdomen and charged to his head.

Plop!

A white stream of water charged out of his mouth. This great rebel of Cloud Water Palace lost all vitality.

Translator Ramblings: larkspur is back to edit and makes this chapter so much better.