Some of the Changling experts who were present were silent when they sensed the empress’ departure. They could not sense Ding Ning’s mood. To them, he had refused the goodwill of the empress once again. This youth from the Falling Parasol wine shop had hung his head all this time but never bowed his head.

Everyone’s gaze all gathered again on Ding Ning.Seeing this youth sitting in a pool of blood and still coughing blood, many people started to worry if he was so seriously injured it would affect his future cultivation.

In the world of cultivators, when one’s vital energy rampaged through one’s body and they forcibly controlled the energy, it was akin to artificially controlling one’s energy without any regard for meridians.

Hurried footsteps sounded. A host of doctors came out of the clinic. The leading doctor helped Ding Ning up, and was shoving a pill into his mouth at the same time, beginning treatment.

“Do not allow anyone into the clinic to avoid hindering treatment.” The owner of the clinic, Sun Xingtang, said seriously to Jing Liuli and the others at the door.

At this sight, everyone in the surrounding streets started to realize why the Guanzhong Xie Family had bought out the clinic at the start.

Jing Liuli nodded. She glanced at Ding Ning who passed by her, and then sat down on the doorstep of the clinic without any airs. Gazing at the ground, she mulled, somewhat happy for Ding Ning.

Most people on the street only saw Ding Ning’s revenge, and his pleasure at winning, but none could have seen what he had paid and sensed the pain he endured like she did. Yet at the same time, she felt something amiss about all this. Not because Ding Ning was able to inexplicably manipulate that flying sword, but there was something crucially wrong.

She looked down, uncaring of the other eyes on her. As she deliberated further, she frowned even harder.

The empress returned to her phoenix carriage. Her phoenix carriage was parked at the center of Changling’s main street. Tassels made out of pure gold hid her figure.

She sat in the phoenix chair inside, and for the first time, her eyes showed anger. She knew that Bai Shanshui and Xu Fenqin were fighting at this time.

The battle had not yet died. This meant that Bai Shanshui was far stronger than she had imagined. This meant that today, she would not just lose this palace attendant.

**

The underground rivers were an unknown world.

Because they were unknown, most books called the underground rivers as the hell and nether rivers. Not because they never saw sunlight, but because they were too dark and cold, too heavy!

They were not just deep. The earth and the weight of energy turned the waters of the yin river heavy and pressed down on cultivators. Fighting on the surface was completely different.

To Xu Fenqin’s terror … in this underground river, there were only him and Bai Shanshui, no one else would interfere.

Previously, when he fought Bai Shanshui, it just caused him and Bai Shanshui to enter deeper rivers.The stronger and colder flows of water caused the pressure to increase on the black sword floating around him. He felt everything had slowed, and defensive problems would occur at any moment.

Since defense was useless, he could only attack.

The black sword that had been spinning constantly around him left him, passing through the black crystal flows of water. It slowly and steadily moved towards Bai Shanshui.

In the darkness without any light, he could not see Bai Shanshui, but all this time, there was a green flow of water even heavier than the darkness flowing around Bai Shanshui and giving off killing intent.

A green sword energy passed through the currents of the dark river without any obstruction and thrust towards Xu Fenqin.

When Xu Fenqin’s black sword was moving through the water, more than a dozen wounds appeared on his body. Some wounds were deep to the bone. When the blood spilling from his wounds merged into the black water, it was like his body had red ribbons tied to him.

Compared to the green water flowing around Bai Shanshui, Xu Fenqin’s sword appeared very small. It was like a small black fish hook meeting an enormous blue whale.

Xu Fenqin’s expression did not change much. His sword was originally called the Whale Fishing Sword.

When the black sword came into contact with the enormous green ball of light, the enormous light was stopped by his sword move. No more sword light could flow out.

Sunlight seemed to shine through Xu Fenqin’s body.

This was the primal energy of the universe burning in his body. The burning energy produced blinding rays like burning strings.

His entire body was like a burning zither. This was his most terrifying time.

Only a rare few knew that he had the name Xu Fenqin because his vital energy method was called the Burning Zither Scripture.

The terrifying aspect of this method was that it could obtain more power through burning large amounts of vital energy in an instant. This power could only last for a brief time, but it was enough to kill someone or to flee.

When the drop of water turned into a horizontal river that slapped him into this underground river, he confirmed that Bai Shanshui’s cultivation had grown completely different than before.

Bai Shanshui now was not the Bai Shanshui who had sung and fought on the streets of Changling.

But Bai Shanshui was not realm eight.

He was certain if he could flee out of the river, he could live well. He only needed an instant.

He was certain that Bai Shanshui could not defeat his Whale Fishing Sword unless she was realm eight.

The burning string-like rays of energy stabbed upwards, immediately evaporating all the water around him, and causing him to bounce up at astounding speed.

Yet in this instant, his face turned extremely pale.

He sensed a new power appearing in the underground river. A power that inexplicably formed in the dark river, but as strong as Bai Shanshui.

Yet this force formed like a storm, even more violent than Bai Shanshui and felt familiar to him. He soon realized who this power came from.

“Ye …” He shouted in disbelief.

Yet he only had time to shout one word. His voice could not be heard in the underground river.

The power that flowed along the river seemed to melt perfectly with Bai Shanshui’s power.

He heard a cracking sound.

The black sword had been thrown back, and stabbed deep into his body, cutting his abdomen almost completely. His energies and destroyed organs started to burn simultaneously.

More sunlight sprayed out of his body.

Boom!

An explosion occured by a river bank in the suburbs of Changling.

A patch of reeds started to burn.

A ball of sunlight flew out of the ground and into the air.

The phoenix carriage was returning on the Changling street.

When the sunlight appeared on the horizon, the phoenix carriage suddenly sank.

The thousands of golden threads covering the phoenix carriage floated outwards in unison, and gave off chiming sounds.

The perfect woman from Jiaodong Commandery lifted her head slightly, and gazed in the direction of the sunlight.

She knew what had happened. But her expression looked colder than when Palace Attendant Rong died, so cold it was unchanging.

Translator Ramblings: Ye Celeng is a really good ally.