A clear wind tunnel appeared in the wind and snow ahead. Even in the dark night, it was possible to see clearly that it was a passage left behind by a person moving at high speed.

When that general retreated with wounds, a cultivator behind him took his place.

So when Zhangsun Qianxue looked up, a sword tip appeared in the wind tunnel. This sword essence was very strong. It fell down like a group of stars, fast and flashing like countless stars. It was not possible to judge which was the star that brought death.

A person who could display such a sword essence would not be a weak person in Changling. But this cultivator encountered Zhangsun Qianxue.

In Changling, Zhangsun Qianxue had easily killed Fan Zhuo who had followed Bai Shanshui for many years. Also, she had cultivated the ultimate cold. If not for Ding Ning helping her using paired cultivation, this coldness was enough to kill her.

In this cold glacier zone, she was like Bai Shanshui in the water, the true ruler.

She reached out her right hand, her fingers easily pinched the sword tip that was thrusting at her. A blue-black ice frost that was many times deeper in color than the glaciers spread quickly up the blade at terrifying speed, and then reached the attacking cultivator.

With a bang, the attacking cultivator shattered. The cultivators broke into blue-black pieces of ice on the ground. The dark night seemed to be frozen for a moment.

Gray eyes flew around Zhangsun Qianxue. Even the old monk behind her felt a bone-chilling cold. But she did not pause in her movements at all, simply threw away the sword she had caught.

With a clang, the cultivator who was coming with the wind was hit by the sword that Zhangsun Qianxue threw out. The sword did not seem to be very strong, and the cultivator slashed it aside. But the coldness on the sword blew onto the cultivator. This cultivator was still moving quickly, but in the next instant, with a can clatter, he turned into a pile of ice on the lake.

There were only a few people left in the ghost-like army. The remaining cultivators did not seem to be frightened by this scene, but the next cultivator who walked over inexplicably paused.

Zhangsun Qianxue was not like the old monk.

When this third cultivator first came out, before he came close, Zhangsun Qianxue seemed to reach and grip empty space. She seemed to have taken hold of a sword, and then pulled it out.

A powerful lifebond presence surged out on the surface of the frozen lake. She was using her lifebond sword.

Zhangsun Qianxue’s lifebond sword appeared in her hand.

Yes, the third cultivator facing her did not see her lifebond sword at all. Because his eyes were frozen blind by the incoming cold wind, and turned to beads of ice.

Many crystal patterns appeared in the world like countless snowflakes connecting together. The cold wind and all the moisture above the lake were instantly frozen by terrifying cold energy. Even space seemed to be frozen into countless little pieces. The rapid contraction of the air caused small explosions in the world. The air from outside the lake flowed in and formed an enormous cyclone around the ice lake.

The nine hell king sword appeared in the world after many years, and released its power without any reserve.

Zhangsun Qianxue swung her sword. She was not attacking this third cultivator, but slashing her sword with all her power at the army on the other side.

This sword was called “Cold Wave”. This was a true wave of the lake water.

For the first time, the ghost-like army appeared to be in chaos. All kinds of light flashed, but only for a moment. Then there were cracking sounds and the sounds of metal falling to the ground.

The wind blew by. The fine ice crystals formed a gray ice mist.

In the ice mist, the last dozen people no longer existed. There was only the general still standing on the lake surface, an arm held up to shield him. He held a sword in his hand. It was a black, slender and long sword, and stuck to his arm like a shield.

“Nine Hell King Sword, I did not expect it to be Miss Gongsun.”

As though he was too cold, the general’s movements seemed to grow slow. He was speaking for the first time, young and distant.

Speaking meant that they could discuss.

Zhangsun Qianxue looked at this cultivator who should be very young and said, “You are from Changling?”

“If living in Changling for a long time counts as from Changling, then I count.” The general slowly walked towards Zhangsun Qianxue as he spoke. “This is the army that Zheng Xiu has been hiding all this time.”

The Nine Death Silkworms in Ding Ning’s body spat out some pure primal energies of the universe so his mind grew more clear. He finally confirmed the identity of this army and told Zhangsun Qianxue softly.

Zhangsun Qianxue had a small frown and her voice turned cold. “God Killing Army, Bai Qi?”

The general did not answer.

At this time, no response meant agreement.

The God Killing Army was the army that Zheng Xiu treasured the most, and she hid them in the tombs. No one knew the origins of this army. They only knew that this army of Qin once had only one goal- kill Wang Jingmeng.

This was the army that Zheng Xiu concealed and trained secretly. No one in Ba Mountain Sword Field back then knew of the existence of this army. Before the army matured, the change occurred, and Wang Jingmeng died in battle.

Wang Jingmeng had died, but this powerful God Killing Army survived.

This army that trained with the goal of killing Wang Jingmeng did not mean that they could really kill him. But the hundreds of people just now showed their strength. If an army like this came back to the past Changling, they could guarantee Wang Jingmeng could not get to the imperial palace.

This was an army Zheng Xiu treated like a treasure. And while they had not fully grown up decades ago, they were now terrifyingly mature.

Zheng Xiu put the army here… even Zhangsun Qianxue, who was not good at thinking about conspiracies, knew what that woman wanted to do.

She said in a cold voice, “Zheng Xiu also wants this sword. She also lacks a powerful lifebond sword.”

Ding Ning slowly exhaled. He understood why the army came here a step before them.

Because of Gu Huai.

Gu Huai told him before death that the sword was not in Spirit Void Sword Sect. But this did not mean that he did not know where the sword was. He and Zheng Xiu likely already suspected the sword may be in the glaciers on the border of the Donghu. So, she started a war with the Wuzhi. Other than the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art and the ancestral lands, there was a secret even deeper. Here, and this sword!

The war against the Wuzhi was just to attract the gazes of the Wuzhi and Donghu, as well as the Chu Dynasty and the Min Mountain Sword Sect. So this divine army could reach here without anyone knowing!

If not for the assassination against An Baoshi, if his corpse had not been washed down to the plains below the glaciers and found by the herders, then this sword would have fallen into Zheng Xiu’s hands.

Ding Ning felt cold but also lucky. However, he was puzzled.

He changed his voice slightly and spoke. “Fourteen years ago or so, how old were you and the members of this God Killing Army? Why did you all want to kill Wang Jingmeng?”

The resolve that the army showed before could only come from hate, and not Zheng Xiu’s efforts.

Translator Ramblings: I wish the author can give a firm date on things. Right now, the battle of Changling seems to occur anytime from 10 – 15 years ago.