Chapter Thirty Three: Use

Ding Ning worried the most about what would happen in Changling, and the changes that would occur after the other dynasties learned of the existence of the Nine Death Silkworm. This did not just concern his life and death but that of the many people related to him.

“What are those?”

At night, Zhangsun Qianxue opened her eyes, and looked into the distant horizon. There were many shadows in the calm fight. The shadows were actually moving, causing ripples in her mind as she sensed them.

“Night Demon Apes.” Ding Ning held her hands, her hands were soft but very cold. “A kind of demon ape with wings. They eat blood, flesh, and rotten things, they are a virus in personality. Some of the people in the islands call these beasts yaksha.”

Hearing the faint sound coming through the air, Ding Ning slowly explained. “The reason that the Zheng Family could dominate Jiaodong Commandery at the start was because they had some ways of controlling the powerful ocean beasts. They could use some of the deep sea beasts, and on the ocean, they are more dangerous to the ship fleets than a realm seven grandmaster. But the most powerful ocean beasts cannot leave the water. It should only be these night demon apes that are able to fly and leave the water for a long time to fight.”

“There are too many of them,” Zhangsun Qianxue said calmly.

She had heard of these beasts before. Their hide was thick and hard to damage with weapons. They were also very nimble. While usually, these beasts that were so troublesome to ordinary cultivators were not much to her, right now, it was different. The Donghu monk and her had used too much energy. Also, the Nine Hell King Sword was akin to being a crippled sword right now. From a certain point of view, all of the hard work she put into the lifebond sword in Changling had been wasted. Even now her cultivation and some of her methods far surpassed ordinary realm seven grandmasters, but she had lost the power of the Nine Hell King Sword, and was both wounded and had not recovered. She could have a difficult time winning against an ordinary realm seven, or maybe, she could not win at all.

There were too many. They could wear down the strength of her and the Donghu monk, and then delay them so they could not keep on fleeing. Of course, if there were grandmasters coming with the beasts, it would be even harder.

Sensing the trembling of her fingers, Ding Ning gently held her fingers tighter, and said softly in a voice that only he and she could hear, “If I really die here with you, I am not afraid, and I do not have many regrets. My greatest regret in the past was not choosing to be with you.”

Zhangsun Qianxue understood his meaning. She was no longer afraid, and did not feel helpless. She nodded lightly with a hint of inexplicable joy. No one could understand this emotion. Having gotten back after losing, being together in life and death. If they really died tonight, they could calmly go to death together.

Ding Ning breathed in her faint fragrance, and saw the black shadows grow clearer. He slowly said, “There is some hope yet… Yuanwu has still not come yet. This means that my speculation is correct, he fears death very much. As long as he does not come, we still have a chance because so many night demon apes cannot hide their tracks.”

“In reality, I worry the most about Ye Xiao.” Ding Ning looked at her dazzling face, and then said, “A person like him who lives for revenge is more terrifying than Zheng Xiu. Because Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu will fear death, will consider their own safety and interests, but he is different, he will not care about his interests and the cost.”

**

Fu Su was looking up at the sky as well. He was very tired, but he had not gone to rest at all, much less sleep.

Zhangsun Qianxue had been using her method to change her appearance all this time, and Ding Ning had continued wearing the black cloth on his face. So he could not directly relate Ding Ning to the wine shop youth of Falling Parasol directly. Everyone had told him that his friend had died.

But for some reason, seeing Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qianxue whisper to one other calmly, he felt them increasingly familiar.

Explosions started to sound in the air. The night demon apes covered the sky as they arrived.

It was the first time he saw the beasts from the islands of Jiaodong Commandery. They were about the height of normal men, but their wings were over ten feet. They looked like apes, but they did not have any hair at all. They were slightly hunch backed, their heads similar to apes, but they had many exposed protruding fangs .

What was most frightening was that in the darkness, these beasts had blood red eyes, just like the demons of legend. The night sky seemed to be taken over by the beasts. The explosions of the wing flapping caused his eardrums to ring.

In the past, when he listened to Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qianxue talk, he had kept his silence, but now, he could not resist and turned to them. He said, “There are many. You have spent so much energy to catch me, but it seems that I am not of much use to you.” His tone was faintly mocking.

Ding Ning glanced at him and said, “Soon, you will know what your use is.”

Fu Su did not have time to respond when there were even louder tearing sounds coming from the air.

The sky above had become boiling porridge, countless fleeting shadows diving down. The night demon apes had started to attack.

Zhangsun Qianxue did not even stand up. She coldly swung her sword.

The Nine Hell King Sword had become an empty sword nucleus, but even so, it still had much energy. A sword nucleus that could endure the great cold from hell was still very sharp.

There were many soft sounds. Many night demon apes were easily cut by the transparent sword light in half. Their bodies, impenetrable by arrows, were no different from paper in the face of the sharpness of the Nine Hell King Sword. But lacking sufficient cold, the blood rushed out furiously, and caused the entire world to be filled with the tang of blood. The blood scent had a natural stimulating effect on the beasts. Countless savage howls sound covered some quieter ones.

A slender flying sword came from high in the sky, hiding in the shattered fresh and blood, silently sneaking towards Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qianxue.

At this time, the Donghu monk was motionless, sitting like a mud statue, seeming to have not sensed the danger.

Ding Ning casually reached out.

Now you will know what use you have.

The words echoing in Fu Su’s ears, he felt he was lifted up like a shield.

Ding Ning raised his body towards the flying sword. His timing was immaculate. The flying sword was just several feet away from him and Zhangsun Qianxue, but suddenly, Fu Su appeared in that space.

The one controlling the sword was a grandmaster. He was holding onto the feet of a night demon ape silently in the air. At this time, sensing Fu Su in front of his flying sword, his breathing suddenly stopped. The accelerating sword suddenly froze, and stopped.

Yuanwu could ignore Fu Su’s death, but he could not. He especially did not dare to kill Fu Su with his own hands directly like this.

Just as he forcibly controlled his flying sword, and his vital energy was turbulent in his body, he sensed a thread of coldness from his back. A fatal terror spread in his body. When he looked down, he saw a remnant sword stab through his chest. Fine white flowers flashed on this remnant sword, and then were covered by his blood.

This grandmaster’s body fell from high above, and smashed down in the stream in front of Ding Ning and Fu Su.

Before this, the flying sword he had been controlling lost its life, and fell at Ding Ning’s feet.

“You… Shameless!” A stunned Fu Su grasped the happenings the next moment and shouted in fury.