The Sword Dynasty

Book 8: Chapter 68: Step on the Island

“I am willing to be exiled to the ancestral temple to reflect on my crimes.”

The Qi Emperor looked at Zong Chao Guan who was very emotional and smiled. “Give the throne to Tian Kang Jun. He has a virtuous reputation and is of the imperial bloodline. He has vast lands, and many experts among his retainers. Qi Siren and the others are acquainted with him. If you listen and assist them, it will be fine.”

“It will be fine?” Zong Chao Guan had originally been able to control himself, but when he heard these words, his hands and feet felt cold, and he trembled all over. He said in a trembling voice, “Changing the emperor is like changing the dynasty. Who knows how many problems there will be?”

The Qi Emperor shook his head and said with a grimace, “But this is the best way that I can think of.”

He looked down at the robes of an emperor he wore. He slowly said, “Other than this, what other method can bring forgiveness from Consort Zhao Xiang and Ba Mountain Sword Field?”

Zong Chao Guan could not refute this.

The transaction between the Qi Dynasty and Zheng Xiu could only be limited to the Twelve Shamans. In the future, they could not become allies. When the twelve shamans were completely destroyed, the Qi Dynasty became the enemy of everybody in the world. Only when an emperor like him abdicated, would they get some forgiveness from their former allies. Or rather, get some sympathy so that the former allies would not completely become enemies.

“Someone must be killed.” The Qi Emperor looked at the silent Zhong Chao Guan. He said slowly but clearly, “I hope that you will arrange this along with my abdication edict.”

Zong Chao Guan suddenly looked up. He looked with puzzlement at the Qi Emperor. He did not know who the Qi Emperor would be thinking of even at such a time, and would want to eliminate.

“That young person, Su Qin.” The Qi Emperor looked into his eyes and said gravely, “That person is young, but Zheng Xiu has given him important duties. For some reason, he was able to survive that day. I have a strange feeling that he will become a great threat in the future. Even if this is just my own worry, I hope that it will be the last important matter I arrange while on the throne.”

Zong Chao Guan took a deep breath. Intuition was sometimes very vague, but much of the time, they were right. He did not say anything else, neatened his clothing, and then knelt to the Qi Emperor.

“Do not pursue the heir of the Thousand Gravestones.” The Qi Emperor tiredly sighed, and closed his eyes. “Regardless of how dissatisfied, Teacher Yan’s disciple is just dissatisfied with me, and not all of Qi. Do not let the Qi cultivators die in the hands of their own people. As long as the Qi Dynasty can pass down, the history books will remark on my merits and failures.”

At noon, the sunlight on the water was blinding. On the rippling water, it was like thousands of copper coins that were flashing. One of the snail ships unique to Jiaodong Commandery’s Zheng Family was moving at astounding speed, carrying Ding Ning and Shou Chen.

The soaring snakes that Jiaodong Commandery reared were the best steeds, faster than the ship, and saved effort. However, the soaring snakes were easy to control when Qing Yaoyin was close. When they were far from Qing Yaoyin, they were hard to control. They could not compare to this dead thing. Ding Ning was not skilled in settling down the soaring snakes once they reached their destination.

Before the reformation, Ba Mountain Sword Field and the islands had a close relationship. He knew the route to the Poluo Islands.

In any book, the Poluo Islands were a strange barren land. Even realm seven cultivators who fled here may die at any time. But when Shou Chen saw with his own eyes the Blue Jade Island that Guo Dongjiang had controlled in the past, he could not help but be shocked.

The Poluo Islands in front of Shou Chen did not look like an island, but a long land mass, filling his entire sight. The islands of various sizes were staggered. From afar, they looked like they were pieced together. Some islands were very large, looking like primitive mountains of the legends, and they were even wrapped up in mists of various colors.

Some enormous trees grew on these islands, appearing through the clouds like enormous buildings. Even from afar, he could see clearly. He did not know how tall these trees were. He did not know how far the furthermost islands were from the central islands, however, these islands did not appear barren. The biggest island, Blue Jade Island, was lonely and not connected to the other islands. It was very beautiful, the surrounding waters a clear blue under the sunlight.

There were many docks made from enormous trees around the islands, where ships of various sizes were parked. They did not feel primitive at all, and conflicted against the primitive scene from afar.

The ships at the docks were very strange. There were no enormous ships. They were likely limited by the dense reefs and wind storms around Poluo Islands. Some of the ships were carved out of hard coconut wood. Some were made from bones of special sea beasts, or enormous shells. These special ships clearly belonged to the islands around this area.

Compared to these ships, the snail ships of Jiaodong Commandery did not appear special. But when they got close to one of the docks, Ding Ning and Shou Chen were stopped.

“You are from Jiaodong Commandery?”

There were several young women who stopped them. They were wearing a strange knee-length blue dress. The women were all around eighteen or so their skin tanned, and they had special tattoos over their bodies. These young women all had short bone swords hanging from their belts that gave off a cold white light and faint energy vibrations.

Shou Chen looked at the young women. He naturally was taller than them, so he could look over their heads and see that near the shore, there were structures like military barracks.

Did this mean that the island did not just have disciples who guarded it like gatekeepers, but even military?

“We are not from Jiaodong Commandery.” Ding Ning looked at the young women and smiled faintly, “We are from Ba Mountain Sword Field and Thunder Fire Temple.”

The young women were stunned, and immediately grew nervous.

“What… What do you want?” one of the young women asked. Her words were tinged with the accent around Jiaodong Commandery’s shores, but she was not skilled. She was trembling, and combined with the words themselves, it appeared comical.

“Take us to see your island master,” Ding Ning smiled and said.

The young woman who had spoken was stiff on the spot. After a long while, she said, “You are truly from Ba Mountain Sword Field?”

Ding Ning frowned slightly but did not waste words, nodding.

Suddenly, the young woman gritted her teeth and screamed several times. Sword lights flew from their waists, and stabbed at Ding Ning’s chest.

The unique short swords they had would give off a certain scent after vital energy was channeled in. They seemed to have been soaked in a kind of toxin. When the sword lights attacked, they seemed to form a sword formations and appeared to surround him.

However, the disparity between Ding Ning’s cultivation and theirs was too great. After several soft sounds, Ding Ning still seemed to be standing there, not having moved, but their short swords had hit each other. Their arms were sore, unable to hold their swords; their swords flew from their hands.