Supreme Emperor of Swords-Novel

Chapter 457 Plots and Plans

When Tian Neng walked out of the tent, he felt very excited.

He was putting life and death aside. He should dare to slap a disciple of Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect under such a condition. He almost started to think highly of himself. If someone was to blame, then he must be Ai Qing, because he had been too arrogant. He had pushed others to the extreme from the first place. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

To be honest, if Ding Hao had decided Ai Qing should be useless just now, he really would stick his word into Ai Qing’s body. Even if he died, he would drag someone down with him.

...

The curtain of the tent draped down, and then again, only Ding Hao and Ai Qing remained again.

Ai Qing’s face swelled like a pig’s, black and blue and like a peach which had been too ripe and had fallen onto the ground. He no longer looked rampant like previously. Even when he looked at Ding Hao, he appeared awed and afraid. When things had developed like this, Ai Qing had already had a complete mental breakdown. He really believed the young man before him dared to kill him.

Ding Hao felt very satisfied with the effect.

He was not a bloodthirsty man. He decided to hurt Ai Qing like this, on the one hand, to avenge Tian Neng. After all, the short guy followed him. If Tian Neng always suffered while following him, he thought he might fail his five Wind Province servants’ expectations of him. On the other hand, Ding Hao wanted to use it to heavily crush Ai Qing’s pride as a Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect disciple. When Ai Qing’s face had swollen from the slap, what was there left to be proud of?

The truth proved Ding Hao’s actions extremely effective.

For a rampant and unreasonable person, as long as you acted more rampant and unreasonable, he would completely surrender.

Ai Qing’s teeth had fallen out and he could not even shut his mouth tightly anymore from the battery. However, still, he answered Ding Hao’s question quickly. He appeared very cooperative. He would answer every question and do not dare to muddle through at all.

As he asked, Ding Hao utilized Divine Awareness to observe Ai Qing’s psywave. He could practically make sure that the guy was honest after receiving battery.

According to Ai Qing’s confession, Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect indeed had captured some disciples from other sects, about six to seven of them. They locked all of them in a water dungeon in the ancient troop station. Nevertheless, Ai Qing was not in charge of it. Therefore, he did not know who those disciples were, not even how they looked like. As for the reason to capture disciples from other sects, Ai Qing still knew nothing about it. The only thing he knew was that Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect had an important plan regarding this time’s Sage Battlefield. It was extremely mysterious. Except for a few high-level seniors, people who were in the medium and low rank like him only carried out orders. They did not know the master plan at all.

Ai Qing said miserably, “I’m telling the truth. You have to believe me...”

Ding Hao nodded. “Alright. Tell me, where’s the water dungeon? How many guards are there?”

Ai Qing said, “I... I don’t know that either.”

Ding Hao sneered. “Do you really believe I won’t kill you?”

Ai Qing shivered from fear and hurried to explain. “No, no, no. I really don’t know that. I was only in charge of the outer defense of the city...”

Ding Hao saw that he did not seem to be lying. It looked like he really did not know.

Frankly, Ding Hao was not curious about Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect’s dirty laundry. It’s a game of big sects in Sword Province and even in the Northern Region. It was none of his business. However, Ding Hao had to find out who that Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciple was under the dungeon. He had to find a way to rescue them.

Ding Hao asked, “Who knows the guard in the dungeon? The guy wearing a white robe and beard?”

Ai Qing immediately nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice. “Yes, yes, yes. Senior Brother Duan must have known. You can go and ask him...”

Ding Hao smiled, “If I ask him, will he tell me? I’m afraid you have to do this for me.”

While saying that, Ding Hao suddenly struck out his finger and precisely landed it between Ai Qing’s eyebrows. A wisp of silver Hell Ice Qi instantly evaded into Ai Qing’s brain apertures. Then, he said, “I’ve incepted a limit on your Tian Que aperture. Do as I said, I’ll keep you alive. If you play tricks... you know the consequences. With our Extermination Swordsmanship Sect’s methods, even if your Senior Brother “Scar of Heaven” Ning Huxiao is really capable, he can’t resolve it. Just as I decide, I can explode your brain in a blink of an eye.”

Ding Hao was bluffing.

He did not know a thing about what kind of sect Extermination Swordsmanship Sect was. However, since Ai Qing feared the sect so much, he might as well make use of it.

Ai Qing felt a chilling breath coiling in the Tian Que aperture on top of his head. Like a time bomb, it could explode at any time. He knew Ding Hao did not lie and cursed in the heart. In the meanwhile, he did not dare to resist a bit and hurriedly nodded.

Ding Hao gave him orders and personally wiped off the bruises on Ai Qing’s face. Then, he released Ai Qing without hesitation.

...

Tian Neng and his companions were a bit concerned. “Brother Hao, you just let him go like that? He’s a bad pal. We can’t really trust him.”

Ding Hao did not worry at all. “That’s fine. The greedier and more arrogant one is, the more he fears death. Without a 100% grasp of the situation, he won’t act rashly.”

He did not want to confront the Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect not because he liked them, but because he wanted to remain quiet. If he could not solve it peacefully, then, even if he had to get physical with them, it would be alright. Especially, when in such an ancient troop station city, he believed he would beat them more easily.

The thin monkey-like guy Li Ting still worried. “But Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect has very strict sect rules, and few people betray the sect benefit. What if he sells us out for their sect rules?”

Ding Hao faintly smiled and did not agree or disagree.

Tian Neng said tentatively, “How about this, Brother Hao? Before he changes his mind, we find a way to leave. I know you may have important issues to attend to here, but it’s too dangerous...”

Ding Hao’s gaze swept their faces. Though they looked scared, they acted bravely. He pondered and said, “Right. You reminded me. Listen, you leave first and wait for me outside the city. Or, if anything goes wrong, I can protect myself, but not all of you.”

Tian Neng said excitedly, “What are you saying, Brother Hao? We’ll leave together and we’ll never abandon you.”

Thin monkey-like guy Li Ting also patted his chest. “That’s right, Brother Hao. Though I don’t want to die, I won’t fail my friend. You’ve been nice to us these days. If you hadn’t saved me from those Ominous Beast claws for the last few times, I might have already died. Others might see us as your servants, but in fact, you’re looking after us...”

The other three also said they would stick with Ding Hao.

Ding Hao felt happy.

He knew the five people were terrified inside, however, when they said something like this at that time, they were really loyal friends. He smiled lightly and pointed at the ground. Lines of golden lattices suddenly appeared and expanded, forming a light circle of about one meter wide. Golden and mysterious light rose up from the ground and took the shape of a space door.

It petrified the five to see it. “Is this... a transmission formation?”

Ding Hao confirmed the five’s speculation. It was indeed an inscription transmission formation. “Through the inscription transmission door, you can leave quietly. Remember, wait for me in the cave we stayed at the night before yesterday and prepare food and water. I’ll find you before the day after tomorrow ends.”

However, when did Brother Hao set such formation?

This kind of transmission formation had to be two-way, which meant that there had to be a similar formation exit outside the city for it to transmit people. Nevertheless, they had stayed with Ding Hao all the time, and they did not remember seeing Ding Hao setting any exit formations outside the city.

Furthermore, inside the ancient city troop station, fragments of primordial inscriptions remained and there was horrifying and suppressive power, nearly blocking all transmission inscription formation energy. Why did Brother Hao’s formation still work? Moreover, it had broken through those limits Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect had cast.

The five people felt a tremendous shock in their hearts.

Before, they already regarded Brother Hao as a capable man who had many brilliant methods.

Nevertheless, they still had to constantly update their knowledge and judgment.

While in shock, the five people couldn’t help feeling elated. They found themselves to be extremely lucky to have run into such a monster-like badass. It seemed that their half-year journey on Sage Battlefield would be much easier and their chances of leaving here alive had greatly increased. They really met someone who could help them.

The five people rejected at first but still agreed finally after Ding Hao firmly ordered them.

Inside the tent, only Ding Hao remained.

He calculated the time. If Ai Qing did not get the information he wanted before dawn, then Ding Hao would act himself. The Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciple in the water dungeon must have suffered very much. The thought that they might be Li Yiruo, Ximen Qianxue, or his other friends made Ding Hao restless.

Slowly breathing out a wisp of foul air, Ding Hao started to cultivate.

He was nourishing his own Qi and absorbed the energy Yin and Yang Jade in Stone left in his body bit by bit.

In the small Jade in Stone existed horrifying energy. Previously, Ding Hao had spent a full 10 days and nights to manage to take the energy into his body; nevertheless, he failed to completely convert it to his own. The conversion took a very long time. He had to wait for the heaven and earth inscriptions on his 20 bones to appear clearly visible and have perfectly emerged into his bones and blood, and then he could say that he had completely melted the stone.

Time went by gradually.

At dawn, footsteps rang outside.

Ai Qing suppressed his voice hard. “It’s me...”

Ding Hao gradually opened his eyes and scanned through Divine Awareness. Ai Qing indeed came alone. It looked like the coward did not play any tricks.

Ai Qing bowed and went in, wearing a flattering smile on his face. “Your Excellency, I did not fail and got the information you wanted. This is the map of the water dungeon. Please see for yourself.”