Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 503: Sword in the Left, Saber in the Right

When the two returned to the sacred mountain to visit the Bureau of Beast Control, they saw Yue Hongling leaving, looking quite disappointed.

Seeing Zhao Changhe approaching, Yue Hongling said directly, “There really are some beasts here that can’t be found outside, but as Sisi said, they’re quite weak... Well, being weak isn’t necessarily a problem, some of them even have special abilities. For one, there’s a kind of strange bat that can become invisible at night. But if we’re talking about gaining some martial insight from them, it’s better to just extract their traits for pill refining.”

Seeing Yue Hongling’s disappointed expression, Zhao Changhe chuckled. “If you study that bat further, you might actually be able to extract some components or analyze the principles to create an invisibility cloak.”

“Maybe, but that’s not something we can do. Perhaps someone in your Four Idols Cult specializes in it?”

“...How did it become my Four Idols Cult?”

Yue Hongling did not bother to respond and continued, “As for the ferocity of the wolves, the soaring of hawks, or the majesty of lions and tigers, there isn’t much difference between observing them here and outside... Plus, we’ve moved past that stage, so it feels like there’s not much point. Did you find anything on your end?”

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment. “There might be some value...”

He turned to Sisi and asked, “Could your methods of communicating with beasts and controlling them help in this regard?”

Sisi had been quietly standing by his side. She answered earnestly, “Our methods of controlling and communicating with beasts only allow for exactly that, communication and manipulation, and the types of beasts that each person is compatible with are different. No one can control all beasts. As for acquiring their abilities, that’s beyond us.”

Yue Hongling was puzzled. “Why? Aren’t your gu arts basically the same? Some of the gu you use on yourself grant special abilities, don’t they? Isn’t it the same principle?”

“A gu is just a type of mystical object. Although they have many uses, with some special ones even being impossible to counter, they have significant limitations.”

“Such as?”

“Because they're small, their power is limited. For instance, the strength enhancement of a Giant Strength Gu is far inferior to the Blood Asura Body. According to ancient records, the gu were only a supplementary tool for our tribe. Our true divine ability was the Beast Spirit Fusion Art. You could say that gu arts are a simplified version of it, something that even ordinary people can use.”

Zhao Changhe recalled that the great elder, who had been burned to death, had once hoped that the envoy from the forbidden land would grant them the fusion art. Of course, the great elder did not know that Venerable Duoluo was unlikely to know it either and that the one who truly did was...

Sisi continued, “Beast spirit fusion is about gaining the power of exotic beasts like the Blood Ao, incorporating all their abilities, and even producing an effect greater than the sum of the parts. Unfortunately, in the ancient system, this supreme divine ability was only mastered by a few top leaders and wasn’t passed down through written records. When the Beast Spirit Saint disappeared back then, this technique was lost.”

Zhao Changhe felt a bit awkward.

Sure enough, the one who truly knew the technique was the corpse demon Xue Wu, the Beast Spirit Saint. That’s why he knew how to fuse with the Blood Ao, while Venerable Duoluo, despite all his scheming and having fused for so many years in advance, was ultimately driven away. It was a perfect counter.

When Xue Wu was in his prime, his own cultivation might not have been the best, but with this divine ability, he could borrow the power of any divine beast, making him formidable in actual combat. Although the Blood Ao was eventually killed by Lie, it was likely that Xue Wu was still no match for Lie even when in a fused state with the Blood Ao. Either way, it’s definitely a powerful divine ability. Even a juvenile Blood Ao was almost impossible to deal with, so what about a fully grown one?

And what if there were even more terrifying exotic beasts? What would happen if he fused with those?

Unfortunately, Xue Wu’s soul is gone now. No one knows the technique anymore... Actually, wait... Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise searched Xue Wu’s soul... The technique is obviously something powerful and related to divine beasts, there’s no way they overlooked it. They must have recorded it.

I might not be able to get it from Vermillion Bird, but there’s a good chance I could get it from Lady Three. Uh... Either way, it’s best not to boast about it for now. If I end up not being able to get it, I’ll just embarrass myself... It’s best to wait and ask Lady Three first.

Sisi sighed. “After the loss of the Beast Spirit Fusion Art, each generation had to resort to gu arts and various curses, making us not much different from other tribes. Seeing the ancient tombs just now gave me an audacious idea—what if we secretly dug them up? Maybe we could find the inheritance there...”

Zhao Changhe pinched her nose. “You’re such a sly enchantress.”

“Hmph.” Sisi sneaked a glance at Yue Hongling and, seeing no reaction from her, let out a sigh of relief and continued, “I’m just wondering if it’s too soon to do something like this. After all, I’ve only just ascended the throne.”

“Well, there’s no need to act rashly. When the time comes, there will be a way,” said Zhao Changhe. “Besides the issue of whether your tribe would accept it, you also need to consider whether there’s another Sword Emperor lying in there.”

Sisi paused, her expression changing slightly.

Zhao Changhe’s right. This was not just about digging up tombs. It’s really possible for a dormant threat to be buried within my territory. Anyone with half a brain would be uneasy. I wonder how the Tang Clan is able to live in Gusu so peacefully.... Oh, right, they were besieged by Maitreya and they had no choice. If they had a choice, they might have moved the entire Tang Clan estate by now.

The Tang Clan could relocate, but could she?

Considering all of this, the idea of building a small dwelling there for cultivation really did seem like a good thing. If she had to find someone in this world capable of solving such a problem, Zhao Changhe was the first and only one that came to mind.

Even if someone from the Ranking of Heaven or Ranking of Earth were standing before her, it was still Zhao Changhe she trusted.

* * *

That night, exhausted after days of work without rest, Sisi instructed her people to build a courtyard on the platform near the burial ground. She looked over at Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling, wanting to say something but ultimately remaining silent. She hung her head in exhaustion as she went to rest.

A maid can’t compete with the charm of a valiant heroine.

In truth, Zhao Changhe’s time with Yue Hongling was very different from what others might have imagined.

Under the moonlight, in the courtyard by the bamboo grove, cold light glittered as sword shadows flickered.

The two of them were sparring, just like back at Beimang.

Yue Hongling, deeply disappointed by the outcome of observing the exotic beasts, dragged Zhao Changhe to practice the sword as if trying to make up for the gap in her expectations. Who knew what type of exotic beast she considered Zhao Changhe now?

After reshaping his meridians, Zhao Changhe had not gotten to properly test his strength, so he was more than happy to oblige.

He also used a sword, a weapon that inherently suited the use of internal energy. Yet he still used the Vicious Blood Art to power his sword art, despite it being something better suited for a weightier blade.

Yue Hongling was astonished to find that the human-shaped bear she was familiar with was no longer acting like a bear.

His sword was elegant, precise, and flexible. The grace with which he wielded the sword could make anyone believe he was a noble youth who had trained in the sword since childhood.

He primarily used the Sword Emperor’s techniques, as well as those that Yue Hongling herself had imparted to him during their recent dual cultivation, but his sword intent leaned more toward the Spring Water Sword Intent. He seemed more accustomed to it... Yue Hongling could not help but feel that rather than Wang Daozhong, Zhao Changhe resembled Tang Buqi much more when using the sword.

He was a vastly stronger version of Tang Buqi.

Of course, even without mentioning that Yue Hongling had now broken through to the second layer of the Profound Mysteries while Zhao Changhe was still stuck at the threshold, when it came to an understanding of the sword, Zhao Changhe could not possibly match Yue Hongling, who had dedicated her life to it and was a prodigy of the Dao of the Sword.

After a few dozens of exchanges, Zhao Changhe’s movements finally began to lose coherence, and he retreated, finding himself at a disadvantage.

“Careful!” Yue Hongling spotted an opening and thrust forward, intending to end the match while offering Zhao Changhe some pointers on his shortcomings in the fight.

There was a flash of amusement in Zhao Changhe’s eyes.

Yue Hongling’s heart skipped a beat. She knew him far too well—he was never the straightforward, honorable hero that most people imagined. When it came to winning a fight, he could be incredibly sneaky. In his younger, weaker days, he would even use dust to blind opponents, and later he secretly threw stones. As he grew stronger, these small tricks became less effective, so he stopped using them—but only because they did not work anymore, not because he did not want to.

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, her long sword had already brushed aside Zhao Changhe’s sword, going straight for his neck.

Sure enough, Zhao Changhe’s left hand flipped over, and a massive “hidden weapon” came crashing down.

It was Dragon Bird.

Had this been a real battle, she might have been more alert, but under the circumstances, his sudden swing of the huge saber left her no time to dodge.

Luckily, Yue Hongling was prepared. She withdrew quickly, both amused and exasperated. “How typical of you.”

Nonetheless, her winning strike was thwarted.

Zhao Changhe switched the sword and saber between his hands—after all, Dragon Bird was his main weapon and should be held in his right hand. “Come, have a taste of my three sabers, three swords, three divine arts.”

“More like three old tricks!” Yue Hongling spat, then raised her sword and went at him again.

Having an additional weapon did not necessarily double a person’s combat power. If their coordination was lacking, it could actually be a huge hindrance. However, for Zhao Changhe, who was now standing at the threshold of the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, the strength of his soul was enough to let him split his attention, so it was not an issue as long as he honed it properly.

Yue Hongling did not try to convince Zhao Changhe to focus on just one weapon. She knew why Zhao Changhe kept thinking about using multiple weapons. She knew that he was not just trying to look cool, but that it was likely that the body tempering process for the Blood Asura Body had requirements in this area, requiring him to hone various modes of attack. Who knows, one day he might even need to practice with a staff. All she needed to do was help him refine his skills.

Unexpectedly, she found that Zhao Changhe was quite formidable with a sword in his left hand and a broad saber in his right.

At first, he was clumsy. His sword and saber would clash with each other at times, and he sometimes forgot to swing one of the blades entirely. If this were a real fight, he might have been downed already.

But as he increasingly found himself needing the sword to save the situation, his coordination between the two weapons improved.

Yue Hongling gradually found herself caught in a very uncomfortable “formation.” She was clearly dealing with the wild and violent strikes of the broad saber, but sharp and elusive sword strikes also came to harass her every now and then. It was not quite like facing two opponents, but the drastically different properties of the attacks seemed to naturally complement each other, covering up Zhao Changhe’s biggest weaknesses.

Previously, Zhao Changhe always gave the impression that every fight left him wounded. This was not only because he sometimes deliberately put himself in harm’s way, but also due to his use of the broad saber. His fighting style, full of sweeping, powerful strokes, left many openings and made injuries likely. Usually, though, his opponent would be the one overwhelmed by his extremely aggressive attacks, leading to a trade of injuries for victory.

But now it seemed like there was a way to address that problem.

It also helped with his stamina... The criticism of Zhao Changhe’s “three old tricks” did not only refer to his limited number of techniques. After all, no one really won battles just by endlessly using special moves. It was more about the fact that his Vicious Blood Art’s explosive nature left him easily fatigued. If his opponent could withstand his initial outbursts, he would become very vulnerable.

Now, however, with the seamless rotation between saber and sword, it felt as if he was able to keep up attacking endlessly. The Six Harmonies Art provided seemingly infinite stamina, making him stronger and more imposing as the fight progressed.

It felt as if everything, both cultivation and technique, had converged into a whole, like a Taiji diagram.

Even though he did not practice Daoism, he seemed to have grasped the very essence of Daoist principles.

Or perhaps it was not quite a mastery over Daoist principles per se, but rather the concept of the two polarities. And what did the two polarities give birth to?

In the end, he truly was no different from an exotic beast.