Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 493: Bashan Sword Grave

It was no wonder Yue Hongling did not bother to pursue.

She knew that with that final strike, Shi Wuding was already dead, closing the chapter on the karma she had accumulated back when she first went to Bashan. The fact that he managed to hold on long enough to run out and confront Han Wubing was only because of the remaining sword qi in his body, sword qi that was not even his own.

This time, she had truly made a difference, and Yue Hongling felt satisfied. She had not been overshadowed by her little man. Now, everyone’s attention was focused on Han Wubing, but that did not matter. She had not acted for the sake of others’ recognition.

Reflecting on it, she realized why Shi Wuding, as one of the most iconic swordsmen in the Great Xia Empire, had been so obsessed with breaking through on his path, going to such lengths and even living as if he were a great villain, yet never managed to break through to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries.

He simply could not break through. He did not even know who he truly was. How could an incomplete person break through to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, the pinnacle of martial arts power in the current era?

Even if he had managed to break through, he would have likely ended up as nothing more than nourishment for someone else.

Of course, Snow Owl’s reasons for making sword slaves were not necessarily the same as Shi Wuding’s. Shi Wuding was truly dedicated to the path of the sword, pursuing countless expressions of sword intent. He had not used his sword slaves for some grand conspiracy. But as for Snow Owl, who could say?

Yue Hongling turned to look over at Zhao Changhe, whose battle was also reaching its end. He did not need her help anymore.

As Zhao Changhe had anticipated, Venerable Duoluo was heavily injured. His flesh was borrowed from Shi Wuding, his life force stolen from Shi Wuding, and his spirit weakened after being forced to flee following a clash with the corpse demon. His menacing appearance, seemingly reborn from a drop of blood, as well as the emergence of the blood moon and the blood-drenched sky—a terrifying display of power—was all thanks to the power of the Heavenly Tome.

The Heavenly Tome was indifferent. It did not exist solely for the virtuous or the wicked. It granted benefits to whoever was near it, regardless of who they were.

But to truly obtain it, there were certain conditions. At least this page, which embodied life, would never submit to incomplete and twisted beings.

Thus, neither Shi Wuding nor Venerable Duoluo could directly take the Heavenly Tome. They could only try to modify themselves on the spot. But Zhao Changhe needed no such thing. His aura harmonized with the Heavenly Tome effortlessly.

Having carried two pages with him for so long and tending to them regularly, he and the Heavenly Tome had a bond that was no joke.

Once the Heavenly Tome recognized Zhao Changhe as its owner and no longer provided power to Venerable Duoluo, everything fell apart.

Not only did the terrifying power he tried to unleash dissipate instantly, but even the blood figure, which had been growing in strength, visibly withered. With Shi Wuding’s death, the blood figure’s life force completely vanished, and a streak of black qi shot out from the blood bubble, attempting to escape the space.

A cloth bag was tossed over it. “This is the spirit bag that the corpse demon... oh, you called him Xue Wu, right? Anyway, it’s a bag he used to inhabit. It can contain souls. Care to go in and get a whiff of him?”

The mighty being of the Profound Control Realm could not avoid the bag at all and plunged headfirst into it, with the opening swiftly tied shut.

Intense struggles came from within the bag, and parts of the bag bulged outward as whatever it contained attempted to break out.

Zhao Changhe slapped a talisman onto the bag, and the world fell silent again.

“Blind woman, you really had the nerve to stay out of this and not act against something this terrifying, huh?”

“What’s terrifying about it? You could see it was just a paper tiger. All you needed was the courage to stand up to it. Your battle was far easier than Yue Hongling’s.”

“So that life-siphoning attack just required courage too? I couldn’t have countered it without the Qinghe Mirror!”

“Are you bragging about having a crutch?”

“I... Shut up!”

“Changhe.” Yue Hongling approached briskly. “Why are you looking so conflicted? Are you hurt?”

“No, no,” Zhao Changhe put away the spirit bag and the Heavenly Tome, opening his arms. “It’s still my Hongling who’s the most dependable. With the mission accomplished, how about a kiss?”

Without hesitation, Yue Hongling stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him passionately.

From fleeing Bashan to this moment, they had fought countless battles of all sizes: Miaojiang’s gu arts, figures on the Ranking of Man and Earth, an ancient sacred beast, and Profound Control Realm beings. Each encounter left them gasping for breath, and they constantly felt as if their lives were on the line.

Finally, on this Dragon Boat Festival, with the dust settling, Yue Hongling had reached the second layer of the Profound Mysteries and defeated someone on the Ranking of Earth.

Even with her unyielding spirit, she could not help but feel physically and mentally exhausted. With everything over, she let go of all tension. She only wanted to hold her lover close, to kiss him, and let out all the passion and relief she felt inside.

The page, the bag... All other matters faded from her thoughts. As long as he was there, Yue Hongling felt she did not need to worry about anything. Ever since he had met her at Cangshan, the powerlessness she had felt fighting alone in the southwest had completely vanished. He was like the backbone of the house, holding everything up.

As they embraced and kissed, the manifestations caused by the Eternal Blood Demon Body began to fade.

The sky returned to clarity, even with a touch of rainbow-hued light lingering. The previous oppressive and sinister atmosphere was replaced by freshness and vitality. The life force previously emitted by the Heavenly Tome now covered the sacred mountain, bringing lushness to the land. Even the insects, snakes, eagles, and beasts kept by the Spirit Tribe grew more spirited, and some gu breeders were delighted to discover that their gu had advanced a level.

The blood-red hue of the moon faded and the barrier dissipated. The Spirit Tribe members kneeling outside watched as the broken part of the mountain was slowly unveiled like a bloody curtain, revealing the rocks and vegetation at the summit.

Amid the chaos of the fierce battle, the vegetation and rocks were broken and shattered. In the center stood the sacred envoy and his woman, embracing and kissing as if no one else existed, indulging in the joy of victory.

Sunlight poured down, and it looked as though they were bathed in a halo of divine light.

It was beautiful.

Sisi was so jealous she could almost feel her teeth aching.

The worst part was that she could not even show jealousy. Instead, she had to set an example and lead the crowd in kowtowing. “We pay our respects to the sacred envoy.”

The entire Spirit Tribe seemed to wake up from a dream, their shouts echoing like crashing waves, “We pay our respects to the sacred envoy!”

With this display of fervor, Zhao Changhe’s role as the sacred envoy was set in stone. At this moment, his prestige likely surpassed Sisi’s own.

Yet, Sisi felt none of her previous misgivings.

If someone like him was not worthy of trust, then who else was?

The thunderous chants roused the couple from their passionate embrace. They looked over, and Yue Hongling, unembarrassed, simply smiled. “Go on and play sacred envoy. I’m going to head back and rest.”

“There’s not much to do.” Zhao Changhe stepped forward, addressing the crowd, “I am the envoy sent by the Ancestral Spirit, here to announce its will. Xiang Simeng is hereby officially appointed as the saintess; her words shall be regarded as divine commandments. All matters of the Spirit Tribe are to be handled under her authority.”

Sisi looked at him in stunned silence, her eyes misty.

Zhao Changhe, weary, waved his hand. “Today is the Double Fifth Festival[1]. Conduct your rituals, and the Ancestral Spirit shall grant its blessings. I’m going to rest now. That’s all.”

He was genuinely exhausted. Although Sisi had transferred away the pain from his injuries earlier, he’d taken wounds akin to having been cut by thousands of blades, and this battle had aggravated them further. Mentally, he was utterly worn out. All he wanted now was to sleep.

The Spirit Tribe shouted while kowtowing, “Rest well, sacred envoy.”

Yue Hongling shook her head and supported Zhao Changhe as they slowly made their way down the mountain. At the midpoint, Han Wubing was still sitting cross-legged. As the two descended, they exchanged glances and shared a quiet smile.

Yue Hongling handed him a sword. “Shi Wuding’s sword.”

Han Wubing accepted it. “Thanks.”

Zhao Changhe remarked, “So you two killed Shi Wuding. The Tome of Troubled Times didn’t light up, probably because we’re in this secret realm... I wonder if it’ll flash when we leave.”

Han Wubing replied, “It might have already done so, just that we can’t see it from here... Anyway, it wasn’t me who killed him. If the Tome of Troubled Times does make an announcement, all credit should be given to my sister-in-law.”

Zhao Changhe teased him, “Aren’t you a little too talkative now?”

Han Wubing straightened up with a serious expression.

Zhao Changhe grinned. “I mean, you’ve gotten chatty lately. So, why not keep talking? Like, calling her sister-in-law a few more times? I love hearing it, and so does she.”

Han Wubing huffed, shutting his mouth in annoyance, choosing to ignore him.

Yue Hongling, also exasperated, changed from holding him gently to tugging on his ear. “Who loves hearing it, huh? Who loves hearing it? Why don’t you ask Wubing how many sisters-in-law he thinks he’s got?”

“So you admit that you’re... Ouch, hey, people are still paying respects to the sacred envoy. Show me some respect, let me save some face...”

“Go back and recuperate! All you ever do is run your mouth. Think being the sacred envoy is impressive now, do you? Try touching even one Spirit Tribe girl, and this lady will put an end to such a lecherous villain!”

Han Wubing smirked, watching the couple as they walked away.

It was not just that he had started talking more; he felt that Yue Hongling had changed too, becoming a bit bolder, and a bit more possessive.

And yet, her sword was growing stronger...

He turned his gaze back to Shi Wuding’s body, standing silently for a long time before finally bending down to bury him. He used the sword that Yue Hongling had just given him to dig a pit and placed Shi Wuding’s remains inside. He carved a simple wooden marker and wrote three words on it: Bashan Sword Grave.

After finishing, he buried the sword alongside the body and then made his way down the mountain with large strides.

Outside the secret realm, people across the world looked up at the golden light streaking across the sky from the Tome of Troubled Times:

In the third month, Yue Hongling paid homage to the swords at Bashan, uncovering hidden truths, and leaving wounded. Shi Wuding pursued her for a thousand li, and Yue Hongling fled into Miaojiang.

In the fourth month, Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling fought Shi Wuding on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Unable to win, both retreated into a secret realm.

Shi Wuding pursued into the secret realm, fell into an ambush, and narrowly escaped death by falling off a cliff.

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Yue Hongling fought Shi Wuding again and touched the Second Profound Mystery during the battle. In the end, she defeated Shi Wuding at the summit of Yunyang Mountain.

As he is unable to maintain his ranking, Shi Wuding’s position is passed down. Yue Hongling ascends to the Ranking of Earth.

Rank 36: Sunset Divine Sword Yue Hongling!

Floating clouds mourn the instability of life; fleeting years are like waters that never return. Farewell to past favors, now I return to seek peace within the gates of Chan.[2]

This verdict seemed mysterious and inexplicable, almost as if it were not speaking about Yue Hongling at all. Instead, it seemed to lament Shi Wuding and perhaps someone else.

Whether it was due to the ambiguous nature of the events in the secret realm or because of some underlying sentiment, no one could quite make sense of it.

In any case, what had taken place did not follow the usual practice of directly replacing ranks, and it deliberately downplayed the role of a certain foot massage connoisseur who had been a central figure in these events. The account made it seem as though Yue Hongling had merely taken advantage of Shi Wuding’s weakened state, as if the victory was less honorable.

Yet no amount of embellishment could erase Yue Hongling’s accomplishment of understanding the sword during the battle, breaking through to the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, and defeating a figure on the Ranking of Earth.

Everyone was left wondering one thing.

Is she the youngest in history to reach the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, the youngest to ascend the Ranking of Earth?

1. The Dragon Boat Festival is held on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. We are choosing an existing alternative translation (the original is in fact “Dragon Boat Festival”) considering that these are foreign tribes and would not have the same traditions as the Great Xia Empire. ☜

2. This is from a poem by Du Mu (杜牧), titled A Farewell to the Monastery Before Departing for the Capital (将赴京留赠僧院). ☜