Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 341: Neither Sun Nor Moon, the King to Make His Own

Zhao Changhe felt a chill run down his spine.

When he thought back about his relationship with Sisi, they were nowhere close to such a stage. In fact, they were practically estranged. Now, Sisi’s only connection to the Central Plains was through Tang Wanzhuang, and he did not even know where she was.

It had nothing to do with him anyway.

Back in the capital, he had prepared a new sword art for Tang Wanzhuang to pass on to Sisi. He had not glimpsed the door to the Profound Mysteries at that point, but a few months had already passed since then and many things had changed. He decided that once he truly broke through, he should organize another Profound Mysteries-level sword art to send over. He was not doing this just because of the agreement with Sisi; he himself needed to seek out Profound Mysteries-level techniques for both the sword and saber.

His mastery of the Vicious Blood Saber Art, along with a few compatible ultimate techniques from the Sword Emperor, had already reached their peak at the Profound Gate level, only lacking more refinement. Zhao Changhe was confident that there were very few left below the Profound Mysteries who could give him a good fight.

Yet, he suspected that he still would not be able to defeat the versions of Yue Hongling or Chichi before they broke through.

The reason was simple: Yue Hongling and Chichi had deeply integrated their techniques into their essence and spirit, and their martial arts were a natural part of them. On the other hand, he had too many distractions and lacked such a deep level of integration and comprehension. He still treated his saber techniques as mere skills.

Moreover, he had not yet seamlessly integrated Tang Wanzhuang’s martial arts with those of the Sword Emperor. The marks of forced combination were still evident, and it had yet to fully transform into his own unique style.

His breakthrough to the Profound Mysteries likely hinged on this: a profound understanding of his own martial arts.

Based on Huangfu Qing’s explanation of Profound Mysteries manifestations, Zhao Changhe could see a clear progression within the Vicious Blood Saber Art, from the lower to higher levels. It all began with the intent within Scattering the Gods and Buddhas, cultivating a force that merged with one’s martial spirit. When breaking through to the Profound Mysteries and truly assimilating No Man’s Land, the resulting strike using Hell on Earth would likely bring about a manifestation of his martial path, one of a bloodthirsty demon.

This was where the value of a well-structured martial arts system could be seen; it lay far beyond simply picking up random techniques from here and there. It was less like struggling to climb a wall and more like having someone guide you up a well-built staircase. Despite having come across numerous figures on the Ranking of Heaven and the Ranking of Earth, and despite having seen numerous brilliant martial arts, Zhao Changhe still regarded the Vicious Blood Art and the Vicious Blood Saber Art as his foundational techniques. The cost of abandoning them was simply too high to bear.

In other words, to break through to the Profound Mysteries, he still needed to diligently work on his Vicious Blood Art and Vicious Blood Saber Art.

His thoughts wandered, revealing just how many things he had to deal with and how unclear the order of priorities was.

As his mind wandered, Zhao Changhe slowly flipped through the Atlas of Mountains and Rivers.

Most of it read like the mythical stories from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, but the records of the Ancient Spirit Tribe validated its reliability.

It was truly a treasure.

Even though many of the mountains and rivers within were unheard of today, it could serve as an atlas for ancient secret realms. Some entries even included detailed maps. Should he ever venture into a large secret realm, these maps would prove invaluable.

It seems that the ancient Black Tortoise was far more diligent than Lady Three... Being able to write down this level of detail on all of these various locations meant that they must have extensively explored the world. I wonder what this has to do with the will of Black Tortoise, though? Maybe this was actually something they acquired from someone they defeated in battle?

Considering that Black Tortoise treasured this atlas so much to leave it in a ring on an altar, this indicated that even in an era filled with gods and demons capable of flying at will, there were few who would meticulously survey every corner of the world. Thus, it would have been a vital resource even in the ancient era, let alone today.

Wait... It was placed on an altar...

A thought struck Zhao Changhe.

A sword bearing the stars, a book bearing the world’s mountains and rivers. Placed in a storage ring, enshrined and worshiped...

There’s a good chance that these don’t belong to the Black Tortoise... but to the Night Emperor! Perhaps the Night Emperor ordered or commissioned Black Tortoise to make the atlas!

Lady Three mentioned that the Night Emperor had grand ambitions involving the stars in the sky, but he only completed the four idols.

Why did Vermillion Bird not know about this and had to ask Lady Three? Obviously, it was because the one responsible for this was Black Tortoise; thus Vermillion Bird was entirely unaware, while Lady Three knew bits and pieces. Each of their inheritances was different, and not every detail could be perfectly exchanged.

But even Lady Three did not know that Zhao Changhe had these items.

From this point of view, the sword represented the unfinished ambition of the Night Emperor, and the Atlas of Mountains and Rivers was created for someone to find the necessary materials for forging the sword.

It was quite possible that one of the pages of the Heavenly Tome was cataloged as a resource of the world. Since the Night Emperor did not have that page, he resorted to the painstaking method of creating this atlas... Yearning for the firmament above, overlooking the world below, that was the will of the Night Emperor.

Zhao Changhe turned to the final page while in deep thought.

There were a few lines clearly written on it: The four idols represent the four seasons, the four cardinal directions of the world, the foundation of heaven and earth, and the Dao. Yet beyond the four idols, are the minor stars not part of the sky? Beyond the mountains and rivers, are the sands not part of the earth? Beyond kings and nobility, are the commoners not part of humanity? The Dao of His Majesty is difficult to prove; perhaps this is the mistake.

The stars in the sky illuminate this dark night. There is neither sun nor moon; the king shall make his own.

Black Tortoise was tasked with surveying the mountains and rivers for the forging of a divine sword. Upon completion, it shall be called the Rivers of Stars.[1]

This was where the atlas originally ended.

However, there were some abrupt additions afterward, clearly incoherent with the previous text and added at a later time. The handwriting was noticeably more hurried and the writing style simpler, reflecting the writer’s inner turmoil.

Is the Heavenly Dao dead? I can no longer complete my task... I leave these things here, hoping someone in the future, regardless of how many eras may pass, will come and finish it. My legacy lies in the seabed cave below; those fated may take it, those unfated should not enter. This place temporarily holds the Zhenwu[2] Sword Stone, which can aid in cleansing the body and forging the Supreme Sword Body.

The method of forging the sword is as follows...

Zhao Changhe sighed, finally understanding the whole story.

Essentially, Black Tortoise’s inheritance was in a single place, divided into two levels. In the secret realm they visited, items meant for forging the Night Emperor’s sword were enshrined, while the lower level originally led to his seabed grave.

After the collapse of the era, the two levels were separated due to the differing protections of their respective treasures. The inheritance in the tomb was likely obtained by Lady Three early on, which was how she had come to possess Black Tortoise’s techniques and knowledge. The upper level, which enshrined the ring and gemstone, ended up in the Rocky Mountain. Lady Three had suspicions of where it was and wandered the area for years but could not find the entrance, the entrance only being discovered fatefully by Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling.

During this separation process, part of the gem fell into the sea and was eventually acquired by the Sea Tribe in the Eastern Sea, which was then used to create the marine clay that the Wang Clan came to have. The Sea Tribe’s influence subtly infiltrated the Wang Clan through the marine clay. It also became a clue that led Zhao Changhe to find the secret realm.

The gem was not actually called the Black Tortoise Gemstone as they assumed it was; it was called the Zhenwu Sword Stone. It was meant for cleansing the body and forging the Supreme Sword Body. Its original purpose was to be passed to the swordsmith, so they could forge a sword body to match the sword, making the completion of the sword worthwhile.

Yue Hongling absorbed its sword intent, but most of it went to Lady Three. Given Lady Three’s focus on her snake whip martial arts, she likely would not pursue the Supreme Sword Body, whereas Yue Hongling might be more aligned with it.

According to the Heavenly Tome, it’s supposed to lead up to the Supreme Dao Body[3]. I’m not sure if it’s just a different name or if the sword body is just a part of the Dao Body, with further advancements possible. Perhaps Yue Hongling took its sword intent, while Lady Three took the Dao essence, and I benefited from its cleansing effects, which significantly improved my meridians.

It seems as if we fairly divided the gemstone’s value.

Having inherited the legacy, partaken in the gem, taken the ring, and reviewed the atlas, should I now finish this sword?

Zhao Changhe felt a bit troubled. It was not that he could not fulfill this wish, but the forging method for the sword, upon a cursory glance, seemed exceedingly complex. The materials that were lacking were not many, as the primary form of the sword and the most intricate preliminary work were already done. What remained should not be too difficult. But integrating the essence of the stars and the mountains and rivers, was that even something an ordinary person could do?

Hm... wait... Zhao Changhe suddenly fell into contemplation.

“The stars in the sky illuminate this dark night. There is neither sun nor moon, the king shall make his own.”

This will was very much like his own. He felt as if he was the unfinished sword itself, lacking in refinement.

In truth, there really was not much left to do. All these endeavors could be aligned to a singular purpose—seeking his own path to becoming a master and breaking through the door of the Profound Mysteries.

As he was in deep thought, there was a knock on the door. The voice of a young Daoist from the Yukun Gang called out, “Mister Zhao, Daoist Yuxu has responded. He asks you to go to Yuxu Palace to see him.”

1. This is a literal translation of the name 星河 (xīnghé), which also translates to galaxy and the Milky Way. I also chose this name as a small reference to Rivers of Blood in Elden Ring :) ☜

2. This is another name for Black Tortoise. ☜

3. This used to be Innate Dao Body (先天道体), but the author changed it to Supreme Dao Body (太上道体) here. ☜