Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 372: Crossing Paths

Clang!

Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes remained fixed on Zhao Changhe, yet it was as if she had eyes on the back of her head. Her long sword swung backward perfectly, effortlessly deflecting Lu Shiheng’s sneak attack.

Similarly, Zhao Changhe’s eyes remained fixed on her, yet his hand swung Dragon Bird spectacularly, slicing across Yu Cixiu’s chest.

Both of those who they just struck, both of whom were figures on the Ranking of Man, felt extremely insulted.

What kind of attitude is this?

Tang Wanzhuang’s attitude was somewhat understandable. After all, she was ranked third on the Ranking of Earth and renowned worldwide. She had the right to look down on opponents who were merely on the Ranking of Man. Although she was facing a pincer attack from Maitreya, she had already won three consecutive battles against him, so it was normal for her to have some arrogance.

But the same could not be said for Zhao Changhe.

Who does this guy think he fucking is to look down on us who are on the Ranking of Man?!

Yu Cixiu was livid.

He swung his mourning staff[1] horizontally, the staff lengthening as it struck at Zhao Changhe’s wrist.

This strike gave off a sense of returning to simplicity, a masterful display on behalf of Yu Cixiu.

Taking advantage of the staff being slightly longer than Dragon Bird, he moved as fast as lightning, launching his attack after Zhao Changhe but arriving first. Before the staff even touched Zhao Changhe, a sharp chill had already invaded his wrist arteries. Zhao Changhe had no doubt that if the strike landed true, his hand would be rendered useless.

Yu Cixiu believed that Zhao Changhe could not possibly dodge the strike. His chilling qi had a limiting and constraining effect. For someone of lower cultivation, this sudden restriction would slow down their reflexes, generally leading to them being hit without suspense.

However, to his shock, Zhao Changhe seemed completely unaffected by his chilling qi. His saber’s momentum did not change. He merely retracted it a little, perfectly striking the staff.

A staff versus a massive saber weighing dozens of catties. There was no question as to who would come off worse.

Zhao Changhe laughed. “Mighty Soul Reaper, is this all you’ve got?”

Yu Cixiu felt his hands go numb from the impact and used the force to retreat. His heart pounded in disbelief.

There’s something off about this guy’s strength... Has he unlocked the Profound Mysteries? How did he advance so quickly?

Yu Cixiu’s chilling qi was like a needle, and it could effortlessly penetrate anyone below the Profound Mysteries. Zhao Changhe’s movements were not only quick but steady! If he had merely relied on the saber’s weight without proper handling, the piercing chilling qi would have disrupted the flow of his true qi, rendering him unable to hold his saber. Yet, when the saber and staff clashed, Yu Cixiu could only feel Zhao Changhe’s solid and unwavering force. There was no leakage of energy, and there was even a violent energy assaulting him in return, shaking his spirit.

Such impeccable control of force, such menacing vicious blood qi... Fuck, am I the one who took the demonic path to make it onto the Ranking of Man or is it Zhao Changhe?

Yu Cixiu calmed himself down and realized he could not just simply regard his opponent as some up-and-coming First Hidden Dragon. He had to take Zhao Changhe as a serious threat!

And yet, this “serious threat” did not even spare him a glance, seizing the moment when he was adjusting his balance to dash past him.

Yu Cixiu was baffled.

“Didn’t you say this path is closed? It looks wide open to me,” Zhao Changhe leaped across the street, casually deflecting a distant arrow aimed at him, leaving Yu Cixiu with nothing but a view of his back.

Yu Cixiu stood there, stunned.

The deflected arrow flew back, causing a scream in the distance as the archer fell dead on the spot.

Despite someone on the Ranking of Man blocking his way and arrows flying at him from all directions, Zhao Changhe was able to easily cut his way through.

So much for being close yet far apart.

At that moment, the most bewildered was Lu Shiheng, the Divine Sword of Xiang River.

He and Maitreya were jointly attacking Tang Wanzhuang, so he believed that since Maitreya had always been on par with her, his interference and surprise attacks were surely to force Tang Wanzhuang into a dire situation.

Is it that Maitreya has yet to recover from his injuries yesterday? Or is it that Tang Wanzhuang is actually using power at the third layer of the Profound Mysteries? Or perhaps a mix of both?

His understanding of martial arts was not sufficient to discern the nuances of those at the forefront of the Ranking of Earth. He was utterly puzzled. All he knew was that Tang Wanzhuang was able to deal with Maitreya with relative ease while focusing her main attacks on him. It appeared that she wanted to eliminate him first before concentrating on Maitreya.

With her strength, how could he possibly withstand her assault?!

Swish!

The Spring Water Sword glimmered and rippled, simultaneously targeting Maitreya and Lu Shiheng.

Lu Shiheng could not rely on Maitreya to block the strike for him, so he swiftly retreated.

At that moment, he felt a sudden alarm and looked back in shock. Under the moonlight, Zhao Changhe, covered in blood, raised Dragon Bird high and came slashing down from the rooftop. His pupils were utterly blood red with fury, and the violent vicious blood qi he emitted made even the moon appear blood-red.

Scattering the Gods and Buddhas!

Zhao Changhe, having now unlocked the Profound Mysteries, was able to create the illusion of a celestial phenomenon when he used this move. It was as if an ancient wrathful being had descended upon the world, and he appeared as the incarnation of the Blood God!

Lu Shiheng was genuinely terrified to the core.

Who in the world could withstand being pincered by the figure ranked third on the Ranking of Man and a master of the same level?

Yu Cixiu, you worthless fool, are you doing? You aren’t even able to block him?!

Clang!

Desperately dodging Tang Wanzhuang’s sword, Lu Shiheng hurriedly defended against Zhao Changhe’s devastating strike. But how could his hasty defense possibly stand against Zhao Changhe’s mighty slash?

His treasured sword broke under the impact, and he was forced to abandon it and roll on the ground just to narrowly avoid being cut in half.

On his forehead, blood could be seen gradually pouring out. The saber qi from Dragon Bird had grazed his head! Any deeper, and his skull may have just been split open!

Looking up, he saw Yu Cixiu’s mourning staff already striking at Zhao Changhe’s back. “Die!”

Clang!

The Spring Water Sword surged forth, moving past Zhao Changhe to intercept the attack. The coordination between Tang Wanzhuang and Zhao Changhe was so seamless that it seemed as if they had practiced together for decades.

The pitiful Yu Cixiu thought he was pursuing Zhao Changhe, never expecting Tang Wanzhuang to parry his strike. His chilling qi was like a child’s toy against her, easily repelled.

Yu Cixiu’s meridians were thrown into disarray, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood as he staggered back.

Tang Wanzhuang did not even spare him a glance, moving her sword to block Maitreya once more. At the same time, Zhao Changhe’s Dragon Bird was already chopping down on Maitreya’s thick neck.

Suddenly, it turned into a man and woman ganging up on Maitreya.

Maitreya’s face darkened, and he abruptly retreated.

Zhao Changhe grabbed Tang Wanzhuang’s hand. “Let’s go. There are still others lurking. We can’t afford to stay and fight.”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled slightly. “Okay.”

Hand in hand, they used identical movement arts to leap over the courtyard wall and flee under the moonlight.

Surrounded by countless archers, yet none of whom dared to shoot.

The recollection of the arrow that Zhao Changhe had deflected back still left them shaken. In reality, a volley of arrows would be hard for either Zhao Changhe or Tang Wanzhuang to withstand, but their sheer presence deterred everyone from even trying.

This was especially so with Zhao Changhe’s bloodthirsty aura, which made him appear both godlike and demonic, striking fear in their hearts.

Amidst the heavy encirclement, not an arrow was shot, and everyone simply watched as the pair disappeared into the night.

Yu Cixiu, furious and anxious, asked Maitreya, “Lord Maitreya, why not pursue them?”

Maitreya glanced at the retreating Lu Shiheng and said softly, “Tang Wanzhuang has half unleashed her cultivation at the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. She can’t be killed by a mere ambush... We must leave immediately.”

Yu Cixiu was stunned. “Leave?”

“Of course.” Maitreya grabbed him and swiftly retreated. The members of the Maitreya Cult followed in an orderly manner.

In the distance, shadows moved as if pursuing them, but seeing Maitreya seemingly uninjured, they hesitated and stopped.

Sensing their hesitation, Maitreya sneered, “They hoped that we would kill or at least injure Tang Wanzhuang, and then they would swoop in and take us down when we’re both weakened... They want to wash their hands of Tang Wanzhuang’s death and eliminate us in Xiangyang, allowing them to sweep through Jiangnan unopposed. Their schemes are laughable.”

Yu Cixiu understood. “Their forces should still be north of the Han River. Did some of them cross the river in advance?”

“Precisely, it should only be Yang Jingxiu or Wang Daozhong and a few other experts who have snuck into the city,” Maitreya sneered. “I’ve long known their nature.”

Yu Cixiu sneered, “They thought they could use us, but little do they know that our forces are already hidden in the forest outside the city. With Lu Shiheng under our control, once the gates open, our forces will flood in. The Wang Clan of Langya and the Yang Clan of Hongong, both are so full of themselves... When their forces enter the city, they will all be crushed to dust!”

“Heh, their northern forces crossing the river... As long as the Blood God Cult’s Xue Canghai arrives on time, their crossing will be a joke.” Maitreya’s eyes darkened. “Whether we can seize Xiangyang hinges on this.”

Maitreya’s alliance with the Blood God Cult was not primarily to attack Xiangyang but to counter the troops from the north. The plan was almost perfect. His biggest regret was that, despite cooperating with forces within the city, they had still failed to kill Tang Wanzhuang. It was thus unknown what sort of trouble they might stir up in the future.

Yu Cixiu asked, “What about Tang Wanzhuang and Zhao Changhe?”

“Since Tang Wanzhuang partially unsealed her cultivation, she’s likely in some trouble right now. They will likely spend the night recuperating and won’t cause any more problems. If we can carry everything out tonight, our plan should succeed. It’s a pity, though,” Maitreya said with some regret. “I wonder if they’ll resort to dual cultivation. Tang Wanzhuang is truly an exceptional beauty. My greatest wish, after being her enemy for so long, has been to capture her. After all the scheming I’ve done, it seems that I may have to let that pesky brat have the first taste.”

1. This is a stick or staff generally held for support by a son in a funeral procession. Feel free to search up “哭丧棒” for images. ☜