Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 756: Let Me Return It to You

If Zhao Changhe were here to hear this conversation, he would come to understand many things.

Was the Night Emperor truly the ruler of the night and the stars?

Perhaps, but not entirely.

The stars were merely a symbol or a representation. In reality, the constellations of the Four Idols were deeply intertwined with the fundamental structures of heaven and earth: the four cardinal directions, four seasons, five elements, the cycles of light and darkness, life and death.... Together, they formed something far greater: rules.

She was not merely a sovereign of heaven and earth; she was a custodian of order itself. Her role extended beyond celestial dominion, it included the establishment of mortal emperors and the protection of humanity. The system of the ancient Night Emperor was an immaculate divine order, a structured theocratic empire vastly superior to the fragmented, makeshift pantheons that had sprung up since.

From the very start, Zhao Changhe had felt it; he had long since felt that the blind woman was obsessed with maintaining order. Not just because it was the duty of the spirit of the tome to abide by the rules, but because she, Ye Wuming, had been born this way.

And what, then, was the natural counterpart to rules? Chaos... That was Jiuyou. They were two halves of a whole—order and disorder, creation and destruction, structure and entropy. Their very existence was intertwined, a reflection of one another.

Yet, life was not a machine. Could a being truly exist in absolute adherence to order, never deviating? The Night Emperor’s rule, for all its grandeur, was cold. It was too rigid, lacking warmth and vibrancy. That kind of repression tended to nurture something restless beneath the surface.

Perhaps, over time, even Ye Wuming herself had begun to feel the urge to break the rules. This was especially the case now with the Heavenly Dao dead. Zhao Changhe had seen glimpses of it: her tendency to push the boundaries of order, subtly bending the rules. And sometimes not so subtly, like the time she had casually inserted an emoji into the Heavenly Tome’s broadcasts—an act so ludicrously irreverent that even Zhao Changhe, a man who thrived on rebellion, thought it was outright sacrilegious.

She was the very image of a dignified, coldly noble empress on the surface, but inside, she was a mischievous little witch.

There was a term for people like this: repressed but secretly shameless.

But was it possible that, in allowing herself to deviate, she had actually become stronger? Because she had become more complete?

The Heavenly Dao had once split Ye Wuming and Ye Jiuyou into separate embodiments of order and chaos. But if Ye Wuming had started to embrace disorder, did that mean Ye Jiuyou was also beginning to develop her own sense of structure, her own appreciation for order? Perhaps. From the moment the blind woman encountered Jiuyou this time, she had sensed something different. Jiuyou had been experimenting, testing the boundaries of the Night Emperor’s path. She was not as purely reckless as before.

If it had been the old Jiuyou, she would not have endured this long without throwing the entire world into a storm just for amusement.

Were they both shaping one another, adapting to the existence of the other?

The blind woman fell silent for a long moment, refusing to answer Jiuyou’s final remark about Piaomiao. Instead, she did something that took Jiuyou by complete surprise. She sealed off the space surrounding Louguan Terrace. With this, the battle would not spill over into Chang’an’s civilian districts, nor would the mountains and rivers be laid to waste.

Jiuyou raised an eyebrow. “You actually care about this? Is this some lingering sentiment for Piaomiao’s ideals? Or... Is it because Zhao Changhe likes it this way?” freёwebnoѵel.com

The blind woman did not respond.

Jiuyou studied her for a moment, then continued, her voice slow and thoughtful, “Since the battle with the Sea Emperor, and with what you’ve said just now... I feel like you’re trying to do something even the Heavenly Dao never accomplished... You want to eradicate all gods and demons, don’t you? Why do I feel like this should be my role? This kind of provocation and slaughter was always my job, not yours...”

The blind woman didn’t argue. She merely stated, “Compared to others, you deserve death the most.”

Jiuyou sneered and said, “You should know that while anyone might die, including you, I never will. Even your own heart gives birth to me. I am the embodiment of human nature itself. As long as human desire exists, I will never perish.”

The blind woman’s tone remained indifferent as she said, “Eradication is unnecessary. Both Buddhism and Daoism teach the binding of the restless mind and the tethering of wild thoughts. No one ever said they must be destroyed outright.”

Jiuyou’s smile grew amused. “So you still think I’m nothing more than some restless monkey you expelled from yourself? Or perhaps you believe I’m the one who incited your wild thoughts in the first place?”

The blind woman said nothing.

“You should know the first one isn’t true. If I were just a piece of you that you cast out, then every time you expelled me, I’d just be reborn again and again. Wouldn’t that mean you alone could spawn an entire army of Jiuyous?” Jiuyou grinned slyly, then delivered her verdict: “Like a sow.”

The blind woman did not say anything.

“As for the second possibility... well, that’s more interesting. Just like how the Dao Lord’s corruption happened without my direct intervention, but is still arguably my fault. My mere existence is enough to bring it about.” Jiuyou tilted her head, her smile turning even more mocking. “So why don’t you try conquering me, then? Tie me down, restrain me, humiliate me. Turn me into your horse and tether me to a post.”

As she spoke, an unsettling excitement flickered across her face. “I’d quite look forward to that, actually... Ah~”

The blind woman shook her head. “Pervert.”

“Oh, is that perverted? What I’m really looking forward to is seeing you become even more depraved than me. Maybe you’ll break all the rules and streak naked through the streets of Chang’an. Hehe. Speaking of wild thoughts, doesn’t following a man around mean you’ve already failed to rein in your desires?”

The blind woman did not lash out. She merely sneered. “The term ‘wild thoughts’ does not refer to mere relations between men and women. When did your perspective become so shallow, like some crude village gossip?”

“Ever since I realized that this man’s deepest desire was to have you, yet you didn’t kill him for it.”

“...” The blind woman realized she was about to lose this verbal battle. This was no fault of her own; it was Zhao Changhe’s fault. The once-grand and philosophical confrontation had now completely derailed into mindless drivel all thanks to Zhao Changhe.

Deciding she could not be bothered to continue, the blind woman flipped her slender hand, and the space around Jiuyou solidified into a cage. “Fine then. If a tether is what you want, then be tethered.”

Jiuyou was not concerned. Her expression merely returned to its usual cold detachment. “It’s pointless, my big sister... You may defeat me, but you will never be rid of me. That is fate... Rather than waste time on me, you might want to check on your man. He’s wounded.”

“He’s not my man!” The blind woman’s retort was immediate, but her heart tightened as she turned her attention toward the battlefield. And deep inside, she betrayed a slight trace of concern.

With the battlefield sealed away, the ongoing battle no longer shook the earth or split the heavens. If one did not pay attention, it was almost as if no battle was happening at all. But a single glance was enough to see that everyone was bleeding. In just the time it took for these few exchanges of words, they had all been wounded.

The nature of combat changes completely when fighting to the death. And this was a second-layer Profound Control Realm cultivator, the strongest opponent Zhao Changhe had ever faced in a true life-or-death struggle.

The blind woman watched for a while before speaking up. “I believe the outcome is already decided.”

Bang!

At that moment, Zhao Changhe’s saber cleaved into the Dao Lord, seemingly slicing the blood-drenched figure in half.

But it was meaningless. Though Yuxu’s blood had caused the Dao Lord’s yin spirit to solidify, the Dao Lord had mastered the art of shifting between reality and illusion. Throughout the fight, everyone felt as though their attacks were being swallowed into nothingness, unable to leave so much as a scratch. Whether it be sword, saber, flames, Dragon Bird or River of Stars, or even attacks that should have obliterated the soul, none of it worked.

No one could pinpoint the core of the Dao Lord’s ability to shift between reality and illusion.

And as if in response, streams of blood sprayed from the Dao Lord’s body, each drop carrying the weight of a collapsing world. What looked like mere splashes of blood were, in truth, devastating shockwaves. As the blood struck the barrier of sealed space, loud booms resounded. Each impact exploded like an entire battlefield collapsing, shaking the very foundation of the isolated space.

Even the blind woman’s spatial manipulation struggled to hold, the cracks spreading like a shattered mirror.

Every single drop of blood had a world-ending force. Who could withstand such destruction?

Zhao Changhe felt something stir within his mind, but there was no time to comprehend it. To keep the formation intact, Zhao Changhe hardened his body, forming a tortoise-shell barrier to endure a direct hit. Even then, his impeccable defense was pierced, leaving several bloody holes across his body.

And Li Shentong, despite his famed resilience, fared no better. He had been dividing his strength to shield Yuxu, who was clearly suffering severe internal injuries. As a result, Li Shentong himself had been reduced to a blood-drenched slab of meat, barely even able to remain standing.

Zhao Changhe and Li Shentong endured, but Huangfu Qing and Yue Hongling lacked such defenses.

A path of flames burned before Huangfu Qing, incinerating the approaching blood droplets into ash. But the ashen remnants twisted into ghastly faces, their forms screeching through the smoke as they lunged toward her spiritual platform. She instinctively retreated. These were not just visual horrors; they were mind-devouring specters, and a single mistake here meant death.

Yue Hongling retreated even further, raising her sword to parry, but the sheer force sent her hurtling backward, blood spraying from her lips. Yet, in the very next moment, a sharp gleam shone in her eyes. Her sword left her hand, and a dazzling crimson radiance streaked through the battlefield, transforming into a razor-sharp beam of pure light, hurtling straight toward the Dao Lord!

It was not the act of throwing some hidden weapon. It was a flying sword!

Sword Controlling Technique!

Yue Hongling’s mind, qi, and spirit surged into her sword. The sword spirit resonated in response, and the sheer brilliance of the strike pierced even through the blind woman’s spatial barrier.

Above Chang’an, the night sky was split apart. It was as if the heavens themselves had been torn open. For a moment, the already-set sun seemed to reappear, casting its golden radiance across the battlefield. A sword that opened the gates of heaven, ushering in the sun itself!

The Dao Lord had been poised to strike Zhao Changhe, taking advantage of the disrupted formation to land a decisive blow. But at the sight of that sword light, his scalp tingled with an instinctive dread. He immediately abandoned his attack, his body dissolving into blood mist, retreating into the void.

Jiuyou, still standing in the sealed space with the blind woman, scoffed, “And you claim the outcome is already decided? They haven’t even figured out how to deal with the Dao Lord shifting between reality and illusion. Achieving profound control of the void is the highest form of mastery in the Profound Control Realm. They do not have any means of unraveling it—”

She had not even finished speaking when Yuxu suddenly extended a finger and gently touched one of the drifting droplets of blood mist.

That blood was his own! He had personally solidified the Dao Lord’s yin spirit, making it vulnerable. And if there was anyone in the world capable of discerning the reality behind the illusion, it could only be him.

With that single touch, Yuxu’s entire body began to wither. His once-mighty Profound Control Realm strength drained away, his frame hunched, his skin withered, his hair turned completely white. In the blink of an eye, he became a frail old man.

If my power, my very cultivation, originated from you, then let me return it to you.

Reverse Power Transfer!

Yuxu poured his entire lifetime’s worth of cultivation into the blood and sent it back into the Dao Lord.

For anyone else, this would have been the greatest blessing, a surge of power beyond imagining. But the Dao Lord had no time to refine it. A massive flood of unfamiliar power surged into his very being, throwing his entire existence into chaos. For the first time, his so-called “illusory body” flickered inconsistently as if a core weakness had been forcefully revealed to the world.

To those watching, a single point within the shifting blood mist began to shine, glowing like a burning star. This was the core of the Dao Lord’s yin spirit, and it was now shining brighter than the sun itself.

Yue Hongling’s will moved, and her flying sword adjusted course.

The Sunset Divine Sword, blazing with the very essence of the setting sun, shot straight for the shining core of the Dao Lord’s being. The sword was like Hou Yi’s arrow piercing a golden crow.

“Yuxu, you madman—!”

Boom!

A furious, anguished roar erupted from the void, followed by an earth-shattering explosion. The Sunset Divine Sword tore through the Dao Lord’s yin spirit, detonating upon impact. The backlash was devastating. Yue Hongling coughed up blood again, her body plummeting from midair, the force nearly shattering her meridians.

But the sun, moon, and stars formation still held. Zhao Changhe and Huangfu Qing’s combined power wrapped around her, protecting her from complete collapse and allowing her meridians to remain intact. With what little strength she had left, she raised her gaze, staring into the now chaotic void where the sword light and yin spirit had clashed.

From the impact point, countless flickering specters began to spill outward, like inmates escaping from a shattered prison.

These were fragments of the Dao Lord’s inextinguishable soul.

Huangfu Qing’s hands formed a seal.

Tiny specks of light, like floating will-o’-the-wisps, filled the sky. This was Vermillion Bird’s power; the power to dictate life and death.

The moment the yin spirit collided with the yin fire, a hissing sound filled the air. The specters twisted and contorted in agony. Then, it was as if they had fallen into the river of forgetfulness under Naihe Bridge[1], dragged beneath the waters of the underworld, screaming in futility.

As the Dao Lord’s soul fragments floundered helplessly, a broad saber descended in a sweeping arc.

It was the newly-reforged Dragon Bird, now with soul-annihilating properties. Dragon Bird unleashed its full power without restraint in a final strike, one last crushing weight to break the camel’s back.

The screams of the specters began to fade. At last, his lingering final words drifted into the void, “Yuxu... you will not die a good death...”

All eyes turned to where Yuxu stood. Li Shentong had shielded him from the worst of the backlash, but Yuxu was now a withered husk. He had become a hunched, elderly figure, completely stripped of his former might. Yet, he still smiled, and it was the smile of a child—pure, radiant, and utterly unburdened.

Jiuyou stood frozen, staring, speechless.

1. The river of forgetfulness and Naihe Bridge are elements of the underworld in Chinese mythology. ☜