Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 758 (1): Changan Unseen

The blind woman was not just debating how to phrase the announcement. She was questioning whether she should even broadcast it at all.

Normally, if an event did not affect the rankings, it would not be reported. The Dao Lord had never been on the Ranking of Heaven, and Yuxu was not dead, so technically, this battle did not warrant any ranking adjustments.

But was that really reasonable?

This was not just one event. The battle against Bo’e, the battle against Papiyas, and now the Dao Lord’s downfall, each of these fights had shaken the world. If Heavenly Tome ignored all of them, what was the point of its broadcasts anymore?

She ran a test to see what would happen if she left it completely to the Heavenly Tome’s automatic judgment. The results were cold and clinical. It would erase both Ye Wuzong and Yuxu from the Ranking of Heaven, deeming them unworthy. In their place, Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling would rise onto the rankings as a pair.

But the difference between an automated system and human oversight was the ability to consider the bigger picture.

Removing Ye Wuzong was not a huge issue. The Thief Saint had still not broken into the Profound Control Realm and had long given up on trying. He just wanted to spend his remaining years wandering Cangshan and Erhai, enjoying life under his disciple’s care. With the current era favoring those who had achieved breakthroughs to the Profound Control Realm, his removal from the top ten was inevitable. He probably would not even care.

Yuxu, however, was a different matter. He was already an elite within the Profound Control Realm, not someone struggling at its threshold. Passing his cultivation to another did not equate to losing it entirely as he had kept a portion of his foundation intact. With Li Shentong’s assistance, he could reasonably rebuild his strength in time.

So if she removed him now, what would happen if he fully recovered in a few months? Would she have to put him back on the ranking and bump Zhao Changhe or Yue Hongling back down? Or make Yuxu re-challenge someone ranked on the Ranking of Heaven just to prove he had regained his position?

That was absurd.

A human’s instinct would be to leave things as they were, avoid making unnecessary changes. If she did nothing, no one would question it. But the more she interfered, the more potential problems would arise.

Her rebellious side did not care about getting things “right.” The Heavenly Tome had been under scrutiny for bias for a long time—let them complain, so what? She could rank them however she pleased. But the part of her that adhered to rules found this situation deeply frustrating.

What was the point of following the rules if they only became shackles?

She was stewing over this dilemma when Zhao Changhe’s request came through. She hesitated, then realized it was perfect. She could remove the Thief Saint and continue hyping up the Ranking of Heaven as she pleased.

At dawn, as people enjoyed their morning meals, Chang’an’s citizens played with their golden spinning monk-tops, still talking about the explosions that had rocked Louguantai Temple the night before.

Rumor had it that the entire temple had been destroyed. The disciples had supposedly been swept away by divine beings and safely delivered to Chang’an, where they were now sifting through the rubble to salvage their belongings.

As people ate their breakfast, they occasionally glanced up at the sky, muttering to themselves about how useless the Heavenly Tome had become. It had not reported on the battles against Bo’e or Papiyas, and now it was not even giving them any juicy details about Louguantai? What use was it anymore?

Just as they were grumbling, the long-awaited golden light finally flashed across the sky, proving that the Heavenly Tome still had the gossip they craved.

On the 28th day of the 12th month, Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling arrived in Chang’an.

On this day, the Heavenly Demon Papiyas, having taken the form of the Great Wild Goose Temple’s abbot Kong Shi, challenged Yuxu, intending to injure civilians and frame Yuxu for the carnage. Zhao Changhe saw through the ploy and intervened.

On the 29th day of the 12th month, Vermillion Bird arrived in Chang’an as an envoy, stirring the winds of fate.

Yue Hongling assassinated the envoy of the Hu at the court of state ceremonial, falling into an ambush in turn. Vermillion Bird sensed the disturbance and intervened, crushing the ambush in an instant. Bo’e’s presence in Chang’an was exposed. Zhao Changhe drew his bow and, alongside Yue Hongling and Vermillion Bird, engaged Bo’e in battle. In the midst of the clash, Kong Shi attacked Vermillion Bird from behind, allowing Bo’e to escape.

Enraged, Zhao Changhe fought Kong Shi, shattering his illusions. Yue Hongling and the Vermillion Bird struck in unison, forcing Kong Shi’s true form to emerge and revealing that he is, in fact, the Heavenly Demon Papiyas. Yuxu pursued Papiyas beyond the city but was intercepted by the Dao Lord. Zhao Changhe fired an arrow across ten li, gravely wounding Papiyas, whose fate remains unknown.

On the 30th day of the 12th month, New Year’s Eve, at the stroke of midnight. The Dao Lord attempted to subdue Yuxu. Li Shentong charged a thousand li, colliding with the Dao Lord’s yin spirit and forcing it out of Yuxu’s body. Yuxu bound it with his blood, exposing its true nature. Zhao Changhe, through his control over wind, relocated the disciples of Louguantai to Chang’an to protect them. Zhao Changhe wielded the forces of day and night, Yue Hongling’s sword cleaved through the world, Yuxu traversed the line between reality and illusion, Vermillion Bird commanded life and death, and Li Shentong stood as an unbreakable wall. Heroes rose as one, blades pointed at the demon god.

In this battle, Yuxu temporarily lost his cultivation, and Yue Hongling’s life and death are uncertain. Yet the Dao Lord of the ancient era, once the very name of the Dao itself, perished in the dust of the mortal world.

The Rankings of Troubled Times have shifted.

The Thief Saint Ye Wuzong was previously wounded by the Axe of Tngri and has remained bedridden, unable to recover. Without breaking into the Profound Control Realm, his ranking can no longer be maintained.

Ranking of Heaven, Rank 10: Asura King Zhao Changhe.

Three days in Chang’an, and heaven and earth have been overturned.

Though one’s body and name vanish into oblivion, the great rivers of history shall never cease to flow.

Zhao Changhe stared at the sky for a long moment before realizing what day it was.

New Year’s Eve... The eve of cleansing the demon gods of the ancient past.

If this was not the blind woman indulging in poetic nonsense and deliberately manipulating fate’s threads, he would not believe it for a second.

But whether she had meddled or not, their battle had been real. The outcome was absolute. The heroes of this era had besieged the Dao Lord, and with nary a single casualty—apart from Yuxu’s lost cultivation—had erased him from existence.

The so-called demon gods could be wiped from history, and the world would continue turning just the same.

What Zhao Changhe focused on was the deeper meaning behind it all. But the majority of the world did not grasp the blind woman’s poetic undertones. They only cared about one thing: Zhao Changhe had finally made it onto the Ranking of Heaven.

It’s about damn time! What kind of monster is he to stay on the Ranking of Earth for so long, pretending to be some regular guy? He’s not some fucking Wang Daozhong!

Just as the blind woman had anticipated, Ye Wuzong’s removal from the rankings did not cause any real controversy, especially since the one taking his place was Zhao Changhe. That was only natural. Meanwhile, the fact that Yuxu remained on the ranking meant that Yue Hongling did not make it. One major factor behind this was that she was severely injured.

“Life and death uncertain,” these were the four words Zhao Changhe had specifically asked her to include, informing the world of Yue Hongling’s condition while deliberately omitting the fact that she had already been healed.

Ironically, this freed the blind woman from any ranking dilemmas. Since Yue Hongling’s severe injury meant she would not make the ranking, there was no longer any need to debate whether Yuxu should be removed. This little man was getting smarter.

To most of the world, the Tome of Troubled Times did not lie. If someone had a high chance of recovery, the tome would not use such grave wording. For instance, Yuxu’s status was “temporarily lost his cultivation” rather than just “lost his cultivation.” Once a phrase as heavy as “life and death uncertain” was used, the implication was clear—there was little to no hope.

Yue Hongling, gone?

The world shuddered at the thought. But nowhere was the reaction more intense than in Chang’an.

The city was in an uproar.

Yue Hongling was a local hero, the pride of Guanzhong, their own daughter! Everyone knew about her unclear relationship with Zhao Changhe, but as long as she had not publicly confirmed anything, no one in Guanzhong dared treat her as an enemy. No one would dare monitor her, much less drive her away. They all just pretended not to see when she visited home.

But now... she might be dead.

It was only logical. They had slain a second-layer Profound Control Realm ancient demon god—how could their side have come away unscathed? The cost of victory had to be Yue Hongling. A fair price.

The Li Clan reacted immediately. That morning, Li Bozhong, a relative of Li Boping, rushed to find Wei Changming. When he could not locate him right away, he personally rode to Huashan.

The moment he stepped into Luoxia Mountain Village, he did not even bother with pleasantries.

“Village Leader Yue, regarding the previous engagement discussion—clearly, we didn’t think it through. Since my niece isn’t in good health, let’s set that matter aside for now.”

Yue Fenghua’s face turned black as the bottom of a pot.

He had never truly believed that the Li Clan’s so-called marriage alliance was a sincere offer. It was not like Li Boping was offering his own daughter, just a distant branch relative. Even so, it was still better than a servant girl, and to Yue Fenghua, it had been a chance to bring honor to his family.

But now?

Distant relative or not, they had never respected Yue Fenghua to begin with. And now that Yue Hongling was no longer a factor, they did not even bother pretending. The moment she was presumed dead, they were scrambling to cancel the engagement.

From beginning to end, the only reason anyone had ever treated him with the slightest respect was his relationship with Yue Hongling.

Being associated with him used to mean having a connection to a Profound Control Realm powerhouse or, at the very least, a peak Profound Mysteries Realm expert.

But now? Now, he had nothing.

And according to some rumors... he had even sold out his own disciple. Even if Yue Hongling did survive, she sure as hell would not be standing on his side.

Without Yue Hongling, what reason did anyone have to marry their daughters into Yue Fenghua’s family? A casual alliance with the Wei Clan or Dai Clan would yield far more benefits than a connection to him.

Faced with this public rejection, Yue Fenghua could not even argue. He could only feign magnanimity, cupping his hands and saying, “It seems fate was not in our favor. Even if we cannot be in-laws, we can still be friends.”

“Sure, sure.” Li Bozhong did not even bother with formalities and left without looking back.