Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 775 (1): Smoke From All Directions

Baoqin called Hidden Wind ugly, but she was merely being Baoqin.

In truth, Hidden Wind was far from the desiccated husk that Zhao Changhe had first encountered. Though his features remained somewhat gaunt, they now carried the flesh and blood of a living person. In fact, his appearance even bore a certain ethereal refinement reminiscent of an immortal hermit. He was not ugly in the slightest.

The change in his appearance reflected the extent of his recovery. The more his body regained its normal fullness, the closer he was to his peak strength.

Back when Zhao Changhe faced him for the first time, Hidden Wind was still in a pitiful state of recovery. At that time, Zhao Changhe had yet to break through to the Profound Control Realm and had relied on the power of the Dragon Bird and River of Stars, along with sheer intimidation, to force Hidden Wind into retreat.

By the time he clashed with Vermillion Bird in Jinbei, his condition had improved considerably; he had reached a level of strength roughly around the middle of the first layer of Profound Control. Yet, he still suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Vermillion Bird, who had only just entered the Profound Control Realm at the time.

Now, after recuperating from the injuries inflicted by Vermillion Bird, he emerged once more, although his cultivation hadn’t recovered much and he was more or less at the same level as during that fight. And his opponent was once again someone who had just stepped into the Profound Control Realm: Tang Wanzhuang.

Third time’s the charm.

Hidden Wind did not believe that every single one of his adversaries possessed the ability to cross realms in battle. He would not allow himself to be frightened away a third time. Seeing that Tang Wanzhuang’s techniques were sound-related, yet she had abandoned her zither in favor of her sword to engage in close combat, he scoffed. If he still failed to defeat her under these conditions, he might as well dig himself a grave and bury himself.

But the longer he fought Tang Wanzhuang, the more he found himself questioning reality.

Wind was the most elusive and unpredictable of elements, making close-quarters combat against it a nightmare. Yet, to his astonishment, the other party was even harder to grasp than wind itself.

Her sword light flowed like water, cascading layer upon layer in mesmerizing waves. But none of the flashes of sword light he saw were real. Damage came from inexplicable directions with attacks striking from places that had seemed not just impossible but downright absurd.

It was not merely an illusion to the eyes. At their level, combat was no longer reliant on sight alone. Yet even his spiritual perception was thrown into disarray, deceived at its core. This was Hidden Wind’s own specialty, yet before Tang Wanzhuang, it felt as if he was being crushed by an overwhelming law of nature itself. His every attack dissipated into the endless ripples of flowing spring water, while the slightest splashback left him riddled with wounds.

What is this?

For a while, Hidden Wind could not even understand what her power was based on.

Light was something the world took for granted. But that only served to show its ubiquity... and its pervasiveness. Compared to wind, it was simply on a different level of existence. It was a higher law of reality, making Tang Wanzhuang an opponent on a different level entirely.

Whoosh!

Hidden Wind’s skeletal hand pierced through Tang Wanzhuang’s abdomen.

Yet it met nothing but empty air. She had never been there to begin with.

Before he could react, a sword light flickered out of nowhere, already slashing toward his throat.

He had no idea where she was and where the attacks were coming from. Even after exchanging multiple blows, Hidden Wind still could not locate her, much less predict her attacks. It felt like being a lone traveler trudging through an endless desert, spotting an oasis in the distance—no matter how fast or for how long he moved toward it, he could never reach it. Everything he saw and perceived was an illusion.

Hidden Wind swiftly dodged the throat-slashing strike, but a chill ran down his spine.

Thankfully, his own abilities were well-suited for entangling battles. Tang Wanzhuang’s cultivation was slightly weaker than his, so she could not achieve a swift victory. Yet, the longer the fight dragged on, the more bewildered he became. He had no sense of her location, no idea where her attacks originated from. He relied solely on his superior cultivation and speed to hold out, but how could he fight like this?

Glancing downward, he saw the Jinnan army below and realized their faces were filled with fear. They huddled outside the range of the cannons, unwilling to advance yet not retreating entirely. Instead, they stared upward, anxiously watching the divine battle in the sky, waiting to see if their own demon god would secure victory and turn the tide in their favor.

Hidden Wind felt a throbbing headache.

He had anticipated encountering a Profound Control Realm expert defending this place. However, with so few troops left in Yanmen, conventional wisdom dictated that as long as he could keep the Profound Control Realm expert occupied, his army could storm the city, forcing the defenders to watch helplessly as the fortress fell.

But now? His army did not even dare to launch an assault. They cowered far from the battlefield while Tang Wanzhuang remained at ease. She could wait within the city for as long as she pleased, with shelter and provisions at her disposal. Meanwhile, his army was out in the open and had very little going on for them in terms of supplies. How long could they possibly afford to linger?

What if I can’t win this?

As the thought took root, his fighting spirit waned, and the idea of retreat crept into his mind.

Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes glimmered with amusement. She had anticipated this outcome. Among all the so-called demon gods, Hidden Wind had the weakest resolve and bloodlust. He had fled once from Zhao Changhe, he had been routed once by Vermillion Bird... so would he stand against her with full resolve to take her down? Questionable.

When two warriors meet on a narrow path, victory belongs to the one with the courage to step forward!

Whoosh!

The flowing sword light of Spring Water Sword suddenly gathered into a single, focused arc, streaking toward Hidden Wind like a shooting star.

A strike of such concentrated force was difficult to conceal. The pull of its aura was undeniable, and someone of Hidden Wind’s caliber could naturally perceive it. By instinct, he unleashed a violent tornado, engulfing Tang Wanzhuang’s figure, which was one with her sword, within its raging winds.

This was their first direct, head-on clash. Under normal circumstances, he should have been ecstatic. His higher cultivation should have given him the advantage in a frontal confrontation.

But instead, Hidden Wind hesitated.

His mind was plagued with doubt. Tang Wanzhuang should not have so easily revealed her presence. She should not have so readily abandoned the means she had been using to suppress him. It made no sense.

Even as he unleashed his most powerful attack, half of his focus remained frantically scanning his surroundings, searching for distortions in light and shadow. Half of his strength was held back, bracing for an attack that could come from anywhere else.

Thus, the outcome was inevitable.

Clang!

The sword light effortlessly pierced through the seemingly violent tornado. Instead of being scattered by the turbulent winds, it surged forward, growing even more intense, and drove straight into Hidden Wind’s chest.

It was a real strike. There were no illusions, no deception.

Hidden Wind had miscalculated.

A guttural scream of agony tore from his lips. In the next instant, a fierce gale erupted, the sheer force blasting Tang Wanzhuang backward by several zhang. With countless eyes watching from both inside and outside the city walls, Hidden Wind seized that fleeting moment to retreat, turning around sharply and vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Jinnan’s army stood in utter disbelief.

They naturally failed to comprehend the intricacies of the battle; what they did know was that under their hopeful gazes, their revered demon god had clashed head-on with the enemy and lost. There was no prolonged exchange, no desperate struggle. One moment, he was there, and the next, a sword had run him clean through.

And then... he simply fled.

This is an ancient demon god? When he lost to Vermillion Bird in Jinbei, at least they fought for the time it took two or three incense sticks to burn, turning the entire Qiao Clan estate into rubble before he had to give up and flee. But now? This was quick. Too quick. It doesn’t make any sense. Is he truly a demon god?

Three times he has descended upon the mortal world. Three times, he has been defeated. And three times, he has fled.

Has he ever fought a battle to the end? Is his so-called wind nothing more than a means of escape?

Tang Wanzhuang pressed a hand against her throat, swallowing back the rising blood. Her voice was light, yet carried through the battlefield: “Surrender, and you will live.”

The soldiers turned their gazes upward. She descended slowly, her figure bathed in the golden hues of dawn, ethereal and dreamlike.

“Young miss!” The moment her feet touched the city wall, she staggered. Baoqin rushed to catch her, her voice filled with concern, “You’re hurt?”

“Mm, I had to risk a decisive blow if I wanted a swift victory.” Lowering her voice, she added, “I’ll keep playing. Don’t let them notice.”

The gentle notes of the guqin drifted once more. No longer was it a forceful melody that could push back the winds. Now, it was as soft as a passing breeze, reaching the ears of every soldier far beyond the city walls.

As the sound of the guqin rippled through their hearts, it stirred something deep within.

In their minds, they saw their aged mothers waiting at home with their silver-streaked hair. They saw the peaceful countryside, endless fields of green swaying under the sun. Children laughed as they ran along the dirt paths, their voices rising into the sky alongside fluttering kites. Their world was behind them.

But before them, what lay ahead? Devilish contraptions that stood poised to turn them into piles of charred flesh. A fortress that had stood unshaken for generations. And a woman who had ruled with wisdom and strength for over a decade, standing like an unbreakable wall between them and their target.

This was a war they could never win. No... This was a war that never should have started.

Why were they fighting against First Seat Tang? Why were they throwing themselves into the flames for the greed of a few men, forcing countless families into suffering?

Why was Yanmen empty? It was because General Huangfu had led his forces northward to battle foreign invaders, and yet... what were they doing?

History would not be kind. Their names would be remembered, but only in disgrace.

The power of the guqin was never in the destruction it could bring. It was in the hearts it could change.

For years, Tang Wanzhuang had been shackled by her injuries. But now, on the battlefield, she finally unfurled the true purpose of her lifelong cultivation.

“Surrender, and you will live.”

The voice echoed in their hearts again and again, louder every time.

At last, a spear dropped to the ground.