Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 755: Dear Big Sister

When an era was severed from the following one, and mortals of the following age inherited fragments of ancient legacies from scattered texts, their pursuit of divine and demonic traces often began with reverence and devotion.

Yet, every individual walks a different path.

Tngri adhered to the mandates of the Heavenly God, and the Great Shaman Bo’e, as the closest to divinity, served as the voice of their miracles.

The seafaring nations, shaped by the winds and tempests of the ocean, naturally developed a primal faith in the Sea God’s protection, making it the core of their beliefs.

These were the followers... or the submissive subjects.

The Four Idols Cult called for the return of the Night Emperor, seeking to establish an ancient divine nation where gods and mortals were one. It was both faith and a pursuit of the Dao. But when they encountered those who walked closer to the Dao, their faith shifted accordingly. Beyond the Night Emperor, they held no reverence for the Four Idols of antiquity. Long ago, they had declared themselves the new Four Idols, replacing the old.

Xue Canghai sought only the power of the Blood God. His surface-level reverence was nothing more than deference to strength. His true belief, unspoken yet clear, was that this was how a great man should be.

Yuan Cheng was the most direct of all. He proclaimed that anyone can become a Buddha. You might not be the Buddha, but as long as you reach that level, there is no fundamental difference.

These people still belonged to the ranks of followers, but the seeds of challenge were already present. Their path was not merely to serve but to complete their own ascension.

And when such personal pursuits began to contradict the will of the gods, defiance inevitably followed.

The world is already filled with rebels—I was born into this world to walk my own path. What have the decrees of gods and demons to do with me?

Every rising power echoed this sentiment.

Xia Longyuan, at his core, was also a rebel through his defiance against the blind woman. Yet in the end, he was crushed beneath the weight of fate. How much of it was due to the blind woman manipulating the threads of destiny, and how much was simply inevitable collapse? That remained unknown.

A more striking example was Hai Pinglan. He lived sixteen years of feigned servitude only to erupt in a single day with a storm that shook the heavens and the sea, destroying everything in its wake.

Zhao Changhe, too, was a rebel. And he was not alone. So was Yuxu.

He had long been forced into doing the will of the divine against his own desires. There was a time when Zhao Changhe felt that Yuxu’s resistance was too mild, that he lacked the power to do more. But the truth was just that: he did not lack the will, but the power.

It was just as Zhao Changhe’s own form of defiance had once amounted to nothing more than smearing the Heavenly Tome with bodily fluids for a time. To the blind woman, such resistance likely seemed no different from a child’s tantrum.

More crucially, for generations, people believed that gods were eternal. The greater their stature, the more unshakable they seemed. They had survived the collapse of eras as part of the very fabric of the Heavenly Dao. What could mortals possibly do to change that?

For Yuxu, the only choice was nonviolent resistance.

And then came that single arrow across the raging sea and the ensuing fall of the Sea Emperor, which sent shockwaves across the world.

For the first time, a god had died. And it was then that the world came to understand that even gods could die!

Yuxu thus descended the mountain with solemn resolve, stepping into the affairs of the mortal world. On the surface, it seemed as though he was obeying the Dao Lord’s demand to establish Daoist authority in the secular realm. But in truth, he had another consideration.

If I go to Chang’an, doesn’t that mean the Dao Lord must also leave his secret realm to watch over the situation there? And if so, then he will have to abandon his hidden stronghold, leave behind the sinister forces he’s long gathered in Kunlun, and step away from the chaotic struggles of the region. In Chang’an, there will be no distractions, no outside forces—just him and me.

Is this not the perfect moment?

Li Shentong, after decades of brotherhood with Yuxu, sensed something was off the moment the old Daoist re-emerged. Without exchanging a single word with Yuxu, he nudged Zhao Changhe toward Chang’an, setting the pieces in place for a grand scheme.

The old Daoist, who had for years abided by nonviolent resistance and spent his days at the three cottages, moved with the force of a tempest now that he had finally made his decision.

As Li Shentong’s strike expelled the Dao Lord’s divine soul, Yuxu suffered severe physical backlash, and he spewed a mouthful of blood. Yet he paid no heed to his injuries. The fresh blood sprayed onto the Dao Lord’s divine soul, instantly staining it red.

A yin spirit without physical substance was suddenly anchored by blood. It became something tangible—in other words, something that could be harmed. A faint cracking sound could be heard as it began to solidify.

“Very good.” The Dao Lord’s voice was now dark and eerie, and it held a hint of true anger. “Yuxu... You planned this meticulously, schemed against me for so long... Fine. Very well...”

Yuxu’s face was pallid and his injuries undoubtedly grave, but his expression remained light, almost carefree. He had no interest in responding to the Dao Lord’s words. Instead, a long sword materialized in his grip. With an intricate, mysterious arc, the blade moved toward the Dao Lord’s bloodstained chest.

At the same time, Li Shentong’s fist came crashing in from the side. Their coordination was seamless.

Pa! Pa!

Two sharp impacts rang out. The Dao Lord caught Yuxu’s sword with one hand and intercepted Li Shentong’s punch with the other. Yet, instead of striking the Dao Lord, their attacks seemed to collide with each other through some eerie manipulation, causing both of them immense backlash while dealing no harm to him.

A blood-red Taiji diagram erupted from the Dao Lord, and in an instant, Louguantai was reduced to ashes.

But this destruction was not the Dao Lord’s doing. It was Yuxu and Li Shentong’s own power turned against them...

The Dao Lord chuckled, and his voice was laced with amusement. “Familiar, isn’t it? Before me, all your techniques are meaningless. You are bound at every step. You think you can resist me? Impossible... And let’s not forget the disciples of Louguantai. They perished because of you, killed by your own power. Tell me, how does that feel?”

Before he could continue, a voice interrupted, full of scorn, “You’re talking out of your ass.”

To everyone’s surprise, the disciples of Louguantai, along with the servants and workers, had all been swept up by an invisible wind, gently carried away into the night toward the safety of Chang’an.

Zhao Changhe stood amidst the storm, his mastery over the wind now so refined that he could move it with his will as though it were an extension of his body.

Yuxu allowed himself a small smile. This, too, came about through tacit understanding.

During the day, Yuxu had extended his invitation. Now, in the dead of night, carried by the wind, they had all converged here. Did anyone truly not understand the purpose behind their actions? Even Yuxu’s method of using vicious blood to solidify the Dao Lord’s form was a deliberate setup, an intricate coordination with Zhao Changhe. And Zhao Changhe, hearing the tune of the scheme, naturally understood the key in which it was written.

With a smile Zhao Changhe raised Dragon Bird once again. A surge of overwhelming vicious blood qi erupted. In an instant, the skies within a hundred li of Lougiantai were stained blood-red. It was as if a grotesque demonic face had manifested in the void, roaring in frenzy. A tyrannical force, seeking to shred everything apart, spread recklessly without restraint.

Both Li Shentong and Yuxu instinctively cast a glance at Zhao Changhe. Even Huangfu Qing and Yue Hongling, who were mid-attack, felt their hearts tremble. No one in this world had ever witnessed such a terrifying presence of bloodthirsty malevolence. And even more astonishing, it came from Zhao Changhe...

The fifth ultimate technique of the Vicious Blood Saber Art, a move that Zhao Changhe had never once unleashed.

Annihilation of All Life!

Boom!

The Dao Lord’s blood-colored Taiji formed a barrier against the strike.

Against Yuxu and Li Shentong’s combined assault, the Dao Lord had absorbed their attacks effortlessly, as though they had vanished into nothingness. Yet, despite Zhao Changhe’s cultivation being inferior to both of them, this strike landed true.

The Dao Lord’s blood-solidified body twisted and contorted violently. His form became grotesque, his entire being writhing uncontrollably as the blood qi within him surged chaotically, on the verge of exploding.

Boom!

The backlash came violently, but Zhao Changhe did not cough up blood as the Dao Lord had expected.

He only took a single step back!

The Dao Lord immediately sensed something was wrong. He was trapped within a formation, one that seamlessly integrated Heaven, Earth, and Man into a singular force, aligning with the sun, moon, and stars. The impact had been split among three points, each bearing only a third of the burden.

And then, from his left, a crimson radiance tore through the heavens, a sword light slicing directly at his throat.

From his right, a blaze of the Southern Li Fire erupted beneath his feet, rising into the sky.

Directly in front, as Zhao Changhe’s saber rebounded, his black sword descended once more.

Demonic night descended upon the battlefield, and the world fell into eerie silence. The scene was surreal. Twilight on the left, eternal night on the right, and between them, the Milky Way cascading from the heavens, severing the sky itself. Was this moment meant to tear the world apart, or fuse it together? It was a balance beyond even the Daoist Taiji, a battle formation that defied comprehension.

From the sidelines, Yuxu and Li Shentong stood stunned. They abruptly realized that they had been pushed outside the core of the battle, unable to fit into the formation. For the first time, they found themselves as mere spectators, out of sync with the rhythm of the battle, unable to find an opening to contribute.

It was as if those three alone were enough to end the Dao Lord here and now... And in truth, that might not be far from the truth. Their level of coordination, and their terrifying assault, was as if they were waging war against the entire world.

What kind of formation is this?

The Dao Lord stood firm upon the fire, seemingly rooted in heaven and earth itself, allowing the searing flames to rage around him yet refusing to be consumed. With a flick of his hand, he repeated his earlier technique, spinning the blood-colored Taiji diagram, directing Yue Hongling’s sword energy and Zhao Changhe’s saber energy against each other in a brutal collision!

The collision of sword and saber should have resulted in violent conflict. Yet, instead of clashing, the two forces intertwined seamlessly, like lovers meeting in a tender embrace. The spiraling energy coalesced into a singular force, surging forward with explosive might.

Boom!

The Dao Lord’s Taiji diagram shattered into oblivion.

At the same time, the raging flames beneath him suddenly turned azure, a spectral fire imbued with the essence of death. An eerie stillness crept through the battlefield. It was the power of Vermillion Bird, the cycle of life and death itself. For the first time, the Dao Lord, who was currently in the form of a yin spirit, could no longer ignore mortality! In her presence, there was no such thing as the undying!

A wretched scream spilled from his lips. Maddened, he surged forward with all his might, forcing open a corner of the formation in an attempt to escape its confines.

A second-layer Profound Control Realm cultivator was still a Profound Control Realm cultivator. With this single charge, the world seemed to twist and spiral, a soft yet overwhelming force upending the heavens. The trio—Zhao Changhe, Yue Hongling, and Huangfu Qing—groaned in unison, a thin line of blood trickling from the corners of their lips.

The sheer impact of his power spun them off-axis ever so slightly, creating a flaw in their formation.

Seizing the opportunity, the Dao Lord, now more blood-wraith than divine being, burst through the gap.

Absolute power transcends all clever techniques.

Bang!

Yet, just as he thought he had broken free, the unstoppable spear slammed into an immovable wall.

Li Shentong stood before him, his bronze face twisted into an ugly smirk.

“That old Daoist always argued with me,” said Li Shentong with a sneer. “He would always say that water is soft, yet can erode even steel. And you know what, there’s a point in that saying. But in the heat of battle, soft water will never break a dam.”

That one instant of resistance was all the trio needed. They snapped back into their positions and the formation was restored.

The Dao Lord was caught in an inescapable net!

The Dao Lord had fought in silence all this time, but now, his grotesquely distorted face darkened into a shade of abyssal black. “I had no desire to fight you all to the death... but that doesn’t mean I cannot. If I truly let loose, taking one or two of your lives with me is hardly an impossibility... Are you prepared for that?”

His bloodied form morphed into pure black mist, its formless presence swallowing the very air around them. The hideous visage of a phantasmal demon coiled above the battlefield, engulfing even Zhao Changhe’s Blood God manifestation in the darkness.

This night in Chang’an had turned into a night of demons.

“Ah, So that’s how it is.” The blind woman’s voice was eerily calm as she spoke to Jiuyou. “You spent all this time in Kunlun, subtly corrupting him.”

Jiuyou’s expression was as placid as still water. “A single obsessive thought. That’s all it takes to fall into darkness. Rather than say I corrupted him, it would be more accurate to say his desperation for the Heavenly Tome and his obsession with replacing the Heavenly Dao led him here. If I played any role in this, it was merely... an honest reflection of the role the Heavenly Dao assigned to me. You and I, what is the nature of our existence? You, of all people, should understand. Even when I was not there, you once gave birth to my existence in your own heart... After all, you know better than anyone how Piaomiao died, don’t you, dear Big Sister?”