Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 889 (2): With Irresistible Force

A large hand reached out to grab the rabbit, but the rabbit sprang up in a flash and immediately returned to human form. A longsword shimmered into her grip, nearly taking the offending hand clean off.

The attacker recoiled in alarm. “How did you break free so quickly?”

Ling Ruoyu’s voice was sharp with fury. “You attacked without warning! If it hadn’t been a sneak attack, you wouldn’t have landed it at all!”

Zhao Changhe arrived behind her and nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, Ruoyu’s soul is no trifling matter. Given any warning, such techniques wouldn’t land at all. Fortunately, there’s still a trace of Hongling’s sword qi in her spiritual sea, just in case someone tries to pull off this kind of shit. Even if she’s caught off guard, she can still break through the attack in an instant.

The girl had plenty of hidden cards up her sleeve.

Feeling thoroughly wronged, Ling Ruoyu raised her saber and charged the guardian in a rage. He retreated rapidly, smiling wryly. “I concede! It wasn’t a sneak attack, per se. That technique has to be prepared in advance. It’s generally used for team support. Of course, I had it ready before you entered. I assumed you knew.”

Ling Ruoyu halted. “That’s your only trick? Nothing else before you admit defeat?”

“We’re here to gauge how different people respond to our tactics, not to fight to the death. The fact that you instantly dispelled my top-grade binding technique is more than enough. You may proceed.”

Ling Ruoyu scratched her head, starting to feel that this so-called Hall of Heroes was tailor-made as a stage for her and her father.

Zhao Changhe glanced sidelong at Ye Wuming. She was still smiling sweetly at their daughter. He sighed inwardly. If this whole setup wasn’t created by this damned blind woman herself, then it must’ve been at least specifically sought out for our current needs. Who knows how many years it took to find such a perfectly tailored training ground? It’s even possible that the so-called Heavenly Sword Venerable was conned into building this Hall of Heroes by the blind woman herself.

She never taught directly; she always guided others to get their own answers, and Zhao Changhe had experienced that for himself ever since he first entered the world.

But to endure her brand of “guidance” required a heart of steel... and the capacity not to hold grudges. Very few people could meet both conditions. Unfortunately for the blind woman, while both Xia Longyuan and Zhao Changhe had a heart of steel, they were also definitely of the kind that did hold grudges.

She could have just played the kindly old mentor. But no, she had to become the villain instead.

Clang!

From above, the sharp clash of weapons echoed through the stairwell. Zhao Changhe had just reached the sixth floor and saw that a swordsman in white battled Ling Ruoyu, controlling a flying sword as they exchanged dazzling blows.

A sword cultivator...

Dragon Bird had left Ling Ruoyu’s hand and had transformed into a massive flying saber. She was gleefully dueling the opponent’s sword midair. Meanwhile, Ling Ruoyu circled behind and stabbed the man right in the butt.

Zhao Changhe facepalmed. And you still want Dragon Bird to say that you aren’t that type...?

The swordsman gave a helpless chuckle. With a twist of his fingers, his flying sword split into two and shot straight toward Ling Ruoyu.

Her eyes suddenly gleamed with sharp light. She slapped her waist.

The jet-black River of Stars surged skyward like a torrent.

Clang!

A deafening explosion shook the floor. The arrays woven into the tower to absorb energy began to falter under the sheer force of the impact.

The swordsman spat blood, horror written across his face. “What is this power?!”

Before he could react, River of Stars already hovered at his throat.

Victory.

This was Ling Ruoyu’s true arena. But the use of the River of Stars also meant she had officially discarded the limitations of a Profound Mysteries-level novice and embraced her full might.

A force powerful enough to trap a world’s Heavenly Dao, capable of traveling freely through the void between worlds... River of Stars, the Heavenly Tome’s ultimate weapon.

The seventh floor.

Ling Ruoyu raised her head toward the golden light descending from above, sensing the immense might hidden within.

Now she knew for certain that the previous floors had tested technique and strategy. As for the last three, they tested pure, unrelenting strength. Either you could make it through or you could not.

Without River of Stars, she could not. But with River of Stars...

The guardian on the seventh floor watched helplessly as the spirited gleam in the girl’s eyes turned deep and unreadable. It was like watching a field of twinkling stars fade into the stillness of night.

She thrust her sword forward.

There was no wind nor lightning. And yet it felt as though the entire firmament had descended, as though the sky itself was falling.

The brilliance of the guardian’s magical treasure, radiant and thunderous, now disappeared without a trace. It was as if it had sunk into the sea without so much as a ripple. That sword strike had torn it all apart effortlessly and absolutely.

Zhao Changhe stroked his chin as he watched the pure energy-based magical treasure disintegrate. He shook his head. “Not very practical.”

Ye Wuming nodded silently, offering no comment.

The eighth floor.

A cloth sack unfurled in the air, its opening erupting with a violent suction force that swept through the floor. Ling Ruoyu had barely stepped inside before she and her sword were nearly sucked in together.

She looked up.

It was not mere suction. The mouth of that bag was black and deep, like the mouth of a cosmic black hole, threatening to devour all existence.

Clang!

River of Stars cried out, its gleam tearing through the void.

As though cutting across worlds, it cleaved through the mortal dust and through time and space.

River of Stars suppressed the heavens. Dragon Bird swept the battlefield.

The guardian retreated in panic, chest already slashed open by an exhilarated Dragon Bird.

Zhao Changhe watched in silence, murmuring his evaluation, “Restrictions like these have more tactical value. Too bad its power doesn’t match.”

Ye Wuming nodded again.

Ultimately, there were only a limited number of categories of magical treasures. Nothing truly defied comprehension, and this was just a Hall of Heroes, so how much could it really offer?

Ling Ruoyu exhaled lightly and stepped onto the final floor.

At the center of this floor stood a white-robed elder, hands clasped behind his back, wearing a faintly arrogant expression. “Where did that black sword come from?”

Ling Ruoyu smiled slightly. “Are you the Heavenly Sword Venerable? The trial’s not over yet. It’s not your turn, is it?”

The old man chuckled. “Indeed, I am he... I saw the divine sword and I was unable to restrain myself. Forgive this old man for jumping the line.”

Ling Ruoyu pouted. “Can I finish the ninth floor first, please?”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable let out a laugh. “Then allow me to be your ninth floor trial. How’s that?”

Ling Ruoyu took a step back and positioned herself behind her parents. “That’s cheating.”

The elder said earnestly, “Most who come to challenge this hall do so in hopes of meeting me. Now that I’m already here, why continue with the formality of another round?”

“My dad’s the one who wants to meet you, not me,” Ling Ruoyu huffed. “I’m just here for the trial. I don’t care, I want my ninth floor!”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable turned his gaze toward Zhao Changhe and Ye Wuming. His expression grew more astonished. “So this really is a family bringing their child to a trial? And she’s managed to clear eight floors already? What kind of background do you two have?”

Zhao Changhe replied evenly, “Nothing noteworthy. The child, in the end, is still relying on external power.”

“To use tools wisely is part of what separates humans from beasts,” the Heavenly Sword Venerable said with a hint of admiration. “There’s no shame in relying on external forces. You’re being modest. Besides, this external power is clearly something extraordinary. The girl’s cultivation isn’t particularly high, but the moment she took up the sword, even her internal energy changed... I’ve never seen such a thing in all my years.”

Zhao Changhe’s tone remained neutral. “So, what are you implying? That you want the sword?”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable replied calmly, “And if I said I did?”

Zhao Changhe answered, “Those who seek the Dao should understand that some things can only be obtained by those with fate. Coveting what does not belong to you only invites misfortune. The fact that we let a child wield such a treasure in public means we’ve long since accepted that others might desire it, but they can only dream of having it.”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable fell into silence.

This man’s presence was oppressive enough on its own, but what truly unsettled him was the quiet woman beside him. She had not said a word, yet gave off a dread so profound that even he, one of the world’s most powerful cultivators, felt an instinctive chill whenever he glanced her way. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Could she be... a projection of the Heavenly Dao?

This man does have a point, though. To let a child parade around with a divine weapon in broad daylight means that they have to have terrifying confidence.

He could not begin to guess their origins, so he dared not act recklessly. At last, he said slowly, “You’re very sure of yourself... Well, anyway. Just now, your daughter mentioned she’s only here to test herself, and that it’s you who was seeking me. So tell me, what matters bring you to me?”

Zhao Changhe replied with complete sincerity, “Please let my daughter finish the ninth floor first. Look at her, she’s about to cry.”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable looked at Ling Ruoyu, then back at Zhao Changhe, torn between amusement and exasperation. “The reason I said the ninth floor was unnecessary is that the sword is too powerful. Your daughter already qualifies to face me directly, so what point is there in defeating another floor guardian? But if you insist, I can spar with her for a few moves and let her feel she’s completed the challenge. Once we’re done, would you be willing to properly discuss the matter of that divine sword?”