Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 911: The First Battle at the Other Shore

Heavenly Profound Star.

The ruler, Sovereign Withered Wood, had lately been gripped by a vague, gnawing unease. It was as if some unseen storm loomed on the horizon.

At his level, a sovereign among immortals, such feelings rarely came without cause. To make his intuition stir like this, the opposing force had to be one of equal level, or perhaps even greater.

He reviewed recent events, and only one individual matched that level: Luo Chuan. As for the saber-wielding man who had been fleeing pursuit, his cultivation was far from sufficient.

Luo Chuan had suffered grave injuries. It stood to reason he would not recover quickly enough to provoke such foreboding.

Could he have actually already recovered?

Sovereign Withered Wood paced back and forth, unsettled.

No, that shouldn’t be possible.

More importantly, he recalled that Luo Chuan’s injuries had not been due to his own attack alone. The blow had only become truly devastating because the saber-wielding man’s magical treasure had erupted with overwhelming force at the exact moment their strikes collided. Luo Chuan had suffered a compounded hit.

A man who had not even stepped into the Other Shore, carrying a weapon of the Other Shore caliber... Frankly, Sovereign Withered Wood was deeply tempted.

Such a magical treasure was not just a rare find, it was an era-defining artifact. With it in hand, he could rise above his rivals, break the long-standing balance of power, and perhaps even unify the segmentum.

Luo Chuan likely crossed forbidden lines to seize that treasure, hence his reckless killing spree here.

But seeing as it appeared right here in my domain, well...

Let’s just say that whoever holds the blade owns the blade.

Sovereign Withered Wood had sent his forces across the segmentum in search of the saber-wielding man for over ten days, yet his subordinates returned with nothing. Even his divinations failed, and everything seemed to be obscured in an impassable fog.

It made no sense.

And he had thus begun to feel that perhaps the true source of his unease was not Luo Chuan but that unknown man.

But could a mere cultivator beneath the Other Shore Realm truly disturb me like this? I’m not just any random loose cultivator, after all. I’ve got an entire world beneath me.

Even as this thought crossed his mind, a deafening boom erupted.

One of the scouts he had dispatched was suddenly hurled into the mountain-guarding array. The grand array activated on its own, sending a maelstrom of sword qi into the sky.

The scout, drenched in cold sweat, scrambled to produce a command token. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Recognizing its aura, the array ceased its assault.

In that instant, a pair of figures flickered into view—a man and a woman, stepping through a narrow opening in the array. The man’s saber gleamed as it slashed at the array’s core.

Dimensional boundaries tore, space shattered, and the grand array collapsed in an instant.

It was all too sudden. Before Sovereign Withered Wood could even react, the array was already gone.

Clang!

The saber spun and clashed directly with Sovereign Withered Wood’s divine strike. Both parties staggered back.

Sovereign Withered Wood’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “The Other Shore!”

His strike had been nullified with ease. It was as if his opponent had merely clashed with ordinary sword qi. That kind of parity could only mean that they were equals.

The man’s appearance had shifted. He was no longer the middle-aged, long-bearded figure from before. Now he was young, refined... yet unmistakably the same person.

He has broken through? Just a bit over ten days ago, he had barely set one foot on the Other Shore. He was even wounded and fleeing for his life, yet not only has he already recovered from those grave injuries, he’s even broken through to a realm that most others can’t even grasp in centuries?!

Sovereign Withered Wood nearly cursed aloud. If injuries could so easily lead to breakthroughs, he would gladly subject himself to daily torment.

His eyes shifted to the woman beside the man, dressed in violet robes. Her aura is almost equal to mine. Could she also be at the Other Shore?

Where did all these monsters come from? This segmentum has seen little change for tens of thousands of years, so how is it that this couple just appeat out of nowhere? Iteems like they’re going to flip it all upside down!

Dismissing the crowd of subordinates gathering around him, Sovereign Withered Wood stood alone before the pair, inwardly assessing their intent.

There was no point in gathering troops. Numbers meant nothing now.

He asked, “I don’t recognize you, Fellow Daoist. May I have your name?”

“Zhao Changhe,” the man said, holding the woman’s hand. “This is my wife, Jiuyou.”

Ye Jiuyou made a slight face. Within the Heavenly Tome, Ye Wuming rolled her eyes.

What happened to Explorer of the Night? Are you abandoning that name now that you’ve already explored us?

Zhao Changhe asked, “May I have the honor of your name?”

Unaware of the silent bickering between souls, Sovereign Withered Wood replied with grave courtesy, “Withered Wood.”

“Before coming here, I inquired about your title... Though you reside in an immortal mountain rather than a palace, you still bear the title of Sovereign?”

Sovereign Withered Wood replied, “The title is but customary within the segmentum. Every planet’s guardian is referred to as an Sovereign. Some build palaces, but I prefer mountains and rivers.”

Zhao Changhe smiled. “That’s more like it. Immortal cultivators should live as such. Those gaudy Sun Palaces and Night Palaces are just tacky.”

Ye Wuming: “...”

Sovereign Withered Wood did not understand the insult. He only said coldly, “You trespassed, injured my men, and destroyed my array. Do you take Heavenly Profound Star for a place you can trample at will?”

Zhao Changhe smiled faintly. “Your Majesty, that’s not quite fair. I was fleeing pursuit when I stumbled into your domain. Your array helped me fight them off, so in a sense, you saved my life.”

Sovereign Withered Wood said icily, “In that case, is this how you repay a life-saving grace? By wrecking my array?”

“You indeed granted me a life-saving grace, but it was also you who nearly killed me,” Zhao Changhe said calmly, his smile fading. “That palm of yours left me bedridden for half a month. What’s the destruction of an array compared to that?”

Sovereign Withered Wood’s eye twitched.

Just half a month? That palm should’ve flattened you entirely, especially since you were already gravely injured... Yet now you stand before me as lively as ever, speaking as if nothing had happened.

He did not know Zhao had actually only been bedridden for two days and that the rest of the time was spent engaged in... other pursuits. If he had, he might truly have lost the will to live.

Zhao Changhe had not expected that his body cultivation techniques from the Heavenly Tome’s world would remain top-tier even here. Every step he had taken in his journey had not been in vain.

“At any rate, does that mean your coming here and destroying my array is but an act of revenge?”

“Not quite,” Zhao Changhe replied. “It’s more that if I hadn’t temporarily disabled the array, we wouldn’t have been able to enter safely. The man I tossed into the array earlier was one of yours, sent to look for us, yes? In times of uncertain alliances, one must take precautions.”

Sovereign Withered Wood’s eyes narrowed.

Uncertain alliances... The phrasing was deliberate. It was not an open declaration of war; rather, there was clearly room for discussion. Zhao Changhe was clearly saying that whether he came as a friend or foe depended on how he, Sovereign Withered Wood, chose to proceed.

If one were to speak of attitude, well... Sovereign Withered Wood had certainly been tempted by the magical treasure before. But now that he stood before a married couple, both of whom were at the Other Shore, even a fool would know better than to provoke such a duo.

Sovereign Withered Wood quietly shelved his desire to seize the artifact. His thoughts shifted rapidly, and he said aloud, “That strike I delivered was more about expelling you from this star than taking your life. If I’d truly meant to kill, I would have used an artifact or a weapon, not a bare palm. That said, I didn’t exactly hold back either. You trespassed into forbidden ground, triggered the array, and lured in an outside threat, treating me like some pawn in your game. Hmph, I’m no pushover. Whether you lived or died was left to fate.”

To be fair, that was indeed the truth. His thoughts of claiming the magical treasure had only come after the fact.

Zhao Changhe nodded. “So if I hadn’t survived that blow, then that would have been on me for being weak.”

Sovereign Withered Wood said coolly, “That’s what I said. What, was I wrong to do so? And anyway, with that in mind, what do you intend now?”

Zhao Changhe gave a faint smile. “Take one strike from me, then we’re even.”

Sovereign Withered Wood was already starting to grow irritated. If this were a peaceful exchange, this would be the point where they declared the score settled. After all, he had helped Zhao Changhe repel Luo Chuan, and though it might not have been out of altruism but because Luo Chuan had trespassed on his domain, the fact still remained that Zhao Changhe owed his life in part to him.

Despite that, this man still cares about paying back a grudge?

Sovereign Withered Wood said coldly, “And if your strike injures me, then what?”

Zhao Changhe did not even dignify that with a response. He simply raised his hand, forming a saber with his palm, and struck.

Sovereign Withered Wood’s pupils expanded in shock.

From all across the star, cultivators and subordinates floated in the skies, watching from afar. The moment that saber descended, gasps rippled through the onlookers.

“Was that... an illusion?” someone stammered. “It felt like he just split the heavens.”

A more experienced watcher spoke grimly, “That was no illusion. If this had been a sub-world, that strike would have torn open the sky. It’s no exaggeration.”

This was no mere technique, it was a true Heaven-Splitting Slash.

When did such an Sovereign-level figure emerge in this segmentum?

Sovereign Withered Wood cultivated the traditional immortal path, where magical treasures and flying swords were more prized than one’s body. He was not built for close combat, and such visceral, hand-to-hand clashes were far from his forte.

Normally, he would have summoned an artifact to meet this blow, but the other party had used only his bare palm. If he, the proud Sovereign of this star, had to rely on a weapon in return, what of his dignity would remain? Even if he won, it would be seen as disgraceful.

He clenched his teeth, abandoned caution, and met the strike with a bare palm of his own.

The two palms collided, and heaven and earth fell silent.

For a moment, the spectators felt as though the fabric of reality had twisted, as though light itself bent, sound faded, and the entire world drained of color. It was as if everything ceased to exist, whether it be sound, light, or motion.

Then, it all snapped back in an instant, so quickly that most thought they had just blinked too hard.

However, Sovereign Withered Wood knew better.

Zhao Changhe’s strike had actually severed his past.

Had the strike landed clean, the name “Withered Wood” would have ceased to exist. His past and future would have been erased. He would have been annihilated from the timeline itself.

Zhao Changhe’s Severing Karma, a move he had honed through insurmountable trials, had reached its peak.

Although that brief clash appeared to just be a single blow on the surface, it was, in truth, a collision of souls across every node of time—past, present, and future—before returning to the here and now.

Sovereign Withered Wood suddenly staggered back several li. He steadied himself and said, voice low and composed, “I stand corrected.”

Zhao Changhe remained motionless, his robes fluttering in the wind, the very picture of ease. “The grievance is settled.”

The onlookers saw Zhao Changhe unmoved and Withered Wood forced to retreat. The outcome seemed clear: Zhao Changhe had won.

And yet there were no wounds, no violence beyond that simple exchange. It had all stopped short of true harm.

None could see the blood rising in Sovereign Withered Wood’s throat, shoved back down with gritted teeth. He was seconds from coughing up a mouthful, and he’d only held it in by sheer force of will.

An enemy at the Other Shore, defeated in a single blow!

Within ten thousand li, silence fell like a shroud. All eyes were fixed in stunned disbelief upon the skies above the immortal mountain.

Where did this dragon of a man come from?

Ye Jiuyou had been standing quietly at Zhao Changhe’s side throughout the duel, guarding the space to ensure no one could interfere. Now, she turned to gaze at his profile, her eyes shimmering.

She knew Zhao Changhe had several reasons for instigating this confrontation—one of them being a trial by combat. A breakthrough in cultivation alone was not enough. One needed to test oneself against a peer to truly understand and integrate one’s newfound strength.

But even so, she had not expected a single strike of his to force back a peer of Luo Chuan’s caliber. The result far exceeded her expectations.

This was a Sovereign who had reached the Other Shore Realm, someone who could hold Luo Chuan at bay. And Zhao Changhe had injured him in a single blow.

Ye Jiuyou was not sure she could have done the same.

Before she’d realized it, the man who once needed Ye Wuming as a distraction just to survive a fight with her had come to stand firmly above her, and it was in more ways than one. These days, it would likely take the two sisters working together to be confident of suppressing him in battle.

And in... other battlefields? Even their combined efforts might collapse in defeat.

At this moment, Ye Wuming’s thoughts were uncannily similar. She, too, was lost in reflection, and her face was faintly flushed.

Meanwhile, Sovereign Withered Wood still could not wrap his mind around what had just happened. Even accounting for him not having used any magical treasures, he should not have been so thoroughly suppressed. The gap had felt almost like they were not even in the same realm...

Forcing composure into his voice, he spoke again, “You’ve already made your display of power. Seeing as you’re still standing here, are you planning to wipe me out completely?”

His fingers subtly curled around the artifact tucked within his sleeve.

It was humiliating. If not for the woman beside Zhao Changhe, things would not have spiraled so far out of control. Now, if this went poorly, he might not just lose face, he might lose his entire dominion.

However, Zhao Changhe merely smiled. “I said the grievance is settled. Now... it’s time to repay a debt.”

Sovereign Withered Wood tilted his head in confusion.

“I didn’t say we’re even earlier because these are two separate matters. A life-saving grace can’t be offset by a blow for a blow.”

As he spoke, Zhao Changhe raised a hand and swept it outward.

A massive corpse puppet materialized in midair. Its sheer presence was enough to make the air tremble.

“A moment ago, I sensed some flaws in your Dao body,” Zhao Changhe said. “This is a demonic body that once developed a minor world of its own. Let it serve as a gift to help you take the next step on your journey through the Other Shore.”

Sovereign Withered Wood stood frozen. “A gift... for me?”

The corpse exuded a terrifying presence. Even as a puppet, it was already comparable to an Other Shore entity, at least physically. As a cultivation reference, it held immeasurable value. This was not something one could trade even for a whole planet, yet here Zhao Changhe was, offering it to him freely.

Zhao Changhe’s half-smile deepened. “What’s wrong? Do you think my life isn’t worth the price of a gift?”

Sovereign Withered Wood stiffened, then forced out a response after a long pause. “Not at all... It’s just that it was a trifling effort on my part. I feel unworthy of such a gift.”

That said, he did not hesitate to wave a hand and collect the corpse puppet into his own storage ring. It even seemed as if he were afraid that Zhao Changhe might change his mind at any moment.

Zhao Changhe caught the gesture but did not mind. He chuckled and said, “And that’s not all. During my stay on Heavenly Profound Star, several cultivators lost their lives to Luo Chuan. If any of them had family or loved ones... from today onward, they are my family and loved ones as well. Whatever they need, they may come to me.”

His voice carried across the entire star, echoing into everyone’s ears.

Sovereign Withered Wood’s face twitched slightly. He lowered his voice and said, “Fellow Daoist, what exactly are you planning?”

He did not get it. Zhao Changhe had every opportunity here. He could have slain him outright, taken over the star, and even extended control over the surrounding satellites.

Does he even grasp what kind of resource base that entails? An entire star system could have been his!

And yet, after establishing dominance with a thunderous victory, Zhao Changhe had suddenly pivoted—offering gifts, showing generosity, spreading goodwill...

What’s he doing? When I recover and improve with the help of this corpse, this man won’t have such a good opportunity again.

“Clear in matters of grace and grievance. Open in thought and will. That’s all there is to it,” Zhao Changhe said calmly. “That said, this is the first time my wife and I have set foot on your star. We’d like to tour the surrounding stars. If you could assign us a guide, we’d be most grateful.”

“That’s a mere trifle...” Sovereign Withered Wood hesitated briefly, then added, “But if you wish to tour the stars, does that mean you’ve already finished sightseeing Heavenly Profound Star?”

Zhao Changhe smiled. “Do you have something in mind?”

Sovereign Withered Wood paused for a few moments before speaking again, “There are many things I don’t fully understand. If you’re willing, I would be honored to host you here for the day. Perhaps we might share a quiet conversation into the night?”

Zhao Changhe and Ye Jiuyou exchanged a glance and both chuckled. “Then we’ll gratefully accept your hospitality.”

They had not stirred up such a spectacle on someone else’s home turf just for the sake of showing off. There was much more to be done.

Why destroy the protective array first thing upon arrival?

That was naturally because they intended to stay. Who would dare linger in a place like this with a fully active defensive array watching their every move?

The Ye sisters and Luo Chuan had battled across two eras, yet neither side truly understood the other’s background or hidden cards. However, based on what they had seen here, it was clear that the residents of Heavenly Profound Star did know something. That was the real reason they had come.

Take the “gift” of the demonic body, for example. Painful as it was to part with, especially since it had once been a vessel for Luo Chuan. If Sovereign Withered Wood had not been tempted, then it did not matter. But if he was tempted and decided that he wanted to keep it, then he would have no choice but to ally with Zhao Changhe. To secure and study that corpse puppet for good, he would have to join Zhao Changhe’s side and eliminate Luo Chuan permanently.

One can’t bait the wolf without sacrificing a lamb... Besides, Luo Chuan already took a hit from our witchcraft recently. He’s bound to be on high alert right now, so the demonic body’s strategic value has already diminished. It’s no longer as powerful an asset as it once was. It’s naturally a much better option to trade it for an ally.

However, no matter what kind of partnership they hoped to forge, one thing had to come first: a declaration of power.

Without that, all they would attract would be hungry sharks drawn by the scent of treasure. This duel had not been a matter of vengeance but a warning.