Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 518: The Human King

No matter how anxious Zhao Changhe was to sprout wings and fly, the reality was that he had no choice but to board a boat with his horse, Snow-Treading Crow, and travel the old-fashioned way.

Rushing would not help. There was not much else he could do anyway. Zhao Changhe tried to calm his mind, sitting by the side of the boat, taking small sips of wine while casually flipping through the body cultivation manual that Situ Xiao had given him. He wanted to see if there was any way any of its principles could be integrated into his Blood Asura Body to address his physique’s lacking defensive capabilities.

Based on his current understanding of martial arts and the insights that Li Shentong had shared, he was almost certain that it was impossible for the two differing ideologies to mingle—the energy circulation and muscle structure that was developed from the cultivation of the two unique body cultivation techniques was simply too different. However, Zhao Changhe felt that his comprehension was not complete yet, and even Li Shentong’s interpretation was not necessarily the final answer. Perhaps, at some point in the future, integration would be possible. For now, he decided to hold on to it.

In any case, there were still some aspects of it that could be referenced and applied in the meantime, such as releasing vigorous qi to form a brief defensive barrier on the surface of the body.

The so-called vigorous qi was essentially a hallmark of combining external cultivation with internal cultivation after reaching the second layer of the Profound Mysteries. Zhao Changhe had already displayed early forms of this with his sword and saber qi. Once internal and external forces merged into a cohesive whole, the energy would become more tangible and be able to retain form much better. This was what led to sword force and saber force—the wielder was able to extend the length or width of a blade by using their qi.

If vigorous qi could be projected through a weapon, then it naturally followed that it could also be used to throw heavy punches, or even form a protective shield of energy over the body. Each sect and school had its own method for mobilizing vigorous qi, and the Divine Brilliance Sect’s method was undeniably among the best of the best.

Though even the top methods could only provide an instantaneous defense and could not be sustained for long, it was still an additional life-saving technique and was thus undeniably valuable.

Situ Xiao had even shared the essence of the Drunken Steps, and Zhao Changhe was honestly surprised to find that this technique was truly not just for show. The way one rooted their lower body to the ground while allowing their upper body to move fluidly like a willow branch had significant reference value, and it was a style that vastly differed from the physical arts that he already had. With him being at a stage of developing his own techniques, this was an extremely useful addition to his repertoire.

Unfortunately, his mind was not in the right space to study either vigorous qi or Drunken Steps in detail at the moment.

Closing the book, Zhao Changhe stood up and looked toward the east. The morning sun was rising, and Wushan was faintly visible in the distance.

He could hear the vague conversations of other passengers. “Huh? Don’t the boats to Wushan usually stop around here? Why are we sailing straight to Wu Gorge? Aren’t they afraid of the mountain bandits?”

“Brother, how many years has it been since you’ve taken this route?”

“It’s been a year since I was last here.”

“A year? Well, that explains it. The bandits at Wushan were pacified months ago. This route’s safe now.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Cult Leader Xue, boss of the Wushan bandits, you really should just stop harping on about your reputation having fallen after your loss to Hongling. It honestly seems that your reputation among the people was never that great to begin with.

From inside the cabin came a sigh. “It’s rare for the imperial court to actually do something right!”

“The imperial court? Ha, as if. This happened during the Xiangyang campaign led by First Seat Tang. Also, I’ve heard a lot of people say that it was thanks to Asura King’s effort in it.”

“First Seat Tang... well, that makes sense. Anytime the imperial court does something worthwhile, eight out of ten times, she’s involved. And if the Asura King intervened, it’s no surprise that it was handled quickly.”

“Uh...” Zhao Changhe poked his head into the cabin. “Excuse me, who is the Asura King?”

“Tch, of course, it’s Blood Asura Zhao Changhe! He’s number one on the Ranking of Man! Who else could be called the Human King?”

“Di Muzhi was also ranked first on the Ranking of Man, but no one called him a king. The Ranking of Man is just a ranking, isn’t it? Aren’t you exaggerating his prestige a bit too much?”

“Bah! How could Di Muzhi even compare to Blood Asura? He’s not even fit to hold his shoes!” A jianghu traveler looked at Zhao Changhe with disdain. “Where did you even come from, kid? How can you not even know such basic jianghu lore?”

Zhao Changhe humbly asked, “Please enlighten me, brother.”

“Except for the most recent replacements, anyone who ascended to the top of the Ranking of Man before would usually be called a king. In the past, Vulture Beak was also referred to as Vulture King by the people of the Grasslands. We just didn’t call him that ourselves since, well, why would we flatter the northern barbarians? But the Blood Asura is different. We’ve watched him fight his way to the top. No matter how much we praise him, he deserves all of it.”

“But I really don’t want to be called Asura King...” Zhao Changhe muttered absentmindedly. “What kind of nonsense is this...”

The people in the cabin did not hear him and continued talking with great interest. “How many strikes do you think it took King Zhao to kill Di Muzhi? When he killed other people on the Ranking of Man, the Tome always said it was in one strike, but this time, the Tome didn’t say anything...”

King Zhao...? Zhao Changhe massaged his temples in frustration, feeling a headache from the overblown praise.

“Well, it was a battle for the top spot on the Ranking of Man, and that shameless Di Muzhi even had others attacking Zhao Changhe. Maybe the fight was fierce, with the sky darkening and the sun and moon losing light.”

“I think it must have been two or three strikes at most. That’s King Zhao’s style. He’s unstoppable!”

Zhao Changhe could not listen to the exaggerated flattery any longer. He turned around just in time to see the boatman approaching, clapping his hands. “We’re docking at Wu Gorge. Anyone disembarking, please get ready.”

Zhao Changhe let out a long sigh of relief. As soon as the boat docked, he practically fled, leading Snow-Treading Crow off the boat.

He had barely disembarked before a group of Blood God Cult members came rushing over. “Our Cult Leader was indeed correct—the saint has arrived within these two days!”

“Greetings, Saint!”

“Congratulations for reaching the top of the Ranking of Man!”

Zhao Changhe felt his face flush with embarrassment. He shouted angrily, “What’s with all this nonsense? Do you think I can’t find my way to the base without you meeting me at the dock?”

“Ahem, well, the brothers insisted on coming. You’re the pride of our cult, after all!”

The Blood God Cult members surrounded Zhao Changhe as they headed up the mountain, their cheers and flattering remarks fading into the distance.

On the boat, the passengers looked at each other. “Who was it that called him a kid earlier?”

That man held back for a long while, then suddenly burst into laughter. “They used to say he’s the most down-to-earth of the Hidden Dragons. Seems like that’s entirely true. Even after reaching the top of the Ranking of Man, he’s still the same.”

Everyone else laughed, too—it really was true. He had not put on any airs at all, and being called a king even seemed to only make him blush in embarrassment.

* * *

“I really can’t take this anymore, Old Xue. This is ridiculous. It’s just the Ranking of Man. What’s with all the fuss? Anyone who doesn’t know better might think that I’m first on the Ranking of Heaven,” Zhao Changhe grumbled as he followed Xue Canghai into the cult’s sacred artifact chamber. “I’m going to head to Qinghe soon. Old Cui is definitely going to laugh at me to death. I feel like I can’t show my face anymore.”

“It’s actually a long-standing tradition. It’s just that the people who filled the top spot recently haven’t been very impressive, so no one made a big deal out of it. But for those who fought their way up, it’s different—they truly deserve to be given the title of king. Besides, it’s just a bit of fun among the people. It’s not like you’re the one declaring yourself a king, so who’s going to laugh at you?” Xue Canghai explained. “And think about it. When you first heard Blood Asura, didn’t you think it sounded silly? But after hearing it enough times, hasn’t it become quite catchy? Just endure it, and it’ll pass.”

“...”

“And as for Cui Wenjing, he might not even have time to laugh at you.” Xue Canghai sighed. “I just got word that the Wang Clan’s forces have already surrounded Puyang.”

Zhao Changhe opened his mouth but then closed it again.

It was something he had expected, so there was no point in saying anything now. He could only sigh at how Cui Yuanyong’s newlywed wife was truly a sacrificial pawn of her family. It was easy to imagine how difficult her life would be in the Cui Clan now.

He wondered if Wang Daoning was leading the troops himself. If so, then perhaps Old Cui was already fighting him.

Just a few days ago, it seemed like there had not been a battle between the figures on the Ranking of Heaven in years. Yet within days, there had been two—the fifth against the sixth, and the ninth against the tenth.

Ever since Zhao Changhe’s arrival, people spoke about the troubled times to come. Now, it seemed that the troubled times had fully arrived.

Zhao Changhe grew increasingly worried. Although Cui Wenjing’s ranking was higher than Wang Daoning’s, Wang Daoning had some underhanded backing, and the Cui Clan’s Qinghe Sword had yet to fully reawaken. The outcome of this battle was thus far from certain.

Xue Canghai shook his head in regret. “That damn bastard... When I chased Wang Daozhong that time, I couldn’t take him down. If I killed that bastard, the Wang Clan would’ve lost one of its key pillars.”

Zhao Changhe snapped out of his thoughts and asked, “How did you even run into Wang Daozhong?”

“Well, it was about half a month ago. For some reason, the sacred artifact suddenly went berserk. It was shaking like crazy, and its energy was extremely unstable. Wang Daozhong showed up around that time, probably knowing about our relationship with you, and deliberately came to cause trouble. But something happened to him, and he suddenly seemed to suffer from a serious injury... Otherwise, our stronghold would have probably been destroyed.”

“That’s really low, Old Wang...” Zhao Changhe muttered to himself. He was not exactly sure what had happened to Wang Daozhong, but he had a general idea of why the sacred artifact had acted up.

It was most likely the day the array at the Ao Pool was broken, and the juvenile Blood Ao emerged.

The array plate was forged from the bones of the Blood Ao, and a divine artifact of such a level was likely to have its own spirit. It must have sensed a connection through its bloodline or felt an opportunity to repair itself, which caused the disturbance.

With a sense of certainty, Zhao Changhe strode confidently into the sacred artifact chamber and took out a vial of blood.

The array plate began to tremble again, even more violently than on that day.

Zhao Changhe carefully poured the blood onto the cracked surface of the array plate. A blinding crimson light erupted, and a surge of vicious qi shot skyward, lingering for a long time.

The cracks in the array plate began to visibly mend, leaving Xue Canghai utterly stunned.

Is this even possible? It’s clearly made from some dead creature, yet the cracks are mending themselves? How does that even work?

As he watched the cracks on the array plate slowly heal, Zhao Changhe suddenly spoke up, “Old Xue.”

Xue Canghai jolted, instinctively dropping to one knee. “Saint, please give your command.”

“Gather a few thousand elite troops and head north with me. We’ll join the battle against the Wang Clan. Leave only a small force in Xiangyang to defend the city. The real storm won’t be coming here anytime soon.”

“Understood.” Xue Canghai did not dare voice a single objection. After showing his allegiance, he carefully added a reminder, “This is a battle between figures on the Ranking of Heaven. You must be cautious.”

His implication was to not get too carried away with the thought of getting married, and to calmly assess his strength and consider everything carefully before acting.

Before he could even finish, there was a crisp “crack” as the array plate was fully restored.

Zhao Changhe reached out and touched it, and suddenly the array plate, which spanned several zhang, disappeared into his ring. “Even if some components are missing and its full power can’t be realized, the main structure has been restored. It can at least deliver an attack at the level of those on the Ranking of Heaven. If Wang Daoning thinks we’re not worth his attention, then let’s give him a taste of ancient might.”

Xue Canghai was stunned.

Where did the fucking array plate go? That thing was several zhang in size! How did it just vanish like that? How can he take it just like that...

Well... Nah, even if the array plate has been repaired, none of us know how to use it. There’s nothing in the records about this, so why does it sound like he’s known how to use it all along?

Is he really just a saint... Is he not the Blood God himself?