Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 481: The Guidance of the Ancestral God

This really is a sacred artifact.

Its sheer weight that made it impossible for Zhao Changhe to lift it spoke volumes. Even if it did not truly match the heavens, it could probably be compared to mountains and oceans.

The energy it primarily held was in the form of blood and qi. It was not meant to be absorbed like normal energy—absorbing that much blood and qi into the body would not serve any purpose. Rather, it was meant for enhancement and transformation. A single person absorbing all of the energy from it was immediately out of the question. It was truly something that was intended to support an entire population, refining and improving their blood and qi, as well as their physique.

Of course, not everyone was suited to the kind of enhancement brought about by the blood jade. Yue Hongling or Han Wubing, for example, were unlikely to be compatible with such changes.

But for the members of the Spirit Tribe members like Sisi, it was very well-suited, and even more so for Zhao Changhe.

The Spirit Tribe’s martial arts cultivation was average at best. Besides having most of their combat heritage cut down by Lie’s ruthless destruction, their physical cultivation had degraded over time, with the main root cause being the absence of this blood jade.

For Sisi, it was like rain after a long drought. The effects that the blood jade could bring her were, in a sense, even more profound than they were for Zhao Changhe. Just by standing nearby and feeling the blood jade’s influence, her physique began to change dramatically. Not only was her body becoming stronger and her blood and qi surging, but even her true qi began growing. The gu in her spirit bag seemed to be jubilant, seemingly all plumping up a bit.

The Spirit Tribe’s cultivation methods differed from those of the Central Plains. Their path to unlocking the Profound Mysteries did not require the kind of comprehension and connection that Zhao Changhe might need. In the end, their Profound Mysteries revolved around the human body itself, as well as the use of witchcraft, gu, and the manipulation of blood and qi. Once they reached a critical threshold, they naturally unlocked the Profound Mysteries.

Sisi had already been on the verge of a breakthrough...

Yue Hongling’s eyes widened as she watched Sisi break through to the Profound Mysteries right before her.

She could very well be the only person of the Spirit Tribe in this era to break through to the Profound Mysteries.

Yue Hongling’s mouth fell open, and so did Sisi’s. The two women stood there, slack-jawed, amazed at what they had just witnessed.

Does this even make any sense?

The Spirit Tribe ought to defend this blood jade with their lives. It was incredibly valuable and precious to them! If the Spirit Tribe’s ancestors knew that it had been given away so easily, they were likely to rise from their graves in fury.

And in reality, it seems they really were already angry enough to rise from the dead...

But why is Zhao Changhe able to harmonize with the blood jade? What connection does he have with our tribe’s Ancestral God?

Sisi’s expression began to change.

The corpse demon watched coldly as Zhao Changhe silently transformed his blood and qi. It made no further comment but said, “Lie’s rise is linked to many aspects of the Spirit Tribe. Since you inherited his legacy, the artifacts of the Spirit Tribe are indeed beneficial for your cultivation. In fact, they might even enable you to ascend to greatness. In a certain sense, you could be considered half a Spirit Tribe member... From here on out, however, it’ll depend on your own abilities, just as it happened with Lie as he conquered the world.”

Zhao Changhe quietly observed the changes in his body. In fact, the results he experienced were better than Sisi’s. Not only had his blood and qi become more concentrated, but the blood jade had also bestowed him with extremely powerful vicious qi.

Poor Old Zhao had not really killed many people, so his cultivation of vicious qi, which was generally something nourished through bloodshed, had always been lacking. He had mostly relied on artifacts filled with vicious qi to make up for this inadequacy, but the Blood God’s array plate, being incomplete, had a rather weak and insufficient supply of vicious qi. He also could not bear to absorb too much of it, lest he leave the followers of the Blood God Cult with nothing to absorb. He had thus been wondering where to find a larger supply of vicious qi.

And here it was, given to him freely.

However, since the foundations of their cultivation were different, the reaction that the blood jade had with Sisi was more visible. While his was less apparent, his gains were not necessarily inferior.

Hearing the corpse demon’s comment, Zhao Changhe finally responded, “I have my own path... whatever I inherited from Lie is just a reference.”

The corpse demon scoffed. “Hmph. I’m just curious how you’re going to justify this so-called win-win solution. I don’t believe you don’t want to keep this all for yourself.”

Zhao Changhe casually shoved the blood jade into Sisi’s hands.

Sisi: “?”

The corpse demon: “...”

Zhao Changhe said, “She’s someone truly from your tribe, and she’s even the saintess.”

The corpse demon wanted to say that giving it to her was not much different from giving it to himself... but the words caught in its throat, and it found itself unable to say anything.

In the end, there was a difference.

Sisi held the blood jade in a daze, murmuring, “Do you really not want it?”

“I’ve already gotten what I needed from the blood jade, so why would I hoard it?” Zhao Changhe ruffled her hair. “This is your tribe’s sacred artifact. Keep it close... Let the elders think the sacred envoy took it; that’s fine. Once things settle down, you can bring it back out as your own asset.”

Sisi’s eyes softened to the point they looked like they might melt.

Yue Hongling crossed her arms, giving them a look.

Are you two really doing this right in front of me?

Sisi asked softly, “Why... Why are you able to harmonize with our Spirit Tribe’s blood jade?”

“Uh... your ancestor taught me.” Zhao Changhe was a bit overwhelmed by her gaze and quickly said, “Let’s get going. There’s nothing else here.”

“Is this the guidance of the Ancestral God?” Sisi murmured to herself, looking quite complicated.

The corpse demon started thrashing inside the spirit bag, “Zhao Changhe, you—!”

The spirit bag was swiftly closed, leaving the corpse demon blind and muted.

With a heavy rumble, the stone door swung open again. The three of them had been inside for barely a moment, and the elders and guards outside stared in shock at the now-empty stone chamber. “This... the Heavenly Blood Jade has truly been taken?”

Zhao Changhe replied calmly, “What? Did you think that I’d be unable to retrieve it?”

“No, we wouldn’t dare...” The elders bowed their heads, filled with even greater reverence, and respectfully asked, “Does the sacred envoy require anything else?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Since we have the Heavenly Blood Jade, there’s no need for any male and female sacrifices this time.”

The elders were incredulous and blurted out, “Really? But we’ve already prepared them...”

Sisi’s eyes flashed with anger, and the surrounding guards clenched their fists.

Zhao Changhe said calmly, “Have those chosen for the sacrifices return. If you have so much energy to spare, you should help me with another matter.”

The great elder hurriedly asked, “What is it that you require of us, sacred envoy?”

“The white-robed swordsman, the traitor we’ve informed you about... Have you gotten any information on him?”

“Yes, we do,” another elder quickly responded. “He is at the Thousand Snakes Village to the west. The leader of the village, She Shan, is entertaining and stalling him.”

As it happened, Shi Wuding knew next to nothing about the forbidden land. He did not even understand why the people of the Spirit Tribe treated him with such respect. In fact, he did not realize these people were from the Spirit Tribe at all. He was utterly clueless, and his bewildered behavior confirmed to everyone that he was not the real envoy—he did not even seem to be someone privy to important matters of the forbidden land.

If the Spirit Tribe had any lingering doubts about which side was the true envoy, a simple interaction with him made the truth crystal clear. It was too obvious.

With blades sharpened, they were just waiting for the sacred envoy’s command to strike down the traitor together.

Zhao Changhe exchanged a glance with Yue Hongling, each recognizing the amusement in the other’s eyes. “Then let’s make arrangements. Once we’ve dealt with this villain, we shall return to report our success.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Shi Wuding was enjoying imperial-level treatment at the Thousand Snakes Village, with fine wine, food, and beautiful maids attending to his every need.

Fortunately, Shi Wuding’s sword heart was firm, and he had no particular interest in such pleasures, especially women. He remained focused on recuperating and even asked the people of the Thousand Snakes Village to search for two men and one woman.

To those at the Thousand Snakes Village, this behavior seemed typical of those of the forbidden land, but it definitely did not fit that of a sacred envoy.

The sacred envoys came to collect things, but here he was, asking for nothing... and knowing nothing, at that. Did he really expect to use their resources to confront the real sacred envoy? What a joke.

They did not even wait for instructions from the elders on the sacred mountain. By the time said instructions came, the people of the Thousand Snakes Village had already begun plotting against Shi Wuding.

He might refuse women, but he still had to eat. They added subtle things to his food, substances that would be impossible to detect through ordinary means. Though Shi Wuding had formidable cultivation, his knowledge of the foreign tribes was limited, and he did not notice a thing.

During his stay, any saliva left on utensils from his eating and drinking, as well as stray hairs he had shed, were quietly collected by the people of the Thousand Snakes Village. They were just waiting for the order from the elders to begin their operation.

After about two days of rest, Shi Wuding felt that the injuries he had sustained from the treacherous couple were mostly healed, so he emerged from seclusion and asked, “Have you found the men and woman I asked you to find?”

The leader of the Thousand Snakes Village, She Shan, replied with a sycophantic smile, “Yes, we’ve heard that they were spotted not far from here, at Sipan Village.”

“Oh?” Shi Wuding’s eyes flashed sharply. “Where is this village? Lead me there.”

Who does he think he is? He’s not even showing the dignity of an envoy.[1]

She Shan maintained his ingratiating smile, “Sacred envoy, please follow me.”

A team of Spirit Tribe elites surrounded Shi Wuding as they led him out of the village, heading straight toward another barren mountain.

After walking through the mountain for a while, Shi Wuding began to sense something was off.

She Shan, who had been leading the way, suddenly darted off and disappeared from sight. When Shi Wuding turned around, the Spirit Tribe elites who had been following him were gone as well...

From all directions, a hissing sound filled the air. An endless swarm of venomous snakes surged forward like a tidal wave, an ocean of snakes so thick it made one’s skin crawl.

At the same time, a fierce wind rose, carrying an endless rain of arrows that blotted out the sky.

Shi Wuding’s face grew grim as he drew his sword, ready to unleash a technique that split his single sword strike into thousands. But his arm suddenly went numb, losing all strength.

I’ve been cursed?

Alarmed, Shi Wuding quickly looked inward and felt a stabbing pain in his abdomen. Countless gu had somehow entered his body and were now threatening to burst forth.

The arrows were already upon him.

Gritting his teeth against the curses and gu, Shi Wuding dodged to the side, aiming to escape into the nearby dense forest.

Just then, the flash of a saber and the glint of a sword appeared—Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling struck together, bringing down their combined might upon him.

Shi Wuding felt as though he were caught in a nightmare.

We all just arrived in this secret realm, so why does it feel like I’ve stumbled onto your home turf? What did I ever do to these people? Why are they attacking me with such ferocity?

1. This has been changed due to being extremely awkward in English, but Zhao Changhe actually addresses himself as “this envoy,” and She Shan here comments that Shi Wuding doesn’t even do that. Using one’s position as a first-person pronoun is a way to highlight status. It’s also the source of one of the most common insults in these novels, i.e. referring to yourself as the other party’s father or ancestor. ☜