Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 571: The Unfinished Secret of the Ancient Spirit Tribe

To glimpse the mystical through martial arts, one must ultimately find a thread to pull, a revelation.

The Four Idols Cult, despite boasting a rich heritage, still held many limitations and deficiencies. Even Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise had to seek their own opportunities. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The crystal cores used by the Sea Emperor for his water constructs served as Lady Three’s thread for peering into the divine. It seemed that her recent days spent studying the crystal cores had truly yielded new insights. Her mastery of water was no longer limited to merely borrowing its power; she was now beginning to understand the finer nuances of its properties.

That was true mastery, true control.

Venerable Black Tortoise had taken a crucial step toward the Profound Control Realm.

And this step was undoubtedly connected to their recent dual cultivation...

Dual cultivation was always about mutual growth—not one-sided gain or loss. Lady Three’s own cultivation also improved, as she absorbed certain aspects of Zhao Changhe’s Spring Water Sword Intent. The essence of the Spring Water Sword Intent was not just water; its essence was rooted in the visual deceptions of reflection and refraction. The ability to create mirages using water was not solely a property of water; obviously, it involved light. Yet light alone could not achieve such an effect; it still required the presence of a medium that could reflect and refract it.

All things do not exist independently; their unique qualities are often shaped by their interactions with others. Realizing this brought her a qualitative leap in understanding.

Of course, it wasn’t like these principles were beyond comprehension before. Xia Chichi being able to wield two opposing elements[1] was something Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise admired and valued immensely.

Zhao Changhe, on the other hand, was even more enthusiastic: “I want to learn that. Teach me, please!”

Lady Three put away the water ball with a haughty expression, turning away. “No.”

“Oh, come on, my dear Lady Three, I am your most trusted general, your humble Fire Pig of Shi,” he pleaded.

“The Fire Pig of Shi should be learning about fire, not this,” she retorted. “What do you even plan to do with it? Are you planning to record me without clothes or something?”

“...I can look at you directly. Why would I need to sneak a picture?”

“Oh, so you want to secretly record others, is that it? Wait, what are you doing... Ah, easy there, you damn pig... Ah... Hmm... Hey? Don’t, you!”

“...”

“You... You shameless pig! Wahh! Fine, fine, I’ll teach you, alright?”

In the end, Zhao Changhe managed to learn the technique, though there was still quite a difference in skill between them.

He looked at the blurry mess in his hands, unable to clearly make out what he had even captured. The image he captured was incomparable to Lady Three’s 4K-quality recording, and it did not even last long before it faded. Still, he kept grinning foolishly, taking endless selfies as if he could not get enough.

Lady Three lay sprawled to the side, exhausted. Watching his ridiculous expression, she could not decide whether to be angry or amused. She waved him away weakly. “Go practice, you pig.”

Zhao Changhe dashed out, leaping off the deck and plunging headfirst into the ocean. Tang En and the others, watching from outside the cabin, stared at him with wide eyes as he dove into the deep sea and began throwing punches beneath the waves.

To them, it was as if they were witnessing a divine being.

Strange noises had been emanating from his cabin for hours. Any ordinary man would be utterly exhausted by now, lying there like a dead dog. Yet here he was, diving into the sea to train with such intensity!

Can that voluptuous beauty inside even keep up with him? Well, she certainly seems built for it, so maybe she can.

But what about our young lady? With that frail and delicate body of hers... could she handle him at all? Wouldn’t she end up being completely overwhelmed?

“C-captain, look over there... Is that a whale or an island? It’s hard to tell in the dark.”

Under the full moon glowing in the sky, Tang En squinted at the distant shadow and raised his hand. “That must be a whale. No need to panic. Ready the array, prepare the ballistae—”

Whoosh!

A figure shot up from the water, dashing across the waves toward the distant whale.

Tang En still had his hand raised in mid-air, his mouth open in stunned disbelief. They all watched as Zhao Changhe leaped onto the back of the whale and landed a solid punch.

The entire crew: “...”

Man and whale fought beneath the moon, the distance making it hard to see the details. But it was clear that the massive creature’s earlier thrashing and turbulence gradually began to settle, the motions growing smaller until all was silent.

Zhao Changhe guided the whale back to the ship, waving from afar. “Hello, everyone!”

The whale obediently turned around, moving alongside the ship, reduced to his mount—the same fate the shark had faced earlier.

Tang En turned to a crew member and commented, “I feel like he doesn’t even need our ship anymore.”

One of the sailors murmured, “He still does... for a bed. When he’s tired, he can come back and sleep with a woman.”

Smack!

Tang En slapped the back of the sailor’s head. “Don’t degrade us like that! Who allowed you to compare our Tang Clan’s flagship to a brothel?!”

The men were not sure whether they should be angry or laugh. Regardless, as they looked up at Zhao Changhe riding the whale ahead, cutting through the waves under the moonlight, they could not help but feel a touch of envy.

A man in his prime, defeating whales with his fists in the Eastern Sea by day, holding beauty in his arms by night....

* * *

This voyage for Zhao Changhe, aside from deepening his relationship with Lady Three, was not much different from his time on Lai Qi’s ship. His primary focus remained on training. By day, he plunged into the ocean, honing his skills beneath the waves; by night, he dual cultivated with Lady Three. The difference now was that their imagined relationship had become reality.

The results this time were significantly better than the days he had spent on Lai Qi’s ship. The progress from dual cultivation alone was incomparable—even without the vital yin, the subsequent effects were extraordinary, almost visibly pushing his cultivation to advance.

His understanding of the water element also grew more profound and refined by the day, almost giving the impression that it was becoming his primary focus, even overshadowing his understanding of vicious qi.

This progress was largely due to the impressive adaptability of the Six Harmonies Art. Using it as a foundation allowed Zhao Changhe to navigate any path without difficulty. The most significant impact so far has been on his Rejuvenation Art. The imagery of water nourishing all living things and restoring vitality was becoming increasingly clear, and the sense of rejuvenation now extended from the physical body to the soul sea.

If this continues, perhaps I can revisit the idea of healing Wanzhuang.

The images that he captured using the Water Mirror Technique grew sharper with each passing day. His control became more refined, and eventually, he could even make out the scar on his own face.

This also revealed the considerable gap between the second and third layers of the Profound Mysteries. Lady Three’s cultivation seemed unfathomable to him, in every possible way.

Lady Three, meanwhile, reaped her own benefits. She spent her days lounging lazily, resting comfortably without expending any effort, yet her cultivation continued to improve. As long as she replenished her energy, everything else seemed to take care of itself... Zhao Changhe suspected she was now getting closer and closer to truly breaking into the Profound Control Realm. He wondered what that threshold might be.

When he tried to ask the blind woman, she remained utterly silent, ignoring him entirely.

“The Profound Control Realm? I don’t need to ask others. I know how to achieve it myself,” Lady Three would say as she occasionally joined Zhao Changhe atop the whale to relax, taking in the fresh sea breeze that tousled her hair while leaning comfortably in his embrace. Lying in his embrace felt far better than resting on a wooden chair indoors, even more so when he was also strategizing for her cultivation.

Zhao Changhe asked, “But isn’t the Four Idols Cult lacking in cultivation techniques for breaking through to the Profound Control Realm?”

“But we did search the remnants of the Maitreya Secret Realm and the corpse demon’s soul, didn’t we?” Lady Three replied. “Not only did we acquire relevant knowledge, but we also learned a lot of ancient secrets, some involving ancient Buddhist practices, which are quite interesting.”

Zhao Changhe was not particularly interested in ancient Buddhist practices. “Did you record the Spirit-Controlling Technique and the Beast Spirit Fusion Art that the corpse demon knew? You must have copied them down, right? Pass me a copy later.”

Lady Three became cautious. “What do you want those for?”

Zhao Changhe feigned ignorance, looking up at the sky.

“There’s still quite a lot of mystery surrounding the Ancient Spirit Tribe,” Lady Three said, suddenly serious. She moved away from his embrace, turned around, and locked eyes with him. “I can give you what you’re asking for, but don’t get yourself killed because of some foolish lust. My advice is to keep your distance from the Ancient Spirit Tribe and not get involved with them lightly.”

Zhao Changhe blinked. “Is it that serious?”

Oh, right. I remember thinking about it before: the ancient Black Tortoise had a deep understanding of the origin of the Ancient Spirit Tribe’s territory, and might have known that the entire land of the Ancient Spirit Tribe was shaped by a great shaman. Now that the current Black Tortoise is right here, maybe I could connect some dots.

Sure enough, Lady Three said, “I’ve read some vague records from the ancient Black Tortoise’s inheritance, and combined with the information from the remnants of Xue Wu’s soul, there’s reason to suspect that the founding shaman of the Ancient Spirit Tribe was personally slain by the Heavenly Dao back when it still existed. If you believe the Heavenly Dao had a spirit, then the land of the Ancient Spirit Tribe is a land rejected by the Heavenly Dao, and the members of the Ancient Spirit Tribe themselves are a cursed group of exiles. It could even be said that if we trace it back, the death of the Heavenly Dao, the collapse of the previous epoch, everything may have stemmed from there. The magnitude of this matter... is far beyond what either of us can currently handle.”

Zhao Changhe was stunned for a long while before finally saying, “The Ancient Spirit Tribe has some information that mentions Vermilion Bird and White Tiger converging in the southwestern wilderness. I wonder if they are describing celestial phenomena or if it somehow relates to your Four Idols Cult.”

“It’s possible there is a connection. The Night Emperor was also pursuing this in the past, hoping to replace the heavens.”

Zhao Changhe could understand this. The title “Night Emperor” was actually almost a modest designation, implying rule only over the night and not the day. But in essence, the Night Emperor was the ruler of the stars as well, the ruler of the firmament.

At the level that the Night Emperor had reached, it would not be surprising if the Heavenly Dao were a vague, abstract concept. However, in the case that the Heavenly Dao was actually a tangible entity, then the Night Emperor would have almost certainly been very close to it. With the death of the Heavenly Dao, the Night Emperor taking its place would seem inevitable.

However, the Heavenly Dao was an intangible concept and, in material terms, represented the world itself. With its death, the world would perish as well, thus the shifting of eras. Without a world to sustain them, all beings that resided within the world, including the Night Emperor, would lose their foundation. This was why when the Heavenly Dao perished, the collapse of the era took place, the gods and Buddhas were scattered, and the Night Emperor failed to replace the heavens, and everyone was reduced to mere shadows of their former grand selves.

This seems to be related to my arrival in this world. It’s certainly not something that I can delve into right now. One wrong step and it could spell my utter annihilation.

So far, I can’t even defeat the water constructs created by the Sea Emperor... But at least this time, I am not the main force. The Sea Emperor’s level far surpasses that of Xue Wu and Venerable Duoluo. If I can somehow unravel the mystery of the Sea Emperor, perhaps many secrets of the gods and demons will be revealed completely and plainly.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Zhao Changhe sensed a distortion of sorts ahead, a strange presence in the distance. Gazing ahead, he saw rippling waves, refracted light, and a long rainbow-like bridge stretching across the horizon. An island loomed faintly at the edge of the sea and sky, its vastness uncertain.

It was impossible to estimate just how far they still had to travel to reach it.

Nevertheless, it seemed that they were getting closer to their destination in these endless seas.

1. Note that the White Tiger is to the west, while the Azure Dragon is to the east; they represent opposing aspects of yin and yang, respectively. ☜