Chaotic World Book
Chapter 186 - 182: The Dragon and Snake Rise to Land

Chapter 186: Chapter 182: The Dragon and Snake Rise to Land

Zhao Changhe looked at the wine Tang Buqi was carrying and asked, "So, you’ve come to bid farewell?"

Tang Buqi replied as if it were a matter of course, "Indeed, to prevent you from thinking I’m trying to drive you off, offering you a drink is more like a formal goodbye, don’t you think?"

Zhao Changhe could not help but smile wryly.

Tang Buqi sat down at the table and said, "Stop practicing for now, there’s no end to it, take a break. I heard my aunt also told you to slow down, didn’t she?"

Zhao Changhe sat down as well, laughing, "I’m already taking it slow, I’m cultivating amidst refining my evil spirit, not rushing to break through."

"As if you could break through whenever you wanted," Tang Buqi retorted.

Zhao Changhe just smiled without responding.

Tang Buqi poured him a cup of wine, his expression somewhat sullen, "Talk about traveling around, and then, nothing."

Zhao Changhe raised his glass to clink with Tang’s, "The kind of training you do is almost the same, it doesn’t have to be in the Worldly Society. Actually, I don’t know why your aunt thinks it’s not suitable for me, I think my killing to cultivate my evil spirit is quite fitting for the military..."

Tang Buqi took a leisurely sip of wine and said, "I know why."

"Oh?"

"Do you think that just because you surpass the ordinary soldiers in martial arts, charging into formation and beheading enemies like rain, you’re like many fierce historical warriors known for their personal bravery?"

"... Isn’t that the case?"

"Reading history, it seems like there were many such brave generals, but actually, over so many years and across two epochs, there were only a few, and unfortunately, they definitely don’t belong on the Hidden Dragon List. Our strength alone in a battlefield may not even compare to a row of well-trained soldiers thrusting their spears in unison."

"..."

"With your bravery, it’d be suitable to lead a contingent of elites as the vanguard, roughly qualifying you as a tiger general, but that requires a group of well-trained troops who respond to you as your own limbs. The premise is to train and integrate with the soldiers over a long period, not just mount a horse, lead the charge, and call it a day." Tang Buqi’s smile was somewhat teasing, "You... how many days could you integrate in a camp? How many days before you’d plan to leave?"

Zhao Changhe hissed, "Hey, you’ve only been here a few days, and you’ve changed so much?"

"A few days?" Tang Buqi’s eyes widened, "I’ve been learning this stuff since I was a kid; even if I’ve never actually joined the military camps, I still had to study military tactics. Fail the assessments and I’d get punished with a spanking— and you know very well who used to spank me."

Zhao Changhe recalled the scene of Tang Wanzhuang flipping Tang Buqi over and hitting his bottom with the Dragon Sparrow. It was all too familiar...

Tang Buqi languidly continued, "Now, every family in Gusu is furious about being deceived by the Maitreya Sect in the past. They’re all quite united in this common enmity, willing to put forth their efforts. Plus, both Jinling and Yangzhou remain in our hands, we control both banks of the great river, so we have both territorial and people’s advantages—not so easy to chew into. This battle could likely drag on for years with multiple attacks and defenses. This is my home; I can defend it for a lifetime, can you? Brother Zhao, unless you truly change your mindset and role, this indeed isn’t for you."

Zhao Changhe fell silent for a moment and then finished the wine in his glass, "I’ll take the lesson to heart."

Tang Buqi looked sideways at him for a while, then suddenly said, "How come you’re not cheekily calling me ’my dear nephew’ anymore?"

"Um..." Zhao Changhe wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. Maybe it was because before, he truly didn’t have that thought, so calling out anything was carefree; but now that he had developed some feelings, he felt bashful and dared not to call out frivolously?

Tang Buqi didn’t mock him, as he wasn’t in the mood for it, drinking his wine in low spirits, and said softly, "Maitreya does have a bit of an invincible air, but he’s not a commander. What he relies on are the figures he’s recruited, some of which are said to be very powerful. For instance, the Bodhisattva Fa Sheng I mentioned just now, based on reports, Hangzhou did not fall without resistance, but Fa Sheng broke through in just an hour, and he’s only at the Sixth Layer of Mystical Gate, yet he’s Maitreya’s most valued vanguard general."

He drank his wine again, "I really don’t have much confidence... It’s said that Fa Sheng is extremely brutal. Wherever he goes, he leaves no grass alive... If he breaches our defenses..."

Zhao Changhe said, "You’re already much more capable than me... You also mentioned you have territorial and people’s advantages, it won’t be easy for him to win. Even if you can’t handle Fa Sheng at first, you’ll grow familiar after a few rounds, and you’ll improve—we’re still young, bound to grow, right?"

Tang Buqi shook his head, "Ah, let’s not talk about it anymore. Actually, we are ultimately people of the Worldly Society, and rather than learning military strategy, I hope to advance in Martial Arts, to someday ascend the Chaotic World Book, to be looked up to by the world—how glorious that would be... If we really reach the level of my aunt and the others, then what does it matter if we rush into battle formations? We can charge and fight as we please; no one can stop us. That would be pure exhilaration! One sword could then stand against a million soldiers; you probably think the same, right?"

Zhao Changhe admitted, "That’s true. Not just you and me, most martial artists in this world think the same."

Tang Buqi said, "It’s odd that ever since you severed Wan Dongliu, the Chaotic World Book has remained still, and it’s strange that you’ve been the only one flashing on the leaderboard for the past six months with few others..."

Before he could finish, golden light flashed across the sky.

Tang Buqi’s cup paused in hand, and he looked up in astonishment.

"On the sixth day of the sixth month, during the peak of summer heat."

"On her twenty-third birthday, Demon Fox Chi Li advances to the Ninth Layer of Mystical Gate. On this day, amidst a gathering of thousands, she slew the spear king of the Northern Great Xia, Li Changkong, and took his place on the Human List."

"The Human List has changed."

"Number sixty-six on the Human List, Demon Fox Chi Li!"

Zhao Changhe looked up at the sky, quietly sipping his wine without a word.

Tang Buqi stared in shock for a long while, unable to drink his wine, "Truly twenty-three years old, on her birthday... It’s almost as if she’s declaring war on Your Majesty..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but any young person witnessing such a peer would surely feel a mix of dismay and fear.

Back when she was the enemy of their clan, she could inspire despair.

Zhao Changhe just quietly watched, still without a reply.

It was as if he was waiting for something.

Tang Buqi wondered, "Brother Zhao, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sky lit up with a golden light again.

"Yue Hongling, at the age of twenty, reached the Mystical Gate Ninth Layer. That day, she rode alone, broke into the Black Wolf King’s tent, and slew Black Wolf King Bo Hu, then left without a trace."

"The Human List has changed."

"Human List number sixty-eight, Sunset Divine Sword Yue Hongling!"

So nicknames are just given directly... Zhao Changhe finally understood how a real good nickname should come about, damn relying on Cao Gang to promote... It’s the promotions from the Chaotic World Book that are really something!

Only Zhao Changhe’s train of thought could still drift to nicknames at this time... In the eyes of others, these two newcomers rising up on the Human List one after the other was a genuinely earth-shaking super event— who the hell would have the mind to think about this?

The Heaven, Earth, and Human List was different from the Hidden Dragon List; it wasn’t about any small battle achievement that could cause a change. The grandmasters on the Heaven, Earth, and Human List were extremely cautious against each other. How long had it been since there was a change?

Yet, this time two changed at once, and neither of them by struggling to achieve victory. They both won decisively "in front of the masses" and "solo in battle"; their real rankings might even be higher!

Both of them were extremely young talents, youngsters still being gauged for potential in people’s eyes; but in the north of Divine Continent, they shone as the brightest stars of this era.

Zhao Changhe suddenly chuckled, remembering Yue Hongling’s initially confident and slightly haughty demeanor... this is what you wanted, isn’t it?

Demon Fox Chi Li just made a big show and specifically chose her own birthday to do so, aiming to have a grand appearance in front of people, as well as to inspire morale and depress the hearts of Central Earth people when the Northern Hu moved south.

Resultingly, without making a sound, Yue Hongling cut Demon Fox Chi Li’s grandeur in half.

Even though her ranking was still two places lower, Yue Hongling was only twenty and a half years old, right? Wasn’t she the most aberrant person to ever be on the list?

And if Demon Fox Chi Li killed a renowned Central Earth elder, then she killed a grassland renowned elder, directly balancing the morale and hearts— it seemed almost intentional.

But she couldn’t have possibly known what Demon Fox Chi Li was doing. This wasn’t intentional; it could only be described as destiny.

Zhao Changhe suddenly pondered whether her breakthrough had to do with her travels across the grassland or the dual cultivation session in Yangzhou some time ago?

It was likely the latter...

Inexplicably because of this reason, she broke away from rank thirty-eight and now stood at thirty-six, a nice number, the number of Heaven’s Strong Warriors.

Tang Buqi, on the other side, showed a glint of joy, but before he could speak, the Chaotic World Book seemed to be updating again, lighting up once more.

"Hidden Dragon rises from the depths, ascending the Human List, Hidden Dragon List rankings adjust accordingly, Hidden Dragon number one, Cui Yuanyong."

Cui Yuanyong, who was far away in Qinghe, looked up at the sky, with mixed feelings of laughter and tears.

Being number one seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable...

But it wasn’t over yet.

"Xia Chichi, aged seventeen, reached the Mystical Gate Seventh Layer. Assassinated Maitreya Sect’s northern Buddha on the Buddhist altar in Jiangbei, taking his followers."

"The Hidden Dragon List has changed."

"Sixth Hidden Dragon, Xia Chichi."

"Cui Yuanyang sequestered himself for half a year, grasping the essence of the Purple Qi Qing River, leaping to the Fifth Layer of the Mystical Gate. On the day he came out of seclusion, he defeated the Cui Family’s Nine Bends Yellow River formation, earning the right to inherit the Cui Family’s legacy swordsmanship, Qinghe Divine Sword. At just fifteen, the news shocked the entire prefecture."

"The Hidden Dragon List has changed."

"Hidden Dragon number ninety-nine, Cui Yuanyang."

"At that moment, dragons and snakes rise on land."

The entire world was practically craning their necks sore, having gone from shock to numbness.

What a chaotic era...

This last line of the Chaotic World Book was not a commentary on Cui Yuanyang, but on that myriad of stellar lights shimmering in the sky.

Tang Buqi, who had tried to speak several times but never did, no longer wanted to express the words... With such a surging and brilliant scene, and being from the Hidden Dragon List himself, how could he not feel his blood boiling?

"What a tumultuous scene..." he muttered, holding his cup, "I am about to fall off the list, beyond a hundred. That’s not where I, Tang Buqi, should be."

"Crack!" The cup in his hand unconsciously cracked.

Zhao Changhe finally stood up, leisurely took Dragon Sparrow, and slung it over his shoulder, "Brother Tang, the Chaotic World Book sees we have wine but no dishes, so it kindly sent us this lavish banquet, quite intoxicating... stop drinking for now. The world never has a feast that doesn’t end, and it’s time for me to leave."

"Eh, wait a moment." Tang Buqi asked, "It’s about to be night, where do you plan to go?"

Zhao Changhe looked up at the sky, where the golden characters still twinkled, "No matter where I go, in this maelstrom of events, how could it be without me, Zhao Changhe?"

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