Chaotic World Book
Chapter 363 - 356 Xue Canghai

Chapter 363: Chapter 356 Xue Canghai

Xue Canghai watched Zhao Changhe proudly performing a mountain worship salute from afar, and could not help but show admiration in his eyes.

Truly bold.

Such heroic spirit, this is how a man should be.

The men of the Blood God Sect revered Zhao Changhe, for they too saw a reflection of the elegance they yearned for in Zhao Changhe, who roamed the Worldly Society. Apart from their bloodthirstiness, which Blood God Sect man wouldn’t admire that kind of vigor, striding boldly and wielding a saber to strike throughout the Worldly Society, or that kind of heroism of entering the Demon Cave alone and loudly performing a mountain salute?

Unfortunately, no one was able to do it, yet they saw the shadow of their dreams in Zhao Changhe, who had defected from the sect.

Subconsciously, they began to see him as their representative outside, unwilling to brand him as a "traitor"; this mindset was common among them.

Even Xue Canghai felt the same way.

At this moment, he even forgot to avoid the Maitreya Sect Envoy lurking in the village, and leisurely transmitted a message, "Please, Zhao Changhe, come to the main hall for a meeting. What’s with everyone crowding around, it’s embarrassing, disperse already, just Hengchuan bringing him will be enough."

Sun Jiao bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes."

Zhao Changhe also noticed that aside from once meeting briefly under the dark firelight at Luo Family Manor, he had never properly met the real Sect Hierarch Xue, who actually seemed quite dignified in person...

Choosing to receive guests in the main hall of the stockade rather than entering the sect’s secret cave held a bit of significance too. With a slight smile, Zhao Changhe proudly ascended the mountain.

Sun Jiao whispered softly from the side, "Changhe..."

"Hmm?"

"What are you really here for, can you give me a hint?"

Zhao Changhe chuckled, "Originally, I indeed wanted to challenge the Sect Hierarch... but I haven’t decided how far to take it."

"How’s that? How far do you want to take it?"

"Let me put it this way... If I were to defeat Sect Hierarch Xue and take over his position of seventy-first on the Human List, I honestly wouldn’t want it, it feels shameful, my wife would laugh at me."

Sun Jiao: "You son of a..."

Zhao Changhe walked up the mountain honestly, truly thinking this in his heart.

However, others certainly wouldn’t believe it, Sun Jiao sighed, "Cut the crap, you even have plans on how to control the sect after killing the Hierarch, right..."

"Hey old Sun, you can mess with anything, but don’t mess with your words."

"Come on, that’s just your little way," Sun Jiao glanced around, his voice lowered as much as possible, "People from Beimang came here, many advised the Hierarch not to give the position precisely because they feared such a day would come."

"The Hierarch still gave the position?"

"The Hierarch said that they came with a letter of introduction from Xuanwu Venerable... Xuanwu Venerable ranks even higher than Vermilion Bird Venerable. If it had been the Four Symbols Sect wanting his head, it would’ve been gone long ago. Being on guard constantly just invites ridicule, it’s better to be upright."

Zhao Changhe chuckled, meeting was indeed better than hearing of someone, Sect Hierarch Xue seemed rather interesting, and he was no comedian.

His straightforward treatment by Xuanwu Venerable was quite comedic though...

Sun Jiao glanced at him sideways: "So is that really what you think?"

Zhao Changhe retorted, "Are you really that loyal?"

After a moment of silence, Sun Jiao sighed, "Yes. I’ve been in the Blood God Sect for twenty years; this is my home."

Zhao Changhe looked Sun Jiao up and down for a while, then suddenly laughed, "Indeed, such a contingency plan exists, but it’s just a precaution, fearing that just in case Sect Hierarch Xue becomes unreasonable, coming here might lead to being overwhelmed. Having our own people to respond would be relatively better. But I really don’t want things to turn out that way. The situation now feels quite good."

While talking, they reached the highest point of the main camp; the door guards fervently saluted Zhao Changhe, Sun Jiao closed his mouth, silently leading Zhao Changhe to the council hall.

Damn, throughout the journey, the guards’ respect for mighty protector Sun couldn’t compare to that for Zhao Changhe... Well, being the top of Hidden Dragon holds prestige on par with the Sect Hierarch, old Sun can’t reach that. Speaking of which, due to their reversed roles, Zhao Changhe was even willing to offer him a salutation on one knee earlier, leaving Sun Jiao as though in a dream.

His mind muddled, Sun Jiao followed Zhao Changhe into the council hall. Zhao Changhe entered with a vigorous stride and, standing in the center, saluted Sect Hierarch Xue, "I’ve met Sect Hierarch Xue."

Xue Canghai nodded slightly, "Please sit. Serve tea to Zhao Shaoxia."

Zhao Changhe settled comfortably in the guest seat below, and a sect member brought over tea. Zhao Changhe gave it a look and clicked his tongue.

A male sect member... Even for such menial tasks, there are no maids; Sect Hierarch Xue, you truly are a role model for men.

Xue Canghai too was sipping tea, sizing up Zhao Changhe, and after a while, he said, "The sect members take Zhao Shaoxia as one of their own, do you think them a bunch of fools? From a traitor pursued just a year ago, this shift from disdain to reverence, is it not laughable?"

Zhao Changhe replied, "On the road by Ancient Sword Lake, I told Jiao that apart from Fang Buping, the Blood God Sect holds no grudge against me; instead, they harbored and passed on teachings. If everyone still regards me as a representative of the Blood God Sect, I am pleased, the connection of this incense offering has never been severed. I am thankful that the Hierarch doesn’t shout to strike and kill me."

Xue Canghai was noncommittal, "Shouting to strike and kill, we can’t do it outside, but you coming in gives us the opportunity."

Zhao Changhe smiled briefly and did not reply.

Xue Canghai did not continue either, instead he said, "Young Master Zhao’s visit... surely isn’t just for a family visit and catching up?"

Zhao Changhe said, "I indeed wanted to meet Master Sun. It’s been a long time, and I’ve missed him a lot."

Master Sun tilted his head.

Did you believe what you just said...

Xue Canghai remained expressionless, "Now that you have met him, would you like me to arrange a room for you and your master to catch up properly?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Xue Canghai continued sipping his tea, not speaking any further.

Even the most avid fans should have realized by now that Zhao Changhe’s visit was not benign; he was most likely here to challenge the sect hierarch, which Xue Canghai had understood from the start.

Zhao Changhe was probably at the Secret Realm’s entrance; he needed to break through it, and seeking any other indirect path would be meaningless despite its marvels. His fundamental techniques were the Blood Evil Skill and the Blood Evil Saber Technique, so he had to seek a breakthrough in these to make his visit here inevitable.

But he, Zhao Changhe, was not the Vermilion Bird. Coming alone into this tiger’s den, did he really think he could emerge unscathed?

That was the courage of Zhao Changhe, which Xue Canghai admired, but he was not willing to be a stepping stone when the challenge was directed at himself.

Damn these young men and women, one used me as a stepping stone to boost their fame, leaving me a laughingstock to this day; another sought me out claiming it was unfair I was placed on the Human List and he wasn’t; once that annoying fellow made it to the Human List, things finally calmed down, but then Situ Xiao, who was also added, complained about being ranked below me and went around looking for me as well.

What did I ever do to deserve this? Do they all have issues?

Your turn now, is it?

Zhao Changhe also took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "Perhaps the Sect Hierarch has realized, I’ve come in search of the entrance to the Secret Treasure."

Xue Canghai replied lightly, "Regardless of how people view your relationship with the Holy Sect, the core techniques of the Holy Sect cannot be divulged. As for sensing the holy objects, you don’t qualify."

Zhao Changhe shook his head, "The Sect Hierarch has all the techniques and the holy objects for cultivation, but it seems that even today the Hierarch has not broken through the secret. These items are merely aids and can’t be relied upon excessively."

Xue Canghai was startled, "So what do you want?"

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "If I’m not mistaken, the Hierarch has probably abandoned the Divine Skill to retrain the Blood Evil Skill, which allowed sudden recognition by the Chaotic World Book and a spot on the Human List. Otherwise, your strength, comparable only to Yue Hongling at the Eighth Layer of the Mystical Gate previously, wouldn’t have sufficed for entry onto the Human List."

Xue Canghai’s face darkened a bit, "You could have kept the latter half to yourself."

Damn it, not just you men and women sinking me, even the Chaotic World Book betrays me. I secretly improved a lot, thinking I could act low-profile and then strike, but before I could hide it for two days, I was added to the Human List and the whole world knew.

What’s worse, even after retraining the Blood Evil Skill, I was still unable to enter the secret door, and the backlash of the Evil Qi periodically threatens my life; is it all worth it...

Zhao Changhe said, "Sect Hierarch Xue must also be facing the same problem at the entrance to the Secret Treasure as I am. I do not seek secret books, nor ask for holy objects, I only wish to have a hearty battle with the Sect Hierarch. Perhaps by mutually verifying what we’ve learned, we both might enter the door of the Secret Treasure."

Xue Canghai almost laughed out loud. "After all is said and done, do you still think I am an easy target to squeeze?"

Zhao Changhe said very seriously, "No, I don’t think I am necessarily the Hierarch’s match. The Hierarch’s mastery and understanding of the Blood God Sect’s techniques are unrivaled in the world, I come with the intent to learn."

Xue Canghai coldly said, "Then why should I satisfy your request?"

Zhao Changhe set down his teacup and said lightly, "Because I am Zhao Changhe."

Xue Canghai narrowed his eyes.

"The Blood God’s technique is inferior to the Sect Hierarch. But in drawing parallels and gathering wisdom from various sources, the Hierarch is inferior to me," Zhao Changhe slowly said, "I lacked mastery over the Blood Evil, and the Hierarch was lost in excessive indulgence. I believe, if we could complement each other, the door to the Secret Treasure is right there."

Xue Canghai’s heart finally skipped a beat.

Anticipating countless reasons for Zhao Changhe’s visit, this one was hard to imagine.

Indeed, he was not a junior seeking to challenge an elder, nor a traitor returning gloriously to his roots.

He was a renowned martial artist still tentative in seeking the Grandmaster’s path, engaging in philosophical discussion.

Xue Canghai fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You say I am excessively indulged, based on what? Do you understand my martial arts?"

"That is easy to discern," Zhao Changhe said. "The cultivation method of the Blood God Sect is fierce and aggressive, nurturing Evil Qi through killing. Do you still ponder whether this world limits you, and if you could find an opportunity for a great massacre, then the Secret Treasure’s door would be breached?"

Xue Canghai slowly said, "Continue."

Zhao Changhe continued, "Hasn’t the Sect Hierarch discovered that the fundamental intention of that Ancient Demon God is neither to kill nor to nurture Evil Qi? It’s about the unbridled dominance when gods and Buddhas dispersed, it’s about the ruthless self-questioning of the conscience when transcending the worldly self, it’s about the perspective of ’Hell is Like This’ on the world. When the Heavenly Dao died, who then represents the Heavenly Dao? Was the Demon God’s final contemplation truly just about slaughter?"

Xue Canghai slowly stood up, his expression extremely stern.

Zhao Changhe touched his ring, and the Dragon Sparrow zipped into his hand, pointing towards Xue Canghai: "At this point, everything that needed to be said has been said. Sect Hierarch Xue... would you like to verify it?"