Chaotic World Book
Chapter 384 - 375: The Wine in the Pot is Still Warm, the Blood on the Blade is Still Fresh

Chapter 384: Chapter 375: The Wine in the Pot is Still Warm, the Blood on the Blade is Still Fresh

At that instant, whether on or under the city walls, the air was silent as if time had stopped.

Lv Shiheng on the city wall felt that the battle below wouldn’t end anytime soon. His main focus was on watching the top-tier clash between Maitreya and Wang Yang, but just as his attention diverted briefly, turmoil erupted below. Turning his head, he saw that Yu Cixiu had been slain... How had he died?

Had Zhao Changhe and Xue Canghai failed in their pincer attack?

Maitreya, watchful in all directions, hadn’t expected this outcome either. No one expected that Zhao Changhe, alone on horseback with a sword, would decapitate Yu Cixiu within two moves...

It seemed as if he had fallen into some kind of destined nightmare; every time he was entangled, significant events slipped through below. The first time at the Tang family’s back mountain, Zhao Changhe and Tang Buqi did it together; the second time at Tai Lake, Tang Buqi did it; the third time at Xiangyang, Zhao Changhe did it.

And this time, the impact was even greater.

After the defeat at Tai Lake, Xiangyang was Maitreya’s last hope, yet it collapsed in an instant.

It must not be destroyed!

Maitreya roared furiously, his Sword Light surged, pushing back Yang Jingxiu and Wang Daozhong and then swiftly retreating to charge toward Zhao Changhe amid the battle formation!

If Zhao Changhe were killed as well, there could still be hope!

The commander of Maitreya’s army was he, Maitreya, not Yu Cixiu! Yu Cixiu was merely a general; as long as Maitreya returned, he could still stabilize the morale, or at least lead a retreat!

But just as he pulled back, a burst of Sword Light attacked from beneath the moon, a chilling cold enveloping his back.

Maitreya’s heart skipped violently.

Tang Wanju!

So this was where she had hidden, absent in such a crucial battle... Turns out she’d learned to only emerge when sure not to fall into the traps of the Wang and Yang families, appearing only when the dust settled, the moment Maitreya suffered defeat—suddenly attacking!

When someone like Tang Wanju resorted to surprise attacks, not even gods could guard against it.

With no foothold in midair, Maitreya roared furiously.

Tens of thousands looked on in shock as an immense Buddha apparition appeared behind Maitreya, radiantly golden, with a lotus platform springing to life.

Buddhist chants resonated in everyone’s heart, and a giant palm struck towards Tang Wanju.

Anticipating this, Tang Wanju’s eyes remained resolute, her swordsmanship unchanged, piercing through Maitreya’s chest.

The giant palm struck around her, creating ripples of undulating waves, dissipating the force. A surprised "Hmm" echoed as the palm faded away. The moon and stars shone above, leaving no trace of what transpired.

Tang Wanju suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood and pushed another palm.

Maitreya also struck a palm towards her; with a "boom," the two palms collided, turning Maitreya into a streak of blood light fleeing toward the horizon,—unable to utter even a curse as his blood sprinkled the sky.

Tang Wanju spat out another mouthful of blood, her face pale as she slightly shook her head.

Who would have thought Maitreya still had such a trump card, yet even that could not take his life... Was a god or Buddha hidden behind him?

Tang Wanju took a deep breath and glanced at the silent Wang Daozhong and Yang Jingxiu beside her. Her gaze then fell on the city below, where the battle had been decided.

The fighting above and below the city occurred simultaneously. When Maitreya was retreating and Tang Wanju launched a surprise attack, Zhao Changhe had only just beheaded Yu Cixiu and raised his voice high, "The head of Yu Cixiu is here!"

Fear spread like a plague from where Zhao Changhe stood, rippling outward and saturating the south of Xiangyang.

At this moment, Maitreya was sneak attacked by Tang Wanju, and even the arrival of divine Buddhas couldn’t block the severe injury that forced him to retreat far away. Instantly, Maitreya’s army lost all its core strength and fell into a chaotic retreat.

Xue Canghai raised his sword and roared violently, "Cultivate blood and nourish Evil Qi, now is the time, kill them!"

The shouts filled the skies as thousands chased tens of thousands in a slashing spree, unfolding south of Xiangyang City. The private troops of the Yang Family attacking the left flank were completely dumbfounded, unsure whether they should chase or not.

Zhao Changhe himself didn’t chase. Although it seemed he defeated his enemy with a single sword strike, the energy consumed by that single stroke was no joke. It nearly drained all his strength, and he started feeling the aftermath of the ’Heaven and Earth as One’ buff, slightly dizzy and weak.

However, he wasn’t as powerless as before and still had some strength left. He took several deep breaths, adjusted his Inner Breath briefly, and then turned his head to look up at the city wall.

Tang Wanju stood there, her clothes fluttering in the wind, watching him.

That image of him holding a sword in one hand, lifting the enemy’s head in the other, standing blood-soaked amidst the corpses, with the backdrop of a massive army in retreat... That sight was utterly stirring.

Tang Wanju couldn’t suppress the memory of a phrase someone had once said to her in Gusu, "Next time, I hope to be there so that you don’t have to worry about anything."

His name was Zhao Wangtang. Was it looking or hoping? Hoping for what?

Suddenly, Zhao Changhe leaped up, soaring over the city wall like a great roc, casually throwing Yu Cixiu’s head to the ground, "Mission accomplished."

Tang Wanju tried to say something but couldn’t. All her myriad thoughts condensed into one word, "Hmm."

Zhao Changhe didn’t engage in further conversation but instead bowed politely to Yang Jingxiu, "Uncle Yang, it’s good to see you."

He then bowed to Wang Daozhong, "Hello, Old Wang."

Wang Daozhong, "..."

Finally, Zhao Changhe turned and stared sharply at Lv Shiheng, "Governor Lv, I have a question for you."

At that moment, Zhao Changhe’s presence was overwhelming, giving Lv Shiheng a palpable sense of dread. He managed to say, "Young hero Zhao... What is it?"

Zhao Changhe said, "You colluded with Maitreya, captured secret agents of the Demon Suppression Department, and plotted to assassinate the Imperial head. What should be your punishment?"

Wang Daozhong quickly intervened, "He was controlled by Maitreya’s Heavenly Girl’s cultivation technique, it wasn’t his intention... Don’t you see he also defended the city well? Shiheng, why not apologize to Chief Tang? We’ll report back to the Imperial court and see how they decide on the punishment..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Changhe interrupted him, "Being controlled is understandable, but I’m still angry. A mere apology or future dismissal won’t appease me."

Wang Daozhong sternly asked, "What do you propose?"

Zhao Changhe responded calmly, "Let’s do this then, Governor Lv. Don’t say that Zhao Changhe can’t see the bigger picture and insists on pursuing this... Previously in the Immortal Palace Garden, under Chief Tang’s sword, you hastily took a blow from me, and despite scattering gods and Buddhas, you survived without injury, which I admire greatly. Take another strike from me, let me vent, and we’ll consider the matter settled."

The watching Yang Jingxiu thought Zhao Changhe was merely finding an excuse to vent his frustration.

After all, Lv Shiheng, as the Governor of Xiangyang, had to be dealt with by the Imperial protocols and couldn’t be tried privately. It had to be handled in the Imperial court. During these turbulent times, with Lv’s backing from the Wang Family’s power and still commanding a garrison of elite troops, he needed to be dealt with cautiously and not recklessly.

He could only seethe with powerless rage, venting his maliciousness was all he could do.

Especially at this time, Zhao Changhe’s vitality was weak—though he appeared fiercely imposing on the surface, in reality, battling Lv Shiheng was unlikely to be in his favor, further proving it was all about releasing his pent-up anger. Perhaps he was even trying to curry favor with Tang Wanju by showing he was taking her side...

That was what he thought, and naturally, Wang Daozhong and Lv Shiheng thought the same. Wang Daozhong then made a gesture to Lv Shiheng, "Let’s ask Young Master Zhao for a few tips then."

Lv Shiheng thought to himself that he might as well take a strike, spit some blood, and be done with it.

He then clasped his hands with a smile, "Please enlighten me, Young Master Zhao."

Zhao Changhe weighed the Dragon Sparrow in his hand and said emotionlessly, "Be careful."

Before his words fell, he leapt up and struck down furiously with his sword.

A textbook ’Frog Jump’ "Buddha and Gods Dissipated," almost identical to the strike he had made from the rooftop across the street into the backyard of the Immortal Palace Garden to attack Lv Shiheng.

Lv Shiheng sensed that at this moment, Zhao Changhe’s momentum was indeed far from what it had been before.

To kill in this way and say it felt good, how could it be easy? Such exhaustion, he should have been meditating and resting right now.

Lv Shiheng "clang" drew his sword, thinking about how much force to use to appear a bit distressed and injured when he met the strike.

The thought flashed by, and the sword met the saber.

But in that instant, Lv Shiheng sensed something amiss.

This was not the strike it should have been! The force was extremely light, almost a mere graze, and the Sword momentum had changed.

From the violently furious ’Blood God’s Rage,’ it transformed into a gentle drizzle, weaving into the night with the wind.

By the time you realize, that gentle breeze had already reached your throat.

A small building listening to spring rain overnight.

Tang Wanju, who was watching from the sidelines, showed a flicker of emotion—what a move, so reminiscent of Wangtang...

Clearly recognizing something was wrong, Wang Daozhong moved to intercept with his sword, but Tang Wanju gently pressed down with ’Spring Water Green Waves,’ pinning Wang Daozhong in place, unable to move, and said with a half-smile, "Didn’t I say to vent on my behalf? What does Mr. Daozhong intend to do?"

"I..." Wang Daozhong couldn’t finish his words.

As these moves were made, Lv Shiheng of course made his move too.

Originally intending to just take a symbolic strike, his sword suddenly became a torrential downpour, enveloping Zhao Changhe in an attempt to force him back and reassess the situation.

However, Zhao Changhe’s sword momentum did not change, allowing the downpour to envelop him, that light breeze still slicing through the rain, determined to take his head.

Lv Shiheng had no choice but to raise his sword horizontally to block his neck while also retreating, reminiscent of the previous encounter in the Immortal Palace Garden.

But he forgot one thing.

His original Divine Sword had been broken by such a strike before, and this was a hastily replaced new sword, incomparable in material to the previous one.

If the old sword could momentarily fend off the attack, this new sword was like paper, offering no resistance at all.

With a "clang," the Dragon Sparrow severed the longsword and also slashed his throat.

A trickle of fresh blood sprayed from his throat, scattering with the night rain with the wind.

"Thud," Lv Shiheng fell backward, eyes wide open, dying with lingering resentment.

It seemed Zhao Changhe was just as ruthless as he was fierce, having agreed to take one strike but changing tactics last minute... He was not merely venting anger as it seemed; from the beginning, he planned to kill in front of the officials of the Earth List!

Wang Daozhong erupted in rage, "Zhao Changhe! How dare you kill an Imperial Governor! Are you intending to..."

"How so?" Zhao Changhe turned around, his expression calm as he spoke, "I too am a Jade Token Secret Agent of the Demon Suppression Department. My authority may not be as high as a governor, but my rank is just as respectable. If his guilt requires an Imperial decision, then whether I am guilty should also be reported to the Imperial Court. I will wait for their thorough judgement."

Wang Daozhong was so furious he couldn’t speak, "You..."

"Don’t like listening to this, do you? I don’t enjoy it either. So what was the point of you saying all this?"

"You..."

"Let’s not go back and forth. I’ll put it another way," Zhao Changhe stared into his eyes and slowly said, "Playing both sides, betraying the country for personal gain, if this man does not die, the catastrophes will be endless. I am a villain too, I cannot wait for your judgment... I killed him, what will you do about it?"

The longsword was horizontal to his side, droplets of blood falling ever so slowly.

The Evil Qi in his eyes hadn’t dissipated; the soul of the Human List congealed—Wang Daozhong found himself intimidated by such a presence, unable to rebut even a single word.

Suddenly, golden light burst forth in the sky.

"On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head."

"Yu Cixiu advances troops into Xiangyang, Zhao Changhe leads a raid, breaches the military formation, and among thousands, Yu Cixiu is slain, his robe soaked with blood, terrifying the army."

"The siege of Xiangyang is lifted, Zhao Changhe, while still weak, challenges the mighty Lv Shiheng of Xiangyang, decapitates him with a single strike, Wang Daozhong fails to intervene."

"In a moment, the ranks of Human List and Earth List fall silent, shocking everyone."

"The Human List changes."

"No. 44 of the Human List, Blood Shura Zhao Changhe!"

"Yu Cixiu’s life returns to order, the night rain in Xiangyang abruptly stops. Wine in the pot stays warm, the blood on the sword’s blade still fresh."

It was late at night, and many people were sound asleep.

But those who were awake were lost for words, the world in shock.

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PS: Seeking monthly tickets~