Chaotic World Book
Chapter 547 - 531: Changhe Flows into the Sea

Chapter 547: Chapter 531: Changhe Flows into the Sea

Zhao Changhe had stayed in the Capital for roughly three days.

After all, there was no rush to leave. Tang Wanju had someone deliver a Transformed Lotus to Puyang, and Zhao Changhe was waiting for Cui Wenjing to wake up before deciding on the next steps.

Meanwhile, residing at the Tang family’s residence, he pored over the Demon Suppression Department’s materials related to overseas and the previously surveyed sea charts, roughly understanding the conditions of the overseas areas.

He cross-referenced the "Mountain and River Atlas," which also extensively recorded overseas islands, though it was unclear if they still existed in this era; they seemed potentially useful and could have become Secret Realms.

These included records of some products that were valuable for cultivation, treatment, or sword making and were quite different from those found on land.

For instance, there was a type of Black Alga of Obscure Water that could greatly aid in treating Tang Wanju’s illness.

Furthermore, the sinews of certain dragon-like creatures, such as the Jiao, were used to make bows whose level would not be inferior to that of the Ancient Sword Dragon Emperor; there were also some special sea ores, among which were the main materials used to forge the Ice Soul in ancient times.

Many things were extremely beneficial for cultivation related to the water attribute. However, this kind of water element wasn’t the same as Tang Wanju’s Spring Water Sword Intent but was more in line with the Four Symbols Sect’s Five Elements, and it felt like it should be Guigui’s forte. An estimate suggests that San Niang must have mingled overseas in her early years.

And so forth.

Adding to this the Secret Realms lost throughout this epoch in various places, anyone would know there must be many in the sea. For a martial artist from the Worldly Society who sought self-improvement, going out to sea was definitely meaningful; the deeper and farther the sea, the more significant it became. However, the merciless storms deterred many from venturing forth.

Originally, Zhao Changhe was even more apprehensive about going; it was already dangerous, with the Sea Race entrenched... During the time at the First Layer Secret Treasure, he truly did not dare to go, but now he felt much more confident. The most dangerous, the Sea Emperor, would assuredly be monitored by Xia Longyuan, and as for other Sea Races, he felt utterly fearless.

"Hey, Chichi,"

The blind man: "..."

"Is there definitely a Heavenly Book in the sea? Maybe there’s more than one page. After all, the sea is bigger than the land..."

"For this world, don’t apply the logic that the sea is bigger than the land. Wang Daoning could boast that, but it’s not true in reality."

Zhao Changhe was momentarily taken aback. Right, this world probably had a round sky and square earth, and the sea might not be larger than the land, and there might even truly be a limit to the sky.

"There indeed is a Heavenly Book in the sea," the blind man finally spoke, "And there are two pages, one of which I can no longer perceive, likely already in the hands of the Sea Emperor. This is probably why the Sword Emperor is still dormant while the Sea Emperor has started to cause mischief."

"Does that mean, the Sword Emperor and the Sea Emperor are on the same level?"

"About the same, both are of the Ancient Four Symbols level," said the blind man. "The other page is where Xia Chichi is headed. Xia Longyuan is letting Xia Chichi go there, and I’m not sure if he has any malice."

Zhao Changhe frowned.

Despite being psychologically prepared, he still found it difficult to understand this kind of thinking.

"Speaking of which, could you introduce the subsequent realms? It’s not a secret, right?"

"Actually, they’re all Imperial Realms, similar to Secret Treasures, just Third Layer of the Imperial Realm," said the blind man. "In fact, the Imperial Realm can already be considered Divine, since controlling clouds, moving mountains and seas, and housing a Yin God, in many ways, are divine abilities. Of course, there are differences even among gods, which need further subdivision. Of course, ancient texts that are generally available don’t detail it this finely; it’s quite difficult for them to even have records about the Imperial Realm..."

Zhao Changhe was a bit surprised by the blind man’s attitude.

It was like boiling a frog in warm water; now she was already doing a walkthrough on her own, but there was none of the usual complaining or pride, just a straightforward answer, which was quite rare for the blind man. Well, there was still a slight disdain for the current people’s insight.

One could only say that the next page of the Heavenly Book was just ahead, and since she was voluntarily seeking it, the blind man was in a good mood and became amiable... That’s the way it is when desires are involved, whether among men or gods.

He wondered what her reaction would be if he said, "You wouldn’t want the next page of the Heavenly Book to remain unobtained, right, Chichi?"

Of course, that thought just churned in his stomach, while his mouth seriously asked, "So, how exactly are the realms subdivided?"

Not knowing what he thought inside, the blind man still answered in detail: "In the first realm, the Yin God begins to condense, achieving flight and escape. You could consider this controlling the winds and clouds; the second realm entails becoming the sovereign of the law you cultivate—wind, rain, thunder, and lightning are not just for use, but for you to control; the third realm is naturally becoming the master of all beings, transforming the Yin God into a Yang God, achieving immortality. The so-called Imperial, plainly speaking, is about mastery; the extent and scope of your mastery determine the watershed."

Zhao Changhe pondered aloud, "So essentially, it’s about cultivation progressing from one’s self to the Divine Soul, and the Divine Soul transitioning from Yin God to Yang God. Someone like Emperor Ye would be in the third realm, but he hasn’t yet reached full mastery, does that mean he still needs to cultivate to the utmost, or does it imply there’s a realm beyond?"

The blind man in the void crossed his arms: "Yes."

"What?"

"Heavenly Dao. To replace it. That’s even more imperial, mastering everything."

The blind man actually made such a joke, astonishing Zhao Changhe profoundly, who after a long moment finally said, "Mastering everything will only harm you."

Blind man: "?"

Zhao Changhe said, "But even Heavenly Dao can die. Isn’t it said that Divine Souls are immortal?"

"Life and death are always relative... There is no such thing as absolutely indestructible matter. Have you not learned materialism?"

"Damn... Are you also splitting your soul in the present world, continuously learning new knowledge? Are you really discussing materialism with me in this fantasy world, when Newton’s coffin board can be sealed here anytime?"

The blind man said no more.

Zhao Changhe took the opportunity to ask, "Then how do I cultivate..."

The blind man interrupted, "Consulting about the concept is enough; teaching you how to cultivate should be beyond your dreams."

"Is it that you don’t want to teach or you can’t?"

The blind man still said nothing.

Zhao Changhe suddenly said, "With so many self-imposed limitations, who is controlling you?"

The blind man coldly said, "Certainly not you."

Zhao Changhe did not respond.

...

Two days after researching overseas materials, Zhao Changhe received news from Puyang that Cui Wenjing had regained consciousness and was sent back to Qinghe. Surrounded by numerous famed doctors and with the delivery of the Transformed Lotus, her condition was improving.

Zhao Changhe sighed and thought to himself that he was not any better in the recovery treatment aspect than the famed doctors; he still couldn’t cure Wanzhuang’s disease, and it was time to seek other solutions.

These recent days, Tang Wanju had been overseeing a reshuffling in the Capital. Although she did not personally attend anymore, her tasks were still plenty, leaving her with no time even to join Zhao Changhe for meals. For the past couple of days, it was Bao Qin who served Zhao Changhe by bringing him meals, already considering herself as a servant in the family.

"Bao Qin."

As Bao Qin was boiling water for tea in the room, she turned around: "Ah?"

"The Tang family’s ships and sailors, are they in position?"

"They have arrived but can’t head directly to the Northern ports, you need to go south..."

"I know that." Zhao Changhe got up, went over to her, and ruffled her hair: "Take good care of your miss... I won’t say goodbye to her; partings are too clingy, and I’m afraid it would affect her mood and her health."

Bao Qin: "...You’re like the dog outside, licking my shoes and then getting kicked."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Bao Qin: "..."

Bao Qin’s hair quickly turned into a bird’s nest as Zhao Changhe walked away: "Wanzhuang hasn’t come to see me these days for the same reasons, our emotional connection... what would you little girl know about that?"

Bao Qin waved her little fist behind him.

I’m not a little girl; I even know it’s about the duration of half a cup of tea...

Proving Zhao Changhe’s point, Tang Wanju, who was "too busy to be seen," appeared beside Bao Qin shortly after Zhao Changhe left: "Is he gone?"

Bao Qin numbly nodded: "He left. Miss, he now truly carries himself with grace, except when he messes up people’s hair into a bird’s nest."

Tang Wanju turned her head to look towards the sky outside the door, murmuring to herself, "In many ways, he has grown up..."

She looked down at the newly received report in her hand, perfectly matching Zhao Changhe’s prediction from yesterday: "Urgent message from King Ba Tu of Monan: abundant autumn grass and horses, Tie Muer probably showing signs of resurgence, requesting Great Xia’s support."

In July, Langya Wang’s troops advanced towards Capital, blocked at Puyang by Qinghe Cui. Cao Gang stirred chaos in Jianghuai, Jiangnan clans carved out their territories, Li Shentong held strong in Ba Shu, Central Pass teeming with unrest. The people of Northern Hu revived, Divine Souls of Sea Race emerged, Xia Longyuan matched wits against Sea Emperor.

Amidst the chaos, Zhao Changhe boarded a sea vessel, bound for the East Sea.

————

PS: Damn it, suddenly there’s renovation upstairs, annoying me to death~