Tome of Troubled Times
Chapter 838: The Long-Lost Han Wubing

Chapter 838: The Long-Lost Han Wubing

While Piaomiao was still using the lotus platform to reconstruct her body, Papiyas had already been released by Yuan Cheng.

Having been pummeled half to death by the corrupted Piaomiao and then imprisoned for so long in the pagoda with unending Buddhist radiance continuously cleansing and purifying him, by the time he was released, Papiyas was barely clinging to life.

And yet, beings like him simply did not die. Any other demon, even one mightier than him, would have long since been reduced to dust under such circumstances, but not Papiyas.

Casting a venomous glare at the monks, Papiyas fled in a pitiful retreat. In his current state, he stood no chance against the ancient Buddha.

The wise bide their time. I’ll return once my wounds are healed. When that day comes, these bald donkeys will pay. Perhaps I could even use them to trap Zhao Changhe in the process.

Papiyas had never relinquished his vendetta.

Just you wait!

His hatred extended to Snow Owl as well. By all rights, there had been a lengthy period during which Zhao Changhe and Piaomiao’s souls were absent from the temple. The only ones left behind were the ancient Buddha and Cui Yuanyang. While the two were both at the Profound Control Realm, the ancient Buddha clearly stood no chance against Snow Owl, and as for Cui Yuanyang, could she even count as a Profound Control master? It had been the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the temple, raze it to the ground, rescue him, and perhaps even kill Zhao Changhe in the process. And yet Snow Owl had faltered, cowardly and hesitant, missing the moment for fear of crossing swords with Zhao Changhe and Piaomiao.

Such was the curse that plagued those who lurked in the shadows—they lacked the courage to face formidable foes head-on. Had Snow Owl dared to strike, he would have seen how vulnerable the temple truly was.

But now, it was too late. A true pity.

Watching Papiyas’ resentful shadow fade into the distance, the ancient Buddha sighed. “This was the best chance we had to seal Papiyas for eternity. Why did you all yield to this King Zhao... If letting the tiger return to the mountains doesn’t end the way King Zhao predicted, the consequences will be disastrous. What then?”

Yuan Cheng replied, “Do you think we wanted to let Papiyas go? We had no choice. If the Buddhist sect wishes to rise again in this age, we cannot afford to offend King Zhao. One word from him, and he could wipe us out. And let me tell you, compared to the last emperor’s suppression of Buddhism, Zhao Changhe’s actions would be far more thorough.”

The ancient Buddha’s expression darkened, torn with conflict. After suffering both the collapse of the heavens and the purge of Buddhism, their sect had become so fragile they could only move forward with utmost caution. He recalled the splendor of Mount Ling in the previous era. Truly, all things were transient.

Yuan Cheng said, “Speaking of that, since you were this concerned, why didn’t you object before? You remained silent throughout...”

The ancient Buddha forced a bitter smile. “It’s not King Zhao I fear. It’s Piaomiao. You haven’t lived through the age of ancient gods and demons, so you cannot grasp what beings like her once represented. Back then, I didn’t even have the right to speak with her. She stood on equal footing with the Buddha himself. What I still cannot fathom is how, that day in the pagoda, when King Zhao interrogated Papiyas, the corrupted Piaomiao stood silently behind him like a demure bride. I kept wondering... was I dreaming?”

Yuan Cheng replied, “We can understand that sentiment. Before the ancient Buddha returned, we felt the same way watching him flirt with Vermillion Bird.”

The ancient Buddha: “...”

He fell silent for a long time before murmuring, “It’s not the same.”

“It isn’t? It sure feels pretty similar to us...”

“Vermillion Bird is, all things considered, just a subordinate under the Night Emperor. And among the very few entities the Night Emperor herself never conquered was Piaomiao. Symbolically speaking, King Zhao’s domain of influence may have already surpassed that of the Night Emperor.” The ancient Buddha’s voice turned grave as he continued, “If the Heavenly Dao still held sway, it would never allow such a being to exist.”

Yuan Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. There was something ominous in those words. He wanted to speak to Zhao Changhe, but by now, the man was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Papiyas arrived back at his own paradise, where the illusion beasts around him melted into shadow, vanishing into the black mist. His feeble aura began recovering rapidly, at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A voice rang out from behind. It was Snow Owl. “Weren’t you captured? How are you back?”

Papiyas replied coldly, “Disappointed to see me return? Hoping to seize my power?”

Snow Owl said, “Those beasts are bound to you, so I wouldn’t have been able to take them even if I wanted to. I was just curious. With Piaomiao present and the Soul-Shackling Chain in place, how did you manage to escape?”

“I have my own ways of slipping free. Did you think I’d need to rely on you?”

“I didn’t refuse to help you. But for some reason, Zhao Changhe can always sense where I am. I’ve lost my stealth. Going in would’ve been no different from suicide for me.”

“But Zhao Changhe and Piaomiao’s spirits were both off wandering. Whether or not you came to help me, that was the perfect time to destroy Zhao Changhe’s physical body! You know how much he relies on his vicious blood-tempered body. If we destroyed his body, he would be nothing but a shadow of his former self!”

Snow Owl sighed. “So you prioritized killing Zhao Changhe over saving yourself?”

Papiyas sneered and said, “Of course. He’s a mortal with a tempered shell, but it’s still a mortal shell. He’s easy to kill. On the other hand, I am truly undyi—ugh!”

Before he could finish, a sword pierced silently through the black mist, followed by an eruption of sword qi that violently shredded his soul.

Papiyas screamed in agony. “You’re insane!”

“Do you truly believe yourself to be immortal?” Snow Owl said coolly. “Sure, the world must contain a being like you... but it doesn’t have to be you. Ye Jiuyou didn’t kill you simply because she didn’t want to inherit your law passively and risk derailing her own pursuit of truth, but I don’t care about that.” Snow Owl stepped forward, continuing in an indifferent tone, “I was never your match, and I even worried you were feigning weakness. But as it turns out, you really are this feeble. Hah, and you still dared to show yourself to me undefended...”

The black mist surrounding Papiyas twisted in agony. “You’re no primordial demon god, so how could you possibly inherit my law...”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. I am, in fact, a primordial demon god. Care to guess which one?”

“You... what? No way! You’re... Dark Oblivion?!”

“Correct. I’ve been waiting for this day since the previous era,” Snow Owl replied, his voice calm. “My law was ultimately overshadowed by Ye Jiuyou’s. My cultivation has been capped by her system, unable to surpass its limits. To stand on equal ground with her, I had to find an evil that existed outside her framework, and you were the perfect choice.”

As he spoke, his cultivation surged upward. In the blink of an eye, he broke through to the second layer of the Profound Control Realm.

Papiyas’ aura faded, yet the essence was still present—now emerging from within Snow Owl.

He exhaled a long breath, slowly tightening his left fist. “So this is the strength of the ancient Four Idols. This is the power I should have possessed all along.”

But Papiyas’s final shred of consciousness let out a cold laugh: “You think Ye Jiuyou didn’t foresee this? Hah... Hahaha... You’re nothing more than the rotting flesh she’s long meant to carve away, and now she’s simply watching the clown’s act play out again...”

His voice faded as he said, “You’ll die an even worse death than I did.”

Then, silence fell and the black mist dispersed entirely.

At a nearby stone wall, Yue Hongling and the others, who had been drawn here by the lingering sword qi that Zhao Changhe had planted within Snow Owl, were quietly observing the entire scene. Seeing it unfold, they all looked at one another in astonishment.

Papiyas was absorbed that easily? Even accounting for his weakened state, his demise felt strangely swift, and Snow Owl’s absorption far too seamless. It did not seem likely for Dark Oblivion’s law to be so powerful. In order to devour a being like Papiyas, he would have to at least be on par, if not superior. This went beyond the expected scale.

“Something’s off,” Yue Hongling transmitted carefully. “Leaving aside how easily he absorbed Papiyas... That strike he used when he shattered Papiyas’s soul carried the essence of White Tiger’s roar, a force that destroys all. Did none of you feel it?”

Xia Chichi blinked in surprise. She had once borne the White Tiger’s legacy herself but had never faced Snow Owl directly, so she truly had not sensed anything off.

Huangfu Qing and Lady Three also shook their heads. None of them had ever crossed blades with Snow Owl. Only Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling had faced him in earnest and back then, Yue Hongling had not yet inherited the White Tiger’s legacy. Hence, she would not have recognized the White Tiger’s intent at the time.

In truth, with all the sword intents Snow Owl had amassed from fishing countless sword slaves, his aura was a blend of too many forces. So long as he kept the White Tiger’s presence concealed, no one would have sensed it. Only when fighting a foe as powerful as Papiyas would he be forced to reveal that level of might, thus allowing a now-aware Yue Hongling to detect it.

“Could he be the supposed ancient White Tiger who went mad? But he seems so composed... What’s mad about him?” Lady Three exclaimed. “Besides, according to Changhe, Snow Owl should be the human reincarnation of Dark Oblivion’s soul fragment.”

Xia Chichi added, “Do you think it’s possible that he devoured the ancient White Tiger? If White Tiger was wounded and in a maddened state...”

“If that were the case, then the Tome of Troubled Times would never have listed White Tiger as a separate name,” said Huangfu Qing. “For all its flaws, that record is very precise about such things. Piaomiao and Cui Yuanyang are arguably the same person, and yet they’re written as two distinct entries. That alone shows that the ancient White Tiger and Snow Owl must be two separate individuals.”

As they conversed, Snow Owl’s aura continued to climb, quickly reaching the pinnacle of the second layer of the Profound Control Realm.

Snow Owl looked down at the sword in his hand and murmured to himself, “I’ve broken past the limit. Now that I’ve reached this point, we can talk.”

With that, his figure shimmered and vanished.

Yue Hongling immediately pressed her senses outward, leading the group to silently follow.

To everyone’s surprise, Snow Owl did not leave the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm. Instead, he headed westward, straight toward a misty, illusory snow-covered mountain.

The Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm was vast. Yue Hongling had wandered its fringes for months without reaching its heart, and Zhao Changhe had made a direct beeline for the center, skipping large swathes of territory. Given the realm’s nature, with it being filled with deceptive mirages and hidden truths, it was actually an ideal place to conceal secrets. Strangely enough, none of them had considered that before.

Clearly, something important was hidden here.

Before long, Snow Owl arrived at the snowy peak. He stood before a solitary stone and murmured, “How is it today?”

A calm voice responded from within the stone. “Papiyas’s essence? What use is that...”

Those few words made Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling’s eyes fly wide open.

Perhaps few in the world would recognize that voice, but the two of them certainly did, and they both knew exactly how their husband would react if he heard it.

It was the voice of none other than the long-lost Han Wubing!

He was Zhao Changhe’s very first friend in this life and by far the most loyal. The two had always been willing to risk their lives for each other. Ever since Han Wubing vanished after the battle in the southwest, Zhao Changhe had never stopped worrying. After overthrowing Xia Longyuan and taking the reins of the divine land, he immediately tasked the Demon Suppression Bureau, Ying Five, and countless other channels to search for Han Wubing, but not a single trace of him was ever found.

It was not entirely surprising. There were so many countries overseas, so many nations in the Western Regions, so many secret realms undiscovered... Disappearing was not hard and most people did not find it strange. Only Zhao Changhe felt something was amiss. He knew Han Wubing. He knew that he was not the type of person to just go silent, and not the type to avoid the Rankings of Troubled Times for so long. He was not someone who feared entanglement, and with such peerless talent, how could he have no presence in this storm-ridden age?

And now, in a shocking turn of events, he had been here all along, hidden within the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm!

From the look of it, he was not a captive either; oddly enough, it appeared that Snow Owl was addressing him as an equal.

Yue Hongling, who had once participated in the upheaval at the Sword Hut, knew these two had a shared past, so their presence together was not unusual, but for them to speak as equals? That was something else entirely. Han Wubing had once been a sword slave under Shi Wuding, and Shi Wuding had been a sword slave under Snow Owl. By hierarchy and cultivation, this was a grandson to grandfather situation. And yet here they were, conversing on even footing.

Then, Snow Owl spoke coldly, “Of course, Papiyas’s essence is useless to you... but to reach the third layer of the Profound Control Realm, it’s invaluable.”

Han Wubing responded only with a cold sneer.

Snow Owl continued, “Papiyas and Piaomiao belong to the same class of beings. They are born of humanity. If Piaomiao can ascend to the third layer of the Profound Control Realm, then Papiyas surely has that potential too. There’s no inherent bottleneck, and what’s lacking is merely a catalyst. We are that catalyst. If we cooperate, you and I both stand a chance of breaking through.”

Han Wubing said calmly, “That is none of my concern.”

“None of your concern?” Snow Owl let out a mocking laugh. “If you can’t break through to the third layer, how do you plan to accomplish what you intend?”

“I can wait. Papiyas’s power... disgusts me.”

“Wait?” Snow Owl sneered. “The Ye sisters are already moving behind the scenes, and Zhao Changhe is just one step away from the third layer of the Profound Control Realm. Do you even know what they’re trying to do?”

Han Wubing paused for a moment. “Whatever they’re planning, Zhao Changhe won’t harm me.”

“If you really believe that, then why did you only watch from the shadows and do nothing when he was wounded and fleeing through the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm? He was right under your nose, yet you didn’t lift a finger. Weren’t you supposed to be his most loyal friend?”

Han Wubing answered flatly, “Because I believed he could handle it himself. He’s Zhao Changhe. He wouldn’t be taken down by the likes of Papiyas.”

Snow Owl laughed. “Then I suggest you take a peek into the Soul-Capturing Mirror, see what truly lies in your heart.”

Han Wubing did not reply.

“What, do you not dare?” Snow Owl clicked his tongue. “Funny, isn’t it? He saw your face among the illusion beasts. You saw his. Both of you hesitate to strike. That kind of mutual soft spot... isn’t easy to come by. But the shame is, he has many such soft spots, while you only have him.”

Han Wubing’s voice turned frosty as he said, “You absorb Papiyas’s essence and think you can mimic his tricks? Stirring doubt and discord? Your skill’s pitiful. Don’t embarrass yourself here.”

“Oh, I’m not the one embarrassing myself,” Snow Owl said coldly. “You know how many people are out for your head now? Zhao Changhe and his wives are looking for you. The Sword Emperor is searching. Ye Jiuyou won’t spare you. And Ye Wuming? Please. She never forgets a target. You know exactly what kind of enemies they are. Aside from me, who else can you rely on?”

Before his words could settle, a soft chuckle echoed through the void.

“Me.”

The space trembled. A stunning woman draped in dark robes appeared without a sound.

The moment she emerged, the surroundings plunged into darkness. The snowy peak that still held some life just a moment ago now had all life wither in an instant, the sparse plants crumbling to dust. The howls of illusion beasts were cut short as they vanished, leaving only a desolate, deathly silence.

A cold wind swept beneath her robes, lifting their hem as if the entire scene came with its own chilling BGM.

It was Ye Jiuyou.

Huangfu Qing and Yue Hongling, who had both seen her before in Chang’an, felt their hearts tremble. This was the real final boss. If she had possessed this level of power back in Chang’an, the game would have been over. The battle against Tngri? Zhao Changhe would not have stood a chance. Was she holding back? No... She must have only sent a clone. Was someone suppressing her?

As Ye Jiuyou appeared, the surrounding illusion dissolved. The stone Snow Owl had spoken to vanished, revealing a steep cliff. In the cliff, a cave could be seen.

Han Wubing sat cross-legged just within the cave’s mouth, a long sword resting across his lap. He remained utterly still, like a blade drawn from its sheath—poised, sharp, and unmoving.

From deeper within the cave, a wild, frenzied aura surged outward. It was the savage will of the ancient White Tiger. Sword intent howled through Ye Jiuyou’s shadowy domain, though sadly, it had no effect on her at all.

Those spying from afar felt their hearts stir.

So it’s inside this cave where the maddened ancient White Tiger has been hiding... Han Wubing’s sitting right at the entrance. Has he been standing guard?

But at this moment, Han Wubing’s aura was startling as well. The razor-sharp sword intent coming from him was ridiculously strong; in fact, it was even somewhat stronger than Yue Hongling’s.

Yue Hongling had undergone so many trials, countless transformations and blood-soaked battles to attain her level. Han Wubing, on the other hand? The Rankings of Troubled Times had not stirred once for his sake in recent times. Had he truly just sat here in stillness all this time and, through sheer focus and solitude, cultivated such a terrifying sword intent?