Tome of Troubled Times
Chapter 867: What Does Your So-Called Fate Amount To

Chapter 867: What Does Your So-Called Fate Amount To

The arrow flew.

The moment Zhao Changhe saw that smile, a chill ran through his heart. But it was too late. An arrow once released cannot be pulled back.

That arrow, the culmination of years of bloodshed and victory, imbued with all his strength and battle-hardened will, an arrow that had slain gods and demons alike, pierced straight through the Heavenly Dao. A beam of golden light shot into the darkness beyond, yet it failed to stir it in the slightest.

Meanwhile, the Ye sisters’ pincer strike, which was meant to trap the foe from front and rear, ended in a collision between themselves. Each of them recoiled with a muffled grunt, forced back by the other’s blow.

The Heavenly Dao had already dissolved, dispersing into a mist.

The sun, moon, and stars seemed to mock them, their silent laughter echoing from above. “Your plans were indeed impressive; at least, they were far beyond my expectations. But did Ye Wuming never tell you? This world is just my magical treasure. It’s but a treasure that gave rise to its own heaven and earth. The ones born to be this world’s Heavenly Dao were you two sisters, especially you, Ye Jiuyou. Not me. But you should be calling me master. It was with my authority as the treasure’s master that I stripped you of your rightful role and split you in two, taking control of this world.”

Ye Jiuyou’s voice was cold. “And what of it?”

“Every change within this world, as well as every deviation, was simply my method of disturbing your grasp over reality. Splitting you in two, birthing the Four Idols, planting the Spirit Tribe’s body, embedding the Sword Emperor, manipulating Papiyas, and the corrupting wills of the Dao Lord and the others alike... all were merely my disruptions. By removing these aberrations, you restore the world to its rightful shape. But you are not harming me; you’re only excising my influence.”

Zhao Changhe cast a glance at Ye Wuming, who hovered with eyes shut and remained silent.

It seemed that some of their earlier assumptions had been wrong. He had thought that slaying the primordial demon gods weakened the Heavenly Dao, but in truth, it merely untangled His grip on the world.

It seemed Ye Wuming had introduced Earth’s history to confuse the cycle itself, to detach the very concept of a “human era” from the Heavenly Dao’s design. And as that divergence grew, so too did His grasp wane.

But once all His influence was severed... Was Ye Wuming hoping to take control herself? Was that her aim all along? Was she that petty?

The Heavenly Dao laughed. “I am the master of this realm. For two entire eras, everything born of it has been shaped by my will. The soul-annihilating properties of the Dragon Soul Wood you’re using? That was my design. You used it to kill demon gods, but what made you think it would have any effect on me? Zhao Changhe, your cultivation relies entirely on tools born of my world. Don’t you find it laughable?”

Zhao Changhe said nothing.

If even Dragon Bird and River of Stars were made of materials He had defined, they might also be ineffective against Him. Perhaps that was why Ye Wuming had never completed forging River of Stars. She might have realized that it would be futile.

No... Dragon Bird and River of Stars should work... Because they have spirits. The Ye sisters are also spirits of the world. They could transcend the definitions of the world and, therefore, could touch the Heavenly Dao. By that logic, so too can Dragon Bird and River of Stars, as long as they’re strong enough. Alas, the Dragon Soul Bow isn’t such a weapon. It doesn’t have a spirit, so it’s useless.

He had wasted their best chance at a coordinated strike, falling into old habits.

As Zhao Changhe brooded, the Heavenly Dao spoke again, “As for you two... You are among the few born with the potential to trouble me. But split as you are, your forces cancel each other. Together, you only disrupt yourselves. You would be better off taking turns.”

He chuckled, then laughed outright. He was pleased, giddy, intoxicated by the joy of watching pawns struggle within his web, their destinies tightly wound around his fingers.

Ye Jiuyou’s expression turned grim.

Is this His way of telling one of us to flee? Or...

She glanced at Ye Wuming. Is he suggesting that we fuse together? Who the hell would agree to that? Who even knows how? And why should we even believe Him?

This was His marionette play, where all choices led to checkmate, no matter how the strings were pulled.

As the stars above howled with derision, Ye Jiuyou clenched her delicate fists until her bones creaked. Zhao Changhe had already done everything within human limits. Following him had felt easy, and their path had felt smooth from beginning to end. They had swept through the whole world, and then tore through the boundaries of the world to reach this ultimate battle between Heavenly Dao and Ye Wuming... She had never once doubted him.

But now, she felt powerless.

It’s not Changhe who’s the problem, it’s me.

“Enough,” came Ye Wuming’s first words since Zhao Changhe and Ye Jiuyou had arrived. “In my match with Him, the two of you were always just pieces to clear the board. The reason I didn’t explain everything... is because I trusted that Zhao Changhe would be able to handle what lay within his scope. And I was right. You even went beyond expectations. I honestly didn’t think you’d actually dare seduce Jiuyou.”

Zhao Changhe’s tone was wry. “Should I be thanking you for your faith in me?”

Ye Wuming ignored him and said, “At your current strength, meddling here does more harm than good. You’ve seen all there is to see, your curiosity should be satisfied now. Go back to where you belong. This matter no longer concerns you.”

Ye Jiuyou sneered, “You think you can order us around? Who the hell do you think—”

Before she finished, Ye Wuming opened her eyes.

Her eyes were desolate and lifeless, and this was in a much different manner from how Ye Jiuyou’s eyes were in the past. Even if Ye Jiuyou’s eyes had been desolate, one could tell that they were still the eyes of a living person, with her unique radiance inside. Ye Jiuyou’s eyes still held the semblance of a spirit. However, Ye Wuming’s eyes were not merely dull or spiritless in a poetic sense, they were truly and literally without a spirit.

Zhao Changhe’s heart gave a violent lurch.

The instant Ye Wuming’s eyes opened, it was as though Zhao Changhe’s body betrayed him. He then seized Ye Jiuyou and dragged her back into the world.

Ye Jiuyou: “?”

Ye Wuming took the opportunity to snatch the page of time directly from Ye Jiuyou’s personal spatial storage. A faint smile tugged at her lips. “Well, he’s conquered you. That at least saves me the trouble. Go on, hit him if you’re so inclined.”

Ye Jiuyou was fuming. “You—”

“Stay safe, my dear... big sister.” Ye Wuming’s voice was soft, her dead eyes unmoved, yet the flirtatious curve of her lips sent a chill down the spine.

It was the first time Ye Wuming had ever called her “big sister.” Until now, only Ye Jiuyou had referred to herself as the big sister. She might have found it oddly satisfying under other circumstances, but at this moment, she could not even enjoy the irony. She was being forcibly hauled away by Zhao Changhe, unable to fight back. And though she was furious, she could not bring herself to strike him. That brief hesitation was all it took for the Heavenly Tome to be taken and for them both to be dragged back into the world.

The place they landed was strange... It was an area none in this era had previously discovered.

This was the same place Zhao Changhe and Piaomiao had once stolen the lotus platform from. This was the Night Palace, the seat of the Heavenly Emperor of the three realms.

The Night Palace now stood empty and still, a serene and haunting place not unlike Ye Jiuyou’s own abyss. Yet Ye Jiuyou had no heart to consider its atmosphere. She felt like Bai Suzhen being dragged away by Fa Hai[1], powerless to do anything but watch as Ye Wuming’s aura surged, breaking through to a realm she had struggled toward for so long but never reached.

Ye Wuming had touched upon the realm beyond the third layer of the Profound Control Realm, the level of the Heavenly Dao. And with the Heavenly Tome now complete, she finally ascended in full.

Right... Ye Wuming fused with the Heavenly Tome, but until now, it was incomplete. Even if it was just a page short, that single imperfection made all the difference. Only now is she finally whole, her body and soul one, and at the pinnacle of her power.

Had Zhao Changhe and Ye Jiuyou’s daring attempt to breach the boundary and ambush the Heavenly Dao already been predicted by Ye Wuming? Had she simply been waiting for the moment when her sister and her sister’s man would hand-deliver the remaining page of the Heavenly Tome?

After all, she had long since acquired the means to control Zhao Changhe...

While Ye Jiuyou burned with fury, Ye Wuming smiled softly. “Now that the world has been cleansed, it’s just the two of us. If, once, I couldn’t defeat you, then now we are equals. Your puppet strings have long since been cut. Do you still fancy yourself in control?”

The Heavenly Dao slowly reformed its human shape. Gazing at the now fully ascended Ye Wuming, He fell silent. Even He had not foreseen just how deeply she had buried her contingencies, weaving them patiently through the years for this very moment.

After a long pause, He spoke at last, His voice tinged with reluctant admiration, “Had Ye Jiuyou reached your level, perhaps I truly would have feared her. But you? You’re different. You were born from her, and your existence is the product of my own division and designs. In other words, her life was never mine to begin with, but you are at least half mine. You are not unlike the Dragon Soul Bow—born of me, now wielded against me. You may try to kill me, but even detonating yourself will only leave us both broken again.”

“I wasn’t ruthless enough in the last era. I detonated my body but preserved my soul. Back then, too much remained unsettled. I couldn’t bear to sever all paths forward. If you had used the Spirit Tribe’s land to revive yourself while I was wholly destroyed, wouldn’t that have made me a fool? But with the world reborn, everything has gone just as I envisioned. Today, with the world cleansed, it’s time to end this.”

The Heavenly Dao chuckled. “You think blowing yourself up again will finish me off? Do you take me for a child playing house?”

“But I have help... Look.”

Far away in the Night Palace, Zhao Changhe gritted his teeth and once more drew the Dragon Soul Bow. This time, the arrow he nocked was not a golden soul-annihilating arrow... but River of Stars.

“Back when I began forging River of Stars, it was never so that I may eventually use it myself... Within River of Stars lies an imitation of the firmament, a celestial cage. I passed on Lie’s legacy to Zhao Changhe, then replaced it with my own, for I saw he was the only one truly suited to forge River of Stars and fulfill its purpose today.”

Whoosh!

River of Stars was let loose—its flight untraceable, cleaving through space to form a miniature world that sealed Ye Wuming and the Heavenly Dao within.

The Heavenly Dao, smiling moments ago, now froze. It tried to escape, only to find the endless starry expanse curving back in on itself. No matter how far it fled, it never moved beyond a single step.

Though it had the strength to break free in time, time was the one thing it no longer had.

Ye Wuming lifted her arms gently, short hair fluttering in the still air. She closed her eyes. “You should have left long ago... But no, you basked in the joy of toying with all living beings, flaunting your plans and designs. Now that everything is in place, you’re too late. Back then, I destroyed my body to take yours. Today, I destroy my soul to annihilate yours.”

The Heavenly Dao drew forth a giant axe and brought it down upon River of Stars with a deafening roar.

Yet in Ye Wuming’s desolate and lifeless gaze, there was now the glimmer of a spirit. “The heaven’s will shall have no name[2]. Henceforth, I shall dissolve into the void, becoming the silent depths of the dark skies, and passive laws shall replace avatars. Changhe, you’re the Night Emperor, and you shall carry the mantle of the Heavenly Emperor. Jiuyou shall return to the Underworld. Piaomiao shall anchor the mortal realm. They all listen to you now... From this day forth, the three realms are unified, and I entrust them to you.”

“...Is that so?” came Zhao Changhe’s voice from the Night Palace. “What a touching plan you’ve laid out... but I refuse.”

Ye Wuming froze, then lowered her gaze toward the world below.

How is Zhao Changhe still able to speak for himself?

Behind his head, the faint image of a pair of eyes slowly emerged. These eyes were bright and beguiling, twinkling like stars.

Ye Wuming’s heart skipped a beat. “You... how did you do it?”

She had always suspected Zhao Changhe knew about the Back Eye and had made preparations, but he had never done anything obvious to expel it. How did he cleanse it? If he could purge it, then... was he just acting as if he was under my control? Did he just want to see what I intended to do?

“It’s been three years. It’s time to return what I borrowed!”

With two soft whooshes, the pair of eyes returned to Ye Wuming. Her once spiritless eyes regained their luster, clear as autumn water, luminous with life.

“Back before I even broke into the Profound Control Realm, I was already secretly training to expel them. Old Xia pointed the way. He spent his whole life trying to best you. If he could see this now, maybe he could finally die smiling.”

Zhao Changhe nonchalantly raised his bow once more. This time, there was no Dragon Soul Arrow, nor River of Stars. There was only a single arrow of blood-red light, the nature of which was unknown.

“The Heavenly Dao wanted to use you, and you wanted to use us... But did any of you ever ask how I felt?” Zhao Changhe’s gaze grew fierce. “You think too much, you damned blind woman... Wrecking your plans is the very thing Jiuyou and Piaomiao have long dreamed of. Death? That won’t be coming so easily!”

Ye Wuming cried out, “Zhao Changhe, have you gone insane?! You’re burning your own blood and qi like this?! Even if you sacrifice your body and soul, you still won’t be able to hurt him!”

“Is that so?” Zhao Changhe said softly. “Piaomiao, it’s time.”

Far in Miaojiang, Piaomiao pressed her lips together. Reluctantly but resolutely, she transferred all her power to Zhao Changhe.

They had long since tested this. As the conduit of humanity’s qi veins, Piaomiao could transfer all her strength into Zhao Changhe, who bore the mantle of this world’s mountains and rivers.

But this strike Zhao Changhe was about to unleash... might well cost him his life.

Piaomiao had a sense of what he intended and was deeply worried. But at this point, she could only trust him unconditionally.

“If you could guarantee mutual destruction, then your plan might have been fine,” Zhao Changhe said slowly, drawing power from the faith directed toward the Night Emperor, the legacy of the Four Idols, the power of the whole world, and the weight of the Underworld, concentrating it into a single point as he pulled the bowstring to its limit. “But I don’t believe it, and I don’t believe Him. It’s possible this is just an act to lure you into destroying your own soul. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but if there’s even the slightest chance, then you can’t die. Only your and Jiuyou’s union might truly solve this. If you die, then that chance dies with you.”

The Heavenly Dao ceased its axe swing and turned to watch Zhao Changhe with mild curiosity. “You’re clever, and powerful... But do you really think you can stop me without Ye Wuming?”

Zhao Changhe smiled faintly. “I know full well that my strength might be an illusion, that you’ve already laid the groundwork, that the moment I dare believe I can threaten you, I’ll realize my foundations are crumbling and my life is slipping away... But so what?”

The Heavenly Dao’s expression shifted. “You knew?”

Zhao Changhe’s smile faded. “Of course. You claim that everything I use comes from you, and thus cannot harm you. But there is one thing you didn’t give me, and that’s my flesh and blood born of another world. My life does not come from you, and if I choose to spend it here and now, what does your so-called fate even amount to?”

He looked down toward Miaojiang. The array plate left behind by Lie hung in midair, shattered and fractured.

Yet the blood-stained will engraved upon it... endured.

“Senior, forgive me for not saying a single word when you passed. From the moment I entered this world, I’ve walked your path. Well, I never thought words were enough in the first place. I shall offer my blood as sacrifice,” proclaimed Zhao Changhe. Then, he turned to Ye Wuming and said, “Hey, you damned blind woman. The Night Palace is all yours. Wash yourself clean and wait for me to come looking for you!”

Twang!

The bowstring snapped like thunder, and the arrow was like a starry river, spreading across the heavens.

Scattering the Gods and Buddhas was never about the saber.

Across the entire world, the divine land, the Western Regions, the Eastern Sea, everyone heard the defiant voice, and everyone saw the blood-red river flowing endlessly throughout the sky.

Heaven and earth shook. Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, rain poured, snow fell, and hail came crashing down in unison from the skies, and yet, all eyes beheld only an endless sea of blood.

The whole world was struck speechless.

A remnant soul flickered and drifted to Ye Jiuyou’s side.

Ye Jiuyou did not even glance toward the conclusion at the highest heaven above. Instead, she reached out, gathered the soul flame, and vanished into the Underworld in a flash.

At the bottom of the Abyss of Jiuyou, at the fabled lotus pool of life and false graves, at the pool where flesh and bone could rise anew from those on the brink of death, there bloomed faintly the light of life.

[END OF NINTH ARC]

1. This is a reference to characters in The Legend of the White Snake. Fa Hai, a Buddhist monk, is determined to rid the world of demons; in the process, he imprisons Bai Suzhen, a snake demon, separating her from her husband Xu Xian. In the initial versions, Fa Hai is considered a positive character, a heroic demon slayer, but as people relate more and more to Bai Suzhen and her plight, he becomes a bigoted hypocrite who ruins families in the name of religion and brings a bad name to Buddhism. ☜

2. Remember that Wuming means “no name”. ☜