Tome of Troubled Times
Chapter 868 (2): Thirty Years in the Mortal Realm

Chapter 868 (2): Thirty Years in the Mortal Realm

In truth, these two did not need to request an audience at all. Xia Chichi had not even said “Enter” before the two of them were already at the observatory. Piaomiao, who had remained hidden until now in the form of spiritual consciousness, immediately materialized upon seeing Cui Yuanyang and greeted her with a delighted embrace. “Yangyang!”

Cui Yuanyang nestled happily into her arms, a soft, blissful expression on her face. “Big Sister, I missed you.”

Xia Chichi rolled her eyes. And this is the head of the Demon Suppression Bureau? “Miss her? You two could meet whenever you like. What are you really here for?”

Before they could even step fully onto the platform, Tang Wanzhuang spoke first, “The Demon Suppression Bureau has received a report. A divine artifact has emerged in the mortal realm. Its location is indeterminate, but when it appeared, day turned to night, and the stars filled the sky.”

Xia Chichi’s expression shifted. “River of Stars!”

Tang Wanzhuang nodded. “Precisely. It can only be River of Stars.”

Back then, River of Stars had been fired beyond the world to bind the Heavenly Dao. After the war, it scattered and drifted through the mortal realm. Due to its peculiar nature, its location became elusive, flickering between existence and nonexistence; no one could track it down.

Now that it had resurfaced, the timing likely had a powerful resonance with someone’s imminent return from seclusion. In other words, if they could pinpoint River of Stars’ location, they might very well be able to find Zhao Changhe.

Even if it had nothing to do with him, if anyone wanted to pursue the path toward the Night Palace or confront Ye Wuming, River of Stars was the most ideal key to unlocking that path.

“Does the Demon Suppression Bureau have any precise leads?” Xia Chichi asked, turning to Cui Yuanyang. “Also, now that River of Stars has appeared, shouldn’t we be hearing about Dragon Bird soon too?”

Cui Yuanyang shook her head. “Dragon Bird is different from River of Stars. She left on her own, running off to play. She’s deliberately hiding, and no one’s been able to find her. We’ve already ordered everyone under the Demon Suppression Bureau to monitor for signs. We’ll need to wait for more information to be consolidated. I came only to inform you in advance.”

Xia Chichi fell silent in thought for a moment. “Then, how is the recent demon suppression effort? With River of Stars appearing, perhaps that will become the new focal point.”

Ever since the collapse of the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm all those years ago, monsters, demons, and strange beasts had flooded the mortal realm. They were like blades of grass—mowed down one day only to sprout anew the next. The Demon Suppression Bureau had never been able to keep up with the sheer number of outbreaks. In addition, the general cultivation level of the entire mortal realm had surged upward. With it rose all manner of villains, cults, demonic sects, and criminal factions, flourishing like plants after the rain. It was hardly any less chaotic than the era of war three decades prior. The ever-churning jianghu remained eternal.

Perhaps this was an unchangeable law across all worlds. But here, it bore even deeper meaning—it might still be a facet of the Heavenly Dao, seeping into the world’s very foundation.

And so, even now, heroes still roamed the jianghu, blades in hand. Thirty years of midnight rain had passed, but the mortal realm remained as it always was.

Piaomiao and the others had no desire to intervene in these matters. The affairs of man could not all be resolved by them. Even Yue Hongling, once ever eager to fight injustice, now rarely drew her sword. Their attention was elsewhere—on finding Zhao Changhe and Ye Wuming... and on exploring the realms beyond this world. The mortal realm, after all, had to one day be left in the hands of those who came after.

The Ranking of Hidden Dragons had changed generation after generation, but the martial arts world had never ceased to thrive.

Cui Yuanyang sighed. “Demon suppression efforts continue... They’ve been much the same. There are many heroes in the world, but among the younger generation, the only one I truly find promising is Big Sister Yue’s disciple. I even gave her a Demon Suppression Bureau jade token to try and trick her into taking over someday. But alas, she seems to have inherited her master’s temperament, and she prefers to wander the world alone.”

Xia Chichi curled her lips. “Just wait until she meets her match. Then we’ll see how long she keeps playing the lone heroine. Even her master couldn’t resist in the end. Who does she think she is?”

Tang Wanzhuang added, “Send her a message. Tell her to inform her master that River of Stars has returned, and it’s high time Yue Hongling came down from the mountain. Also, have Buqi pass word to that damn tortoise. She’s been drifting overseas for years now. How is she not seasick yet?”

* * *

By the shores of the Ancient Sword Lake.

A young woman with a long ponytail sprinted through the rain-drenched bamboo forest. Her lower abdomen was faintly stained with blood.

Behind her chased a group of black-clad men, murderous intent thick in the air. Their shouts echoed through the night, “She’s wounded! There’s blood in this direction! After her!”

Though she was injured, her gaze remained calm and focused. The forest was dark, the rain was heavy, and the terrain was muddy and slick—perfect for evading pursuit.

She had been investigating a group of demonic cultists when she accidentally uncovered a shocking piece of intelligence: these people had discovered traces of King Zhao’s Dragon Bird and were plotting to offer it to the tribes of the far north. Such betrayal was intolerable.

She had planned to alert the local Demon Suppression Bureau immediately. Unfortunately, they discovered her first and responded with murderous force.

Whoosh!

A hidden weapon sliced through the rain. The girl staggered aside, narrowly dodging. It struck a nearby bamboo stalk, shaking it violently. Raindrops scattered like shards of glass. With a swift twist of her sword, she scattered those droplets into a veil of glittering water, using it as cover to dart forward several more zhang.

I need to make it out of here alive...

In the midst of her flight, a small grass hut suddenly emerged ahead in the darkness.

In front of it stood a weathered gravestone etched with the single word: Wuming.

An old man in a worn green robe sat hunched before the grave, coughing softly as though weighed down by years of illness.

Laid horizontally in front of the grave was a massive broad saber. Its dark red blade bore a barely visible engraving—dragon wings flared and talons poised.

The faint image of Dragon Bird loomed from within.

The massive broad saber lying before the grave was of a design popularized in the wake of King Zhao’s meteoric rise—oversized, extravagant, fashioned for dramatic flair. But few could truly wield such a heavy single-handed weapon, and after a brief trend, its popularity waned. Still, some remained in circulation, and all of them bore the same engraved image of a dragon bird. It had become common enough that no one would think it might be the true Dragon Bird at first glance.

The young woman had not expected to find a bystander here. She cried out urgently, “Elder, you must leave! These men kill without hesitation!”

The old man gave no response, though whether because of deafness or indifference was unclear. He simply reached for a clay flask of warmed wine and poured it slowly over the blade of the broad saber, murmuring, “The Qingming Festival... just the right time. Since you’re here, why not share a drink with me, in his name?”

The broad saber let out a low, humming vibration.

The old man chuckled. “You say he’s not dead? Then tell me, who am I mourning? After all these years with no word, how is that any different from death?”

The broad saber’s hum deepened. The old man laughed heartily. “So you agree. You think the same.”

The young woman did not understand his words, but she grit her teeth and stepped forward, placing herself between the old man and the encroaching danger. She turned to face the black-clad pursuers alone. In the blink of an eye, the forest swelled with shadowed forms—dozens of killers surrounding her with sneering laughter. “What, not running anymore?”

She said calmly, “This elder is innocent. Let him go first.”

The black-clad men laughed. “So this is the famed number one on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons, Ling Ruoyu? What a soft-hearted fool. If people like Yue Hongling and Zhao Changhe were all as naive as you, the Ranking of Hidden Dragons would’ve become the Ranking of Dead Snakes long ago! Hahaha—”

Ling Ruoyu snapped, “Those names are not for the likes of you to speak aloud. And if they were here, they would act the same!”

The old man’s ear twitched slightly. The dragon bird carving on the broad saber seemed to shift subtly, almost as if it glanced back over its shoulder, like a twin-pigtailed girl peeking curiously behind.

Number one on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons...

“Please, Zhao Changhe’s been dead for years. Everyone knows that his soul dispersed back when the skies were dyed red. His sword and saber were scattered across the mortal realm for anyone to fight over. Could a living man leave a legacy like that?”

“Lies!” Ling Ruoyu shouted. “His name has never been removed from the Rankings of Troubled Times! He is not dead!”

“There’s still Jiuyou and Piaomiao on those rankings, and they slept through an entire era. Zhao Changhe might as well be dead. Either way, he won’t be here to save you. Since you chose to throw your life away for some sick old man, then die with him.”

Whoosh!

Sword and saber lights flew forward like lightning. Ling Ruoyu took a deep breath and struck with her sword.

For a moment, the rain vanished. All that remained was a streak of dying sunlight painting the heavens red, like the very sunset descending upon the mortal realm.

The old man’s eyes flickered. He murmured under his breath, “The Sunset Divine Sword... This girl, she’s actually...”

Clang!

A sharp whistle of steel cutting air rang out. Several black-clad assassins clutched their throats, collapsing in silence. Four or five dead in an instant. But Ling Ruoyu staggered, and then her legs gave out. She fell to one knee, gasping for air.

The remaining assailants hesitated briefly, then closed in again. The leader grinned. “So the First Hidden Dragon isn’t just all talk, but this is the end—”

Before he could finish, the old man stood up slowly, coughing as he rose. In his hand was a long, slender sword. He walked toward them, step by measured step as if walking into nothing at all.

Ling Ruoyu’s eyes widened. “Elder, be careful!”

“Who is this coughing old man trying to scare?” the leader of the black-clad men sneered, lunging with his sword aimed directly at the old man’s throat.

However, his sword met nothing but empty air. The old man’s stooped figure merely kept walking, coughing faintly as he vanished into the bamboo grove. Not a hair of his was out of place.

And in that same breath, blood began to well at every black-clad man’s throat.

The leader clutched his own throat, terror-struck. “Han...”

Thud.

Dozens of bodies fell to the forest floor in unison. None rose again.

Ling Ruoyu stood frozen, staring in shock at the eerie silence that followed. In her mind, one name rose unbidden.

Han Wubing.

She came to her senses with a start and shouted desperately into the forest, “Senior Han! A demonic cultivator from the Ranking of Earth is seeking King Zhao’s saber! Please lend your strength!”

“...Ranking of Earth?” Han Wubing’s voice drifted faintly from deep within the forest. He seemed to chuckle. “Then pick up that broken wine-drinking saber on the ground. The duty of guarding it now falls to you.”